Osborne Venture to Sail With Technology Exhibition Ship

Project Expex, the Long Beach company that is converting a former Alaskan cruise ship into a floating exhibition hall to market American technology at Third World ports, will represent Osborne Computer Corp. and the computer products of Osborne’s new joint-venture partners when the ship sails next spring.

Osborne and its partners will pay Expex $150,000 in exhibition fees as well as 20% commissions on computer and peripheral sales generated by the ship’s visits.

Also, Osborne agreed to donate 200 computers to the ship and additional computers to schools and universities selected by Project Expex officials along the ship’s initial 50-port route through 40 countries in South America, Africa and the Middle East.

Javid Jalali, president of Expex, said Osborne’s reorganization and wide-ranging product offering of the joint venture played a key role in the decision to select Osborne over other computer manufacturers.

“This is good for us because our goal is to provide technology for everyone, whether they use IBM, Apple or a CP/M computer,” Jalali said.

“And it’s good for (Osborne and its partners) because we will be opening totally new markets for some of them.”

The MS Expex, a 300-foot converted cruise ship currently anchored in Los Angeles Harbor, is scheduled to sail in the spring.