PCs Go Global

(NAPSA)—The World Wide Web is becoming more diversified. Analysts say computer companies have taken steps to make their products more user friendly to different cultures within the U.S. that may have been previously overlooked. New computersare available with keyboards that feature Spanish language characters. For example, PC makers have recently targeted the nation’s 35.3 million Hispanic people, a segment that has grown 58 percent since 1990. Currently, only 33 percent of Hispanic households have a PC, compared to 55 percent of Anglo families and 65 percent of Asian families. To help bridge this digital divide, Compaq recently introduced a Spanish-language Internet PC called the Presario 5000T. The unit’s keyboard has Spanish characters (including tildes and upside down exclamation points and question marks) and Spanish versions of Microsoft's Home Suite and Windows Millennium software. A Spanish-based Internet service provider is also included. “The new Spanish PC product line provides specific computer capabilities that can help enhance Latino business and family communications,” says J.R. Gonzales, chairmanof the Texas Association of Mexican American Chambersof Commerce. For more information visit www.compaq.com.