Stories by Benj Edwards

Inside the Atari 800

It's the 30th anniversary of this 8-bit PC classic. We celebrate the occasion as we always do, by tearing the product apart and showing you the pieces.

The 10 worst video game systems of all time

Since the appearance of the first video game console--the Magnavox Odyssey--in 1972, dozens of companies have tried their hands at crafting successful and lucrative game platforms. Each new machine brought with it the promise of a compelling, novel g...

The world's weirdest mice

A mouse is such a simple device that not even the worst inventor could screw it up, right? Wrong! We'll give you 13 examples.

The world's weirdest keyboards!

Keyboards without keys, a vertical keyboard with mirrors on the side so you can see your fingers, and keyboards on which you type on the back: Get ready for some wacky input devices.

Inside the Commodore 64

This pioneering PC made instant geeks out of millions of people back in the '80s. But what lies within the Commodore 64's fetching brown shell?

Microsoft Word turns 25

If you've been using Microsoft Word for the past quarter of a century, it can seem like Word has always been the top dog of the word-processing world--and for years, it's been incorporated into Microsoft's Office suite. Today, Microsoft's domination ...

Inside Nintendo's classic games console

Inside the world's greatest keyboard

From the satisfying click of its keys to its no-nonsense layout and solid steel underpinnings, IBM's 24-year-old Model M is the standard by which all other keyboards must be judged.

Birth of a standard: The Intel 8086 microprocessor

The release of Intel's 8086 microprocessor in 1978 was a watershed moment for personal computing. The DNA of that chip is likely at the centre of whatever computer--Windows, Mac, or Linux--you're using to read this, and it helped transform Intel from...

Stephen Morse: father of the 8086 processor

In honor of the 30th anniversary of Intel's 8086 chip, the microprocessor that set the standard that all PCs and new Macs use today, I interviewed Stephen Morse, the electrical engineer who was most responsible for the chip.

Inside a Classic: The TRS-80 Model 100

Instant-on, with a comfortable keyboard and 20 hours of battery life: Little wonder this Radio Shack model is one of the most popular portables of all time. We offer a look at the guts of this featherweight champion.

The 10 Worst PC Keyboards of All Time

Considering that the keyboard is the primary input device for most of the PCs ever made, it's amazing how many times manufacturers have gotten it completely, laughably wrong. After painstakingly reviewing scads of the most lacklustre keyboards, I sys...

If it's good enough for Shatner...

What do Bill Cosby, the cast of MASH and Captain James T. Kirk, have in common? They all endorsed PCs in the 1980s.

Anatomy of an Icon: Inside the Apple IIc

At 3.4 kilograms, the Apple IIc portable computer was the MacBook Air of 1984. Ever wonder what makes up a vintage classic? We took one apart to find out.