IBM to unveil index card-size computer prototype
NEW YORK, Feb 6 (Reuters) - International Business Machines
Corp.'s <IBM.N> research division says it has developed a
prototype of a portable computer module that is the size of a
small pad of paper and has the computing power of a typical
notebook or desktop computer.
The portable computing device, which IBM Research will
unveil on Feb. 11 at a technology conference in Phoenix,
Arizona, includes 128 megabytes of dynamic random access
memory, a 10-gigabit hard drive and a microprocessor -- which
is the brain of the computer -- that runs at 800 megahertz, or
800 million cycles per second.
"We've taken the PC down to where you can take it home and
finish your work," said Kenneth Ocheltree, manager for next
generation mobile at IBM Research.
Code-named "MetaPad", the module is 5 inches (12.7 cm)
long, 3 inches (7.6 cm) wide and about three-quarters of an
inch (1.9 cm) thick. The module fits into a larger accessory
piece that includes a small, flat screen on front and is about
6 inches (15.2 cm) long, 4 inches (10 cm) wide and 1 inch (2.5
cm) thick.
The index-card sized module can also be plugged into a
docking station for a personal computer, enabling the user to
move all of his or her information and applications from one
location to another. It runs Microsoft Corp.'s <MSFT.O> Windows
XP operating system.
Ocheltree said IBM doesn't have specific plans to sell the
prototype, which could be ready for market in few years. IBM is
talking to computer makers and customers about how it could be
used, he said.
"We're trying to understand how people would use it and
interact with it," Ocheltree said.
Ocheltree said some possible uses are in areas like
medicine, international customs, and airline and hotel
check-in. He said IBM is working on how wireless technology
could be used with the device.
Companies like Palm Inc. <PALM.O>, Handspring Inc. <HAND.O>
and Research In Motion Ltd. <RIMM.O> all make pocket-sized
computers with various degrees of computing power that handle
anything from calendar functions to e-mail transmission. PC
makers Hewlett-Packard Co. <HWP.N> and Compaq Computer Corp.
<CPQ.N> also make handheld computers.
Rapid growth in the handheld market has slowed amid the
overall economic downturn as consumers have tightened up on
spending, and the industry is increasingly introducing wireless
devices for communications.
IBM, with a $5 billion research and development budget in
2001, does everything from exploratory research to application
development, working in computer science, material science,
mathematics and physics. For example, it has worked on making
semiconductors smaller and faster.
((Caroline Humer, New York Technology desk, 1 646 223-6181,
caroline.humer@reuters.com))
REUTERS
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