LAP & PALMTOP ’93 World’s Only Portable Computing and Mobile Communications Exposition Opens in New York

February 24, 1993 — The newest and smallest portable computing products, whose sales account for over 25 percent of the entire computer industry, will take center stage at LAP & PALMTOP ’93, March 15-16, at the New York Hilton. The show, in its sixth year, is the first and only one of its kind.

“The market for portable computers and mobile communications technology has expanded rapidly into a $7 billion business,” says Peter O’Connor, president and founder of Laptop Expositions, sponsor of LAP & PALMTOP ’93. “Our show brings together under one roof the top market experts and all the major manufacturers of portable computers, software, peripherals and mobile communications products.”

Co-sponsored by Intel Corporation, the world’s largest chipmaker, the show features over 150 exhibitors and their lap-tops, palmtops (PDAs), notebooks, subnotebooks, pen and tablet systems, modems, portable printers, cellular phones and PCMCIA cards which are making the “tetherless” office a reality. Exhibitors include Apple, AST, Dell, Epson, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Lotus, Motorola, NEC, Sharp, Toshiba and Zenith.

Since this exposition began in 1988, attendance has grown from a mere 500 enthusiasts to more than 15,000 corporate MIS decision makers and mobile professionals who are the end-users of such technology. Studies by the Trade Show Bureau have shown that nine of out 10 buyers consider trade shows their most useful source of purchasing information. By focusing on the needs and interests of the portable niche market, LAP & PALMTOP ’93 is a show of manageable size that allows consumers to see vendors with their products side by side, make comparisons and form decisions in an unhurried atmosphere.

The Mobile System Solutions Conference, a series of seminars and “hands-on” workshops that will run concurrently with LAP & PALMTOP ’93, provides attendees with the practical information needed to select, build and dramatically improve the efficiency, quality and competitiveness of their corporate mobile communications systems. This year’s expanded series of 25 seminars will be conducted by 80 industry experts covering such topics as “Sales Applications for Greater Results,” “E-Mail and Mobile Messaging,” “Multiple Platform Technologies,” “Pen Computing,” “Speed, Size and System Selection” and “PCMCIA: The New Frontier.”

Highlights of New York’s LAP & PALMTOP ’93 include:
— Keynote address, “Intel’s Vision of Mobile Computing,” by Mike Aymar, vice president and general manager of Intel Corporation’s Mobile Computing Group;

— Conference luncheon March 15 hosted by Andrew Seybold, corporate consultant and the editor and publisher of The Outlook on Mobile Computing;

— Esther Dyson “Power Breakfast” speech March 16, hosted by Intel Corporation. Dyson is the editor of Release 1.0 magazine and a leading authority on the portable computing industry.

Visitors at LAP & PALMTOP ’93 also will have the opportunity to become members of the Portable Computing and Communications Association (PCCA), an independent, non-profit organization created to develop industry standards and promote cooperation between manufacturers and portable computer users. According to O’Connor, “PCCA’s goal is to serve as an umbrella organization under which trade organizations meet to discuss portable computing and communications issues, concentrating specifically on the expanding field of wireless data transmission.”

LAP & PALMTOP ’93 will be held in the Rhinelander and Americas Halls I and II of the New York Hilton Hotel on Avenue of the Americas at 53rd Street. Exhibit hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on March 15 and 16. Exhibit entrance fee at the door is $35.

The Mobile Systems Solutions Conference will take place March 15-17. Full registration is $695 per person including all meals, special events and admission to the exhibits, as well as invitations to other exhibitor-sponsored events. One day registration is $295 per person.

Laptop Expositions was founded in 1988 and sponsors national and regional portable trade shows and conferences around North America. LAP & PALMTOP ’93 will also be held in Los Angeles, June 29-30, in Chicago, Oct. 7-8 and will debut in Toronto in December.

LAP & PALMTOP ’93 PRODUCT REVIEW

New Product Introductions:

— Data General Corporation will introduce the 5221, its first handheld point-of-service computer (PSC). Ergonomically designed with one-finger (thumb) operation and weighing 14.4 ounces, the 5221 is engineered for use in workflow applications such as sales, insurance, maintenance, auditing and retail inventory management. It enables users to import desired files from a host, reference and update files and export them back to the host quickly and accurately.

— Fujitsu Personal Systems, Inc. will introduce two new additions to its existing family of handheld and palmtop products that dramatically enhance its mobile computer offerings.

— IBM plans to introduce the new IBM ThinkPad Tablet Computer that utilizes the IBM 486SLC/25 Mhz processor and can support up to 12MB of internal RAM. With PCMCIA cards, the ThinkPad Tablet allows ultimate flexibility in connectivity options by taking advantage of the numerous offerings being made available by IBM and third parties. Operating system support includes GO Corporation’s PenPoint and CIC’s PenDos. Additional operating system support is planned for later this year, including a version of OS/2 with Pen Extensions.

— Intel Corporation is slated to introduce an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) ExCA data/fax modem card.

— Socket Communications will bring a new functionality to mobile computers with the release of the world’s first PCMCIA-based Global Positioning System (GPS), a satellite-based location system that provides the most accurate positioning and navigation information available anywhere on the screens of laptop and palmtop computers.

— XYZT Computer Dimensions will unveil its first commercial release of the Many-2-Many (M2M), a complete environment for developing and supporting distributed databases and remote applications. M2M includes an on-line debugger, an integrated C compiler and modules for a communications server, network database, remote databases, as well as communications software for field users.

First New York Showings

— Dauphin Technology, Inc., will demonstrate the Desktop Replacement (DTR), the world’s smallest 486 handheld computer. Measuring just 9″ x 5+” x 1″, the 2.2-pound DTR-1 is a hybrid of the desktop, notebook, subnotebook and PDA, synthesized into a small, lightweight package for a total solution. DTR-1 is completely DOS/Windows compatible, with 2-6 MB RAM, a full component of standard I/O ports, pen input and built-in communication capabilities including an internal ethernet adapter and fax/modem.

— Dell Computer Corporation will display for the first time the latest 386-based notebook addition to its Dimension family of value-packed computers specially designed for price-sensitive customers.

— Ex-Machina, Inc., will highlight its Update! software program that offers end-to-end delivery of wireless data for notebook computers. It provides a wireless “mailbox” into which full-text messages can be delivered through local, regional, nationwide and international wireless communications networks operated by SkyTel.

— Fujitsu Personal Systems, Inc., will be demonstrating the new tablet-sized, pen-based Fujitsu 325Point, for decision support applications. Weighing only 3 pounds and operating up to 8 hours with a rechargeable Nicad battery, the 325Point is applicable in a wide range of vertical markets, including consumer packaged goods, utilities, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and transportation.

— Hewlett-Packard will showcase the HP DeskJet Portable Printer, a 4.4-pound, compressed version of the HP DeskJet 500 that delivers 300 dpi printing for both text and graphics, and features a Worldwide Rapid Recharger to recharge the battery quickly anywhere in the world.

— High Caliber Systems, will be demonstrating Artisoft’s LANtastic networking products and the latest version of peopleBASE Contact Management Software. A local area network consisting of two portable computers and Artisoft’s Central Station Processor will be on display.

— Husky Computers plans to demonstrate Field-Base – the first rugged, hand-held field service computing system with instant, real-time data transmission via radio or telephone networks specifically developed for the front-line engineer.

— Notable Technologies, a leading developer of applications for mobile computing, will be demonstrating Mobile Access telecommunications software that facilitates data transfer and file exchange between mobile devices and desktop-or mainframe-based environments. First shown at the Fall COMDEX, it is in its final testing phase and should begin shipping this quarter.

— Sharp will feature the new OZ-9600 Wizard – its next generation of electronic organizer that combines touch-screen, pen input technology, a totally new, advanced graphical environment for ease-of-use, an integrated filing system and a variety of personal productivity applications. Third party vendors will support OZ 9600 with additional applications and market software.

— Toshiba will exhibit its latest product, the Dynapad T100X Pen Computer, its first entry into the pen market. The 3.3-pound pen computer comes with 4MB RAM (expandable to 20MB), a 9.5-inch VGA-compatible black and white transreflexive display, two PCMCIA 2.0 slots and pre-installed with either Microsoft’s Windows for Pen Computing or GO Corporation’s Pen Point.

CONTACT:
Peter O’Connor of Laptop Expositions, 212-682-7968;
or
Evelyn Mariperisena
or
Mark Malinowski of Hill and Knowlton, Inc., 212-697-5600, for Laptop Expositions