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G > GEM > GEM 1000 Junior Computer / Charlemagne 999


GEM
GEM 1000 Junior Computer / Charlemagne 999

Sinclair QL

Well, if someone know this one, rise the hand !
I knew it, quite unknown. No surprise, this computer didn't make any noise...

Apparently the GEM-1000 was sold by a belgium company: GEM (Groupement européen d'études) or VDI (Video Direct International). It's not clear since both names appear on adds we have. But in fact the machine was made in Taiwan, and GEM/VDI was just selling these imported products including the Homevision videogame system and cartridges... But that's just a guess...

Here is what says the advertisement:

CHARLEMAGNE
The first micro-computer designed for children

Specially conceived to be manipulated by children from 5 years.
"Charlemagne" is not a toy, but a real computer for the whole family.

Despite is small size, its possibilities are fabulous and extensible:

- rom 8k, ram 16k extensible 64k
- colours and sound
- graphic definition 256 x 192
- basic, french language
- joysticks for video-games
- connection = printer - floppy disks possible

What more to say ? When comparing the different pictures we have, the case seems slightly different, very strange.

The keyboard is QWERTY, which seems weird for a francophone system... This could indicate that the GEM-1000 was rather conceived by the Taïwanese company and that VDI/GEM was only a company who sold the products in Europe. Anyway, this seems very obscure...

What is sure, is that it didn't make any noise and must have disappeared very quickly. It's a pity, because looking at its capacities back in 83, it could have done well !

The GEM-1000 was in fact the first model of a complete range of machines built by GEM/Home-Vision, which included the GEM-1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000, and even the Home-Vision console and its computer addon.
A Colecovision / Atari VCS 2600 carts adapatator was planned for all these machines !

 

coin_vert_1.gif (126 octets) dotclear.gif (172 octets) coin_vert_2.gif (127 octets) coin_rouge_1.gif (147 octets) dotclear.gif (172 octets) coin_rouge_2.gif (146 octets)
Good points dotclear.gif (172 octets)

+ Its capacities for 1983
+ The fact it is very obscure (cool)
+ The Atari VCS cart adaptator

dotclear.gif (172 octets) Bad points dotclear.gif (172 octets)

- The keyboard
- It disappeared very quickly

dotclear.gif (172 octets)
coin_vert_4.gif (125 octets) dotclear.gif (172 octets) coin_vert_3.gif (126 octets) coin_rouge_4.gif (145 octets) dotclear.gif (172 octets) coin_rouge_3.gif (147 octets)




 
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