(Nikkei BP Group)
(No.1 High-Tech News Site in Japanese)
|
|
| NEC, HP Debut Handheld PCs with New Japanese Windows CE
|
|
February 26, 1999 (TOKYO) -- NEC Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Japan Ltd.
on Feb. 22 unveiled handheld PCs with the Windows CE H/PC Pro operating
system.
|
Microsoft Co., Ltd. of Japan earlier announced two versions of the Windows
CE operating system in Japanese, an OS for mobile terminals.
The two products unveiled by Microsoft are: (1) "Windows CE Handheld
PC Professional Edition, version 3.0," (Windows CE H/PC Pro) for handheld
PCs; and (2) "Windows CE for the Palm-size PC version 1.2" (Windows
CE for the Palm-size PC) for Palm-size PCs. Both products are based
on the Windows CE 2.11.
Many electronics companies have announced that they will use the Windows
CE H/PC Pro. They are Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Compaq Computer K.K.,
Sharp Corp., Hitachi Ltd., HP Japan, Fujitsu Ltd. and NEC.
Casio and Compaq Computer have expressed interest in using the "Windows
CE for the Palm-size PC" for their products.
NEC on Feb. 22 unveiled two models of its Mobile Gear
line, the MC-R700 (see photo on the left) and the MC-R520, which come
with Windows CE 2.11 (Microsoft Windows CE, Handheld PC Professional
Edition, version 3.0).
The MC-R700 has a 9.4-in. color super twisted nematic-liquid crystal
display (STN-LCD) with a backlight, and it is designed to display 800
x 600 dots, NEC said. Another model, the MC-R520, succeeds the MC-R510,
which was launched in October 1998. Like the earlier model, the MC-R520
comes with an 8.1-in. LCD (640 x 240 dots).
The MC-R700's display monitor is a touch-panel type featuring an attached
pen. Five icons on each side of the screen accommodate users as a set-up
tool with the touch of a pen. Users also can assign frequently used
applications to the icons, for shortcuts. NEC said that the model can
display 65,536 colors.
The prices of the MC-R700 and MC-R520 are 155,000 yen (US$1,275) and
110,000 yen (US$900), respectively. Both models will ship on March 15,
according to NEC. The monthly sales target for the MC-R700 is 5,000
units and that for the MC-R520 is 11,000 units.
"While the market for handheld PCs in the range of 100,000 yen appears
to have stabilized, user needs for low-end PCs and palm-size PCs are
unclear, and thus we are clarifying details on features and prices,"
said Yoichi Kataoka, an NEC vice president.
HP Japan also announced the addition of the Jornada series
to its Windows CE-based mobile PC line (see photo on the right). The
company now has two lines of mobile PCs, the LX series and the Jornada
series.
The LX series has a compact size and portability, while the Jornada series,
which is aimed at business users, features a larger LCD screen and keyboard.
The new Jornada 820 is priced at 148,000 yen (US$1,220). It is scheduled
to be available on a retail basis at the end of March.
(BizTech News Dept.)
<Visit News Center for more Asian news.>
|
|
|
