Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uflorida!stat!vsserv!loligo!schrader
From: schrader@loligo (Dave Schrader)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Who is Packard Bell and why are they making clones?
Keywords: Packard Bell PC Clone
Message-ID: <333@vsserv.scri.fsu.edu>
Date: 3 Nov 89 18:24:09 GMT
References: <1153@elmgate.UUCP>
Sender: news@vsserv.scri.fsu.edu
Reply-To: schrader@loligo.UUCP (David Schrader)
Organization: Florida State University Computing Center
Lines: 34

In article <1153@elmgate.UUCP> frh@elmgate.UUCP (Frank Hubbell SOFT) writes:
>Who is Packard Bell? Does anyone know anything about them?
>I am thinking about buying one of their PC Clones. Any information
>would be welcome.

Packard Bell has a long history of work in the field of electronics. They
were an early manufacturer of radios and televisions (many older persons
may remember their name in that context. With the growth of the Japanese
electronics market they lost a large part of their market share in the
radio and tv market and effectively went out of business. Then, about 3-4
years ago rights to their name was purchased and they spun off a PC 
division. 

About two and a half years ago I purchased one of their machines (at a very
competative price. It was a 80286 clone with EGA and 80(+-) hard disk. It
had 6/8 Mhz, 0 wait, and came with MS-DOS 3.2. It had 8 slots (5/16-3/8).
There were a few minor problems when I added a 3.5" drive but those were
solved by changing to MS-DOS 3.3 plus some technical assistance.

I have used the machine daily (not at work but at home in the evening) and
have added mouse (MS0 and modem (Everex 2400). It have been a solid machine
(considering I have two game playing boys and a little girl who is hard
on the mouse (also "quits" by turning off the power despite being told
the "proper" way to do it), a wife who isn't computer literate but is
learning, and myself fighting to use it).

I am very satisfied (I also use a wide variety of brands at work). If you
don't have a maintenance facility locally I would discourage getting one
cause shipping it in if you have problems can eat you alive. 

To the rest of the net, I would have sent this as mail, but the Packard
Bell name seems to have cropped up 4-5 times lately.