AST Computers Begins Shipment of the First High-Performance BeOS PCs in the U.S.

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 9, 1999--

The New AST PREMIUM 2000Be Machines Offer Up to One Gigahertz of

Processing Power Beginning At Less Than $2,000

AST(R) Computers, a leading provider of complete IT solutions for small to midsize businesses, Monday announced that it had begun shipping the first high-performance personal computers featuring BeOS(R) in the United States, the AST PREMIUM 2000Be.

This machine will offer customers the power of workstation-class performance with the ease of use of a consumer-ready operating system.

"Following our announcement of the first high-performance BeOS platform, we are getting enthusiastic response from developers and Be Users," said Philippe Ribeyre, vice president of Business Solutions at AST. "At AST, we believe the digital media creation market is poised to boom and we're pleased to be on the forefront of technology with Be."

AST's first BeOS-equipped PC is a desktop powerhouse. Customers can configure the PREMIUM 2000Be with one or two Intel(R) Pentium(R) III processors at 600MHz each. The PREMIUM 2000Be can also be ordered in a value configuration with a single Pentium III processor for less than $2,000.

The machine comes with both BeOS R4.5 and Windows NT workstation 4.0 pre-installed for user convenience. The Be boot loader, also pre-installed, allows users to easily switch between operating systems at startup time.

The PREMIUM 2000Be includes a full version of a premiere application for BeOS, Gobe Productive. Designed by Gobe Software, the same team that created the award-winning ClarisWorks application, Gobe Productive is a next-generation integrated productivity tool and the most popular application for BeOS.

Gobe Productive includes word processing, spreadsheet, graphics, charting, image processing, and presentation capabilities.

AST anticipates delivering a greater variety of PCs featuring BeOS in the coming months, enabling customers to take full advantage of Be's focus on broadband digital media.

The AST PREMIUM 2000Be is available now directly from AST Computers at www.AST.com. The PREMIUM 2000Be is configured-to-order, enabling AST to satisfy the specific business requirements of their customers.

At a Glance

  -- Performance -- Choice of single or dual processor architecture
     fully leveraging the scalability of the BeOS operating system.

  -- Value -- Direct pricing starting under $2,000 provides unmatched
     value. Configurable to customer's needs at www.ast.com.

  -- Reliability -- Integrated architecture (on-board SCSI, on-board
     fast Ethernet).

  -- Flexibility -- Dual-boot preload with BeOS and Microsoft(R)
     Windows NT(R) Workstation.

  -- Scalability -- Seven expansion slots, up to 2GB of ECC memory and
     up to 108GB of disk storage in six drive bays.

About AST

With headquarters in Los Angeles, AST Computers LLC is a leading provider of complete IT solutions for small to midsize businesses. The company designs, distributes and manufactures PCs, monitors and notebooks and is focused on providing small businesses, as well as a growing home market, with advanced computer system solutions, innovative product offerings and superior support services.

AST is a registered trademark of AST Computers LLC. Be and BeOS are registered trademarks of Be Incorporated. Intel and Pentium are U.S. registered trademarks of Intel Corp. Microsoft and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp. All other brand names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective holders. All rights reserved.