Execs take a dive for notebooks

Laptop users, do not try this at home.

Hitachi is taking the marketing stunt to a whole new level--about 13,000 feet, to be exact.

Director of Product Development Craig Rittenhouse and Director of Marketing Mark Romano are scheduled to demonstrate an extreme example of mobile computing by parachuting out of a plane with a Hitachi E-Series notebook strapped to their chest and sending email (their last will and testament?) as well as playing a game on the way down.

According to Hitachi, the executive skydivers will jump from an altitude of 13,000 feet (that's over two miles off the ground) and will reach a speed of approximately 120 mph before they pull the ripcord and open their parachutes. When the chutes open, they decelerate to 25 mph in three seconds, creating a high-degree physical stress on both jumper and notebook.

Is the demonstration aimed at the small but growing market for skydiving mobile users? Or is Hitachi considering building parachutes into their laptops? The answer is unclear. What is clear is that Hitachi must offer better life insurance benefits than the average company.

Hitachi is going to do give the demonstration in New York, Chicago, Dallas, and Los Angeles. Observers will have a chance to view a demonstration of a variety of products at the event site--that is, on the ground.