Zenith Data Systems, the personal computer unit of Compagnie des Machines Bull SA, appears to have come up with a genuine first. The CruisePAD is a mobile terminal that controls a remote personal computer through a wireless connection. It is meant for local mobile users, who may be away from their desks, but in the same building. Zenith believes the largest potential market in the UK will be the health service. It has a range of 500 feet in an office environment and 1,000 feet in open spaces, according to the company. Zenith says that the CruisePAD marks a departure from traditional mobile computing, in that instead of trying to cram the functions of a desktop personal computer into a notebook, it has produced a lightweight mobile ‘dumb terminal’ – it weighs a fraction over 3 lbs – virtually independent of software and hardware. It sends mouse clicks and keyboard strokes from a backlit monochrome liquid crystal display – using either a pen or fingers – in packets to the host computer, which returns with screen control signals to the CruisePAD. It uses a digitally scrambled wireless transmission in the 2.4GHz band. Scott Merkle, senior product marketing manager for Zenith’s mobile systems said that the bandwidth is fairly empty at the moment, and the CruisePAD has frequency-hopping anyway, so it can bounce above or below any congestion. The CruisePAD can control any personal computer fitted with either a PC Card or AT slot running MS-DOS or Windows. A version supporting IBM Corp’s OS/2 Warp may follow. It can also be used via the CruiseLAN/Access Point wireless bridge. These can be installed throughout a building, enabling users to move beyond the 1,000 feet boundary, but still stay in control of their personal computer. The Access Points support multiple CruisePADs and enable users to roam from one to another. The product has been out in a beta version in the US for four months, but will not be available in the UK until August, because of wireless regulatory issues, according to Merkle. Zenith has a clear marketing path for the CruisePAD. It will begin by targeting vertical markets such as health care, retail, aircraft and vehicle maintenance and warehousing and manufacturing. The corporate and education markets will follow, eventually followed by the home consumer market, though Merkle conceded that the technology is too expensive for that at present. The CruisePAD costs ú1,050, the AT board costs ú450 and the PC Card is ú550. The CruiseLAN/Access Point costs ú1,400.
