Compaq in fast lane with new notebook
Compaq Computer joined the pack of vendors with 133-MHz notebooks today by announcing its fastest notebook PC yet, the LTE 5300.
The LTE 5300 uses a 133-MHz Mobile Pentium processor, the fastest notebook Pentium chip on the market. Compaq also announced a new model in the LTE 5200 line, the LTE 5280, which uses a 120-MHz Pentium processor. In addition to being fast, the new models boasts giant 12.1-inch LCD screens capable of 800-by-600-pixel resolution, 1.35GB hard disk drives, and new interchangeable CD-ROM and floppy drives.
Notebook market leader Toshiba, Texas Instruments, and IBM have already announced 133-MHz notebooks, and NEC is soon to follow.
The new Compaq models also introduce the capability to "warm-swap" both the CD-ROM and the floppy drives--meaning that the user can exchange the removable CD-ROM and floppy drive while the notebook is on "standby." This feature is designed to save mobile professionals the time and inconvenience of shutting down their notebooks to swap the drives, according to Compaq.
Pricing for the LTE 5300 with 16MB of RAM and a 1.35GB hard drive begins at $5,999. The LTE 5280 with the same configuration costs $5,399.
To go with the new notebooks, Compaq is also offering a docking station, the MultiBay Expansion Base, priced at $499. This provides two Type III PCMCIA slots, integrated stereo speakers, integrated Ethernet, an infrared communications port, an MIDI/Game Port, and a dedicated space for the Compaq MPEG and TV Video Adapter option.
Compaq also announced today that the LTE 5000 family has received the Desktop Management Interface certification from the Desktop Management Task Force.
DMI, along with Compaq's Intelligent Manageability technology, ensures that information about the notebook--such as serial number, memory, loaded software, and other identifying features--is available to both notebook users and network administrators.
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