It’s an auspicious moment for retrocomputing fans, as it’s now four decades since the launch of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. This budget British microcomputer was never the best of the bunch, but its ...

Looking back from a world of smartphones and Xboxes, it’s astonishing that such a commercially successful product could have happened with this unglamorous and flawed piece of equipment. Yes, I’m a ...

If you grew up in America, the early history of home computers in the UK might not be familiar to you. But Great Britain produced innovative personal computers that were as equally successful and ...

For many, the 1980s was the golden era in home computing. Low cost 8-bit systems brought arcade games to the masses, while offering the ability to handle basic office tasks at the same time. Companies ...

Industrial designer who gave the ZX80, ZX81 and ZX Spectrum their distinctive look has died of cancer in the US The designer of the Sinclair Spectrum home computer, Rick Dickinson, has died of cancer ...

When Maurizio Banavage was about 15, he was given an old Spectrum ZX81 computer to convert into traffic lights for a school project. When friends and relatives realised what he could do, they started ...

What if you could hold a piece of computing history in your hands—only this time, it’s smarter, sturdier, and ready for the modern age? The ZX81, a innovative device that introduced countless people ...

The ZX81 is 42. The meaning of life. And it kind of was to a generation of British school kids. That is, if they could keep the 16KB RAM pack connected for long enough. Typing on the ZX81’s hideous ...