IBM introduces NetVista range

BANGALORE: IBM Corp. has introduced a brand name for the new

line of simplified, space-saving computers and Internet "appliances"

for consumers and businesses it plans to begin selling in the next few months.

The NetVista range, IBM's first new brand of desktop machines

since the Aptiva was introduced in 1994, is catered towards the growing interest

in computers designed for easy connections to the Web and other networks. IBM

said it plans to spend $100 million on promotion activities of the NetVista

All-in-One desktop computer, the NetVista Internet Appliance, the NetVista

Legacy-Free PC and the NetVista Zero-Footprint Thin Client.

The NetVista All-in-One, which will compete with Compaq

Computer's new IPaq machines, will come in seven models with prices starting

below $2,000. The machines, about 75 percent smaller than a regular PC, will

have 64 megabytes of instant memory and a choice of Intel Celeron or Pentium III

chips with processing speeds ranging from about 500 megahertz to 600 megahertz.

Most of the space savings with the All-in-One are

accomplished by accommodating a compact hard drive behind the machine's 15-inch

flat-panel screen. The hard drives can have 10, 15 or 20 gigahertz of memory

capacity. The machines also have a floppy disk drive, a choice of CD-ROM or DVD

drive, and an optional wireless connection to a local area network.

The NetVista Internet Appliance, a stripped-down computer

like the Sun Ray recently introduced by Sun Microsystems, is designed to provide

instant access to the Internet over the high-speed telephone connection known as

digital subscriber line, or DSL, or to an internal network.

The machines are equipped with 10-inch flat panel screens and

processors running at speeds above 200 megahertz, but no hard drive because they

are designed to display information from a network rather than download the

information and process it on the desktop.

The Internet Appliance will be sold through service providers

such as telephone companies and financial companies rather than directly to

consumers or businesses. In the past two weeks, IBM has announced plans with

AT&T, Fidelity Investments, Lycos, SBC Communications and Bell Atlantic to

test the Internet Appliance, linking users directly to customized content and

services.

The other two NetVistas are designed primarily for corporate

networks. The Legacy-Free PC features a compact tower with a docking cradle for

synchronization with handheld devices. Possible uses for the Thin Client include

airline check-in counters and retail checkouts.