HP takes aim at ownership costs, headaches
Reuters Story - March 09, 1997 17:20
FINANCIAL DPR ELI ELC HWP INTC CPQ NOVL V%REUTER P%RTR
Jump to first matched term
By Samuel Perry
PALO ALTO, Calif., March 9 (Reuter) - Separate divisions of
Hewlett-Packard Co. will Monday unveil new products executives
say will reduce the difficulties and costs of owning and
operating computer networks.
The products, which HP representatives said are geared to
ease computing systems management while also reducing costs,
include manageability tools and new additions to the company's
HP Vectra line of business computers.
The Palo Alto-based company is also launching a second
generation of its HP NetServer E series server devices for
small and medium-size businesses which typically have little or
no computer systems management staff.
Computer servers are the machines which tie together
networks of computers and other devices, such as printers and
centralized data storage.
In an additional announcement, HP's printer division said
it is adding to its HP OfficeJet "all-in-one" line of machines
which combine in one device tasks such as printing, scanning,
copying and fax capabilities.
HP said its HP Vectra personal computer models will now
come loaded with TopTOOLS, a new management tool provided free
which enables systems managers to handle configuration,
security and a variety of other tasks from any location on a
computer network.
TopTOOLS is part of a series of enhancements HP is
preparing in an effort to reduce the cost of operating
networked personal computers, which some research studies have
estimated can cost up to $12,000 a year to run.
The tool has a broad range of features, including the
ability to remotely configure and upgrade systems, handle
security features and keep an inventory of their PCs.
HP said it will also provide a sweeping upgrade of its HP
Vectra personal computer lines, including models equipped with
Intel Corp.'s Pentium processors with MMX technology,
enhanced 10/100 Base-T LAN interface and 4.5 gigabyte Ultra
SCSI hard disk drives.
Its new high performance XA Pentium Pro processor HP Vectra
PC models, for example, will begin at an average selling price
of $2,624 for 200 Megahertz models, for example, or $3,583 with
the Ultra SCSI drive.
New models of the HP Vectra VL line will include a 64- bit
graphics engine and new S3 Trio64 V2 video controller for
enhanced graphics. The line in various configurations will
range in price from $1,235 to $1,871, HP said.
The HP Vectra VA PCs will incorporate manageability
features and have average prices of at $1,827 to $2,221 and the
HP Vectra VE personal computers are to be value priced with
expected prices in the $1,050 to $1,200 range.
HP also said it will launching the second generation of its
NetServer E Series, the E40 model, just six months after it
introduced the line last September.
HP is also introducing a professional multifunction
printer, the OfficeJet Pro 1150C color printer-copier- scanner
for about $1,000.
The product can print black text at speeds up to eight
pages a minute and mixed text and color documents at speeds up
to four pages a minute, with copy speeds only slightly slower.
It can scan color images in 10 seconds.
HP is also introducing a 14-inch liquid crystal display
(LCD) flat-panel PC monitor, which is expected to ship in April
at an average U.S. selling price of $2,419.
The sleek monitors are more energy efficient than cathode
ray tube devices and are particularly useful in areas where
workspace is limited, HP said. |
