Compaq Delivers a Barrage of Innovative Technologies for the Home

Business Wire, July 15, 1996

Easy Access Buttons

Changing the home PC's ease-of-use paradigm, the Presario line includes an exclusive series of Easy Access Buttons on the front of the PC, giving users finger touch access to frequently used multimedia functions such as playing audio CDs, talking on the speakerphone, retrieving a message on the answering machine, and Smart Q button for immediate access to on-screen help. Prior to these new Presario PCs, useful applications were buried beneath layers of software, making them inconvenient and time-consuming to activate. In addition to push button access, consumers can instantly see if they have voice or fax messages waiting via a message indicator light, providing a more robust and easy to use message system than a dedicated telephone answer machine.

The new Presarios also include a sleep button which powers the machine down to a "whisper" quiet, energy saving sleep mode where the home PC can monitor incoming calls and faxes and be instantly available for any immediate computing need. This new sleep functionality transforms the home PC into an instantly interactive consumer electronic device.

Along with this technology, Compaq becomes the first PC manufacturer to incorporate On-Screen Display (OSD) with Easy Access Buttons, providing immediate user feed-back at the push of a button. Upon pushing an OSD active button on the PC's bezel, customers see a four second graphic display or status message on the monitor.

33.6 Kbps Talk and Send DSVD Modem

All new Presario models include a 33.6 Kbps Talk and Send Digital Simultaneous Voice and Data (DSVD) modem (c), the fastest modem currently supported over standard analog phone lines. All new Presario models support talk and send DSVD (simultaneous voice and data) that transmits voice and data over the same line. Using this technology, two game players -- one in Los Angeles, one in New York -- can play against each other and speak at the same time over a single phone line.

Two Line Modems

To meet the demands of many individuals who operate a home-based business and require two phone lines, a two-line Talk and Send DSVD Modem is available on Presario 6000 Series models. Using this feature, customers can continue to operate their business normally and receive faxes or access the Internet on the second phone line, regardless of whether they are already on a speakerphone call with the first line.

Double-Bright TFT Flat Panel Display

The 12.1-inch Double Bright TFT (Thin Film Transformer) display is the first of a new breed of flat panels designed for desktop computers. The display from Compaq uses dual lamp lighting technology to provide double the brightness of typical flat-panel displays. Consumers gain exceptionally crisp and colorful images that surpass the quality of traditional computer monitors. In addition, the advanced flat-panel display provides an extremely wide viewing angle.

Available with the Presario 3000 Series, this display is an integral part of the models' product design, allowing it to achieve its compact dimensions without compromising desktop performance or expandability.