Sharp PC-1211
pocket computer
The Sharp PC-1211 is the first pocket computer ever released, marketed by Sharp Corporation in March 1980. The computer was powered by two 4-bit CPUs laid out in power-saving CMOS circuitry. One acted as the main CPU, the other dealt with the input/output and display interface. Users could write computer programs in BASIC.
A badge-engineered version of the PC-1211, the TRS-80 Pocket Computer (model PC-1), was marketed by Radio Shack in July 1980 as the first iteration of the TRS-80 Pocket Computer with just a marginally different look (outer plastic parts in black, not brown, gray display frame)
Technical specifications
24 digit dot matrix LCD
Full QWERTY-style keyboard
Integrated beeper
Connector for printer and tape drive
Programmable in BASIC
Uses four MR44 1.35 V Mercury button cells
Battery life in excess of 200 hours
1424 program steps, 26 permanent variable locations (A-Z or A$-Z$) and 178 variables shared with program steps
Built out of off-the-shelf CMOS components, including SC43177/SC43178 processors at 256 kHz and three TC5514P 4 Kbit RAM modules
Accessories
CE-121 Cassette Interface
CE-122 Printer
TRS-80 Pocket Computer ("PC-1")
A badge-engineered version of the Sharp PC-1211 was introduced in July 1980 and marketed by Radio Shack as the original TRS-80 Pocket Computer. This was later referred to as the "PC-1" to differentiate it from subsequent entries (PC-2 onwards) in the TRS-80 Pocket Computer line.
The public source identifies “Sharp PC-1211” as pocket computer. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Sharp, PC-1211 and pocket.
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The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q629703. The Library of Congress control number is sh85098915. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1211, 1980 and 1424.
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This entry incorporates text from “Sharp PC-1211” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.