Path: utzoo!utgpu!cunews!bnrgate!brtph3!brchh104!brchs1!bnr.ca!rice.edu!sun-spots-request
From: mark@east.sunworld.com (Mark Cappel)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun
Subject: Re: Info requested on: RDI/TriGem's Britelite portable.
Keywords: Compatibles
Message-ID: <2208@brchh104.bnr.ca>
Date: 27 Mar 91 21:35:00 GMT
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Approved: Sun-Spots@rice.edu
X-Original-Date: Wed, 27 Mar 91 09:57:52 EST
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In article <2117@brchh104.bnr.ca> frankk@cwi.nl (Frank Kuiper) writes:
<stuff deleted >
>This machine supposedly is an SunOS laptop, with MSDOS and Mac OS
>emulations available.  The price of US$ 10,800 is not nothing for an 8-48
>Mb main memory, 240Mb on board disk, 12.5 MIPS machine.
>
>We are interested in this machine, specially because it offers both MSDOS
>and Mac OS emulations.  Is there anyone who can tell me more about it?
>Reliabillity, features/performance of the emulations?

An editor at SunWorld has been promised a review unit, Real Soon Now. As
soon as we get our grubby mitts on one we will put it through SunWorld's
lab. 

I actually touched one at Uniforum in Dallas this winter. In outward
dimensions and design, it looked much like the old Toshiba T3200 luggable
PC. The LCD screen is sharp, though seemed a bit sluggish as compared to a
conventional CRT. Most of the BriteLite's weight is due to the hard
drives. An optional battery pack, which might make a dandy club if you
frequent bad neighborhoods, adds even more weight.

The Macintosh emulator was running at the show. I saw a single Mac
application (I believe it was Excel or WingZ) run on the Britelite.
"Companion," as the emulator goes by, can access the floppy disk and can
read and write native Mac files. I dragged several files to and from the
floppy just as one would on a Mac. Companion bombed once while I was
closing the afformentioned spreadsheet, so not all of the bugs were out
two months ago.

I did not see the PC emulator in action.

The RDI people claim BriteLite uses an authentic SPARCstation IPC
motherboard. The Trigem look-alike uses a motherboard of Trigem's design.

This is not meant to be shameless plug (I do have *some* shame :-), but a
comprehensive review is planned for the BriteLite. In the meantime, I hope
these impressions from a tradeshow help.

Mark Cappel			80 Elm St.   
Senior Editor			Peterborough, NH 03458
SunWorld (nee SunTech Journal)	voice (603) 924-0100
mark@east.sunworld.com		fax   (603) 924-9384