NEC to launch all-in-one desktop

Packard Bell NEC Inc.'s Consumer Division will ship its all-in-one home computer, the NEC Z1, to retail stores this weekend.

The Z1 has a unique form factor, with the integrated motherboard and components housed within a 15" Active Matrix XGA flat-panel display.

The $2,499 Z1 is designed to simplify users' "out-of-the-box experience." It requires only two connections - power and telephone - to be fully operational in less than 10 minutes. It's wireless keyboard eliminates that connection as well.

Despite it's integrated design, the system is engineered for upgradability. Hard drive, system memory and display can be swapped out for enhanced components. For instance, a sliding latch on the back of the display allows consumers to remove the 15" display and replace it with an optional 18" flat-panel display, to be available in late 1999.

Basic features include a 450MHz Pentium III; 96MB of SDRAM; an 8.4GB hard drive; a DVD-ROM drive; a 3.5" floppy drive; a 56K V.90 modem; and a 10/100 Base-T Ethernet port. Other connectivity features include an RJ-45 LAN jack; two PC Card Type-II or one Type-III PCMCIA slots; four USB ports; and IrDA, VGA, serial and parallel ports.

The base system sports an S3 Savage 4 LT 3D AGP 2X graphics controller with 8MB of SDRAM; Creative 3D PCI AC'97 Audio with integrated stereo speakers; a wireless keyboard with built-in mouse controls and a USB wheel-mouse.

Further details are posted at www.nec-z1.com .