Compaq showcases handheld

Compaq will show off a new handheld device at Comdex next week that, although not ground breaking, will put the Houston maker back in the mainstream of the small device market.

The C Series PC Companion will offer a 640 x 240 screen and come in a slightly larger form factor than the current PC Companion. The machine will use a 75-MHz microprocessor from MIPS. When released in the first quarter of 1998, it will become Compaq's first Windows CE 2.0 device.

The specifications roughly match the current mainstream CE 2.0 products from other vendors.

The C series will come with a color or monochrome screen and be priced at $499 to $699.

As an additional feature, the new device will support Intelligent Manageability, the company's PC management software that comes with most of its desktops. Intelligent Manageability will allow users to synchronize the Series C with their regular computers.

"Compaq designed and developed it," said Emily Campbell, product manager for hand held devices. Casio designed the first generation device, according to Campbell.

Hand held devices will be one of the key stories at Comdex. NEC Computer Systems. is expected to roll out a CE 2.0 device in a large form factor.