Latest news with #CliveSinclair
BBC News
19-07-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Sinclair C5 'still brings joy' 40 years on, says inventor's son
Forty years after British entrepreneur Sir Clive Sinclair invented the Sinclair C5 his son said it was "brilliant to see people are still enjoying them".The tricycle-like vehicle, which has a pedal-assisted electric motor, was invented by Sir Clive in 1985.A group of enthusiasts rode their C5s in a rally from Histon to Cambridge on Sunday, finishing at the Sinclair Building on Willis Road, which was the former headquarters of the Griffin, 57, from Northampton, who arranged the rally with fellow C5 fans, said: "People love them, and the younger generation asks if they can hire them - they don't realise they're 40 years old." The enduring appeal of the C5 is perhaps best summed up by Sir Clive's son, Crispin Sinclair, 59."It was probably a bit early for its time, but a beautiful design," he said."When you look at them, they haven't dated." Modern-day C5 enthusiasts regularly meet up, and Sunday's rally to Cambridge, which was first posted on Facebook group Odd Things Around Cambridge, attracted 10 C5 owners who travelled from Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Lincolnshire, Suffolk and Oxfordshire. "We all have a mutual love for the C5," organiser Mr Griffin said."We try not to do journeys that are too long, but this was about 12 miles there and back - so we all made it."With newer, lighter batteries they have a much better range than they did."The C5's size means it was fairly easy to transport for meetings such as this."One chap can get his [C5] into his Nissan Micra," he Griffin bought his C5 in 2022 and paid £850 for it."It needed a few bits and pieces but it was useable," he takes it "to the pub and to Tesco as it's very easy to park"."People who see it love to come over and talk and the younger generation often asks where they can hire them - they don't realise these things are 40 years old because they're used to e-bikes and scooters."But people just seem to love the C5," he added. What is the Sinclair C5? The C5 was launched on 10 January 1985 at Alexandra Palace in London and was designed to revolutionise road transport The electric tricycle was built in Merthyr Tydfil in Wales and was available by mail order, priced at £399Its battery provided a range of 18.7 miles (30km) and could reach a top speed of about 15mph (24k/ph)It failed to sell in large numbers - out of 14,000 made, 5,000 were sold before production was wound upBuyers were reportedly disappointed with its limited range, slow speed and inability to climb hills C5 owner Neil Cubitt brought his model from Brandon, Suffolk, for the bought his first broken one in 2009 and has been restoring them ever since."I taught myself how to repair it and I've done about 100 since then."When I first got my C5 my wife thought I was mad," Mr Cubitt with the rise in electric vehicles, interest in C5s was also rising."You can buy a basket case from £600 and and a fully restored one at about £2,000."I think Clive Sinclair - in his day - was a very great entrepreneur, way ahead of his time. He was more ahead than the technology." Crispin Sinclair recalled having one of his father's C5s at sixth form college and taking it into Cambridge."I got chased by a bunch of yobbo's but fortunately my friends were there and the others ran off.""I think the idea of a little electric vehicle was absolutely spot on and very early - but probably a different format would have been more successful - perhaps a little electric bike or maybe a little said, he admitted the C5 was a "lovey thing to zip along in and there's a look about them as well - I think the designer did a great job on the aesthetics of the vehicle"."Even though it's 40 years old it still looks modern." Asked if his father was disappointed the C5 did not take off, he said: "I don't think so - if it doesn't work, it doesn't work and he'd move on to the next project."As he used to say, 'never look back'." Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Stuff.tv
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Stuff.tv
25 of the most iconic computers ever
Home computers have come a long way since the '70s, progressing from simple-text-based CRT monitors to full-colour 3D graphics, hi-res LCD screens, and hundreds of times more processing power in a simple desktop box than there once was in an entire room of hardware. Desktops were once all you could get, but notebooks came along and became the machine of choice for travellers. Even the best mid-range laptops have more power than most people will ever need. But are any of today's models as distinctive as the following machines? Probably not. And so here's our pick of the most iconic computers ever made. Apple iMac G3 (1998) Along with the iPod, the original iMac is probably the product that best encapsulates Apple's late '90s/early '00s resurgence. Jonathan Ive's curvaceous and colourful all-in-one design was cuddly, colourful and cool – making something based around a 15-inch CRT desirable is no mean feat. The bold styling was backed up by equally ballsy feature choices: the G3 tossed out a 3.5-inch disk drive in favour of just a CD tray, came with a 'hockey puck' circular mouse and was the first home computer to offer a USB port. Revolutionary? Not 'arf. Apart from that hockey-puck mouse, which was rubbish. x-default BBC Micro (1981) Guaranteed to trigger a flood of memories for anyone who went to a British school in the '80s or early '90s, the Acorn-designed 'Beeb' swiftly became the go-to computer for educational establishments, who prized its durability, power and versatility. Despite being largely ignored outside the UK, it's undoubtedly one of the most iconic computers ever and found some success as a home computer, games machine (classic titles like Elite debuted on the BBC Micro) and even as a tool for synth-pop bands like Erasure, Yazoo and Depeche Mode. Alienware Area-51 (1997) Cast your minds back to a time before hi-def games consoles. The PC was the uncontested ruler of the world of hardcore gaming, and Alienware's desktops were widely considered the most scarily powerful gaming PCs available. These plastic behemoths were as beefily-specced as they were wallet-emptying expensive, and their UFO-inspired looks (glowing alien eyes!) moistened the underwear of adolescent FPS addicts worldwide. Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1982) This compact, rubber-keyed 8-bit classic became a common fixture in British bedrooms and studies during the 1980s, chiefly as a games machine. What Spectrum owner could forget the banshee-like screeching that accompanied a game loading via data cassette? Or that it lasted about ten minutes? The Spectrum was perhaps less powerful than its great rival, the Commodore 64, having a palette of only seven colours (plus black) and a single channel of sound – but it became hugely popular, particularly in the UK, and led to a knighthood for its creator Clive Sinclair. He then invented the C5, for which he should have been de-knighted. Dell Adamo XPS (2009) Think the MacBook Air is thin? The Adamo makes it look like a chubber, being a wafer-esque 9.99m in depth. It's the thinnest laptop ever made, no less – and a real looker too, proving that grey-plastic-loving Dell can create something truly gorgeous. And the way its screen automatically flips up when you touch the heat-sensing strip on the top with your fingertip is achingly cool. Commodore Amiga 500 (1987) Commodore scored a huge hit with its range of 16-bit computers, and the Amiga 500 became the most popular home computer in Western Europe. Although capable of performing a range of tasks, the Amiga was most commonly used as a games machine: who can forget classics like Lemmings, Speedball 2, Cannon Fodder and Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis? Samsung Q1 (2006) Samsung's Q1 sparked a short-lived craze for UMPCs (ultra mobile PCs), computers tiny enough to be tucked into a manbag for a weekend away. The original Q1 had a 7-inch touchscreen, a 40GB hard drive and three hours of battery life, but its largish frame made it awkward to hold. While it was never a huge success, it demonstrated that big guns like Samsung were serious about ultra-mobile computing, and is a direct ancestor of today's Galaxy Tab. Apple Macintosh 128K (1984) The first Apple Mac was an all-in-one computer based around a 9-inch black-and-white CRT monitor. Despite its beige colour, it was a design hit. It also came with Mac OS 1.0, one of the first-ever graphics-based user interfaces, and served up impressive performance for the price – costing about $2,500, you could use it for graphics applications for which you'd have previously needed a $10,000 PC. Microsoft Surface (2008) Apple may have made multitouch mainstream but Microsoft's original Surface brought it into the commercial world: a 30-inch multitouch HD display that looked like a table, it let its user (or users) manipulate on-screen objects through a variety of gestures. Renamed as the PixelSense in 2012, it could respond to up to 52 touches simultaneously, and its large size made it ideal for use in shops, restaurants and museums. Samsung would later make a 40-inch version, which was discontinued in 2014. And as exciting as a giant $10,000 horizontal tablet may have been, Microsoft decided its efforts, and the Surface name, were better employed elsewhere. IBM ThinkPad (1992) Want to know how reliable the ThinkPad is? Well, in 1993 NASA took IBM's laptop aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour for the first time to see how it performed in space – and it remains one of the few laptops certified for the International Space Station. 'Well built' doesn't even come close. Apple Mac Mini (2005) Apple approached its first micro-sized desktop in typical fashion: by making it sexier and smaller than its Windows-based rivals. The original Mini was a mere 165 x 165 x 51mm in size and its stylishness has made it popular as a home theatre PC – it's one of the few personal computers that looks good underneath your telly. Compaq Portable III (1987) Despite boasting the looks of an upended fax machine, the Portable III was rightly regarded as a high-concept product upon its launch. Why? Well, you could lug it about with relative ease, and there was a flip-up gas plasma screen built in – although its bulk and the lack of a battery meant it wasn't as portable as a laptop. Commodore PET (1977) The Personal Electronic Transactor: goofy name, Buck Rogers looks, and essentially the first all-in-one home computer in the world. Despite an almost comically undersized calculator-style keyboard, the PET was successful enough to convince Commodore to keep producing variants into the '80s – and it formed the basis for the crazily popular Commodore 64. Apple iBook G3 (1999) Apple streamlined its computer line-up in the late '90s, and the 12-inch iBook G3 took the role of its low-end laptop – little did Apple know, but it was designing one of the most iconic computers ever. Taking many of its design cues from the iMac G3, the iBook also rocked a brightly coloured transparent plastic body, USB port and optical drive. It was the first laptop to offer built-in Wi-Fi as standard, and its photogenic looks made it a popular fixture in TV shows and movies. IBM 5150 (1981) Also known as the IBM Personal Computer, the 5150 defined the term 'PC'. While there were 'personal computers' available before its 1981 launch, the 5150's massive success meant that 'PC' came to specifically mean an IBM-compatible computer. HP TouchSmart Crossfire (2007) The HP TouchSmart IQ770 wasn't much of a success on the sales or critical fronts, but gets in here by virtue of its headlining feature: it was the first mass-market desktop with a touchscreen. The Crossfire's 19-inch screen was finger-friendly, adding a new dimension of control – but perhaps it was a little ahead of its time, and its reliance on mobile components made it a (groan) touch underpowered Shuttle SV24 (2001) At the time of its launch, the SV24 was the smallest desktop PC available, and sparked a movement towards small-form-factor PCs. Despite its dinky dimensions, the SV24 was packed with proper desktop components, making it a hit even with gamers and others seeking power aplenty. Shuttle's XPC small-form-factor line – still running today – followed soon after. Apple iMac (2007) The 2007 revamp of the iMac range saw Apple take a radical step: it housed its consumer desktop in a slim enclosure of pure aluminium and glass (and a bit of plastic), with just one screw visible on the whole shebang (and that neatly hidden away on the underside of the screen). Add in the wafer-thin aluminium keyboard and you had a jaw-droppingly stunning design that cemented the Cupertino company as the go-to brand for the style-conscious. Today's model isn't that far removed from it. Acorn Archimedes (1987) Like the BBC Micro (also built by Acorn), the Archimedes series became a key fixture in school computer labs all over Britain. Boasting 256 colours and 8-channel sound, the Archimedes took over where the BBC left off – and millions of young Brits (including us here at Stuff) got their first taste of the delights of 'desktop publishing', BASIC programming or word processing on one of these beige titans. Atari ST (1985) A rival to the likes of the Commodore Amiga and Apple Macintosh, the ST's games-running proficiency meant it was often found in teenage boys' bedrooms – but it was also a dab hand at business and CAD functionality. Its MIDI ports proved a hit with musicians too, with the likes of Fatboy Slim and 808 State employing STs to control instruments in their live shows. Epson HX-20 (1983) The first laptop computer EVER? Pretty much: the HX-20 had a footprint roughly the size of a sheet of A4, along with a keyboard, 50-hour (!) rechargeable battery and 120×32-resolution screen. Yep, that's right: 120 x 32 pixels, allowing for four lines of 20 characters each. It weighed in at 1.6kg, making it genuinely portable, although a floppy disk drive came separately. Commodore 64 (1982) One of the most successful home computers ever, the C64 sold a total of 17 million units in its 12-year lifespan. Its affordable pricetag – a result of Commodore's clever mass-production techniques – and the fact that it could be hooked up to a regular TV made it many families' first computer. Loads were used for nothing more than gaming, and there were around 10,000 different games available by the end of its production run. It also inspired legendary magazine Zzap! 64. Asus Eee PC (2007) There are dozens of different netbooks available today, but the Linux-based Eee PC was the first. Small, lightweight and very cheap, it was designed for anybody who didn't need huge amounts of power or storage (or a decent screen resolution): just a portable device they could use for email, web browsing and other basic tasks. The formula was a winner, and Asus shifted 300,000 Eee PCs in 2007 alone. Amstrad CPC (1984) The Commodore 64 and Sinclair Spectrum had their feet under the table and a row of drinks lined up by the time the Amstrad CPC series pushed open the saloon doors. The basic CPC464 model had a tape deck built in and came with the choice of a colour or (far cheaper) monochrome monitor, while the CPC664 and CPC6128 came with 3-inch disk drives instead of the tape deck. Apple iPad (2010) Is it really a computer? Well, it runs apps and lets you surf the web, so we'll allow it – and as for its iconic status, just look at all the tablet pretenders that have already been announced in the wake of its recent launch. With a fantastically vibrant screen and a gloriously responsive multitouch interface, the iPad is still an absolute joy to use today, whether you plump for a cellular model or the Wi-Fi-only tablet.
BBC News
03-06-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Littleport man finds Sinclair C5 on Facebook and drives it on the road
An unusual mode of transport has been turning heads after it was restored to its "former glory". Mark Robinson from Littleport in Cambridgeshire said he had spent the last few years restoring a tiny, electrically powered tricycle-like vehicle. The Sinclair C5 was invented by British entrepreneur Clive Sinclair in 1985 and has a pedal-assisted electric Robinson, 49, takes his restored vehicle onto the roads and said the invention had been "ahead of its time," and was called "cool by the youth of today". Mr Robinson bought the vehicle - affectionately named Clive - on Facebook Marketplace in 2021 before he revamped said the tyres were ruined, it was black and he had to 3D print the rear indicators due to price and availability for the model. "In 1985, in my opinion, the world wasn't quite ready for electric vehicles," Mr Robinson said. "They looked like nothing else that was out there, and people weren't quite aware of that sort of genre of vehicle."He added that Clive moved at about 14 mph and could travel about 12 miles on a decent charge. Mr Robinson said he had been impressed with its range and drivability, adding it also received lots of smiles, waves and "looks of bafflement" from younger generations. He remembered the first time he saw the invention at a Cambridge electrical shop in January 1985."It was a demonstrator, you couldn't drive it or anything like that, but you could sit in and have your photo taken, and that was my first time in one. "I was impressed, it was a fun thing to see." Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
The Guardian
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Atomfall might have been an apocalyptic classic if it wasn't for all the walking
'Fast travel'. The greatest two words in gaming. Greater even than 'infinite lives', Clive Sinclair or 'moustachioed plumber'. It is to go from one location in a game where you are doing something important to another location in the blink of a loading screen, cutting out the repetitive kerfuffle in between. (Trivia break: Repetitive Kerfuffle might have been the working title for Tetris!) We've had it since the 80s. Dragon Quest had a Return spell and the original Zelda had the recorder to take you to different dungeons, and even they were preceded six years earlier by a certain big fat yellow mouth who had dots for supper and ghosts for dessert. Because that guy could go out of one side of the screen and appear on the other instantly. That's fast travel isn't it? My advocacy for this is however tempered by the depression I feel that PacMan may have thought going off the right hand side would mean an escape from his corridor hell, only to return, Sisyphus-like, back where he started. The Sisyphus reference is apt because, even more than the chafing hands and sore calves, the biggest problem the boulder-pushing Greek had was boredom. Fast travel is essential because we play video games to escape the tedium of real life. And the most tedious thing in life is travel of any kind. Even with the latest fad for space flights, you have to go through the boring grind of making the $20m for the ticket in return for 12 minutes of seeing the Earth look just like it does in the pictures. When a developer puts fast travel in a game, they are saying: 'I get you. We both want you to enjoy this game. So we will fast as much of this tedious travel as we can.' Not Rebellion Developments though. Not with Atomfall. Atomfall doesn't just ignore fast travel, it depends on your ability to yomp across great swathes of land you have already yomped across. With really tough enemies. It reduces the game to a study in anger at times. And this is such a shame because I loved so much about it. The story is fascinating: What really did happen during the Windscale nuclear plant disaster in England in 1957. A fire there was rated a five out of seven on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale. Chernobyl was a seven. The end of that recent episode of The Last of Us was a six. In the game, this event has turned a section of the Lake District into a radioactive quarantine zone, and you wake up in the middle of it with no memory of who you are or how you got there, and then stumble around gleaning bits of info off people in return for doing their bidding. I enjoyed peeling this onion of conflicting information from nicely grey moral characters with just about every accent in the UK displayed at some point or other, because nothing brings the country together like a good old-fashioned quarantine. I don't mind that it doesn't have a traditional RPG skill tree. There is no XP to grind for. Just Training Stimulants you can find and exchange for better stealth, stamina, weaponry and so on. But there can be too many quests open at the same time. I hope that when the apocalypse hits in this life (next Tuesday at this rate), it is a lot less busy. I also don't mind that Atomfall is very tough to play, even if you reduce the combat to the lowest level (Useless Dad), but I do mind having a tiny backpack and not enough accessible storage tubes for surplus. Sign up to Pushing Buttons Keza MacDonald's weekly look at the world of gaming after newsletter promotion I love the fact that the only foods you can eat are potatoes, tomatoes, Cornish pasties and slices of cake washed down with cups of tea that lower your heart rate. That is a beautiful detail. But I grew to hate the ridiculous slogs between all this, especially in the final third of the game, which should be when RPGs get into their slickest phase. Apparently the developers' reason for nixing fast travel was that they wanted you to be totally immersed in this world they created. And what a world it is visually! The countryside is so lush and gorgeous it's like a work of art. And unlike the Sistine Chapel, you don't have to crick your neck to see it. Maybe the developers were so pleased that they may have created the most beautifully rendered world in game graphics history that they thought: 'OK, we will jolly well make sure the punters get to spend time with nothing to do but behold it.' It's a shame because the world is well set up. The factions of military, outlaws, citizens, hippie mystics and zombies are my kind of party, although the enemy AI is inconsistent and the Big Bad is the most sedentary villain since Davros. With fast travel, I would have completed the game in 10 hours and been raving for more. As it was Atomfall had me wandering around a new place getting angry and resentful at things I had to keep doing for other people. And I already have family vacations for that.
