Light, full-featured, multimedia notebook PC Matsushita's latest Pronote AV series of multimedia notebook PCs are designed for use as office terminals or as "portable desktops" outside the office. The units, which are just 38-mm thick and weigh 2.0 kg (without floppy disk drive), come with 16MB of RAM, a 1.4GB or 2.1GB hard disk drive, 12.1-inch TFT or DSTN LCD screen, removable floppy disk drive, and stereo speakers. An optional 10X CD-ROM drive pack is sold separately. The lithium-ion battery can power the Pronote AV for up to 5 hours. The mid-range 133-MHz Pentium CF-35EJC4AAJ Pronote AV is already on sale at JPY 468,000. The high-end 150-MHz MMX Pentium CF-35KJF4AAJ, priced at JPY 548,000, and low-end 120-MHz Pentium CF-35DVC4AAJ, priced at JPY 348,000, go on sale in early July.
Matsushita: 0120-15-8756
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Global OnLine Japan: Pencil-thin, mobile image scanner  Fujitsu has developed a small-size portable scanner that attaches to a notebook PC via a PC Card. The scanner measures 1x1.7x17.5 cm and weighs just 40 grams, one-fifth that of current models. Using a micro-lens array for a scanning resolution of 400 dpi, it can scan a black and white, A6-size image in 2.6 seconds. The release date was undecided at press time.
Fujitsu Laboratories, Ltd.:
A true
Apple Japan: A modem card for world travelers  When traveling, you want to be able to dial without worrying about whether your modem is compatible with the local phone system. Xircom's CEM33.6 PC Ethernet + 33.6K-bps modem card comes with software that lets you connect worry-free in 160 countries. The CEM33.6, which can be connected to both analog and digital phone lines, can be used with Windows 3.1/95/NT, DOS, and OS/2. The CEM33.6 is priced at JPY 50,900. A set of 12 phone jack adapters (needed for connection) sells separately for JPY 16,000.
Sun Telephone: 03-3665-1535  A next-generation, high-speed router Responding to the tremendous increase of data communications on the Internet and the quick transmission times demanded by today's users, Toshiba has announced its next generation of high-speed routers. The new CSR 5300 Cell Switch Router offers data transmission speeds ten times faster than Toshiba's current high-end routers while maintaining complete interoperability with standard ATM switch-based networks. The CSR 5300 is targeted at meeting the needs of large corporations, universities, public phone companies, and Internet providers. Prices range from JPY 8.9 to JPY 9.1 million. Toshiba Corporation: 03-3457-2563 Back to the table of contents  |
In a first for Apple, a PowerBook especially designed for Japanese users has been released. After soliciting opinions from Mac users in Japan, Apple designed the PowerBook 2400c/180 subnotebook. This A5-size, light (1.98 kg) PowerBook model does not have the overly cramped keyboard of many subnotebooks. It comes with
MacOS 7.6, 16MB of RAM, a 1.3GB hard disk drive, external floppy disk drive, 10.4-inch TFT screen, and a full set of interface ports. The price in Japan is "open."
Although the PowerBook 2400c/180 was originally intended to be marketed only in Japan, Apple will sell a limited number of units in the US for about $3,500.