What do you think of an Internet ready car? Well, Mercedes has the E420, with wireless Web access, GPS mapping, voice driving directions and receipt of information on weather and traffic. This vehicle has monitors mounted in the backs of the front seat he adrests and the dashboard. An armrest docking station enables the insertion of a Palmtop computer. Rear-seat passengers can input data through a wireless keyboard or handheld controls. PDAs can be synchronized through built-in infrared ports. While these autos will not be available for five to ten years, some of these services will be here in the near future.
Sony Corporation (Tokyo, Japan) has begun selling notebook computers with the Sony brand name and plans to release the same models in the U.S. The units will be 150MHz and 166MHz with a removable 14.5X CD-ROM drive, a 12.1 inch XGA active-matrix LCD, an IrDA port and a w eight of about 5.75 pounds. The expected retail prices of these units will be from $3,450 to $4,300. Sony can be contacted in the U.S. at 800-352-7669 or http://www.sony.com.
Microsoft Corporation (Redmond, WA) is going to release Version 2.0 of Windows CE. This version will support Visual Basic Scripting, ActiveX and Java. Version 2.0 will support LANs, X86 processors and color screens. In addition, Microcom, Inc. (Norwood, MA) will introduce Po cket Carbon Copy for Windows CE 1.1, which will allow a CE-based handheld to control a desktop or notebook computer. The price of Pocket Carbon Copy for the handheld will be $49 and $89.95 for the version that runs on the handheld and the desktop. Micros oft can be reached at 800-426-9400 and Microcom can be contacted at 800-822-8224.
Compaq Computer Corporation (Houston, TX) is now offering the Armada 7300 line, with a 166MHz Pentium MMX processor. The unit has 32 megs (upgradeable to 128 megs) of RAM, a 2.1 Gigabyte hard drive, 256KB of cache, a 33.6Kbps modem and a 12.1 inch active-matrix screen. The list pr ice for this 6 pound unit is about $4,899. Compaq can be reached at 800-943-7656 or http://www.compaq.com.
Starfish Software (Scotts Valley, CA) and Citizen Watch (Santa Monica, CA) are introducing the REX (Rolodex Electronic Express), a “watch class wearable device,” intended for viewing contact and scheduling information. The 1.4-ounce device holds names, appointments and m emos. This Type II PC Card device needs a PC for input but has its own LCD. A desktop application called TrueSync is used to enter data into the desktop and then to the REX. The device will synchronize with notebook computers through the PC Card slot and will have a cradle with a serial-port connector for use with desktop PCs (shades of the U.S. Robotics PalmPilot). Starfish can be contacted at 800-370-8963 or www.starfish.com and Citizen Watch can be reached at http://www.citizenwatch.com .
Computer Factory Outlet, Inc. (Claymont, DE) has the Jetbook 7142, with a 233MHz Pentium processor, 512KB of cache, a 14.2 inch TFT active-matrix screen with XGA resolution, a 3 Gigabyte hard drive, up to 128 megs of EDO RAM, a 20X CD-ROM drive, a 33.6Kbps data/fax modem, 4 megs of v ideo RAM and a built-in Universal Serial Bus port. Prices start at about $3,700. Computer Factory Outlet can be contacted at 302/792-1977.
Puma Technology, Inc. (San Jose, CA) now has IntelliSync 97, which runs under Windows 95 and allows a direct PIM to PIM (Personal Inform-ation Manager) synchronization between desktop and notebook computers, as well as between PCs and Network Servers. This synchronization is possible even if the PIMs on both machines are not the same. IntelliSync 97 also includes the capability to copy, move, delete and create both files and directories. The current version of IntelliSync 97 supports Outlook 97 and Lotus Organizer 97 for $4 9.95. An enhanced version, to be released later this year, will have full PIM support and will cost $69.95. Puma can be reached at 800-774-7862.
Solaris U.S.A. Corporation (San Leandro, CA) makes the Solbook 660SL, with a 200MHz MMX Pentium processor, a 13.3 inch TFT/Dual Scan SVGA screen, 2 megs of video EDO RAM, up to 80 megs of system RAM, 256KB of Pipelined-Burst Synchronous 2ND cache, 16-bit stereo sound, Systemsoft Flash BIOS with plug and play, 64-bit PCI Bus with graphics accelerators, removable floppy and hard drives, a lithium-ion battery, a 6X or 8X CD-ROM (exchangeable with a floppy drive or Smartbattery) and video capture. The unit weighs only 6 pounds. Opti ons include a NiMH battery, a battery charger, a docking station, a car adapter, a port replicator and an MLPEG module. Solaris can be contacted at 800-276-8653 or at SolarisUSA@aol.com.
Chuck Horowitz is a HAL-PC member.
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Last modified: 1997:09:30