Newsbytes - Internationa…ews 1983 May to 1994 June/Newsbytes - International Computing Industry News 1994 Edition - May 1983 - June 1994 - Wayzata Technologies (5045) (1994).iso/pc/text/mac_text/1994/jan_feb_94/nb010594

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(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00001)

Ovum's European Data Network Market Survey 01/05/94
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- According to a report
from Ovum, the market research company, the European data
network services market -- specifically X.25 packet data network
(PDN) services -- will be with around ECU4,800 million by 1997,
almost twice the 1992 value of 2,700 million.

This growth, Ovum claims, reflects an overall trend towards
increased use of data network services as a result of growing
user sophistication. Over the same period, national telcos
(telecommunications companies) will account for a diminishing
market share, Ovum asserts, in its latest "VANS (Value Added
Network Service) Markets Europe" report.

According to Ovum, the data network services market is growing in
complexity with telcos increasingly reaching outside their national
boundaries to remain competitive. British Telecommunications
(BT) offers services in several European countries, while France
Telecom also offers its services in a number of other countries.

Ovum's report suggests that, over time, national telcos will begin
to offer their services in all countries, making them into
international telecoms companies. Interestingly, France Telecom
appears to be beating the competition, with around 22 percent of
the European telecoms market, according to Ovum.

Not that the country telcos have the market to themselves. Managed
data network service (MDNS) companies are spreading their wings
quickly. CSC Infonet is a case in point, since it is active in
several European countries, including Belgium, France, Germany,
Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK.

The result, claims Ovum, is predictable, with the national telcos
losing market share. In 1992, country telcos had around 77 percent
of the packet data network (PDN) market, while in 1993, this figure
fell to around 66 percent -- a fall of 11 percent in just one year.

Ovum's VANS Markets Europe predicts that telco revenues will
continue to decline as: liberalization introduces greater
competition in the market; competition forces the telcos to cut
their prices; growing internationalization favors MDNS, which
are strong internationally compared to national and country
telcos; cross-border joint ventures and consortia proliferate;
and corporate outsourcing deals require customized solutions,
where telcos have tended to be weak.

VANS Markets Europe is a continuous information service from Ovum
and contains forecasts of eight different VANS markets in each of
seven countries, profiles of the 50 major players in Europe, and
features on individual country markets. An annual subscription to
the service costs UKP1,795 in Europe and $3,325 in the US.

(Steve Gold/19940104/Press & Public Contact: Ovum,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00002)

Novell Launches UnixWare In India 01/05/94
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- Onward Novell Software
(India) Pvt. Ltd., the joint venture between Onward Technology Group
and Novell Inc., has launched UnixWare Personal Edition and
UnixWare Application Server in India.

A product of Novell's acquisition of Unix System Laboratories,
"UnixWare is Novell's brand name of Unix SVR4.2," says Kanwal
Rekhi, executive vice-president of Novell. Rekhi foresees all the
Unix users in India (including those of SVR4.2) to slowly shift to
UnixWare. He points to Wipro Infotech, for example, that has
already agreed to port UnixWare on its systems.

While the UnixWare Personal Edition is an advanced desktop operating
system for Unix, DOS, and MS-Windows applications, the UnixWare
Application Server is an unlimited multiuser Unix operating system.

The Application Server is intended for those who need a
departmental multiuser system or a low-cost server system to run
enterprise-wide client/server applications or a low-cost database.
The Personal Edition can be used to run enterprise-wide client/
server as well as a low-cost X-server desktop to run distributed
graphical applications.

However, both have 32-bit processing, preemptive multitasking
and SVR4.2 implementation adhering to POSIX 1003.1, X/Open,
XPG3, FIPS 151-1, Unix System V ABI, SVID 3, iBSC2, X11R5,
and X Consortium ICCCM. The two UnixWares offer binary support
for System V, Xenix, SCO Unix, SCO Open Desktop, and Interactive
Unix, and run on a wide variety of Intel 386 and Intel 486 systems.

While it has been decided that the package will be sold through
resellers, Onward Novell was reticent about quoting the price.
The company's reluctance to reveal the price is a part of its
marketing strategy as, "two resellers may not sell at the same
price," said an Onward Novell executive.

Meanwhile, Tata Unisys Ltd. (TUL) has brought out the U6000/DT1 and
DT2 systems, that support UnixWare. The DT2 is being manufactured
at the TUL facility in Goa. The system is available for Rs3.5-5
lakh ($12,000-16,000) based on the configuration. "Within a year,
40 percent of our Unix business will come from DT2,'' said Uma
Aiyer, product manager, DT2.

Based on the Intel 486DX2 (upgradable to the Pentium), the base
board of the DT2, which can support up to 128 megabytes (MB) RAM,
has onboard Adaptec EISA (Extended Industry Standard Architecture)
compatible SCSI (small computer systems interface), local bus
ethernet ports and a VGA (Video Graphics Array) controller. The
internal SCSI ports support external CD ROM drives, providing
access to the growing library of CD ROM applications and
documentation.

The U 6000/DT1 is also centered around the 486DX2 chip, but has
two EISA slots for peripheral add-ons. TUL is not making the DT1s,
but is only selling and supporting them.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19940105)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00003)

Apple Offers New Networking Products 01/05/94
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- Apple
Computer Inc., has introduced the Ethernet LC Twisted Pair
network interface card. At the same time the company has also
announced enhancements to its Apple Workgroup Server 95
product line.

According to the company, the Ethernet LC Twisted-Pair card
offers Ethernet speeds that are "significantly faster than many
of Apple's previous Ethernet offerings."

The Ethernet LC Twisted-Pair Card comes with an RJ-45 port
which allows for the direct connection to an IEEE 802.3 10Base-T
compatible hub. The company also claims that the card comes
with improved Ethernet software which increases network
performance by about 25 percent.

Apple says that its Ethernet products are compliant with the
IEEE 802.3 standard and can be used in any existing Ethernet
environment including those running AppleTalk , DECnet, MacIPX,
OSI (Open Systems Interconnection), SNA (Systems Network
Architecture) , or TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet
Protocol) and are compatible with existing network services.

The Ethernet LC Twisted-Pair card requires a Macintosh LC
processor direct slot and an IEEE 10Base-T hub. The board is set
for availability in the US in late January, priced at $99.

The company says that owners of older Ethernet cards can upgrade
their systems to version 1.4.2 of the Network Software Installer,
free of charge, by downloading the software from AppleLink,
the Internet, and developer CDs.

There are a number of enhancements to the Apple Workgroup
Server 95. In announcing the enhancements, Jim Groff, senior
director for the Apple Business Systems division, said: "With the
latest enhancements to the AWS 95, we are giving users
optimized price/performance options as we migrate our server
platforms to include PowerPC microprocessor-based systems
later this year. Our high-end server customers can take advantage
of the latest features and performance of the Apple Workgroup
Server 95 today while remaining secure that their investment
will be capable of migrating to the Apple's RISC (reduced
instruction-set computer) platform later."

The Apple Workgroup Server 95 uses a Motorola 33 megahertz (MHz)
68040 processor and comes with a minimum of 16 megabytes (MB)
of parity RAM (expandable to 256MB), four SCSI (small computer
systems interface) channels, four NuBus expansion slots, and
a choice of hard drive capacities.

The software enhancements to the Apple Workgroup Server 95
include version 3.1 of A/UX, Apple's version of the Unix operating
system. The company says that AppleShare Pro 1.1 running on the
Apple Workgroup Server 95 has also been "tuned to provide a file-
and-print server solution that boosts performance up to more
than five times that of AppleShare 3 running on a Quadra 950."

New storage options on the Apple Workgroup Server 95 include
a new "higher performing and higher capacity" hard-disk drive,
providing 2 gigabytes (GB) of disk storage. With new disk-drive
mounting brackets built into the system, a total of five hard-disk
drives can be linked internally to provide users with up to 10GB
of data storage.

Two new server products are planned, with the latest version of
the Apple Workgroup Server 95 expected to begin shipping by the
end of February.

The Apple Workgroup Server 95, priced at $11,995, will include:
32MB of RAM; a 2000MB hard disk; a DDS-DC backup drive;
AppleShare Pro pre-installed on the hard disk; 256 kilobyte (KB)
second-level cache; and A/UX tuned for file-and-print.

The Apple Workgroup Server 95 will cost $11,795, and will include:
48MB of RAM; a 250MB and 2000MB hard disk; a DDS-DC backup
drive; 512KB second-level cache; and A/UX tuned for relational
database.

Current configurations available include a model costing $5,409,
which includes: 16MB of RAM; a 230MB hard disk; and 128KB second-
level cache, tuned for file-and-print or relational database.
Another version costs $10,349 and includes: 32MB of RAM;
a 1000MB hard disk; a DDS-DC backup drive; AppleShare Pro
pre-installed on the hard disk, 512KB second-level cache,
and A/UX tuned for file-and-print. Another version costs
$10,159 and features: 48MB of RAM, a 230MB and 1000MB hard
disk; DDS-DC backup drive; 512KB second-level cache, and
A/UX tuned for relational database.

(Ian Stokell/19930105/Press Contact: Emilio Robles,
408-862-5671, Apple Computer; or John McCreadie, 408-
974-4398, Regis McKenna)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00004)

Asante Intros NetConnect-Remote Access Server 01/05/94
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- As more
computer users become mobile, companies are continually
seeking new ways to connect them into their corporate
networks. Now networking vendor Asante Technologies Inc.,
has introduced the NetConnect-Remote Access Server (RAS),
which, according to the company, is "targeted at meeting the
needs of business travelers, nomadic computer users and
telecommuters who require access to local area network
(LAN)-based services from remote locations."

The NetConnect-RAS is billed as a low cost single-box remote
access device that supports concurrent Novell IPX (Internetwork
Packet Exchange) and AppleTalk environments. It offers eight
or 16 asynchronous dial-in ports, and ships with BNC, AUI
(Autonomous Unit Interface) and 10BaseT connectors for
incorporation into existing Ethernet networks.

The company claims that the device allows remote users to
establish asynchronous dial-up  connections to their LANs from
virtually anywhere in the world at speeds of up to 57.6 Kbps.

In announcing the product, Tony Spielman, Asante director of
product marketing, said: "By supporting IPX and AppleTalk
protocols on a single platform, we're providing a cost-effective
remote access server that addresses the needs of the largest
groups of network clients."

The company also says that placing IPX and AppleTalk in
one server simplifies the manager's task of supporting and
maintaining  remote users.

Using NetConnect-RAS, remote users can dial into Ethernet
networks as full NetWare or AppleTalk clients, running the same
applications with the same user interface on their laptop or
home computer as they do in the office.

The company says the NetConnect-RAS includes an Intel i960
reduced instruction-set computer (RISC) processor, which
provides the necessary computing power to support up to 16
simultaneous dial-up connections.

The NetConnect-RAS also supports Apple's AppleTalk Remote
Access (ARA) and Point-to-Point (PPP) serial protocols.

The Asante NetConnect-RAS is priced at $3,899 for an eight-port
product and $5,875 for a 16-port model. Both models come with a
copy of Asante's client software, with a license for unlimited
distribution, for use by remote DOS and Windows PCs. An
expansion module adding eight ports to the eight-port base
Asante NetConnect-RAS sells for $2,175. The NetConnect-RAS
is set for availability sometime in the first quarter.

(Ian Stokell/19940105/Press Contact: Christopher Inman,
408-435-8401 ext 260, Asante Technologies Inc.)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00005)

Artisoft To Acquire Eagle Technology 01/05/94
TUCSON, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- Just as in other
areas of the computing industry, acquisitions involving
networking companies are becoming increasingly common.
Now Artisoft Inc., publisher of the popular Artisoft peer-to-peer
network operating system software, has entered a definitive
agreement to purchase "substantially all of the operating assets"
of Eagle Technology, a maker of Ethernet network interface
cards for local area networks, and a business unit of Anthem
Electronics Inc.

Under the terms of the deal, Artisoft will purchase "certain
inventory, fixed and other assets representing the business of
Eagle Technology," for about $9.9 million. Of that, $2 million
will be paid by Artisoft at closing, with the balance to be paid
in quarterly installments over the next three years.

Artisoft maintains that it intends to continue selling Eagle's
products under the Eagle Technology brand name, and that
Eagle Technology products will "continue to be available through
all existing channels, and supplies of products are expected
to remain good."

In announcing the deal, William C. Keiper, president and chief
executive officer of Artisoft, said, "The acquisition of the Eagle
Technology business will immediately increase Artisoft's market
share. The Eagle Technology brand name and products are widely
accepted and respected. The certification of most Eagle
Technology products by Novell Inc., has been, and will continue
to be, a selling feature of many Eagle Technology products."

Artisoft plans to use Eagle technology in some of its products.
Said Keiper, "Artisoft has a strong hardware development group
and good manufacturing capabilities. Artisoft will be able to
incorporate its application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)
Ethernet controller into certain Eagle Technology products, and
thereby substantially reduce the cost of such products. Eagle
Technology has been outsourcing both its product development
and manufacturing."

Europe is also a target of the acquisition. "Eagle Technology's
solid European presence also offers opportunities for Artisoft
to increase its percentage of international revenue," said Keiper.

It is planned for Eagle Technology to become a business unit of
Artisoft with its headquarters to remain in San Jose, California.
According to Artisoft, "All current employees of Eagle Technology
are expected to be hired by Artisoft."

Eagle's current president, Jerry Dusa, will become an Artisoft
vice president and will become general manager of the Eagle
Technology business unit.

The two companies already share a number of distribution
partners, including Ingram Micro,  Merisel, and Tech Data.

For the calendar year ended December 31, 1993, revenues of
Eagle Technology totalled about $58 million, including
approximately $12 million during each of the last two calendar
quarters.

In selling Eagle, Anthem plans to report a restructuring charge
in the fourth quarter relating to the transaction, the amount of
which has yet to be determined.

Anthem says that the amount of the restructuring charge will be
influenced by several factors, including the "estimated realizable
value of assets related to the Eagle Technology Business Unit
which are not purchased by Artisoft Inc." The company also
says that the restructuring charge is estimated not to exceed
$8 million before income tax.

Artisoft has been busy recently, developing certain products
with a number of vendors. At the beginning of October, Newsbytes
reported that the company had signed a deal with Mountain
Network Solutions to develop a tape backup software product.

Also in October Newsbytes reported that Artisoft had introduced
the entry-level Simply LANtastic network operating system (NOS)
that the company said offers basic sharing of files, printers,
and CD-ROMs. At the same time the company also announced a deal
with Visisoft to develop a network management system for
LANtastic networks.

(Ian Stokell/19940105/Press Contact: Dave Sentman, tel
602-670-7160, fax [phone], Artisoft Inc; Robert S.
Throop, 408-453-1200, Anthem Electronics Inc.)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TOR)(00006)

SunPC 4.0 Brings PC Emulation To Solaris 2 01/05/94
CHELMSFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- Sun
Microsystems Inc.'s SunSelect subsidiary has launched SunPC 4.0,
which lets personal computer applications run on SPARC systems
equipped with the Solaris 2 operating system from SunSoft,
another Sun unit.

SunPC 4.0 provides essentially the same capabilities on Solaris 2
that the previous release, SunPC 3.1, offers on systems running
Solaris 1. The new release runs only on Solaris 2, which cannot
run SunPC 3.1, a spokeswoman for the company said. The software
works on any SPARC hardware running the appropriate version of
Solaris, whether from Sun or from another vendor.

The only functional difference between SunPC 4.0 and the earlier
version is faster serial communications, up to 19.2 Kbaud, eight
times faster than the speed offered by SunPC 3.1, company
officials said.

The SunPC product line includes SunPC software, the 486SX-based
SunPC Accelerator SX card which is said to boost MS-DOS and
Microsoft Windows performance, and the 486DX-based SunPC
Accelerator DX card for floating-point and graphics-intensive
applications.

SunSelect also announced discounts on SunPC software and
hardware acceleration products for a limited time.

Under a discount offer good until March 15, SunSelect is offering
SunPC 3.1 or 4.0 software for $295, a 25 percent discount off the
US list price of $395. A bundle of either version of the software
with the DX Accelerator will be $1,195, a 33 percent discount
off the US list price of $1,795.

(Grant Buckler/19940105/Press Contact: Beth Byer, Hi-Tech
Communications for SunSelect, 508-442-0271; Public Contact:
SunSelect, 800-671-3953)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00007)

Toronto Stock Exchange Delays Automated Trading Move 01/05/94
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- Plans to close the
equities trading floor at the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE) and
move to fully automated trading have hit another snag.

A pilot testing phase in which some traders will conduct live
trades on the new electronic system was due to begin this month.
Instead, it has been delayed until April. Jim Gallagher, executive
vice-president of the exchange, said testing of the system found
more bugs than expected and the problems are taking longer to fix
than TSE officials had planned.

It is the latest in a series of delays for a conversion that was
announced in February, 1992, and was originally supposed to have
been complete last spring. Closure of the 115 year-old TSE
trading floor, originally scheduled for March, 1993, was delayed
at the beginning of 1993. It was then supposed to happen in the
fall, but has since slipped back again.

Gallagher said the exchange now expects to close the floor before
the end of this year, but would not give a more specific date. He
said the exchange will probably announce a new target date for
closing the floor a month or two after beginning the pilot test.

It is important that all known bugs be worked out of the trading
system before the live pilot begins, Gallagher said, because the
traders will be conducting real trades. The pilot is intended to
discover any problems that have not appeared in earlier testing
before the exchange begins gradually moving its remaining traders
from the floor to electronic trading from their firms' offices.

The shift will take place gradually because the exchange will
need time to give traders adds training, Gallagher said.
Although the exchange already trades some stocks through its
Computer-Assisted Trading System (CATS), not all traders use
this system and those that do will have to get used to a new
workstation.

When the Toronto exchange announced in 1992 that it would close
its trading floor, officials said it would be the first major
stock exchange to dispense with floor trading entirely for
stocks. The exchange plans to keep a small trading floor for
futures and options.

(Grant Buckler/19940105/Press Contact: Jane McGillivray or
Steve Kee, Toronto Stock Exchange, 416-947-4682)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00008)

Property Mgmt Software For Windows Debuts 01/05/94
CLE ELUM, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- Comtronic
Systems Inc., has announced Comtronic Property Manager (CPM)
version 2.0 for Windows, a software package designed
specifically for property managers.

Comtronic says the software is available in standalone and
network versions, and the number of client records possible is
limited only by the amount of available disk storage space.

The company says the reporting features are extensive, and offer
both pre-formatted and user-defined reporting capabilities. A
record locking feature assures that only one user at a time can
change the information in a record.

The program includes a general ledger which offers automated
reconciliation to make balancing statements from multiple banks
easier, and checks can be voided if necessary. CPM for Windows
supports MICR, the magnetic numbers required by banks to scan
checks, allowing users to print checks on blank paper. There is
also support for Lock Box accounts, a method of keeping
accounts separate, that allows the printing of payment coupons
directly from the program.

Comtronic Systems says financial statements are user-definable
so they can be formatted in the manner most suitable for
analysis. Comtronic spokesperson Ann Revell-Pechar told
Newsbytes the program uses pull-down menus for quick access
to data on tenants, properties, owners, general ledger and
reporting capabilities.

The software also handles scheduled and on-demand repair and
maintenance, and automatically generates vendor work orders.
Up to 1,000 owners per property can be tracked, and  support is
provided for automatic generation of monthly statements and
checks. It also tracks rentals on a daily, weekly, monthly,
quarterly, bi-annual, and annual basis. Data can be exported to
spreadsheet or word processing applications. A forms editor
allows customization of forms such as notices, invoices and
receipts.

Comtronic Property Manager prepares 1099s on paper or on disk
for both vendors and owners, and overdue accounts are tracked.
Budget comparisons are available, profit and loss statements
show actual versus budget and historical data, and two bank
accounts per property are supported. CPM tracks interest on
security deposits.

System requirements include Windows 3.0 or higher, DOS 3.1 or
higher, four megabytes (MB) of system memory, at least 50MB of
available hard disk space, and a PC running on a 386 or better
microprocessor or a Pentium-based system. The program will
also run on IBM OS/2 based systems running in the Windows
mode.

Comtronic Property Manager single user sells for $1,295. A three-
user local area network (LAN) version is priced at $2,195, and
custom configuration prices are available. Comtronic makes a
demo copy available for $40, with the price being applied to the
purchase price. None of the demo functions are crippled, but the
program can only be accessed 10 times.

(Jim Mallory/19940105/Press Contact: Ann Revell-Pechar for
Comtronic Systems, 206-462-4777; Reader Contact: Comtronic
Systems, 509-674-7000)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00009)

Cray Parallel Proc Sys Used For Medical Imaging Research 01/05/94
COLUMBUS, OHIO, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- The Ohio
Supercomputer Center (OSC) has purchased a Cray Research
T3D massively parallel processing (MPP) system that will be
used for advanced research projects including medical imaging.

OSC is a state-funded high performance computing resource
available to academic and commercial scientists and engineers.

The Cray T3D purchased by OSC is an entry-level massively
parallel processing air-cooled system that uses 32 processors to
simultaneously perform various parts of a computing problem.
The system is scheduled for installation in the second quarter of
1994 and will be coupled with a Cray Y-MP2E parallel vector
supercomputer system scheduled for installation at the same
time. Cray T3D's are available with up to 2,048 processors.

The center says it will collaborate with Cray Research on various
advanced research projects and to test the applicability of MPP to
research projects of Ohio industry and academia. One of those
projects will be researching faster, more accurate methods of
transferring and analyzing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and
other digital medical imaging technologies. "We want to achieve
real-time medical imaging, which could have very significant
impact on diagnosis, surgery planning, and medical education,"
according to OSC Director Dr Charles Bender.

OSC says the research collaboration agreement with Cray
Research calls for OSC to establish a multi-disciplinary team
consisting of existing staff with expertise in systems
programming, training, computational chemistry, computational
fluid flow, and finite element analysis. Cray Research will
provide training and staff for the three-year project.

(Jim Mallory/19940105/Press Contact: Cheryl Johnson, Ohio
Supercomputer Center, 614-292-7168; or Steve Conway, Cray
Research, 612-683-7133)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LAX)(00010)

 ****New Owner Plans GUI Changes For The WELL 01/05/94
SAUSALITO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- The Whole
Earth 'Lectronic Link (the WELL) is getting ready to make changes,
according to a recent announcement made by the electronic
bulletin board service. Bruce Katz, a major long-term
shareholder, has acquired the remaining shares formerly held by
the Point Foundation, and says he plans to implement a graphical
user interface, among other changes.

With 8,000 subscribers, half of whom are West Coast residents,
the WELL has been an on-line meeting place since 1985, when it was
co-founded by the Point Foundation. A non-profit group, the Point
Foundation is probably best known for publishing the Whole Earth
Review and Whole Earth Catalogs. The WELL boasts 200 hosted
conferences, provides connection to 4,600 Usenet news groups,
and offers complete Internet access.

Katz, age 47, has held a 50 percent stake in the service since
1991 and was instrumental in the WELL's recent move to
expanded facilities in Sausalito and a hardware upgrade to a Sun
Microsystems computer. In addition, Howard Reingold, 46, author
of The Virtual Community and active on the WELL since its
inception, has been appointed to the board of directors.

While the change in ownership and user interface might imply the
WELL might change its focus, Katz says he plans to resist such a
move. "We consider our customer to be information producers, not
mere customers. The WELL allows people, regardless of geography,
to reach out and engage in meaningful dialogue with each other.
This real exchange is a creative use of technology."

He continued: "In contrast, I think it would be an enormous waste
to throw millions of dollars into creating high-bandwidth
interactivity merely so people can play along with Wheel of
Fortune. The WELL is a community of free minds and our users
have been challenging and entertaining each other for over eight
years. We believe this kind of interaction has largely been lost
to the mainstream culture while the mass media has been
'entertaining us to death.'"

The graphical interface planned is to be a point-and-click
approach so new users do not have to learn the Unix-like command
structure of the WELL. In this way, the service hopes to open up
the exchange of ideas to those who are hesitant to learn yet
another set of computer commands.

With such a long-standing background with the WELL, Katz's
enhanced role is viewed as a welcome addition. Trained in Physics
and Engineering at Cornell University, Katz founded the Rockport
Shoe Company in 1972, sold the company to Reebok International in
1986 and moved to California to start the Rosewood Stone Group.
The Rosewood Stone Group bought the 50 percent interest in the
WELL in 1991 and now holds the remaining shares.

The electronic world is swiftly changing and the WELL is just one
of many services caught up in the tide. Delphi and Bix, parts of
General Videotex, were purchased by newspaper publisher Rupert
Murdoch. GEnie was recently spun off from General Electronic to
become a joint venture between GE and Ameritech. Apple Computer
announced this week it will start a new service called eWorld
which will incorporate Applelink. Prodigy has announced it was
testing cable delivery of its electronic services and would
preview a prototype of Prodigy TV, a new interactive television
service, at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show this week in
Las Vegas.

(Linda Rohrbough/19940105/Press Contact: Ron Pernick,
Niehaus Ryan Haller PR for the WELL, tel [phone],
fax [phone])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TOR)(00011)

Progress Intros Development Tool For Motif 01/05/94
BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- Progress
Software Corp., has announced a release of its Progress Version 7
development software for Unix systems running the Motif graphical
user interface.

Intended for creating complex applications for client/server,
host-based, and mixed systems, Progress Version 7 was already
available for character-based Unix systems from several vendors
and for Microsoft Corp.'s Windows.

According to company spokesman Steve Zamierowski, developers
will be able to create their applications using either native Motif
application program interfaces (APIs) or Windows APIs, and then
port the applications to other platforms that Progress supports
just by recompiling them. Of course, he added, some of the
graphical features of Motif or Windows cannot be duplicated on
character-based systems.

Progress Version 7 is based on the company's Progress
fourth-generation language (4GL) and works with several other
firms' relational database management systems as well as
Progress's own. According to the vendor, features aimed at
client/server computing include graphical and event-driven
extensions to the 4GL, a DataServer Architecture for building
database-independent applications, and performance enhancements
to the Progress database software.

Progress Version 7 support for Motif is available now for Sun
Microsystems Inc.'s Sun OS, Santa Cruz Operation Inc.'s SCO Unix,
Hewlett-Packard Co.'s HP/UX, and Data General Corp.'s DG/UX. It
is to be available for several other vendors' Unix systems,
including IBM's RS/6000 machines and systems from Digital
Equipment Corp., ICL, Microsoft, NCR Corp., Sequent, Silicon
Graphics Inc., Unisys Corp., and Univel, in 1994, officials said.

The software is priced by component or in bundles. The main
developer's package, ProVision, includes the 4GL, user interface
and report builders, data dictionary, debugger, procedure editor,
Results end-user query and reporting tool, applications and help
compilers, and data administration. ProVision prices start at
$7,560 for Unix workstations.

Prices for the Progress Version 7 RDBMS and for DataServers that
let the development tool work with other vendors' database
software range from $1,400 to $36,130. The first DataServers for
Version 7 are due in about a month, Zamierowski said. Third-party
databases supported will include Oracle, Sybase, RMS, and Rdb, he
said, and support will also be provided for the Open Database
Connectivity (ODBC) specification.

Optional products, such as the Translation Manager that enables
application translation into multiple languages, are priced
separately. For all its products, Progress charges tiered prices
based on the number of users.

(Grant Buckler/19940105/Press Contact: Steve Zamierowski
or David Smith, Progress Software, 617-280-4000)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00012)

 ****GEnie Has Top-Grossing On-Line Game 01/05/94
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- Simutronics
claims its GemStone III is the most popular on-line game
anywhere, and for now at least it is only available on GEnie.

At the end of the year its revenue rate topped $1 million per year,
50 percent higher than any other on-line game. Over 100 people
can play the game at once. GemStone debuted on GEnie in 1991
and has been that service's most-popular game ever since.

Newsbytes talked with Neil Harris, a consultant and advisor to
Simutronics whose research led to the conclusion. I was really
amazed at how far ahead GemStone III was," he said, although
"there are other games on GEnie and other services doing very
well. GEnie itself has a substantial business in multi-player
games -- GEnie and the Imagination Network," now controlled by
AT&T but created by game-maker Sierra On-Line, "are the two
services with the most activity there."

What makes GemStone special? "Unlike other games, where the
computer runs the environment, people participate in running the
environment in GemStone," Harris said. "There may be a game
master acting like a puppet master behind the scenes. That's
unique in multi-player games, and it's got tremendous appeal."
While GemStone can be played text-only, there is a graphical
version that runs on IBM computers, and most GEnie players use
it, Harris said.

Newsbytes asked what is next for GemStone. "GemStone itself is
essentially an engine for text-based interactive environments,"
said Harris. "The first such product is the Gemstone game -- we
could do a science fiction or mystery game. We're also looking at
interactive fiction." GemStone was adapted from a pencil and
paper game, Rolemaster from ICE, Harris added.

GemStone is not the company's only product, Harris added. The
company released a three-dimensional graphical game called
CyberStrike in 1993, which was chosen the on-line game of the
year by Computer Gaming World.

CyberStrike places the player in control of a robot in a
futuristic cityscape, using state-of-the-art graphics and digital
stereo sound to create a cutting edge multi-player game.

"Cyberstrike on GEnie is fully graphical," said Harris. "You
download a program that makes the graphics work, and get full
3-D animation. CyberStrike was designed with the idea that
before long there would be virtual reality for the home, and
we've got, in our research and development lab, a version that
works with goggles, so you're actually in it. That's one thing
we'd like to do and we're talking about making it happen."

The company's development lab is in St. Louis, Harris said, and
just about all employees work out of their homes.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940105/Press Contact: Neil Harris,
Simutronics Corp., 301/869-5392)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00013)

More On MCI's networkMCI Plans 01/05/94
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- Reaction was swift
to MCI's announcement that it will enter the "special access"
phone business nationwide, trying to take the local end of big
business' calls away from the regional Bells and lobby to win
access to the local residential market.

Ameritech, a particular object of MCI Chairman Bert Roberts'
scorn during his press conference, quickly put out a press
release quoting President Richard Notebaert as saying: "We
don't agree with MCI's view that the road to a competitive
communications future goes through an MCI toll booth." MCI had
claimed it pays 40-45 percent of its total revenues to local
phone companies for access to their networks.

"Ameritech is an ardent proponent of full and fair competition
involving all service providers," Notebaert continued, noting
that its Customers First plan was offered over a year ago. The
plan would let Ameritech into long distance in exchange for
offering competitors access to its network, and it was attacked
by Roberts, who claimed Ameritech should not be allowed into
his market until it faces real competition for local service.

"Ironically, the most vocal opponents of our plan are companies
such as MCI who very much want the freedom to enter all
communications markets on one hand, but who want to hold
potential competitors at bay with the other," charged Notebaert.
"MCI's announcement should serve to further energize regulators
and policy makers who are dealing with the reality of an
increasingly competitive communications landscape."

AT&T and Sprint, MCI's long distance competitors, also derided
MCI's claims its new SONET (synchronous optical network)
network will be the industry's fastest. Sprint Chairman William
Esrey said in a press statement that his company remains the
only 100 percent digital, fiber-based carrier.

Rather than fighting with words, NYNEX said it would fight back
in the market. It filed a plan with the FCC that would lower its
access charges by about $25 million per year, to a level of just
two cents per minute within four years.

The big question for policy-makers meeting in Washington will
be what happens to "universal service" in the wake of local
competition. The level of access charges is really artificial,
many analysts agree.

AT&T pays just as much to access local networks as MCI or
Sprint, despite the fact it has long distance services from nearly
every local switch while its competitors have a single office in
each major city. The reason is that the access charge represents
a subsidy aimed at making basic local service affordable to the
poor and those in rural areas.

Jim Collins of MCI told Newsbytes that the company's upgraded
network in Atlanta, trumpeted by Roberts during the press
conference, will in fact be aimed at linking customers along
Peachtree Road to MCI's single point of local presence in north
Atlanta.

MCI's response to the universal access question is to suggest
that a separate fund be created for the purpose, one which MCI
and all other companies would pay into. That would take control
of the question, and the money, away from the regional Bell
companies.

Investors, however, seemed unimpressed by all the talk, driving
down MCI's stock price nearly $2 per share in January 4 trading.
The stock recovered somewhat on the morning of January 5, but at
mid-day still stood well below the level it was at when Roberts
began his press conference.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940105/Press Contact: Bernie Goodrich,
MCI, 202-887-2158; Ameritech, Steve Ford, 202-955-3050)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00014)

MTel Stock Plunges As it Cuts Prices 01/05/94
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- Mobile
Telecommunications' stock lost a full third of its value on the
NASDAQ as the company said it would cut its basic paging prices
in half and told analysts it expects to lose money for the next
two years.

MTel runs SkyTel, the most popular national satellite-fed paging
network with over 260,000 users, but it has been pressed hard
lately by rivals offering lower prices.

The company said it would cut its basic price for nationwide
service from $69 per month to $39 over the next several months,
and include at no extra charge popular options like a frequent
calling plan, equipment rental, customized billing and free
message retrieval.

The price cuts are aimed at increasing the company's revenues by
nearly 45 percent over two years, President David Garrison told
analysts, while increasing the number of units in service by over
50 percent. But cash flow margins will go way down, to just
20-25 percent, in 1994.

The expected losses were blamed on construction costs for its
Nationwide Wireless Network, or NWN -- a two-way wireless
messaging system for which the company won FCC licenses in
1993, after years of research. Construction will start next year,
but the service will not be launched until the middle of 1995.
Thus, the NWN will continue to lose money for the company
until 1996 at the earliest.

The one bright spot mentioned by the company was its
international business, where it works with partners. Garrison
the company expects to have 350,000 units in service by the end
of 1994, with MTel's share equaling one-third of that.

None of this pleased stock traders, who hammered the company's
stock. The price of shares had been drifting downward for months,
from a high of $39 per share, and stood at about $25 when the
announcement was made. By mid-day the stock was trading at just
$16.50, with 13 times its average daily volume, easily the most
heavily-traded stock on the exchange. Other paging companies also
were down as analysts bet they would have to follow MTel's lead
in pricing.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940105/Press Contact: David Allan,
for MTel, 212-614-5163)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00015)

New Wordperfect President Takes Office 01/05/94
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- Wordperfect Corp.'s new
president took office this week as the software company started
1994 under the leadership of a triumvirate in the newly created
Office of the President.

Former Wordperfect Sales and Marketing VP Adrian Rietvald
became the president and chief executive officer of Wordperfect,
succeeding co-founder and long-time President Alan C. Ashton,
who now joins co-founder Bruce Bastian as co-chairman of the
company's board of directors.

Working with Rietvald in the Office of the President are John
C. Lewis and R. Duff Thompson. Lewis, formerly senior vice
president and now executive vice president, has been
responsible for the company's business planning and has
overseen international operations for four years. He holds an
MBA degree from Brigham Young University and a master's
degree in English from the University of Virginia. His new
responsibilities include internal business planning.

Thompson joined Wordperfect in 1985 and has been responsible
for developing Wordperfect's strategic industry relationships,
partnerships, and acquisitions. In the Office of the President he
will have similar responsibilities. The company says he was
instrumental in the acquisition of Reference Software in 1992
and SoftSolutions in November of 1993. Thompson holds an MBA
and a law degree from Brigham Young University.

In a prepared statement Rietvald said: "In 1994 we will expand our
Windows leadership with both general business and workgroup
applications. We will redefine the suite category with tightly
integrated best-of-class products, and we will enter the document
management and consumer products market in a big way."

Rietvald departed on a worldwide press tour this week.

(Jim Mallory/19940105/Press Contact: Beth Graviet,
Wordperfect Corp., 801-28-5008)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00016)

Wordperfect Offers Software Volume Discounts 01/05/94
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- Wordperfect Corp.,
has announced a volume license package (VLP) program that
gives discounts for purchasers of between 20 to 499 software
licenses for one of the company's applications.

Russ Warner, enterprise account director for Wordperfect, says
the VLP program was designed to meet the needs of small to
medium size businesses. "They provide a more flexible purchasing
option than any offered by our competition and they provide an
ideal alternative to our Customer Advantage Program for
customers who want volume purchase discounts but need fewer
than 500 licenses."

The VLP allows customers to order the exact number of licenses
they need for a particular software package in order to legally
run that application, such as Wordperfect, on multiple personal
computers. A condition of the deal is that the purchaser must
own at least one complete package including software and
documentation. Additional reference manuals or workbooks can
be purchased through the buyer's reseller or directly from
Wordperfect. Additional program disks can be obtained from
the company.

Wordperfect spokesperson Laura Fankhauser told Newsbytes VLP
pricing is available for Wordperfect 6.0 for Windows and DOS,
Wordperfect 3.0 for Macintosh, WordPerfect Presentations 2.0 for
Windows and DOS, Wordperfect Informs Filler for Windows, and
Wordperfect Office 4.0 Mailbox. Pricing is determined by the
number of licenses needed and the product licensed. Pricing
ranges from $70 to $275.

(Jim Mallory/19940105/Press Contact: Laura Fankhauser,
Wordperfect Corp., 801-228-5051; Reader Contact: Wordperfect
Corp., tel [phone] or 801-225-5000, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00017)

TouchPen Digitizer Takes Touch And Pen Input 01/05/94
METHUEN, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- MicroTouch
Systems has announced TouchPen, a digitizer that allows for
both touch and pen input.

TouchPen works with most flat panel display technologies,
including the TFT (thin film transistor) LCD (liquid crystal display)
color display technology that is now starting to appear in pen
computers, the company said in making the announcement.

The digitizer is targeted at vertical applications such as
point-of-sale signature capture, medical image annotation, and
personal conferencing, or "whiteboarding," as well as use in
portable PCs.

TouchPen made its debut in NEC's new Versa PC. Versa is the first
pen computer to incorporate a TFT display, according to MicroTouch.
Electromagnetic digitizers, which are based on a competing
technology, emit too much noise to enable easy integration with
TFT, officials maintained.

TouchPen is also lighter and thinner than electromagnetic
digitizers, and is unaffected by the tilt errors associated with
electromagnetic products, MicroTouch said. Electromagnetic
digitizers require a PC board sensor under the display, as well as
a protective glass overlay to cover the LCD screen.

Further, TouchPen's untethered stylus features "intelligent
hand-rejection," a technology designed to let the user rest a palm
on the display when writing without registering a touch response or
influencing accuracy. Competing resistive membrane screens are
without this capability, officials added.

The new digitizer from MicroTouch consumes 60 milliamps (mA) of
power when in use, and under 2mA of power when in sleep mode.

TouchPen Evaluation Kits are available off-the-shelf at a single-
piece price of $795. The kits incorporate a transparent glass
sensor for installation over the flat panel display, a pocket-sized
serial controller, a stylus, and software drivers for Pen Windows
and DOS. A one-year sensor and controller warranty is included in
the purchase price. Volume pricing is also available.

In addition, a chip set is available to volume OEMs (original
equipment manufacturers) for integrating TouchPen circuitry
into their products.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940105/Reader Contact: MicroTouch Systems
Inc., 508-659-9000; Press Contacts: Janet Pannier, MicroTouch,
508-659-9000; Mirena Reilly or Janice Rosen, The Weber Group
for MicroTouch, 617-661-7900/PHOTO)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(WAS)(00018)

CIC Demos MacHandwriter At MacWorld 01/05/94
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- Handwriting (or hand
printing) recognition, a hot new product for some companies and
marketers, has actually been around for some time. One of the
first companies to provide workable hand printing recognition
has announced that it will demonstrate its latest product --
MacHandwriter -- at booth number 4084 during this week's
MacWorld Exposition in San Francisco.

MacHandwriter is a complete pen data input and control system
including recognition software and a graphics tablet, all of
which are intended to supplement keyboard input for Macintosh
computer users.

Since the software emulates keyboard and mouse action, it is
compatible with many standard Macintosh programs such as word
processors and graphics software.

With a list price of $399, MacHandwriter is considerably more
expensive than a keyboard, but until February 28 it will be sold
directly by CIC at a special introductory price of $199.

CIC estimates that fully 80 percent of the work time spent
creating a document actually takes place during editing and
rewriting, tasks where pen control may be faster than keyboard
operation. The company also says that the use of a pen
alternative to continuous keyboard usage may lead to lowered
chance of repetitive stress injuries.

Supplied with MacHandwriter is: the recognition engine (which is
already shipped with IBM, Toshiba, NEC, and other computers);
CIC's PenMac pen operating environment; crossword puzzles; a 10-
inch by 11-inch, 19 ounce tablet (with six-inch by nine-inch
active touch area); and a cordless pen. The tablet attaches to the
computer's Apple Desktop Bus port through a 10-foot long cable.

MacHandwriter requires a system with Apple System 7.0, five
megabytes (MB) of memory, and 3MB of free hard disk space.

A similar system is already available for MS-DOS-based PCs
and CIC says that it will target other operating environments
in the future.

(John McCormick/19940105/Press Contact: Beverly Scott,
415-802-7754, CIC; Public Contact: 800-888-9242 to order
at discount)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00019)

Radio Shack Opens First Store In Russia 01/05/94
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- Radio Shack has licensed its
first store in Russia. The store, which opened at the beginning of
the month, is operated by the Trident Group, a Russian joint venture
company, and is located in the Leninsky Prospect Plaza in Moscow.

If the store is successful, plans call for further stores to be
opened in Russia, also operated by the Trident Group. The Leninsky
Prospect store operates on the same formula as US and UK stores,
Newsbytes understands, stocking a wide range of consumer
electronics goods, ranging from batteries through the desktop
and portable computers.

Like other Russian stores, it has been limited to accepting only
roubles and credit card payments, rather than dollars, which
only banks have accepted from January 1. Since most Muscovites
do not have credit or debit cards, rouble payments are, generally
speaking, the only way of buying things in Russia today.

Retail industry experts in Russia predict that most Russian stores
will exchange their roubles for foreign currency in order to buy
imported goods. Since the exchange commission is around five
percent -- higher than in the West owing to exchange rate
fluctuations -- the retail industry expects that prices will rise
by around this level during the coming weeks.

(Sylvia Dennis/19940105)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00020)

Italian Govt Raises Taxes In Face Of Budget Deficit 01/05/94
ROME, ITALY, 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- Like everyone else in Europe on
Monday this week, most Italians faced the prospect of a chilly
drive to work to get back to work after an extended Christmas
and New Year break. Few Italians were expecting, however, that
indirect (expenditure) taxes had been raised significantly over
the break, to prevent a major cash deficit for the Italian
government.

The tax hike follows a hurriedly-passed piece of legislation that
critics have accused the government of sneaking through last week,
while many government offices were closed for the break. The only
light in the gloom is that the legislation also paves the way for a
set of new national lotteries.

Two new lotteries are in the process of being set up, Newsbytes
understands, with the express aim of boosting income for the Italian
government, which faces a massive budget deficit during the current
year. Press sources in Italy have suggested that as much as $3,500
million extra will be generated by the two new lotteries and the
hike in expenditure tax.

The bulk of the tax increases is felt on gas sales, which rises by
around five percent to around $4.50 per gallon, and on cigarettes and
alcohol. Value added tax rises from 12 to 13 percent, while the
government is considering taxing imported high technology items
such as computers, TVs and VCRs.

Despite the tax increases, Newsbytes notes that the extra revenue
for the government is scarcely a drop in the ocean. Current
estimates suggest that the 1994 budget deficit for Italy will be
more than $85,000 million.

(Sylvia Dennis/19940105)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00021)

Olivetti Plans To Sell Triumph-Adler Operation? 01/05/94
NUREMBURG, GERMANY, 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- German press sources
are strongly suggesting that Olivetti may sell of its Triumph-Adler
operation in Germany in a bid to raise extra cash. Both companies
have declined comment on the press reports.

According to a report in the Boersen-Zeitung daily newspaper over
the weekend, Olivetti is looking for buyers in Germany for the
computer, printer, and office equipment company. Triumph-Adler
made its name in typewriter sales in the 1970s, Newsbytes notes,
following up its success in the computerized office equipment
marketplace.

Although no official comment has been made, the Boersen-Zeitung
paper alleged that Olivetti is deep in discussions with an un-named
Germany financial group over a possible sale. The discussions, the
paper claims, are at an advanced stage.

(Sylvia Dennis/19940105/Press & Public Contact: Olivetti,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00022)

Computerized Toll System Planned For UK Motorways 01/05/94
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- After several years of debate
on the matter, the British government has confirmed plans to install
computerized toll points on the UK's motorways. The system will
work with vehicles either pre-paying for a radio-scannable "smart
card" or paying by cash or credit card in the conventional manner.

The advantage with the former method is that vehicles will only
have to slow down for their smart card to be scanned and the card
(or centralized account) debited automatically.

According to John MacGregor, the British Transport Minister, by
charging tolls for using motorways, motorists will pay for those
premium services they use, allowing the government to avoid an
increase in car tax (currently UKP125 a year) and taxes on
gasoline and diesel fuel.

Visitors to the UK, as well as local residents, need not expect to
have to pay next time they use the motorway, however. MacGregor
has admitted that the technology will take some time to be
developed and introduced, although he wants the system up and
running by 1998.

"I am convinced it would be feasible technologically to install
motorway charging here within about five years. Motorway tolling
of the network means the user pays and gets the benefit in terms of
freer flowing traffic from the road improvements the toll funds,"
he said.

MacGregor's comments have attracted criticism from the UK's
motoring organizations, however, notably from the Royal
Automobile Club (RAC). According to Jeffrey Rose, the RAC's
chairman, by taxing motorway usage, there is a danger that people
may be forced to use standard roads when they should be using
motorways. He also expressed some skepticism that the tax raised
by the tolls would be used to develop British roads.

"Motorists must not be driven off the motorway network onto
unsuitable and unsafe rural roads due to excessive levels of
charging," he said.

(Steve Gold/19940105/Press & Public Contact: Ministry of
Transport, 44-71-276-0800)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00023)

UK - BT Commits To Cutting Costs, Telecom Prices 01/05/94
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1994 JAN 4 (NB) -- Fresh from receiving a
Knighthood in the British New Year's Honors List, Sir Iain Vallance,
the chairman of British Telecommunications (BT), has said that he
wants to see costs driven down still further, so as to allow BT to
remain competitive in the changing world of telecoms.

At the same time, BT has announced a UKP100 million revenue drive
for its national sales staff, as company forecasters have predicted
that BT's revenue this coming year may fall by this much.

According to Vallance, BT will continue to cut its costs, in order
to meet the task set for it a few years back by the Office of
Telecommunications (Oftel), the government-sponsored telecoms
authority. He said that the aim was to cut costs for BT's customers,
although he was also mindful of opportunities in overseas telecoms
markets.

"There will be continuing pressure on getting costs down, there will
be more imaginative marketing and pricing under the RPI minus 7.5
percent (the Oftel price cap) and you'll see us coming into new
services including video-on-demand," he said.

Vallance added that he does not anticipate any problems in achieving
the cost savings set by Oftel, which links BT's prices to several
points below the retail price index (RPI), which is currently very
low.

BT's sales drive, which has been announced to the company's sales
teams this week, seeks to increase the business customer base and
generate at least UKP100 million in "extra" (new) income. This
will, BT said, allow the company to more than match the anticipated
shortfall in income from existing sources, which are expected to
reduce owing to competition and companies cutting back on their
usage of BT's services.

(Steve Gold/19940105/Press & Public Contact: BT,
44-71-356-5000)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00024)

Staples Announces Five Year Expansion Plan In UK 01/05/94
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- Staples, the joint venture
company of Staples Inc., of the US, and the Kingfisher Group in the
UK, has announced that the first year of UK operations has been a
success, with the first four pilot stores opening and performing to
plan. The company has unveiled plans for future expansion in the UK.

Staples, which arrived in the UK in November, 1992, was set up
following a joint study of the UK office products market. The
partnership opened its first store in Swansea in April 1993,
followed by locations in Cambridge, Leeds, and Staples Corner
(London). The next location will be in Birmingham in March 1994.

According to Thomas Stemberg, Staples Inc.'s CEO, the company's UK
operations are now on a five-year business plan, which will be
reviewed in the light of conditions as the company progresses.

"We're delighted with the excellent progress of our business in the
UK. We've accumulated enough evidence to launch a national
operation. Kingfisher's and Staples' combined retail experience
create a sound opportunity for rapid expansion, and we're looking
forward to serving the needs of more small businesses in the UK,"
he said.

Staples UK stores, Newsbytes notes, are modeled after the company's
US operations, with stores averaging 20,000 square-feet and carrying
at least 5,000 product lines. The UK stores are known as Staples the
Office Superstore.

US and canadian readers of Newsbytes will be familiar with Staples,
which claims to have pioneered the office superstore concept in the
US. Today, the company has more than 230 stores in the US, with
operations in Canada and across Europe.

(Steve Gold/19940105/Press & Public Contact: Staples UK,
44-71-450-6408)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00025)

UK - Itron In Two Research Power Projects 01/05/94
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- Itron, the data
acquisition and communications products specialist, has announced a
$1 million research and development agreement with two UK power
companies -- Southern Electric and Scottish Power.

The idea behind the project is to design an automatic meter reader
(AMR) system that uses power lines to carry signals to and from a
centralized meter reading computer. Power companies have known
for some time that it is possible modulate the power currents and
voltages very slightly -- without affecting customer's appliances --
to allow signals to be carried across their network, but this is the
first commercial implementation plan of its type in the UK,
Newsbytes notes.

According to Itron, the AMR project will draw heavily on the
company's Spectrum chip encoder/decoder technology that was
jointly developed by Itron, National Semiconductor and Cyplex.

"We consider this agreement a vote of confidence in Itron's
technology and in its ability to help UK utilities stay
competitive as they face market deregulation in 1998," explained
John Humphreys, Itron's president, who added that it strengthens
Itron's AMR presence internationally.

The first stage of the project calls for Southern Electric and
Scottish Power to install 1,000 prototype AMR electric meters on
subscriber's premises which can then be read back at headquarters,
over the power network.

According to Itron, the project has gotten under way in the UK,
as the country's electrical power marketplace is in the middle of
a major change -- the move towards free market competition. In
1988, customers will be free to choose which companies they
buy the electricity from, Newsbytes notes.

(Steve Gold/19940105/Press Contact: Itron, (US) 509-924-9900)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00026)

Creative & Covox Settle Suit, Share Technology 01/05/94
MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- Creative
Technology, headquartered in Singapore with US offices in
Milpitas, California, has announced a settlement of its suit
against Covox's use of Creative's "Sound Blaster" name. Creative
claims it has won the settlement out-of-court and Covox has
conceded that the Sound Blaster name is a Creative Technology
trademark.

Both companies make sound products for adding on to IBM and
compatible personal computers (PCs). The suit was filed by
Creative after Covox released a speech recognition product it
titled "Voice Blaster." Covox had opposed Creative's registration
for trademark of the name with the US Patent and Trademark
Office.

One of the issues that appeared to hurt Covox in defending itself
in the suit was its apparent acknowledgement of Creative's
trademark on the Voice Blaster packaging which said: "Sound
Blaster and Sound Blaster Pro are trademarks of Creative Labs
Inc."

Creative is claiming the settlement as a win. The company says
that Covox's acknowledgment of the "Sound Blaster" trademark
allows it to obtain official trademark registration. Covox can still
use the Voice Blaster name for its current product under the
agreement until July 1, 1994, as long as it affixes a sticker to
the package disclaiming any association with Creative's Sound
Blaster. However, it cannot use the "Blaster" name for any other
products.

In an interesting twist, Creative Technology claims it also has
the right to evaluate three Covox products that are currently
under development and license these products from Covox if it
so desires. Covox is not talking about the products, but the
company's Executive Manager Larry Robertson, told Newsbytes
Covox is happy with the settlement and the two companies have
gone as far as to "share some things." The three products could
be announced in the first quarter of 1994, Robertson added.

(Linda Rohrbough/19940105/Press Contact: Benita Kenn, Creative
Labs, tel [phone]; Charles Saunders, Covox, tel 503-342-
1271, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00027)

AST Sues TI Over Patent Royalty Payments 01/05/94
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- AST Research,
which purchased the manufacturing operations of Tandy Corp.,
last summer, has filed a federal suit against Dallas, Texas-based
Texas Instruments (TI) claiming antitrust and patent violations.

Fort Worth, Texas-based Tandy evidently had agreements to pay
reduced patent royalty rates to TI. AST claims it is now paying
more for than it should.

AST asserts it should have obtained the same royalty rates from
TI that Tandy enjoyed. The company further insists that its
competitors are enjoying lower rates under similar agreements
and as a result is claiming TI has violated federal antitrust laws
and the California Unfair Practices Act.

TI officials are calling the suit a negotiation ploy, as the
companies were in the process of negotiations over this issue
and TI was unaware AST was filing the suit.

AST is further asserting certain TI patents are invalid or
inapplicable, and that TI is infringing an AST patent. According
to AST, the TI patents involved in the dispute include those
previously involved in lawsuits between TI and Dell, Zenith,
Tandy, Daewoo, and Samsung, all of which have been settled.

TI says this is a reference to nine patents that cover the ways
in which microcomputer systems and microprocessors interact
with input/output functions. For example, one patent covers an
automatic diagnostic routine that the computer puts itself
through upon start up.

As to what AST is looking to gain, company officials told
Newsbytes it is seeking a variety of remedies including, but not
limited to, damages, injunctions, and declarative judgements
against TI.

(Linda Rohrbough/19940105/Press Contact: Emory Epperson, AST
Research, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Terry West, TI,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00028)

Sanctuary Woods/Comedy Central To Develop CDs 01/05/94
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- Sanctuary Woods
Multimedia, a developer of entertainment and educational titles,
is announcing at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show (CES) a
deal with the all-comedy cable network Comedy Central. Under
the agreement the two companies plan to collaborate on comedy
interactive compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) and
interactive television titles.

To underscore the agreement, comedian Dennis Miller is
performing at an announcement event held by the two
companies at CES.

Sanctuary Woods claims its role in the agreement is to lead the
development, while Comedy Central provides content, its brand
name, writing/producing assistance, talent, and promotional
services.

In addition, Sanctuary Woods gains access to Comedy Central
property for use in interactive media and says products created
from the joint effort could include assets from any number of
original programs, including "Pepsi's A-list," featuring the
"biggest and brightest names" in comedy; "Stand-up, Stand-up,"
stand-up comedy clips presented by theme; or "Comic Justice,"
an urban minority stand-up and sketch comedy showcase.

Scott Walchek, president of Sanctuary Woods said: "Because
comedy has such wide appeal, it is a logical vehicle both for
existing interactive software users and to attract new audiences."

This is the second time Sanctuary Woods has attracted performers.
Dennis Miller is doing a CD title, and actress Shelley Duvall
has teamed up with the company to produce children's titles on
CD-ROM. Comedy Central claims its service is currently available
in more than 30 million homes nationwide. Owned by Comedy
Partners, Comedy Central is a 50-50 joint venture between Home
Box Office and Viacom International.

(Linda Rohrbough/19940105/Press Contact: Kristy Sager, PR
for Sanctuary Woods, tel [phone]; Sanctuary Woods, tel
604-380-7582, fax [phone]; Tony Fox, Comedy Central,
212-767-8748)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BOS)(00029)

DEC Launches Ad Campaign To Foster PC Sales Boom 01/05/94
MAYNARD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- Digital
Equipment Corp. (DEC) has launched an aggressive new ad campaign
aimed at furthering a recent sales boom for its PC product lineup.

Based on currently available sales figures, DEC officials project
that revenues from the company's PC products reached $1 billion for
the 1993 calendar year, doubling the $500 million in sales attained
for the PC line in calendar year 1992.

DEC has hired the New York ad agency Young and Rubicam for a
sweeping print and TV ad campaign intended to extend Digital's brand
identity among PC users and attract new sales partners in retail
channels.

Targeted at the corporate enterprise market, the campaign includes
an aggressive buy in computer trade publications, as well as a
strong schedule of newspapers and business publications and the
first TV commercials ever to be aired for DEC's PC products.

A spokesperson for DEC attributed the recent sales growth to the
effects of a corporate reorganization last year, along with
intensified efforts toward high product quality, competitive
pricing, and channel sales.

The reorganization at Digital included the establishment of the
Personal Computer Business Unit, a new independent business
unit within DEC. The autonomy of the unit allows for greater
flexibility in responding to marketplace needs, the spokesperson
told Newsbytes.

The main theme of the new ad campaign, "Beyond the Box," is
designed to play up the quality of DEC's PCs, along with such
"value added" advantages as service and support, extensibility to
larger systems, and the company's networking expertise.

One objective of the campaign is to attract additional distributors
and value-added resellers (VARs), according to the spokesperson.
The distribution ratio for DEC's PCs is currently 70 percent
direct/30 percent indirect. Digital is ultimately shooting for a
50/50 ratio, she said.

Newspapers and business publications on the ad agenda include:
the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles
Times, Forbes, Business Week, and US News and World Report.
The TV commercials for the DEC PCs are airing on such cable
networks as CNN, A&E, CNBC, TBS, and SCI-FI. The campaign
begins this week.

DEC's projection of $1 billion in PC revenues for the 1993 calendar
year is based on $800 million in company PC sales for the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1993, the spokesperson said.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940105/Reader Contact: Digital Equipment
Corp., 800-PCBYDEC; Press Contact: Terri Slater, DEC,
508-496-9923)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(WAS)(00030)

Pinnacle Intros Mac CD-ROM & MO Jukeboxes 01/05/94
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 5 (NB) -- Irvine, California-
based Pinnacle Micro has begun shipping its high-end magneto-
optical (MO) jukebox line for Macintosh computers which will
provide Mac networks and workstations with up to 186
gigabytes (GB) of on-line storage capacity. The company has also
introduced the Cascade CD 100, an on-line CD-ROM library system
which can contain as many as 100 CD-ROM discs.

Cascade, which is both Macintosh and MS-DOS compatible, costs
$10,000 complete with the Pinnacle Virtual File System control
software. This CD-ROM jukebox puts CD-ROMs effectively online for
only $100 each, providing mass storage at a cost of less than 20
cents per megabyte.

CD-ROM is a storage/publishing medium and the Cascade system
will be used for accessing archives of images, audio/video files,
multimedia productions, and other large databases.

Cascade will support standard (ISO 9660) CD-ROM as well as
Kodak Photo-CD, CD-ROM XA, and Philips CD-I. The entire drive
unit weighs about 40 pounds.

Although CD-ROMs in the Cascade drive cannot be written to, users
can record compatible CD-ROMs in-house using any of the CD-R
(CD-Recordable) drives.

The Pinnacle MO optical libraries, which are now shipping, are
named the Ata-20GB, Aspen-40GB, Alpine-120GB, and Mammoth-
186-20GB. These optical drives are all based on the 19
millisecond (ms) access time 1.2 GB Pinnacle drive, providing
from 20GB to 186GB of total on-line storage capacity.

A company spokesperson told Newsbytes that the prices of the
MO optical library were not available.

The fast access times listed for the MO library refers only to
the speed of the drive itself with a disc already mounted.

(John McCormick/19940105/Press Contact: Doug Sherk or Scott
Smith, Morgen-Walke Associates, 415-296-7383)