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Tokyo - On one level, IBM Japan's Palm Top PC 110 is a pint-sized Windows machine. But like a set of nested Russian dolls, the new handheld computer contains many layers of functionality, packed into a small case.
Still, despite projections of an order backlog, it's hard to imagine that many users here will shell out nearly $3,000 for the system.
Tetsuya Kaku, who worked on the Palm Top design, said IBM Japan engineers at the Yamato laboratory first conceived of a computer measuring about the same size as a VHS tape. But the final Palm Top is more box-shaped, slightly thicker than the original prototype.
One reason is that many people type on a small computer with their thumbs, grasping the sides of the system and thumbing in the characters, Kaku said. Also, the system is deep enough to hold the type of readily available lithium-ion battery packs that are used in various camcorders in Japan. The battery provides 3 hours of operation.
Weight is a bigger consideration in Japan than in many countries because so many people ride trains and thus must carry their briefcases up and down station stairs. The Palm Top is light: The basic system-minus a drive or flash card-is slightly more than 600 grams, including the battery.
Use of new materials in the case design kept down the weight. IBM engineers used duralumin-a composite of magnesium and...