Aileen has just moved into an apartment that she and hubby Adam saved up for. They decorated it with a theme colour of light pastel green, as they are nature lovers and green is cool colour.

The apartment has splashes of green and Aileen had wished that the new computer that they bought recently could be coloured to match the colour scheme of their interior décor. If they have heard of Cuzzy computers, their décor plans would have been complete.

The desktop computer has slowly but steadily become an item commonly found in many households. The fact is, the government's campaign "One Home, One Computer" has begun to materialize and, in turn, has resulted in this phenomenon.

While each homeowner has a variety of furniture and decorative items to suit his or her dwelling place, the same cannot be said when it comes to selecting the desktop.

As one of the items that stand out, the dull-looking, typically off-white, boxy desk-top usually clashes with the rest of the interior design. Be in the bedroom, home-office room, or the living room, each of these areas has a concept that a homeowner usually tries to project, using the items that ware acquired.

Would it not be nice to have a desktop system that harmoniously complements the rest of the area it is located in?

The aesthetics of a desktop computer have been ignored by most of the hardware manufacturers. Though Apple users are making their machines into conversation pieces, the same could not be said when it comes to the more ubiquitous PC.

Most PC users are stuck with the standard boring off-white boxes that look really out of place alongside the home-theatre system; even though, technically speaking, they belong there, serving the purpose of MP3, VCD and games playback.

Enter Cuzzy

Cuzzy computers, produced and marketed by Advanced Convergence Laboratories Sdn Bhd, include a whole range of desktop computers in wide variety of colours. The best part is , you can request that your computer be processed in your favourite colour. Would not that be an interior decorator's dream?

"Our coloured personal computers differentiate us from other computer producters," says Valentine Siva Jr., director of Cuzzy Advanced Convergence Laboratories Sdn Bhd (CACL) who claims that his company is the first Malaysian based worldwided producer for colour desktops. This has come about with substantial investment of money and efforts on research and development (R&D), added Valentine with some pride.

Valentine recalls the tremendous amount of sacrifice the shareholders had to make in coming up with funds and endless hours of work to achieve this. For the past three years, the books of the company had not shown any profits because all the revenue had been ploughed back into R&D, revealed Valentine.

Now, all the efforts have borne fruit and sales had been doubling every month. Since January, CACL has been selling 300 sets a month (no small achievements), making enough profits to cover the amount spent on R&D.

Individual preference

Though the exterior design and colours may be considered secondary to some, they do mean a lot for certain groups of users. Demand will probably come from interior designers, trend-conscious individuals and corporations, cyber cafes and airport lounges.

There was a Rasta fan from Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur who wanted Bob Marley's face sprayed on a notebook PC (cover) as well as Bob Marley songs to come on when the notebook is switched on; and Valentine obliged. For this one-of -a-kind notebook, the Rasta fan paid a little premium of RM600.

The good news is, the pricing of Cuzzy computers is rather competitive, ranging from RM1,788 for "Cuzzy JR" to RM4,188 for a "Cuzzyoblie" notebook. According to Valentine, the difference in price of a Cuzzy package and that of the ones already in the market is minimal.

At this, many users are expecting a catch - does this mean that Cuzzy's desktops are all wonderful on the outside but all measly in the inside just to keep the pricing competitive? Well, the basic, standard hardware inclusion in the system is actually quite powerful.

The Cuzzy Sportster/Diva Series Multimedia - Performance desktop PC, for example utilizes an Intel Pentium 4 1.6GHz processor and features the 32MB nVidia GeForce MX200 3D 4X AGP graphics card, Creative Vibra 128bit PCI sound card, 40GB ATA 100 hard disk drive and 512MB 133MHz SDRAM. Combined with the Combo Drive (DVD,CD-R/RW), 17 inch monitor and PowerSpace X 1.2.1 Microlab Hi-Fi speakers, the whole system is a competent choice for graphics designers, Webmasters and digital movie editors at RM 4,088.

Desktop and notebook packages from Cuzzy are categorized into Home, Student, Gamer, Multimedia, Office, Corporate, Mobile and Junior. While catering to different needs, each category of packages also comes in two options - Value or Performance.

Most Value packages utilize the Intel Celeron 1.0GHz processors while Performance packages incorporate Intel Pentium 41.6GHz processors. For non-Microsoft users, StarOffice 5.2 version is preloaded.

On top of all that, users can also customize the insides too, just like how Dell conducts its business. And each PC is bundled with 8 courses on e-learning, compliments of CACL.

"With CACL, purchasers can have so many options when it comes to payment," says Valentine. They can buy with cash, through an easy payment scheme , through the EPF withdrawal scheme, or order online at CACL's Website, or call the toll-free line to place an order.

Valentine notes that the most popular colours are navy blue, royal purple and black. Green is picking up, while black is preferred by gamers for some reason or other. The ladies seem to favour the Diva series which are dressed in pearly hues.

The finishing is made out of quality paint mixed with the casing's resin (the chemical mix has been patented). Typical PC boxes turn yellow after some time, due to oxidation but Cuzzy PCs will maintain their beautiful colours. You can even polish to keep their shine.

Whatever colour one fancies, it would not be a problem with CACL as the company can produce up to 1,000 colours, says Valentine.

Ferrari red, anyone?

Marketing strategy

Now that the R&D part has been taken taken care of , CACL can concentrate on marketing the fruits of their labour. "Our main focus is direct to market, targeting the home market and also through "Grade A" Dealers who operate branded retail outlets in high traffic areas for the moment," reveals Valentine." We are however, looking at the niche market of corporations like auto makers.

Valentine reckons that, to reach the home users, direct mailers would be most effective. The company also places its products in Carrefour Hypermarkets to create awareness of colour PCs to consumers and to cater for discounted cash buyers.

During the interview, we noticed that there were stacks of direct mailers in the office, ready to hit the homes of consumers. The first batch of direct mailers had received extremely good responses from those who received them, according to Valentine.

These mailers are different from the normal mailers in that they each have a section that offers advice to customers, especially new users, on what sort of PCs they should buy.

To keep prices down, CACL out -sources many aspects of its production to professionals. This will enable the staff to concentrate and focus on R&D, manufacturing, marketing and international business development.

Valentine reveals that CACL is currently producing 250 sets of desktops per month and expects double every two months.

More innovations

While marketing is the priority right now, the R&D team which consists of 4 young talented and enthusiastic members, is not resting on its laurels.

The proprietors of CACL have always thrived on innovation. According to Valentine, CACL was the first to sell standard wireless keyboards in the 90s, providing practicality in scaled-down keyboards, integrated mouse for position flexibility, and infrared instead of radio frequency, which is more readily accepted, due to the yet-to-be settled health issues surrounding the latter technology.

As PC prices kept falling over the years, CACL realized that it could not afford to compete on price alone. Thus it looked into other areas, and the idea of coloured PCs was conceived.

CACL is looking to change the shape of PCs to come. They are not embarking on what Apple has done to the Macintoshes but, rather, are looking at producing round notebooks as opposed to the normal rectangular one.

It is not just talk, for a prototype has already been produced. Valentine reveals that if things go well, CACL will unveil the round notebook by the end of the year.

CACL is also looking at endorsements for a limited edition of "artistes" faces being embossed on PCs or notebooks, or a Manchester United PC/notebook for MU fans.

D-Box

CACL's golden innovation is actually the revolutionary D-Box. This ultimate home entertainment hub is unique technology product that can serve as a full-fledge PC, DVD player, MP3 player, digital-audio recorder, gaming console and Internet-ready PC.

The D-box is designed with coloured casing to complement its D-shaped design. Among the available colours are Pearl White, Nature Green and Navy Blue. The scaled down version with a CD writer drive is RM2,999 while the full scale version with the DVD combo drive retails at RM3,299.

Technology with Taste

Should you be looking for PCs that can match the interior design of your home, office and other types of surrounding, Cuzzy coloured PCs will do the trick. Without compromising on technology, you will get both good performance and harmony in design from your coloured PC.

Newer products from CACL may feature double tone colours, polka-dots and zebra designs among other alternatives to the current single-tone coloured housings. So, if you have a problem settling for just one colour, give CACL a call and see what they can do for you.

Now, who says PCs cannot look trendy and fashionable?

Sharing knowledge with consumers

Cuzzy Advanced Convergence Laboratories' initiative is not just limited to providing high aesthetic personal computers and technologically superior products. Through their direct mailers, the company takes the opportunity to advise and educate consumers.

The "Cuzzy's Evaluator Guide" is a segment in the direct mailer that helps users picked a Cuzzy PC to suit every need. Here, consumers are advised that a computer should not be an impulse-buy no matter how good a deal is.

Before buying, think of who will be using the computer and how they will use it. Then, buy a system that best fits the user-and-use profile.

For the benefit of readers who do not reside in the Klang Valley and, thus, may not receive the direct mailers at all, we have reproduced the evaluator guide to help such readers make an informed decision before purchasing a computer. Readers are also welcome to CACL on the toll-free line for advice on packages suitable for them.

IN the Evaluator's Guide, there are three multiple-choice questions given and a user must pick an swear that is most applicable. Based on the three answers, Cuzzy will direct the user to a suitable package.

The following is the Cuzzy's Evaluator Guide.

The questions are:
A. How important is your budget versus the performance level you expect?

1. I do not mind spending more but I want the latest and the best.2. I want a fair balance between good performance and my budget.

B. How concerned are you that your PC will become obsolete very quickly?

C. I plan to use my PC the majority of time for:-

Collect your three answers and check with Cuzzy PC is for you on the Reference Table. For example, if your selected combination is A1, B2 and C3 the recommended system is a Cuzzy Gamer-Performance PC (see table).

The mailer also comes with a Cuzzy Buyer Guide that helps users to better understand processors, memory (RAM), storage drivers, video graphics, video monitors, audio, speakers and modems or network adapters.