NCR Corp likes periodically to launch a new product first in an international market, and yesterday it chose Paris for the launch of the 3130 second generation pen-based computer. The enhanced version of the 3125 has a new screen texture that feels more like paper than glass when you write on it, a better-lit display and a technique that senses gravity changes and shuts the disks down if it is dropped. It uses the same 80386SL chip as the 3125 and runs for three and a half hours between charges, 27% longer than the 3125. NCR estimates that 5,000 to 10,000 pen-pad computers will be sold in France next year. The weight is cut to about 4 lbs from the near 5 lbs of the 3125, and disk capacity now hoes to 60Mb. Prices in France start at $3,500 with volume in November.
