Fujitsu debuts a "mega-notebook"
Fujitsu's newest model comes with a large screen, lots of cache, and other features designed to mimic desktop machines.
Sometimes called "mega-notebooks," Fujitsu's top-of-the-line 900 models are designed as the consummate substitute for desktop machines. In addition to large screens, Fujitsu offers desktop-class audio-video functions, DVD drive options, MPEG-2 support (the standard used by DVD and also top-drawer video games), and other features.
Fujitsu's 985TX boasts a 13.3-inch active-matrix screen, that's comparable to a desktop monitor, as well as 512K of Level 2 cache, which speeds overall system performance.
The 985TX also features Intel's fastest Pentium--the 233-MHz version with MMX technology--a 56-kbps fax/modem with integrated telephony, a 20X CD-ROM drive, and a 5GB hard drive. The computer will be available at the end of the month for an estimated street price of $5,999.
Fujitsu's 700 series comes with MMX-enhanced Pentium processors ranging from 133 MHz to 166 MHz. Each computer has a 20X CD-ROM drive, a 12.1-inch screen, and an internal 56-kbps fax/data/voice modem.
The 765Tx and 755Tx, priced at $3,799 and $2,799 respectively, have 32MB of memory; the 735Dx, priced at $1,999, has 16MB. The 700 series is available immediately.
Fujitsu's slim line of 675Tx notebooks, weighing in at under 5 pounds, include a 200-MHz Pentium processor with MMX technology, 32MB of memory, an internal 56-kbps fax/data/voice modem, and a 12.1-inch display.
The 675TX also comes with a snap-on LAN Enhancement Unit with fast Ethernet, a port replicator, dual USB ports, and simultaneous access to the 20X CD-ROM and floppy drives. The notebook, available mid-November, is priced at $4,799.
NEC has also expanded its line of notebooks. The Versa 5000 series feature 166-MHz Pentium processors with MMX technology, 16MB or 64MB of memory, 256K of Level 2 cache, hard drives between 1.6GB and 4GB, 20X CD-ROM, and a choice of a 12.1- or 13.3-inch display. The notebooks, to ship in about two weeks, are priced from $2,899 to $3,299.