New NEC Ready PCs Offer Powerful Features for Premium, Basic and Novice Computer Users.MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 6, 1998-- New 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. Ready Lineup Pushes Power With Loads Of RAM, Large Capacity Hard Drives, Lots of Extras and New Lower Prices NEC Ready follows its tradition of delivering high-powered, easy-to-use computing solutions to the consumer market with its new January 1998 product offerings. The new line of NEC Ready personal computers are designed specifically for premium, basic and novice users, in both the home and home office settings. Loaded with 64 MB of RAM and 6.4 GB hard drives, Intel CPUs ranging from 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. up to 300 MHz, plus a multitude of software and feature extras, these new systems push the power envelope for each price point. With estimated retail prices ranging from $1,299 up to $1,999, NEC Ready consumers receive a sophisticated computing experience for nearly half the price of comparable systems from last year's product line-up. This season's NEC Ready models begin with the 9840, designed for brand new, novice users who require technology that is simple-to-use for all members of the family. The NEC Ready 9850 and 9860 are perfect for familiar users who want a strong combination of power and speed for serious performance. And for the ultimate in technology, the NEC Ready 9870 offers premium users the highest-level of memory, speed and power available on a NEC Ready system, all for a suggested retail price of $1,999. "Combine amazing power and high-end features with aggressive prices and you have an exceptional home and home office PC package," said Tim Chin, director of product marketing for the NEC Ready line. Cutting Edge Performance for The Ultimate in Multimedia The Ready line series captures the latest chip-level improvements in multimedia and communications technology Noun 1. communications technology - the activity of designing and constructing and maintaining communication systems engineering, technology - the practical application of science to commerce or industry . These include a full range of high-end Intel processors: -- 233-MHz Intel Pentium processors with MMX technology MMX technology - Matrix Math eXtensions -- 233- to 300-MHz Intel Pentium II The successor to the Pentium Pro from Intel. Pentium II refers to the CPU chip or the PC that uses it. Code named "Klamath," the Pentium II was a Pentium Pro with MMX multimedia instructions. processors The new NEC Ready PCs are equipped to handle demanding graphics-, video- and audio-intensive programs through additional features including: -- 64 MB of high speed memory -- 512k secondary cache See L2 cache. (memory management) secondary cache - (Or "second level cache", "level two cache", "L2 cache") A larger, slower cache between the primary cache and main memory. on the 9850, 9860 and 9870 models -- 3D surround sound -- Two USB ports -- 24X CD-ROM drives -- 56K capable modems Premium Communications and Telephony Features In addition to fast 56K modems with U.S. Robotics x2 technology, NEC Ready includes additional communications applications on select models to enable the PC to act as a speakerphone and answering machine. NEC Connections telephony application features hands-free, full-duplex speakerphone with "instant on" feature for call answering. The system also includes VoiceView, a direct online link to NEC Ready support, which allows the technician to determine support issues and correct them via the phone line. NEC Ready consumers also receive two months of unlimited Internet use with no credit card required through an exclusive agreement with Prodigy Internet. Even More Value with Software and Graphics NEC Ready models are preloaded with Microsoft Windows 95 and an array of Microsoft applications that include Word 97, Works 4.5, Money 5.0, Encarta 98 Encyclopedia, Greetings Workshop, Net Meeting and the Best of Microsoft Entertainment Pack The Best of Windows Entertainment Pack (BOWEP) was a collection of thirteen simple games sold separately from Windows. It was published in the Microsoft Home series of software. They were selected as the best games from the previously released Microsoft Entertainment Pack series. . Other titles include NEC Merlin 3.1 interactive help wizard, Intuit's Quicken Basic 98, the top-selling money management program, Iris AntiVirus Plus, MGI MGI Mouse Genome Informatics MGI Modular Gateway Interface MGI McKinsey Global Institute MGI Military Geographic Information MGI Marine Geological Institute MGI Policy on the Management of Government Information (Canada) PhotoSuite and 16 Million Businesses Phone Book. In addition, NEC Ready 9840 has 64-bit graphics with Direct 3D and 2MB of video memory to enhance and speed graphics applications. The NEC Ready 9850, 9860 and 9870 are supported by 3D graphics/video accelerators with 4MB of video RAM. Customer Service & Support All systems are backed by a one-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. for free technical support for hardware defects. Premier support, a pay-as-you-go service, is also available for in-depth "how-to" questions, software training and other assistance. NEC Ready's service and support warranty is designed to provide customers with the support they want and need, along with the option to purchase on-site service upgrades, service extensions and hardware and software technical support. NEC Ready Configurations and Pricing For Novice Users: Ready 9840 Estimated Retail Price: $1,299 233-MHz Pentium processor with MMX technology, 64 MB memory, 6.4 GB hard drive, 24X CD-ROM CD-ROM: see compact disc. CD-ROM in full compact disc read-only memory Type of computer storage medium that is read optically (e.g., by a laser). and 56 Kbps modem. For Basic Users: Ready 9850 Estimated Retail Price: $1,599 233-MHz Pentium II processor, 64 MB memory, 6.4 GB hard drive, 24X CD-ROM and 56 Kbps modem. Ready 9860 Estimated Retail Price: $1,799 266-MHz Pentium II processor, 64 MB memory, 6.4 GB hard drive, 24X CD-ROM and 56 Kbps modem. For Premium Users Ready 9870 Estimated Retail Price: $1,999 300-MHz Pentium II processor, 64 MB memory, 6.4 GB hard drive, 24X CD-ROM drive and 56 Kbps modem. Company Background The Consumer Products Division 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. markets a broad range of desktop PCs, designed to meet the diverse needs of the home and home office consumer. Based in Sacramento, Calif., Packard Bell NEC, Inc. is the second largest computer manufacturer in the United States and the third largest in the world. The company designs, manufactures and markets a broad range of desktop, notebook and mobile computers and network servers to consumers and commercial users under the Packard Bell, NEC and Zenith Data Systems Zenith Data Systems (ZDS) was a division of Zenith founded in 1979 after Zenith acquired Heathkit, who had, at that time, recently entered the personal computer market. Zenith sold personal computers under both the Heath/Zenith and Zenith Data Systems names. brands. The company's major manufacturing operations are in Sacramento; Fife, Washington; Angers, France; Penang, Malaysia; and Sydney, Australia. For sales information or the nearest authorized retailer, interested customers should look on the Internet at www.nec-computers.com. Editor's Note: Product photography is available by contacting Ellen Leo Leo, in astronomy Leo [Lat.,=the lion], northern constellation lying S of Ursa Major and on the ecliptic (apparent path of the sun through the heavens) between Cancer and Virgo; it is one of the constellations of the zodiac. at 310/444-1354 or at www.businesswire.com (listed under the release headline). -0- NOTE: NEC is a registered trademark of NEC Corporation used under exclusive license. Pentium is a registered trademark and 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). is a trademark of Intel Corporation. Microsoft and Windows are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are property of their respective trademark owners. x2 Technology is capable of 56Kbps downloads. However, due to FCC (1) (Federal Communications Commission, Washington, DC, www.fcc.gov) The U.S. government agency that regulates interstate and international communications including wire, cable, radio, TV and satellite. The FCC was created under the U.S. rules which restrict power output of the service provider's modem, current download speeds are limited to approximately 53Kbps. Actual speed may vary depending on line conditions. An x2-capable analog phone line and an x2-capable service provider are required for these high speed downloads. CONTACT: Ketchum Public Relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most Ellen Leo, 310/444-1354 ellen.leo@ketchum.com |
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