New Notebooks: Second-Generation Ultra-Thin Pedion Notebook PC From Mitsubishi Electronics America Demonstrated At Comdex; New Pedion EM Features Bigger Keyboard and Faster Processor - Product Announcement

Edge: Work-Group Computing Report, Nov 23, 1998

Ultra-thin, ultra-fast and ultra-light are a few of the distinguishing characteristics that make up the Pedion EM, the latest notebook computer engineered by the Mobile Computing Division (MCD) of Mitsubishi Electronics America Inc.

Coming off the heels of last year's award-winning design, the new Pedion EM is one of the PC industry's thinnest, lightest and most powerful notebook computers to meet the needs of today's high-level executives.

One of the more noticeable improvements in the Pedion EM is a new keyboard that increases the computer's keystroke depth to 3 mm while maintaining a profile that is only 0.9 inches thick. Enclosed within a sleek, yet durable injection-molded magnesium alloy case, the Pedion EM weighs only 3.7 pounds and unleashes the power of a 266 MHz Intel Mobile Pentium II processor. The Pedion EM includes a 12.1-inch TFT color SVGA LCD display and comes standard with 96 MB RAM and 4.3 GB hard disk drive.

"Today's successful, top-level executives set unparalleled standards for performance among themselves and the people who support them," said Scott Hansen, deputy general manager of Mitsubishi Electronics America's Mobile Computing Division. "We designed the Pedion EM to perform much like a vital member of a CEO's staff -- it's reliable, can juggle multiple tasks effectively, can give a 100-percent effort any time, any place and projects a polished exterior that exemplifies excellence."

To meet the increasing audio and video demands placed on today's mobile executives, the Pedion EM comes equipped with a detachable Multimedia Pack. The pack itself weighs less than two pounds and locks easily and securely to the bottom of the notebook, giving the system a floppy disk drive, 24X CD-ROM drive, stereo speakers and a complete set of interface ports that include external video, serial, parallel, keyboard, mouse, Universal Serial Bus (USB) and stereo line-in and line-out jacks.

The Pedion EM's thin design is made possible in part by a compact, state-of-the-art Lithium Ion battery that provides 2 hours of operation on one charge. An optional Battery Pack that also integrates onto the bottom of the Pedion EM can increase operation up to 6.5 hours while only adding an additional 2.2 pounds of weight. Users can even work on the Pedion as it charges from an AC power source.

Additional features of the Pedion EM include 2 MB video RAM, a NeoMagic graphics accelerator, 32 KB internal cache, 512 KB L2 cache and a two-button Touch Pad. Also incorporated are two Type II PC Card slots, SoundBlaster PRO hardware, 4 Mbit Infrared port, USB port and external video port.

The Pedion EM currently is being demonstrated at Fall COMDEX '98 in Las Vegas, booth No. L-864, and is expected to be available in the first quarter with an estimated retail price less than $4,000.

The Mobile Computing Division of Mitsubishi Electronics America Inc. develops and markets mobile computing solutions that meet business demands. FMI: http://www.mitsubishi-mobile.com.

With headquarters in Cypress, Mitsubishi Electronics America Inc. (MELA) markets an extensive line of consumer, commercial and industrial electronics products, including color monitors and printers; video conferencing systems; semiconductor devices; cellular telephones; Mitsubishi Diamond Vision stadium display screens; automotive components; elevators and escalators; radiation oncology products; heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems; and other items. Mitsubishi Electronics America is the largest subsidiary of Mitsubishi Electric America Inc.