Coleco ADAM

ADAM computer concept art, prototypes, and accessories

Coleco ADAM — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:34:53 +0000

Pictures courtesy of engadget.com and dell.com

I am always curious to see the development of a tech device. From concept to finished product. One such product is Dell’s Windows Phone, the Venue Pro. When I first saw the prototype, code-named “Lightning”, I was intrigued. And of course, I wanted to get it. Well, I don’t think I will ever get my hands on the prototype, but I do own the finished product.

The same goes for the Coleco ADAM computer. I wasn’t aware of them at the time it was released, but these days I do try to find as much information as possible on the various prototypes. Unfortunately, there isn’t much information available on the prototypes. However, I did find that most of the hardware were non-working models. Even so, I’d like to have them =)

According to ColecoVision.dk, a concept drawing of the ADAM exist. Apparently, it is from July of 1982. Check out the photo below. It shows a keyboard attachment which plugs into the ColecoVision game console. That was the approach that other game consoles makers were going with at the time. Coleco obviously changed their mind.

ADAM concept drawing courtesy of ColecoVision.dk

Along with the concept art, there are also non-working hardware shown at the Consumer Electronics Show(s). Using an online search engine will yield some results.

Coleco ADAM prototypes including 5.25" disk drive

There was also a 3.25 inch disk drive that never made it to market:

Photo courtesy of old-computers.com

It’s a real shame that this didn’t get mass produced. Would have been an add-on to the top of the Coleco ADAM memory console. Which would have looked like this:

My system is very discolored...

If you know of any other prototypes, please drop me a comment below and share. Thanks!

ADAM software start-up screens

Coleco ADAM — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 01:15:14 +0000

When I was young, personal computing was still in its infancy. Everything was still fairly new including music and graphics on a computer screen or in my case, television screen. Watching an animation or beautiful graphic appear on screen while I waited for a program to load kept my attention. The following video are some of those load screens. Keep in mind, I edited the video in such a way that it appears the load times are faster than they really are.

Back in the late 1970’s, early 1980’s, you had to be very patient when using a computer. Loading a program from a digital data cassette or floppy disk was not a fast process. Today, if an application doesn’t start-up within a few seconds, I usually uninstall it from my hard drive and look for something else.

ADAM software to help with programming homework.

Coleco ADAM — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 22:44:00 +0000

Here’s a neat commercial for the ADAM computer. It features a boy asking his father for help with his homework assignment for computer class. Like most parents, he doesn’t have a clue what to do, but he knows what can; the ADAM computer and software.

Pay attention to the end of the commercial..
Look at all those software titles!
I’m envious.

ADAM, Little Miss Gamer, and Time Travel..?

Coleco ADAM — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 01:10:24 +0000

Little Miss Gamer reviews video games in a light-hearted way. In this video, she discusses the Coleco ADAM computer. We must not forget that at the core of the ADAM is a ColecoVision. With the ADAM you can play games on cartridge, cassette tape and floppy disks. Check out this video for some good Coleco ADAM fun.

ADAM meets Archie!

Coleco ADAM — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 01:50:40 +0000

A friend of mine, Dan Parent, gave me a gift today; a portrait of the Archie gang using the Coleco ADAM computer. Seeing Jughead, Veronica, Betty and Archie hanging out with the ADAM warms my heart =)

The Archie gang using the Coleco ADAM computer.

Thank you Dan!

If you want to see more of Dan Parent’s artwork: http://www.danparent.com/
If you like to buy comics in which he has written and/or drawn:
http://www.archiecomics.com/Default.aspx?tabid=79&SearchValue=Kevin
http://www.archiecomics.com/Store/Products/tabid/79/c/kevin-keller/Default.aspx

* ADAM logo was added by me to the television screen.

Best podcast ever!

Coleco ADAM — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 02:20:28 +0000

My buddy The Retroist did a podcast, not that long ago, about the Coleco ADAM. He does a fantastic job. He recalls his earliest memories of the ADAM and goes over its history in detail.

You can listen to the podcast here: http://www.retroist.com/2011/06/17/retroist-podcast-episode-088-coleco-adam/

Be sure to leave a comment on his page!

Don’t have an ADAM computer, but want to use one?

Coleco ADAM — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 02:01:04 +0000

I have a solution. As long as you have a Windows PC, you can run “Virtual ADAM“; an emulator which reproduces the look, feel, and user experience of a Coleco ADAM computer. Steve Pitman created this program for us to enjoy. Run the SmartWriter word processor, load CP/M, or simply play a ColecoVision cartridge!

Thanks to Joe Blenkle for hosting this file: Virtual ADAM download

Sadly, the actual ADAM hardware can’t last forever, but thanks to emulators like this, we’ll be able to preserve the ADAM experience for the next generation.

“Richard Scarry’s Best Electronic WORD BOOK Ever!”

Coleco ADAM — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 01:48:47 +0000

In 1984, Coleco released an educational application called Richard Scarry’s Best Electronic WORD BOOK Ever! meant for children ages 5 to 8, but I think it is really for pre-schoolers. Who is Richard Scarry? He was an illustrator and author of children’s book. Most of his characters were animals that were given human characteristics. The bit of software starred “Lowly Worm” driving in his apple-shaped car. You steer him to different locations in the town using the ColecoVision joystick. And while in the location, say the construction site, you drive to different points in the site like a bulldozer, press the joystick fire button, and you will see the word “bulldozer” printed on the screen along with a sound effect or music. It impresses the heck out of me, especially for something from 1984. The one drawback is the load time; you have to wait about 2 minutes before you can get going in the application. Here is a video I made, in real time, using real hardware (not an emulator) and software which is on a digital data pack (cassette). Unfortunately, I could not capture the sound; my video capture equipment needs an upgrade. I provided some music for the sound track. Enjoy!

The ADAM lives!

Coleco ADAM — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 09:11:20 +0000

As a kid, I was pretty obsessed with computers, but as an adult, I’m obsessed with the ADAM. I had a decent collection of Coleco ADAM software and accessories as a kid, but I have a lot more now. Software, games, hardware, articles and advertisements. Anything to do with the ADAM, I try to get my hands on it. I even have a photo of myself, from about 1987, using the ADAM. Unfortunately, I no longer have that particular ADAM, but I got one in my vintage computer collection today. Here it is:

The Coleco ADAM computer lives!

If the ADAM was bug free…

Coleco ADAM — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 15:28:28 +0000

There are times, usually on a lazy Sunday afternoon, when my mind drifts and begins to think about what could have been. Usually the thoughts revolve around my time in boxing… After that, I think about something more trivial and not so personal. I like to think about my first computer; the ADAM.

Coleco brought a lot of excitement to video gamers when they introduced the ColecoVision. Here you had a personal video game console with arcade quality graphics for about $175. It blew away the Atari 2600/VCS in game quality. While things were looking good for Coleco, the company decided to jump on board the personal computer market and introduced the ADAM, the ColecoVision Family Computer System , in 1983. Problem is, about 50 percent of them were defective. The ADAM would generate a large electro-static charge at start up which would erase the data on the digital data packs. Most ADAMs were returned. Coleco did fix the bugs in the next wave of computers in 1984, but it was too late. Public opinion of the ADAM was quite negative.

For those that had ADAMs that worked, like I did, what we had was a complete computer. For a quick run down, go to my first entry. Many of those who had an ADAM and ColecoVision knew that Coleco can make some good hardware AND software.

* My image creation skills aren’t too good…

I imagined what a Coleco computer would be like today if the company was still around. The design would be simple and elegant. It would be an all-in-one system with a 19 inch touch screen monitor, CD-rom/dvd/blu-ray drive, SD card reader, a 3.4 GHz multi-core processor, wireless keyboard, and a wireless touch screen joystick which doubles as the mouse/keypad when connected to the keyboard. The operating system would be called SmartOS 8.

Odds are, Coleco would have been just as innovative, if not more so, than Apple, but more popular on the home user market. Remember, this is just my opinion, take it with a grain of salt.