caserta@athena.mit.edu (Francesco Caserta) (05/31/91)
Today I received June's issue of the Sun Observer. It contains an article titled "RDI's Sparc-based laptop: 8,500 orders already in". The article ends in this way: As for the future, RDI, which employs 50 people, is looking ahead, a necessary direction to face in an industry that promises at most a one to two year window after the release of a new product. The company is building two ways: evolutionary, which is downsizing the laptop and going from monochrome to color; the other is revolutionary, which is not a laptop, notebook or desktop machine, Schrameck, said. RDI will announce a notebook and will show a color unit at Comdex. The company is also working on a new product to come out at Comdex, according to Schrameck. "It's our definition of where we think workstations will go in the future." Anyone knows more? Francesco Caserta
toddb@probe.EBay.Sun.COM (Todd Bernhard) (06/08/91)
In article <1991May30.235304.12866@athena.mit.edu> caserta@athena.mit.edu (Francesco Caserta) writes: >Today I received June's issue of the Sun Observer. It contains an article titled >"RDI's Sparc-based laptop: 8,500 orders already in". > > ... > >Anyone knows more? > >Francesco Caserta Here's some info....FYI, the laptop uses the SPARCstation IPC motherboard, as opposed to designing their own motherboard. ---todd (Wall Street Journal, November 7, 1990) SMALL COMPUTER FIRM TO UNVEIL LAPTOP TO RUN SOFTWARE OF BIG MAKERS MACHINES A small California start-up plans to add a new twist to the computer wars with a jack-of-all-trades laptop mahcine that runs software for machines made by Sun Microsystems Inc., Apple Computer Inc. and International Business Mahcines Corp. The company, Research, Development & Innovations Inc. of San Diego, said it plans to display at the Comdex computer show next week a 8.5-pound battery-powered laptop computer that uses the Sparc chip, the heart of Sun's popular workstations. The machines will run Sun, IBM and Apple software unaltered, said RDI president Rick Schrameck. The RDI machine, a Sparc "clone" called the BriteLite, apparently solves one of the biggest headaches of computer makers who are cloning Sun's machines. Sun and its backers want to eat into markets traditionally served by personal computers but are hampered by computer users' reluctance to discard huge libraries of software written for IBM clones and Apple machines. The machine is one of the first Sparc clones that Sun is counting on to help make its chip a de facto standard in the quickly growing market for workstations. About a dozen other comptuer makers are expected to show Sparc clones at the Comdex convention in Las Vegas. BriteLite is especially unique in that it apparently will be the first computer ever to contain software that allows it to mimic, or "emulate," the Apple's Mahcintosh machines. An Apple spokeswoman said no non-Apple computer on the market runs Macintosh software, but she added that Apple wasn't familiar with the new machine. "The only way they could do that is a jerry-rigged manner," said the spokeswoman. "We cannot, nor can our third-party software vendors, verify if this is a usable system for our customers." The BriteLite will "absolutely run all Macintosh software" faster than does the Macintosh SE, said Mr. Shcrameck, and will run MS-DOS software at the same speed as a PC using Intel Corp.'s 80286 microporcessor. The macines will be manufactured by TriGem Computer Inc., a major South Korean PC maker that builds machines for Japan's Epson Corp. and owns a minority interest in RDI. The company said it will begin shipping the machines, which will list for between $7,000 and $12,000, in December. The machines will include eight megabytes of memory, a 100 megabyte disk drive and a 13-inch monochrome screen. ============================================================================ SUBJECT: WORLD'S FIRST BATTERY-POWERED, RISC-BASED LAPTOP COMPUTER DEBUTS SOURCE: Business Wire via First! (TM) of INDIVIDUAL, Inc. DATE: November 7, 1990 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The world's first battery-powered, RISC-based laptop computer was announced Wednesday by TriGem Corp., the U.S. subsidiary of Korea's largest computer manufacturer, and Research, Development & Innovations Inc. (RDI), a privately held start-up company in San Diego. The laptop will be shown for the first time at Fall COMDEX in Las Vegas, TriGem booth 3008, South Hall, LVCC. Designed as the first ``go-anywhere'' computer for UNIX ``power users'' in engineering, science, finance and government, the workstation weighs only 8.5 lbs. including 8 Mb of RAM memory, 100-Mb hard drive and 13'' monochrome screen with 1152x900 pixel resolution, and provides 2-6 hours of usage with a 4-lb. battery. Based on the SPARC architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, the laptop's RISC (reduced instruction set computer) processor uses more streamlined computer instructions and faster operating speeds to deliver far more processing power than the CISC (complex instruction set computer) processors used in PCs and Macintosh computers. The laptop executes about 15.8 million instructions per second (MIPS) at 25 MHz, compared to about 5-6 MIPS for computers based on Intel's 386 chip running at the same speed. The laptop also emulates CISC processors to run DOS software at the speed of a 286 PC and Macintosh software faster than a Macintosh SE, allowing users to migrate to RISC performance without sacrificing their PC and Macintosh software investments. ``In today's international marketplace, companies like RDI and TriGem can become very close partners, combining the best design, product development and manufacturing technologies -- wherever they exist worldwide,'' stated Young M. Kimm, chairman of TriGem Corp. ``Our new relationship is a perfect example of how TriGem will continue to form new U.S. relationships with companies that need a true, custom OEM.'' According to Rick Schrameck, president and chief executive officer of RDI, ``TriGem has a world-class UNIX team of its own, and its quality and manufacturing teams worked as an extension of our own team to turn a very advanced design into a high-quality, volume manufacturable computer. Our relationship enables RDI to be a world-class competitor.'' The new laptop will be marketed by RDI on an OEM and distribution basis as BriteLite and by TriGem on an OEM basis as SLT-100. Pricing will vary according to configuration, with list prices expected to range between $7,000 and $12,000. Initial shipments will begin in December 1990 with volume production in the first quarter 1991. A color model will be introduced in 1991. Basic Specifications o Dimensions: 12x12x2.75'' o Input devices: 83-key keyboard with 10 function keys, integrated numeric keypad, integral mouse-like pointing device o Processor: 25- or 20-MHz L64801 SPARC integer processor by LSI Logic, 25- or 20-MHz L64802 floating-point processor by LSI Logic o Operating System: Sun O/S 4.1, Sun View o Languages: C, Fortran 77 VMS from RDI; C++, ADA, more from 3rd parties o RAM Memory: 8 Mbexpandable to 16 Mb o Disk Storage: Available 100 and 120 MB hard disk drives o Floppy Disk: 3.5'', 1.44 Mb o I/O: Ethernet 9-pin D connector, external mouse port, 9-pin RS-232 port o Interfaces: Ethernet, Sbus, SCSI serial o Display: 13'' monochrome side-lit super-twist LCD with 1152x900 or 640x480 resolution, color available in 1991 o Accessories: Sbus expansion slot, canvas carrying case, battery charger, reserve battery, 2400 baud modem, fax modem, car adaptor Company Background Established in 1980, TriGem Computer was Korea's first computer manufacturer and that country's largest dedicated computer company. TriGem produced 500,000 microcomputers in calendar year 1989 and earned $300 million in revenues. The company's production capacity will increase to a million systems in 1991 to support a new TriGem product line and new OEM relationships with companies like RDI. The U.S. subsidiary, TriGem Corp. of Santa Clara, was founded in April 1989 to develop a line of 21 new microcomputer and telecommunications products for the U.S. market, to be introduced at COMDEX, and develop new custom OEM relationships. Research, Development & Innovations Inc. of San Diego was founded in January 1989 by Rick Schrameck and David Hice to manufacture and market the BriteLite series of UNIX/SPARC-compatible, battery operated laptop workstations. -0- Note to Editors: UNIX is a registered trademark of AT&T. Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Computer Inc. 386 is a trademark of Intel Corp. -- Todd Bernhard, Sun Micro, US Field Mktg - Milpitas, CA 408-276-1542 toddb@Sun.COM ....!sun!toddb (Having the Right to be Wrong does NOT imply the Obligation.)