October 3, 1998 (TOKYO) -- Mustek Systems Inc. of Taiwan is branching out into the field of personal computers with the unveiling of its first notebook PC at World PC Expo 98.

Mustek is a developer and supplier of optical devices including scanners and digital cameras. Taiwan accounts for a large share in the worldwide scanner market. The company is one of the Taiwan's scanner giants, rivaling makers such as Umax Data Systems Inc. and Microtek International Inc.

The company plans to set up a new production line exclusively for the PC.

Mustek is planning to manufacture PCs equipped with the Pentium II, although precise specifications of the PCs have not been determined yet. The PCs are expected to be mounted with a USB interface with two ports, infrared interface and a 56kbps modem. The TFT-LCD screens will measure 13.3-in. or 14.1-in.

Price and shipment schedules have yet to be determined. The company starts mass production around mid-November.

Mustek expects to market its PCs with its own brand name in Taiwan. In Japan, however, the products will be sold mainly on an original-equipment-manufacturing basis.

(BizTech News Dept.)