- Xircom has announced a key addition to the road warrior arsenal. The RealPort Ethernet 10/100 Modem56 is the first PC card that integrates Ethernet, ISDN and GSM access for users of mobile computers, company officials said.
The company describes the card as "fully integrated", slotting directly into a notebook's PCMCIA slot with built in connectors for RJ-45 and RJ-11 telephone cords. It supports 10/100 Ethernet, 56Kbps modem speeds, telephone handset "pass through" and mobile phone connectivity, all in the one device.
Xircom founder and CEO Dirk Gates, in Melbourne this week for the release, said that the market for mobile computing is at an explosive stage.
A recent Gartner Group report found the market for notebooks and other portable computing devices is experiencing compound growth of 20 per cent, double that of the desktop PC market with one-third of the world's computers now portable.
Xircom currently controls 98 per cent of the PC card market, officials claim, with Gates confident his company will maintain, if not improve this position via key OEM agreements with the likes of Toshiba and Intel. Toshiba is already bundling the RealPort adapter with its high end Satellite 305 and 315s, Gates said.
The company is also 12.5 per cent owned by Intel, and ships its fast Ethernet products through the chip giant's channels. Both companies are working closely on advancing mobile-based technologies via such initiatives as the Blue Tooth micro chip project, officials said.
RealPort is available now through Xircom and Intel VAR channels and is priced at $729 RRP.
Xircom
Phone: (02) 9911 7790
INFO: www.xircom.com
