(Nikkei BP Group)
(No.1 High-Tech News Site in Japanese)
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| Sony Releases 1.1kg VAIO Notebook PC with CCD Camera
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September 9, 1998 (TOKYO) -- Sony Corp. announced Sept. 3 the launch
of its lightest model in the VAIO notebook PC series, the PCG-C1, which
weighs only 1.1kg including a camera with a charge-coupled device (CCD).
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main feature of the PCG-C1 is Motion Eye, or a 1/6-in. CCD video camera
with 270,000 pixels. The CCD camera handles both audio and visual data,
and can serve as a digital camera. The lens can be rotated by 180 degrees.
The notebook runs on a 233MHz Pentium MMX microprocessor and has Microsoft
Windows 98 pre-installed. Its body is made of magnesium alloy.
As for other basic specifications, the new product uses the 430 TX chip
set, a 3.2GB HDD (approximately 2GB usable), 64MB synchronous DRAM for
the main memory (expandable to 96MB), 2.5MB video memory, a built-in
K56flex modem and a removable FDD (attached).
The PCG-C1 has an 8.9-in. thin film transistor-liquid crystal display
(TFT-LCD), which is 96.5mm long and 205.8mm wide, or wider than the
ordinary size of a notebook PC display. The resolution is 1,024 dots
(vertical) and 480 dots (horizontal), and 16,770,000 colors can be realized.
An attached lithium-ion secondary battery provides about 1.5 hours to
3.0 hours of use (or up to 2.5 hours of use as a video camera). The
PC can operate up to 6.5 hours if the optional secondary battery is
used (or around 2.5 hours to 5.5 hours if used as a video camera).
The keyboard, with keys pitched at around 17mm intervals, features a
stick-type pointing device. The body is 240mm wide, 140mm deep and 37mm
high.
One Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, one i. LINK (IEEE1394) terminal,
one D-sub 15 pin for an external monitor (specific mini terminal), and
one infrared port (Ver1.1 based on IrDA and in conformity with the ASK
standard) are included. Without any parallel and serial ports, only
the USB port is available as an interface with peripheral equipment.
The new model will be offered with some application software installed
such as Smart Capture and Smart Write, both of which will be operated
in association with Motion Eye. Like the earlier VAIO products, the
new notebook PC doesn't have Excel, Ichitaro and other Office applications.
It carries an open price, but will be sold at about 250,000 yen (US$1,840).
Sony aims at a monthly production of 5,000 units after the release on
Sept. 19.
Related story: Sony
Develops Mini-Notebook PC With CCD Camera
(BizTech News Dept.)
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