Sun unveils mobile Sparc workstations

Sun Microsystems is shipping its first mobile workstations based on UltraSparc processors. The laptop systems deliver all the performance and functionality of a Sun Blade workstation in a mobile unit, according to Sun, enabling engineers and other professionals to run its Solaris Unix environment in the field.

Unveiled at the JavaOne developer conference in San Francisco, Sun's new Ultra 3 Mobile Workstations are manufactured for the firm by Tadpole Computer and Nature Worldwide Technology, both of which have offered Solaris-based laptops for some time.

The mobile workstations, available from this month, ship in a number of configurations based on 550MHz or 650MHz UltraSparc IIi chips, or the 1.28GHz UltraSparc IIIi chip. They also have up to 2GB of RAM, 80GB IDE or 73GB UltraSCSI hard drive, and Solaris 8, 9 or 10 operating environments.

Sun said the Ultra 3 Mobile Workstations offer enterprise-class mobility without compromise, allowing users to view the same 64bit Solaris environment as Sun Blade workstations.

The Ultra 3 Mobile Workstations come with either 15in or 17in TFT displays and graphics capability comparable to or better than the Sun PGX64. Systems with an UltraSparc IIIi processor feature a Gigabit Ethernet adapter, while those running a less powerful UltraSparc IIi processor have 10/100 Ethernet. The models also support 802.11b wireless networking.

Sun said the new laptop systems come with its Java Desktop System (JDS) and StarOffice 7.0 productivity suite. Pricing for the Sun Ultra 3 Mobile Workstation starts at $3,400 (£1,932).