home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
Text File | 1990-04-25 | 2.5 KB | 59 lines | [TEXT/GEOL] |
-
- On Monday, Compaq announced a 286-based laptop named the SLT/286. Here is some
- information about it.
-
- SPECIFICATIONS:
-
- * 12-MHz 80C286 processor
- * 14 pounds
- * 4 inches high, 13 1/2 inches wide, 8 1/2 inches deep
- * Enhanced NiCad battery pack
- * Supertwist, backlit 10 inch diagonal display
- * VGA resolution of 640 x 480 with eight levels of gray
- * 20 MB or 40 MB hard disk, shock mounted, 29 ms access time
- * 3.5 inch, 1.44 MB diskette
- * 640 KB memory (expandable to 3.6 MB)
- * Price: 20 MB version $5,399, 40 MB version $5,999
- * Available immediately
-
- DESIGN STRENGTHS:
-
- * Compaq offers an optional Desktop Expansion Base for $999. The SLT fits
- into this base to give it the look of a desktop system. The base provides two
- full-sized expansion slots. The base has its own power supply that charges the
- battery pack whether the system is in use or not. The base duplicates some of
- the interfaces of the SLT/286--a parallel port, an external VGA monitor
- connector and an external 101-key enahnced keyboard connector--so that a user's
- printer, external monitor, and external keyboard don't have to be disconnected
- when the SLT/286 is removed from the base for travel.
-
- * During battery operation, the power conservation feature powers down the
- hardware subsystems--the display, the microprocessor, fixed disk drive, modem,
- and keyboard--when they have not been used for a user selectable period of
- time. Functionality is restored to a subsystem when it is accessed again.
- Power conservation also alerts the user to a low battery state with a blinking
- LED incidator and an audible signal to prevent loss of data.
-
- * Removable keyboard. The keyboard can either be attached to the system unit
- (like on other laptops) or detached with free movement away from the system.
-
- * VGA graphics. The SLT/286 is the first laptop with VGA graphics
- capabilities.
-
- SIGNIFICANCE:
-
- We expect this laptop to be praised for its power and elegant design. Compaq
- is touting this system as "the ultimate full-function battery-powered personal
- computer" and we think the industry will accept that positioning. With
- Compaq's excellent reputation in the corporate market, we expect this machine
- to become very popular.
-
- We believe that people's main complaint will be that it is too big and heavy.
- Also, it is pretty expensive. Compaq's Deskpro 286 with a similar
- configuration is $1,800 less than the SLT/286. So customers are paying quite a
- bit for its portability.
-
- Dave Garr (Market Intelligence)
-
-
-