Compaq notebooks interchange components

Compaq notebooks interchange components

Compaq Computer will launch Monday three new models of Armada notebooks that share interchangeable docking stations and drives.

Compaq plans to offer compatible parts in all future notebooks as well.

The new Armada line will ship in early August, featuring three models.

The 3-pound "ultraportable" M300 measures less than an inch thick, and features an 11.3" display and a keyboard that is 95 percent of the size of a standard desktop keyboard. The unit will be equipped with either a 6.4GB hard drive and a 333MHz Pentium II, or with a 4GB drive and a 333MHz Celeron.

The 4.8-pound M700 features a 14.1" display and a magnesium alloy case. Like the M300, the M700 snaps into a common multibay.

The E700, a full-featured desktop replacement machine, includes a 400MHz Pentium II, a 14.1" display, two stacked common multibays and two-speed Accelerated Graphics Port graphics with 8MB of SDRAM.

All models will be available this month, but the M700 and E700 won't have common docking stations until later in the year. Pricing was not yet available.

The complete story is online at www.zdnn.com .