Cell Computing launches pocket-sized Pentium boards

Dave Wilby ZDNet.co.uk

Published: 30 Sep 1999 16:08 BST

Cell Computing, manufacturer of the world's smallest Pentium-based motherboards, has excelled itself with its new NetCARD MicroPC.

The company has somehow managed to squeeze a 10/100 Base-T Ethernet port, CardBus expansion socket, DRAM, flash ROM and standard PC peripheral connectivity -- together with a Pentium III processor of your choice -- onto a motherboard measuring just 4" x 5.4" x 1.3".

Even with this limited space for manoeuvring, Cell claims the board is still capable of scaling from a 233MHz Pentium chip all the way up to 400MHz+ Pentium III chips.

Unsurprisingly, this high-level of integration has been developed for the embedded systems market. Cell is targeting manufacturers of handheld portable equipment that requires flexible-network or Internet access in either commercial or industrial environments.

Cell claims it can deliver miniature embedded-PC products "that pack more functionality per square inch than any other off-the-shelf solution".

One drawback is Cell Computing's lack of a UK or European sales office, although it does boast international distributors based out of Israel in the shape of Racom Electronics.