Notebooks Branch OutNotebooks Branch Out

If a regular notebook computer isn't good enough for you, there are some new options that feature different processor architectures and software. Tadpole Computer Inc. last week introduced what it says are the first notebooks with a preinstalled Sun Java Desktop System, and eMachines Inc. debuted one of the first desktops to use a 64-bit Athlon 3000+ processor from Advanced Micro Devices Inc.

Tadpole hopes Java-based systems running on Linux will appeal to business customers looking for an alternative to Windows-based systems. The system includes the Gnome desktop environment, the StarOffice suite of productivity applications, a Mozilla browser, and E-mail and calendar applications. Tadpole's Talin notebooks range from an ultraportable with a Pentium III to a 17-inch desktop replacement system based on a Pentium 4. Prices start at $1,195.

The eMachines offerings are the company's second round of notebooks since it entered the market in April. They're aimed at gamers and the small-office market, and start at $1,549.