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	TOSHIBA UNVEILS WORLD'S FIRST RISC-BASED LAPTOP 
		Engineering Workstation (EWS)
   
SunFLASH Vol 18 #20					 	June 1990 
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(this is a press release from Toshiba, Not Sun Microsystems - johnj)

UTILIZES SUN MICROSYSTEMS' SPARC MICROPROCESSOR
 
TOKYO --  May 8, 1990 --  Toshiba Corporation has developed the world's
first RISC-based laptop-type engineering workstation (EWS), the SPARC
LT, AS1000/L10.  The new computer runs on a RISC (reduced instruction
set computer) microprocessor based on the SPARC TM  architecture
designed by Sun Microsystems, Inc.  This is the first-ever RISC chip to
be used as the CPU (central processing unit) of a laptop computer.
Japanese marketing has already begun and shipping will start in
mid-July.  Details on the overseas marketing has not been decided yet.

The new computer is the result of a May, 1989 agreement between Toshiba
and Sun Microsystems, under which Toshiba obtained comprehensive rights
to develop and manufacture computers based on the SPARC architecture
and the SunOS TM  UNIX(R) operating system.

Through integration of the company's wide-ranging experience in laptop
computers and components technologies, including semiconductors and
displays, Toshiba has packed conventional desktop performance into an
7.8kg (17.7 lbs) laptop.  The new computer processes at 13.2 MIPS
(million instructions per second) and features 8 megabytes of main
memory utilizing 16 units of Toshiba's 4-megabit DRAMs, a 180-megabyte
hard disk drive (HDD), 64-kilobyte cache memory, high-resolution
active-matrix monochrome LCD display (1,152 x 900 pixels) with
backlight, and a 3.5-inch floppy disk drive (FDD).  In Japan, it is
priced at Y1,980,000 (approx. US$13,200).

The AS1000/L10 is compatible with all SPARC-based workstations, and can
run approximately 1,700 third-party application software packages
developed for SPARC-based workstations, as well as Japanese-language
applications for Toshiba's AS-series (Sun-based EWS).

This high-performance laptop EWS will further promote the "age of work
group computing" and enhance engineering efficiency by cutting
development times.  The small footprint of the AS1000/L10 will cut
overhead costs by saving space.  Toshiba expects the computer will be
used in CAD/CAM (computer-aided design/manufacturing) and desktop
publishing systems and in the software engineering field.

Computers and workstations are constantly becoming faster, more compact
and more functional.  A major factor in this trend is utilization of
new types of 32-bit microprocessors based on RISC architecture.  RISC
chips reduce the number of operating instructions the CPU needs to
process information, making them faster than conventional CISC (complex
instruction set computer) microprocessors.

SPARC (Scalable Processor ARChitecture) was designed by Sun and
introduced in its systems in l987.  In February l989, SPARC
International of Sunnyvale, Calif., was established as an independent,
non-profit service corporation for promoting and directing the
evolution of the SPARC RISC architecture and its associated operating
environment.

Today, Toshiba Corporation has joined SPARC International as an
associate member.  The new SPARC-based laptop EWS will be verified
compliant with SPARC International's SPARC Compliance Definition (SCD)
1.0.

Since 1985, when Toshiba introduced the world's first laptop computer
to the European market, the company has been a leading manufacturer of
laptops.  Total worldwide sales of one million laptops was achieved in
September, 1989.

###

UNIX is a register trademark of AT&T. SPARC and SunOS are trademarks of
Sun Microsystems, Inc.


Major specifications of the New Laptop EWS


Model name			SPARC LT, AS1000/L10

CPU				SPARC

Co-processor			WTL3171

Operating Speed			13.2 MIPS

Operating System		OS/ASR4
				(Sun OS-based Japanese/English-version)

Display				12-inch Active-Matrix Thin Film Diode
				(TFD) type liquid crystal display (LCD)
				with backlight

Resolution			1,152 x 900 Pixels [Sun Standard]

Memory (max.)			8MB (40MB)

Hard Disk Drive			180MB

Floppy Disk Drive		3.5-inch (1.44MB/720KB)

Communication			Ether (standard)
				Modem (option)

Expansion Slot			2 (SBus x 1/Modem x 1)

Mouse				3 buttons

Audio Interface			available

Option CRT			Color/Monochrome

Serial Interface		RS232C x 2 (standard)

Parallel Interface		SCSI x 1 (standard)

Size				340mm (W) x 375mm (D) x 98mm (H)

Weight				7.8kg (17.7 lbs.)

Power				100V-240V x 1.3A


Press Contact:

Yuji Wakayama, Toshiba Corporation
011-81-3-457-4776

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