Toshiba's new notebooks perform DVD decoding in hardware. Do they use a decoder "chip" or a decoder "chip set?"......................
Blitz of notebooks
Vendors introducing faster, lower-priced mobile
systems
By John G. Spooner, PC Week Online
11.03.97 10:00 am ET
Vendors will bump up mobile processing speeds this week with the
release of lower-priced notebooks based on Intel Corp.'s 200MHz and
233MHz Pentium Processors with MMX Technology.
IBM Personal Computer Co., Toshiba America Information Systems
Inc., NEC Computer Systems, Digital Equipment Corp.,
Hewlett-Packard Co. and Acer America Corp. will each ship new
notebooks at prices ranging from $3,000 to $5,000.
IBM, of Somers, N.Y., will add the 233MHz processor to its ThinkPad
560. The faster 560 will ship this month for $4,299, sources said.
Toshiba will debut four new notebooks this week. On the high end, the
company will launch its Tecra 750 DVD, with a 233MHz Pentium
MMX processor and a 13.3-inch XGA active-matrix display. The
notebook will include a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk)-ROM drive and
full MPEG decoding chip set along with 64MB of RAM and a 4.7GB
hard drive. It will sell for $5,799.
The Irvine, Calif., company will also ship the Tecra 750 CDM, with
32MB of RAM and a CD-ROM, for $5,399.
For midtier users or mobile professionals, Toshiba will also introduce
two Satellite Pro notebooks, including the 480 CDT, priced at $3,999.
The 480 CDT features a 233MHz processor, a 12.1-inch TFT
(thin-film-transistor) Super VGA display, 32MB of RAM and a 2.1GB
hard drive. It is due in December.
Digital has released a new family of HiNote VP notebook PCs, the 700
series.
The Maynard, Mass., company's HiNote VP 735, priced at $4,999,
features a 233MHz Pentium, a 13.3-inch XGA active-matrix display,
32MB of RAM, a 20-speed CD-ROM/floppy Combo Drive and a
4GB hard drive.
NEC's Versa 2780, priced at $3,299, comes with a 233MHz Pentium
MMX processor, 16MB of RAM, a 2.1GB hard drive, a 20-speed
CD-ROM and an integrated 56K-bps modem, officials in Mountain
View, Calif., said.
HP this week will introduce the Omnibook 3000 notebook, said officials
from the Palo Alto, Calif., company. The midrange machine, which
features a 13.3-inch TFT XGA display and 32MB of RAM, will come
in two separate SKUs.
One will ship with a 233MHz processor and a 4GB hard drive for
$4,800. The other has a 200MHz processor and a 2.1GB hard drive
and costs $3,800.
One user was pleased with the increasing speed but would still like to
see cheaper models.
Frank Calabrese, IT manager at Bose Inc., in Framingham, Mass., has
been comparing new notebook models from several vendors.
"I'd rather see $3,200 for the base unit, but if there are multiple justifiers,
such as longer battery life or lower weight, a $4,000 price tag is fine,"
Calabrese said.
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