The terrible Radio Shack computer that became your phone

Tech history is filled with stories of companies that survived industry turbulence and came out stronger on the other side. There's also no shortage of companies that fizzled out spectacularly and became little more than footnotes. Such is the story of Tandy and its TRS-80 Pocket Computer. Sold exclusively through Radio Shack, the TRS-80 was part of a a new generation of tiny, lightweight personal computers you could take on the go. Sure, in 2024, we don't think twice about the personal computers (aka smartphones) we all carry everywhere, but in the early-1980s, these devices sounded like the future.