Tarsus Technologies, the distribution arm of MB Technologies, has announced the immediate availability of the new CompaqAero 2100 - the vendor`s first entry into the growing palm-size PC market and an answer to the 3ComPalm Pilot. "The Compaq Aero 2100 is the industry`s first shipping Palm-size PC with a reflective colour thin film transistor (TFT) display that is easy to read in any environment," says Terence Barter, Compaq product manager at Tarsus Technologies.
According to Barter, the Aero provides a comprehensive personal productivity tool with which to access the user`s calendar, contacts, and e-mail while out of the office. The Aero can also enable users to browse the Internet offline in full colour, listen to the latest market news or record any great ideas.
"Innovative features such as rechargeable Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) batteries with up to 10 hours of continuous use, and compelling Internet audio content download and playback make the Compaq Aero 2100 an unbeatable Palm-size PC solution," he says.
Available with 8- or 16MB of memory, the Compaq Aero 2100 TFT display uses reflective technology, which reflects light from available sources off the back of the display to show information on the screen, making the unit as easy to read outdoors as it is indoors. Two light modes allow for easy viewing in even the darkest of rooms. Not only is the screen 44% larger than that of the 3Com Palm Connected Organizers, but it delivers 256 colors at 240-by-320 pixels, versus 3Com Palm Connected Organizers at 160-by-160 pixels on a black and white display.
A dial on the side of the unit allows for one-handed scrolling and execution of actions, similar to the way a mouse is used on a desktop PC. The touch-sensitive display can accept input from the stylus or a fingertip, and an integrated mechanism holds the stylus securely in place, minimizing the risk of inadvertently losing the stylus. By simply pressing on the top of the stylus - much like a click pen - the stylus is released. Customisable application launch buttons can be set to the user`s preferences.
The Compaq Aero 2100 uses the new MicrosoftWindows CE operating system for Color Palm-size PCs. It provides for expansion solutions through an industry-standard compact flash memory card slot, which provides nearly unlimited expandability. Compact flash (CF) expansion cards allow compatability with many modem, storage, local area network, I/O cards (serial and parallel port), and bar coding PC cards, providing greater capabilities and improved functionality. The CF memory expansion slot is also designed to support future wireless communications options.
"Potential Compaq Aero 2100 users are looking for a personal productivity tool to manage information such as calendar and contact lists in a device that fits into a shirt pocket. Other customers will include managers of business information systems who want to deploy Palm-size PCs in their corporations as a sales force or field service automation tool and productivity solution. A third market includes users looking for a small, lightweight device for data collection and forms-based applications in mobile industries such as home health care and delivery services," Barter explains.
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