Net surfing for couch potatoes
With NEC's InterRaku TV, you don't need a computer or keyboard - simply select an icon via remote control on the 28-inch SVGA TV screen. Select "omakase page," for example, to bring up a screen of user-selected categories with homepage screenshots (pre-downloaded from a special NEC server to avoid costly online time). To see a site, you can either "register" a page or input its URL; registered sites are automatically downloaded and updated for later offline viewing (with Navio's TV Navigator Web browser). Up to 10,000 pages can be stored in the built-in 1GB hard disk.

       Photos (input through a built-in scanner) and sounds can be added to e-mail messages. Text input is via the remote control and on-screen keyboard, or with an included "normal" keyboard. The retail price of InterRaku TV is ¥298,000.

NEC Home Electronics: 03-3454-5111

First-generation Windows CE handheld PCs
NEC and Casio are among the early runners offering handheld PCs running the Japanese version of Microsoft's Windows CE 1.01.

       NEC's two Mobile Gear (MG) series models, the MC-CS11 (4MB of RAM) and MC-CS12 (8MB of RAM) use NEC's VR4102 64-bit RISC MPU. The MC-CS12 includes a 14.4K-bps modem and comes with MG mail, fax, and data transmission software. Files can be easily transferred to and from PCs with the included H/PC Explorer software. Both units come with "Pocket" versions of Microsoft's Word, Excel, and Internet Explorer. Each model weighs 400 grams and measures 175 x 97 x 27 mm. The MC-CS11 is priced at ¥73,000, while the MC-CS12 is ¥89,000.

       Casio meanwhile, has released two consumer models (A-50 and A-51) and two enterprise models (PA-2000 and PA-2100) of its Cassiopeia handheld PCs. All models come with a backlit, touch-panel display enabling pen input; all but the PA-2100 (not pictured here) also accept keyboard input. Major business applications, a Web browser, and e-mail functions (PC Card modem needed) are loaded. All models have 8MB of RAM (but the A-50 has 4MB) and 24MB of ROM. The units weigh about 390 grams and measure about 185 x 94 x 24.5 mm. The A-50 is ¥75,000, while the A-51 is ¥88,000. The PA-2000 and PA-2100 are "open priced."

NEC Mobile Gear Information Center: 03-3798-2088
Casio: 03-3347-0874

Running client/server system tests
LoadRunner 4.0, an automated client/server testing tool from Mercury Interactive, helps system developers isolate potential bottlenecks and other network problems before implementing business-critical applications. LoadRunner creates virtual users by capturing single-user business processes, then formulates multiple-user scenarios to describe real-life system behavior. It allows the simultaneous driving, monitoring, and synchronization of applications and integrates testing of the client, server, and Web traffic. Full-analysis results are produced as graphs that summarize the details of the system performance over time, or by other parameters.

       A related product, WinRunner, tests client/server GUI (graphical user interface) applications technology. Its RapidTest Script Wizard automatically navigates through an entire application, opening all menu items and dialog boxes, and uses that information to create a series of test scripts. WinRunner 4.0 provides integrated object support for major application development environments.

       LoadRunner runs on Windows (3.x, 95, or NT) and Unix, while WinRunner runs on Windows (95 and NT). Both are available in English and Japanese. LoadRunner is priced from ´3.28 million (five users), WinRunner from ¥560,000 (single-user). There is also a version of each tailored for SAP's R/3 software.

Mercury Interactive: 03-3500-5161

       ManageWise, which supports the SNMP network management standard protocol, requires IntranetWare or NetWare (4.1J or 3.12J). The console requires at least a Pentium CPU and supports clients running DOS or Windows (3.1 or 95). The retail price for a 5-user package is ¥105,000.

Novell: 03-5481-1294

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