Expansion Card Creates Second Windows Computer For $249

Concurrent Controls announced Applica U2, an expansion card and control box which turns a Windows-based computer into a two-user system. A user must have an extra monitor, mouse and keyboard before Applica U2 can create a second networked computer running simultaneously with the first system.

According to Concurrent, many small office/home office environments have a Windows-based personal computer that under-utilizes the power of a Pentium processor. To extend unused microprocessor resources, Applica U2 ships with Applica, a multi-user software product. The package allows both systems to run "sophisticated applications" simultaneously.

Using Netscape’s Internet browser, Navigator, or Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, Applica claims users can simultaneously navigate the Internet from a single modem connection. The advantage means one user can be surfing the World Wide Web while a second person on the "networked" second station is checking e-mail.

Additionally, Applica U2 allows the second workstation to use peripherals connected to the first computer system, company officials said. A printer, CD-ROM, modem, hard drive, scanner and other devices can be accessed by the Applica-connected workstation.

Applica President Dawn DeBruyn said, "Applica U2 is a great product for home users or small office users, who want a second computer. There is so much available power in a Pentium microprocessor that the presence of a second user is often not even detected."

DeBruyn also said Applica is talking to a number of computer manufacturers regarding a bundling announcement. If successful, the negotiations could result in a new bundling arrangement for retail customers. Sometime in 1998, the industry could see popular computer companies offering low-cost two-station bundles using Applica’s U2 card as the tie-in technology.

Applica U2 is a Plug-and-Play, half-sized ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) board shipped with a fifteen-foot cable and a connector box for attaching a monitor, keyboard and mouse. A 50-foot cable is available for $49.

Currently, Applica U2 is available direct and through certain reseller channels. The company expects to make a major retail distribution announcement in the near future.

More information is available at http://www.applica.com.

(Contact: Jeff Elliot, Power PR, 310-787-1940)