NEC Computer Systems Expands the Award-Winning Lightweight, Full-Function Versa 5000 Series by Unveiling the New Versa 5080 and 5080X.MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 9, 1997-- The New Versa Versa Versatile System Architecture (Genrad) (R) Models Feature Intel's 233 MHz (MegaHertZ) One million cycles per second. It is used to measure the transmission speed of electronic devices, including channels, buses and the computer's internal clock. A one-megahertz clock (1 MHz) means some number of bits (16, 32, 64, etc. Pentium(R) Processor With MMX (MultiMedia EXtensions) A set of 57 additional instructions built into the Pentium MMX chip for improved multimedia and modem performance by performing mathematical operations on multiple sets of data at the same time (see SIMD). (TM) Technology, and Offer an Increase in Performance and Longer Battery Life Editor Highlights: -0-
-- Advanced 233 MHz Intel(R) Pentium Processor in a sleek design
starting at 4.9 pounds in weight, 1.5 inches in height with an
internal 12.7mm modular bay
-- Innovative modularity in an UltraSlim(TM) VersaBay with NoStop
swap technology, minimizes down time to seconds and accommodates a
SuperDisk LS-120 drive, 20X maximum CD-ROM drive, a floppy disk drive
or travel bay
-- Display: 13.3-inch XGA or 12.1-inch SVGA active matrix, 64K
colors
-- Optimized for mobility: durable NEC design ensures reliability
and durability (see durability testing)
-- Ideal corporate solution: features mini-docking with Enhanced
PortBar 5000 with built-in Ethernet
-- Expandable memory: 16MB or 32MB of RAM expandable to 144MB
-- Large hard drive: up to 4.0 GB hard drive capacity
-- Exceptional multimedia functionality: 128-bit accelerated
video, 20X maximum speed CD-ROM, full-screen, full motion MPEG video
support, 16-bit Sound Blaster PRO audio compatibility, two integrated
stereo speakers
-- No compromise, desktop quality keyboard: full-size keyboard
with sculpted palm rest, and VersaGlide(TM) touch pad with double tap
capabilities
-0- NEC (NEC Corporation, Tokyo, www.nec.com, www.necus.com) An electronics conglomerate known in the U.S. for its monitors. In Japan, it had the lion's share of the PC market until the late 1990s (see PC 98). NEC was founded in Tokyo in 1899 as Nippon Electric Company, Ltd. Computer Systems Division (NEC CSD CSD Commission on Sustainable Development CSD Serbian Dinar (ISO currency code) CSD Christopher Street Day CSD Circuit Switched Data (Sprint) CSD Computer Science Department CSD Community School District ) of Packard Bell NEC (Packard Bell, The Netherlands, www.packardbell.com) A major PC manufacturer that is the consumer brand of NEC Computers International and the home computing market leader in the U.K. and much of Western Europe. , Inc., today, introduces the Versa(R) 5080 and 5080X notebook computers, two new products in the Versa 5000 Series mobility line, that feature the 233MHZ Pentium Processor with MMX technology MMX technology - Matrix Math eXtensions . The Versa 5080 and 5080X are differentiated by their display size. The Versa 5080X offers a 13.3 inch XGA (EXtended Graphics Array) A screen resolution of 1,024x768 pixels. The term stems from IBM's XGA display standard introduced in 1990, which extended VGA to 132-column text and interlaced 1,024x768x256 resolution. XGA-2 later added non-interlaced 1,024x768x64K. , TFT (Thin Film Transistor) The term typically refers to active matrix screens on laptop computers. Active matrix LCD provides a sharper screen display and broader viewing angle than does passive matrix. See LCD and thin film. TFT - Thin Film transistor display, whereas the 5080 offers the 12.1 inch SVGA (Super VGA) A screen resolution of 800x600 pixels. Third-party vendors extended IBM's VGA display standard and were the first to use the term. SVGA has also referred to 1,024x768 resolutions. See PC display modes. display, both with 64K colors. The Versa 5000 Series is designed for the demanding mobile user who requires full-functionality in a lightweight form factor and offers investment protection by providing the latest technology in hardware, such as a NoStop Swap modular bay, a Superdisk LS-120 drive, a 56k modem and NEC's proprietary screen technology for richer viewing. Specifically, the Versa 5080 and 5080X are designed for mobile professionals who require maximum computing power. Starting at 4.9 pounds and standing at a thin 1.5 inches in height, with desktop level computing power, the Versa 5080 and 5080X set a new standard for mobile productivity. The launch of the Versa 5080 and 5080X expand the Versa 5000 Series' portfolio to offer a complete line of corporate solutions. Under the NEC Now built-to-order model, various configurations of the Versa 5080 and 5080X are available. Below are a few sample configurations: -0- Product Price Versa 5080, P233, 12.1 inch SVGA display, 512KB L2 cache, 32MB RAM, 2.1GB HDD, 20X CD ROM drive, $3,699 Versa 5080X, P233, 13.3 inch XGA display, 512KB L2 cache, 32MB RAM, 2.1GB HDD, 20X CD ROM drive , 56Kbps modem $4,150 Versa 5080X, 13.3 inch XGA display P233, 512KB L2 cache, 80MB RAM, 4.0GB HDD, 20X CD ROM drive , 56Kbps modem $4,850 -0- Since the Versa 5080 and 5080X are priced between $3,599 and $4,850 and are designed to be a corporate standard, NEC Computer Systems is addressing the need of a new emerging corporate market that demands desktop level performance in a lightweight form factor. "We are offering the Versa 5080 and 5080X notebooks, as a full-featured mobile solution that is up to 33 percent lighter than traditional notebooks. Priced very competitively for corporate markets, the new Versas offer the latest technology available, an unprecedented feature set, and an outstanding service and support policy," said Craig Rittenhouse, Senior Director of Notebook Marketing. "IDC believes that NEC has an edge on the competition going into 1998 by maintaining a direct pricing model and not charging a premium for this design (5080 and 5080X)," quoted from IDC Personal Systems Newsletter weekly update, dated Dec. 4, 1997. Cutting Edge Technology New features in the Versa 5080 and 5080X include Intel's 233 MHz Intel Pentium Processor, upgradeable RAM capacity up to 144MB, UltraSlim VersaBay with NoStop swap technology, DuraSlim display and hard drive capacity up to 4.0GB. The 233MHz processor offers up to 30 percent increase in performance and provides lower power consumption to allow for an increase in battery life. NoStop swap technology allows a user to swap internal drives without interrupting their work flow. The UltraSlim modular VersaBay offers warm swapping of a SuperDisk(R) LS -120 drive, 20XCD-ROM drive, a floppy disk drive floppy disk drive - disk drive or a .5oz. travel bay. The DuraSlim display offered in a 13.3 inch XGA, TFT or 12.1 SVGA TFT screen, provides NEC quality technology in a durable, thin form factor. Portability and Durability Without Sacrifice and Unmatched Versatility The Versa 5080 and 5080X are one of the first systems that deliver the main requirement of every notebook user -- unprecedented performance and functionality in a lightweight package. At 1.5-inches with a 13.3-inch display, the Versa 5080X is incredibly portable but has screen real estate comparable to a 15-inch desktop monitor. The systems also sport a full-size keyboard, NEC's VersaGlide touchpad A stationary pointing device that provides a small, flat surface that you slide your finger over using the same movements as you would a mouse. You can tap on the pad's surface as an alternate to pressing one of the touchpad keys. See mouse, trackball and pointing stick. , large comfortable palm rest and NEC's UltraSlim 12.7mm VersaBay. The Versa 5080 and 5080X allow users to deliver high-impact multimedia presentations on the road. Driving the Versa's big screen display is the 128-bit NeoMagic MagicGraph128XD graphics accelerator A display adapter that performs a specialized set of graphics functions to render an image on screen. Today, all display adapters provide basic rendering functions in hardware, but many have graphics processing units (GPUs) that are sophisticated computers. with 2MB of video RAM Also called "VRAM," it is the type of memory used in a display adapter. Video RAM is designed with dual ports so that it can simultaneously refresh the screen while text and images are drawn in memory. It is faster than the common DRAM or SDRAM chips used as main memory in the computer. , which supports full-screen, full-motion video Video transmission that changes the image 30 frames per second (30 fps). Motion pictures are run at 24 fps, which is the minimum frequency required to eliminate the perception of moving frames and make the images appear visually fluid to the eye. . In addition, every Versa 5080 and 5080X has built-in speakers, and 100 percent Sound Blaster A very popular family of sound cards from Creative Labs. In the days of DOS, Sound Blaster was the de facto interface for gaming sounds. Monaural Sound Blaster cards were introduced in 1989, and stereo cards followed in 1992 (Sound Blaster Pro). Pro compatible stereo sound. The Versa 5080 and 5080X are extremely durable and have withstood rigorous, third-party, durability testing. The notebook submitted for testing, withstood the following durability tests: -- Drop test -- The system was dropped from a height of 29 inches four times. The notebook was dropped twice in a flat position with the bottom side down. The notebook was dropped twice on its edge with the PC Card slots down. Two drops were onto carpeting. Two drops were onto bare concrete flooring. The Versa passed the drop tests with no visible damage. The unit booted up and ran from both hard drive and CD ROM CD ROM Compact Disk Read Only Memory without any problems. -- Spill Test -- One ounce of coffee with cream and sugar was poured into the keyboard. The Versa booted up and functioned consistently 24 hours after the spill. -- Buick Test -- A 3,800 lb. 1956 Buick Century Buick Century is the model name used by the Buick division of General Motors for a line of full-size performance vehicles from 1936 to 1942 and 1954 to 1958, and from 1973 to 2005 for a mid-size car. was driven over the notebook. The unit incurred cracks in the bezel The front cover of a desktop or tower computer case. The term also refers to the individual drive bay covers, which are removed to install CD-ROMs and other removable drives that require access from the front of the case. , however the test did not effect the system's display, hard drive, CPU CPU in full central processing unit Principal component of a digital computer, composed of a control unit, an instruction-decoding unit, and an arithmetic-logic unit. , RAM or other internal parts. The machine booted up and operated without a problem. (See editor's note to obtain a copy of the Durability Test Results performed by Net Builders, Inc.) Staying Connected Versa 5080 and 5080X users have the option to purchase a cellular-ready 56Kbps data/fax/voice PC Card modem. PC Card modems allow each user or company to select technology that fits into their existing corporate enterprise. The PC Card also delivers protection from obsolescence ob·so·les·cent adj. 1. Being in the process of passing out of use or usefulness; becoming obsolete. 2. Biology Gradually disappearing; imperfectly or only slightly developed. and downtime. If a PC Card modem fails, it can instantly be replaced or removed guaranteeing the user continued productivity. Connecting in the office is easy with the PortBar 5000 with built-in Ethernet port replicator See port replicator. replicator - Any construct that acts to produce copies of itself; this could be a living organism, an idea (see meme), a program (see quine, worm, wabbit, fork bomb, and virus), a pattern in a cellular automaton (see life), or (speculatively) a robot or . It connects the Versa 5080 and 5080X to a network, external mouse and keyboard, printer, and other devices -- including USB USB in full Universal Serial Bus Type of serial bus that allows peripheral devices (disks, modems, printers, digitizers, data gloves, etc.) to be easily connected to a computer. -- with a single step. The built-in Ethernet is the industry standard 10Base-T allowing for a no hassle hookup hookup, n in the Trager method of therapy, the practitioner enters into a meditative state along with the patient, which allows him or her to work more intuitively and to feel subtle changes in the patient's movement and tissue texture. to just about any network. NEC Versa UltraCare Service The NEC Versa computers were the first notebooks in the industry to offer an innovative, comprehensive service and support program. NEC CSD's highly acclaimed UltraCare(R) service offers a standard, return-to-factory, three-year limited warranty Limited warranty A warranty with certain conditions and limitations on the parts covered, type of damage covered, and/or time period for which the agreement is good. on all parts and labor. In addition, upon registration, the customer receives one free year of UltraCare Service, NEC CSD's enhanced warranty service program. Upgrades are available up to five years. In the United States and Canada UltraCare service includes a toll-free hot line to request service 24 hours a day, seven days a week as well as free overnight pickup and return and repair of the NEC Versa notebook computer within one business day after arrival at the service depot. Built to Order The Versa 5080 and 5080X can be purchased directly from NEC Computer Systems or from any of NEC's resellers. For more information call 888/8-NEC-NOW or visit our website at www.necnow.com . About NEC Computer Systems Division NEC Computer Systems Division is a leading manufacturer of computer products and solutions for the commercial and consumer markets. NEC branded products include Versa notebook computers, Direction personal computers PowerMate desktop computers, Express5800 servers and MobilePro handheld personal computers. On Aug. 4, 1997, NEC Computer Systems launched NEC NOW, a new business model that enables customers to call NEC CSD and purchase notebooks, servers and advanced desktop products, direct or via a network of qualified resellers. This customer-focused business model allows corporate end-users to choose the logistics and pricing advantages of direct sales, integrated with the service and support of their preferred resellers. By calling 888/8NEC-NOW or visiting the web site at www.necnow.com, customers decide how, where and when they want their orders fulfilled. Each system is built and configured to order as specified by the customer. Each system is also backed by NEC CSD's worldwide customer service and support program. NEC Computer Systems Division is a division of Sacramento, Calif.-based Packard Bell NEC, Inc., the third largest PC vendor in the world and second-largest in the United States according to International Data Corporation, an independent industry research firm based in Framingham, Mass. -0- NOTE TO EDITORS: Photos of the NEC Versa notebooks or copies of the Durability Test Results performed by Net Builders Inc. are available by calling Mojgan Khalili at 650/528-5513. NEC is a registered trademark of NEC Corporation. Versa is a U.S. registered trademark and UltraCare is a registered service mark of NEC Corporation, Inc. These trademarks are used under license by Packard Bell NEC, Inc. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Pentium is a registered trademark and MMX is a trademark of Intel Corporation. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. CONTACT: NEC Computer Systems Division Mojgan Khalili, 650/528-5513 m.khalili@neccsd.com |
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