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| The Highlands Ranch, Colo.-based company plans to start selling the PC, dubbed the Modular Computing Core (MCC), starting Nov. 7, said Marya Kokaska, a company representative. |
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| Originally announced in 2002, the MCC is a full-fledged Windows computer that measures 3 inches by 5 inches--about the size of a Palm handheld--and is about an inch thick. |
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| Ultrasmall computers remain a niche market. Mini-notebooks, which weigh around 2 pounds and have 10- or 12-inch screens, generally sell in modest numbers. Still, many of the design ideas that first emerged with these notebooks--such as metallic cases, which first cropped up in the failed Mitsubishi Pedion--eventually go mainstream. |
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| The MCC will cost $3,970 and will come with a desktop cradle, a foldable keyboard, a sleeve for easier handheld and portable use, and a carrying case, among other features. It will largely be targeted at corporate buyers. |
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| Antelope has begun to take preorders for the machine. Supplies will be limited initially, but the company hopes to start shipping 1,000 to 2,000 units a month next year, Kokaska said. |
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| The MCC is based on the Meta Pad, a minicomputer designed by IBM. Big Blue chose not to pursue the project but licensed it to Antelope instead. |
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| Another start-up, OQO, is expected to release a similar handheld computer soon, according to sources close to the company, who added that OQO recently received additional outside funding. The company could not be reached for comment. |
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| Antelope's computer contains a 1GHz Crusoe processor from Transmeta, 256MB of memory, and a 10GB or 15GB hard drive. It weighs 9.1 ounces. |
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| In association with ZDNet India |
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