The Cybiko is a Russian handheld computer introduced in the U.S. by David Yang's company Cybiko Inc. as a retail test market in New York on April 2000, and rolled out nationwide in May 2000. It is designed for teens, featuring its own two-way radio text messaging system. It had over 430 "official" freeware games and applications. Because of the text messaging system, it features a rubber QWERTY keyboard. An MP3 player add-on with a SmartMedia card slot was made for the unit as well. The company stopped manufacturing the units after two product versions and only a few years on the market. Cybikos can communicate with each other up to a maximum range of 300 metres. Several Cybikos can chat with each other in a wireless chatroom. By the end of 2000, the Cybiko Classic sold over 500,000 units.
Models
Cybiko Classic
There were two models of the Classic Cybiko. Visually, the only difference was that the original version had a power switchon the side, whilst the updated version used the "escape" key for power management. Internally, the differences between the two models were in the internal memory, and the location of the firmware. The CPU was a Hitachi H8S/2241 clocked at 11.0592 MHz and the Cybiko Classic also had an Atmel AT90S2313 co-processor, clocked at 4 MHz to provide some support for RF communications. It came with 512KB flash memory-based ROMflash memory and 256KB RAM. It came with an add-on slot in the back. The Cybiko Classic came in five colors: blue, purple, neon green, white, and black. The black version had a yellow keypad, instead of the white unit found on other Cybikos. The add-on slot had the same pin arrangement as a PC card, but it is not electrically compatible.
Specifications
Weight: 122g Dimensions : 7.1 cm x 2.2 cm x 14.5 cm LCD display: 160x100 dots, 59x40 mm, 4 level grayscale
Cybiko Xtreme
The Cybiko Xtreme was the second-generation Cybiko handheld. It featured various improvements over the original Cybiko, such as a faster processor, more RAM, more ROM, a new operating system, a new keyboard layout and case design, greater wireless range, a microphone, improved audio output, and smaller size. The CPU was a Hitachi H8S/2323 at 18 MHz, and just as the original version, it also had an Atmel AT90S2313 co-processor at 4 MHz to provide some support for RF communications. It came with 512KB ROM flash memory and 1.5MB RAM. It came with an add-on slot in the back, but the only hardware released was an MP3 player. It was released in two variants. US variant had frequency range of 902-928 MHz and European variant with frequency range of 868-870 MHz. No other functional difference existed between these variants.
Options
MP3 player
Classic MP3 Player: The MP3 player for the Classic plugs into the bottom of the Cybiko, and used SmartMedia cards; it could support a maximum size of 64 MB. The player had built in controls.
Xtreme MP3 Player: The MP3 player plugs into the back of the Cybiko Xtreme. It has a slot for one MMC memory card. The MP3 player can only be controlled from the Cybiko. Memory from the MP3 player can also be addressed from the Cybiko and used for data and program storage.
1MB Expansion Memory
The memory expansion card plugs in the back of the Cybiko. It provides 1 megabyte of static RAM, and 1 megabyte of data flash memory. The RAM allows programs with larger memory requirements to run. The data flash allows more programs to be stored. Some Cybiko programs will not run unless the Expansion Memory is plugged in.
