Display article   Subject:  RLX Gets Noticed, and Appreciated
   04/30/97   18:01:56


RLX GETS NOTICED, AND APPRECIATED!

The May 1991 issue of "PCM" has a good review of the Tandy
1000 RLX, which it calls, "An RL With `Oomph'."  Here are a few
statements we thought were worth mentioning.

After talking about how the RL is designed to appeal to the
first-time computer buyer, it goes on to say, "...another sizable
group of customers wants something between the RL and other
PC-compatible systems.  They like the RL's concept -- a compact,
low-cost system with all the really important options built in --
but they want a faster processor, more memory to run bigger
applications, and a higher-resolution video display to make
everything look better.  Tandy's answer is the 1000 RLX; it adds
the faster processor and VGA video capability while maintaining
all the RL's many virtues."

Then they talk about all the hardware items that are included
with the RL and RLX.  With a touch of humor, they summarize,
"Above all, the first-time home computer buyer wants a machine
that's easy to get going.  The RL and RLX go quite far to achieve
this goal.  Since all the normal ports are built right in, you
need neither to tear open the case to install a batch of boards
nor to figure out which combination of switch settings will make
everything work at the same time.  All you have to do is plug in
the monitor, keyboard and mouse; plug the computer and monitor
into a wall outlet; and switch them on.  (If you got your VCR
hooked up quickly, you'll be in fine shape -- if you didn't,
you'll still be OK since this is a lot easier.)"

After a good discussion of the advantages of DeskMate and the
DeskMate Home Organizer, they say, "Now for the things that make
the RLX a big brother to the RL:  The first, and most visible,
improvement is the VGA display, which is included on the
motherboard..."

About the video, they also note, "Another advantage of the RLX's
VGA display system is that it doesn't `steal' system memory; a
512K or 640K 1000 RLX has just as much usable RAM for
applications as any 512K or 640K PC-compatible system."

And here's an interesting item -- "The second big deal is the
faster processor.  It's a 10-MHz 80286, and it lets the RLX run
almost any PC application at speeds that are at least comfortable
and are often blindingly fast -- 25 to 40 percent faster than the
same program running on an original Tandy 3000 or the best
versions of the IBM PC AT."

"...the extra speed can make a difference when you run business
applications at home."

If you are considering spending your money on a game machine:  "A
lot of the newer games are designed to benefit from a faster
processor and VGA video displays; when run on the RLX, they come
to life in ways that put even the newest 16-bit game machines to
shame."

So what's their bottom line?  Here's the last paragraph:  "So who
needs an RLX?  Or to put it another way, who can still benefit
from the 1000 RL?  Some users will want to go straight to the RLX
for its improved speed and display capabilities, just to make
sure their computer will take them wherever they decide to go.
Folks who just want to learn about computers and stick with the
DeskMate user interface don't expect to play in the big leagues,
so they won't need big-league speed and will probably prefer the
RL.  And I wouldn't be surprised to see both machines -- and
especially the RLX -- showing up in a lot of offices.  Don't
forget:  These are not merely `home computers' but real, honest
PC-compatible machines that can do real work.  For the many
people who want to get started in PC-compatible computing, the
Tandy 1000 RLX would seem the one to start with -- and to grow
with."
