Nec Makes Board For Internet Pc

NEC Corp. said Friday it had developed a prototype for the main circuit board that can run lower-cost computers that rely heavily on data networks such as the Internet for data storage and retrieval.

The company will provide computer makers with samples of its circuit board this fall. The product is similar to the so-called “motherboard” of personal computers, on which the main processing chip resides.

NEC doesn’t expect full production to begin until 1998 and will charge about $190 for the product.

The chipset can handle programs written or augmented by Sun Microsystems Inc.’s Java programming language, widely touted as a way to software can be delivered quickly over data networks like the Internet.

The concept of a lower-cost computer has been promoted by several U.S. companies that specialize in networking software.