HOUSTON -- October 14, 1994 -- Compaq Computer Corporation (NYSE:CPQ) has received two prestigious awards for design and engineering from Popular Mechanics magazine, a leading consumer-oriented publication that examines new products, techniques, and scientific and technological developments.

In an awards ceremony held last night, the Compaq Contura Aero ultra-portable PC and the recently introduced Compaq Presario 500 Series multimedia PC took top honors in the electronics/computers category of the Popular Mechanics Design & Engineering Awards. The award honors products which create a new standard in their product category, and demonstrate technological and design excellence.

"The Compaq products are significant developments in their field. The Compaq Contura Aero ultra-portable PC and the Compaq Presario 500 series multimedia PC are two of the most innovative products for 1995," said Joe Oldham, editor-in-chief of Popular Mechanics. "The Aero offers excellent mobility, computing power and value, while the Presario is one of the first complete information appliances, incorporating computing capability with communications and entertainment capabilities."

Compaq Contura Aero

The Compaq Contura Aero is a fully featured ultra-portable PC that is ideal for mobile professionals, students and consumers. Weighing only 3 1/2 lbs. -- less than a two liter bottle of soda -- and smaller than a piece of notebook paper, the Aero also offers color and monochrome versions, a powerful 486 microprocessor and up to a 250 megabyte hard drive. With prices beginning at $999*, the Aero comes loaded with a host of pre-installed software, six hours of battery life, a PCMCIA slot for additional communication and computing capability, and a power management feature that allows users to remain in standby mode for up to seven days.

Compaq Presario 500 Series

Winning its first award only one month after announcement, the Compaq Presario 500 Series multimedia PC is specifically designed for home and home office use and is the flagship product in Compaq's new generation of Presario multimedia PCs, launched Sept. 14. Combining computer, communications and entertainment capabilities, the Presario 500 series is seen as the ultimate information appliance and can be used as a television, speaker telephone, telephone answering machine, fax machine and stereo sound system. Compaq's new pre-installed MediaPilot program helps users quickly and easily access the PC's multimedia features. With prices starting at $1,699*, the Compaq Presario 500 series features an all-in-one design, integrated stereo speakers, 23 bundled software and/or CD-ROM titles, a 486SX2 processor and a 420 megabyte hard drive.

The Popular Mechanics Design & Engineering Awards honor innovative products from five categories including home improvement, automotive, science and technology, boating and outdoors, and electronics industries.

Corporate Background

Compaq Computer Corporation is a world leader in the manufacture of servers, desktop, portable and notebook personal computers. Founded in 1982, the company reported 1993 worldwide revenues of $7.2 billion. Compaq products are sold and supported in more than 100 countries through a network of more than 31,000 Compaq marketing partners. Compaq also sells directly to customers through Compaq DirectPlus at 1-800-888-5858. For customer support and information, call 1-800-345-1518. Users needing technical support for Compaq products should call 1-800-OK Compaq.

* All prices are estimated selling prices. Actual prices may vary.