By Barbara Morgan, 1 April 1999 16:06
NEWS While a formal standard to bring PCI to notebooks is almost ready, 3Com has become the first manufacturer to announce a Mini PCI card which will be sold to PC makers. Hitachi has chosen 3Com to equip its recently announced sub-notebook PC with internal LAN (local area network) functionality. The 3Com Mini PCI component installed in the Hitachi system is the first to obtain Microsoft PC 98 certification. Kip Meacham, US OEM manager for 3Com's mobile communications division, said: "The trend toward highly customisable, yet affordable mobile computing solutions, especially in the corporate environment, is propelling the adoption of Mini PCI by hardware manufacturers on the cutting edge." The Mini PCI card, which is effectively equivalent to a standard PCI expansion card, is becoming a widely-accepted form for adding integrated modem and LAN connectivity in notebook PCs and other small communication platforms. The small Mini PCI form factor can be "snapped" into a variety of locations on the system board, rather than occupying space on the outer edge. Meacham explained that this gives hardware manufacturers greater flexibility in system design, and allows communications components to be serviced locally, instead of sending the entire notebook for repair. In August 1998, the Mini PCI Roundtable - a group of leading mobile vendors led by 3Com and Compaq, Dell Computer and Toshiba - submitted the Mini PCI specification to the PCI Special Interest Group. The specification is expected to be formally announced this summer.
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