Atari Corp is to enter the UK IBM-compatible personal computer market in June with two machines starting at UKP500 including VAT. The entry-level slotless Atari PC, shown at the Hannover Fair, features a switchable 4.77/8 Mhz 8088 processor with 512K RAM, expandable to 640K, a built-in graphics facility with 250Kb video RAM that offers IBM monochrome, Hercules, CGA and EGA compatibility, one 360Kb 5.25 floppy, parallel and RS232C serial ports, mouse and a monochrome monitor with 16 grey scales and 640 by 350 resolution. It will also be available without the monitor for UKP400. Options include 8087 maths co-processor and a second floppy drive. The newly announced Expandable System, which comes in a larger system unit than the entry-level machine, offers the basic configuration with either a second floppy drive – UKP600 – or an integral 20Mb hard disk – UKP1,000 – and five expansion slots. At its UK Computer Show, on at the Novotel Hotel, Hammersmith over the weekend, Atari also launched the 65XE games console and two new 68000 STs, a 2Mb version at UKP1,000 and a 4Mb machine at UKP1,300. Both include a 720Kb floppy and detachable keyboard.
