Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!enterpoop.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.ibd From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Computers & Automation Date: Tue, 24 Nov 92 12:40:58 EST Message-ID: <4.1992Nov24.124058@AmeriCast.com> Lines: 111 11/24/92 TITLE Computers & Automation PC Competition Yields Cheaper, Lighter Notebooks, With More Features First of three parts Michael Stroud A year ago, a well-constructed notebook computer with a top-of- the-line microprocessor, hefty hard drive and low price tag was almost assured of success in the market. No longer. Dozens of companies now make notebooks for less than $2,000, and competi- tion is rapidly becoming almost as cutthroat as in the desktop computer business. "If you're building notebooks just on power, storage and speed . . . you will be dead in the water," said Doug Kass, president of Viewpoint Group in San Jose, Calif. The changes coincide with the first real technology Computers & Automation makeover for the notebook computer since the ultrasmall portables were introduced in 1989. Employing better technology and im- proved miniaturization processes, today's machines are more powerful, more versatile, smaller and lighter than their prede- cessors. But that's not all. To woo new buyers, manufacturers are differentiating their products with new features, everything from built-in cellular phones to touch-pad screens. Smaller "sub- notebook" machines - some half the weight of current models - are beginning to hit the market. Finally, expansion possibilities are being improved, primarily through electronic circuit devices called PCMCIA cards. Here are some of the options that have wowed computer enthusiasts: Color. For a few hundred dollars more than you would spend on a black-and-white notebook, you can now buy a color model. Color means you don't have to hook your notebook up to an external mon- itor every time you need to run color. What you buy depends on your needs and your pocketbook. Manufacturers like Leading Edge Products Inc., AST Research Inc. and Dell Computer Corp. offer so-called passive matrix screens for as little as $2,500. Top- of-the-line color models using active matrix color start at around $3,000. Manufacturers include Toshiba Corp., NEC Corp. and Compaq Computer Corp. Be prepared, however, for somewhat shorter battery life. Color eats up a lot more power. Pointing devices. As users rebel against toting portable mouses with them, manufacturers are dreaming up innovative pointing dev- ices, especially trackballs. As trackballs become more common, companies are trying to differentiate themselves by putting the devices in innovative places. Apple Computer Inc.'s PowerBook, for example, has a trackball below the keyboard in the center of the unit. In its new ThinkPad notebook, International Business Machines Corp. decided to dispense with a trackball entirely, po- sitioning a special stylus near the center of the keyboard. Several manufacturers are reportedly preparing to roll out sys- tems with "touch pads," small strips of frosted glass that the user touches to move the screen cursor. Built-in upgradability. More and more users who worry about be- ing left behind in the technology curve buy desktops they can up- grade. Now the same trend is extending to notebooks. AST offers a notebook that allows users to upgrade the microprocessor and upgrade the unit's hard drive. Acer America Inc. offers a note- book with a black-and-white screen that can be removed and re- placed with a color screen. 486 power. As notebooks based on Intel Corp.'s 80386 chip become commonplace, some manufacturers are making machines based on Intel's next-generation i486 chip. Those who don't want to pay the heftier price tag that 486-based products command can now buy notebooks built around start-up Cyrix Corp.'s 486DLC Intel clone. Companies with DLC- based notebooks include CompuAdd Corp., Hyun- dai Electronics Inc. and PC Brand Corp. Built-in networking. Manufacturers realize these days that no notebook is an island; users need to be in constant contact with their offices. So, many companies are building sophisticated networking capabilities right into their units. IBM's ThinkPad has a port built into it that allows users to hook directly into local-area networks adhering to the Ethernet stan- dard. Zenith Data Systems Corp.'s' Z-Note notebook comes prein- stalled with an Ethernet chip and networking software. Removable hard disk drives. Many users would like to be able to remove the hard drives on their notebooks so that they can ex- change data more easily with colleagues or store the disk in a more secure location. Vendors include IBM, AST and Epson America Inc. Wireless communication. A few notebook makers are offering built-in cellular communications capability as an option. Ameri- can Telephone & Telegraph Co.'s Safari notebook was the first to offer that capacity a few years ago. Recently, Compaq introduced a cellular modem option for its LTE Lite line of notebooks. A screen that swivels.- Zeos International Ltd. came up with a screen a few months ago that swivels out of alignment with the keyboard. Janet Cole, an analyst at Dataquest Inc., concedes that the screen is "a bit gimmicky," but sees an appeal to people who constantly share their data with colleagues. This article is copyright 1992 Investors Business Daily. 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