BIOS: Technology Means Business

Sun Microsystems has launched its first-ever laptop computer, encouraging mobile software developers to write programs built on its technology. The Sun Ultra 3 Mobile Workstation uses Sun's Sparc microprocessor and lets engineers and system administrators and other users of Sun products to run the same applications as on large, mid-range servers and workstations, which are powerful computers used by engineers and scientists.

Chief Executive Officer Scott McNealy, who has seen sales drop for almost four years, is entering a laptop computer market that's growing three times faster than desktop personal computers. Sun's laptps are powerful enough for engineers to perform technical work while on the road, said John Fowler, Sun's executive vice president of network systems.

The Sun Ultra 3 Mobile Workstations promises to deliver all the performance and functionality of a Sun Blade workstation in a mobile form factor. With the Solaris 10 Operating Environment and a range of 64-Bit UltraSPARC processors, graphics options, 802.11b wireless networking, 15-and 17in. SXGA+ TFT LCD displays, Integrated Gigabit (10/100/1000Base-T) Ethernet, the Sun Ultra 3 Mobile Workstations should deliver workstation class performance anywhere you go.

The laptop is available with either a 550MHz or 650MHz UltraSPARC IIi processor or 1.28GHz UltraSPARC IIIi processor, up to 2GB of SDRAM, 80GB IDE or 73GB UltraSCSI hard disk, and a choice of operating systems: Solaris 10 Operating Environment, Solaris 9 Operating Environment, Solaris 8 Operating Environment. Sun Java Desktop System also comes pre-installed, along with StarOffice 7.0 or GNOME 2.0 Environment (depending on model).

The Santa Clara, California-based company has also announced what it said was its fastest-ever workstation. It is available at a promotion price of $39.95 per month with a three-year subscription. The Sun Ultra 20 Workstation comes loaded with Sun's Solaris 10 operating system, its Java Studio Enterprise 7 software and its Java Studio Creator 2004Q2 software developer tools and includes support and service.