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Sinclair QL
GEM (Groupement
européen d'études...), a Belgium company, is apparently at the
origin of these computers. But VDI (Video Direct International) also appears
in the adds we have.
GEM / VDI also sold the HomeVision console which was made in Taïwan.
I would rather
think that it was conceived in Taïwan and sold by GEM/VDI in Europe. Of course,
more info are needed here.
The GEM computers
may have never been sold. Here are the only info we own:
The GEM-3000
or "Family Super Computer" has a RAM of 80k. It also has a sound generator
(8 octaves), joysticks and should be compatible with Apple and MSX (!).
The two
other machines are the GEM-2000, which is intermediate between the Charlemagne
and the GEM-3000, and the model 4000, conceived for professionnals.
Atari
and Coleco adaptators should be avalaible for all the models.
Very
strange. If we understand well, the GEM-3000 should be compatible with Apple,
MSX, Atari and Coleco...mmm, a very interesting machine ! This would mean that
this computer would have been multi-processors (Z80 and 6502 at least)...
The 3000 and 4000 have apparently
the same case, the power switch location being the only noticeable difference.
The two computers seem to have 4 Atari-type joysticks ports.
Finally, here are the different
names of the GEM computers :
- GEM-1000 / Charlemagne
999 / Junior Computer
- GEM-2000 / Family
mini-computer
- GEM-3000 / Family Super Computer
- GEM-4000 / Prodessional Computer
All these informations seem
to prove that these machines were indeed asiatic computers, illegaly compatible
with known standards. It's quite possible that because of legal rights they
were never sold, at least in Europe and North America...
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