Digital hits another HiNote

Digital Equipment (DEC) announced new value-priced HiNote notebooks in its VP line, packing fast Pentium processors and 6X CD-ROM drives.

The design of Digital's HiNote VP line is not as compact as the company's popular HiNote Ultra II line of super-slim, super-light notebooks, but the VP offers lower pricing. Prices range from about $2,400 to $3,600. Prices on the Ultra II line range between $4,000 and $5,000.

VP 500 models use both Pentium 120- and 133-MHz processors and come with a removable, integrated 6X CD-ROM drive.

Other features include 11.3-inch, dual-scan and active-matrix LCD screens as well as 12.1-inch, active-matrix screens on the 133-MHz models; 1 and 1.4GB hard disk drives (HDDs); and a 128-bit graphics accelerator with MPEG support.

The HiNote VP 500 uses an "Advanced Metal" Smart Battery using Enhanced NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) technology. A second, dual-battery option using Smart Lithium-Ion technology can be placed in the system's modular expansion bay, delivering a run time of up to ten hours, the company said.

Each system has a modular expansion bay for the notebook's removable floppy drive which is interchangeable with the CD-ROM drive or the lithium-ion battery.

The new models are also network-ready : Digital ClientWORKS network management software is included and the models support the Desktop Management Interface (DMI).

Users have a choice between Windows 95 or Windows for Workgroups 3.11. The machines are also Windows NT-certified. A Windows NT 4.0 driver kit for the VP 500 will be offered next quarter, Digital said.

A VP 520 with a 120-MHz Pentium processor, a dual-scan LCD, a 6X CD-ROM drive, and 1GB HDD is street priced at $2,429. A VP535 with a 133-MHz processor, a 12.1-inch active-matrix screen, and 1.4GB HDD is priced at $3,599.