The Atari 1010 Program Recorder was the replacement to the Atari 400/800
lines Atari 410 Program recorder. The new 1010 was stylish
and simplistic to use. Although no faster then any other standard
tape recorder/Program Recorder, the Atari 1010 was a reliable little unit
and was very popular in European markets where money was tight and the
majority of software was available on Tape Cassettes.
What made the Atari Data/Program recorders unique from all other cassette
decks used on other home computers was its ability to tie into the Atari
Audio Summation Circuitry. The Atari 410,
1010 and the Atari XC11 & XC12 Data/Program recorders all worked through
the Atari SIO (Serial I/O) bus, a data communications bus very similar
to today's USB (Universal Serial Bus). The Data/Program
recorders could all be controlled by the Atari computer and also channeled
their audio into the SIO bus and into the Atari computer where it would
be heard through a connected Television or Computer Monitor.
The Data/Program recorders also were Dual Track systems and could load
data while also playing audio/music tracks simultaneously.
This meant that while another section of a program was loading, the recorder
could give the user instructions, information or play a soundtrack to occupy
the users time while the program loaded. This system
was used extensively in Atari's unique and unparalleled line of educational
software.