Hewlett-Packard Co was also pitching for enhanced personal computer business yesterday with the launch of a budget line of Vectras, highlighting the fact that the machines are network-ready. The HP Vectra 486N series can be used as stand-alone systems or as clients in client-server networks, and prices start at just $1,150 – $400 less than comparable Compaq Computer Corp systems while offering significantly greater functionality than similarly priced machines from Dell Computer Corp and AST Research Inc, the company claims. They are optionally available preconfigured with an HP EtherTwist or Token Ring interface board. The company also added two servers with an entry price of $3,800, the HP Vectra 486/33ST and the HP Vectra 486/66ST, which uses Intel’s 80486 DX2-66 microprocessor. Three models are offered as ready-to-use systems: the servers come standard with Novell Inc NetWare 3.11, an HP EtherTwist interface board and MS-DOS 5.0. The machines are upgradable between the 25MHz 80486SX to the 66MHz DX2; they come with 4M expandable to 48Mb on the system, HP Ultra VGA+, which is claimed to make the HP Vectra 486N ideal for graphical user-interface applications such as Microsoft Windows 3.1; multilevel security system to protect confidential data; preinstalled Windows 3.1 and mouse. The dual-speed system board can operate at 25MHz or 33MHz. Built-in diagnostic capabilities are designed to reduce troubleshooting time – set-up and self-test software and on-line help are located in ROM. No tools are required to remove the chassis for service and maintenance. The BIOS is in Flash memory for easy upgrade. The $1,150 price is for a diskless model; a 25MHz machine with EtherTwist board and 80Mb disk is $1,780. A 66MHz model with 170Mb disk is $3,100. The company is launching a multi-million dollar advertising campaign for the machines in trade and business publications and is supporting the servers with a free network-software bundle worth more than $4,000 which will be available between October 1 and January 31.
