This 1979 Popular Science ad for off-brand “VideoBrain” home computers (Made in America!) for sale by bankruptcy liquidators is a great snapshot of the goofy optimism of the early days of PCs, before most people knew what they were and what they were for. I love the fact that they have to explain what a printer is.
10,000 transistors, on a pure silicon wafer half the size of your fingernail, perform 500,000 instructions PER SECOND! Using pre-programmed cartridges, VideoBrain can perform a wide variety of functions!
FOR YOU! VideoBrain can quickly do difficult calculations; store data in memory; help analyze household expenses, investments, taxes, etc. It can even receive valuable data from business computers, nationwide, through your phone!
FOR YOUR CHILDREN! Learning is fun with VideoBrain. TV display encourages them to increase abilities in music, math, typing, spelling, etc.
FOR ENTIRE FAMILY! VideoBrain provides unending hours of fun and excitement with a wide variety of fascinating video games!
VIDEOBRAIN IS EXPANDABLE!
Available from C.O.M.B. Co:
Expander I: Lets you use ordinary audio cassette recorders for memory to store programs or data.Available from electronic stores:
Acoustic Modems: Connects VideoBrain to timesharing computers nationwide through your phone. (Used with Expander 1.)
Printer: Turns data on TV screen into printed copy. (Used with Expander 1 and Acoustic Modem.)
HOME COMPUTERS – MUST LIQUIDATE AT FAR BELOW DEALER COST! (Nov, 1979)