From: neilp@cs.hw.ac.uk (Neil Postlethwaite)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: New Acorn Kit out today (27/08/92)
Date: 27 Aug 92 10:53:42 GMT
Organization: Dept of Computer Science, Heriot-Watt University, Scotland


From Today's Computer Section in The Guardian (Thursday 27/08/92)



'Custom chip off the old block'

- It's a busy time for Acorn, Ian Burley assesses the company's four new
  computers.


Today, Acorn will announce four new computers, including the worlds first sub-
#500 RISC system. Three of the new machines use a development of the ARM
(Acorn RISC Machine) processor, the fourth is the result of Acorn joining
forces with Psion to badge-engineer a custom version of the Series-3 pocket
organiser.

Acorn Prefers not to use the original Archimedes logo any more: the three new
machines running Acorn's proprietry RISCOS (Reduced instruction set computer
operating ststem) are dubbed the A3010, A3020, and the A4000.

Both the new A3010 and A3020 resemble the three-year-old A3000, though the
case is slightly taller and has a more steeply-angled keyboard. The #499
one- megabyte A3010 is aimed at the consumer market: it has a pair of
joystick ports, a TV modulator, a grey case and bright green function keys.

The A3020 retains Acorn's traditional cream finish and red function keys to
denote that it's a schools computer. It has two megabytes of memory, expandable
to four (as is the A3010), the joystick ports give way to a networking
interface option, and IDE hard disc controller circuitry is built in. An A3020
with a 60 Mb hard drive and standard resolution colour monitor will sell for
#899, or for #749 without the hard disc.

The A4000 - #949, including an 80 Mb hard disc - has the same electronics as the
A3020, but housed in a more conventional metal box with a seperate keyboard. The
keyboards on all the examples I tried were disappointing and lifeless. Both the
A3020 and A4000 are compatible with Acorn's new AUN (Acorn Universal Network)
hybrid networking environment. This provides a common RISCOS-based user
interface on both the traditional Acorn Econet system used by many schools
and standard Ethernet networking.

The new machines' most impressive technical feature is a large custon chip that
integrates the four seperate circuits - ARM processor, IOC input/output
controller, VIDC video and sound chip and MEMC memory controller - which made
up the original ARM chip-set.

This new ARM 250 chip does not use the newer ARM-6 series technology destined
for Apple's Newton electronic organiser. However, the ARM 2 processor core is
clocked at 12 MHz, 50 % faster than the originals 8 MHZ. Acorn rates the ARM
250 at 6 MIPS (million innstructions per second) and claims it is 40 % faster
than a 386 DX PC chip.  Performance can be more than 50 % better than the 8 MHz
ARM 2 Archimedes because programs won't need to slow down so much when a lot
of bus bandwidth is claimed by the video circuitry.

One application which works surprisingly well on the new machines is the new
version of PC-Soft, Acorn's PC emulator. The long standing problem of lethargic
CGA-resolution graphics has been solved: the latest release now behaves like
a perfectly respectable PC/XT with a colour VGA screen.

Like the A5000, introduced last year, and the A4 notebook launched last month,
all the new models use a Chips & Technologies PC input/output controller for
serial and parallel ports plus the floppy drive. This offers 1.6Mb Acorn and
1.4Mb PC compatible formats. They have one "mini-podule" expansion slot,
compatible with the older A3000, but no external full-size podule card
expansion slot as on the A3000.  For the A3020, this disadvantage is minimised
because the internal hard drive doesn't use an expansion slot. An A3010 owner
must use that slot to add a hard drive, and so won't be able to add a scanner
interface or whatever. But Acorn say it isn't aiming the A3010 at people with
those requirements: they should go for an A5000.

RISCOS 3.1 is now officially released. ROM chip-sets are available to A5000
owners for #19 (without manuals) and to all other RISCOS users for #49
(including manuals).  Owners of older Archimedes 310 and 400 machines may
need a hardware upgrade costing #30. RISCOS 3.1 enhancements include a dozen
outline fonts in ROM, faster graphics, printer drivers that work in the
background, and a nice new bas-relief look to the desktop.

Acorn's biggest surprise today must be the unveiling of its new Pocket book
organiser, based on the 256K version of the Psion Series-3. Being aimed at
students it has a spreadsheet as standard, at the cost of the Series-3 diary
software, though this is available as an optional ROM cartdidge. The Pocket
book's recommended price is identical to the Psion version at #249.95
including VAT.

Naturally you can hook your pocket computer up to a RISCOS computer. On the
screen the Pocket books files appear in a standard directory viewer and can
be "dragged and dropped" in the usual way.

How will they do ? The A3020 is a much improved A3000 for roughly the same
money: Acorn is confident it will maintain the A3000's achievement of being
the best selling computer in schools. The future of the A3010 is harder toi
predict. Several high street multiples are declaring undying devotion to
Acorn's new baby, but since Commodore has just cut the pribe of the Amiga 600
to #299, the battle may already be lost.

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End of Article
-----

Comment: A3010 *Green Function keys* yeuch. Still it may appeal to the
         Nintendo crown I s'pose.

	RISCOS 3.1 FINALLY. START THE PARTY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
	(bet there will be massive delays supplying though !!)

	All in all this seems like a reasonable shot in the arm. Still
        a touch expensive compared to the competition (esp the A4000 which
	is close to the A5000).

	Now we know why Acorn were desperate to shit the A3000's over the
	summer with the tacky special offer.

	Take 10,000 lines marketing dept.

        I hope people haven't gone out and bought anything else (like A Mac)
        in the meantime as the usual 'National Security' has been round
	Acorn's usual product releases.

Neil


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