Although Microsoft Corp. will not officially release its Windows XP operating system until Oct. 25, it has allowed PC makers to begin shipping machines loaded with the new OS as of Monday, which Compaq Computer Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP) announced they have begun to do.
Compaq is rolling out three new PCs, as well as enhancing the existing Presario 5000 with a new processor and the Windows XP operating system, the company said in a statement. The new Presario 700 notebook features a 900MHz mobile Duron processor from Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD), 256M bytes of RAM, a 20G-byte hard drive, and the Windows XP operating system. The 6.4-pound (2.9 kilogram) notebook, which has a 14.1-inch (35.8 millimetre) TFT (thin film transistor) display, is available now for US$1,299 from the company’s Web site.
The Presario 2700, also announced Monday, features Intel Corp.’s 1GHz mobile Pentium III Processor-M, formerly known as Tualatin. The 2700 has 256MB of RAM, a 20GB hard drive, a DVD (digital versatile disc) drive and a 15-inch TFT display. The notebook, which weighs 7.9 pounds, is available now for $1,799 from the company’s Web site.
Compaq also planned to launch a new desktop, the Presario 8000, the company said in the statement. The desktop, which will be based on processors running at up to 2GHz, will have a starting price of $1,199, the company said. But as of press time, the Presario 8000 could not be located on the company’s Web site.
HP also announced four new systems shipping with Windows XP on Monday. The HP Pavilion 7955 desktop, which uses Intel’s 1.5GHz Pentium 4 processor, has 256M bytes of RAM, a 40GB hard drive, a CD/RW (CD rewritable) drive and DVD (digital versatile disc) drive, is available for $949 from the company’s Web site.
The HP Pavilion 7935, using AMD’s 1.3GHz Athlon processor, includes 128M bytes of RAM, a 40GB hard drive, a CD-RW drive and a DVD drive, is also available for $749. Monitors are not included in the price of either Pavilion.
HP also launched the Pavilion N5425 notebook, powered by AMD’s 900MHz Athlon 4 processor. The N5425 has 256M bytes of RAM, a 20G-byte hard drive and a DVD/CD-RW combination drive. The notebook features a 14.1-inch TFT display, and weighs 7.5 pounds. The N5425 is available from HP for $1,499 after a $100 rebate, the company said in a statement.
HP also launched the Pavilion N5415 notebook, which uses AMD’s 900MHz Duron processor, and includes 256M bytes of RAM, a 10G-byte hard drive, and a DVD drive. The Pavilion N5415, which also has a 14.1-inch display and weighs 7.5 pounds, is currently available for $1,199 after rebate, the company said in a statement.
Sony Entertainment Inc. also announced on Monday a new line-up of its Vaio notebooks, which will run the Windows XP operating system [see story – Sony pumps Vaio models with Intel, AMD chips].
Compaq, in Houston, can be reached at http://www.compaq.com/. HP, in Palo Alto, Calif., can be reached at http://www.hp.com/.