Compaq Announces World’s Most Versatile Notebook PC

September 13, 1993 — Reinforcing its notebook leadership position and its commitment to make computers easier to use, Compaq Computer Corporation (NYSE: CPQ) today announced the world’s most flexible notebook PC. Designed to be easier to use in a wider range of settings than any other product in its class, the Compaq Concerto is the first fully featured notebook PC to offer interactive use of a keyboard and pen. It is Compaq’s first notebook to support a pen interface.

This new family of flexible notebook PCs features a sleek new design with an adjustable built-in handle that doubles as a stand, and a fully detachable and slimline keyboard. This allows customers to independently position both screen and keyboard at angles comfortable for typing and using the pen. For customers who prefer to use a keyboard alone, the Compaq Concerto’s flexible design allows it to be readily converted into a classic clamshell mode. In this position the low profile keyboard remains attached and tilted at a comfortable 10-degree typing angle. For situations when the pen is preferred, customers can easily remove the keyboard and use the Compaq Concerto as a lightweight tablet.

With prices starting at about $2,499-(a), the Compaq Concerto offers a very competitive feature set including a powerful 25- or 33-MHz 486SL processor, the same bright monochrome 9 1/2-inch MaxLight display used in the award winning LTE Lite Family, two TYPE-II PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) slots, 250-Megabyte hard drive models, up to 20 Megabytes of system memory, local bus graphics, and pre-installed soft-ware.

“Compaq is opening up a whole new world of convenience and usability to mobile professionals with the introduction of the Compaq Concerto,” said Ross Cooley, Senior Vice President, North America, Compaq Computer Corporation. “With its innovative design, interactive keyboard and pen capability, and pre-loaded software, the Compaq Concerto is way ahead of the competition.”

The Compaq Concerto is ideal for mobile professionals, such as sales representatives, consultants or financial analysts, who want a no- compromise notebook to use in any location. Unlike competitive products, the flexible design of the Compaq Concerto together with the pre-installed software allows customers to use both keyboard and pen to run to-day’s Windows-based applications.

Each notebook is pre-installed with: DOS 6.0; Microsoft Windows for Pen Computing; InkWare NoteTaker, a powerful pen-centric application for writing, organizing and accessing handwritten or keyed notes and memos; and SLATE PenPower for Microsoft, a unique application that supports pen edits and annotations in Microsoft Excel. InkWare NoteTaker and SLATE PenPower for Microsoft Excel are provided by Compaq through exclusive agreements with each company.

Compaq Concerto models are expected to ship worldwide by the end of the third quarter. All products are backed by CompaqCare, one of the most comprehensive service and support programs in the industry, which includes unlimited 24-hour, seven-day-a-week telephone support for the life of the product, and a limited three-year warranty.

Intelligent Pen Interface

The pen that comes with the Compaq Concerto is an intelligent pointing and input device. It is the ideal mouse re-placement, since users can initiate a command just by tapping on the screen. It is also used for “gesturing,” editing spreadsheets or documents with pre- defined symbols for common edits such as inserting and deleting; for “inking”, where handwritten notes and annotations are simply saved as they were written; and for block printing, where handwritten information is actually translated into data files.

Innovative Features Provide Maximum Usability

Several new ease-of-use features included in the Compaq Concerto were designed to save time and hassle. With the “instant-on” feature, the notebook can be left in standby mode for up to 7 days (168 hours), and picked up exactly where it was left, with all the information saved.

Convenient control points on the display let users quickly and easily adjust Compaq utilities, such as screen brightness or contrast, or power management commands, simply by tapping the screen with the pen, without the use of a keyboard.

The Compaq Concerto is the first Compaq product to support PCMCIA, an emerging standard that will allow peripheral cards and devices to be interchanged among many PC products. With two PCMCIA Type II slots (or one Type III), customers can use off-the-shelf PCMCIA options such as modems, Network Interface Cards (NICs), and storage cards. Compaq is offering two Compaq-branded PCMCIA modem options. To encourage third parties to develop industry standard PCMCIA 2.0-compliant options, Compaq has opened a special lab to PCMCIA device manufacturers for compatibility testing.

With the new FlexConnect Convenience base, aggressively priced at under $200-(a) the Compaq Concerto can easily connect to a host of desktop accessories, or be used on a network with the new Enhanced FlexConnect Convenience bases — available in either an Ethernet with SCSI or Token Ring with SCSI configurations.

Company Background

Compaq Computer Corporation is a world leader in the manufacture of servers, desktop, portable, and notebook personal computers, and network laser printers. Founded in 1982, the Company reported 1992 worldwide revenues of $4.1 billion. Compaq products are sold and supported in more than 100 countries through a network of more than 14,500 Compaq marketing partners. Compaq also sells directly to customers through Compaq DirectPlus at 1-800-888-5858.

Compaq offers a broad range of service and support programs, including the industry’s only comprehensive three-year warranty with free 24-hour/7-day a week technical telephone support and product information on CD-ROM. Taking a leadership role in protecting the environment, Compaq has eliminated CFCs from its worldwide manufacturing operations and undertakes ongoing environmental programs, including energy efficiency, recycling, design for environment, waste reduction and environmental auditing.

FOR CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND INFORMATION, CALL 1-800-345-1518. (a)-Estimated selling price. Actual pricing may vary.

compaq, Systempro, Deskpro Registered U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. PageMarq, ProLinea, ProSignia, Pro-Liant, QVision, Compaq Insight Manager, trademarks of Compaq Computer Corporation. DirectPlus is a service mark of Compaq Computer Corporation. Product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Pentium is a trademark of Intel Corporation.

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Compaq Computer Corporation
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Hedy Baker, Nora Hahn, Linda Parsons, Brian Temple 713-374-0484
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Tony Sapienza, Linda Pendergast
617-536-0470
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Pearson Communications
Tom Pearson (broadcast media)
215-955-9730