HP launches sleek e-Vectra desktop PC

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February 23, 2000
Web posted at: 3:53 p.m. EST (2053 GMT)

by Laura Rohde and Rebecca Sykes

(IDG) -- With the assertion that it's reinvented desktop computing, Hewlett-Packard has unveiled its new, 8-pound desktop PC for the corporate market called e-Vectra. It's small, it's Italian-designed, it has no internal slots, and HP promises that the e-Vectra is an IT manager's dream come true.

The PC, which is a fifth the size of the traditional PC, will be made available in the U.S. and in the U.K., Germany and France in mid-April for US$599, or $599 euros, said Eric Cador, vice president and general manager of the HP business desktop division.

"It's not a portable and we're not asking companies to redo their networks. On the corporate side, it's one of the smallest computers on Earth," Cador said.

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The e-Vectra has three components: power supply, hard-disk drive and system chassis.

The PC has a door that opens to reveal the hard drive inside, which can be easily snapped free for service. "There was, of course, much concern that the hard drive would be very easy to steal, so we've added a key to the door to lock the drive away," Cador said.

HP has also included a plastic cover that can also be locked in place over the USB, serial and parallel ports -- with the same key that locks the door to the inside of the computer -- to create a port control system.

HP has removed all of the slots, including the floppy disk drive, and made the power supply external. "By eliminating the slots, we estimate that IT support costs for these systems will be 20 percent to 25 percent lower," Cador said.

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"If you really needed a floppy drive, that could be added through the USB ports, and a company could use one floppy between a number of people to save costs," Cador said.

The e-Vectra also comes with a diagnostics tool software program called e-DiagTools that runs in the background, scanning the system for problems that are automatically e-mailed to a support manager or HP.

The e-Vectra is being marketed to the corporate customer looking to add e-commerce abilities to its business portfolio, hence the "e" in e-Vectra. And it looks like the e-Vectra will work for small businesses pretty much as is, as well, Cador said.

"ISPs (Internet service providers) are saying to HP, I'm in effect an IT manager so this works for me as well. In our small focus groups it is looking like the system can cover the needs for small business now," Candor said. Candor also believes that HP is working on a version of the e-Vector for the home PC market, but could not confirm details.

The e-Vector comes with a standard 3-year warranty on all parts and labor, but for an extra $99, HP is offering a lifetime warranty on the PC in the U.S. "We don't know yet about Europe; it will go country by country and will depend on the reception in the U.S.," Cador said.

Cador believes this is the first lifetime warranty ever offered for a PC. "It is a very important message from a marketing and management stand point. We are really standing behind this product," Cador said.

One analyst likened the e-Vectra to Compaq's iPac, a $499 Internet device that runs Windows 2000 and foregoes legacy connections for USB ports. The vendors' gamble, which will probably succeed, is that customers will buy inexpensive PCs and replace them fairly frequently when their requirements change, according to Roger Kay, an analyst for International Data Corp. in Framingham.

"The concept is that they give you (only) what you want," Kay said. "The old days of tinkering with your PC is drawing to a close, and what you get is pretty good."

Available in the second quarter, the e-Vectra ships with the following features:

-- Intel Pentium III or Celeron processor, Windows 2000, 98 or NT 4.0;

-- Up to 256M-bytes of SDRAM;

-- Quantum 8.4G byte Ultra ATA/66 hard disk drive;

-- 3Com Fast Etherlink 10/100BASE-TX integrated LAN;

-- Parallel and serial ports;

-- Two PS/2 and two USB ports;

-- On-board audio;

-- Optional 24X Max-speed slim CD-ROM drive.

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Hewlett-Packard

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