NEWS

ARCHIMEDES EXTRAS

Nearly two years after it was promised, Acorn have finally launched the Archimedes 410. Indeed, they have also launched a 420, forming a new 400 series which many people believe will replace the current 305 and 310. The new machines, officially called the 410/1, 420/1 are fully upgradable to the 440 and include RISC OS as standard. The table below summarises the features.
MachineRAMFour-slotHard discHard discPrice
 (Mb)backplanecontrollerfitted
410/11YesYesNo£1378.85
420/12YesYesYes (20Mb)£1953.85
4404YesYesYes (50Mb)£2873.35

The prices given are VAT inclusive, and are for the base system. A further £253 should be added for a colour monitor.

PRICES UP

To coincide with the launch of the 400/1 series, Acorn have announced a price increase for the 310. The base price for the 310 rises from £960.25 to £1033.85 (all prices inc. VAT), with a colour monitor again adding another £253. The price of the Master 128 computer also rises, to £504.85. However, for the first time, Acorn have introduced discounted prices for educational establishments. The recommended price for a 310 is £720 (ex VAT).

BEEBUG will continue to supply Archimedes machines at the old price for as long as possible, and will still include the package of free extras (see retail catalogue for details). Furthermore, BEEBUG will match any bona fide deal offered by any Acorn dealer.

CRYSTAL PRINT

Those considering purchasing a PostScript compatible laser printer for the Archimedes might like to consider the Qume Crystalprint Publisher as an alternative. This is not a laser printer, but instead uses a new form of liquid crystal shutter in conjunction with a normal light source. The Crystalprint Publisher comes with 3Mbytes of memory and 11 built-in fonts, with the option to download more when needed. The printer costs £3449 (inc. VAT), which may not seem very cheap, but it is in fact the cheapest PostScript printer available. More details from Qume, Qume House, Parkway, Newbury, Berkshire RG13 1EE, tel. (0635) 523200.

SERIAL CARD

Intelligent Interfaces, the company known for making specialised hardware add-ons, has launched a new serial podule for the Archimedes. The single width board offers two RS423 ports, both of which are fully compatible with the one fitted as standard (except for the bugs). Each port offers totally independent data format and baud rates (75 to 19200). The software supplied in ROM on the podule allows the new ports to be accessed by the operating system directly. The RS423 podule costs £224.25 (inc. VAT). More details from Intelligent Interfaces, 43b Wood Street, Stratford Upon Avon, Warwickshire CV37 6JQ.

LOGIC DESIGN

For any Archimedes owners wishing to design their own hardware, Atomwide has just released a PAL and PROM programmer. This allows PROMs (Programmable ROMs) and PALs (Programmable Array Logic) to be programmed from data specified in standard JEDEC files. The programmer consists of an Archimedes podule, a programming socket, and a power supply. The whole setup costs £199 (inc. VAT) and should prove very useful for developers wishing to design their own Archimedes podules. More details from Atomwide Ltd., 23 The Greenway, Orpington, Kent BR2 2AY, tel. (0689) 38852.

MULTI-PIN PRINTING

Epson has launched the world's first 48-pin dot matrix printer. The TLQ4800, as it is called, offers a printing speed of 250 characters per second, two letter quality fonts, a wide range of type styles, and full programmability via the control panel. Epson says that the TLQ4800 offers as good a quality as a laser printer, but at £2528.85 (inc. VAT) it should do. More details from Epson UK, Campus 100, Maryland Avenue, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP2 7EZ.

SHOW STORIES

It now appears certain that there will not be a Micro User show in London this year. Therefore, the only Acorn specific exhibition this year will be the Acorn User show at Alexandra Palace from the 21st to the 23rd of July. BEEBUG and RISC User will be there on stand 55.

DOUBLE SAMPLES

Armadillo Systems have launched an enhanced version of their Armadillo sound sampler. The new device offers sixteen-bit sampling, which gives a dynamic range comparable to that of a compact disc. This new sampler is supplied with a software package called HighNote, which Armadillo claims is designed to make the professional musician feel at home with the computer. The whole package costs £1380 (inc. VAT), with much of this cost being attributed to the analogue to digital converter chip.

Armadillo has also extended its range of eight-bit samplers to include stereo and MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) versions. The eight-bit range starts at £155.25. More details can be obtained from Armadillo Systems Ltd., 17 Glaston Road, Uppingham, Leicestershire LE15 9PX, tel. (0572) 822499.

MAKING AN IMPRESSION

The long awaited desktop publishing (DTP) package form Computer Concepts is set to be released in June. The system, called Impression, is designed to create a complete page from start to finish. This means that the package can be used as a word processor to enter and edit text, and as a page layout system to adjust the final appearance of the page. Impression will cost around £150, and details of availability can be obtained from Computer Concepts, Gaddesden Place, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP2 6EX.

IMAGE PROCESSING

The Hawk V10, from Wild Vision, is a professional image processing system for the Archimedes. The system consists of a full-width podule (pictured) which can capture up to four separate images in 256 grey shades, with a resolution of 256 by 256. Up to fifty frames a second may be grabbed, giving a continuous smooth display, and colour images can be handled by grabbing the red, green and blue components separately. Unlike other systems, the images are stored in memory on the podule, and are displayed using a separate monitor. This allows the full power of the Archimedes to be used for processing the images in real-time. The sample software supplied with the system provides a number of image processing functions, including a Convolver to enhance the focus of an image. The Hawk V10 starts from £747.50 (inc. VAT). More details from Wild Vision Ltd., 6 Jesmond Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE2 4PQ, tel. 091-281 8481.

WORLD DEVELOPMENT DATABASE

Geoscan, written by Limmasol Grammar School, is a learning resource for the GCSE exams in Geography and Econonics. Geoscan offers a database covering locational, climatic, physical and socio-economic information on over 100 countries. Students can retrieve the information in a variety of forms, including diagrams and graphs. A number of statistical operations can also be performed on the data, allowing comparisons to be made between countries. Geoscan costs £45 (inc. VAT), and is available from Passkey Marketing, PO Box 649, Shenley Lodge, Milton Keynes MK5 7AX.