Versatility is the Key - The Video Genie System

The EG 3003 Video Genie System was a sort-of TRS-80 Model 1 clone, made by enigmatic Hong Kong electronics company EACA and distributed in the UK by Lowe Electronics.

Lowe, an established company that was also known for its amateur radio equipment[source: http://www.listenersguide.org.uk/swl/lowe-electronics-what-happened/], had wanted to secure the VIC-20 franchise when Commodore's new machine was announced at around the same time as this advert, but it insisted on being the sole distributor - a demand which cut no ice with Commodore.

Instead, it went with the Colour Genie franchise - the micro which replaced the EG 3003 - which it had the exclusive on[source: "Colour Genie", PCW, June 1983, p. 120]. Besides, it had already been distributing Genie systems since at least April 1980[source: Lowe Electronics advert, PCW, April 1980, p. 23].

[picture: video_genie_pcw_apr80.jpg|A Lowe Electronics advert for the EG 3003, which appeared in PCW, April 1980. The price then was £425 including VAT, so about [[425|1980]] in [[now]]] 

The EG 3003 also stands out as possibly the largest console around - looking more like a 1970s synthesizer than a computer, especially, as seen in this advert, when coupled up to a rather large veneered television. 

For the specification, which was unusually (for a home computer) based on the older S-100 bus, it was reasonably cheap - £370 is about [[370|1981]] in [[now]].