Batteries Included (company)
 | |
| Founded | Toronto, Ontario (1978) |
|---|---|
| Defunct | 1987 |
| Fate | Purchased by Electronic Arts |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Alan Krofchick Robbie Krofchik Marcie Swartz L. Brian Swartz |
| Products | PaperClip DEGAS |
Batteries Included was a computer software and hardware company based in the Toronto area. It developed products for the Apple II, Atari 8-bit computers, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and MS-DOS.[1] The company was best known in the 1980s for its PaperClip word processor, which was available for the Atari 8-bit family and Commodore 64, and the DEGAS bitmap painting program for the Atari ST. Batteries Included was acquired by Electronic Arts in 1987.
History[edit]
Batteries Included was founded by siblings Alan Krofchick, Robbie Krofchick and Marcie Swartz in 1978 as a calculator and personal computer retail store.[2] The hand-held electronic devices they sold were always advertised as "batteries not included," so they included the batteries for free and named themselves Batteries Included.[3] The company began to develop its own computer software and hardware and became a multimillion-dollar multi-faceted company, charging its way into the international computer software and accessory market.[3] Michael Reichmann joined the company in its early years and eventually became its president in the mid-1980s.[4]
The company's first retail location was established at Village by the Grange, (109 McCaul St, Toronto, ON). Head offices were later re-located to 30 Mural Street in Richmond Hill, Ontario.[2] The company also had a satellite office in California. At its peak, BI employed over 60 people.[3]
Batteries Included was purchased by Electronic Arts[4] in 1987, which cancelled most of its upcoming projects but continued to market products under the Batteries Included name.
Products[edit]
PaperClip[edit]
PaperClip, the company's flagship product, was first released for the Commodore PET in 1982, and later for the Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit computers.[2] The word processor was developed by Steve Douglas who formed a relationship with Batteries Included owners Robbie and Alan Krofchick through the retail store.[3] PaperClip became one of the highest selling home management programs, reaching No. 1 on "Billboard's Top Computer Software" chart and spending over 70 weeks on the charts.[5]
In 1986, Batteries Included released PaperClip II for the Commodore 128.[6]
PaperClip III was released by Electronic Arts in 1987, following its acquisition of Batteries Included.[7] Later Gold Disk released desktop publishing application PaperClip Publisher.
HomePak[edit]
In 1984, Batteries Included released the integrated software suite HomePak, combining word-processor, database and communications modules into one application.
Product listing[edit]
- PaperClip – word processor
- PaperClip II – word processor
- Delphi's Oracle (later The Consultant) – database[8]
- Bus Card – IEEE interface card[9]
- Bus Card II – IEEE interface card[10]
- HomePak – office suite
- B.I.-80 80-column display card (for C64 only)[11]
- I*S Talk - a full-featured GEM-based telecommunications program[12]
- Isgur Portfolio System - an investment management program[13]
- BTS The Spreadsheet - spreadsheet program[14]
- TimeLink - an electronic diary program for planning and record-keeping
- I*S Time and Billing - a professional office administration program
- B/GRAPH Elite - a graphics/charting and statistical analysis package
For the Atari ST:
- DEGAS – bitmap painting application
- DEGAS Elite[1]
- Thunder! The writer's Assistant [1] - spellchecker[14]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "New Products From Batteries Included". Compute! (74): 117. 1986.
- ^ a b c "The Personal Computer Museum, Brantford, Ontario, CANADA - Recycle, donate, and browse your old computers, electronics, video games, and software". Pcmuseum.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-07-03. Retrieved 2016-07-28.
- ^ a b c d Ellison, Peter (1985). "Canada's Atari". Rom Magazine (10): 7.
- ^ a b Morrissey, James (2005-03-14). "Artist Showcase: Michael Reichmann". The Nature, Wildlife and Pet Photography Forum. Archived from the original on 2016-07-07. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
- ^ "Top Computer Software". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 1. 1985. p. 39.
- ^ "The Personal Computer Museum, Brantford, Ontario, CANADA - Recycle, donate, and browse your old computers, electronics, video games, and software". Pcmuseum.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-07-03. Retrieved 2016-07-28.
- ^ "The Personal Computer Museum, Brantford, Ontario, CANADA - Recycle, donate, and browse your old computers, electronics, video games, and software". Pcmuseum.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-07-03. Retrieved 2016-07-28.
- ^ Delphi's oracle: Database management system: user's manual, By Dieter Demmer, Publisher: Batteries Included (1983), Amazon.co.uk
- ^ BusCard IEEE-488 Interface, BusCard Project, pdbuchan.com
- ^ BusCard II IEEE-488 Interface, Mike Naberezny, The Buscard II from Batteries Included is an expansion port device for the Commodore 64 that provides an IEEE-488 interface allowing peripherals designed for the PET/CBM series to be used alongside serial IEC peripherals....In addition to the IEEE-488 port, the BusCard II features a parallel printer port. This is a Centronics-style port but uses an nonstandard card edge connector that requires a special adapter. A pass-thru port on the right-side of the unit allows another expansion port device to be connected.
- ^ The Quest for 80 Columns on the Commodore 64, The 8-Bit Guy, ...The B.I.-80, made by Batteries Included...
- ^ I*S TALK - BI's feature-packed modem software, Reviewed by ERIC CLAUSEN, ANTIC VOL. 5, NO. 7 / NOVEMBER 1986
- ^ Portfolio Management: Editor's Choice: The ISGUR Portfolio System, By Nancy Gill, PC Mag, 15 Apr 1986, Page 217
- ^ a b Spelling Aid Works With ST GEM Programs, By Scott Mace, InfoWorld, 16 Jun 1986, Page 19