Digital Equipment has updated its HiNote notebook PC line with low-end MMX Pentium processors and cut prices on older models.
The HiNote VP 562 and 567 are the newest members of Digital's HiNote VP 500 series. The two new systems carry Intel's 133 MHz mobile Pentium processor with MMX. Until recently, Intel had only offered a "classic" (non-MMX) Pentium at 133 MHz.
Multimedia applications that have been written to take advantage of MMX can see increased performance. The MMX chip also offers a larger cache memory, boosting performance.
Previously, models in the VP 500 line carried 133 and 166 MHz Pentium chips without MMX.
Prices on the older VP 560 and VP 565 133-MHz models were cut as part of today's announcement, falling to $2,199 and $2,999 respectively. The 166 MHz VP 575 fell to $3,999.
The new VP 562 and 567 models have 12.1-inch screens, with both dual-scan or active-matrix screens available.
The systems also feature a removable, combination drive incorporating a CD-ROM drive and floppy disk drive. The single, combination "bay" can hold either a 12X CD-ROM drive or the floppy drive. The drives can be pulled out as a set and replaced by an optional second battery.
The VP 562 and 567 are available with Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 pre-loaded.
The VP 562 with a dual-scan color screen costs $2,599, while the VP 567, with an active-matrix color display, starts at $3,399. Systems with Windows NT 4.0 pre-installed cost an additional $200.