ICL One Per Desk / BT Merlin Tonto
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Introduction
The ICL
One Per Desk Computer (OPD) was released in late 1984
/ early 1985 and was based on the Sinclair QL Home Computer. The OPD boasted
improved microdrives and a built in telephone and modem, phone directory,
speech synthesizer and PSION Xchange on ROM. It was also released under
the name Merlin Tonto for BT and the Computerphone
for Telecom Australia (APT). An enhanced version, the 'Mega OPD',
was released in North America.
The OPD is interesting to computer historians and the QL community
for a number of reasons :
- The OPD was an early and innovative example of a hybrid computer /
telephone.
Many of the core concepts behind the OPD have subsequently found their way into Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and computer / phone hybrids such as the Amstrad E-m@iler. - The OPD was a brave attempt to bring business computing to the masses
- One Per Desk.
ICL hoped to provide electronic messaging and office automation facilities to managers, and allow the sharing of information between branches, departments and head office. ICL were a major player in the mainframe market, and hoped that Sinclair's success in home computing would enable them to break into the PC market. - The OPD was the result of a joint colloration between four iconic British IT companies : Sinclair, PSION, ICL and British Telecom. Sinclair provided the motherboard; PSION the office automation software; ICL the expertise in mainframes; and British Telecom telecomms.
- The OPD has an interesting architecture, with a built in speech synthesiser,
modem, messaging and office automation facilities.
There is plenty to appeal to QL-ers, computer historians and computer hardware enthusiasts.
This curious machine interested a number of high-profile business customers, including certain divisions of the former UK Customs and Excise Department. In the late eighties they were used in Bingo halls to allow a country wide networked bingo game.
Useful Links
- ICL One Per Desk section of the RWAP Services website
- ICL, One Per Desk and BT Tonto entries on Binary Dinosaurs museum
- One Per Desk entry on OldComputers.com museum
- One Per Desk entry on Wikipedia
- OPD page at sinclaircomputers.com
