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Now, computers are wearable

A new line will feature wireless and interface accessories targeted at the commercial and consumer markets.

Sony Computer (SNE) will partner with Xybernaut to produce a new line of "wearable" computers with speech features, the JapanBizTech news service reported.

The Fairfax, Virginia-based software firm will be the design, engineering and manufacturing partner of Sony Digital Products.

Complementing Xybernaut's Mobile Assistant device, the new line will feature Xybernaut Mobile Assistant wireless and interface accessories targeted at the commercial and consumer markets. The Mobile Assistant series of wearable computer systems is speech-activated and features head-mounted displays that enables hands-free access to information in the computer's internal storage, in local area networks, and on the Internet.

The wearable computers and power supplies will be lighter, smaller, and faster and have higher memory and disk storage capacities than the Mobile Assistant line, JapanBizTech said. Xybernaut's Xybernaut 133P product features a 133-MHz Pentium, 32MB EDO RAM, a 1.4GB hard drive, 256K of L2 cache, and 256K of flash memory.

The new line is expected to reach the Asian and U.S. markets in the summer of 1998.