Women have progressed much in the world, but stereotypes are still very much prevalent. Although there are as many women drivers in the world as there are men, cars are still predominantly advertised with the latter in mind. Flip through any male or female magazine and one will likely see the business of some products, albeit being gender-free, being targeted particularly at only one gender group.

Let it be, some may say. After all, it's men who have an obsession for cars and women for make-up, and we may after all agree. But what about when it comes to personal computers (PCs)?

"Has anyone seen a PC advertisement in a female magazine?" Do PC manufacturers realize that women would rather have a 'ladylike PC?" asks Cuzzy Advanced Convergence Laboratories Sdn Bhd's chief operating officer Jeffrey Paul Raj.

Based on the responses Cuzzy received from its women clients, Raj and his research and development team set out to make PCs that were aesthetically inclined towards women's fancy. "I've always wondered why PCs were made to look so dull when it could be made more pleasing to the eye, especially as we sit long hours in front of them. So with that, we set out to change the status quo," says Raj.

Thus enter Cuzzy Diva series, hailed as the first PCs ever dedicated to women. Introduced last January, the PCs come in varying pastel shades that women are more inclined to favor.

According to Raj, Cuzzy received some 2,000 enquiry calls when readers first saw the advertisement of PCs in a local women's magazine. Of that, he says, some 300 sets were sold.

Right track. Although it's too early to judge if the figure is good or bad, Raj says the company is confident that it is on the right track as the current clients for the Diva series are its focus group customers.

He is quick to add that Cuzzy, however, does not expect the Diva series to be immensely successful in this country as the number of women in the workforce with higher or disposable income is still relatively small in comparison to matured societies.

"The best way to determine its success is to market this idea and product to female users in mature markets like the United States, Europe and Australia, and maybe even Japan," he adds.

Raj believes Cuzzy will be able to reach this target group through women's magazines, TV shows and even Web sites dedicated to women's concerns. " I believe it is just a matter of raising adequate funds to tackle these markets," he says, adding that Cuzzy has already made some inroads towards that goal.

Apart from the aesthetics, Raj says the system comes with a wireless keyboard and mouse which incorporates a "notebook" keypad that is very soft compared to normal keyboards, which are rather tough and "springy".

"This makes the keyboard easy to operate as it is gentle on user's fingers and rheir finger nails as well," he adds.

The "colourisation" process, he says, is unique and the company has filed an intellectual property claim for it.

Calling the process a trade secret, Raj says that he would not be able to delve much into the details, except that attempts have been made to copy it.

Many skeptics, he says, have brushed it aside as a spray-painting job but even after four and a half years of its creation, many have failed to do same.

Technical courses. The Diva series, Raj adds, will also be bundled with eight free courses valued at RM1,499. These include technical as well as business courses.

The technical courses are Mastering Windows98'; A+ Certification, which teaches users the fundamentals of networking; Mastering Internet Explorer; Mastering Netscape Navigator; and Dynamic HTML, which teaches the user how to create their own Web sites. The business courses include Office 2000, which enables users to master Microsoft Office suite tools and applications; Investing Fundamentals, which educates users about investment opportunities and how to approach them; and Negotiating, which teaches end users to negotiate at all levels.

"All these courses are bundled by our e-learning (electronic learning) division called K-Ware, which, of course, stands for Knowledge Ware," Raj says, adding that the division was incubated by Cuzzy Labs and is now poised to be spun off as an independent subsidiary.

With orders coming in for its Diva series, Cuzzy then introduced the Sportster series, in bold colours, targeted at men.