Tomy Tutor
Encyclopedia
The Tomy Tutor was a home computer produced by the Japan
ese toymaker Tomy
. It was architecturally similar- but not identical- to the Texas Instruments TI-99/4A
, and used a similar 16-bit CPU. The computer was launched on the UK and European markets in late 1983. Outside Japan, however, sales were not significant.
, the machine was released in Japan in 1982 under the name of Tomy Pyuuta.
One of the major flaws pointed out with the Tutor was not its hardware, but its marketing- the Tutor was announced as a toy, when in fact, was practically a cheap version of the TI-99/4A, even having a similar 16-bit CPU (the TMS 9995, closely related to the TI-99/4's TMS 9990)- other competitors in its price range still used 8-bit microprocessors.
The Tutor did not sell well against the ZX Spectrum
in the UK and the Commodore 64
in other countries. It ended up being removed quickly from the market and replaced the following year, by the Tomy Tutor MK II with a decent mechanical keyboard. However, the new model seems to have been sold only in Japan, and even then only for a short period of time.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese toymaker Tomy
TOMY
is a Japanese toy, children's merchandise and entertainment company created from the March 2006 merger of two companies: Tomy and long-time rival, Takara...
. It was architecturally similar- but not identical- to the Texas Instruments TI-99/4A
Texas Instruments TI-99/4A
The Texas Instruments TI-99/4A was an early home computer, released in June 1981, originally at a price of USD $525. It was an enhanced version of the less-successful—and quite rare—TI-99/4 model, which was released in late 1979 at a price of $1,150...
, and used a similar 16-bit CPU. The computer was launched on the UK and European markets in late 1983. Outside Japan, however, sales were not significant.
History
Produced by MatsushitaMatsushita
Matsushita is a Japanese place name and surname which means "below the pine tree" and may refer to:-Companies:*Matsushita Electric Industrial, now Panasonic Corporation, a multinational electronics corporation based in Kadoma, Japan...
, the machine was released in Japan in 1982 under the name of Tomy Pyuuta.
One of the major flaws pointed out with the Tutor was not its hardware, but its marketing- the Tutor was announced as a toy, when in fact, was practically a cheap version of the TI-99/4A, even having a similar 16-bit CPU (the TMS 9995, closely related to the TI-99/4's TMS 9990)- other competitors in its price range still used 8-bit microprocessors.
The Tutor did not sell well against the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
in the UK and the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
in other countries. It ended up being removed quickly from the market and replaced the following year, by the Tomy Tutor MK II with a decent mechanical keyboard. However, the new model seems to have been sold only in Japan, and even then only for a short period of time.
Similarities to TI-99/4A
Portions of the operating system and BASIC code are similar to the 99/8. According to Barry Boone (a well known programmer for the TI-99/4A), the Tutor's built-in BASIC uses the same internal one byte tokens as does TI's Extended BASIC, and many of the memory scratchpad locations are placed at the same relative locations as the TI-99/4A and TI-99/8. For instance, keyscan values are returned at offset >75 and floating point is stored at >4A.External links
- Tomy Tutor at Floodgap.com
- Review of Tomy Tutor from Your ComputerYour Computer (British magazine)Your Computer was a British computer magazine published monthly from 1981 to 1988, and aimed at the burgeoning home computer market. At one stage it was, in its own words, "Britain's biggest selling home computer magazine". It offered support across a wide range of computer formats, and included...
magazine, October 1983