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To: Night Writer who wrote (532)	5/21/2002 10:57:23 AM
From: Night Writer	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 4345

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Stanley Miller II Column May 21, 2002 (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News via COMTEX) -- Computer companies are making their machines much more stylish, moving from beige to black and other colors while including more flat, aesthetically pleasing LCD displays. Gateway and eMachines recently became the last of the major PC sellers to stylize their lines to darker, metallic color schemes and sleeker styles. Dell switched a couple of years ago. Hewlett-Packard and Compaq, which experimented with color, have settled on varying shades of gray. But a company in Miami called Alienware has always known PCs should look good, and its computers are beauties as well as beasts. Alienware's contoured, brightly colored systems are the muscle cars of the PC world, and they have the souped-up insides to match. "The 'coolness factor' is something Alienware cases have been associated with since their inception," said Alex Aguila, president of the company. "Customers expect an Alienware PC to exude speed and performance. The color choices introduced a few years ago have been a tremendous hit as well." Besides the sleek lines and colors -- which have exotic names such as "plasma purple" and "saucer silver" -- Alienware computers have a side blow hole cooling system the company calls Koolmaxx. This setup improves airflow inside the chassis, Alienware says, keeping the components cool and extending the life of the system. "We definitely have a very loyal customer base," Aguila said. "On the other hand, the systems do have a longer life span, for obvious reasons, than, let's say, your typical off-the-shelf PC. The machines are also configured to be upgraded rather easily." Alienware computers come in different models, many with "X-Files"-flavored names, such as the "Area 51," the "Grey" and the "MJ-12." All are emblazoned on the front with the visage of a Roswell-looking alien. Aguila said the company started out designing systems for computer game enthusiasts, and that niche is still the company's best customers. But it has expanded into high-performance computers for digital video editing and workstations for businesses. And a marketing deal with Best Buy, one of the best-known electronics retailers in the United States, will raise the Alienware profile, too. Aguila said playable Alienware demonstration units have been set up in about 230 stores nationwide, with empty cases displayed in others. Best Buy is now rolling out working Alienware systems in all of its stores, he said. One feature making the machines aesthetically appealing on the inside is the lack of cluttering icons on the Windows desktop and no superfluous programs on the hard drive. Aguila said many terminate-and-stay-resident programs -- which are those small and often unnecessary programs that run in the background -- are removed to improve performance. Design -- inside and out -- has become an important part of making computers. It helped Apple, a struggling brand in the mid-1990s, launch a comeback after the first iMac was revealed in 1998. Orders for the latest iMac, which debuted in January, are reportedly backlogged for months. PC makers soon followed by offering colorful all-in-one PCs, from laptops with snap-on panels to complete iMac knockoffs; eMachines stopped after Apple filed a lawsuit. But by mid-2000, colors started fading in the PC industry. For example, Compaq pulled its metallic blue Presario 3500 line, and Dell scrapped its WebPCs, which came in blue and orange. However, ergonomics and the need to make computers easier to use and more convenient have inspired many good designs. Advances in liquid crystal display technology have made the slim computer monitors cheaper, more portable and stylish. PC speakers, which were once most commonly beige and bulky, are also more svelte. And optical mice, which use lasers instead of a ball to detect movement, motivated designers to add flashing lights and curvy, futuristic feel to some of the devices. By Stanley Miller II To see more of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to jsonline.com. (c) 2002, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.