mikeh@lupine.ncd.com (Mike Harrigan) (02/16/91)
MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, January 7, 1991 -- Network Computing Devices, Inc., has expanded its line of color X terminals with a space-conserving 14-inch-diagonal flat-screen unit priced at $3,000 (U.S. List). The new NCD14c offers resolution of 1024 by 768 pixels and displays up to 256 colors simultaneously. The company's second color unit, it joins the NCD17c, introduced in January 1990 with the same resolution on a 17-inch screen for $5,000 (U.S. List). Like NCD's full line of color and monochrome X terminals, the NCD14c uses the industry-standard X Window System to provide a workstation-style graphical interface to multiple networked host computers running the UNIX, VMS or ULTRIX operating systems. NCD Executive Vice President Judy Estrin said the NCD14c is designed for commercial computing environments where color is a requirement, but price and small size are also key considerations. "We expect that with its $3,000 price tag, the unit will replace color 3270 terminals in many transaction processing and office applications, where conserving desk space is often more important than having a large screen The NCD14c gives the user high-performance optimized color and advanced ergonomics for the price of a low-end PC." The NCD14c uses a 20-MHz MC68020 microprocessor and two custom ASIC graphics engines optimized for color X Window System performance to offer fast geometry rendering, faster operations and text and window manipulation, as well as text generation and scrolling. The use of eight bit plants provides 256 simultaneously displayable colors selected from a palette of 16.7 million. A 14-inch-diagonal flat screen based on Sony Trinitron display technology produces crisp, flicker-free images. Sharp graphics and text are enhanced by a 70-Hz non-interlaced refresh rate, 0.26-mm dot pitch and 100-dot-per-inch resolution. Using NCD's optimized version of X.11 R4 server, the NCD14c supports xdmcp (the X display manager control protocol); the shape extension feature for creating non-rectangular windows; multiple local Telnet or LAT clients, both with VT220 emulation; and industry-standard SNMP-based network management. Software is available as a PROM set or downloadable over the network for efficient distribution of new features and upgrades. Multiple communication protocols -- TCP/IP, SLIP, Digital's DECnet and LAT, and NCD's XRemote (a unique data compression algorithm for optimized serial connectivity at 10 times the speed of SLIP) -- are supported. The NCD14c operates with and X graphical user interface, including OSF/Motif, OPENLOOK or Xview. It supports DECwindows and terminal-oriented applications in addition to X applications. Retaining the ergonomic orientation of all NCD X terminals, the NCD14c has a tilt-and-swivel screen and a small-footprint, 13-inch-square base. An internal convection cooling system eliminated the need for a noisy fan. Available with the NCD14c is NCD's full line of peripheral devices, including mouse, keyboards (PS/2, UNIX, VT220 and Japanese Kana styles) and Ethernet controllers (thick, thin and twisted pair). Available 60 days after receipt of order, the NCD14c will be shipped beginning in January 1991. Its $3,000 price (U.S. List) includes monitor, 4 megabytes of RAM (field-upgradable to 8 megabytes using SIMMS), mouse, serial port, and choice of keyboard styles and Ethernet controllers. A software license is an additional $50 per unit. Network Computing Devices, Inc., formed in February 1988, is a leading supplier of network display stations providing users simultaneous access to multi-vendor computers on a network via the industry-standard X Window System. The NCD16, NCD16e, NCD19, NCD19b and NCD15b monochrome units, and the NCD17c and NCD14c color units, offer workstation-style multi-user interfaces for users in UNIX, VMS and ULTRIX operating system environments. NCD is privately held. Company Contact: Judy Estrin Network Computing Devices, Inc. 415/694-0650 email: info@ncd.com FAX: (415) 961-7711 Agency Contacts: William Orrange Janis Ulevich Ulevich & Orrange, Inc. 415/329-1590