Toshiba *laptop* SPARC workstation press release

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Toshiba Corporation ;Yuji Wakayama (011) 81-3-457-4776

TOSHIBA UNVEILS WORLD'S FIRST RISC-BASED LAPTOP EWS.  UTILIZES SUN
MICROSYSTEMS' SPARC MICROPROCESSOR

TOKYO   May 8, 1990   Toshiba Corporation has developed the world's first
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  M  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 have 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 UNIX operating system.

Through integration of the company's wide-ranging experience in laptop
computers and component 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 pixels1) 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 (desktop-type EWS).

This high-performance laptop EWS will further promote the "age of one
computer per person" 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 software engineering field.

Computers and workstations are constantly becoming faster and more compact
and achieving ever more versatile functions.  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.  Toshiba was the first Japanese company to obtain
the right to develop and market SPARC workstations.

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.

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 (Japanese/English version)
Display          : 12-inch Active-Matrix Thin Film Diode
                   (TFD) type liquid crystal display (LCD)
                   with backlight
Resolution       : 1,152 x 900 [Sun Standard]
Memory (max.)    : 8MB (40MB)
Hard disk drive  : 180MB
Floppy disk drive: 3.5-inch (1.2MB/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
Size             : 340mm (W) x 375mm (D) x 98mm (H)
Weight           : 7.8kg
Power            : 100-240V (automatic)