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commodore posts

Apple pulls C64 App after Manomio shenanigans revealed

by Thomas Ricker posted Sep 8th 2009 at 7:52AM

Come on Manomio, what did you expect? Did you really think Apple would leave your C64 emulator in the App Store after it was revealed that the BASIC interpreter was still in your software, exposed with a little up, up, down, down, left, right trickery? That's a clear breach of the SDK and well, downright sneaky. In a blog post to its site, Manomio claims that it had "no intention of tricking basic into the app" and only left the code in to be remotely activated later should Apple change its policy. Of course, with so much money left on the table, Manomio promptly submitted a new, presumably BASIC-free app for approval. Something we're sure Apple will get right on.

[Via The iPhone blog]

Read -- Enable BASIC in C64 hack
Read -- Manomio's plea for mercy

Ben Heck's Commodore 64 laptop mod: like 1982 without the feathered hair

by Thomas Ricker posted Apr 6th 2009 at 4:56AM

Benjamin J. Heckendorn seems unusually enthused by his latest hack'n mod, calling the Commodore 64 laptop "probably one of, if not my favorite project I have done." That's saying something from the man who brought the "Benheck" finesse hammer down upon just about every modern and classic PC / game console and accessory you can think of. The C64 lappie features a C64C motherboard, a Gamecube power supply, and special 1541-III DTV device that emulates a floppy drive using a FAT-32 formatted SD card -- all while keeping true to the beige 8-bit spirit of the original. And if we're not mistaken, he's controlling it with an Atari joystick seen in the video posted after the break. Then again, there could be an Xbox 360 controller hiding in that joystick knowing Ben.

[Via Nowhereelse]

Continue reading Ben Heck's Commodore 64 laptop mod: like 1982 without the feathered hair

Commodore knocks a home run with MLB-themed gaming rigs

by Darren Murph posted Nov 26th 2008 at 12:46PM

Hard to say if these MLB-themed gaming PCs will be "a line drive to right" with gamers out there, but Commodore has certainly "rounded the bases" in order to deliver some pretty fanciful machines. The officially licensed desktops boast an exclusive C-kin paint job only possessed by the "true five-tool" PC manufacturing companies, though we have heard that the Core i7 within was "indirectly linked to HGH." At any rate, clean-up hitters can "round third and head for home" (or the order page, as it were) right now, but don't expect to underpay one of these "all-stars" and get away with it. Full release is just past the break, and we don't want to see any lollygagging on your way down.

Continue reading Commodore knocks a home run with MLB-themed gaming rigs

Commodore refuses to be left out, offers Core i7-based gaming rigs

by Darren Murph posted Nov 18th 2008 at 12:37AM

Not one to be outdone by the likes of Dell, Alienware and Gateway, Commodore Gaming is also offering up Core i7-based gaming rigs. Unlike the big boys, however, Commodore's choosing not to expand its current lineup any further; instead, it's simply offering up the new pieces of silicon as options in the machines it already sells. Don't venture over expecting anything to be cheap, else you'll be sorely disappointed. Full release is after the break.

Continue reading Commodore refuses to be left out, offers Core i7-based gaming rigs

Commodore impresses with prototypes at IFA, really

by Donald Melanson posted Sep 2nd 2008 at 5:31PM

While the idea of Commodore showing off some early prototype devices isn't exactly the sort of thing that'd normally get many folks' hopes up, the never-say-die company looks to have managed to impress the doubters at IFA, where it had a number of intriguing-looking concepts on hand in addition to that soon-to-be-released netbook we saw yesterday. That includes two Pocket PC devices -- one with a sliding QWERTY keypad and one that opts for a folding design (pictured above) -- as well as a much slicker-looking netbook than the one that is actually going to be released, naturally (check it out after the break). Of course, specs for any of those are virtually non-existent, although there's apparently some talk that the Pocket PCs could sell for between €100 and €150 (or roughly $220 to $290) whenever they're actually released. Be sure to hit up the gallery below for plenty more shots courtesy of Engadget Spanish.

Gallery: Commodore impresses with prototypes at IFA, really

Continue reading Commodore impresses with prototypes at IFA, really

Commodore hops on the netbook bandwagon with UMMD 8010/F

by Donald Melanson posted Sep 1st 2008 at 2:51PM

As we've seen countless times by now, the folks behind the Commodore brand will stop at nothing to keep the venerable name alive, and they've now finally hopped on the biggest bandwagon going, with the UMMD 8010/F marking the company's first foray into the netbook game. Unfortunately, apart from that familiar logo, there's not too much that stands out here, with the netbook packing a 10-inch screen, a 1.6GHz VIA C7-M processor, an 80GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, built-in WiFi, and optional Bluetooth. The nearly $600 price tag also doesn't do it any favors, but we're guessing there's at least a few nostalgic folks out there that'll add one to their Commodore collection as soon as they're available.

[Via GottaBeMobile]

CE-Oh no he didn't! Part XLV: Amiga head says new AmigaOS 5 "better than OS X"

by Joshua Topolsky posted Oct 6th 2007 at 10:48PM

Sure, we know you and your Video Toaster have been gutted over this whole AmigaOS 4 debacle... what's that? You've never heard of OS 4? You didn't know Amiga was still around? You hadn't heard that Bill McEwan, CEO of Amiga says the company's next OS is going to be "better than OS X?" Well time to perk up those ears, kiddo. In a truly enthralling read, the head of the ~~defunct~~ hardware-maker / software company says that Amiga is hard at work on a number of projects, not the least of which is the follow up to company's OS 4 -- which has been mired in development disputes with a company called Hyperion Entertainment since 2001 -- AmigaOS 5. A piece of software guaranteed to surprise and thrill the technology community at large, mostly (we suspect) due to the fact that no one even knew the company was still in business. Sure, some of the detractors say they haven't released a product in seven years, but what's seven years when you've got that pile of platinum that is OS 5? Exactly.

[Via Slashdot]

Commodore unveils Gravel C200 media player

by Joshua Topolsky posted Aug 6th 2007 at 3:45PM

Commodore, a company which had long been considered dead and gone, continues to mount its inexplicable return to the spotlight with its latest offering, the Gravel C200 media player. As excited as we are that the C64-makers are back on the scene, it's hard to get too jazzed about this media-player, which is about as rote as you can get. The HTC Touch look-alike rocks a 1.8-inch color screen, comes in 512MB, 1GB, and 2GB storage varieties, and plays back all sorts of file formats like MP3, WAV, WMA, MPEG 2, MPEG 4, DivX, XviD, and WMV. Although the form-factor is nice and utilitarian, Commodore is going to have to do something really special to entice a purchase out of us... like, maybe add C64 emulation?

[Via Tech Digest]

Commodore's flagship XX gaming rig gets reviewed

by Darren Murph posted Jul 23rd 2007 at 1:17AM

Those looking to relive a hint of their childhood in a big way need look no further than Commodore's high-end gaming PC lineup, as the vintage logo and unmistakable name will certainly be found on its newest rigs. 'Course, all this mushy razzmatazz doesn't mean much if it won't perform, and considering the £3,000 ($6,153) or so that the flagship XX will set you back, we're sure you'd like to know how this beast stacks up before you pull that trigger. TrustedReviews was able to get ahold of a finalized unit and put it through the standard 2D, 3D, and other speed-related paces, and while it wasn't up to the same level as an Alienware or Dell XPS in terms of noise, build quality, and case design, the actual performance seemed to be right on target. Overall, the XX was deemed a solid buy for those who didn't mind the far-out artwork and less-than-stellar construction, but since you'd be saving some £500 ($1,026) over a similar offering from Alienware, that sacrifice may be one worth making.

[Thanks, Andy]

Commodore unveils lineup of US-bound gaming desktops

by Darren Murph posted Jul 12th 2007 at 11:31PM

Unlike some companies we've seen, it appears that Commodore Gaming is actually keeping its word, as the company has just now released the final details on its lineup of flashy US-bound gaming rigs. The Cg, Cgs, Cgx, and Cxx machines progress gradually from least extreme to highly 1337, and all four can be customized to suit your every fantasy. To give you an idea of what's on tap (if you've got the coin), the Cxx packs a 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6800 processor, twin 500GB 7,200RPM hard drives in a RAID 0 array, 2GB of Corsair RAM, DVD-RW optical drive, an 850-watt power supply, Creative's Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer sound card, Windows Vista, and dual 768MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra GPUs to boot. As far as pricing goes, word on the street is that the base system will start out around $1,700, but we'll know for sure when these come stateside in Q3.

[Via CNET]

Commodore debuts horrendously overpriced XX and GX PCs

by Paul Miller posted Apr 24th 2007 at 7:01AM

Those of you pining to blow $3500-$5800 or more on an semi-overspecced and definitely-overpriced PC need look no further: Commodore is offering its GX and XX gamer PCs online now. With quad-core Intel processors, GeForce 8800 GTX SLI graphics and those utterly frilly "C-kin" paint jobs, you can know your cash is going to sort-of good use. Or if those two pricetags are too steep, you can hold out for the GS and G models, which should be hitting retail right about now -- though we're guessing this whole shady operation is going to be UK only for the time being.

[Via Joystiq]

The Commodore ecosystem spreads to GPS and widescreen video

by Thomas Ricker posted Mar 15th 2007 at 8:01PM

If you try, we mean really try, then you might recall the absurdly named Gravel in Pocket and Gravel in Home devices which connect to Commodore's PlaysForSure ~~obstructed~~ protected CommodoreWorld content delivery service. A trifecta of media access announced at IFA way, way back in August -- seven months and some half-dozen major trade shows gone by. Today, Commodore is rounding out their offerings by introducing the Gravel Personal C-PE-6000 series of 4-inch, QVGA movie and music players in addition to their 3.5-inch Gravel in Car C-IC-8000 series of personal entertainment and navigation systems. They didn't stop there, however, as they also brought a few mockups under glass of their upcoming "luxurious" (uh... yeah) series of In Pocket WiFi devices: the C-IP-300 flash audio and video player, the C-IP-1000 widescreen video-centric player, and the C-IP-3000 SiRF Star III GPS navigator. Call us unwashed, but that angular design metaphor just doesn't make us sprockets want to dance. All the media devices feature a 2GB max of on-board flash -- enough (we guess) considering the central role that streaming data (music, video, and "live TV") plays on these devices. They also feature an interesting rear-mounted joystick for navigation and a common user interface spread across all the players. The GPS products do away with the rear-mounted joystick but still connect to CommodoreWorld over WiFi. So yeah, they've developed an entire ecosystem of gear and services instead of just making a single hot device which would be so like, 90s dontchaknow.

Gallery: The Commodore ecosystem spreads to GPS and widescreen video

Hands-on with Commodore's gaming rigs

by Thomas Ricker posted Mar 15th 2007 at 1:41PM

We had a chance to get hands-on with Commodor's new gaming rigs in their booth here at CeBIT. As you'd expect, they played the part with ease during the canned-and-cached demonstrations. But we'll have to wait for some hard working reviews before passing judgment on something so potentially life consuming as a gaming PC. Still, they had a flood of skinned rigs to ogle and even provided us with a peek at their new "C-kin" personalization (aka, painting) software. Check all the action in the gallery below including a freshly skinned laptop which, according to Commodore, is "a hint at things to come."

Gallery: Hands-on with Commodore's gaming rigs

Commodore unveils boutique gaming rigs at CeBIT

by Evan Blass posted Mar 15th 2007 at 8:33AM

While it's certainly tempting to wax philosophically about how Commodore has finally made the transition from 64KB of memory to 64-bit operating systems, the truth is that the company which just announced a line of boutique gaming PC's at CeBIT is far removed from the one that ruled the 80's and enhanced our droll elementary school days with some therapeutic Rampage. Still, the four BTO gaming rigs unveiled by the latest iteration of Commodore -- the XX, GX, GS, and G -- seem to stand on their own as solid machines, offering anywhere from a 1.86GHz Core 2 Duo E6320 to a 2.66GHz QX6700 Core 2 Extreme CPU, a single NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS all they way up to dual 8800 GTX cards, between 2GB and 4GB of RAM, and hard drive capacities up to 750GB in an array of RAID configurations. Besides the top-of-the-line specs, these new workhorses give gamers the chance to personalize their paint jobs through a "revolutionary painting process" that may help you forget that your tower isn't shaped like the head of an alien. The revived company's online store will begin taking orders in April, and though pricing structures have yet to be revealed, expect to pay a significant premium for the privilege of bringing Commodore back into your home.

[Photo courtesy of Pocket Lint]

Commodore set to introduce high-end gaming PCs

by Donald Melanson posted Mar 6th 2007 at 2:33PM

Commodore's big beige glory days may be long past, but the familiar name is still out there kicking (such as it is), lending its considerable cachet to an array of otherwise unremarkable devices. Now the company appears to have decided to bring things back a little closer to its roots, prepping a new line of Commodore-branded PCs aimed at gamers, pitting them against the well-established likes of Alienware and VoodooPC. Unfortunately, there's been no other details whatsoever announced, with Commodore Gaming CEO Bala Keilman only going so far as to say that the PCs will deliver "what gamers need and want." It looks like we won't have to wait too long for the complete rundown, however, with the company promising to reveal everything (including playable systems) at CeBIT on March 15th.

[Via Slashdot]