Tandy Moves on Toshiba Turf with $999 Laptop
 
Microbytes Daily News Service
Copyright (c) 1989, McGraw-Hill, Inc.
Tandy moved into the low-end, no-frills laptop computer market
dominated by the Toshiba T1000 this week with its new 6.5-pound
1100FD laptop, which will retail for $999. Like other Tandy
systems, the 1100FD comes with MS-DOS 3.3 and Tandy's DeskMate
DOS shell in ROM. The DeskMate applications in ROM include
Desktop, Text (an entry-level word processor), and a 90,000-word
spelling checker. Tandy says it'll bundle additional DeskMate
utilities, such as Worksheet, Filer, Telecom, Calender, Address
Book, and PC-Link, on floppy disks with the 1100FD.
 
Driving the 1100FD is an 8-MHz NEC V-20 microprocessor. Standard
configuration includes 640K RAM, one 3.5-inch 720K floppy drive,
a 9-inch diagonal 80 x 25 liquid crystal display (non-backlit)
with 640 x 200 resolution, and a removable, rechargeable NiCad
battery with a lifespan (Tandy estimates) of at least 5 hours.
The 1100FD's clamshell design measures 12.1 x 2.4 x 9.8 inches,
roughly the same dimensions as Toshiba's T1000.
 
Other features include a battery-saving "standby" mode, parallel
and serial ports, one dedicated internal modem slot, and an
84-key keyboard. Options include an internal 2400-bps modem for
$199.95 and a replacement battery for $29.95.
 
In a separate but related item, Toshiba and Tandy said they've
ended their clash over clamshells. Earlier this year, Tandy began
collecting license fees from companies that make "clamshell"
style laptop computers. Tandy's subsidary GRiD was awarded a
patent for that design of computer case. Toshiba refused to pay,
and Tandy threatened to sue. But this week they said they've made
a cross-licensing agreement. Company officials would not disclose
any details.
 
Contact: Tandy, 1700 One Tandy Center, Fort Worth, TX
76102, (817) 390-3300; fax (817) 878-6508.
 
                              --- Jeffrey Bertolucci
 
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