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IT LOOKS LIKE a dictionary stuck between two thick bookends, but Compaq Computer Corp.'s newest business PC, the 10-lb. silver-and-gray iPaq, signals a coming revolution An corporate computer buying, where desktop hardware
matters much less than software and network infrastructure. The nifty little iPaq is a brand-new class of computer - inexpensive but not cheap, thus easily affordable and replaceable. It's here today, and it's a bargain.
First, some specifications. The $499 base machine has a 500-MHz Celeron processor, 64MB of RAM and a 4GB hard drive. There's no floppy drive. Ethernet is standard. Options include a Pentium III CPU, more RAM and bigger hard disks. A vertical bay on the left side accepts an extra-cost hotswappable drive - CD, digital video disc, LS-120 SuperDisk or second hard drive - all of which can also be used in Compaq's Armada notebooks. The back panel comes in two forms: standard and legacy-- free. The standard model has the usual array of connectors: serial, parallel, keyboard, mouse, Ethernet, video and a couple of Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports. The legacy-free model has just video, network and three USB sockets. Both have headphone, microphone and two USB connections on the front panel.
The standard model addresses concerns expressed by information technology managers that they still have a lot of older peripherals they want to use [News, Nov. 15]. But over the next year, I expect the legacy-- free to...