K BOULDER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- Niwot Networks Inc. has added support for RS-232 modems to its communications package. The program, which supports overlapped "get file" and "send file" functions, also supports V.25 bis dialing.
The company says its PC-based Niwot DFT (direct file transfer) includes a hardware adapter as well as the software, and allows station-to-station or LAN-to-LAN (local area network) file transfers on stand-alone PCs or networks using Novell Netware and other popular network operating systems.
Jay Knutson, VP of Sales for Niwot, says that although the company's focus has been optimizing bandwidth for synchronous communications at 56 kilobits-per-second and higher, Niwot found that many users who need to send large files over conventional telephone lines need to do it via a modem, so the company added RS-232 modem support to the program.
The ability to send large, high resolution files will appeal to organization such as medical imaging companies transferring X-ray images, engineering companies sending and receiving CAD (computer aided design) files, and financial service companies or retailers compiling large amounts of data. "Anyone needing to transfer large amounts of data can use DFT to use their (phone) lines to the fullest potential when costs are lowest," says Knutson. He says some medical imaging services currently using DFT transmit as much as a gigabyte of data daily, either station-to-station or LAN-to-LAN.
Knutson says that while there are other ways to get around the problem of file transfers, DFT can avoid the slowdown caused by protocol overhead. "I don't think anyone else has arrived at a solution as efficient or as adaptable as ours."
The company says DFT's flexibility gives users an open upgrade path to higher capacity services, including Fractional T3, just by plugging in a new modem, DSU, ISDN Terminal or network adapter, or I-MUX without the need to upgrade any of its software or hardware.
Niwot Direct File Transfer has a suggested retail price of $895 per node, including file transfer software, V.25 bis dialing, AT command set dialing, and the adapter.
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 23 (NB) Struggling Cray Computer Corporation announced this week that it had a net loss for the second quarter of 1993 of $11.8 million.
For the same period last year, Cray Computer reported a loss of $11.9 million. This year's second quarter results amounted to a $0.43 per share loss for stockholders. For the same period last year shareholders recorded a $0.49 per share loss.
Cray Computer said the net loss for the six month period ending June 30, 1993 was $23.3 million, or $0.90 per share, compared to $25.8 million, or $1.07 per share for the same six months of 1992.
Cray Chief Financial Officer William G. Skolout says the loss was expected. "The loss for the second quarter of 1993 was expected by management as the company continued the development and manufacture of Cray-3 supercomputer systems and increased its sales and marketing activities."
Skolout said the company's cash position of about $37 million as of June 30, 1993 has increased due to the private equity financing completed in June 1993. For the six-month period ending December 31 1992 the company had a cash position of $27.5 million. Property plant and equipment assets dropped about $5 million from the end of 1992.
Cray's problems started when it lost the contract for its first and at the time only - order for its Cray-3 supercomputer that computer scientist Seymour Cray envisioned as running faster than other supercomputers by using gallium arsenide technology. When Cray couldn't meet a critical milestone for the demonstration of the Cray-3 the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory switched its order to Cray Research Corporation.
In January of last year a shareholder filed a class action suit against the company claiming officials didn't let stockholders know it would miss delivery deadlines, and that positive statements about the company made by then-chief executive officer Neil Davenport were "materially false and misleading." A few months later Davenport resigned. In February the company said it would stop work on the development of a full 16-processor version of the Cray-3 to work on smaller versions.
In December, a senior lawyer at the Livermore Labs was charged with insider trading after learning the lab would cancel its contract for the Cray-3. There was no indication that Cray computer was involved in the incident.
In May of this year Newsbytes reported that the company had delivered its first Cray-3 for a six-month no-income evaluation and demonstration period at the Boulder, Colorado-based National Center for Atmospheric research.
Cray Computer replenished its dwindling cash reserves earlier this year by selling additional stock, with a significant block of the stock being purchased by founder Seymour Cray.
(Jim Mallory/19930723/Press contact: William Skolout, Cray Computer Corporation, 719-579-6464)
ray Computer Corporation, 719-579-6464)
7/23/93
Cray Computer Loses $11 Million In 2Q
BUSINESS
Computers Track US Women's Open
CARMEL, INDIANA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- As some of the world's best women golfers shoot their second round in the 1993 Women's US Open Golf Championships, a special computer system will almost instantly relay the results to officials, the media, corporate clients, players, and spectators.
An integrated network that links wireless terminals, distributed workstations, and mainframe servers designed created and operated by Unisys Corporation is tracking the progress of the 156 golfers at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana, a suburb of Indianapolis.
This isn't the first time computers have tracked the event. US Golf Association President Stuart Bloch says the system has worked well through nine tournaments.
Greenside scorers around the course are using hand-held devices to transmit the results into a computer database. The scores are then verified and displayed at more than 50 computer terminals throughout the complex.
The system tracks individual golfers' scores, group summaries course and hole difficulty rankings, cut projections, and news updates on the four-day championship tournament. It also sends instant updates to the four "thru-boards" around the course displays that show spectators the names of the players approaching the green and the cumulative score of the players through the previous hole.
(Jim Mallory/19930723)
the previous hole.
(Jim Mallory/19930723)
7/23/93
Computers Track US Women's Open Golf Scores
GENERAL
President Clinton Showcases High
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- At a high-tech photo op (photograph opportunity) held at the White House yesterday President Clinton promoted his Emerging Technologies Act and other high-tech initiatives.
While looking at and sampling state-of-the-art telecommunications facilities, President Clinton spoke to the assembled reporters and high-tech company representatives about the importance of getting the Administration's Emerging Technologies Act passed so companies, especially computer-related companies, could take greater advantage of currently under-utilized or restricted portions of the radio spectrum.
Although it has mostly been ignored by the major media, this move to open up a wider spectrum of radio frequencies, a segment now used by the military and public safety groups, is part of the present budget reconciliation efforts because it would involve sale or licensing of frequencies by the Federal Communications Commission.
The frequencies in question are currently made available free of charge to federal, state, and local agencies, but under the proposed changes these under-utilized frequencies would be sold at auction to telecommunications companies, allowing them to develop new products and services while earning the federal government as much as $10 billion in fees.
The fate of the Emerging Technologies Act currently lies with the joint House/Senate reconciliation committee which has been meeting for several days to iron out differences between House and Senate versions of the Clinton deficit reduction budget.
The Administration is currently pursuing a "full court press" promoting the budget bill but is running into a lot of opposition from Republican lawmakers. Many fear that even more problems lie ahead because the powerful head of the House Ways and Means (tax) Committee, Dan Rostenkowski (D-Ill.), is thought to be implicated in an ongoing investigation about improprieties involving the House Post Office.
Because he is such a key figure in the Administration's push to get this budget bill enacted, worries about Representative Rostenkowski's possible legal troubles are shaking both the White House and financial markets.
(John McCormick/19930723/)
and financial markets.
(John McCormick/19930723/)
7/23/93
President Clinton Showcases High-Tech Wireless Apps
TELECOM
Sanctuary Woods Acquires Mind F/
SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- Sanctuary Woods Multimedia Corporation has begun what may be a string of acquisitions by announcing its purchase of Mind F/X, Inc., the Toronto-based developer of such compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) titles as Sitting on the Farm and The Cat Came Back.
Mind F/X is known for its early learning CD-ROMs, especially in the area of language arts, company officials said.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The employees of Mind F/X are to join Sanctuary Woods, and Rosemarie Shannon president of the Toronto company, will become producer of Sanctuary Woods' I-learn line of line of CD-ROM titles. In addition to continuing with its own titles, Mind F/X will be developing products for the I-learn brand, Sanctuary Woods officials said.
"We bought everything," said Sanctuary Woods spokeswoman Renee Courington. Mind F/X's Toronto operations will remain intact, but become part of Sanctuary Woods' CD-ROM development group.
Courington said Sanctuary Woods is working on several other acquisitions as part of an aggressive expansion plan, and hopes to make further announcements soon.
Sanctuary Woods, which has its official headquarters and development operations in Victoria, British Columbia, and its executive offices and U.S. headquarters in San Mateo, California develops entertainment and educational multimedia titles under the I-learn, I-tales, and I-ventures brands, for Intel-based and Apple Macintosh PCs and for 3DO hardware. The company was founded in 1988.
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- In a newly announced deal, Acer has licensed ChipUp to Intel, and has also given Intel the right to sublicense the patented CPU upgrade technology to other interested computer makers.
Part of Acer's PC technology for the past 18 months or so, ChipUp allows CPU upgrades to be made by switching just a chip instead of an entire motherboard, said Lee Cannon, Acer's vice president of marketing, in an interview with Newsbytes.
The technology is based on motherboard circuitry with autosensing BIOS that is able to recognize when a new Intel processor has been inserted.
Cannon told Newsbytes that ChipUp will accept any Intel processor being shipped today, along with higher-speed Intel processors including the Pentium, as they become available.
To upgrade the system, the user simply inserts the new chip into a slot in the motherboard and adjusts a couple of jumpers.
ChipUp saves time in the manufacturing process by letting computer makers use one standard motherboard, instead of multiple boards for various configurations, the vice president emphasized.
"In the past, there were different boards for, let's say, an SX and a DX processor. Now computer makers can use the same board, merely plugging in the appropriate CPU at the end of the line," he told Newsbytes.
Under the sublicensing agreement included in the new pact, Intel can offer its CPU customers the right to manufacture, sell or use ChipUp technology, paying royalty fees to Acer for that right.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930723/Press contacts: Lee Cannon or Michelle Fitts, Acer, tel 408-432-6200; Gavin Bourne or Veronica Skelton Wilson McHenry Company for Acer, tel 415-592-7600)
ton Wilson McHenry Company for Acer, tel 415-592-7600)
7/23/93
Acer Licenses ChipUp CPU Upgrade Technology To Intel
CORRECTION - Mac IIfx Accelerato
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- Newsbytes wishes to update this story which appeared on this wire July 20 and was written by Computer Currents. The story featured a phone number which has been changed.
Spectrum Computer's $200 hardware upgrade for the Macintosh IIfx accelerates the IIfx to 50MHz and provides as much as a 32-percent improvement in performance over the standard Mac IIfx, the company says.
The Mach 5 Upgrade brings the IIfx to near-Quadra 700 and 900 performance at a fraction of the cost. The $200 upgrade includes on-site installation by Apple-certified technicians (in the San Francisco Bay Area) and comes with a 90-day parts and labor warranty, and one year free telephone technical support. The Mach 5 Upgrade can also be installed by sending your IIfx to Spectrum Computer; upgrades are shipped within 24 hours of receipt.
The new phone number for the company is 408-338-6238. A company spokesman tells Newsbytes that there was trouble with a previous line and the local phone company has not been referring calls to this new number.
(Wendy Woods/19930723)
number.
(Wendy Woods/19930723)
7/23/93
CORRECTION - Mac IIfx Accelerator
APPLE
CORRECTION
Review of - Sesame Street Learni
Runs on: PCs with CGA graphics and as little as 256K of memory MS-DOS 2.1 or higher
From: Hi Tech Expressions, 584 Broadway, New York, NY 10012, 212 941-1224
Price: $49.95 in some stores
PUMA Rating: 3 (on a scale of 1=lowest to 4=highest)
Reviewed for Newsbytes by: Dana and Robin Blankenhorn
Summary: If you've given your preschooler an old PC with CGA graphics, run, don't walk, and find these programs before they're out of stock.
======
REVIEW
======
It's hard to find software for a preschooler's computer. That's because it's usually mom or dad's old, obsolete computer. In the case of Robin Blankenhorn, it's an old XT with a 40-megabyte hard drive, but CGA graphics. It does have a Sound Blaster card attached to a Yamaha keyboard, but the chip's too slow and the graphics are too primitive to handle any of the new software.
The Sesame Street Learning Library is essentially a re-release of some programs originally written in the mid-80s under license from the Childrens' Television Workshop, which produces the show. While they retail for $49.95 each, with three programs in each package, you'll have to hustle to find them. Hi Tech Creations told Newsbytes the license with CTW has expired, and they're just selling out the inventory through the end of the year.
Too bad. Robin likes this stuff. In Volume One, she really liked "Ernie's Magic Shapes." A figure of Ernie is on the left-side of the screen. A shape, or set of shapes, is above him. When a new shape pops up on the right matching part of what's above Ernie hit the up-arrow. If there's no match, hit the down. When you complete the shape, a rabbit appears next to Ernie and applauds you.
Big Bird's Special Delivery is a bit more complex. In its higher level, you see an item, like a car, and four boxes above with other items. You want to match what you see to what's similar up above -- sporting goods with sporting goods, for instance. I got one wrong, matching a baseball glove with a woman's glove. Robin laughed. She likes it when daddy makes mistakes.
Volume Two teachers some higher-level skills. Grover's Animal Adventures have four settings. You place Grover in the picture then place various animals and things like clouds in the picture using the arrow keys. Careful, though -- the software won't let you put the giraffe in the air or the cloud on the ground.
Ernie's Big Splash was frustrating to Robin, mainly because daddy didn't explain the directions well. The idea is to use the space bar to bring up puzzle sections that will help Rubber Ducky reach Ernie in his tub. The F5 and F7 keys move ducky along the path. When dad went to watch TV, Robin got frustrated, because the Ducky kept getting farther from Ernie and she kept looking for places to send Ducky, not necessarily pieces that would send Ducky to Ernie.
There were few problems with either disk. Our copy of "Astro Grover," on the first disk, hung up my machine, but a warm boot fixed that and the company has a liberal return policy, I was told. The disks run under DesqView, and they're among the few games left that will run right off the disks they're on you don't have to transfer the games to a hard drive, so your youngster can fire-em-up in your machine if he or she likes that. Some adult supervision helps, although Robin followed the directions pretty quickly. The supervision is not just so the kid will do the game right -- it's so you and the kid can enjoy some quality time together.
============
PUMA RATING
============
PERFORMANCE: (3.5) Fun for the little ones. And it runs off floppies.
USEFULNESS: (3) The pre-learning skills taught here will be of value in kindergarten or first grade.
MANUAL: (3) Folded sheets explain the games while you play, and there's a simple parent's workbook that explains the skills involved and helps you teach them.
AVAILABILITY: (2.5) You should find these at computer stores and software shops, probably for less than list price. But hurry they'll only be available through the end of the year.
(Dana Blankenhorn & Robin Blankenhorn/19930713/Press Contact: Andy Lavin, Middleburg & Ass., 130 E. 59th St., New York, NY 10022, 212-888-6610)
ss., 130 E. 59th St., New York, NY 10022, 212-888-6610)
7/23/93
Review of - Sesame Street Learning Library, Vol 1 & 2
REVIEW
Review of - Spanish Assistant Bi
Runs on: IBM PC/XT/AT or compatible with minimum 640K RAM memory; DOS 2.1 or above; hard disk with at least 2.5 megabytes of storage space available.
From: MicroTac Software, 4655 Cass St., Suite 214, San Diego, CA 92109. 619-272-5700 or fax 619-272-9734.
Price: $80
PUMA Rating: 4 on a scale of 1=lowest and 4=highest
Reviewed for Newsbytes by: Rick Bender
Summary: Spanish Assistant version 5 is an excellent bi directional translation tool for people with little/no knowledge of Spanish because it offers grammar hints and helps with verb conjugations as well as word translations.
======
REVIEW
======
With many people having to learn Spanish for the first time, or for those who are taking Spanish as part of their career preparations (like me, a fourth-year college student) bilinguality is increasing in importance. For those who cannot speak Spanish like a native, Spanish Assistant can help build vocabulary and translate words and documents.
Translation is done on a line-by-line basis, or the document may be done all at once in batch mode; Spanish Assistant automatically converts the document from Word Perfect, Microsoft Word and other formats to ASCII standard for batch translation. Text can also be entered from the built-in text editor.
One of the features I like best about Spanish Assistant is the verb conjugator. Verbs are crucial in any language, and help with conjugating the 15 or more verb tenses that exist in Spanish is always appreciated, even by someone with years of Spanish classes. If you don't recall exactly what the present perfect subjunctive tense is, you can pop up the verb conjugator and find out.
Another particularly useful feature is the way the dictionary and grammar helps can be operated in memory-resident (TSR) mode for use while working in a word processor. These tools only take up 8K of RAM in memory-resident mode, whereas in normal operations the entire program occupies 2.5MB.
The translation is reasonably fast, with a short sentence taking about six seconds for the initial translation when running on an older Zeos 16 MHz 80386SX.
The program then systematically checks word by word and prompts with choices, so if any word is incorrect it can be changed interactively. All-in-all, it takes seven to 10 seconds to translate a short sentence of, say, seven or eight words.
In batch mode (as opposed to interactive mode) it is even faster but accuracy decreases because translation isn't checked by the user as it can be in line-by-line mode.
Spanish Assistant 5 would be very helpful for business use because it can be operated in either line-by-line mode or batch mode. It also helps to have the dictionaries and verb conjugator in memory-resident mode because they can be used to check translation while not taking up much memory space. Another plus is the grammar help, which can explain verbs and other parts of speech to a non-Spanish-speaking client or user.
SA5 is definitely faster than doing things by hand even if you are only translating something as simple as a short letter.
===========
PUMA Rating
===========
PERFORMANCE: 4 Fast, very easy to use, and powerful.
USEFULNESS: 4 Useful for business and student translation tasks.
MANUAL: 4 Simply and clearly written.
AVAILABILITY: 4 Mail order only from MicroTac Software; you aren't likely to find this sort of software at a computer store.
(Rick Bender/19930610/Press Contact: Michael E. Tacelosky Microtac, 619-272-5700, fax 619-272-9734)
el E. Tacelosky Microtac, 619-272-5700, fax 619-272-9734)
7/23/93
Review of - Spanish Assistant Bi-Directional Translator
REVIEW
Hayes Supports V.Fast Modem Tech
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- Hayes Microcomputer Products, the modem manufacturer, has announced plans to support an interim version of the V.Fast modem standard, known as V.Fast Class (V.FC), in its next range of modems.
The V.FC standard is capable of data transmissions of 28,800 bits per second (bps) and, according to company President Dennis Hayes in no way attempts to preempt current development work on the full V.Fast modem standard by the ITU-TS (formerly the CCITT) international telecoms regulatory body.
Ironically, Bill Pechey, Hayes' Northern European technical manager is on the ITU-TS study group that is researching and discussing the V.Fast standard. Dennis Hayes told Newsbytes that Pechey is "very comfortable~ with the company's position with V.FC.
Speaking with Newsbytes from his Atlanta headquarters, Dennis Hayes explained that his company has been working closely with Rockwell International, a major producer of modem chipsets, since June of last year. The idea was to develop an interim standard that used most of the V.Fast technology, and that could be introduced in a shorter time frame as possible, given the delays in agreeing the full V.Fast specification.
Dennis Hayes told Newsbytes that two factors influenced his decision to support an interim standard. Firstly, as the company talked to its customers, it realized there was a clear need for pumping data over an analogue modem as fast as possible.
"Secondly, it also became clear to us that V.Fast was not developing as quickly as we first thought. It's now expected in the summer or fall of 1994. That's not a bad thing, but we think there is a need for an interim fast modem standard now," he said.
So is Hayes preempting the ITU-TS on V.Fast? No way, claims Dennis Hayes. If anything, he argues, by teaming with Rockwell on V.FC which he claims produces chipsets for 70 percent of the modems on sale in the market today, will take the pressure off the V.Fast study group.
"The pressure is off them to agree a standard in a rush. They can take their time and produce a modem transmission technology that unless we're mistaken, will push the limits of data over analogue networks as far as it can go," he said.
"Because of the fact that V.Fast is something the modem industry is going to have to live with for some time to come -- possibly as long as we have phone lines -- it's important they get things right. If they need to take a few extra months to get everything just right then they can do," he said.
Dennis Hayes noted that supporting V.FC is not as revolutionary as some people might think. "We supported a proprietary 9600 bps standard with our early V series of modems, just companies such as US Robotics did with their HST modems. We continue to support the V series protocol in our latest modems and intend to support V.FC in our eventual V.Fast modems," he said.
Hayes admitted that there is real way that a V.FC modem can be software-only upgraded to the eventual full implementation of V.Fast. He said that hardware upgrades will be available when the full V.Fast modems start shipping and, anyway, V.Fast modems from Hayes will support the V.FC system for a long time to come.
"Consumers need not worry that their V.FC modems will become obsolete. We've taken care of that," he said.
Newsbytes drew parallels between V.FC and the V.Terbo modem standard announced by AT&T and others earlier this year. V.Terbo pushes modem transmissions to 19,800 bps over standard phone lines. Dennis Hayes rejected any comparison between V.Terbo and V.FC, claiming that V.Terbo does not perform anywhere near as well (as V.Fast) over a standard phone line as V.FC.
"V.Terbo was a compromise and performance tailed off at the high end. V.FC is as much an interim implementation of the V.Fast standard as it stands today," he said.
"While we're first to announce our support of the V.FC standard and expect to ship modems supporting the system quite soon, we also expect other modem manufacturers to follow suit and possibly ship their V.FC modems to market faster than us," he added.
So, how fast does V.FC go? In demonstrations at the COMDEX Fall computer show late last year, Hayes achieved data transmissions of 115,200 bps using data compression. These impressive figures compare very favorably with those achieved over integrated services digital network (ISDN) links, Newsbytes notes.
(Steve Gold/19930723/Press & Public Contact: Hayes - Tel: 404-840 9200)
blic Contact: Hayes - Tel: 404-840 9200)
7/23/93
Hayes Supports V.Fast Modem Technology
TELECOM
Media Vision Intros New Audio Ch
? FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- Media Vision says sound is no longer a specialty item for Intel-based personal computers (PCs). As a result, the company is offering original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) two new low-voltage audio chipsets for integration into desktop as well as laptop PCs.
Over 50 OEMs currently use Media Vision audio products for PCs the company asserts. Developed with integration onto the motherboard in mind, the company says the Jazz and Jazz16 chipsets are compatible with the popular Sound Blaster and Ad Lib products supported in most software applications. Each offers a "sleep" mode for power conservation and can record and playback digital sound in either stereo or mono at sampling rates of up to 44.1 kilohertz (kHz). Also included is a built in musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) transmit and receive port, a games-compatible joystick interface, and support for OPL2 (mono) or OPL3 (stereo) FM synthesizers.
The 8-bit Jazz supports the multimedia personal computer (MPC) Level 1 standard and the 16-bit Jazz16 supports the MPC Level 2 standard. The Jazz chipset offers the MVD1208 8-bit audio controller, the MVA408 8-bit compression/decompression (codec) and the MVA514 mixer. The Jazz16 chipset offers the MVD1216 16 bit audio controller, the MVA416 16-bit codec, and the MVA514 mixer used by the Jazz chipset. The MVD1216 supports in hardware the IMA (International Multimedia Association) standard audio compression and decompression. Media Vision has already offered a software implementation of the IMA codec standard to software developers royalty-free to get the standard into widespread use in applications.
Media Vision asserts its new chipsets offer the advantages of higher integration than other chip-level sound products, which is particularly important in the new, smaller computers being introduced. While company officials say they can't release the names of OEMs that have already adopted the new chipset for use in hardware applications, officials did mention consumers will begin seeing retail products containing the chipsets probably before the end of the year. In quantity the Jazz chipset sells for $17.50, while the Jazz16 is offered for $21.50.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930723/Press Contact: Elizabeth Fairchild Media Vision, tel 510-623-5856, fax 510-623-5749)
ion, tel 510-623-5856, fax 510-623-5749)
7/23/93
Media Vision Intros New Audio Chipsets
1,500 Developers Interested In N
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- Apple Computer's Personal Interactive Electronics (PIE) division said despite the fact that it hasn't officially released the Newton Messagepad personal digital assistant (PDA), it has had inquiries from 1,500 developers concerning its Newton Toolkit for software application development.
The Toolkit, announced in May, has been out in an early, test release but Apple said it won't be in widespread distribution until this fall.
Apple describes the Newton Toolkit as having its own programming language, Newtonscript, as well as offering graphical layout capabilities and built-in Newton components. The company asserts the kit will support content, applications development, and authoring tools. No information as to the pricing of the Newton Toolkit was forthcoming from Apple.
Apple representatives said about twenty developers have had access to beta copies of the Toolkit. Some of the applications developed at the beta sites will be available in August when the first Newton Messagepads are released at Macworld Boston. When asked what the criteria was for determining who got beta copies of the Newton Toolkit, Apple representatives were uncertain. Two criteria mentioned were the resources of the developer and how close the developer was to offering a viable product.
Clones of the Newton are expected, providing a potentially broad hardware base for Newton applications. Philip Ivanier Development Relations Manager at PIE said: "Developers are attracted by Apple's licensing of 'Newton Intelligence' to major corporations such as Matsushita, Motorola, and Sharp. And since Apple's worldwide developer conference in May we have held some workshops for developers in the United States, Japan and Europe, shipped a comprehensive suite of developer tools the Newton Toolkit -- and we are in the closing stages of formulating a full developer program that has been receiving excellent early reviews from the community. This program will encompass a variety of options to address the needs of different developers."
(Linda Rohrbough/19930723/Press Contact: Frank O'Malley, Apple Computer, tel 408-974-2042, fax 408-967-5651; Electronic Contact for Interested Newton Developers, Applelink Newton.dev; Public Contact, 800-776-2333)
elink Newton.dev; Public Contact, 800-776-2333)
7/23/93
1,500 Developers Interested In Newton Toolkit
APPLE
Meiko Scientific Wins Lawrence L
WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- Meiko Scientific has won a contract to provide a $17.5 million CS-2 computer system to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California.
John Fuchs-Chesney, spokesperson for the company, told Newsbytes that the contract, "entails the delivery of a large massively parallel supercomputer to the laboratory."
According to the company, the CS-2 system ordered includes hundreds of microprocessors and "massive" global memory with an exceptionally large I/O (input/output) capability and parallel filing system.
The company says that the system will be located in the LLNL computer center and will be configured to support hundreds of simultaneous users in a production environment. They are set to run a large variety of applications, including traditional supercomputing codes and large scale data management applications.
Fuchs-Chesney also told Newsbytes that the contract win "is very important for us, because it is a significant breakthrough into the US marketplace. We've sold other systems before, but not on a scale like this."
The system is being manufactured in the United States and uses a vector supercomputer architecture for its individual processing elements.
The company also says that high performance computing has been a vital ingredient in enabling science and engineering research in recent years. Computational science and engineering is now used to explore and validate issues and details beyond the reach of conventional theory and experiment.
Computational power and cost performance are fueling the revolution, claims the company. The only remaining barrier to this revolution is sufficient available computational power. The company says that the next big push will come from an increase in supercomputer performance of at least a thousand-fold, and that the only means of scaling the performance barriers is with scalable computers containing hundreds of processors.
(Ian Stokell/19930723/Press Contact: John Fuchs-Chesney 415-952-9900, Meiko Scientific Corp.)
Meiko Scientific Wins Lawrence Livermore Lab Contract
Oracle Adds Alpha AXP Support To
REDWOOD SHORES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- Oracle Corp., has announced that its Oracle7 database management system product is now in production on DEC OSF/1 for Alpha AXP and OpenVMS for Alpha AXP.
Jennifer Keavney, spokesperson for the company, told Newsbytes that, "Oracle7 runs on over 82 platforms. This is the most recent announcement of a platform. It is significant in that Oracle7's claim is that it runs on practically any platform. This adds to the background for that (claim) and for the whole idea of Oracle7, and Oracle products in general."
The company maintains that Oracle7 for Alpha AXP supports all of the product's features.
Jerry Baker, senior vice president of Oracle's Product Line Division said: "Our commitment to the Digital market and our cooperative efforts with Digital ensure that Oracle7 is the state of the art database for Alpha AXP systems. Oracle is the largest RDBMS vendor in the Digital market and I am confident that new customers, third parties and existing Oracle/VAX customers choosing to migrate will be extremely satisfied with Oracle7 on Alpha AXP systems."
The company says that the Oracle7's adaptable multi-threaded server architecture delivers scalable high performance for very large numbers of users on all hardware architectures.
Performance gains for Oracle7 running in the Alpha AXP environments are claimed to come from the "high speed of the Alpha AXP system and the fact that these two new releases are natively compiled."
The company also claims that investments in Unix-based applications are also preserved due to the portability of Oracle and the flexibility of DEC OSF/1, which can act as any of three familiar Unix standards: SVR4, BSD, or OSF/1.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- Apple is under fire from investors who have filed class-action suits and who bought stock between Oct 15, 1992, and July 15, 1993. The charges are the company and its executive officers participated in insider trading.
Several suits, as many as five, may have been filed, but Apple Computer representatives know of only one suit so far. Named in the suit, besides the company, is John Sculley, (former chief executive officer now chairman), Michael Spindler (CEO), Joseph Graziano (chief financial officer), Armas Markkula Jr (director) Arthur Rock (director), and Morris Taradalsky (vice-president).
Apple did report in June it was struggling with lower profit margins on its products and said it would show lower earnings for the first half of its 1993 fiscal year. But the $188.3 million in losses reported July 15 in the company's second quarter earnings statement took investors and analysts by surprise. Apple stock has dropped almost a third in value since the beginning of the year and lost another 23 percent in a single day following the quarterly statement. At Newsbytes' deadline, Apple stock began to climb again, from a low of $26 Thursday to $27.50 per share Friday.
Attorney for the investors, Patrick Couglin of the San Diego firm of Milbey, Weiss is reported as saying the executives named in the suit allegedly could have made as much as $25 million by selling stock. Some of the stock cost them as little as $7.85 per share and sold for as much as $61 a share.
However, Apple representatives said company executives closely follow the Securities and Exchange Commission rules for buying and selling company stock and all the information is public knowledge. Company officials said suits such as the ones reported are commonplace when companies report losses. The company released a statement saying the lawsuit is totally without merit and it intends to oppose all claims and expects to prevail.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930723/Press Contact: Kate Paisley, Apple Computer, tel 408-974-2042, fax 408-967-5651)
, tel 408-974-2042, fax 408-967-5651)
7/23/93
Apple Executives Accused of Insider Trading
APPLE
Ameritech Offers Schools Discoun
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- The more than 350 colleges and universities in Ameritech's Great Lakes region service area are now eligible for the purchase of heavily discounted ISDN bridges through the new Networking On-Demand for Education (NODE) program which offers base transmission speed of 128 kilobits per second (Kbps). This will make it easier and more economical for off-campus students and faculty to access networked computer systems.
Schools in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin will be eligible to purchase Combinet's Everyware family of on-demand ISDN bridges as prices as low as $495. Data compression techniques will increase the virtual data transmission speeds over the system to as much as 200 Kbps or more.
This cost structure puts ISDN hardware in the same price range as high-end 14.4 Kbps dial-up line modems, but cuts data transfer times by as much as 10 times.
The companies say that installation times for the Everyware bridges will be as little as 10 minutes and that they are compatible with PC, Macintosh, and X terminals. X is the Unix graphical user interface standard comparable to Windows in the MS-DOS arena, but X can even be implemented on a DOS machine using Quarterdeck Office System's DesqViewX multitasking operating environment.
Chicago-based Ameritech is a full-service communications provider in the Midwest and has some overseas operations. Sunnyvale California-based Combinet pioneered on-demand networking technology.
BOMBAY, INDIA, 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- Sun Microsystems of the US has signed up International Computers Indian Manufacture Ltd. (ICIM) as its value-added reseller (VAR) in India. So far, Bangalore-based Wipro Infotech Ltd., was the only distributor of Sun systems here.
According to Parag Samarth, general manager, ICIM, the modalities of the new relationship are yet to be finalized. "We are negotiating for the entire SPARC server and workstation range," he said.
ICIM earlier had an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) arrangement for Sun workstations with Wipro. As an OEM, ICIM had to cover the warranty on its own and hence, had a price disadvantage and often found itself competing against Wipro's own direct marketing force. Thus the relationship was short-lived.
From the ICIM point of view, the Sun range will complement its existing DRS range of servers which are also based on the SPARC chip. (In fact, Fujitsu, which holds the controlling stake in ICL Plc. of the UK, which, in turn, is the major shareholder in ICIM, is the main sourcing company of Sun.) There is bound to be an overlap specially on the high-end, as both Sun and DRS are highly expandable machines and ICIM would rather push its own machines.
While the company's earlier OEM was for workstations, this time ICIM is looking more for servers. It makes sense considering that ICIM's traditional stronghold has been the financial sector where Wipro has scored over the rest in the recent past.
ICIM's tie-up with Sun is also being perceived as an alternative to overcome DRS 6000's operating system limitations. Remarked a competitor, "With DRS, ICIM has hit a dead end, as it does not have a truly multiprocessing OS like Sun machines. The COSE initiative to back system V.4 kernel also makes it the ideal choice."
Once ICIM starts selling Sun, Wipro Infotech will have a tougher time. But that does not seem to bother the firm. Says A.V. Sridhar CEO, Network Systems Division (the department in Wipro that handles Sun orders), "We would be entitled to overriding commissions on ICIM's sales even if they buy directly from Sun." If this were to happen, ICIM's margins will get squeezed and it would be more or less in the same position as it was as an OEM of Wipro.
(C. T. Mahabharat/19930723)
(C. T. Mahabharat/19930723)
7/23/93
Sun Signs Up Second VAR In India
BUSINESS
Satellite Technology Decontrolle
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- Costa Mesa California-based Satellite Technology Management has been notified by the US Department of Commerce's Bureau of Export Administration that the company's VSAT voice and data communications system is decontrolled and is therefore eligible for export under what is known as the General License. What this means is that the company can now export its satellite communications system to many more countries without excessive regulatory burden.
The Bureau of Export Administration has provided a written classification advisory to Satellite Technology Management based on a recent request for shipment of a VSAT system to Brazil, but that order included the same parts which were also being exported to Iran, so the technical analysis of the Brazilian-bound VSAT system would also apply to others.
STM is currently under investigation by the Commerce Department over alleged improprieties involved in the company's export of high technology satellite communications equipment to Iran. The investigation was first reported on May 12 and on June 2 the company reported that its own internal investigation showed no basis for any charges of wrongdoing.
STM builds proprietary satellite communications hardware and software to facilitate the construction of very wide area voice data, video, and fax networks.
(John McCormick/19930722/Press Contact: Emil Youssefzadeh Satellite Technology Management Inc., 714-557-2400)
lite Technology Management Inc., 714-557-2400)
7/23/93
Satellite Technology Decontrolled For Export
TELECOM
Infocorp Says Microsoft To Spur
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- If it were not for competition, Intel would release new chips much more slowly in order to boost earnings. The question is: who is going to compete with the company's newly announced Pentium microprocessor? The answer, according to industry analysts at Infocorp, is the reduced instruction set computing (RISC) PowerPC chip and the group is predicting Microsoft will announce a version of Windows NT for the PowerPC to spur that competition.
Kimbal Brown, Infocorp vice president, said: "Recently, Tom Dunlap, Intel's chief counsel, stated that Intel could have achieved an incremental $1 billion in earnings from the 386 products cycle had AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) not entered the market with its 386 clones. This statement shows us that Intel if not pressed by competition, would slow its product cycles to achieve the highest earnings possible -- a reasonable goal."
But it is in the interest of software developers to have faster and better computers to run their software. Microsoft, as the largest personal computer (PC) software manufacturer, has the most interest in the hardware platform. "We believe that Microsoft wants to push Intel into increasing the performance of its microprocessors as quickly as possible," said Brown. "Infocorp believes that Microsoft wants to provide enough competition in the microprocessor market to keep Intel on the fast track."
Microsoft has been searching for another microprocessor to port to and many industry analysts have said the Digital Equipment Corporation's (DEC) Alpha microprocessor is the main rival. However, the PowerPC, announced by Motorola in April, has already been adopted by Apple Computer for future machines and IBM has announced it will use the chip in PCs it designs.
The PowerPC was designed by a joint venture of Motorola, Apple Computer, and IBM and its wider acceptance offers Microsoft the rival to Intel that it seeks, according to Infocorp. By 1997 the industry analysis group claims most major operating systems will be portable so compatibility with Intel's X86 architecture the most widely used chip design today -- will no longer be necessary.
The PowerPC rivals the Pentium in processing power, but is available at a much lower price. The basic 50-megahertz (MHz) PowerPC was announced at a $280 price tag and a more powerful 66 megahertz version is planned for $374. The Pentium is in the $800 price range.
Apple has already announced future Macintoshes will be PowerPC based. Brown said: "If the System 7 port for PowerPC was complete today, Apple could ship a Pentium-class Macintosh with high gross margins and channel markup and still achieve a $3,000 street price ..." Such a scenario could result in sales of 300,000 to 400,000 PowerPC-based Macs in 1994, 1.5 million to 1.8 million in 1995, and at least 3 million in 1996 "...transforming the PowerPC from a niche RISC microprocessor to a high-volume, almost mainstream, PC microprocessor," according to Brown.
"As Intel ramps (up) volumes of the 3.3-volt version of Pentium, the industry should ship 1.5 million Pentium-based PCs in 1993, more than nine million in 1995 and more than 28 million in 1996." However, Intel's pricing and product development will be highly motivated by the movement among leading software developers -- particularly Microsoft -- to port their products to other microprocessors. Microsoft has already shown Windows NT running on workstations based on the DEC Alpha RISC processor as well as the current Intel platform.
Brown said Infocorp expects Microsoft's Windows NT operating system to ship this summer with a maintenance release appearing in the first quarter of 1994. By that time, Brown said, he expects Microsoft will also be offering a version of Windows NT for the PowerPC chip. Representatives at Microsoft told Newsbytes that Windows NT is currently aimed at Intel's X86 DEC's Alpha, Intergraph's Clipper, and RISC chip platforms, but no specific plans have been announced concerning the PowerPC. However, the PowerPC is being considered as are other possibilities.
The bottom line is the entire industry is being driven and Intel is a part of the herd. According to the Infocorp report Intel's successor to the Pentium chip, known by the code-name "P6," should be in production by 1996 and is likely to be the last microprocessor compatible with today's Intel 386 and 486 chip line. By 1997, Infocorp claims Intel will be producing both X86-compatible P6 and non-X86-compatible P7 chips. Eventually, the report said, Intel will move away from the "hindrance of X86 compatibility."
It's compatibility, however, that is slowing the adoption of the PowerPC chip. The PowerPC may need software developers like Microsoft more than Microsoft needs the PowerPC. "The real drawback is getting software developers to port over their software so that software that runs on the Intel (based) PC can also run on the PowerPC processor," according to Jim Feldhan at In-Stat, a market research firm in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Intel will also remain number one in the foreseeable future Infocorp said. "Although we expect PowerPC volumes to be dwarfed by their X86-based competition during the forecast period, PowerPC volumes could easily rival volumes in the high performance end (e.g. DX2 processors currently) .... " Brown added.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930722/Press Contact: Lisa Hayward Infocorp, tel 619-625-4899, fax 619-450-3047; Sheila Ambrose Waggener-Edstrom for Microsoft, 503-245-0905)
ila Ambrose Waggener-Edstrom for Microsoft, 503-245-0905)
7/23/93
Infocorp Says Microsoft To Spur Pentium/PowerPC Rivalry
TRENDS
Motorola Sees Semiconductor Sale
ROSEMONT, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- Motorola says industry semiconductor sales worldwide will grow in 1994 and the company will increase its semiconductor production capacity to meet that growth.
Motorola Semiconductor Products President Tommy George says semiconductor sales worldwide will grow next year by 10-13 percent and the company has added additional shifts as well as expanded production. It's also focusing on reducing scrap and speeding up the time it takes to cycle products through the manufacturing process.
Motorola Chairman and CEO George Fisher told analysts this week the company plans to spend $2 billion to beef up its production capacity. That's a 30 percent increase over the $1.39 billion it spent last year. Fisher said Motorola had a strong 1992 and 1993 and apparently will continue the pace, but he declined to make an earnings forecast.
George estimated what the increase in various microcontroller use would be in various industries. He believes the typical automotive microcontroller applications will increase to 35 per vehicle from the current 14. In office-type equipment such as pagers and telephones, he estimates an increase from the present 18 to 42 while in home consumer items from appliances to exercise equipment usage will increase nearly four-fold, from the present 69 to 224.
The company says it is accelerating production ramp-up of MOS11 devices in its Austin plant, and is increasing surface-mount assembly capacity in some of its other plants. George said production of MOS12 eight-inch semiconductor wafers in the Chandler, Arizona plant is expected to begin in mid-1994, and a joint Motorola-Toshiba JV fabrication plant for the production of 16-megabyte DRAM (dynamic random access memory) is scheduled to start up in mid-1995.
George told analysts the market in Japan is strengthening and China has strong potential. He said the personal computer, communications automotive, and consumer segments are among the most vibrant.
George said the industry is still assessing the impact of an explosion at a major epoxy-resin supplier plant. Epoxy resin is used in the manufacture of computer chips. "We currently have sufficient supply," he said. Industry watchers expect the price of computer chips to rise drastically until other plants come on-line to meet demand.
Motorola Senior Executive Vice President Chris Galvin told analysts the company expects to increase its research and development expenditures from the 1992 level of $1.31 billion to $1.5 billion for 1993. Galvin also said accounts receivable has shown some improvement over last year. Galvin said receivables are down slightly to seven weeks in the second quarter compared to 7.8 weeks in the same period last year. He also said inventory turnovers have increased to 5.6 compared to 4.6 in the second quarter of 1992.
Motorola President Gary Tooker said Motorola continues to target compound annual sales growth in the 13 to 16 percent range, and said annual sales could reach $50 billion in 10 years. The company reported sales of $13.3 billion. Tooker said more than half of that is from outside the US, and international sales could reach two thirds within the next five years as markets open in China and the former Soviet Union.
(Jim Mallory/19930722/Press contact: Jeff Gorin, Motorola Media Relations, 602-952-3854)
n, Motorola Media Relations, 602-952-3854)
7/23/93
Motorola Sees Semiconductor Sales Growth
GENERAL
Sharp's Newton Demo Shut Down Af
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- Apple has tantalized hacks and analysts for over a year with demonstrations and marketing pitches for its Newton personal digital assistant. Many have been locked down by non-disclosure agreements and embargoes. The idea has been to let enough information filter through to raise expectations while shrouding the new toys with enough mystery to keep them sexy.
With the Newton launch just over a week away, Apple's cleverly manicured strategy almost came undone when Sharp Australia decided to show off its Newton, the Express Pad, yesterday (Thursday) to the Australian press, embargo-free. The Sharp machine is identical to Apple's Newton except for a few cosmetic touches.
"We didn't inform Apple" said Gary Young, sales and marketing manager with Sharp's personal electronics division. But Apple got wind of the demonstration and late on Tuesday night the Australian Sharp office received a directive from Japan to cancel the one-on-one press demos.
Young said an agreement had been reached between Apple and Sharp whereby Sharp would not show its Express Pad until after Apple made its Newton noise at MacWorld in Boston on August 2. Sharp will sell its machine through department and discount stores throughout Australia. Rather than have three models, as Apple Computer will with the Newton, Sharp will sell one model at a list price os AUS$1499 (around US$1000) and let customers decide on bits and pieces such as modems and PC connection kits.
Young said the $1499 price was not locked in and could change according to Apple's price for the Newton, which could be as low as AUS$1100 (US$750).
Sharp and Apple could both be tight for supplies if the product sells as well as both companies hope. Both versions come from the same Sharp production line, and Young said he expects the initial inventory to be sold by mid-August.
(Stewart Kennedy/19930723)
to be sold by mid-August.
(Stewart Kennedy/19930723)
7/23/93
Sharp's Newton Demo Shut Down After Message From Apple
APPLE
* H ~
Callers Left Holding Empty Bag I
MINNEAPOLIS MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- Thousands of people have responded to an offer by a Minnesota company which promised to give away free software, for $6.99 shipping and handling. However few if any, have received their merchandise and the company has disappeared.
The whole thing started when news release service ran a wire report from a company calling itself the Minnesota Software Systems Development Corporation on June 10. The company said it was giving away one million free copies of its Business Strategy and Living Trust software. All people had to do was send $6.99 for shipping and handling to a Minneapolis post office address.
Within a few days, there were indications that something was amiss. The company issued a second press release, saying that a firm called Microsoft Systems of Japan was purchasing the company. Within days, the company's phone number was only answered by a recorded message which stated that the orders would be filled within a week. Within a few more days, the Minneapolis phone was disconnected and there was no forwarding address nor phone number available.
Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Washington, immediately issued a press statement denying any knowledge of such a deal.
Newsbytes, contacted by several readers who sent money to the company to receive the "free" software, pursued an investigation to determine the company's current status.
According to a report in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, US Postal Inspector David Austrum in St. Paul investigated the company within days of the June 10 "free" software announcement. Reporter Walter Parker tells Newsbytes that the Postal Inspector convinced Brent Knapp, the firm's president, to voluntarily agree to cease doing business. Austrum would not discuss the reason for the investigation in an interview with the St. Paul Pioneer Press, but said that the company would voluntarily refund anyone's money. The Postal Inspector was unavailable for direct comment to Newsbytes at deadline. As it turns out, the closure of the post office box automatically meant a return of most people's money through the mail system, with no checks being cashed.
Since some people did send in money, and it never was returned nor did they receive their merchandise, Newsbytes followed up to see where the company might be now, to no avail. According to the Minnesota Secretary of State's office, the place where Minnesota corporations are registered, there is no record of any company by the name Minnesota Software Systems Development Corporation in Minnesota, now or ever. Further, the Better Business Bureau of Minneapolis tells Newsbytes that it has not received a single complaint against the company, which it lists as a business in its roster of Twin Cities firms.
The Minnesota Software Association, a non-profit trade group was asked whether the company was a member. Pat Schultz, its director, said that MSSDC is not one of its members nor are they in its database of 900 software and service companies in Minnesota. Schultz, however, knew personally of the company's name -- her organization has, in fact, been receiving over 400 calls from disgruntled respondents to the offer, which is still circulating as a news item in some publications. These people have received the phone number of the Minnesota Software Association through directory assistance, thinking it is the Minnesota Software Systems Development Corporation.
Schultz tells Newsbytes that all she knows is that days before the company disappeared in late June, a phone recording to its number 612-673-0922, said that the company would honor all orders received and delivery time would be about a week. However, within a week money was being returned by the post office, marked "PO box closed."
There is no estimate as to how many people actually lost money in what may have been a scam, and there is no official agency doing an investigation. Newsbytes contacted the Minnesota State Attorney General's office, the Better Business Bureau, and others, and found that despite this questionable offer, no one has filed a formal complaint. Further, Newsbytes was unable to find anyone who either received or saw the software that was offered free.
No number is currently listed for the company. A number is listed for the man who was said to be the president of the firm, Brent Knapp, in Minneapolis. However the operator said that number is non-published at the customers request.
(Wendy Woods/19930722)
published at the customers request.
(Wendy Woods/19930722)
7/23/93
Callers Left Holding Empty Bag In Minnesota Software Mystery
BUSINESS
NEC PC-VAN Links With SprintNet,
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- NEC's major personal computer network PC-VAN is offering its subscribers links to Sprintnet and British Telecom's Tymnet, a move which is expected to mean cheaper rates for its subscribers.
NEC has signed an interconnection deal with US-based Sprint concerning its SprintNet, which has nodes at 1,041 cities in 40 countries. NEC has also signed a deal with British Telecom's Tymnet, which connects 970 cities in 26 countries. With these interconnections, telecommunications between Japan and overseas is expected to be about 20 percent cheaper than regular public phone lines, or 70 yen (65 cents) per minute.
The major benefit to users of PC-VAN is that they will not have to register as members of SprintNet nor British Telecom. They can connect through the regular PC VAN numbers, and the access fees will be charged to their accounts.
NEC is aiming the service at Japanese business travellers or about 10,000 customers.
NEC's PC-VAN has about 580,000 members, and aims to gain 800,000 members within a couple of years. The network offers a variety of services including Japanese and English news various databases, and language translation services. Also, PC-VAN has a gateway to GEnie.
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- Kawasaki Steel has linked with Zilog Corporation of the US concerning joint development of ASICs (application specific integrated circuits).
Kawasaki Steel has agreed to provide its KC80 technology to Zilog. The KC80 is a super-fast 8-bit processor core which was developed by Kawasaki Steel. It is compatible with Zilog's Z80 chip on a binary basis. Zilog will incorporate this technology into its Z80 chip families. Also, Zilog and Kawasaki Steel will jointly develop Super Integration chips, which are Zilog's application specific ICs.
The ASIC products are expected to be developed and shipped by the end of this year.
Kawasaki Steel is one of the major steel makers in Japan. It entered the semiconductor chip business a couple years ago. The firm has also been selling IBM-compatible personal computers.
BANGALORE, INDIA, 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- Coromandel Industries the American marketing outlet in India of Bangalore-based database management system developer Coromandel Software Ltd. (Co Soft) has bagged orders from Microsoft Corporation for its Integra VDB a visual database builder for use with Microsoft Visual C++.
While Microsoft has picked up 1,000 copies of Integra VDB Microsoft Sweden has placed an order for another 1,000 copies. Together, the order comes to $1 million (about Rs 3.1 crore).
Co Soft, which developed the tool, would be receiving a royalty from Coromandel Industries for Integra VDB sales.
Integra VDB is integrated with Microsoft Visual C++ to help develop sophisticated ODBC-compliant software. Using VDB programs could be worked out with virtually no code. The tool is claimed to exploit the unique features of Visual C++ by providing visual database objects and functions that tie into the visual workbench and the application studio.
Co Soft has no plans to market Integra VDB in India as it feels the market for such a product is still nascent.
(C. T. Mahabharat/19930723)
nascent.
(C. T. Mahabharat/19930723)
7/23/93
Microsoft Buys Visual Database Builder
BUSINESS
Russia To Get India Computers, D
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- Altos India Ltd., an associate of Pertech Computers Ltd., which had shot into fame with a Rs 150 crore export order from Dell Computer, has bagged a $1.1 million (Rs 3.3 crore) export order for computer systems from Scientific Centre, Polinom, Russia.
This order is in addition to the five other orders worth over $1.1 million already under execution by Altos for the Commonwealth of Independent States including a $150,000 order from the Ministry of Armament. These orders, being executed under an escrow account, involves export of modems, PCs, printers and software.
The electronics hardware technology park (EHTP) set up by Altos in Gurgaon, Haryana at a cost of $5 million (Rs 15 crore) for the manufacture of motherboards for Dell Computer is behind schedule. Claimed to be the largest facility of its kind India its production scheduled for April is expected to start only this month. This means supply of 386SX and 486 system motherboards to Dell (claimed to be the largest computer hardware export order for an Indian company) could be delayed beyond October.
Altos blames Dell's demand for a change in design for the delay. To enhance graphics capability of the systems, the new boards will have VL bus, instead of the traditional ISA bus planned earlier. "Not only new testing equipment has to be brought in, but our engineers had to go to Dell twice for the required training," clarifies Arjun Raman, general manager, Altos.
Nevertheless, Altos is now gearing up and hopes to meet Dell's order in time. In addition to motherboards and other populated PCBs, the company is also negotiating with major international companies for supply of riser cards and front cards, both of which have substantial export possibilities. Its other plans include contracting production of switch mode power supply monitors and terminals and computer cabinets.
(C. T. Mahabharat/19930723)
nals and computer cabinets.
(C. T. Mahabharat/19930723)
7/23/93
Russia To Get India Computers, Dell Plant Behind Schedule
BUSINESS
Problem Solving Software From UT
L ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- Universal Technical Systems (UTS) has released a decision support software package the company says gives non-experts a sound mathematical basis to design cost effective solutions to a variety of everyday business problems.
The program, called Queuing Theory and TK Solver (QTK), is said to be a fast and cost effective way to analyze problems without requiring complex simulation software and the expertise needed to use it.
"QTK is a breakthrough product that gives the non-mathematician the mathematical basis to solve complex queuing problems quickly and easily," according to UTS President Jack Marathe. UTS spokesperson Nancy Garcia explained the difference between the core TK Solver program and the new software. Garcia says TK Solver is designed for expert users, while QTK makes the power of that program available to non-technical users.
QTK uses the "backsolving" or goal-seeking capability of UTS' TK Solver program, which allows the user to work backwards to reach the solution to a problem.
Dr. Carl Harris of George Mason University demonstrated QTK recently at the International Conference on Operations Research. Harris calls the software "a very powerful programming language which lets a user do the things that are very difficult to do in other languages, such as Fortran, C, etcetera." Harris says computer spreadsheets, a commonly used tool by computer users to solve problems and perform projections, don't have the power to handle many task. Harris says he saved time by a factor of 10 to 100 when using QTK over spreadsheet software. Harris says thanks to TK Solver it took less time to program the mathematics than to write the user manual.
UTS says QTK has a suggested retail price of $595, but is available at the introductory price of $395 if ordered by the end of September. In order to use QTK you have to have the company's TK Solver, Release 2.0 software, which sells for $595. The company publishes an academic version for student and faculty use that sells for $69, with the introductory price of $40 through September 30, 1993. TK Solver Student Version has a suggested retail price of $49.
(Jim Mallory/19930722/Press contact: Nancy Garcia, S&S Public Relations for UTS, 708-291-1616; Reader contact: Universal Technical Systems, 815-963-2220, fax 815-963-8884)
ms, 815-963-2220, fax 815-963-8884)
7/23/93
Problem Solving Software From UTS
Computerized Beeper Tracks Stole
FARNBOROUGH, HANTS, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- A new high technology system, which allows police to trace stolen vehicles electronically, has been launched in the UK, which has the highest rate of car theft in the European Community (EC).
The system, known as Tracker and sold by the Automobile Association involves fitting private vehicles with miniature computers linked to a transceiver that can be activated by conventional TV transmission signals to send out their own signals if stolen.
Plans call for most police cars to have tracking computers on board which will pick up the signals so that police can chase them. Tracker costs about UKP 160 per vehicle, plus a small annual subscription charge to use the system.
"About a third of stolen cars are never recovered. It is here that devices like Tracker have the potential to make a breakthrough in the fight against crime," Home Office Minister Charles Wardle said at the launch of the system.
Tracker is said to have cut car crime by up to a third in areas where it is used in the US.
Car crime in Britain last year accounted for more than a quarter of all recorded offenses, with more than 630,000 vehicles stolen -- an increase of 19 percent on the 1990 figure, and the highest rate in the EC.
(Steve Gold/19930722/Press & Public Contact: Automobile Association - 0256-492632)
act: Automobile Association - 0256-492632)
7/23/93
Computerized Beeper Tracks Stolen Cars
TRENDS
Star Trek Next Generation On A G
UPPER SADDLE RIVER, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- Hoping to go where no one has gone before, Absolute Entertainment Inc. has introduced a video game designed for the popular Game Boy based on the television science-fiction series, "Star Trek: The Next Generation."
In announcing the product, Garry Kitchen, president and chief executive officer of Absolute Entertainment, said: "We wanted to create a game that would satisfy both video game fans and followers of the show. Working closely with Paramount Pictures we feel we've come up with a game that combines the best of both worlds and actually plays like episodes of the show."
As a result, the main characters of the TV show are featured including Captain Jean Luc-Picard, Lt. Worf, Lt. Cmdr Data, and the crew of the starship USS Enterprise.
The company is also planning a September release date for its second title based on Star Trek: The Next Generation, but for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
The Star Trek television series has something of a fanatical cult following, with admirers known as "Trekkies." Star Trek: The Next Generation, surprised everyone by becoming as popular as the original series, and has since surpassed the original in programs produced.
(Ian Stokell/19930722/Press Contact: Cheryl Morriss 201-818-4800, Absolute Entertainment Inc.)
01-818-4800, Absolute Entertainment Inc.)
7/23/93
Star Trek Next Generation On A Game Boy
GENERAL
Gateway 2000 Adds To Product Lin
NORTH SIOUX CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- Gateway 2000 announced this week it has added several new items to its product line.
The company says it will now sell sound cards, a complete multimedia kit, an extensive selection of software on CD-ROM disk, and a 17-inch low emission color monitor.
The company is handling the Sound Blaster 16 ASP sound card, which usually carries a suggested retail price of $350 but is available from Gateway 2000 for $195. The card creates 16-bit stereo sound with sampling rates up to 44.1 kilohertz, but uses less CPU power than other 16- bit boards, according to Gateway 2000. The board uses a digital signal processor (DSP) and supports advanced speech recognition technology and audio compression. A playback filter is included to reduce spurious noise levels.
Sound Blaster 16 includes interfaces for CD-ROM, joystick, and a built-in MIDI port for connection to MIDI devices such as synthesizers, drum machines, and samplers. A set of speakers is included.
Gateway 2000 is also selling the Sound Blaster Multimedia kit. The kit includes the sound Blaster 16 ASP described above, a CD-ROM drive, and a pair of Labtec speakers. The Gateway 2000 price is $395, which the company says is a $50 savings over purchase of the various components separately.
Gateway's new 17-inch CrystalScan low emission monitor, manufactured by Mag Innovision, is a noninterlaced color monitor that supports resolutions up to 1280 by 1024 and has a 0.26mm dot pitch. The company says the monitor already meets the MPRII Swedish emission standards and Gateway says it will be Energy Star compliant by the fourth quarter this year.
Non-interlaced monitors refresh the screen by scanning every line at least 60 times every second. Interlaced monitors refresh by scanning every other line and can cause some flicker. Energy Star is a program introduced by the Environmental Protection Agency to set voluntary standards for energy consumption.
The monitor has controls for picture size and position on a front panel, as well as an LCD read-out screen that displays the current picture resolution. A removable four-way tilt-and-swivel base is included. The unit ships with 13 pre-programmed video modes, and sells for $960 as a stand-alone unit or for $520 as an upgrade to a Gateway 2000 personal computer system that includes Gateway's 15-inch 1572FS monitor. For systems that come with a Gateway CS1024NI 14-inch monitor, the upgrade cost is $600.
Gateway says it is now offering a selection of CD-ROM based software which can be chosen as a second application choice at the point of purchase or through Gateway's component add-ons department. Software prices start at $50, and include such programs as Microsoft Encarta Dinosaurs, Cinemania, Office, Multimedia Works, and Sound Bits. Programs from other publishers include PCTools, San Diego Zoo, Mayo Clinic Family Health Book, Time Almanac, Microprose Game Collection Multimedia Audio Collection for Windows, Jazz-A Multimedia History and The 7th guest. The company says more titles will be added weekly.
MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, 1993 JUL 23 (NB) -- An Australian-developed graphics package has ignited a legal dispute between two Montreal software companies, both of which claim to own the software.
SoftImage has announced that it has acquired rights to the source code of Flame, software for professional film and video production, from DA Technology of Australia. But Discreet Logic maintains it owns the rights to Flame, and has cancelled a distribution agreement signed earlier this year that allowed SoftImage to sell Flame in Europe.
SoftImage and Discreet Logic signed the distribution agreement in January. At the time, maintained SoftImage director Louden Owen Discreet Logic assured SoftImage that it owned all rights to the software, which Discreet Logic's director of advanced technology Gary Tragaskis, developed while working at DA Technology.
According to Pat Hunter, a spokeswoman for Discreet Logic Tragaskis was a partner in DA Technology and owned the rights to the Flame software, which he brought with him to Canada and Discreet Logic.
However, according to DA Technology and SoftImage, Tragaskis was an employee of the Australian company, rights to the software belonged to DA, and no rights were ever transferred to Tragaskis or to Discreet Logic.
Owen said his company has investigated the situation carefully and obtained two Australian legal opinions, and is convinced DA's claim is valid, though he said "the courts will ultimately decide."
After SoftImage signed the distribution agreement with Discreet Logic, Owen said, DA Technology approached SoftImage with an offer to sell the rights to Flame. SoftImage bought the rights from DA. Discreet then cancelled the distribution agreement. That, Hunter said, was because of SoftImage's action in buying from DA the rights that Discreet Logic maintains belonged to it.
This week, SoftImage unsuccessfully sought this week to have Quebec Superior Court force Discreet Logic to honor the distribution agreement. Owen said what his company asked for was "a very unusual type of remedy" in this sort of case, a "specific performance" order against Discreet Logic. He said the over-all dispute is still before the court, but added that for the time being SoftImage is unable to continue selling Flame in Europe.
In a press release, SoftImage said it did not expect the proceedings to have a material impact on its revenues. However in documents submitted to the court, the company said it "had projected significant sales in connection with the Flame software and associated hardware products. If SoftImage fails to meet its sales target ... the value of SoftImage shares (approximately US$20) will likely decrease as a result of a loss of confidence by investors, its cost of capital will increase and its over-all ability to obtain capital will be jeopardized."
SoftImage stock is traded on the NASDAQ over-the-counter system in the United States.
(Grant Buckler/19930723/Press Contact: Louden Owen or John Eckert, SoftImage, 514-845-1636; Pat Hunter, Artemis Hunter PR for Discreet Logic, 613-247-0588)
r, Artemis Hunter PR for Discreet Logic, 613-247-0588)
7/23/93
SoftImage, Discreet Logic Battle Over Flame Software
BUSINESS
NetManage Intros New Internet Ac
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- NetManage's new NEWTNews is a new Windows tool providing users of the Chameleon TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) for Windows software family to access, read, or post Internet messages using a click-and-point GUI (graphical user interface).
Chameleon TCP/IP's remote access capability has been enhanced with the addition of the Point-To-Point protocol and support for serial speeds as high as 115,000 bits per second.
NetManage's Point-to-Point implementation includes support for TCP/IP header compression (VJ header compression).
The company says that these new features dramatically increase transmission speeds over the latest high performance modems and therefore improve the performance of applications such as NEWTNews and e-mail either over the Internet or when dialing into TCP/IP corporate networks.
This is the first TCP/IP applications based completely on the Windows Dynamic Link Library and not a TSR (terminate and stay resident) package. Chameleon 3.11, priced at $400 for a single user license, is a suite of application packages including Telnet, FTP, SMTP/Mail, NEWTNews, TN3270, TFTP, Ping, Bind Finger, Whois, and SNMP.
(John McCormick/19930721/Press Contact: Donna Loughlin NetManage, 408-973-7171 or fax 408-257-6405)
NetManage, 408-973-7171 or fax 408-257-6405)
7/22/93
NetManage Intros New Internet Access Tools
TELECOM
Fujitsu, Ricoh To Link Office Ma
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- Fujitsu and Ricoh say they will both make compatible and sell each others' office equipment. These products are Ricoh's multiple digital copier called the Imagio series, and Fujitsu's best-selling Japanese word processor the OASYS series. Both firms are seeking ways to interconnect these devices.
Ricoh's Imagio is equipped with a floppy disk drive, and functions as a computer printer, a fax machine, and a regular copier. At a glance, it looks like a copying machine, but due to these other functions, it is far more versatile.
Fujitsu and Ricoh will jointly develop an interface to connect Imagio with Fujitsu's OASYS word processor in order to enable users to feed printed documents into the word processor. The read-in data can then be processed with the word processor, and can be printed out again or transmitted to fax machines.
Fujitsu is planning to bundle Ricoh's Imagio with the OASYS word processor for future sales.
Fujitsu has in place a strong sales network which is expected to help increase sales of the Imagio series. Fujitsu does not have copy machines on its sales list and in turn, should benefit by the alliance.
Ricoh has already developed a similar interface for Hitachi's word processor, which means that the development of this interface should be accomplished easily for Fujitsu and Ricoh.
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- NTT Data Communications, a 100 percent subsidiary of NTT, will list its stocks on the Tokyo Stock Exchange next year. NTT's President Hitoshi Kojima has been quoted as saying that NTT Data Communications wants to list stocks by the end of 1994.
NTT Data Communications used to be part of NTT's data communication department, but it was separated from NTT in 1988 to become an independent firm. The firm's fiscal 1992 sales were 433.5 billion yen ($4 billion), and net profit was 10.2 billion yen ($93 million).
According to Kojima, the firm will be able to list its stocks much earlier than was expected -- only five years since the firm was created. NTT's executive want to avoid risks to stockholders as they are still reeling from the plunging NTT stock price. NTT stock skyrocketed and the price tripled just after the stock was listed. However, it dropped sharply, and now costs less than half its original price.
Japan's telecommunication market was deregulated in 1985. Since then a number of telecom firms were created, including NTT and NTT Data Communications. Other private telecom firms are also preparing to list their stocks on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Daini-Denden, which is backed by Kyocera, will list stocks this September. Japan Railway's Japan Telecom is also planning to list its stocks.
(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930722/Press Contact: NTT Data Communications, +81-3-3509-4647)
ontact: NTT Data Communications, +81-3-3509-4647)
7/22/93
Japan - NTT Subsidiary To Offer Stock To Public
TELECOM
Russian US$1 Billion Telecom Pro
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- Russian and German companies are to invest up to 1 billion US dollars in a telecom project linking 50 different cities during the next year, the Russian communications ministry announced.
The development of the new network will allow extended phone and data services to operate in the country over digital long distance trunk lines.
The consortium of three or four large German telecom companies will work out the US$600 million financing, while the rest of funds will come from Russia, according to Russian Telecommunications Minister Vladimir Bulgak.
German companies will receive part of the fees paid for network usage for an undisclosed period of time.
(Kirill Tchashchin/19930722)
time.
(Kirill Tchashchin/19930722)
7/22/93
Russian US$1 Billion Telecom Project
TELECOM
Still No FTC Decision In Microso
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- Microsoft Corporation revealed late yesterday that the Federal Trade Commission decided not to issue an administrative complaint against the software company, but apparently intends to continue its investigation.
Microsoft Corporation has been the subject of a 37 month non-public investigation, based at least in part on complaints by its competitors. Most recently the FTC has reportedly been examining Microsoft's per processor licensing procedures and whether the company designed some of its software in a manner that precluded customers from using rival operating systems. A Microsoft spokesperson explained to Newsbytes that Microsoft negotiates a per-processor price with each PC maker who wishes to use Microsoft's operating system software. Under that contract the computer maker pays Microsoft for each PC that uses the particular microprocessors included in the contract. For example, a manufacturer could choose to contract for only machines that use a 486SX chip, or could cover all their machines. The license gives the manufacturer the right to include Microsoft's operating system with the hardware. Microsoft does not authorize sale of its disk operating system (MS-DOS) unless it accompanies a computer, except in the case of upgrades.
A Microsoft spokesperson told Newsbytes the company received no further indication from the FTC as to the status of the investigation so assumes the case is still open.
A prepared statement provided Newsbytes by Microsoft late Wednesday said, "The company is gratified that after an exhaustive and conscientious review, the commission has determined that these allegations regarding Microsoft's business practices don't justify issuing an administrative complaint." A Microsoft spokesperson told Newsbytes the company doesn't know what other action still might be taken against it.
Legal sources say if the commission decided a company has engaged in unfair competition it would begin a complaint process heard by one or more administrative law judges. Whatever decision that panel reached would be subject to appeals which could last for several years. The FTC could also decide to file suit against the company in federal court.
Microsoft Vice President of Law and Corporate Affairs William Neukom said Microsoft will continue to introduce new products and develop technologies. Said Neukom, "Microsoft is committed to the development of open platforms like MS-DOS and Windows and spends more than three times the national average on research and development, thus creating opportunities for independent software developers worldwide."
That statement could refer to another Microsoft story Newsbytes reported earlier this week. The company said its consulting business would spend more time helping independent software developers and value-added resellers. That could be interpreted as a move to diversify applications development, lessening the company's vulnerability to more anti-trust charges.
The traditionally tight-lipped FTC said yesterday it would have no announcement on how it deals with enforcement cases, one of which is said to involve Microsoft. The commission won't even confirm publicly that it is investigating Microsoft's business practices.
A majority of the five FTC commissioners have to agree on a decision in order to proceed with a formal complaint against a company. At its February meeting the panel reportedly tied, with two commissioners voting in the affirmative, while two others voted "no." A fifth commissioner reportedly excused himself due to conflict of interest. It's not known what that conflict is.
(Jim Mallory/19930722/Press contact: Mary Ann Allison, Waggener Edstrom, 503-245-0905)
Allison, Waggener Edstrom, 503-245-0905)
7/22/93
Still No FTC Decision In Microsoft Case
Lotus Reports Quarterly Results,
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- Lotus Development Corp., has reported a slight year-over-year increase in net income from operations in the second quarter, but a quarterly loss due to the cost of acquiring Approach Software Corp. The company also announced that its Lotus Consulting Services Group acquired Database Management Sciences, a British consulting firm.
In the quarter ended July 3, Lotus reported net income from operations of $15.2 million, or 35 cents per share. That is a two percent increase over net income of $14.9 million, or 34 cents per share, in last year's second quarter.
In June, Lotus bought Approach Software Corp., of Redwood City California, the privately held developer of Approach 2.0 database software for Microsoft Windows. A substantial portion of the acquisition cost, $19.9 million, was recorded as a charge against second quarter earnings, resulting in a net loss of $4.7 million or 11 cents per share. The charge reflects the write-off of purchased research and development, Lotus officials said.
Revenue for the quarter was $235.8 million, up seven percent over sales of $220.3 million in the second quarter of 1992.
In the first six months of 1993, Lotus' revenue grew three percent to $462.8 million from $447.4 million in the first half of 1992. Net income from operations was $27.5 million, or 64 cents per share, a 23-percent drop from $35.7 million, or 81 cents per share, in the first half of 1992. Net income after the acquisition charge was $7.6 million, or 18 cents per share, for the first six months.
"Results for the quarter exceeded our expectations as all of our key product groups achieved or exceeded their revenue targets," said Jim Manzi, Lotus' president and chief executive, in a prepared statement.
Lotus' Consulting Services Group (CSG) also announced the purchase of Database Management Sciences (DMS), a UK-based consulting firm that specializes in client/server computing. The fifth acquisition for the consulting group, the purchase of DMS will bolster Lotus' consulting presence in the UK. The group already had an office in London, said Victor Cruz, a spokesman for Lotus.
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. DMS has about 30 employees, all of whom will join Lotus, Cruz said.
Within the past year, Lotus Consulting Group has acquired Vanguard Business Solutions of San Francisco, Re/Aims of Dallas Soma Inc., of Toronto, and Pavosoft of Germany. The company also set up operations in the Asia/Pacific region. It has a number of offices in Europe and North America, Cruz said.
With the acquisition Lotus CSG will take over DMS' subscriber-supported publication Client-Server Consultant. Lotus plans to make the monthly journal available worldwide.
(Grant Buckler/19930722/Press Contact: Bryan Simmons, Lotus Development, 617-693-1697; Kay Waxman, Lotus Development 617-693-1540; Victor Cruz, McGlinchey & Paul for Lotus 617-862-4514)
Cruz, McGlinchey & Paul for Lotus 617-862-4514)
7/22/93
Lotus Reports Quarterly Results, Buys UK Firm
BUSINESS
Hitachi Unveils Double-Speed CD-
HAYES, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- One of the biggest problems facing multimedia PC users is the speed, or rather, lack of it, that data can be read from a compact disc read only memory (CD ROM) drive into a computer. Now Hitachi, claiming to have solved the problem, has announced a CD-ROM drive that runs at double speed.
Double speed CD-ROM drives are nothing new in the data storage industry. Many drive suppliers have been using double speed motors to ensure that data can be pumped at twice the speed into the PC. The problem is that such data speeds can only be achieved in short term bursts, with the actual data flow on a continuous basis difficult to sustain.
Hitachi's CDR1900 is a double speed drive that is compatible with multi-session photo technology -- essentially the downloading of still images from the disc into the PC -- yet still runs at double speed. The company claims that the UKP 680 drive is ideal for use in data intensive applications as well as computer animation.
The drive is a stand-alone unit that uses a technique known as reduced stroke access to boost continuous data transfer speeds to 300,000 bytes per second. This data transfer speed is maintained by using an optimized "look ahead" 128,000-byte caching system.
In order to protect the drive against dust and data transfer errors the CDR1900 uses a triple safeguard system to ensure that the drive spins smoothly. There is an automatic pickup lens cleaning (ALC) mechanism that keeps the lens clear of dust. There is also a double door facility to prevent any dust entering the drive, whether it is empty or full. The chassis is claimed to be airtight to also prevent any dust getting inside the unit.
Despite the complexity of the drive's construction, it can be connected to a simple PC XT or better, using industry standard architecture (ISA) or Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus connectors. Up to eight drives can be daisy-chained together for access to more than 5,000 megabytes (MB) of in-line data storage.
As supplied, the drive comes with all installation DOS software for the PC, as well as a short length bus card.
(Steve Gold/19930722/Press & Public Contact: Hitachi New Media Tel: 081-849-2092)
ic Contact: Hitachi New Media Tel: 081-849-2092)
7/22/93
Hitachi Unveils Double-Speed CD-ROM Technology
TRENDS
Visa Intros Anti-Fraud Card Tech
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- Visa International has revealed it expects its newly introduced anti-fraud technology that detects counterfeit credit cards to prevent $20 million in losses this year.
Fraud is a major problem for the credit card industry. Last year worldwide losses due to card fraud totalled $1,180 million for all Visa and Mastercard branded credit cards. Visa card issuers lost $125 million due to counterfeit card fraud last year
According to Visa International, the industry has responded with a wide range of schemes to prevent the illegal use of credit cards. Citibank last year began digitally imprinting cardholders' photographs on its standard cards. In the UK, National & Provincial Building Society and Royal Bank of Scotland have introduced similar schemes.
Visa's new technology, known as card verification value (CVV), was secretly launched in April of this year. The San Francisco-based Credit Card Association claims that the technology, which checks a card's magnetic stripe for alterations, prevented $3.4 million in counterfeit losses in April and May alone.
A spokesman for Visa International is quoted as saying the Visa group expects to prevent as much as $20 million in counterfeit losses in 1993 through use of CVV technology. Under CVV, the three magnetic stripes on the back of Visa cards are encrypted with a numeric value, which is transmitted from EFTPOS (electronic funds transfer at point of sale) machines at the time of purchase to the cardholder's bank for verification.
If the strip has been altered, the transaction is cancelled and the credit card account is shut down.
So far, about 230 million of the 304 million Visa cards in circulation in the US contain the encryption, but only 10,000 merchants have credit card terminals than can detect the CVV coding. Plans are in hand to introduce CVV coding on Visa cards issued in the UK and Europe later this year.
(Steve Gold/19930722/Press & Public Contact: Visa International Tel: 415-570-3200)
t: Visa International Tel: 415-570-3200)
7/22/93
Visa Intros Anti-Fraud Card Technology
TRENDS
P z ^
AT&T Shuffles Executives, Posts
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- AT&T has announced executive moves aimed at accelerating the pace of the company's globalization and its growth in new markets such as multimedia.
The company also announced financial results for its second quarter, showing a modest increase in both revenues and net income.
The management changes, effective August 1, give two senior executives joint responsibility for speeding the globalization of AT&T's business, and formalize the involvement of Robert M. Kavner in moving the company into the multimedia market.
AT&T also recruited Richard W. Miller, the former president and chief executive of Wang Laboratories Inc., to be its new chief financial officer.
About 25 percent of AT&T's revenue comes from outside the United States today, company spokesman Walter Murphy said, but NCR, the computer company AT&T bought in 1991, contributes a large part of that.
Details of the management shuffle:
Victor A. Pelson, 56, currently group executive responsible for communications services, will become executive vice-president and a member of AT&T's board of directors. Pelson will chair the company's global operations team and be responsible for the effectiveness of worldwide operations.
William B. Marx, Jr., 54, currently group executive responsible for AT&T Network Systems Group, will become executive vice-president of AT&T and chief executive of the Network Systems Group. He will also be accountable for AT&T's worldwide purchasing operations and global manufacturing planning.
Pelson and Marx will jointly take responsibility for accelerating the globalization of AT&T's businesses. They will oversee the global integration of AT&T's individual business strategies and the creation of responsive regional and country operations officials said.
Jerre L. Stead, 50, chief executive of NCR, also becomes executive vice-president of AT&T. He will work with Pelson and Marx to use NCR's worldwide presence to speed AT&T's globalization.
Richard A. McGinn, 46, currently senior vice-president for marketing and strategic planning at AT&T Network Systems, will become president and chief operating officer of AT&T Network Systems, reporting to Marx.
Kavner, 50, currently group executive for communications products, will become executive vice-president of AT&T and chief executive of the Multimedia Products and Services Group. Heading this renamed and refocused group, he will take charge of strategic cross-business initiatives. This formalizes a role Kavner had already been playing in creating alliances between AT&T and various Silicon Valley firms, Murphy said.
Alex J. Mandl, 49, currently group executive and chief financial officer, will succeed Pelson as executive vice-president and chief executive officer of the Communications Services Group.
Miller, 52, will join the company as executive vice-president and chief financial officer, succeeding Mandl.
AT&T reported second-quarter net income of $1.044 billion, or 77 cents per share, on revenues of $16.316 billion, compared with net income of $961 million, or 72 cents per share, on revenues of $15.845 billion, in last year's second quarter.
AT&T said it chalked up strong gains in products and systems particularly network telecommunications equipment, and in financial services and leasing operations. Financial services revenues grew nearly 39 percent. Revenues from long-distance calling were about even with the 1992 quarter, although calling volumes rose about five percent, officials said.
The results for the quarter include a $287-million provision for previously announced restructuring, offset by a $217 million pre-tax gain in other income from the sale in June of AT&T's 77-percent stake in Unix System Laboratories and miscellaneous credits. Most of the restructuring costs are for the expected costs of network re-engineering and previously announced staff cuts in operator services through 1995.
NCR, while still feeling the effect of weak overseas markets posted a revenue gain of $61 million to $1.811 billion, but operating income fell from $98 million a year ago to $27 million. The figures include sales of NCR products to other units of AT&T.
In the first six months of 1993, the company's net income excluding the one-time effect of accounting changes for post-retirement benefit expenses and income taxes adopted last quarter, was $2.040 billion, or $1.51 a share, on revenues of $32.035 billion. For the same period last year, net income was $1.844 billion, or $1.39 a share, on revenues of $31.220 billion.
(Grant Buckler/19930722/Press Contact: Ellen Zundl, AT&T 908-221-5017; Dick Gray, AT&T, 908-221-5057; Walter Murphy, AT&T 908-221-6900)
&T, 908-221-5057; Walter Murphy, AT&T 908-221-6900)
7/22/93
AT&T Shuffles Executives, Posts Quarterly Results
TELECOM
Cypress Semi Profits Up 47%
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- Increased demand for ever-cheapening personal computers may have led some PC manufacturers to the wall, but for some semiconductor suppliers it has led to huge increases in revenue. Now Cypress Semiconductor Corp., has reported that revenue for its second quarter, ended June 28, 1993, were $74.8 million, an increase of seven percent from the $69.7 million for the first quarter 1993, and an increase of 14 percent from the $65.8 million reported for the second quarter 1992.
Not only that, but net income for the second quarter 1993 increased a sizeable 47 percent to $3.6 million, or $0.10 per share, compared to net income of $2.4 million, or $0.07 per share for the immediately preceding quarter, and a net loss of $1.7 million or $.04 per share for the second quarter 1992.
The company says that the sale of its SPARC microprocessor subsidiary, Ross Technology, has been completed, effective at the close of the company's second quarter, with definitive agreements having been approved by the Cypress and Fujitsu boards of directors for a sale price of $21.8 million.
Cypress says it has also acquired the minority interests of its two other product subsidiaries, Aspen Semiconductor and Multichip Technology, which are now 100 percent wholly owned by the company. The acquisitions and the divestiture of Ross are included in the second quarter results and amount to a pre-tax gain of $0.4 million.
In announcing the results, Cypress President and CEO T.J. Rodgers said: "Our revenue and profit growth continue, based on the success of our restructuring efforts. Our numbers show significant improvement, even with the inclusion of the Ross Technology results. Each of our six product divisions was profitable in the quarter."
Continued Rodgers, "Our financial condition, as reflected in the balance sheet remains strong, with a cash balance of $74.8 million and zero debt. During the quarter the company repurchased 655,000 shares of our common stock for $6.7 million. Our planned employee reductions continued, and we ended the quarter with 1,218 employees, compared to 1,394 at the end of the first quarter, and 1,945 in mid-1991."
In May, Newsbytes first reported on Fujitsu's intent to purchase the Ross Technology SPARC microprocessor subsidiary from Cypress. While Cypress says it will help during the transition, the company had previously blamed losses on the Ross Technology end and said it will not develop any more SPARC products. Cypress blamed in part its Ross Technology operation for millions in losses reported in 1992.
Rodgers concluded, "With the sale of Ross, Cypress has successfully refocused on its core competencies of high-performance programmable logic and memory integrated circuits."
(Ian Stokell/19930722/Press Contact: Pat Verderico 408/943-2754, Cypress Semiconductor Corp.)
Cypress Semiconductor Corp.)
7/22/93
Cypress Semi Profits Up 47%
BUSINESS
Apple Talks About Newton Message
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- Apple Computer has officially announced the first Newton personal digital assistants (PDAs) will be launch the day before Macworld in Boston on August 2, at 10:30 am in the Boston Symphony Hall. The first Newton, officially dubbed the Messagepad, is rumored to be available for sale to Macworld Boston attendees for prices ranging from $699 to $899 depending on whether or not the unit is modem equipped and has special software.
The company has been reluctant to talk about the Newton up until now, but losses of $188 million in its second quarter may have Apple betting on Newton sales to get back in the black. Macworld allows purchases on the show floor by attendees and Macweek reported Apple is readying 2,000 Newtons for sale at the show. The unit's manufacturer, Sharp Corporation, may also have a Newton Messagepad work-alike for sale at Macworld. Apple hopes to sell as many as 1 million Newtons over the next year and Macweek reported the company has ordered 60,000 units per month from Sharp.
The Messagepad is retangular-shaped and designed to be handheld. It is almost all screen, with holes for a speaker on the bottom right, and a pen holder on the right side that holds a special "flattened" pen, instead of a round pen one would expect. The unit offers a permanent menu at the bottom of its screen with icons that feature different functions. From left to right, the icons are: Rolodex cards labeled "Names," a calendar page labeled "Dates," an empty box labeled "Extras," up and down arrows in the center, an arrow in a spiral shape labeled "Undo," a magnifying glass labeled "Find," and a light bulb labeled "Assist."
A Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) slot in the top of the Messagepad allows for extra storage space or applications to be used with the unit.
Five applications on Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) were announced at Digital World in June for the Messagepad, but Apple is not confirming which, if any of the five applications will be available for the launch in Boston. The five are: the Fodor's 94 Travel Manager, which offers interactive maps for directions, dining and lodging tips and prices, places to go, and things to do; the Fortune 500 Guide to American Business, with information on chief executive officers, sales, and profits of the top 500 businesses, and business forms with twelve templates ranging from personal finance to sales; Word Games, such as crossword puzzles, cryptograms, and find-a-word games; and Mystery Games with graphical rendering of an interactive crime scene with clues so the user can figure out who committed the crime.
In addition, a storage card with 1 megabyte (MB) of memory is expected to be priced at less than $200 while a 2 MB version could be around $250, according to Macweek sources. Apple promised wireless communications and that appears to be coming in the form of a Motorola Messaging Card for pages and electronic mail and is expected to cost consumers around $250.
In demonstrations of the Messagepad, the phrase, "lunch Dave Tuesday" was translated by the unit into text and then the only person whose first name was Dave in the "Names" Rolodex, for example Dave Hathaway, was displayed. When the name was confirmed by the user, the calendar turned to the next Tuesday at 12:00 pm and filled in "Lunch Dave Hathaway." If the user confirmed the lunch date, the Messagepad would save the information. The Messagepad also had attractive animations sure to delight consumers. One was an animation of a cloud that "poofs" away a mistake, while in another a document for deletion was wadded up like a piece of paper and tossed into an on-screen trash can.
Newsbytes saw the unit display several error messages in demonstrations and once the Messagepad locked up completely and had to be turned over and the back opened so it could be reset. But Computer Intelligence analyst Dan Ness said he understands the handwriting recognition is superb and has heard about no problems with the Messagepad. Apple said the product's "Golden Master" -- or final software image -- was just released to Sharp Corporation in the last two days for the beginning of the product's manufacturing.
When Newsbytes asked if this was cutting things a little close for a Macworld Boston launch, Apple public relations representative Frank O'Malley said: "Manufacturing can be a very exciting thing." O'Malley confirmed the time schedule was tight, but says he's been assured the Messagepads will be ready in time.
Apple is not releasing retail pricing information, but did confirm three models of the Messagepad will be available. The models will include one without a modem, one with a modem only and one with a modem and the Newton Connection Pro Kit. The Connection Pro Kit includes software and a cable kit to allow data sharing between the Messagepad and a desktop or notebook computer.
A special Newton support phone line will be available for Messagepad purchasers and Apple says an instructional video tape is included with every Messagepad. An interactive tour is included with the PDA as well. Retailers will have the Messagepads as soon as Apple can get them out, but Apple did not say whether or not the retailers would have Messagepads concurrent with the Boston launch.
Apple won't talk much about specifics concerning the new PDA. "We have very few surprises left. We'd like to save them so we have something to say at the launch," O'Malley said.
Today was also the first day that Apple stock climbed a bit ending its free-fall through the last two weeks, up .50 at 1 pm EDT to 26.750 per share.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930722/Press Contact: Frank O'Malley, Apple Computer, tel 408-974-2042, fax 408-967-5651)
omputer, tel 408-974-2042, fax 408-967-5651)
7/22/93
Apple Talks About Newton Messagepad Launch
APPLE
Shared Whiteboard App For Window
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- Future Labs has released TalkShow, a product billed as the first shared whiteboard application to be available for Windows.
In an interview with Newsbytes, John Chua, president, emphasized that TalkShow allows desktop document conferencing among multiple users over standard phone lines, as well as over ISDN and LAN connections.
Chua told Newsbytes that the software allows up to ten users to share, access, and annotate high resolution full-color drawings photos, spreadsheets, and other documents, while talking about the Windows- or DOS-based documents on the telephone.
"The technical challenge in developing TalkShow involved finding a way to transmit high resolution images over low-speed lines," the company president commented.
To meet that goal, Future Labs created a proprietary compression scheme that is incorporated into TalkShow. Unlike JPEG and some other standard compression schemes, the proprietary scheme supplies lossless compression, with no image degradation, he said.
TalkShow comes with simple-to-use annotation tools, including arrow pointers, freehand pencil, lines, circles, rectangles, colored markers, text, and eraser, according to Chua.
Users can save changes made to documents during a desktop document conferencing session, and transfer files during the session. A built-in communications program provides support for Hayes compatible modems, ISDN links, and NetBIOS-compatible networks.
Chua told Newsbytes that Future Labs will be announcing a Windows NT version of TalkShow at some point in the future.
The current version requires a 386- or 486-based IBM-compatible PC running DOS 3.3 and Windows 3.1 or higher. Shipping now, the package retails for $199. Multiple license agreements are also available.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930722/Reader contact: Future Labs, tel 408 973-7228; Press contacts: Kathleen Ping, Future Labs, tel 408-973 7228, or Anne Devine, Interim Communications for Future Labs, tel 408-287-7980)
for Future Labs, tel 408-287-7980)
7/22/93
Shared Whiteboard App For Windows
J t
Scitex In Class Action Suit
HERZLIA, ISRAEL, 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- It seems that whenever a company's earnings for a quarter are down, the lawsuits are bound to follow. Now Scitex Corp., has had a class action complaint filed against it and a principal company officer.
A company spokesperson told Newsbytes that the suit is "the result of the press release the company issued last week, which was that they expect to fall short of analysts estimates for the second quarter."
According to the company, the suit alleges "violations of provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and rules promulgated thereunder, in connection with certain reports concerning the company's results of operations for its second fiscal quarter ended June 30, 1993."
The complaint has been filed in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The company says it is aware of one further class action complaint, on similar grounds, filed against it in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
In a prepared statement, the company says that it, "and the other defendants believe the claims asserted to be without any merit and intend to defend the suits vigorously."
(Ian Stokell/19930722/Press Contact: Laura Wilker 212-838-3777, Lippert/Heilshorn & Associates, Inc.)
Heilshorn & Associates, Inc.)
7/22/93
Scitex In Class Action Suit
Honeywell, AT&T Control Homes Re
PARSIPPANY, N.J., U.S.A., 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- In an effort to expand the telephone paging market, Honeywell Inc., has agreed to sell and install AT&T's Partner Communications System with its TotalHome integrated home control system nationwide.
In announcing the deal, Steve Arnholt, director of home automation and security for Honeywell, said: "AT&T's Partner system provides telephone-based paging throughout the home and expands the capabilities of the automated home by offering features and functions ordinarily found on business telephones."
The TotalHome System allows homeowners to control temperature home security, appliances and lighting from either a wall panel in the home, or remotely by calling through the Partner system.
Concerning the deal, Jim Cowan, marketing director for AT&T Global Business Communications Systems, said: "Home automation is not in the future - it's now. The combination of the TotalHome system with our Partner system is a natural. Many of our business customers already use the Partner system in their homes because it has the flexibility to help them operate a home office telecommute, or manage a business from home. Now it can help them manage their home systems as well."
The Partner Communications System is designed for use by small businesses, people working out of the home, and residential customers who want additional features and lines not available on residential telephones. The system provides such features as hold, transfer, three-way conferencing, automatic dialing and speakerphone. It expands from two lines and six extensions to four lines and 12 extensions and allows users to connect fax machines, modems, answering machines and cordless telephones directly to the system without the need for expensive adaptors.
(Ian Stokell/19930722/Press Contact: Ritch Blasi, 201-581-6947 AT&T; or Anne M. Drake, 612-954-4592, Honeywell Inc.)
M. Drake, 612-954-4592, Honeywell Inc.)
7/22/93
Honeywell, AT&T Control Homes Remotely
TELECOM
MCI Opens National TeleRelay Cen
WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- MCI is set to open its first dedicated national center for telecommunications relay services for deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing consumers all across America, on July 26.
The center will be located in Indianapolis. The National MCI TeleRelay Center will offer a choice to TeleTypewriter (TTY) and voice customers who make interstate and international long distance calls using relay service.
TTY users just have to dial 1-800-374-4TTY and voice users dial 1-800-947-VOICE from anywhere in the United States to reach an MCI person, who will relay conversations between TTY users and standard voice phone users by alternately verbalizing the typed TTY text from one party and then typing the spoken word from the other.
MCI Telerelay service will be available 24 hours a day, every day and there is no limit on the length or number of long distance calls that can be placed. There will be no charge for MCI Telerelay service, with calls being billed at MCI's basic domestic and international long distance rates.
(Ian Stokell/19930722/Press Contact: Kate Fralin, MCI 800-436-9749)
/Press Contact: Kate Fralin, MCI 800-436-9749)
7/22/93
MCI Opens National TeleRelay Center For Deaf
TELECOM
Australia - Government IT Spendi
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- Latest figures released in the Australian Commonwealth Government Gazette show a decline in federal Information Technology (IT) spending for the year ended June 1993. But the number of contracts issued, increased.
Norman Kemp, editor of CST Technology, reports that the federal government spent AUS$583.8M, or nine percent less than the previous year. The number of vendors, however, increased from 16,231 to 19,147. According to Kemp, one of the main reasons for the decline in expenditure was the completion of the first phase of the Australian Taxation Office re-equipment and re-development project where $62M less was spent than the previous year. He also said uncertainties about outsourcing and the future of various departments caused postponements of expenditure during the election campaign in the beginning of the financial year.
The two departments which showed substantial increases in expenditure were Defence with $169.6M and Employment Education and Training with $54.1M. Although IBM held on to its previous year's position at top of the list of companies doing government business with revenues of $86.8M generated from 1,835 contracts, Australian companies also did well. Computer Power came in second with $35.2M generated from 276 contracts.
Other Australian companies with revenues above $5M included: Osborne with $18.6M (sixth in the list), BHP IT with $8M, Aspect with $5.5M Protech with $5M, and CSA with $5M. Kemp said the greater number of contracts indicated that the government was paying less for its IT products while the supply had remained fairly constant. He also said that the good showing of Australian companies showed the trend for local and overseas companies to supply product jointly through the Partnerships For Development program.
(Computer Daily News - Australia/19930721)
(Computer Daily News - Australia/19930721)
7/22/93
Australia - Government IT Spending Down 9%
Spectrum Intros Cellular Fax/Mod
MANHASSET, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- Spectrum Information Technologies has introduced a new version of the company's AXCELL fax/modem link for NEC portable handheld cellular telephones. NEC will market the product as the INT 4000 Data Interface and Spectrum will also sell it under the trade name AXCELL.
The AXCELL hardware is compatible with NEC's current full line of portable handheld cellular phones, including the new P100 series and the P400/600 and P200/300 versions of portable cellular phones.
AT&T, Ericsson GE, Fujitsu Network Transmission Systems, and Audiovox all sell private label versions of Spectrum's AXCELL. The new data interface will ship this fall and should have a list price of around $400.
With the ever increasing use of cellular telephone technology it is only natural that portable computer users will want to link their fax and data capabilities to their cellular telephones so they have full communications capabilities while on the road.
When outside the ability to link through a cellular phone means that there is no need to carry a special, and not very dependable acoustic coupler system that allows linking to handsets in phone booths. Business travelers sitting in hotel rooms may find that it is actually less expensive to use the added-cost cellular connection rather than pay the service charges some hotels levy on people who place calls from their room phone.
(John McCormick/19930721/Press Contact: Don Kessler, Spectrum Information Technologies, 516/627-8992 or Kathy L. Bachand investor relations, 800/233-2119, ext. 308)
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- The Centralia Illinois factory operated by Des Plaines, Ill-based Littelfuse has just become the first US electronic circuit protection device manufacturer to receive two ISO quality management certifications.
ISO 9000 certification, which refers to quality control in manufacturing, is being required by more companies which are buying these critical computer system protection components.
This is the second US certification the company has earned in the last nine months. The first was awarded to its Arcola, Ill. Power Fuse manufacturing plant in 1992. In addition to its domestic certifications, Littelfuse was also granted ISO Certifications for its plants in England and Switzerland in 1988 and 1990.
The Centralia facility is the world's primary producer of latest technology sub-miniature surface mount fuses utilized on advanced circuit boards for a broad spectrum of electronic devices, says the company.
Surface mount components can be packed much more closely together than traditional circuit board elements because, instead of having leads which are pushed through circuit boards and soldered to traces on the back of the board, surface mount technology allows components to be mounted on both sides of a board and do not require holes drilled through the board.
The components made by Littelfuse are circuit protectors of various sorts which provide other sensitive components with some protection from power surges.
(John McCormick/19930721/Press Contact: Art Skwerski 708-391-0307, Littelfuse)
s Contact: Art Skwerski 708-391-0307, Littelfuse)
7/21/93
Littelfuse Factory Earns ISO 9000 Certification
GENERAL
Dataware Technology Goes Public
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- Dataware Technologies, the Cambridge, Mass-based international CD-ROM service bureau, entered the public stock arena on Tuesday with an initial public offering of 2,250,000 shares of common stock priced at $13 per share. By Wednesday morning the stock was up about 15 percent to 14 7/8.
Dataware is a long-time player in the CD-ROM publishing industry with extensive experience in publishing titles for industry and government agencies around the world.
Although the company is also involved in selling CD-R or CD Recordable systems to clients, its major business is producing CD-ROMs under contract and licensing its data formatting and retrieval software. Recent acquisitions have strengthened the company's market position by improving the breadth of its CD-ROM authoring software line.
Dataware provides the authoring software used by Ziff Desktop Information in publishing the Computer Select CD-ROM industry database which includes all Newsbytes News Network reports and the full text of more than 100 computer- and telecommunications related publications each month.
Dataware Technologies is presently offering a free white paper titled "CD-Recordable Applications Guide. To obtain a copy fax a request to Kathleen Hunter at 617-621-0307.
(John McCormick/19930721/Press Contact: G. Mead Wyman Dataware Technologies Inc., 617-621-0820)
ogies Inc., 617-621-0820)
7/21/93
Dataware Technology Goes Public
BUSINESS
Supermac Earns Up Again, Allianc
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- Supermac again announced record second quarter earnings and an alliance with Rocket Science Games, a software company which Supermac's former vice president of marketing Steve Blank co-founded. The company also reported it is increasing its investments in research and development (R&D).
Second quarter revenue was reported at $51.1 million, up 79 percent from the $28.5 million in similar quarter a year ago. Net income rose more slowly than revenue, up 67 percent to $2.4 million compared with $1.4 million last year. Earnings per share were 26 cents, on 9.1 million average shares outstanding compared with 20 cents, on 7.2 million shares outstanding in the second quarter of 1992. The company credits record sales of color publishing systems, shipments of digital video products, E-Machines products, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) shipments to Apple Computer, and increased licensing revenues for its continued financial achievement.
Michael McConnell, president and chief executive officer said: "We continue to increase our investment in ongoing product development in order to turn R&D projects into marketable products. An example of this is our Cinepak Technology, which was licensed by a number of prominent firms including Microsoft, Cirrus Logic, Sega, and Atari in this quarter. For the quarter, SuperMac spent $4.2 million on research and development, or 8.2 percent of revenues, compared to $2.2 million, or 7.9 percent, in the quarter a year ago."
Rocket Science, formed just a month ago, says its focus is to develop a whole new type of compact disc read-only memory (CD ROM)-based game software which blends the storytelling expertise of award-winning Hollywood scriptwriters with some of the best programming talent in Silicon Valley. SuperMac announced its alliance with the Palo Alto-based start-up includes licensing agreement that gives SuperMac exclusive access to any new video compression technology developed by Rocket Science and an investment of an undisclosed amount in Rocket Science which Supermac called "minor."
Michael McConnell, SuperMac's chief executive officer, said "The opportunity for CD-ROM-based video games was created by SuperMac with its Cinepak video-compression software. We spawned the market and, as the company has done in the past with color publishing and digital video, we are announcing the formation of an alliance with a strong software company to grow the market." Supermac has alliances with Adobe, Kodak, Storm Technology, Aldus, and EFI on the color publishing side and Apple, Macromedia, Cosa, and Adobe on the digital video side of things. In fact, Supermac developed the technology behind the popular color publishing product Adobe Premiere and sold it to Adobe.
However, McConnell is pointing to the Cinepak licensing agreements with both computer software giants and entertainment system companies as one of the indications of how far-reaching the Cinepak video compression technology will be in the future. The company also maintains the technology will offer the capability to store a full-length digital movie on CD-ROM.
Sunnyvale, California-based Supermac describes itself as a developer of graphics peripherals to the color-publishing digital video, and business productivity markets. The company went public on May 15, 1992, completed a second offering on February 25, 1993, and currently has approximately nine million shares outstanding. Supermac reported 1992 revenues of $125 million.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930721/Press Contact: Deborah Doyle Supermac Technology, tel 408-541-5372, fax 408-541-6150; Steve Blank, Rocket Science Games, 408-541-5360)
-541-6150; Steve Blank, Rocket Science Games, 408-541-5360)
7/22/93
Supermac Earns Up Again, Alliance W/ Upstart Game Company
BUSINESS
Borland Earns Up - Sales, Expens
SCOTTS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- Borland announced it is moving strong onto the positive side of the balance sheet with first quarter net income of $6.2 million, up 259 percent compared to net income of $1.7 million reported in the same quarter last year. Borland says the results are due in part to a focus on decreasing sales expenses as well as research and development expenses.
First quarter revenue was reported as $123.4 million, a 7.5 percent increase from the $114.8 million recorded in the same period of fiscal 1993. Borland has been struggling financially since its purchase of database giant Ashton-Tate in 1991. It is nearly two years past its originally announced introduction date of dBASE for Windows, but has introduced Windows versions of its other products and has repackaged its products for the consumer retail market.
Philippe Kahn, chairman, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Borland International, said: "This quarter's results reflect the market reception of Paradox for Windows, Quattro Pro for Windows and dBASE IV version 2.0 for DOS. In addition we introduced the Borland Office for Windows, a software suite that combines Quattro Pro, Paradox, and Wordperfect for Windows in one package."
The company reported a 2.9 percent decrease in its selling general, and administrative expenses for the quarter from $69.2 million to $67.2 million. It has also decreased research and development spending 13.3 percent from $17.8 million to $15.4 million.
Borland also reported an alliance with rival Lotus, to pair its spreadsheet product Quattro Pro with the Lotus Mail product. Lotus and Borland have been embroiled in a long-term legal suit over similarities between Quattro Pro and Lotus 1-2-3. Borland officials said the partnership was to meet demand on the part of large corporate customers.
Investors appear to have taken the Borland earnings announcement with hope. Borland's stock was up to twenty-two and a half from a closing of twenty-one and three-eighths in after hours trading yesterday following the company's earnings announcement.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930721/Press Contact: Bonnie Johnson Borland, tel 408-439-1133, fax 408-439-8080)
e Johnson Borland, tel 408-439-1133, fax 408-439-8080)
7/22/93
Borland Earns Up - Sales, Expenses/R&D Cuts Credited
BUSINESS
StrataCom Net Up 40 Percent
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- StrataCom, a designer of IPX FastPacket cell switching systems for private wide area networks and public carrier frame relay services, has reported that its total revenue for the first two quarters of 1993 was $35 million, an increase of 40% over revenue in the same period in 1992.
Net income for the second quarter of 1993 was $1.8 million, an increase of 78% from a net of $1.0 million for 2ndQ 1992, and for the first two quarters of 1993 was $3.5 million, an increase of 130% from net income of $1.5 million for the comparable period in 1992. Per share earnings for the second quarter were 11 cents versus 7 cents for the like period in 1992, and for the first two quarters of 1993 were 21 cents, versus 11 cents for the like period in 1992.
The company went public just one year ago with an initial public offering of 2,375,000 shares.
StrataCom is in two of the hottest areas of high technology -- data communications and multi-media. Its products support data, voice, video and image transmission over the same digital lines.
This was the first company to actually ship communications systems which support frame relay technology, the standard for interoperability between local area networks.
NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- nVIEW, a US based company that makes high-performance flat-panel projection screens for use in presentations, has gone from a net loss of nearly a half-million dollars in the second quarter of 1992 to a net profit of a quarter-million in the second quarter of this fiscal year.
nVIEW was one of those companies which said that it was prepared to quickly move manufacturing operations overseas in the wake of 1991's Commerce Department implementation of punitive dumping duties imposed on Asian-based suppliers of active-matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) panels, which form the basis of most of the company's products. After that extra cost was hit the company, it moved its assembly operations to Canada because while the flat-panel components themselves were subject to large tariff charges, finished products incorporating the panels were not affected.
That 1991 tariff was lifted during the second quarter of 1993, and this allowed the company to return manufacturing to its Virginia plant, reducing its costs.
Other reasons for the turnaround include the company's team-up with Lotus Development to provide free Lotus Freelance Graphics for Windows presentation software program with each nVIEW ViewFrame Spectra C projection panel.
The company also introduced special prices to the education market by as much as 30 percent below list price.
(John McCormick/19930721/Press Contact: James A. Kirkpatrick nVIEW, 804-873-1354)
ntact: James A. Kirkpatrick nVIEW, 804-873-1354)
7/22/93
Flat-Panel Display Maker nVIEW Shows 2Q Profit
BUSINESS
InterVoice Sells Voice Response
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- In the same week when the company announced a major sale to an unnamed public utility, Dallas, Texas-based InterVoice has also sold about $300,000 worth of voice response hardware and software to MCI Communications. MCI is already using InterVoice's RobotOperator interactive voice response system to assist in processing collect and third party calls.
MCI, which is based in Washington, DC, sees the use of RobotOperators as a way to free up 800-number sales representatives by eliminating the need for them to answer routine questions.
InterVoice voice-response systems can support from six to thousands of lines or ports.
With 1992 revenue of over $10 billion, MCI Communications Corporation is the second largest distance provider in the United States and has more than 60 overseas offices in 55 countries.
ss Contact: Dorothy Botnick InterVoice, 214-454-8771)
7/22/93
InterVoice Sells Voice Response Apps Support To MCI
TELECOM
Cincinnati Bell Telephone Bonds
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- Due to a continuing deterioration in earnings, the Duff & Phelps Credit Rating service has downgraded Cincinnati Bell Telephone bonds from AA to AA-, but reaffirmed parent company Cincinnati Bell's Single-A rating.
CBT, which provides 838,000 access lines to the greater Cincinnati metropolitan area, is asking the state of Ohio for a rate increase amounting to $17 million, the company's first in seven years. This is also the first attempt to gain a raise in tariffs since Ohio passed a new law regulating public utilities.
Because CBT earnings have come in below street estimates, Duff & Phelps discounts this rate increase as being insufficient to support the higher bond ratings.
The reason that Cincinnati Bell isn't being downgraded is that its other major subsidiary, Cincinnati Bell Information Systems is an unregulated information management and software business which is showing considerable strength in overseas operations after a recent restructuring.
Other operating divisions which provide some non-regulated services include Cincinnati Bell Long Distance, Cincinnati Bell Supply, Cincinnati Bell Directory, and Cincinnati Bell Cellular Systems, a joint venture with Ameritech.
(John McCormick/19930721/Press Contact: James J. Stork, Duff & Phelps Credit Rating, 312-368-3125)
, Duff & Phelps Credit Rating, 312-368-3125)
7/22/93
Cincinnati Bell Telephone Bonds Downgraded
TELECOM
Australia - Apple Tops PC Reliab
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- Apple has been rated as Australia's most reliable computer brand, topping Australian Personal Computer (APC) magazine's annual service and reliability survey. And APC is primarily devoted to the IBM and compatible platforms.
It was rated marginally above AST, Compaq and Osborne (a locally assembled brand that has been compared to Gateway 2000 in the US) in the overall reliability section. Apple also topped the charts for owners who would buy the brand again (97.7 percent), edging out Osborne and Toshiba, and was equal at the top with Compucon for ease of contacting product support.
Apple was rated second for satisfaction with product support, just below Osborne.
More than 3700 APC readers answered the survey which covered printers and monitors as well as PCs.
The bottom position on the reliability section went to Amstrad, with a rating of 7.6 compared to Apple's 9.2. Amstrad also finished last in the brand loyalty section with only 52 percent of respondents saying they would be willing to buy a second Amstrad machine. Other companies rating below average in this section included Commodore, NEC, Olivetti and - surprise, surprise - IBM. IBM also rated poorly in ease of contacting product support. It finished second last, one percentage point above Amstrad. It also rated average on the question, "How satisfactory was product support?"
An accountant quoted by APC commented: "It used to be company standard that we buy IBM PCs. But with so many reasonable quality clones on the market, and the likes of Compaq becoming price competitive, we're now moving away from IBM. We find them overpriced for what they offer."
The survey was printed in July APC with a related report in the February issue. (Editor's note: Unlike the US, magazines in Australia and most of the world are generally published at the beginning of the month on the cover, not two months earlier.)
(Computer Daily News, Australia/19930721)
(Computer Daily News, Australia/19930721)
7/22/93
Australia - Apple Tops PC Reliability Poll
4 ^ |
VTEL Reports Increased Net Loss
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- VideoTelecom Corp. now VTEL, a videoconferencing products company, has reported a net loss of $2,532,000 or 29 cents per share on sales of $6.3 million for the quarter ended June 30, 1993 compared to profit of six cents per share on sales of $6.3 million for the second quarter of 1992.
The company reported a net loss of $2,238,000 or 26 cents per share for the quarter ended March 31, 1993 when the company took in $5 million in revenues.
The company is in a market building stage, pursuing new products with increased research and development spending and recently expanding the sales staff which has resulted in increased sales and a larger backlog of orders.
Rodney S. Bond, VTEL's chief financial officer, pointed out that the company is concentrating on long-term growth, "With $20 million in cash and no long-term debt, we have the flexibility to make such investments. As we discussed earlier this year, the expected results of our aggressive sales staffing should begin to mitigate losses in the third quarter of this year."
In the second quarter VTEL began shipping an enhanced version of the software for its flagship MediaMax product which provides enhanced audio quality, support for programmable camera presets and doubles maximum transmission speeds from 768 kilobits per second to 1,544 Kbps.
MANHASSET, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- Spectrum Information Technologies has licensed its patented cellular data communications technology to Apex Data, a leading builder of portable data modems. Spectrum will get an initial payment and ongoing royalties from the agreement which lets Apex incorporate the proprietary direct connect cellular cables and software in Apex hardware.
Cellular data communication is rapidly becoming as important to many business users as voice communications and the ability to link a laptop computer's modem or fax-modem to a cellular telephone is increasingly required.
Earlier license agreements had been signed with Megahertz Corporation and AT&T Corporation, two other major suppliers of portable data communications hardware.
Just last week Apex became the first company to be designated by IBM as a "ThinkPad Proven" vendor certified to provide ThinkPad notebook computer compatible hardware products.
Apex makes modems for notebook computers sold under the IBM Compaq, Toshiba, Zenith and AST brand names.
(John McCormick/19930722/Press Contact: Don Kessler, Spectrum Information Technologies, 516-627-8992)
trum Information Technologies, 516-627-8992)
7/22/93
Spectrum Licenses Cellular Data Technology
TELECOM
PacTel Cellular and US West Prev
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- San Diego cellular phone users will get a chance to preview Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) digital technology this fall thanks to a joint effort involving service providers PacTel Cellular and US West Cellular, CDMA's Developer QUALCOMM, and CDMA licensee Motorola.
The preview, which will be offered to about 300 participants will be used to evaluate the CDMA technology both from the standpoint of performance and perceived advantages and disadvantages as seen by the users.
CDMA is one of the competing standards being put forward for advanced digital communications over cellular networks and the technology received a big boost late last week when the Telecommunications Industry Association adopted the QUALCOMM digital cellular technology as the basis for an interim standard known as IS-95.
McCaw Cellular and SW Bell had already adopted the older time division multiple access (TDMA) digital cellular technology.
In-house CDMA technical tests were already being conducted by PacTel, US West, AT&T, NYNEX, Ameritech, Bell Atlantic, Bell Mobility and GTE. PacTel and US West Cellular says that it chose to extend its work to include field tests to solicit customer feedback and validate CDMA systems engineering deployment guidelines developed by Motorola.
(John McCormick/19930722/Press Contact: Amy L. Damianakes, PacTel Corp., 510-210-3645)
ct: Amy L. Damianakes, PacTel Corp., 510-210-3645)
7/22/93
PacTel Cellular and US West Preview CDMA Service
TELECOM
Borland, Computerland Sponsor Wh
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 JULY 22 (NB) -- The last round of US-Uzbek school computer programming competition is underway in Tashkent, the capital city of Uzbekistan. It was initiated by two computer corporations MBL/Computerland and Borland.
AltSoft company, as Computerland's Tashkent training center conducted several preliminary rounds in the youth programmers' competitions in this Central Asian republic with the help of the Uzbek Ministry of Education.
The tournament between regional "wonder children" and 12 school-age children from New Jersey in the US was then organized.
This event illustrates the growth of regional activities for major computer companies in the territory of the former Soviet Union. While central areas are already saturated with hardware other markets are opening. For instance, MBL/Computerland during the last two years, has opened 16 local offices -- two of them in Taskent, one a commercial, the other a training facility.
In Asian republics, the main customer is still the government. So, computer firms are inviting State companies and ministries to support their presentation programs, as it was with the Uzbek school computer Olympics.
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- To prevent cheating and leakage of question papers, the National Informatics Centre, the India government-owned organization responsible for collating information from the district level upwards, has developed a computer-aided paperless examination system (CAPES).
Initially the system will only test candidates appearing for myriad government jobs. CAPES allows candidates to appear at any of the 30 NIC centres spread across 18 cities of the country, at the time of their choosing.
All an examinee has to do is to log-in his roll number and answer the set of objective type questions that pop up on the computer screen. He can mark the right choice serially or he can skip questions. At the end, just by pressing a key he can get back to the unanswered ones. Also, there is a clock to tell him the time left. The score is evaluated and transmitted to NIC's headquarters, in New Delhi, for consolidation from all centers. The system then shortlists the required number of candidates.
Questions of each subject are prepared with certain parameters like difficulty level, grasp of concept and topic. Then they are keyed in and transferred onto CD-ROMs. About 5,000 different questions are thus stored on a 500 MB CD-ROM. Once the candidate logs in his roll number, stratified random number generation comes into play. It picks up different categories of questions from the pool for each candidate. "No two candidate will get a similar question paper but the variety and difficulty level will remain the same in each set," says N. Seshagiri, director-general of NIC.
In each center, 10 terminals are connected to a 486-based system with CD-ROM drive in the star LAN formation. The test for 10,000 candidates is conducted in four batches a day and is complete in about three weeks. NIC recently used CAPES for recruitment of its programmers.
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930722)
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930722)
7/22/93
India - Paperless Exam System
TRENDS
Microtest Debuts Innovative CD-R
PHOENIX, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 22 (NB) -- Microtest has introduced its powerful new Discport hardware which allows Novell NetWare users to mount CD-ROM drives exactly like hard drives on a network server. This means that Novell-based LANs can now access CD-ROM databases using all of the standard Novell high speed disk caching, drive mapping, and security features.
Accessing CD-ROM across a LAN has always been a challenge and the goal of many companies, because of the impressive amount of data which can be stored on even a small bank of CD-ROM drives or a single CD-ROM changer.
Computer Select and Support on Site from Ziff Desktop Information, as well as Novell's own Novell Support Encyclopedia are important candidates for mounting on large networks because they offer significant network and other software support databases.
Because it connects directly to LAN cabling, Discport eliminates the need to connect CD-ROM drives directly to the file server or to each individual network workstation. Discport seamlessly integrates with Novell Netware and needs no redirector or TSR loaded on the workstation, essentially turning the CD-ROM drive into a separate server.
The VHS tape-sized Discport adapter connects to thin Ethernet or 10BASE-T networks and uses a SCSI connector to daisy chain external CD-ROM drives. It is compatible with Netware 3.11 and Netware 4.0, and takes just minutes to install, with, according to the company, no network downtime during installation.
Discport will debut at Interop Fall in San Francisco, August 25 27 and should ship to dealers before then. Estimated list price is just under $700.
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- IBM has announced plans to put multiple software packages on CD-ROMs so that customers can try before they buy, and then purchase packages instantly by making a phone call.
IBM said CD Showcase, developed by its IBM Software Manufacturing Co., will let computer users test, purchase, and install software without leaving their personal computers.
A single disk may contain as many as 100 different programs. Customers will obtain a disk from a reseller, which may give it away free. They will be able to test the packages a disk contains and, if they want to purchase, dial a toll-free number to obtain a code that unlocks the desired software package. Documentation for the software will also be stored on the CD-ROM.
Company spokeswoman Molly Morgan said software vendors will have a choice about what they put on the disk. Some may choose to provide just a canned demo, others may offer a limited working version of their software - one that can do everything but print, or everything but save files, for example.
According to IBM, software resellers will be able to offer more software without increasing their overhead. Software publishers meanwhile, will get new marketing opportunities and reduced production costs.
IBM said several resellers, including ComputerLand, The Future Now, Government Technology Services, Inc., and Software Spectrum, have already agreed to participate. Resellers will be able to set up their own order numbers for software on the disks, Morgan said, and will receive the same markups as if they sold the software by more conventional means. For smaller resellers or those that choose not to run their own order-taking operations, she added, IBM will be able to provide that service.
Participating software publishers include Borland, Delrina KnowledgeWare, Lotus Development, Visual Software, and IBM. Discussions are also being held with WordPerfect and Microsoft IBM said.
A typical CD Showcase disk would list multiple software titles each with product information, a short demo, and installable code. The user could look at the information and demo without restriction, but the full package would be protected by security.
CD Showcase will offer two security options to control access and usage, IBM said. With IBM's Secure Distribution Control System user access to the software is controlled by encrypting, so that it is unreadable until decrypted with an electronic key. A second protection option, the iFOR license management system from Gradient Technologies Inc., of Marlboro, Massachusetts, modifies executable code so it is unusable until unlocked with a license key. This scheme, supported by the Open Software Foundation (OSF), provides license compliance for stand-alone or local area network (LAN) users, IBM said.
IBM said the first CD Showcase editions will be available in the fall.
(Grant Buckler/19930721/Press Contact: Barbara Cerf, IBM 914-642-4664; Paul McKeon or Ruth Doering, Crescent Communications for IBM, 404-698-8650)
, Crescent Communications for IBM, 404-698-8650)
7/21/93
IBM's CD Showcase Is New Angle On Distribution
IBM Technology Offers PCMCIA Pro
SOMERS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- IBM Technology Products, a unit that until last year only made goods for IBM's own use, has become very visible lately. The operation has launched a handful of wireless adapters and facsimile and data modems, some using the Personal Computer Memory Card Interface Association (PCMCIA) standard.
The products will be sold only to other computer makers, known as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), for use in their products. IBM Technology Products does not plan to sell them directly to end users, company spokesman Jim Smith said.
Last October IBM Technology Products said it would begin selling to outside customers. Earlier in July it announced a microcontroller for disk drives and other board-level applications. Smith said there may be other announcements in the near future.
IBM launched three infrared wireless adapters, which transfer data at one megabit per second (Mbps) and are meant for use in wholly wireless local area networks (LANs) or to add wireless links to existing wired LANs.
One of the adapters fits a PCMCIA slot, one fits IBM's Micro Channel (MCA) slots, and the third is compatible with the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) or AT bus.
All three use Photonics Corp.'s infrared transceiver and are compatible with Photonics' Collaborate wireless LAN.
The adapters' connection is non-line-of-sight, which means the transceivers do not have to be aimed at each other or at a predetermined spot, IBM said. No prewired access point or other fixed transceivers are required. According to the vendor, the adapters work in rooms as large as 30 by 30 feet.
Unit prices for the cards are $549 for the PCMCIA adapter and $499 for the MCA and ISA adapters. Volume prices are available. IBM Technology Products plans to begin shipping the PCMCIA adapter in August and the MCA and ISA adapters in September.
IBM Technology Products also unveiled two PCMCIA-based fax/modem cards. The 14.4/14.4 Data/Fax modem and the 2.4/9.6 Data/Fax modem are Type II PCMCIA cards that support the AT modem command set and Group 3, Class 1 and 2 commands used by fax and data applications software, IBM said. The cards come with Trio Information Systems Inc.'s DataCom and DataFax software.
The 2.4/9.6 Data/Fax modem has a unit price of $299 and will be available in August. The 14.4/14.4 Data/Fax modem, with a unit price of $499, is due to be available in September. Volume prices are available.
All of the new products are still awaiting approval by the United States' Federal Communications Commission (FCC), but Smith said IBM is confident of receiving approval in time to meet its stated delivery dates.
(Grant Buckler/19930721/Press Contact: Jim Smith, IBM Technology Products, 914-766-4066)
m Smith, IBM Technology Products, 914-766-4066)
7/21/93
IBM Technology Offers PCMCIA Products To OEMs
Microsoft Consulting Group Expan
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- Microsoft has announced that it will expand its consulting group and refocus its activities in order to move development skills for its client-server computing platform to value-added resellers (VARs) independent software vendors (ISVs), and other developers.
Under its new charter, Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS) will concentrate on architecture and design services and transferring skills in Microsoft technology, methodologies, tools and training to both corporate developers and third parties. It will also offer a business consulting advisory service to help third parities develop their own consulting organizations. That service is scheduled to be available next year.
The company says adding third parties to the original corporate focus of MCS complements the Microsoft Solution Providers Program. It is designed to encourage the growth of "solution" services such as application development, implementation, support, and training among channel companies. Microsoft says MCS will increase subcontracting and referrals to "solution providers" for such services.
Bob McDowell, VP of MCS, said the first three years of the group saw an explosion of interest in client-server migrations. "With that trend established, our goal is to nurture a community of qualified client-server developers skilled in Microsoft-based development service," said McDowell.
MCS claims it has served more than 300 major clients through offices in eight countries. It plans to increase its international presence and will also increase its staff, which presently numbers 320, in order to fulfill its new role.
As part of its new mission, MCS will refocus its large account services to concentrate on architecting and designing custom applications. It will also expand its focus on information technology and information systems re-engineering, and will offer business consulting advisory service to Microsoft Solution Providers - offering assistance in the areas of operations guidelines, recruiting practices, proposal and contract templates and project management as well as direct transfer of consulting skills.
Microsoft says MCS will offer resources to assist solution builders in porting existing, or developing new, application products to Microsoft platforms. A teaming program is also available that offers contracts for subcontracting MCS resources to solution providers, or solution provider resources to MCS as a time saving device. The company says existing contracts have been modified to make it easier for solution providers to team with MCS as well as to develop their own consulting services.
(Jim Mallory/19930721/Press contact: Collins Hemingway, Microsoft Corporation, 206-882- 8080; Reader contact: Microsoft Corporation 206-882-8080, 800-922-9446 to contact MCS)
poration 206-882-8080, 800-922-9446 to contact MCS)
7/21/93
Microsoft Consulting Group Expands, Changes Focus
BUSINESS
Microsoft Ships Visual C++ Pre-r
@ REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- Microsoft is shipping a pre-release of its Visual C++ development system for Windows and Windows NT 32-bit Edition.
The company said more than 70,000 registered users of the Win32 Software Development Kit (SDK) will receive a free CD-ROM containing the new 32-bit development system, which includes the Microsoft Foundation Class version 2.0, this is the first Windows NT-hosted and integrated 32-bit development environment for professional C and C++ developers.
The pre-release version updates the command line compiler and tools shipped with the Win32 pre-release SDK. Having the pre-release version of Visual C++ 32-bit Edition will allow developers to start developing 32-bit applications that take advantage of the recently announced Windows NT operating system using Win32 as well as for Windows 3.1 using the Win32s application programming interface (API).
Shipping a pre-release version of Visual C++ 32-bit provides immediate support for 32-bit development for windows NT with a suite of graphical development tools, according to Microsoft's Roger Heinen, senior VP of database and development tools.
The final version of Visual C++ 32-bit Edition is scheduled to ship within 90 days after Windows NT ships, and will have all the software and documentation on a CD-ROM disk. That saves Microsoft the cost of printing - and developers the need to store - more than 8,000 pages of documentation.
The pre-release includes AppWizard, a tool that lets developers create a skeleton application that can use the building blocks stored in the Microsoft Foundation Class Library version 2.0. The building blocks are segments of reusable C++ code for Windows-based applications. Another tool, ClassWizard, allows developers to connect user-interface elements with application code. Visual Workbench is an integrated editor, debugger, browser, and profiler that can automatically create and maintain project make files, and allows the user to customize the build options.
Microsoft says Visual C++ was written from the ground up as a 32-bit application to take advantage of operating system features such as multithreading.
(Jim Mallory/19930721/Press contact: Catherine Miller, Microsoft Corporation, 206-882-8080; Reader contact: Microsoft Corporation 206-882-8080, 800-426-9400)
Corporation 206-882-8080, 800-426-9400)
7/21/93
Microsoft Ships Visual C++ Pre-release
CE Software Ships Power Pak For
WEST DES MOINES, IOWA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- CE Software Holdings Inc., has announced that it is shipping CE Power Pak, a collection of the company's productivity tools for use with Microsoft Windows.
Included in Power Pak are: Disktop for Windows, a file and document management program; CalendarMaker for Windows, a calendar publishing application; and the newly released version of ProKey for Windows, a scripting and macro tool for Windows 3.1 and Windows applications. For Windows users who also use DOS-based applications, a copy of ProKey for DOS is also included.
DiskTop for Windows gives users the ability to move, copy, delete rename, and sort files. The DT Launch feature allows users to launch applications and documents from a menu. CalendarMaker for Windows lets the user create presentation-quality calendars to keep track of business and personal appointments. The program incorporates the use of imported pictures, cons and text.
Using ProKey for Windows or DOS allows users to automate repetitive tasks by storing frequently used series of keystrokes in a macro, then play the keystroke string back at will. The use selects the key combination the macro is assigned to.
CE Software spokesperson Sue Nail told Newsbytes that the CE offices, located in West Des Moines, Iowa, were dry, but the company's warehouse, located at a different site, was invaded by the flood, and officials haven't been able to assess the amount of damage there yet. Nail said the flooding problems will not delay shipment of CE Power Pak, which is immediately available.
CE Power Pak has a suggested retail price of $129, a little less than half the price of its included programs if purchased separately. CE Software will sell the three programs individually with Disktop for Windows selling for $59. Either version of ProKey is prices at $79, and CalendarMaker for Windows sells for $49.
(Jim Mallory/19930721/Press contact: Sue Nail, CE Software Holdings, 515-221-1801; Reader contact: CE Software 515-221-1801)
Reader contact: CE Software 515-221-1801)
7/21/93
CE Software Ships Power Pak For Windows
P z
LA Fingerprint Sys Saves County
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- One in seven residents in Los Angeles County is on welfare, and welfare fraud, or the same people getting duplicate assistance under different names, is a big problem. However, a new electronic fingerprinting system is keeping duplicate welfare applicants off the rolls and has saved LA County over $5.4 million in the first six months of operation.
Welfare fraud is a problem everywhere, but especially in the LA area where the number of welfare recipients increases by 30 percent a year. Those ineligible for other programs can receive just over $300 per month for housing and clothing under the General Assistance program in LA County ($283 per month for housing and a $9 a month clothing allowance distributed every six months). The majority of recipients are homeless males and the distribution of assistance is done on a month to month basis.
The tracking of these cases was done entirely by hand, until the implementation of the Automated Fingerprint Image Reporting and Match (AFIRM) system. The idea was originally generated in 1977 by Eddy Tanaka, director of the department of Public Social Services for Los Angeles County, but county officials said the delay in implementing the idea was simply a wait for the technology to catch up to the concept. In 1990, the county felt the technology was there and it put out a request for bids. Sacramento, California-based EDS won the bid and the system was first implemented in June of 1991.
It was necessary to have a fast system that could check the applicant's identity in about five minutes. In this first non law enforcement application of fingerprinting, welfare applicants simply place their index finger on an electronic scanner which transmits fingerprint images into a computer and matches them against a database of individuals already receiving aid. If a match is confirmed, the application is denied.
To speed response, the AFIRM database was split across several Hewlett-Packard workstations running X Windows that search simultaneously. The custom client/server software written for the system allowed the county to stay away from implementing an expensive mainframe or minicomputer and the system can be expanded and upgraded as the need arises.
Kurt Williams of EDS told Newsbytes the company also used off-the-shelf components, including the fingerprint scanners to keep costs low.
The $5.4 million the county saved in the first six months of operation is 56 percent of the cost of the system, according to EDS. Over the next five years, the savings in reduced welfare fraud will be an estimated $20 million.
LA County officials noticed a difference in the case load even before the system was fully implemented. After piloting the system in three of the county's 14 General Relief district offices, numbers dropped from 150 applicants a day to 100 applicants per day. However, surrounding offices where AFIRM had not yet been implemented had their applications jump from 100 per day to 150 per day. Tanaka asked EDS to speed up implementation of the system county-wide in order to thwart individuals who were attempting to go around the fingerprinting system.
Now that AFIRM has been implemented in all 14 General Relief offices, the county is already planning a $17 million expansion of the system to include its Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program as well, which is projected to see a 23 percent increase in case loads in the coming year. Adding the AFDC roles means the system will expand from tracking 105,000 welfare recipients to nearly 400,000 and the number of offices with fingerprinting capability will go from 14 to 38.
The system has the added advantage of cutting labor costs to the department, because now clerks can be hired to fingerprint applicants where trained welfare fraud investigators were assigned previously.
Alameda County, with the third largest General Assistance case load in the state, is following suit. By installing the AFIRM system in its Hayward and Oakland offices Alameda county estimates it can cut department costs by more than $300,000 in the next five months.
Julie Caig, Alameda County's Program Manager for Information Systems said: "If successful, we hope that other Bay Area counties will join us so that fingerprint information can be shared across county lines." San Francisco County is also evaluating the system and two New York counties have implemented similar systems. LA County representative Karol Matsui said interest in the AFIRM system has been high and the county has had inquiries from across the US and around the world.
With hard times upon California residents, the actual numbers in the General Assistance program have increased, but the AFIRM program helps maintain the intent of the assistance. "I think the biggest plus of the AFIRM system is regaining the integrity of the General Relief program. The system has weeded out several thousand people who shouldn't have been on the rolls," Tanaka added.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930721/Press Contact: Carleen LeVasseur EDS, tel 916-264-1303, fax 916-442-2774; Karol Matsui, LA County AFIRM, 310-908-8311)
6-442-2774; Karol Matsui, LA County AFIRM, 310-908-8311)
7/21/93
LA Fingerprint Sys Saves County $5.4M In Welfare Fraud
Compaq 2Qtr Income Triples
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- Compaq Computer has announced its second quarter financial results, with net income more than three times what the company reported for the same period last year.
Net income was reported at $102 million compared to $29 million for the same period in 1992. Earnings per share also increased more than three times, ending at $1.21 per share for this year's second quarter compared to $0.35 per share in 1992.
The period turned in record sales, ending as the fourth consecutive quarter to set a record. Second quarter sales rose to $1.63 billion a 97 percent increase over the $827 million reported for last year in the same period.
Eckhard Pfeiffer, Compaq president and CEO, said the company's effective management of profit margins and its strategic investments are moving Compaq towards its goal of becoming the number one PC manufacturer in the world. "The PC industry continues to be highly competitive, but clearly, Compaq's business strategy has positioned the company to be a winner in the current industry consolidation. Compaq ," Pfeiffer said.
Compaq says unit shipments were up approximately 150 percent over the second quarter of 1992, while worldwide the industry in general has increased about 25 percent. Pfeiffer says the company will continue to aggressively pursue market share with a significant range of competitively priced products.
For the six month period ending June 30, Compaq had invested $78 million in research and development, and says it will introduce new personal computers for the small office and consumer market, as well as a new line of servers, in the third quarter.
Compaq spokesperson John Sweney told Newsbytes the PCs designed for the small office and consumer market will carry the Compaq label and will have a specific line name as well. The systems, which could be sold through mass market channels, may come bundled with various hardware and software options. The new line is expected to use the "plug'-and-play" technology in order to have the user productive as soon as the system is plugged in, with software already installed. Pricing is not yet available.
Sweney told Newsbytes the new line of servers, which will eventually replace Compaq's current server line, will include a number of new features, including the ability to run as many as four processors simultaneously. Sweney said the new server line will also include an enhanced version of its Insight Management server self-diagnostics. Many more of the server sub-systems will be monitored in the new systems, as well as environmental factors such as ambient temperature.
Compaq's present system management is only NetWare-capable. The new systems will also be able to diagnose other systems. They will also incorporate either SCO Unix or NetWare on a CD-ROM, with greatly improved and easier installation and configuration procedures using an intelligent installation engine, said the company. Compaq presently offers the CD-ROM version of SCO Unix only.
(Jim Mallory/19930721/Press contact: John Sweney, Compaq Computer Corporation, 713-374-1564)
r Corporation, 713-374-1564)
7/21/93
Compaq 2Qtr Income Triples
BUSINESS
Motorola & Orion Team Up On Emul
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- Motorola's High Performance Microprocessor Division says it has teamed up with Menlo Park, California-based Orion Instruments to introduce a real time emulator/analyzer system for Motorola's low-cost embedded control microprocessor, the 68EC000.
The companies say Orion's 8800 Emulator/Analyzer supports the chip at its full-rated clock speed of 16 megahertz (MHz) with real-time non-intrusive, zero-wait-state emulation support. The Motorola chip is an alternative for applications such as small consumer products where board space is at a premium, which in the past have incorporated eight-bit processors. In such applications the 68EC000 is typically surface-mounted, eliminating a socket for a conventional emulator probe.
Orion's Clip-On Emulation option allows developers to clip onto the chip, which lets them debug and analyze their circuit without removing the central processor unit (CPU) from the board. Motorola says that will reduce development time by eliminating the need for an intermediate socketed layout. It also allows developers to debug firmware (instructions coded into a chip) on production boards without altering or damaging them.
Another feature of the 8800 is real-time trace, the ability to capture and display trace data while the target runs at full speed. Developers say that is crucial for debugging real-time designs where stopping the target with breakpoints can adversely affect important system timing.
In addition to its own high level language support, the 8800 supports three other source level debuggers: Microtec's XRAY Intermetric's XDB, and the Sierra Systems QuickFix. The latter has special 8800 extensions that allow it to incorporate real-time trace information.
Orion's 8800 Emulator/Analyzer is available starting at $9,150 which included 128 kilobytes (KB) of zero-wait-state emulation memory and a 16KB trace buffer. Options are available for 64KB of trace memory and up to 2 megabytes of emulation memory. The clip-on emulation is also an option.
(Jim Mallory/19930721/Press Contact: Fred Stotz, Motorola 512-891-2668; Jan Liband, Orion Instruments, 415-327-8800; Reader Contact: Orion Instruments, 415-327-8800 or 800-729-7700)
rion Instruments, 415-327-8800 or 800-729-7700)
7/21/93
Motorola & Orion Team Up On Emulator/Analyzer
BUSINESS
Desktop Data Offers NewsEdge For
WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- Subscribers to Desktop Data Inc.'s NewsEdge, a news filtering service, can now tie their Apple Macintosh computers into the service.
Desktop Data has unveiled NewsEdge/Mac, Macintosh client software to work with the NewsEdge service. It complements existing offerings for Intel-based personal computers and workstations.
NewsEdge filters more than 100 news wires, alerting users to stories that match their individual interest profiles. It also maintains a full-text database of the most recent 250,000 stories on the user's server for quick searching.
The new Macintosh client software will allow a Mac to be hooked up to a local area network with access to NewsEdge. Customers still need a machine running the OS/2 operating system to act as the server, said Marni Hoyle, a company spokeswoman.
Eventually, Hoyle added, the company plans to produce NewsEdge server software for Apple computers, probably to run on the company's upcoming PowerPC-based line of hardware.
Desktop Data has a number of customers whose operations include Macintoshes along with other types of systems and who, to date have been unable to make NewsEdge available to their Mac users Hoyle said.
NewsEdge also supports Microsoft Windows, OS/2, DOS, and Unix, and works with various electronic mail systems and Lotus Development's Notes work-group software.
NewsEdge/Mac requires a Macintosh II-class computer with four megabytes (MB) of memory and System 7. Initially TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) network connections will be supported. The OS/2-based server needs about one gigabyte (GB) of disk storage to maintain the news database, Hoyle added.
NewsEdge is priced on an annual subscription basis beginning at $20,000 for 10 users, with site license packages starting at 100 users. News wire fees are extra. Desktop Data claims to have more than 13,000 users in major corporations, financial institutions and government agencies in the United States and Europe.
KANATA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- Mitel Corp., has named a new chairman. Gordon S. Byrn, president of the company that last June bought a 51 percent interest in the telecommunications equipment maker, takes over from Anthony F. Griffiths.
Byrn is president of Schroders and Partners Ltd., the Canadian affiliate of Schroder Ventures, and vice-chairman, North America and Far East for Schroder Ventures. Last June, Schroder bought a 51 percent stake in Mitel for about C$40 million from British Telecommunications PLC, which had been seeking to sell the shares for some time. At the time Byrn and one other Schroder representative joined the Mitel board.
Griffiths, who has been Mitel's chairman since 1987 and was president and chief executive for two years before that, did not stand for re-election to the board, the company said. Griffiths served a second stint as president through most of 1992, after John Jarvis left that post, but was replaced as president by Dr. John Millard in January of this year.
Mitel also reported a profit of C$3 million in its first quarter ended June 25. The profit compares with a loss of C$7 million in the same period last year and is Mitel's third consecutive quarterly profit after a string of losses. Revenues were C$107.4 million, up 13 percent from C$95 million in the first quarter of last fiscal year.
Mitel Names New Chairman, Reports Quarterly Profit
TELECOM
Northern Telecom Expects 1993 Lo
MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- Northern Telecom Ltd., has reported a second-quarter loss and admitted that it expects an annual loss in 1993. The company also said it will cut manufacturing capacity and let go about nine percent of its global work force, or 5,200 employees worldwide.
The loss will be largely due to a provision for the cost-cutting measures, which Northern said will cost it about US$282 million. The company will take a special charge for that in 1993, and has also made a provision of US$158 million after tax for work on its software for central-office switching equipment. Third, Northern is taking a US$500 million write-down on goodwill related to STC PLC, the British telecom firm it bought in 1991.
The company said its restructuring will mean consolidating manufacturing plants, including the closure of some operations and cutting its 60,000 work force by about 5,200. The plan is expected to be complete by the end of 1994. Northern did not comment on the plan's possible impact on its 1994 results.
The software provision is to cover the cost of completing modularization of Northern's central office switching architecture "to correct operating issues and enhance performance capabilities," said Jean Monty, president and chief executive, in a prepared statement. This is also due to be complete in 1994.
Northern said it is writing down goodwill associated with STC because of continuing weakness in the European economy and concern that growth in European sales and earnings will be slower in the short term.
Northern also said it has agreed to sell the STC Submarine Systems division to Alcatel Cable of France for UKP600 million. The unit had revenues of about UKP225 million in 1992, company officials said.
In the second quarter of 1993, Northern lost US$1.03 billion on revenues of US$1.87 billion. This compares with net earnings of US$69.1 million on revenues of US$1.95 billion in the second quarter of last year.
Northern had warned at the end of June that it expected the quarterly loss, its first in five years.
The loss follows a disappointing though profitable first quarter which ironically came on the heels of record revenues and earnings for Northern in 1992. In the year ended December 31 Northern's revenues were US$8.41 billion and net earnings increased eight percent to US$536 million.
Northern "has provided us with quite a few surprises in the last five consecutive quarters," said Frederick Larkin, an investment analyst who follows the company for Warburg Inc., in Toronto. He said institutional investors are becoming wary of Northern's stock.
However, Larkin added that while the immediate news is bad, he believes Northern is taking the right steps. The cost-cutting measures will keep the company competitive, he said. Just how soon Northern's fortunes rebound will depend largely on its ability to boost sales of central office gear.
Larkin said he is not yet ready to speculate on Northern's financial prospects in 1994.
(Grant Buckler/19930721/Press Contact: Tom Tropea, Northern Telecom, 416-566-3178; Gary Brandt, Northern Telecom 416-566-3098)
8; Gary Brandt, Northern Telecom 416-566-3098)
7/21/93
Northern Telecom Expects 1993 Loss, Job Cuts
TELECOM
Rasterops Price Cuts On Mac Digi
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- Rasterops says it is cutting the retail price of its digital video products Rasterops Editing Aces Suite and Moviepak - for the Macintosh and Quadra line of computers. The move is an attempt to attract the cost-conscious independent artist and consumer, the company said.
Rasterops representatives say price cuts by Apple on its computer line are not forcing the company to lower prices, but instead the goal is to be more competitive in the market.
The company is cutting the price of the NTSC version of the Editing Aces Suite to $3,899 from $4,199 and the PAL version is down to $4,099 from $4,399. The Moviepak daughter card is included in the Editing Aces Suite, but Rasterops also sells the card separately and has announced the new price is reduced fifty percent to $999 from $1,999. The Moviepak card was offered with Adobe Premiere, but users can now get Moviepak with or without the software. With Adobe Premiere, the Moviepak is now $1,499.
The Editing Aces Suite includes: Mediatime, a 24-bit display adapter with 16-bit stereo capabilities; Video Expander II, a video encoder with genlock and red-green-blue (RGB) pass through capabilities; Adobe Premiere 3.0 video editing software; and Moviepak.
The Moviepak card snaps onto Rasterops video display adapters to enable users to record, edit, and playback Quicktime movies and offers Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) compression/ decompression capability. Rasterops says it offers a modular approach to its products to allow custom configuration by users and so users can upgrade to new Rasterops products by simply buying the particular new component.
The Editing Aces Suite requires a Centris 650, Macintosh II, or Quadra-family computer running System 7 or later, 8 megabytes (MB) of random access memory (RAM), and an 80MB hard disk drive. The Movepak card requires a Rasterops 24STV, 24MxTV 24XLTV, or Mediatime display adapter. The products are available through the company's authorized dealers and come with a three-year warranty, Rasterops added.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930721/Press Contact: Michele Janin Cunningham Communications for Rasterops, tel 408-982-0400, fax 408-982-0403; Customer Contact, Rasterops, 800-729-2656)
Rasterops Price Cuts On Mac Digital Video Products
APPLE
UK - Elonex Posts Record 1992/93
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- Elonex, the privately-held direct PC seller, has reported that its 1992/93 turnover is up by 35 percent on previous year figures. Profits for the period are however, down on those of last year.
During the year to the end of April, 1993, Elonex reported profits of UKP6.8 million on sales of just under UKP78 million. The figures compare with pre-tax profit of UKP9.1 million on sales of UKP57.8 million.
According to a spokesman for Elonex, the company is enjoying a positive cash flow at the moment, with net current assets standing at UKP13.2 million with book to bill ratios of 1.83 and reserves of UKP17.5 million.
Micheal Spiro, the company's financial director, claims that these results demonstrate the company's resilience in a year that has seen many other direct sell PC companies turning in heavy losses and even going to the wall. The company expects to launch itself on an international stock market in due course.
According to Spiro, the last year has been a difficult one for the British computer industry, due to the effects of a deepening recession, a price war intensified by cheaper product ranges from the major multi-nationals, and a 25 percent fall in the value of sterling.
All these factors, Spiro notes, have caused severe problems for computer manufacturers. This, he said, has meant that several UK manufacturers have only been kept alive by rich parent companies or government protection.
"At Elonex, on the other hand, we managed to hold our own in the marketplace and sustain the kind of performance that has made us one of Britain's most successful privately-held companies," he said citing April's survey of established unlisted companies in the Independent newspaper.
Spiro went on to say that Elonex has resisted the temptation to prune its profit margins to the bone in order to maintain, or even buy, market share.
"As a result, we have been able to invest millions in research and development, in manufacturing plant and in purchasing our London headquarters, yet still maintain a strong balance sheer. This is in marked contrast to several other major players in the UK who have suffered - and continue to suffer - substantial losses," he said.
Not that Elonex appears to be resting on its laurels. The company has been investing heavily in portable research and development at its R&D operation in the US. According to Spiro, a new range of portables is expected to be launched later this year.
"Our investment in UK manufacturing capacity through an associate company, Cordata, is likely to lead to reduced production costs this year. Cordata's UKP5.5 million plant in Cumbernauld will open next month and will provide electronics sub-assembles and basic PC assemblies for Elonex in the UK and overseas," he said.
(Steve Gold/19930721/Press & Public Contact: Elonex Tel: 081-452-4444; Fax: 081-452-6422)
c Contact: Elonex Tel: 081-452-4444; Fax: 081-452-6422)
7/21/93
UK - Elonex Posts Record 1992/93 Sales, Flotation Due
BUSINESS
UK - BT Cuts Pricing On Internat
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- British Telecommunications (BT) has announced it is cutting the cost of international Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) calls from the UK. The price cuts take effect from September 29 onwards.
One of the criticisms of BT's ISDN service to date has been that international calls are charged at higher rates than ordinary phone calls. This is in contrast to inland calls, which are billed at the same rate, regardless of whether they are voice or ISDN data.
BT has always claimed that foreign telecoms companies charge it for access to their ISDN services, hence the disparity in charging system. From September onwards, however, many international ISDN call charges fall. BT claims that this is due to foreign telecoms companies cutting their charges to BT, so it is passing these savings along.
A spokesman for BT cited the example of a company using three ISDN-2 connections (six 64,000 bits-per-second channels) for high-quality videoconferencing links between London and New York. Under the new tariff arrangements, they will pay UKP735 for two hours of videoconferencing, rather than UKP1,008 under the old charging system. This is a 27 percent call cost reduction.
In a more practical example, BT claims that the price of transmitting 100 pages by fax over an ISDN-2 links to France which takes five minutes, will fall from UKP4.25 to UKP3.80 a 10.5 percent reduction.
BT currently has 20 ISDN international routes to 18 different countries. They are: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, (for KDD & ITJ), the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Sweden Switzerland, Spain, and the US (for AT&T & MCI).
(Steve Gold/19930721)
the US (for AT&T & MCI).
(Steve Gold/19930721)
7/21/93
UK - BT Cuts Pricing On International ISDN Calls
TELECOM
UK - Thomas Cook Uses GEIS To Ch
PETERBOROUGH, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- GE Information Systems (GEIS) has developed a new application of its international data network to provide the travel agency Thomas Cook with 24-hour access to a database of stopped (usually lost or stolen) travellers' checks.
The database, which is known as the check enquiry status service (CHESS), allows banks and retailers who suspect that a check or checks has/have been stolen, to gain immediate access to a service that gives them an instant - and up to the second - status check on the queried documents.
The central database will be held on a computer located at GEIS' US headquarters. Thomas Cook branches will also have access to the service, so they can update and enter details of the check as they are sold. This will speed up the time it takes to validate a check as it is presented for encashment at a bank or travel office.
"Our Peterborough office receives around 14,000 verification calls a year from around the world," explained James Hopgood, manager of Thomas Cook's refund center. "We are speeding up the entire verification process, reducing the workload of our Peterborough staff and enabling offices to offer a higher standard both to the banks and retailers who accept our checks and to our customers who buy our travellers checks for business and leisure travel," he said.
According to Eamon Walsh, head of information technology (IT) at Thomas Cook, the company is a global organization, "so when we were planning the CHESS system we looked for a development partner who could match our world-wide presence."
Walsh said that the GEIS network has excellent world-wide coverage, and, since Thomas Cook has worked with the company before, it knew that they were able to offer a stable and reliable network service.
CHESS is now available in 16 cities around the world, including Madrid, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Melbourne and Bahrain. Plans call for the service to be made available at 25 Thomas Cook main offices around the world by early next year, and eventually to most major cities world-wide over the next few years.
(Steve Gold/19930721/Press & Public Contact: GE Information Systems - Tel: 081-741-0077)
t: GE Information Systems - Tel: 081-741-0077)
7/21/93
UK - Thomas Cook Uses GEIS To Check On Fraud
TRENDS
UK - BT Enhances Telemedicine Te
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- British Telecommunications (BT) has revealed that it is commercializing several new methods of transmitting medical data and expertise over the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) services.
Known as telemedicine, the technology builds on the success that some hospitals have had with using remote-control heart monitoring equipment installed in the homes of patients. If a problem occurs the heart monitoring machine can be used in the home and data transmitted over the phone line using a modem.
BT officials claim that the application of similar technology can be made in many more areas of medicine, as well as in other unrelated areas, such as completing remote diagnostics on computers at a distance.
"In fact our primary interest is not to sell hardware, that is to some extent a separate issue," explained Mike Matthews, section manager of the BT's advanced media unit at the company's research and development headquarters in Martlesham, Norfolk. "Our primary interest is to act as a catalyst in making people think about how they can use advanced networks."
At a conference held in London recently, Matthews and other BT seniors demonstrated several applications of the technology including Camnet (short for "camera over network") and an endoscope imaging system being developed with the science laboratories at Sheffield University. The endoscope system allows images from the inside of a human digestive tract to be transmitted over a phone modem or ISDN link for viewing by doctors at major medical centers.
Camnet involves the use of a camera attached to the head of a medic at a remote site. Images from the camera are transmitted over the phone-modem or ISDN link for interpretation at a medical center. Like the endoscope project, Camnet allows staff at hospitals to spend less time travelling to patients and more time actually treating them.
(Steve Gold/19930721)
y treating them.
(Steve Gold/19930721)
7/21/93
UK - BT Enhances Telemedicine Technology
TELECOM
2 \ @
Digital Vision Drops Computereye
DEDHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- Digital Vision reports it has dropped prices on its ComputerEyes/RT video frame grabber and the ComputerEyes/Pro video digitizer, as well as its entire IBM PC ComputerEyes line.
Effective immediately, Digital Vision's top of the line frame grabber, ComputerEyes/RT, drops in price by 33% from $599.95 to $399.95. Both ComputerEyes/Pro, the still-video digitizer and ComputerEyes/RT Monochrome, the black-and-white version of ComputerEyes/RT, drop 25% from $399.95 to $299.95.
"Our philosophy has always been that of providing the best product at the best possible price," said Digital Vision President David Pratt. "These new prices simply make ComputerEyes an incredible value. They bring the price of our high quality capture cards in line with, or lower than, many of the popular but lesser quality capture cards on the market today."
ComputerEyes/RT grabs full-screen, 640 x 480, 16.7 million color images in 1/30th of a second from any source with NTSC composite video or S-video output. The result is near-photographic quality images in black-and-white, color, or gray-scale. The user can then save the images in Targa, TIFF, PCX, GIF, JPEG, and other file formats and use them in desktop publishing, graphic arts, image databasing, presentations, or a variety of other applications. ComputerEyes/RT also grabs movies and stores them to Autodesk Animator or Microsoft Video for Windows compatible files.
ComputerEyes/RT is available in a full 24-bit color version, or a black-and-white version.
Digital Vision says that ComputerEyes/RT is one of the only frame grabber cards that truly captures full video frames and true RGB data; other popular TV-in-a-window cards capture single video fields, only about half the resolution and half the number of colors, making for inferior quality captures. And since ComputerEyes/RT does not attach to the VGA feature connector, it is compatible with virtually every VGA display adapter.
The firm says that ComputerEyes/RT does not impose the memory restrictions that other frame grabbers do; you can have 8, 16 32 or more megabytes of RAM with no compatibility problems. ComputerEyes/RT also comes with both DOS and Windows software. A developers kit and developers support is available.
"Other frame grabbers use chip sets that limit the resolution and limit the number of colors you can capture. Since ComputerEyes/RT uses its own method of image capture, we do not face the same limitations," said Mr. Pratt.
For more information contact Steve Sarsfield, Digital Vision, Inc. 270 Bridge St., Dedham, MA 02026. Telephone: (617) 329-5400. Fax: (617) 329-6286.
(Wendy Woods/19930720/Press Contact: Ann Revell-Pechar, 206-781-7830)
Contact: Ann Revell-Pechar, 206-781-7830)
7/20/93
Digital Vision Drops Computereyes Price
APPLE
Blyth Shipping New Omnis
FOSTER CITY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- Blyth Software has been shipping the latest version of its client server "application life-cycle environment," Omnis 7 version 2.
Omnis 7 version 2 offers an environment to design, prototype develop, deploy, maintain, and revise graphical user interface (GUI) client/server applications. The company reports that is has been tested at over 150 sites since February 1993 and is shipping to over 300 sites now including both new customers and upgrades for existing customers.
Omnis 7 version 2 currently enables binary cross-platform applications development for Windows and Macintosh operating systems. Blyth intends to extend this cross-platform compatibility to three additional desktop operating systems: OS/2, NT and Unix (Motif).
The company's products enable application developers in both MIS organizations and custom software development organizations to build cross platform, mission critical applications capable of running on multi-vendor networks and accessing SQL and non-SQL databases. Blyth Holdings has its headquarters in Foster City and offices in the United Kingdom.
(Wendy Woods/
9930720/Press Contact: Philip Edholm, 415/571-0222)
ilip Edholm, 415/571-0222)
7/20/93
Blyth Shipping New Omnis
Image Machines Adds MAPI Support
HERNDON, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- Image Machines Corporation reports that version 2.0 of its Windows e-mail package, NvMail, will feature built-in support for Microsoft's Messaging Application Programming Interface or MAPI. Existing customers of NvMail will receive free upgrades to the new release when it ships in August 1993.
Adding support for MAPI to NvMail will provide the product with greater exposure and allow its users to integrate it more easily with their existing Windows applications, according to David Geller, NvMail's product director. "Support for MAPI will signal a commitment on behalf of our company to adopt and work with industry standards for messaging interfaces."
Mr. Geller noted that MAPI is the beginning of NvMail's integration with developing industry standards for Windows messaging products. Plans are in place for NvMail to support Lotus' Vendor Independent Messaging (VIM) specification and CC:Mail API in October, 1993.
NvMail provides offices with a LAN-based electronic mail facility that the firm claims can typically be installed and put into service within a matter of minutes. NvMail was the first Windows e-mail package with direct support for voice messages, says Geller. "This feature alone makes the integration of business audio with electronic mail feasible. While other e-mail packages may allow voice clips to be attached to messages, NvMail is the only Windows e-mail package that has its own audio recording tool built-in allowing users to simply click a button with their mouse to begin recording their message."
NvMail is sold in three configurations: a 10-User pack ($295 US), a 25-User pack ($495) and a 100+ User pack ($995). The 100+ User pack can be used for any number of users. NvMail can be used on any personal computer running Microsoft Windows and is compatible with any Windows-compatible local area network (LAN) including Novell NetWare and NetWare Lite Microsoft LAN Manager and Windows for Workgroups, Banyan Vines, Artisoft Lantastic, InvisibleLAN, PC-NFS and others.
(Wendy Woods/19930720/Press Contact: David Geller, 703-709-7475)
/19930720/Press Contact: David Geller, 703-709-7475)
7/20/93
Image Machines Adds MAPI Support To Windows E-Mail
Mac IIfx Accelerator
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- Spectrum Computer has released a hardware upgrade for the Macintosh IIfx which accelerates the IIfx to 50MHz and provides as much as a 32-percent improvement in performance over the standard Mac IIfx, the company says.
The Mach 5 Upgrade brings the IIfx to near-Quadra 700 and 900 performance at a fraction of the cost. The $200 upgrade includes on-site installation by Apple-certified technicians (in the San Francisco Bay Area) and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee a 90-day parts and labor warranty, and one year free telephone technical support. The Mach 5 Upgrade can also be installed by sending your IIfx to Spectrum Computer; upgrades are shipped within 24 hours of receipt. For additional information, call 408/286-6615.
(Computer Currents/19930720)
ter Currents/19930720)
7/20/93
Mac IIfx Accelerator
APPLE
Technology Stocks Hit, But They'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- Losses at Apple and Dell have made investors nervous and all computer technology stocks are starting to drop, according to analysts. But Computer Intelligence analyst Dan Ness says this "mad rush" is a typical reaction in a market where there is so much mystery for investors, but in two or three weeks everything could swing the other way.
Investor nervousness has been credited for the listing of leading companies such as Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, IBM Apple, Motorola, DEC, Hewlett-Packard, Texas Instruments Electronic Arts, and others in the top twenty stocks showing the largest losses in yesterday's trading. But the turnaround may have already begun for Apple Computer, as it was up in today's trading.
The word "layoffs" is what makes investors nervous, said Ness because some interpret staff cuts as "the beginning of the end." Reports are IBM will lay off again and some analysts are saying they don't follow IBM anymore. But Ness said Computer Intelligence can't afford not to follow the giant. "I suppose some analysts might say they won't follow General Motors anymore either, but IBM is too large a player in the industry to give up on." Ness likened the situation to when Mark Twain read his obituary and said, "Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." "IBM isn't dead yet," Ness quipped, citing reports on the excellence of the Thinkpad 700C as an example of the "new IBM."
Apple is another hopeful, according to Ness, who said Apple has always had a visionary direction. "The problem for Apple has been getting from the past to the future," according to Ness. Two problems hit Apple hard -- PC prices dropped forcing Apple to cut its margins and buyers changed quickly. Buyers have both caught up on how to use computers and they've figured out they don't have to buy through traditional channels. Apple's loyalty to their resellers may have hurt them in getting into the new retail channels with their products as fast as they might have otherwise, Ness maintains.
As to who might emerge as the main hardware player in the computer industry, Ness says of the players out there, the choice has been and will always be "other." "Since IBM opened up the PC standard, there have always been "other" players in the market who as a whole, were the predominant force. That trend will continue."
(Linda Rohrbough/19930720/Press Contact: Dan Ness, Computer Intelligence, tel 619-535-6733)
puter Intelligence, tel 619-535-6733)
7/20/93
Technology Stocks Hit, But They'll Be Back
BUSINESS
CD-ROM Lending For Libraries Off
CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- Public Libraries will be lending CD-ROM titles if Compton's plan works. A publisher of storybooks, reference, music, travel, and business titles on CD-ROM, Compton's Newmedia division is offering a specially marked series to libraries for lending to the community.
Projections are one in nine US homes will have a CD-ROM drive by 1995 and Compton's says that is enough to warrant a library lending program in the estimated 30,000 libraries. The company is offering assortments of ten, twenty, and forty titles - ranging in price from $1,700 to $3,800 - that come with accompanying display holders to promote the collection.
Software rental is still illegal in the US without approval from the software publisher. Compton's says it has gotten that special approval and provides special CDs stamped "For Lending Only." The company started the lending program six months ago with video stores and says the plan has been so successful it is expanding the program with more titles and more video stores participating.
The titles include everything from "The Doctor's Book of Home Remedies" to the "Adventures of Pinocchio." Most of the titles operate on IBM compatible personal computers (PCs) running DOS but some titles are for the Macintosh or Windows. Some titles contain software for all three platforms, and Compton's has its own Multiple Operating Systems Technology (MOST) titles that run under DOS, Windows, on the Macintosh, and on the Sony Multimedia Player.
Norman Bastin, senior vice president and general manager of Compton's Newmedia said that adding CD-ROMs to library lending programs, "May attract a whole new segment of the population to libraries."
, tel 619-929-2500, fax 619-929-2555; 800 344-2621)
7/21/93
CD-ROM Lending For Libraries Offered By Compton's
TRENDS
Artisoft Ships New T-Runner Conc
TUCSON, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- Artisoft Inc., has begun shipping its two new external, 10Base-T concentrators.
The eight-port T-Runner 800/TC concentrator is priced at $449 and the twelve-port T-Runner 1200/TC concentrator is priced at $749.
According to the company, both are compatible with a number of networking environments, including Artisoft's own LANtastic peer-to-peer network operating system (NOS) and Novell's market-leading NetWare NOS.
The company also claims that the non-managed concentrators are in 100 percent compliance with the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standards and contain a BNC (Bayonet-Neill-Concelman) connector that allows concentrators to be linked to one another via thin coax cable. The BNC connector also allows for the mixing of cable types.
As an example, the company says that the T-Runner concentrators enable users on a 10Base-T segment to connect and communicate with users on a coax segment.
Both concentrators also include an auto partitioning feature that automatically disables ports that do not have link integrity.
(Ian Stokell/19930721/Press Contact: Joe Stunkard 602-670-7145, Artisoft Inc.)
: Joe Stunkard 602-670-7145, Artisoft Inc.)
7/21/93
Artisoft Ships New T-Runner Concentrators
GENERAL
IBM Japan Develops High Capacity
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- IBM Japan has developed a 2.5-inch hard disk drive with a large capacity, called the H2344.
According to the company, it supports 344 megabytes (MB) of data on two disks, which are in the disk drive. It can store 172 MB per disk. This is claimed to be the largest data storage for a 2.5-inch hard disk drive.
According to the company, 322 megabit of data can be stored and read per square inch. This is twice as much as that of current disk drives of IBM Japan.
The drive is 17 millimeters thick, which is the same as those of IBM Japan's current disk drives. The company also plans to ship this disk drive to other computer makers on an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) basis. The sample price of the disk is 53,000 yen ($480).
Other computer makers such as Toshiba have also been selling 2.5 inch hard disks. Toshiba's hard disk, for example, has a 340MB storage capacity, but it is on three disks compared with the two disks of IBM Japan.
The 2.5-inch hard disk is not regarded as a standard. However due to the increasing popularity of notebook PCs and pen-input computers, 2.5-inch disk drives are expected to be used more in the future.
(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930721/Press Contact: IBM Japan, tel +81-3-3586-1111, fax +81-3-3589-4645)
: IBM Japan, tel +81-3-3586-1111, fax +81-3-3589-4645)
7/21/93
IBM Japan Develops High Capacity 2.5-Inch Disk Drive
TRENDS
NTT Data In Talks With IBM
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- NTT Data Communication, a subsidiary of Japan's major telecom firm NTT, has started talks with IBM concerning a possible business agreement.
While neither firm has commented about the talks, it is expected that the potential agreement concerns the sales of telecommunication-oriented computer systems.
According to the Nikkan Kogyo newspaper, NTT Data Communication is seeking to link with IBM. It is reported that NTT Data wants to sell IBM's computers, telecom-related devices, and software as part of its integrated system.
This is good news for IBM, as it will open paths into Japan's banks and government on-line systems. NTT is a strong player in those markets. So far, NTT has linked with a number of major Japanese computer firms such as NEC, Fujitsu, and Hitachi.
The firm has integrated the hardware and software of these firms into its systems. Currently, NTT Data has been selling its general purpose computer, called the DIPS, which was jointly developed by these Japanese firms.
A business tie up with IBM would benefit NTT Data, and allow it access to such IBM technologies as operating systems, database structure methods, and parallel processors. NTT Data is reportedly planning to sell integrated systems to overseas markets jointly with IBM.
(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930721/Press Contact: NTT Data Communications, +81-3-3509-4647)
unications, +81-3-3509-4647)
7/21/93
NTT Data In Talks With IBM
Japan - Game Firms Link With US
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- A number of major Japanese game machine makers have begun to tie-up with movie firms in the US, and are preparing to create movies. The tie-ups are possible because of the popularity of game characters among children.
Sega Enterprises is making a movie called "Surf Ninja," which will be released around the end of this month. The firm has linked with Newline Cinema of New York. Upon the release Sega will release the game software which is related to the movie.
Another rival arcade game machine maker, Capcon, will also release a movie based on one of the company's game character. Capcon has tied up with Hollywood's Edward Pressman Film. The firms will create a movie based on Capcon's best-selling game software "Street Fighter II." A reported three billion yen ($27 million) will be spent on the movie, which will be released next summer.
Meanwhile, Nintendo has already released a movie based on the firm's Super Mario character. Nintendo linked with Hollywood's Light Motive on the film.
The companies hope that the tie-ups with movie firms will stimulate sales of their game products.
(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930721/Press Contact: Sega Enterprises, tel +81-3-3743-7603, fax +81-3-743-7830 Nintendo, tel +81-75-541-6111, fax +81-75-531-1820)
do, tel +81-75-541-6111, fax +81-75-531-1820)
7/21/93
Japan - Game Firms Link With US Movie Firms
BUSINESS
Brazil's Giant Computer Trade Sh
SAO PAULO, BRAZIL, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- Highlighting the importance of the South American market for both US computer and software suppliers, as well as their foreign competitors, more than 1,000 computer companies, 700 of them from South America are participating in this year's Sao Paulo, Brazil-based Fenasoft computer fair.
Douglas Kilarski, managing editor of Reseller World, has called South America a vital and vigorous, but largely untapped, computer market.
Brazil's computer market was not always this open to foreign competition. In fact, the government once blocked nearly all access to the domestic market to encourage the development of a local computer industry, but this changed several years ago and a number of foreign companies are now engaged in joint ventures and separate business activities in Brazil.
IBM is reportedly concentrating much more on sales to individuals and small businesses this year, rather than continuing its traditional near-exclusive pursuit of big business.
At least as large as the US-based Comdex, the Seventh Fenasoft trade show is expected by sponsors to host about 900,000 visitors over its four-day life.
(John McCormick/19930721)
ur-day life.
(John McCormick/19930721)
7/21/93
Brazil's Giant Computer Trade Show Opens
GENERAL
InterVoice In Large Voice Mail S
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- Dallas, Texas-based InterVoice has reported that it has received a $0.5 million-plus order for its 144-line RobotOperator System to be installed at a large public utility company. The InterVoice voice-mail system will be used to provide 24-hour answers to callers' usual questions about rates and billing problems.
Intecom, a division of French Matra SA, a multimedia systems developer which has been a business partner of InterVoice for the past year, will buy the system from InterVoice, add its own value-added modifications, and make the installation.
Intervoice has installed more than 3,000 voice response electronic-mail, and fax systems in nearly 40 countries.
Voice-response and fax-back systems customer help systems usually operating in response to signals sent from touch-tone telephones, are gaining a larger market share as companies strive to improve productivity and improve customer service while cutting costs by reducing staff.
Muriel Siebert, the first woman to gain a seat on the New York Stock Exchange, told today's CNN Business Morning viewers that companies such as hers look at the potential for new employment taxes coming out of President Clinton's budget package and look for ways to automate as much as possible to insulate themselves from health-care and other employee-related costs.
This sort of business concern, along with the difficulty in hiring qualified workers, should lead to even more interest in fax-back and voice-response systems.
STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- While other segments of the high-tech industry may be suffering telecommunications companies seem to be reporting solid earnings increases. For example, Electronic Information Systems (EIS) has reported the highest revenue quarter in the company's history with net sales reaching a little over $8 million.
In a statement marking the release of earnings figures, Joseph J. Porfeli, president and CEO of EIS, said, "We set a record for new business this quarter with 21 new customers. This brings the number of new accounts this year to 35, well over the total for all of 1992."
The company is also expanding in Europe, where automatic calling systems are rare, and has just installed its first units in Norway and Scotland. Porfeli says, "The international call center industry is on the verge of great growth potential."
EIS builds and markets outbound call center technology. In other words, their equipment makes what some critics call "junk" phone calls. The company makes automatic calling systems which dial consumers and conduct market research, remind people of unpaid bills, and perform direct marketing and sales functions.
This is yet another business which will be helped by increasing fears of expected new taxes on employees, because it automates calls which were previously made by telephone workers.
(John McCormick/19930721/Press Contact: Jodi Wallace Electronic Information Systems, 203-351-4800)
allace Electronic Information Systems, 203-351-4800)
7/21/93
Electronic Information Systems Posts Record Income
BUSINESS
India - Oracle Sets Up Subsidiar
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- Encouraged by the popularity of its relational database management system (RDBMS) in India (reckoned to have crossed Rs 36 crore - around $12 million - in revenues last year), Oracle has set up an Indian subsidiary.
Oracle Software India Pvt. Ltd., will promote, sell and support Oracle products within the country. "The subsidiary has been set up to provide support and service to this growing installed customer base," said Hirendra Gupta, country manager, Oracle.
The Delhi-based firm will also offer consultancy services for software and hardware feasibility. It will carry out duplication of Oracle packages. Regional offices will be opened in Bangalore and Bombay by the year end. A 100 percent export-oriented software development center, subcontracting work to Indian firms, and even a manufacturing unit are in the pipeline.
Oracle set up a liaison office in Delhi in April 1991, and distributes its RDBMS through Tata Consultancy Services, the leading software firm in the country.
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930721)
try.
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930721)
7/21/93
India - Oracle Sets Up Subsidiary
BUSINESS
India - Autodesk Opens More Chan
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- Autodesk is strengthening its base in India. The company has recently appointed Delhi-based Hindustan Office Products Ltd., (HOPE), as its second distributor for its AutoCAD computer-aided design and multimedia products. Tata Unisys Ltd., of Bombay, had already been selling those products in India.
A multi-product company, Autodesk has set up different channels for its various products. While the flagship AutoCAD version 11 and 12 and the multimedia products including the 3-D Studio package are being sold by Tata Unisys and HOPE, the scientific modeling package, called Hyperchem, is being dealt by National Informatics Center.
After Autodesk acquired Micro Engineering Solutions Inc., a leading developer of 3-D CAD/CAM software, last year, the latter's products came under Autodesk umbrella. In India, the MES products are being distributed by Pune-based Neil Automation Technology Ltd.
Neil recently introduced three mechanical CAD packages: DesignExpert, which has provisions for product modeling and styling advanced drafting, tool and fixture design and CMM verification; ManufacturingExpert, which is positioned as an integrated CAD/CAM package for modeling, CMM verification, tool and fixture design and advanced 2-5 axis and N/C machining; and DesignExpert Upgrade which is an upgrade path to DesignExpert for existing users of AutoCAD Release 10, 11 and 12. The products are priced between Rs 4-8 lakh (around $13,000 to $26,000).
At the retail manufacturing level, Autodesk has some low-end CAD products for which there is no distributor in India yet. "The state might appear a bit confusing at the outset, but with reciprocal relationship among the distributors, the sales of Autodesk products is bound to increase significantly in the coming days," said Amit Duttagupta, managing director of HOPE.
Apart from the appointment of distributors, Autodesk also has two other programs to promote its packages and strengthen its presence in India. One is the setting up of Autodesk Authorized Training Centers, that would provide training for Autodesk products to end-users. The other is the Autodesk Authorized Developer program, designed to boost the development of software packages that can be integrated with Autodesk's products.
These packages are mentioned in the "Third Party Software" list that Autodesk publishes regularly.
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930721)
ularly.
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930721)
7/21/93
India - Autodesk Opens More Channels
BUSINESS
Focus On India At Singapore Info
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 JUL 21 (NB) -- India will be the "feature country" at the Singapore Informatics `93 exhibition to be in Singapore, scheduled for October 14-17, 1993.
"About 15 to 20 Indian companies have shown an interest in participating in the show," said Yonick Pinto, manager of overseas trade fairs and exhibitions for Indtravels - the company promoting the fair in India.
Among the firms said to have shown an interest are Tata Unisys Ltd. Tata Consultancy Services, Larsen & Toubro, Pyramid Business Solutions, Softpack Computers, Silverline Industries, and Birla Consultancy Services.
"IT 2000-Excellence in business quality in life" is the theme for the show being organized by the Singapore Federation of the Computer Industry and co-sponsored by the National Computer Board, Singapore Computer Society, Singapore Telecom and the Microcomputer Trade Association of Singapore.
The feature area for Singapore Informatics this year will be to exhibit a model home or office as it would appear in the year 2000. This will include multimedia, imaging, windows, videoconferencing virtual reality, open systems, networking, data communications and mobile computing.
The show, which was organized for the first time in 1986, is said to attract 1,000 exhibitors and over a 100,000 visitors. Last year visitors from 41 countries were recorded. Also, 27 countries including India, US, France, Germany, Canada, Hong Kong, UK Austria, and Taiwan - took part in the event.
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930721)
in the event.
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930721)
7/21/93
Focus On India At Singapore Informatics '93
GENERAL
Systemhouse Buys Two Companies
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- SHL Systemhouse has announced two acquisitions within a week. On July 15, the Ottawa-based systems integrator announced its purchase of Nidak Associates Inc., a Toronto consulting firm. On July 20, it announced the acquisition of Application & Business Solutions Inc. (ABS), a consulting firm and outsourcer based in Cypress California.
Nidak is a privately held, seven-year-old company that does project planning, development, and implementation, with a focus on Unix, open systems, client/server computing, and local-area networks. It has more than 35 information technology professionals based in Toronto, officials said. According to a statement from Systemhouse, its 1993 revenues are expected to be more than C$4 million.
Nidak's co-founders, Nigel Stokes and Karl Abbott, are to become managing directors in Systemhouse's Central Canada region.
ABS has 30 employees and annual revenues of about US$6 million. It focuses on applications consulting, development, and outsourcing related to IBM's AS/400 line of midrange systems.
Systemhouse officials said they plan to set up an AS/400 "center of excellence" in the Pacific region, based in Cerritos California.
T.V. Chang, who founded ABS in 1988, and Ilene D. Cohen, the company's president and chief executive, are to take senior management jobs in Systemhouse's Pacific region.
(Grant Buckler/19930720/Press Contact: Henry Burgess Systemhouse, 416-366-4600; James Madden, Systemhouse 310-860-3635; Ilene D. Cohen, ABS, 714-379-2400)
ene D. Cohen, ABS, 714-379-2400)
7/20/93
Systemhouse Buys Two Companies
BUSINESS
TI Software Speeds Semiconductor
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- Texas Instruments unveiled Works this week, software it described as a next generation computer integrated manufacturing program that could set a new standard for semiconductor production.
The company says Works could significantly increase American competitiveness, claiming the software has already set a world record three-day production cycle for semiconductor manufacturing. TI says Works may be the first commercially available product that addresses the concepts of agile manufacturing that enables companies to shift from mass manufacturing of one type of product to more flexible production methods.
According to Donn McDonald, business development manager for TI's computer integrated manufacturing operations, the long range implication of Works is to significantly increase the competitiveness of American semiconductor makers. McDonald says Works represents a technology solution that addresses the growing capital cost of building a new wafer fabrication plant, the large plant size, and the inflexibility associated with current state-of-the-art manufacturing.
TI Marketing Manager Bob Doran says typically a semiconductor fabrication plant can cost as much as $1 billion, with about three-quarters of the cost going for equipment. Yet only about 35 percent of the equipment can be used for production. Doran says Works doubles the equipment utilization, which produces significant savings of cost as well as allowing for greater flexibility.
According to McDonald, "Works can play an integral role in helping reduce our dependence on foreign technologies while helping to stabilize and increase US semiconductor employment."
TI says Works is the result of a five-year, $86 million joint project that involved TI, the Advanced Research Projects Agency formerly known as DARPA, and the Air Force Wright Laboratory. In 1992 Sematech, a non-profit research consortium, awarded TI a contract to codevelop and implement an industry standard software framework for computer integrated manufacturing.
Works is made up of seven application modules that perform planning scheduling, specification and real-time control functions of the semiconductor manufacturing process. In the past semiconductor makers had to monitor production using hard data, a process that is inefficient, time consuming, and helped contribute to the high ratio of defective wafers. TI says using Works manufacturers can control the wafer fabrication process in real-time, or as it occurs.
The company says it plans to expand the marketing program for Works to other industries, including electronic components, chemicals pharmaceuticals, and automotive products, and will license Works to its competitors in order to earn royalties. Royalties for various products is a major source of income for Texas Instruments.
(Jim Mallory/19930720/Press contact: John Tammaro, Texas Instruments, 214917-3944)
John Tammaro, Texas Instruments, 214917-3944)
7/20/93
TI Software Speeds Semiconductor Production
GENERAL
Wordperfect Data/Fax Communicati
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- Wordperfect Corporation announced this week it is now shipping a software product that enables users to send and receive faxes from within their DOS or Windows applications, as well as supports data transfer.
Wordperfect Product Marketing Manager Richard Holder says the product, named Wordperfect Communications with ExpressFax 2.0, will allow users to send faxes from either Windows or DOS-based applications without having to buy separate drivers.
New features in the combination communications-fax application include fax forwarding, carbon copy faxing, and watermarks. Support for PCL 4 and PCL 5 area also included so users can fax computer files to Hewlett-Packard Laserjet II and later printer drivers.
The software was formerly known as MTEX/ExpressFax 1.17. Under its new name and with the latest features, it is being bundled with various computers and modems, including systems from Dell Computer Corporation, Megahertz Corporation, Zoom Telephonics, and US Robotics. The company says more than 800,000 copies of MTEX/ExpressFax have been sold since the product was first introduced.
Wordperfect Communications with ExpressFax is available directly from Wordperfect Corporation at a suggested retail price of $99 in the US and $120 in Canada. Users of earlier versions can upgrade for $49 and $59 in the US or Canada respectively. Purchased from Wordperfect Corporation, the software includes support for signature and letterhead scanning, a service supplied by Wordperfect for $39 if you send them your signature and/or letterhead. The version of the program that comes bundled with OEM products does not include PCL 5 or letterhead/signature scanning. Software that supports those features is also available for the OEM versions of the software from Wordperfect for $39 US and $47 Canadian.
Richard Holder, technical product marketing manager for the product told Newsbytes Wordperfect Communications with ExpressFax 2.0 will work with any Class I or II fax modem, but is not compatible with fax board/software combinations that use their own proprietary hardware. The program is scheduled to ship next week.
In other Wordperfect news, the company has announced an enhanced cross-platform licensing program called Easy Move that allows a user who purchases the company's word processing program Wordperfect for Windows, OS/2, DOS, or the Macintosh to move to any of the other three platforms using the same or an earlier version of the software at no charge.
The company says an Easy Move license request is now being included in all packages of Wordperfect 6.0 and 5.1 for DOS, Wordperfect 5.2 for Windows, Wordperfect 5.2 for OS/2, and Wordperfect 2.1 for Macintosh. All the user has to do is fill out and mail the licensing form or call a toll-free number to get a license for the new platform.
The Easy Move program offers to ways to get the necessary disks and documentation for the new platform. A media package that includes program disks, a keyboard template, and a cross-platform migration guide is available for $24.95. A similar package that also includes complete manuals and documentation is also available, priced at $59.95.
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- The Federal Trade Commission will reportedly try again this week to decide if Microsoft Corporation has engaged in unfair business practices, as some of its competitors claim.
The British news service Reuters says the case will be considered at a closed meeting in Washington on Wednesday. All FTC meetings of this type are closed to press and public, and commissioners are notoriously tight-lipped about commission meetings. The scope of the case has also narrowed, now reportedly focusing on whether Microsoft Windows software was designed to prevent customers from using other operating systems. Computers running the Windows operating environment already use DOS (disk operating system) as the underlying operating system, but Microsoft is the parent of that program also. However, some computers, if they have big enough hard drives to store all the software, and enough system memory, are configured for the user to run other operating systems such as Unix.
The investigation into Microsoft has been ongoing for almost three years, and appeared resolved once. However, competitors complained to the FTC, and the case was re-opened. Earlier this year an FTC panel became deadlocked after one member reportedly excused himself claiming a conflict of interest.
Reuters says political pressure is mounting to settle the case one way of the other. Ohio's Democratic Senator Howard Metzenbaum, who chairs the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Monopolies, and Business Rights, reportedly sent a letter recently to FTC Chairperson Janet Steiger asking that the commission refer the case to the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division for an independent review if the commission deadlocked again.
(Jim Mallory/19930720/Press contact: Microsoft Public Relations 206-882-8080)
Microsoft Public Relations 206-882-8080)
7/20/93
FCC May Decide Microsoft Case This Week
More On Artisoft's Fault Toleran
SLOUGH, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- Artisoft has made a name for itself with its LANtastic low-cost networking system, so it comes as something of a surprise to discover that the technology has been finding its way into mainstream and even specialist networking environments. This why the company has been working with a New York company -- No Stop -- to develop a fault tolerant adjunct to the network operating system.
Fault tolerance, as the name implies, introduces a higher degree of security to the network architecture. At its most basic (level one) it involves mirroring (duplicating) the data held on hard disk so that, if a disk crash occurs, then the system can continue running on the secondary data, without the need to go "offline" to repair the disk crash. Higher levels of fault tolerance (FT) introduce more degrees of data and network integrity to the network.
No Stop calls its FT technology "No Stop Networking," and is offering the network upgrade to all users of its LANtastic peer to peer networking system software. Once installed, the upgrade duplicates all hard disk writes to a second driver, which writes them to a second hard drive.
This technique is known as disk mirroring and can be completed on either two separate hard disks or, on budget systems, by splitting the hard disk into two logical drives (e.g. C and D). This latter option, though considerably cheaper than having a second drive, runs the risk of a disk failure zapping both virtual drives.
Announcing the availability of the security upgrade to LANtastic Mac McKinley, Artisoft Europe's managing director, said that No Stop is one of the first packages to be certified under the company's software compatibility program.
"Compatible software products like No Stop Network software on the LANtastic network means we can offer our customers valuable support and security when planning their network," he explained, adding that Artisoft's FT technology supports level three fault tolerance, as defined by industry standards.
"No Stop network software provides level three FT, giving LANtastic users real time and immediate access to the information on the network in case of a problem with the server," he said.
So how does No Stop work? According to Artisoft, the network upgrade is a DOS utility that runs on every workstations and claims to protect against possible system failures, to include server, disk medium and workstation to file server connection failures. This is achieved by mirroring file access on a primary server to backup unit or multiple servers.
Artisoft claims that the level three FT inherent in No Stop ensures that all network data is written and backed up simultaneously which, in the event of a server failure, allows continuous processing on the backup server without data loss.
No Stop pricing depends on site licensing conditions, but Artisoft claims that pricing is highly competitive. Bundling deals of No Stop and LANtastic are available through the company's dealers.
FELTHAM, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- PPCP, the portable communications specialist, has launched a new internal fax modem for Toshiba notebook PCs. The company claims that the revamped "Avanti!" modem complements the existing range of PCMCIA 2.0 products, rather than competes with them.
PCMCIA standards for portable computer memory card industry association. The number 2.0 signifies that the modem supports the second level standard. The idea behind PCMCIA is that peripherals of all types can slip into a PCMCIA slot on the side of a portable PC, without the worry of compatibility issues.
The Avanti! internal fax modem is not a PCMCIA card unit. Instead it has been designed to slip into the Toshiba proprietary "D slot" found on many Toshiba notebooks and portables. According to John Nolan, PPCP's managing director, the introduction of a non-PCMCIA modem has been carried out as there is still a significant demand for such units.
"It's a question of listening to customer needs. With the industry focus currently on PCMCIA, proprietary modems have been neglected but many users do not need to be able to swap out their modem to make room for another type of card," he said.
"We want the Avanti! range to provide a complete set of solutions to users, which is why we have launched a high-speed internal," he added.
The Avanti! modem prices in at UKP 599 and supports 14,400 bits per second (V32Bis) data modem transmission, as well as 9,600 bps fax transmissions. V.42Bis data compression and error correction is also supported by the card.
THAME, OXON, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- SPEA, the graphics card manufacturer, best known for its Video Seven range of cards, has announced Bigwin, a new software driver for Microsoft Windows. The package claims to push the speed of Microsoft Windows applications as high as possible when used with its range of graphics cards.
Hugh Bishop, SPEA's managing director, claims that Bigwin is faster than any other graphics accelerator on the market for Windows. The package, which has been designed for use with the Video Seven cards from the company, is available for download free of charge from SPEA's bulletin board in Germany on +49-8151-266-241 (all speeds to V32Bis, 8N1 parity).
"Drivers are becoming increasingly advanced, as sophisticated applications are being developed under Windows. Recognizing these advancements, SPEA has made a significant investment into research and development in this field. Bigwin is the culmination of this investment," he said.
Bishop reckons that Bigwin is likely to become a best seller in the graphics card industry and not just because of the sales success of Video Seven cards. He claims that the package draws on the experience of the company's knowledge in the graphics card industry enabling it to outperform traditional Windows drivers by as much as 80 percent.
The secret of Bigwin is that it makes extensive use of a proprietary disk caching system known as Wincache. The cache boosts the disk cache facilities of Windows' Smartdrive utility, allowing users to change their software configurations "on the fly."
Does the package work? This Newsbytes bureau downloaded the driver and ran it with a SVGA Video Seven card that is almost two years old, running under Microsoft DOS 6.0 and Windows 3.1 into 4 megabytes (MB) of memory and was pleasantly surprised. If you have a Video Seven, Bigwin seems to be worth downloading.
(Steve Gold/19930720/Press & Public Contact: SPEA - Tel: 0844 261886)
tact: SPEA - Tel: 0844 261886)
7/20/93
UK - New Windows Accelerator
Hayes Intros European Sysop Prog
FLEET, HAMPSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- Hayes Microcomputer Products has announced the European side of the modem manufacturer's system operator (sysop) program. The program, which runs up to the end of September, allow bulletin board system (BBS) sysops the chance to buy Hayes modems at discounted prices.
No strings seem to be attached to the offer, although Hayes -- as with all modem manufacturers with offers of this type -- checks on whether the BBS is actually online and, as a courtesy, expects sysops to give the company a mention on their board.
The deal is quite impressive, Newsbytes notes. Sysops can buy an Ultra 144, the company's flagship 14,400 bps modem, for UKP 200 against a retail price of UKP 899. Also available is the company's ESP (enhanced serial port) card for Windows, which retails for UKP 199. Sysops can buy the card for UKP 90.
John Babb, general manager of Hayes European region, claims that the deal is very generous and in line with the parallel program available in the US.
"We're always looking to offer the sysop community the best technology available. This latest initiative now offers sysops the opportunity to buy the latest high speed communications products from Hayes at advantageous prices," he said.
Sysops interested in obtaining a modem and/or card under the deal are asked to telephone, fax or email the sysop coordinator. Billing is in sterling (UKP), regardless of which country to which the modem is to be shipped, although the price does include duty and shipping in the European Community (EC). Hayes has asked Newsbytes to point out that shipment outside of the EC may attract extra customs duty.
Hayes maintains its own BBS at its UK headquarters. The BBS, which has more details of this offer, plus other products from the company, can be contacted on 0252-775599.
(Steve Gold/19930720/Press & Public Contact: Hayes - Tel: 0252 775555; Fax: 0252-775511; Email on The Internet: sstarie@hayes.com or hayes@cix.compulink.co.uk)
yes.com or hayes@cix.compulink.co.uk)
7/20/93
Hayes Intros European Sysop Program
TELECOM
, V :
Northern Telecom Scores In Polan
WARSAW, POLAND, 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- Northern Telecom Elwro, Northern Telecom's joint venture company in Poland, has been awarded a US$1 million contract from Tesla Praha Strasnice, the Czech telephone company. Terms of the contract call for NTE to supply its phones for use in Czechoslovakia.
This is the first export order for the new joint venture company and involves the supply of Polish-manufactured Elektron telephones under the Northern Telecom brand name.
The Elektron phones, which have been approved for connection to both the Polish and the Czech phone networks, will be manufactured at Northern Telecom Elwro's plant in Wroclaw in Southern Poland.
The deal is a valuable pay-off for Northern Telecom, the parent company, as it has just completed an $8 million investment in the Wroclaw facility. The plant is now capable of manufacturing both the Elektron phone, as well as line cards for the NT Digital Multiplex System (DMS) central office switch. Production capacity at the Wroclaw facility is now at a million phones a year.
Andrew Kerry, NT's director general of Poland, said that the order is significant to the company's strategy for growth in the region. "It's the first step in the development of an export base," he said adding that he expects to continue to build a relationship with Tesla Praha Strasnice and increase the volume of exports as a result.
Northern Telecom Elwro was established in February, 1992 to manufacturer and supply public switching equipment and phone sets in Poland. The company is 51 percent owned by NT and 49 percent owned by Elwro, the Wroclaw-based electronics company.
(Steve Gold/19930720/Press & Public Contact: Northern Telecom - Tel: 0628-812483)
orthern Telecom - Tel: 0628-812483)
7/20/93
Northern Telecom Scores In Poland
TELECOM
AutoCAD Release 12 For Mac
SAUSALITO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- Autodesk has announced the availability of AutoCAD Release 12 for the Macintosh.
Lynne Saunders, spokesperson for the company, told Newsbytes that the Macintosh platform is a large marketplace for Autodesk. "For a start, the Macintosh platform is our fourth largest selling platform. Autodesk supports just about every platform there is. Macintosh applications in the CAD marketplace don't have a lot of products. A lot of them are not going to be upgraded any further. A lot of companies are dropping their CAD software programs on the Mac platform. Autodesk has identified that there is a large opportunity for us within the Macintosh market."
In announcing the product, John Lynch, vice president of Autodesk's Product Development Group, said: "This Macintosh version of AutoCAD is very easy to master and it provides the power and productivity needed by architects and engineers who favor the Macintosh platform. The Apple Macintosh is an important platform for Autodesk, and this fully compatible version of AutoCAD represents a strengthening of our commitment to the Macintosh user."
According to the company, this version includes all key AutoCAD Release 12 features, including support for the Advanced Modeling Extension (AME), AutoCAD Development System (ADS), AutoCAD Visualization Extension (AVE), AutoCAD SQL Interface (ASI) AutoCAD SQL Extension (ASE), Autodesk Device Interface(ADI) AutoLISP, and 8-bit fonts.
In addition, features specific to the Macintosh platform include: an increase in speed; enhanced GUI (graphical user interface) menus and dialog boxes; user-customizable tool palette; interactive status and coordinate display line; support for icon and text menus; support for AppleShare networks; support for PICT file format; copy and paste and text scrolling capabilities in the graphics command line area; and use of ADB digitizer as a system mouse.
Version 12 also includes a drag and drop feature that allows users to open drawings or run scripts by simply dragging documents into AutoCAD.
Said Saunders to Newsbytes, "The Macintosh platform is also a very appealing one for people still using the drafting board and pencil based drafters. And there are still a lot of pencil-based drafters out there, even though architectural and engineering firms may have CAD programs in their departments. Research has shown that about 35 percent of those offices are on CAD, but then there's 65 percent of designers and architects that aren't using CAD. The Macintosh and Windows platforms are very enticing for those people."
The are a number of reasons for this, she continued. "The learning curve is a lot shallower. They have a perception that there is less loss of productivity. It is less costly, because they come up to speed quicker on the Macintosh platform."
AutoCAD Release 12 for the Macintosh runs on the Macintosh Quadra series 700, 800, 900 and 950; Macintosh Centris 650; Macintosh IIci IIcx, IIvx, IIfx, IIsi and IIx; Macintosh SE/30 and LCIII under System version 7.1 or higher. All models must have a math coprocessor and a monitor which supports at least 640 by 480 pixel resolution.
AutoCAD Release 12 for the Macintosh is listed at $3,750. Current users of Release 10 can upgrade to Release 12 for $700. Also current users of Release 11 can upgrade for $500.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- In a move designed to reinforce SunSoft's "commitment" to the Common Open Software Environment (COSE) process, the company has announced the availability of a Motif toolkit for the Solaris 2.2 operating system.
According to the company, the introduction gives software developers a head start in creating applications for the new Common Desktop Environment (CDE).
The Common Open Software Environment process was established in March of this year by such notable Unix vendors as Hewlett-Packard IBM, Unix Systems Laboratories, Santa Cruz Operation, and SunSoft. The process is intended to "expedite" the adoption of standards and promote greater consistency and interoperability among Unix system products in the industry. Some argue that it necessary in order to ward off the potential threat of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. Microsoft has targeted Unix as initially NT's main competitor in the business marketplace.
Sun claims that the introduction is also "a first step toward the delivery of a CDE-based product next year."
The new Motif 1.2.2 toolkit offers software developers a set of tools that include the Motif libraries, Motif Window Manager and the User Interface Language (UIL) compiler. The toolkit is based on the X Window System and X Toolkit Intrinsics from MIT and works with X11R5 libraries, making it portable across a wide range of hardware platforms, says the company.
According to the company, the toolkit offers a set of drag and drop operations, enabling developers to create user models for data selection and transfer.
The company also says that the UIL compiler allows developers to conduct rapid user interface design and prototyping without requiring massive amounts of code, which significantly reduces application development time. The toolkit also supports level 4 internationalization to provide software localization for the European and Asian markets.
In announcing the product, Jim Billmaier, vice president of marketing at SunSoft, said: "SunSoft continues to demonstrate its commitment to open systems and the COSE process. With today's announcement we are providing our software developers with the technologies needed to accelerate their move to the new common desktop environment."
Last month, the companies submitted the CDE specification to the X/Open organization and in October the companies will hold a developer conference that will focus on technologies and application development for this new environment.
The SunSoft Motif 1.2.2 Developer Toolkit for Solaris 2.2 SPARC is available immediately at the price of $295 in single quantity. The company says that a Motif toolkit for the Solaris x86 environment will be available in 90 days.
(Ian Stokell/19930720/Press Contact: Laura Ramsey 415-336-0739, SunSoft Inc.; or Dan Stevens, 415-904-7000 Hi-Tech Communications)
s, 415-904-7000 Hi-Tech Communications)
7/20/93
SunSoft Motif Toolkit For Solaris 2.2
Conner Posts 2Qtr Losses
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- Conner Peripherals continues on its financially troubled way, and has now posted a $58.8 million loss for its second quarter ended June 30, 1993.
Sales were $490.6 million, a decrease of 11 percent from the second quarter of 1992. The company's loss of $58.8 million translated into $1.19 per share in the quarter, compared to net income of $46 million or $0.63 per share on a fully diluted basis in the like period last year. Included in the second quarter loss was a $12 million charge against earnings to write down inventories of certain older disk drive products, said the company.
Without Compaq Computer, sales would have been even less. Conner said that sales to Compaq were 16 percent of total revenue during the quarter, compared to 11 percent in the like period a year ago.
Finis Conner, chairman and chief executive officer, blamed a number of factors, saying: "As previously announced, this quarter's results were negatively impacted by a variety of factors, including soft demand of certain products due to industry over capacity unparalleled price deterioration and a major transition from older less profitable products. Although we see this difficulty continuing to a lesser degree through the third quarter, we also believe we have taken the actions necessary to emerge as a stronger competitor in the future."
The company is planning new products. Said Conner, "These actions include a broad lineup of new storage products covering disk, tape software and storage systems, which we will continue to announce through the end of the year." said Conner.
As reported by Newsbytes, Conner has been restructuring its organization for some time.
In February Newsbytes reported that the company made a "series of changes in its operations in response to a decline in market demand for disk drives with capacities of 120 megabyte (MB) or less due to newer computer system requirements for higher capacity and performance." As a result, the company said it was going to increase production of some of its new products.
In March, Newsbytes reported that the company had reorganized around four market groups: the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) Products Group; the Distribution Products Group; the Software Products Group; and the Storage Systems Group.
Then in April Newsbytes reported that the company, in announcing expected lower earnings for its first quarter, 1993, was considering various restructuring options. At that time Kevin Burr, spokesman for the company, told Newsbytes that, "We don't know if we will take a restructuring at this point. We are still investigating the best way to downsize our company, and to reduce our costs."
(Ian Stokell/19930720/Press Contact: Regina Gindin 408-456-3125, or Kevin Burr, 408-456-3134, both of Conner Peripherals)
oth of Conner Peripherals)
7/20/93
Conner Posts 2Qtr Losses
BUSINESS
VLSI Posts Profitable 2Qtr
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- After posting a number of losing financial quarters, VLSI Technology has recorded record revenues of $128 million for its second quarter ended June 26, 1993.
According to the company, revenues were up 9.1 percent from the first quarter 1993, and up 22.9 percent from the same quarter a year ago. Net income was reported as $3 million, or $0.09 per share, as compared to a net loss of $4 million, or $0.15 per share for the same period a year ago. Operating income was $4.6 million compared to a loss of $1.5 million in the same quarter a year ago and a loss of $363,000 for the first quarter of 1993.
In announcing the results, Alfred J. Stein, chairman and chief executive officer, said: "Our continued growth and return to profitability highlights the efforts to differentiate our new products and to rapidly deliver them to the marketplace. On the strength of our differentiated new products, revenue and new order rates were exceptionally strong across all business segments and geographies, most notably in our PC-related and communications businesses. Increasing customer demand is spurring growth across the semiconductor market, which we believe will continue through the remainder of this year."
The company maintains that the PC market contributed considerably to the increase in revenue. Said Stein, "Our Personal Computer Divisions marked the shipment of their two millionth chip set into 486 systems, as unit shipments of chip sets set new quarterly records. Major new product introductions in the quarter showcased VLSI's continued leadership in the development of PC core logic solutions.
"Most gratifying was the company's improvement in gross margin to 38.4 percent in the second quarter from 32.9 percent in the first quarter. This improvement stems from a richer product mix within our Personal Computer Divisions, improvements in manufacturing performance, revenue strength at COMPASS, and less pressure on pricing as industry-wide capacity tightened," said Stein.
(Ian Stokell/19930720/Press Contact: Gregory K. Hinckley 408-434-7836, VLSI Technology Inc.)
-7836, VLSI Technology Inc.)
7/20/93
VLSI Posts Profitable 2Qtr
BUSINESS
> $H
IBM Offers Print On Demand Servi
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- IBM is taking a service it has used internally for about a year and offering it to others: it will custom-print documents and deliver them anywhere in the world within 72 hours.
IBM said its new service will cut printing costs and boost cash flow. The company's own Software Manufacturing Company estimates that IBM will save $1.2 million this year by using the Print On Demand service for product documentation.
Here's how it works. A business provides IBM with its documents by electronic transmission, on disk, or on paper in a form that can be scanned. IBM stores them on optical disks. Businesses can then order copies of the documents to be printed and sent anywhere as needed. They can also order revisions and have their documents customized for specific groups of readers.
Initially all printing will be done at a central facility in Mechanicsburg, Ohio, a spokeswoman for the company said. Over time, IBM plans to add facilities elsewhere in the United States and around the world. At some point in future, customers will probably also be able to have documents sent directly to their own printers.
Documents can also be output to compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) or microfiche, or delivered electronically, company officials said.
"Companies that frequently revise, print and distribute documents will experience improved cash flow and cost savings by being able to produce documentation as needed," said Michael P. Kiyosaki director of marketing for the IBM Software Manufacturing Company in a prepared statement.
IBM claimed its service is the most comprehensive of its kind based on an open architecture that takes advantage of a variety of output devices and network configurations. IBM said it contracted with Eastman Kodak Co. to provide a print-on-demand facility that can print more than 25 million pages per month.
The service is available to customers now on a limited basis, and will be fully functional by the beginning of the fourth quarter.
(Grant Buckler/19930720/Press Contact: Barbara Cerf, IBM, 914 642-4664; Paul McKeon or Ruth Doering, Crescent Communications for IBM, 404-698-8650)
ommunications for IBM, 404-698-8650)
7/20/93
IBM Offers Print On Demand Service
Macintosh System Management Util
NORTHBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- Software Toolsmiths has released AboutThatMac, a tool for network managers and system support personnel that allows them to remotely monitor application memory use and diagnose problems with application memory sizes.
Similar to the Apple Finder's "About This Macintosh" dialog box AboutThatMac lists all background processes separately, giving a more detailed view of the memory use on any Mac on a network. It uses Apple Events for communication between client and server and the Process Manager to get information on processes.
AboutThatMac requires System 7.0 or greater and is being distributed as shareware or may be ordered directly from Software Toolsmiths. Registered users receive a printed manual, a disk with the latest versions of both client and server software and free telephone support. Included on the disk is a demonstration version of Software Toolsmiths' upcoming release, Remote Performance Monitor for Macintosh scheduled for a Winter 1993 release.
The AboutThatMac shareware package, including the ST PerfMonitor data server, is available on America Online, CompuServe and Internet Macintosh software archives. The registration fee is $25 for AboutThatMac, and $10 for each copy of ST PerfMonitor, which must be placed on each networked Mac to be monitored. Site licenses and volume discounts for networks larger than ten nodes are available.
For more information, or to order the AboutThatMac package, please contact Software Toolsmiths, 21 Lexington Road, Northborough MA 01532, Telephone 508-393-5723; Internet/Usenet: SWTlsmiths@aol.com; America Online: SWTlsmiths; CompuServe: 71552, 2574.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- Xaos Tools famous for Silicon Graphics-based software products Pandemonium and nTITLE, are shipping their first product for the Macintosh platform: Paint Alchemy, an image enhancement tool that works in conjunction with Adobe Photoshop, and applications which support the Photoshop Plug-in standard.
Paint Alchemy is a brushing engine that offers users 75 different pre-set styles combined with access to 36 controls for customized image effects. Paint Alchemy also ships with Floppy Full of Brushes, a collection of an additional 50 brushes.
Included with Paint Alchemy are numerous pre-set styles, offering an array of effects, such as Pastel, Ripple, Vortex, and Bubbles. The styles provide "push button" simplicity, the company says for quickly achieving a desired effect and in addition they serve as a starting point from which artists can take over the user interface controls for further customization.
"This incredible brush machine is a new kind of tool for graphic artists to explore," stated Arthur Schwartzberg, president and co-founder of Xaos Tools, Inc. "Our technology, which has until now only been available on the Silicon Graphics platform, has been forged to meet the needs of a very high end and demanding client base. Though Paint Alchemy represents a very small piece of our technology, it is a very cool and powerful product and is our way of saying hello to the Macintosh community. There is a lot more to come."
Paint Alchemy requires a color Apple Computer Macintosh running system 6.05 or later, and 32-bit QuickDraw.
Paint Alchemy and Floppy Full of Brushes come bundled at an introductory price of $49 through August 15, 1993. Retail pricing of Paint Alchemy is $99 and $19.95 for Floppy Full of Brushes.
(Wendy Woods/19930720)
Brushes.
(Wendy Woods/19930720)
7/20/93
Paint Effects For Adobe Photoshop
APPLE
Comdex/Canada - Big Crowds, But
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- The first Comdex/Canada show took its place on the Canadian computer trade show calendar with authority. Organizers say the show attracted more than 35,000 visitors.
That figure exceeds the 20,000 advance projection given out by the show's backer -- The Interface Group of Needham, Massachusetts. It also about equals the established Canadian Computer Show, which has taken place in Toronto every fall for 23 years.
There were more than 300 exhibitors at the show -- also comparable to the Canadian Computer Show -- but a fairly small number of new products were announced. Newsbytes has already covered several announcements from the show over the past few days. The following is a brief summary of others.
Hummingbird Communications, a Markham, Ontario-based supplier of PC X Windows software, said it recently began shipping eXceed/Xpress software that provides remote access to Unix/X applications from a personal computer running Microsoft Windows. Meant for laptop and notebook computer users, the software costs US$249 for a single user and required the company's Xpress/Host software on Unix at a cost of US$125.
Hummingbird is also shipping eXceed/Motif-W, a tool kit for the Open Software Foundation's Motif user interface that complements the X Development Kit sold with the firm's eXceed/W 3.3 X Windows access software. The price is US$195.
New releases of eXceed/W, which provides access to X applications from Windows, and eXceed/DOS, which does the same for DOS PCs are now available, both at US$545 per single copy. Hummingbird also said it is readying eXceed/NT, a version of the software for Microsoft's new Windows NT operating system, and will ship it when NT becomes available.
Hummingbird has distribution in 40 countries around the world, as well as offices in Canada, the United States, and Switzerland said company spokeswoman Lorraine Neal.
WordPerfect Corporation has released the Canadian-English version of WordPerfect 6.0 for DOS, and said a Canadian-French version will be available later this summer. The suggested retail price is C$595 for a full package, with upgrade available to current WordPerfect customers for C$155. Owners of rival word processors can switch for C$179.
HMS Software, the St. Laurent, Quebec-based Canadian distributor for Welcom Software Technology of Houston, introduced Welcom's new Texim Project for Windows NT project management software to the Canadian market. The software will run on Intel, DEC Alpha, and MIPS hardware under NT, officials said. It will be available when Windows NT ships.
(Grant Buckler/19930719/Press Contact: Kim Pappas, The Interface Group, 617-449-6600, fax 617-449-6617; Lorraine Neal, Hummingbird Communications, 416-470-1203, fax 416-470-1207; Jeff Larsen WordPerfect, 801-228-5034, fax 801-228-5077; Denise Desmeules HMS Software, 514-333-0718, fax 514-333-7093)
ules HMS Software, 514-333-0718, fax 514-333-7093)
7/19/93
Comdex/Canada - Big Crowds, But Few New Products
GENERAL
IBM Sales Force Shuffle Coming,
ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- IBM will reorganize its United States sales force in early August, according to a report in the US trade weekly PC Week.
The shuffle, which PC Week said would be the most visible change in the company since Louis Gerstner became chairman and chief executive early this year, would fit Gerstner's view of IBM as a customer focused provider of total solutions. However, the newspaper said the idea actually came from various IBM field sites, which were already testing it when he took over the helm from John Akers in April.
PC Week quoted John Thompson, general manager of IBM's midwestern marketing and services area in Chicago and a pioneer of the new sales structure, as saying he is "not waiting for a grand plan" from Gerstner. "I have a set of (financial) targets... and I'm working like heck to try to achieve those targets."
The report also said that Gerstner will make no major changes in IBM's nine product units for the next 12 to 18 months, and is slowing Akers' strategy of giving IBM's business units more independence. And he is emphasizing research and development and plans to replace two to three members of IBM's board of directors with people who have more high-tech experience.
An IBM spokeswoman declined to comment on the details of report saying only that "our focus on industry specialization has been evolving for some time."
IBM, which lost $4.965 billion in 1992, had announced plans to cut another 25,000 employees from its payroll this year, and recent reports indicate the number taking advantage of incentives to leave the company may be double that.
(Grant Buckler/19930719)
be double that.
(Grant Buckler/19930719)
7/19/93
IBM Sales Force Shuffle Coming, Report Says
Canadian Product Launch Update
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- This regular feature appearing every Monday or Tuesday, provides further details for the Canadian market on announcement by international companies that Newsbytes has already covered. This week: AST's energy-saving PC Toshiba's multimedia computer, an AutoCAD update for the Macintosh and a new Canadian distributor for Compaq.
Toshiba of Canada Information Systems Group launched the T6600C portable multimedia computer (Newsbytes, July 9) in Canada. The Canadian suggested retail price is C$11,399 and shipment is due to begin before the end of July.
The company also said it will sell two new CD-ROM drives, the internal XM-3401B-S and the external TXM-3401E, in Canada. Both are due to be available in July.
AST Canada Inc. introduced to Canada its Bravo LP energy-saving personal computer. With three models using Intel 486 processors that run at 25, 33, and 66 megahertz (MHz), the machine conforms to Energy Star guidelines recently launched in the United States. Prices start at C$1,799.
Autodesk Canada said that AutoCAD Release 12 for the Apple Macintosh (Newsbytes, May 18) is now available here. The suggested retail price is C$4,688, and registered users of Release 11 can upgrade for C$625.
Compaq Canada has added Computer Brokers of Canada to its list of Canadian distributors. CBC will handle Compaq servers, as well as desktop, portable, and notebook personal computers.
(Grant Buckler/19930719/Press Contact: Anthony DeCristofaro, AST Canada, 416-507-3278; Al Steel, Autodesk Canada, 416-946-0928; Joh Robinson, Compaq Canada, 416-229-8808; Joel Hinderle Computer Brokers of Canada, 416-660-1616 ext. 2092; Sam Orthlieb Toshiba Canada, 416-470-3478 ext. 252)
a Canada, 416-470-3478 ext. 252)
7/19/93
Canadian Product Launch Update
GENERAL
Colorado Jumbo Tape Backup Softw
LOVELAND, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- For those who are running Colorado Memory Systems' Jumbo Tape Backup Systems under Microsoft Windows, Colorado Memory Systems has announced its Windows version of the Colorado Backup tape backup software.
The Windows version offers the ability to run in the background drag and drop to begin a backup, graphical displays in the form of gauges to measure the progress of a backup, as well as other new features.
Colorado Memory Systems says it is selling Jumbo 120 and 250 tape backup drives at the rate of two million a year. The drives are popular because of their low cost, under $200, yet offer most users all the backup capacity they need at 120 megabytes (MB) or 250 MB. Many companies, such as AST, are offering the Colorado Tape Backup Systems pre-installed in new computers sold in consumer retail outlets.
While the drives come with software, that software has been DOS only and older versions of the software wouldn't run under Windows at all. While other utility programs, such as the latest version of the Norton Utilities for Windows, will talk to the Colorado Tape Backup drive, this is the first time the company itself has announced its own Windows software.
The software offers the ability to automate routine backups, even allowing users to schedule regular times to backup. Since the backups can be performed as a background operation in Windows, users may schedule backups for almost any time.
Compression is still offered, so users can get the most data on to their tapes. A new "Move" feature allows users to drag and drop infrequently used files onto the tape to save hard disk space.
Formatting of tapes, which can take one half hour to two hours depending on the tape and the speed of the floppy disk controller can also be performed in the background. In addition, the software is designed to automatically format an un-formatted tape if a backup operation is selected and an unformatted tape is inserted. However Colorado also offers preformatted tapes for sale to users who do not wish to hassle with tape formatting.
The software runs on an IBM or compatible PC with an 80386 or higher microprocessor, a Colorado Jumbo tape backup, Microsoft Windows 3.0 or higher in enhanced mode, DOS 3.1 or higher, 1.5 megabytes (MB) or free memory with 4 MB or more of total system memory, 2 MB of hard disk space, and an extended graphics array (EGA) display or better. The package comes on 3.5 inch format, but a 5.25 inch disk is available free via exchange.
Registered Colorado Jumbo Tape Backup users can purchase the Windows Tape Backup software for $39 from Colorado Memory Systems directly. The company is also holding a contest with scratch-off game coupons in every Colorado Tape Backup Software for Windows product. Grand prize is a 1993 Ford Explorer, first prize is one of three Colorado vacations for two, second prize is one of ten Trek 930 Mountain Bikes, and third prize is an "Explore Colorado" sport jacket.
No purchase is necessary, however, and interested parties may request a game ticket from the company by mailing a self-address stamped envelope and a single hand-written request to "Explore Colorado...", Colorado Memory Systems, 800 South Taft Ave. Loveland, Colorado, 80537.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930719/Press Contact: Art Stapp, Hi Tech for Colorado Memory Systems, tel 303-694-6411, fax 303-741-3217; Public Contact, Colorado Memory Systems, 800-451-4524)
c Contact, Colorado Memory Systems, 800-451-4524)
7/19/93
Colorado Jumbo Tape Backup Software For Windows
Novel Released As ShareWare On T
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- INTER.PACT Press has announced that it has released "Terminal Compromise" by Winn Schwartau as a shareWare "novel-on-the-net" (a term that the company has trademarked).
Terminal Connections was previously published as a 562-page hardcover book (ISBN 0-962-87000-5) and, according to the publishers "has sold extremely well worldwide." The novel is billed as a techno-thriller that deals with information uses, piracy and attempts to exploit weakness in the US techno-economic infrastructure.
According to INTER.PACT, the book is not being issued into the public domain and, in issuing it as shareware, neither the author nor the publisher is waiving any rights or copyrights.
INTER.PACT claims that the work is "being distributed electronically so hundreds of thousands more people can enjoy it and understand just where we are heading with our omnipresent interconnectedness and the potential dangers we face."
The manuscript may be obtained through use of File Transfer Protocol (FTP) over the Internet. FTP is a term used to describe the automated download of a file from a computer system over the Internet, using standard protocols.
To download the file automatically over the net, Internet-connected users should log on to netsys.com (in the /pub/novel directory); or wuarchive.wustl.edu(/doc/misc); or soda.berkeley.edu (/pub/novel).
The announcement refers to the net version of Terminal Connection as the "world's first novel-on-the-net." It also mentions that the work is still available in traditional form in bookstores.
(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19930719/Press Contact: Winn Schwartau, 813-393-6600 (voice); 813-393-6361 (fax); Email over the Internet: wschwartau@mcimail.com)
mail over the Internet: wschwartau@mcimail.com)
7/19/93
Novel Released As ShareWare On The Internet
GENERAL
Lotus Restructures Educational L
STAINES, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- Lotus has swept away the complex licensing rules for its software in the educational arena in the UK, introducing a "multiple choice" licencing scheme.
Max Mclaren, Lotus' educational development manager, said that the scheme is in response to the major changes that have taken place in the educational market this last 18 months. He told Newsbytes that the last few years has seen a shift in Local Educational Authority (LEA) software purchasing trends, away from centralized contracts and back to localized purchasing.
"This was such a change from earlier centralised buying trends that we took a long look at how our products are sold in the educational market," he said.
The scheme works with educational users only needing to buy one software licence per PC, regardless of what Lotus applications are to be used. To add another package to its licence, users simply buy a standard educational single package. The idea is that educational users can use only one application per PC at once.
"One of the biggest headaches for the educational Informational technology (IT) manager is budget planning. The IT manager has traditionally had to budget for multiple licences for each type of application across different platforms," Mclaren explained.
"In reality, when the funds are no longer there to purchase enough licences you run into problems. Either you get a situation where students are jostling for limited machines or software may be copied illegally, which opens you up to the scrutiny of organizations like the Federation Against Software Theft," he said
"By rationalizing the way in which an institution can purchase licences. we've eliminated this problem. If an institution has 100 computers it needs only purchase 100 licences, then a single copy of every type of application is required. Lotus is the first company to take such a simple and direct approach," he said.
(Steve Gold/19930719/Press & Public Contact: Lotus Development Tel: 0784-455445)
ic Contact: Lotus Development Tel: 0784-455445)
7/19/93
Lotus Restructures Educational Licences In UK
GENERAL
Newton Messagepad To Be For Sale
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- Apple Computer is planning a huge launch of several new products at Macworld Expo in Boston the first week of August and the Newton will be the centerpiece, according to Jon Swartz at Macweek. The first Newtons, called the Messagepad, will be available in three configurations along with some new Quadra desktop Macintoshes.
The Messagepad is the same Newton demonstrated at the Seybold Digital World conference. It's the classic Newton everyone who has any remote interest in personal digital assistants (PDAs) has probably seen by now.
Macweek reports the unit will come in three models: one base model; one with a modem; and one with a modem and the Newton Connection Pro kit with software and cable for interchanging data between the Messagepad and a Macintosh or IBM compatible personal computer (PC) running Microsoft Windows.
Specific pricing for the Messagepads has not been announced by Apple, but the street prices will be $699, $799, and $899 respectively, according to Macweek. Swartz said the price estimates are based on the dealer quantity price plus a ten percent mark-up.
Consumer channels are already gearing up to sell the Messagepad and any retailer who is carrying Macintosh hardware now will probably be carrying the Newton Messagepad, including consumer electronics stores such as Silo and Staples.
The first day of the Macworld show, Apple is expected to have the Newtons available for sale on the show floor. Swartz said he understood over 2,000 of the units were being readied for sale by Apple and as many as 5,000 units could be available for sale during the week of the Expo.
The Newton sales may be the answer to Apple's financial woes. Macweek says its sources report Apple has ordered 60,000 units per month from Osaka, Japan-based Sharp, who is manufacturing the Newton. Sharp is planning its own Messagepad-like model and reports from inside sources in retail chains such as Compusa are stores expect the Newton to sell big. Compared to the $3,000 plus price tag of the American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T)/EO PDA, the Newton's under $1,000 price is attractive to consumers.
The Messagepad also has attractive animations as well, sure to delight consumers. One is an animation of a cloud that "poofs" away a mistake, while another animation is of a piece of paper wadded up and tossed into an on-screen trash can when an electronic document is deleted.
Newsbytes saw error messages several times in demonstrations of the Messagepad at Digital World at the end of June, including once where the unit had to be turned over and reset. However, Swartz told Newsbytes the current reports from his sources boast the handwriting recognition of the unit is superb and no problems have been seen.
Macweek also reported about a dozen software companies plan to announced software products for the Messagepad, including On Technology, Pastel Development, Great Plains Software, and Portfolio Systems. Other products expected for announcement at Macworld include the new Quadra Cyclone and Tempest. Apple sources said the company will not comment on unannounced products, but did say announcements will be forthcoming.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930719/Press Contact: Tricia Chan, Apple tel 408-974-3886, fax 408-967-5651; Jon Swartz, Macweek, 415 243-3500)
-967-5651; Jon Swartz, Macweek, 415 243-3500)
7/19/93
Newton Messagepad To Be For Sale At Macworld Boston
APPLE
Correction - Newton Messagepad F
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- Newsbytes wants to correct a small error which appeared in this story, dated yesterday. The story said that Macworld Expo in Boston would be held in the first week of June. The Expo, is in fact, in the first week of August.
Newsbytes regrets the error.
(Wendy Woods/19930720)
wsbytes regrets the error.
(Wendy Woods/19930720)
7/20/93
Correction - Newton Messagepad For Sale At Macworld
APPLE
Fujitsu Halts IBM Software Purch
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- Fujitsu says it will not buy operating system interface software from IBM this year. This is the first time Fujitsu has chosen not to buy IBM software since a 1988 decision by the American Arbitration Association gave it the right to do so.
In 1985, IBM sued Fujitsu for allegedly infringing IBM's operating system copyright, a charge that Fujitsu denied. Instead of a lengthy court battle, however, the two firms chose to abide by a decision by the American Arbitration Association. That decision called for Fujitsu to pay to use IBM's operating system software for general purpose computers every year. However this year Fujitsu has decided not to purchase the 1993 version of the software although it has the right to do so until 1997.
Fujitsu has not made any comment in regard to whether it will buy the software next year, but it is considered unlikely that it would do so. The main reason Fujitsu has rejected Big Blue is the downsizing trend in computing. Fujitsu reports fewer customers are requesting compatibility with IBM computers. Also, many customers are rejecting the IBM line, opting instead for the openness of a Unix system.
Another reason could be the slump in Fujitsu's sales which for fiscal 1992 were in red for the first time. Fujitsu is cutting 6,000 employees over the next two years.
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- Japan's major domestic telephone firm NTT is slashing the number of its phone operators involved in directory information. NTT has been operating in the red with this unit.
NTT will also reduce its service centers from a current 265 to about 100 by the end of 1995. It will also reduce the number of night time service centers to only 60.
Currently, NTT has 18,000 operators for this inquiry service. By 1995, the firm wants to reduce the number to around 10,000.
NTT recorded a 170 billion yen ($1.5 billion) loss in fiscal 1992 and as a result, is also restructuring other areas of its operations. NTT is seeking a reduction in its employment from the current 230,000 employees to less than 100,000 within 4 years. The reduction of operators is included in this plan.
NTT used to be owned by the Japanese government, but it was privatized in 1985.
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- Motorola has started to receive a supply of 16-megabit dynamic random access memories from Toshiba on an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) basis. Motorola will market this chip for personal computers and workstations in the US and Europe.
The chip is a 0.6 micron process product and consumes 5 volts of electricity.
The relationship between Motorola and Toshiba has already been established. Toshiba has been supplying 1Mb and 4Mb DRAM chips to Motorola. Also, both firms are setting up a joint venture in Tohoku in Japan to manufacture 16Mb DRAM in quantity within a couple of years.
Meanwhile, Mitsubishi will release a laser disk player for high definition TV (HDTV) this fall. The firm will receive a supply of the product from Pioneer on an OEM basis. Mitsubishi's HDTV laser disk player supports both HDTV laser disks and the current regular laser disk software. The retail price is expected to be around 650,000 yen ($5,900).
Other Japanese electronics firms are also planning to release HDTV laser disk players this fall. They include Pioneer, Matsushita Electric, Sony, Toshiba, and Hitachi. The prices of these players are expected to be about the same as those of Mitsubishi.
The HDTV laser disk players are expected to have the same popularity as HDTV sets. Low-cost HDTV sets were released at around 1 million yen ($9,000) recently and prices are expected to drop again to about half of the current price when powerful LSI chips are developed in the near future.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- Newsday, a New York City and Long Island, New York daily newspaper, has begun the simultaneous publishing of a series of articles electronically and in print.
The series, "Riding The Information Highway," by staff writer Joshua Quittner, began in Sunday, July 18 edition with an eight-page spread. It was the cover story in the Long Island edition of the paper and was the back page business feature in the New York City edition. The series which concludes on Wednesday, July 22, deals with the convergence of computer, television and telephone technologies.
Newsday explained to readers the simultaneous publishing, saying, in part, "This series on information highways can be read today in San Francisco, Tokyo, Paris and Buenos Aires - but not on printed paper. For the first time, Newsday is making a series accessible to anyone with a personal computer and modem, from Long Island to Luxembourg."
The periodical then outlined the advantages of electronic publishing, saying the stories can travel from editor to reader in a fraction of the time it takes to print them and deliver them by truck. "Space is limited in a newspaper because of the cost of paper and production, but the electronic version has a selection of related articles." Newsday concludes: "Readers can communicate directly with writers, both by electronic mail and a live chat period - a group conversation conducted online through personal computers."
The first stories contained interviews with Microsoft's Bill Gates economist George Gilder, Apple's John Sculley and other people whose ideas and actions are shaping the future.
The sidebar then gave instructions to obtain the articles by computer and modem: in Nassau, 516-599-2525; eastern Suffolk 516-727-0177; west Suffolk, 516-665-7878; NYC, 212-385-2551 or 718-875-6504. After you are connected, type HH (upper case) and ENTER/RETURN. At asterisk, type 2129250054 and press ENTER/RETURN. Internet users can access the service via telnet to DELPHI.COM. At the "Username" prompt, enter HIGHWAY."
Series writer Joshua Quittner told Newsbytes, "I think it is tremendously exciting that Newsday is plunging deeply into the new technologies and is distributing this piece as far as the world-wide Internet will take it."
Mainstream publications like Newsday are just now beginning to discover electronic publishing, a domain that has for ten years been in use by many publications. Newsbytes has been publishing electronically worldwide via the Internet and other networks since 1983.
(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19930719)
a E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19930719)
7/20/93
Newsday Publishes Online On The Internet
TRENDS
More On Sony MiniDisc Data Stand
PARK RIDGE, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- Sony Corporation has announced new standards aimed at making its MiniDisc optical disks into data as well as audio storage devices. Sony's MD Data standards would provide high-capacity read-only, rewritable, and hybrid optical storage.
Based on specifications for the MiniDisc personal audio system which Sony launched last November, the new MD Data standard is to be offered to computer and other manufacturers. Discussions are under way with a number of vendors, company spokesman Brian Levine said, but Sony is not ready to announce any names yet.
The MD Data disks would store as much as 140 megabytes of data. Sony is aiming them in part at the market now occupied by magnetic diskettes, claiming that the need to store graphic and audio information has created a demand for a removable data storage medium capable of handling larger amounts of data.
Sony's standards cover three kinds of MD Data diskettes. One kind, called MD-ROM, would have data permanently placed on them by an information publisher. Customers would buy them for their contents, not for use as rewritable storage devices. In short they would compete with today's CD-ROM disks.
Another type, called Rewritable MD, would be sold blank as a higher-capacity alternative to today's diskettes. These would use magneto-optical technology.
Third, a Hybrid MD disk type would contain some prewritten data but leave some space rewritable. Details of the technology involved are sketchy, but it appears that part of the disk's surface would be different from the rest so as to prevent rewriting.
A single drive mechanism will be able to accept all three disk types, Sony said.
The MD disks come in cartridges that are 68 by 72 millimeters (between 2.5 and three inches square) by five millimeters thick. Levine said the disks are expected to cost a bit more than today's MD Audio disks. Cost of the drives has yet to be determined, he said. Products are expected to start reaching the market by mid-1994.
According to Sony, the disks will provide a data transfer rate of 150K bytes per second, enabling full motion video.
Also, the standards include a new file system that determines how information is encoded onto the disk. If adopted by manufacturers using different hardware platforms and operating systems -- such as DOS PCs and the Apple Macintosh -- this standard would mean that disks recorded on one type of system would be readable by another. That differs from the present situation with magnetic diskettes, whose file systems are part of the different operating systems.
(Grant Buckler/19930719/Press Contact: Brian Levine, Sony 201-930-6443)
act: Brian Levine, Sony 201-930-6443)
7/20/93
More On Sony MiniDisc Data Standard
TRENDS
BoCoEx Index
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- Boston Computer Exchange for the week ending July 16, 1993.
Closing Prices from the Boston Computer Exchange
Machine Main Closing Price Ask Bid
Drive Price Change
IBM PS1 386SX/25 130 MgB 850 900 750
IBM PS/2 Model 70-A21 120 MgB 875 950 800
IBM PS/2 Model 56SLC/20 120 MgB 1050 1300 900
IBM PS/2 Model 55SX 60 MgB 650 800 700
IBM ThinkPad 300 80 MgB 1400 1500 1325
IBM ThinkPad 700 80 MgB 1850 2400 2000
IBM ThinkPad 700C 120 MgB 3600 3700 3500
IBM V\P 3/25T MOD. 80 80 MgB 1500 1600 1500
IBM PS/2 Model 90-OH9 160 MgB 1700 1700 1600
IBM PS/2 Model 95-OJF 400 MgB 3000 3300 2700
Compaq Prolinea 4/66 340 MgB 2000 2150 2000
Compaq Prolinea 486/50 240 MgB 1450 1500 1200
Compaq Portable 386 100 MgB 650 800 600
Compaq SLT-386 120 MgB 925 950 850
Compaq LTE-286 40MgB 600 700 600
Compaq LTE-LITE 3/25 120MgB 1350 1450 1200
Compaq LTE-LITE 4/25C 120MB 3450 3600 3400
Compaq SysProXL 1.02Gig 8,100 12,500 6,000
Compaq Syspro 486/50 Mod 1 6700 8500 6500
Compaq Prosigna 486 /33 550 MgB 3500 3800 3350
Compaq Portable 486/66 525 MgB 3650 4000 3500
Compaq DeskP 486DX2/66i 240 MgB 2100 2400 1900
AST Prem Exec 386SX20 40 MgB 675 750 650
NEC UltraLite 25C 80 M0gB 2000 3400 3300
NEC UltraLite Versa 20C 80 MgB 2850 2950 2800
Zenith Mastersprt-386SX 60 MgB 800 900 800
Zenith SuperSport 386SX 40 MgB 650 800 650
Macintosh Classic 40 MgB 575 600 550
Macintosh Classic II 40 MgB 750 800 700
Macintosh SE 40 MgB 575 650 550
Macintosh SE-30 80 MgB 1050 1150 1000
Macintosh LC 40 MgB 1000 1300 800
Macintosh II 40 MgB 1250 1300 1250
Macintosh II SI 80 MgB 1200 1300 1200
Macintosh II CX 80 MgB 1450 1550 1400
Macintosh II CI 80 MgB 2150 2250 2000
Macintosh II FX 80 MgB 2600 2800 2600
Macintosh Quadra 700 160 MgB 3050 3100 3000
Macintosh Quadra 900 160 MgB 3700 4000 3600
Macintosh Powerbk 165C 80 MgB 2400 2500 2400
Macintosh Powerbk 145 40 MgB 1450 1550 1400
Macintosh Powerbk 180 80 MgB 2925 3100 2900
Apple Imagewriter 2 200 ` 225 175
Apple Laserwriter IINT 900 1000 900
HP Laserjet II 675 700 650
HP Laserjet IIISI 2200 2300 2000
Toshiba T-1200 20 MgB 350 375 350
Toshiba T-1600 40 MgB 525 575 500
Toshiba T-2000 SX 40 MgB 700 800 700
Toshiba T-2000 SXE 40 MgB 800 900 750
Toshiba T-2200 SX 40MgB 750 800 700
Toshiba T-3100 20 MgB 400 400 400
Toshiba T-3200 40 MgB 550 700 500
Toshiba T-3200 SX 40 MgB 600 750 500
Toshiba T-3200 SXC 120 MgB 1850 2000 1800
Toshiba T-6400DX 200 MgB 2200 2300 2100
Toshiba T-4400C 120 MgB 3025 3100 2900
Toshiba T-5200 100 MgB 1200 1300 1100
BoCoEx Index data is compiled by Market Analyst, Gary M. Guhman.
Here are some current retail-oriented Seats on the Exchange, presented in cyclic basis.
Dallas - Ft. Worth, TX - DFW Computer Exchange - M.B. Lee - 817-244-7833
Escondido, Ca. - Affordable Computer Solutions - Dean Jacobus - 619-738 4980
New Orleans, Louisiana - Audubon Computer Rental - Mike Barry - 504-522 0348
Detroit, Michigan - CompuCycle - Walt Hogan - 313-887-2600
Albuquerque, NM, Western Computer Exchange - David Levin - 505-265-1330
Fresno, California - MacSource Computers - Mike Kurtz - 209-438-6227
BoCoEx Index prices are based on complete systems with keyboard, VGA monitor and adapter, less the value of any software or peripherals.
Boston Computer Exchange is available at: 617-542-4414, Buyer's HotLine: 1 800-262-6399, In Alaska and Canada 1-800-437-2470, FAX: 617-542-8849.
(BOCOEX/19930720)
COEX/19930720)
7/20/93
BoCoEx Index
BUSINESS
PictureTel Offers Desktop, Group
DANVERS, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- PictureTel Corporation has launched two new videoconferencing systems, including its first full-fledged entry into the desktop videoconferencing market.
The desktop system, called the PictureTel Live PCS 100, is an add-on for personal computers running Microsoft Windows 3.1. It provides dial-up visual communications, screen sharing, and collaborative computing over public switched digital networks company officials said.
The System 1000 is a group videoconferencing family with some of the features of PictureTel's System 4000 product family at a lower price.
The System 1000 supports the Full Common Immediate Format (CIF) H.320 videoconferencing standard. PictureTel also announced plans to provide upgrade paths to the standard for all of its installed base.
Both new product families feature PictureTel's new PT 724 audio algorithm and enhanced IDEC II echo cancellation with automatic gain control and noise suppression, the company said. Both are available in English, French, Spanish, German, and Japanese.
The $5,995 PictureTel Live PCS 100 provides Full CIF H.320 operation on any personal computer with two available Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus slots and Microsoft Windows 3.1. It provides full-color, full-motion live video, officials said and is compatible with all PictureTel and competitive systems operating in the H.320 mode. It is available with either NTSC or PAL video-standard support.
The PCS 100 also includes PictureTel's new FlipCam, a camera that can be adjusted to most subjects and lighting conditions using manual zoom, focus and aperture controls. It also includes a combination speaker-phone and handset and user-interface software.
PictureTel developed a prototype desktop videoconferencing system, the PCS 1, as a result of a development agreement signed with IBM in 1991, company spokesman Ron Taylor said. However this was meant only as a prototype and only about 100 were sold. The PCS 100 is the company's first "production" desktop system he said.
PictureTel Live will be distributed through PictureTel direct sales representatives as well as selected dealers and distributors worldwide. The system will be available beginning in the fourth quarter, the company said.
The System 1000 comes in two basic configurations: the Model 30 and the Model 50. Both are available with either the NTSC or the PAL video standard. The Model 30 has a 20-inch monitor, FlipCam picture-in-picture, multipoint capability, and integrated BRI interface. The Model 50 has a 27-inch monitor, pan, tilt and zoom camera, camera presets, multipoint, picture-in-picture, a cart, and an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) basic rate interface. Both can be configured with optional V.35/RS-366, dual CSUs, or RS-449 interfaces.
System 1000 prices start at $13,995. It is to be available beginning in September through existing PictureTel channels worldwide.
There is also a $5,000 optional feature package for either model that includes two times CIF graphics, far-end camera control, VCR audio, and 384 kilobit per second (Kbps) operation.
PictureTel said its new audio algorithm, PT 724, offers high-quality, full-duplex seven-kilohertz (KHz) audio while consuming only 24 Kbps of transmission bandwidth. It also boosts video performance by freeing about 30 percent more bandwidth for the video signal, the company said. Also included in the new audio package is IDEC II, a version of PictureTel's Integrated Dynamic Echo Cancellation technology, enhanced with new noise suppression and automatic gain control features.
PictureTel also said it cut prices about 20 percent on the System 4000 line. The company said that starting immediately all new System 4000 units will be shipped with both the PictureTel proprietary SG3 and Full CIF H.320 algorithms.
(Grant Buckler/19930720/Press Contact: Ron Taylor, PictureTel 508-762-5178; Pam Austin, Rourke & Co. for PictureTel 617-267-0042)
am Austin, Rourke & Co. for PictureTel 617-267-0042)
7/20/93
PictureTel Offers Desktop, Group Videoconferencing
TELECOM
Adda Has Titling Bundle, Mac Vid
RICHMOND, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1993 JUL 20 (NB) -- Adda Technologies, Inc., has announced a bundle of its own VGA AVer Pro overlay and genlock card with Shereff Systems' Deputy Junior titling software. The company also launched AVerKey/Mac, an external computer-to-video converter for the Apple Computer Macintosh.
The AVerPro is a Super VGA card with video in and out capabilities, Deputy Junior, from Beaverton, Oregon-based Shereff Systems, can address the card's video functionality to create rolling, scrolling titles and provide hardware keying and fading functions.
Adda has just started shipping the bundle at a list price of C$955, said company spokesman Jan Piros.
The AVerKey/Mac is a Macintosh version of Adda's existing AVerKey converter for DOS-based PCs. According to the company, it can take a Mac computer signal and output it to a regular video recorder or television set. The device can handle as many as 65,000 colors, officials said, and has flicker reduction to produce a stabler video image.
Now shipping, the converter has a list price of $295.
The AVerKey/Mac works with those Macintosh models compatible with its display frequency, Piros said. These include the IIVX, IIVi LC II, LC III, Powerbook 165C and 180C, Centris 610 and 650, and Quadra 700, 800, 900, and 950.
(Grant Buckler/19930720/Press Contact: Jan Piros, Adda Technologies, 604-278-3224, fax 604-278-2909; Public Contact: Adda Technologies, 604-278-3224 or 510-770-9899)
da Technologies, 604-278-3224 or 510-770-9899)
7/20/93
Adda Has Titling Bundle, Mac Video Converter
APPLE
Tartan Updates Ada Cross-Compile
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- Tartan, which claims to be one of the leaders in providing advanced Ada language compiler systems and utilities, has announced the release of Version 4.3 of its Ada cross-compilation system.
The package runs on Sun SPARC workstations and produces Ada compliant programs for VAX VMS, Intel i960, and IBM RS/6000-based computers as well as TI C40 digital signal processors and the 68XXX range of Motorola microprocessors.
According to the company, improvements to this latest version depend on the specific computing platform used, but include added source level symbolic debugger capabilities in AdaScope, trial compilation and an extension of various important optimizations.
New programming tools include the Checksum utility which lets users verify the correctness of target memory contents, and AdaList, which generates an interspersed Ada source and assembly code listing with both absolute and relative addresses of individual object files and linked programs.
The company claims that AdaList alone will greatly contribute to the maintainability, testability, and understandability of Ada programming projects where testing normally takes up almost 80 percent of development time.
According to the company, all of the new Tartan cross-compilers have been validated by the compliance committee tests (test suite 1.11) showing that they are fully compatible Ada compilers.
The use of Ada, named after the first programmer, Ada Lovelace, is mandated for many companies selling to the Department of Defense and some NATO divisions. The language was developed in Europe and the US specifically for military use, but is also a highly portable general purpose programming language designed to re-use large segments of previously created code.
Although companies have applied for Ada exemptions claiming that the language is too difficult to use and too slow, actual tests have often shown that it is highly efficient both in execution and during development.
(John McCormick/19930719/Press Contact: Wayne Lieberman, Tartan 412-856-3600 or fax 412-856-3636)
n 412-856-3600 or fax 412-856-3636)
7/19/93
Tartan Updates Ada Cross-Compiler
Indonesian Electricity Authority
JAKARTA, INDONESIA, 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- System Manager, the Australian developed multi-user PC operating system, has been adopted as the standard product for all 158 branches of the Indonesian Electricity Authority. The package is produced by Datapac Australasia.
Announcing the decision to go with System Manager, Datapac's research and development director Martin Duursma said that the package will be used to automate office procedures.
"It will allow administrative staff to share computer software capacity that includes database, word processing and spreadsheets. Because System Manager allows multi-tasking, users can 'hot-key' between applications instantly. The head office uses modems to connect with all the regional offices," he said.
Duursma added that the authority had previously had difficulty in maintaining and training users with the previous local area network. He claimed that System Manager was considerably easier as it requires minimal training and maintenance over normal DOS, yet it offers many other advantages such as security and remote access.
According to Duursma, 99 percent of the operators were trained in using DOS, so moving to a different operating system was out of the question. System Manager is a multi-tasking, multi-user DOS.
(Paul Zucker/19930719/Contact: Datapac Australasia on phone +61-2 980 6888 or fax +61-2-980 6763)
ustralasia on phone +61-2 980 6888 or fax +61-2-980 6763)
7/19/93
Indonesian Electricity Authority Adopts Australian O.S.
APPLE
Hillary Should Let Al Gore Come
WASHINGTON, D.C, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- Robert D. Steele, an ex-government intelligence officer and organizer of the second annual "National Security & National Competitiveness: Open Source Solutions" symposium, has asserted that the Clinton Administration is ignoring Vice President Al Gore's potential contributions in the field of information technology (IT).
According to Steele, the US is living in an age of information and informational warfare. "Al Gore is our secret weapon and he is not being used," he told Newsbytes.
As a result, Steele said, he is concerned that Hillary Clinton may be involved in preventing Gore from "coming out to play."
Steele added that the administration seems to want nothing to overshadow Hillary Clinton's health care work, but that, in terms of long range benefit, the effective gathering and use of information may be even more important to the national interest.
Gore is tentatively scheduled to speak at the lunch on the first day of the three day Symposium, which opens on November 2 at the Omni Shorham Hotel in Washington, DC.
Other speakers lined up for the event include Alvin Toffler; author of "The Third Wave" and "Future Shock;" Phil Leder, deputy director for management, Office of Management and Budget (OMB); Air Force retired Lt. General Norman Wood, former director of Intelligence Community Staff; Ross Stapleton, analyst, Central Intelligence Agency; and Mitch Kapor, chairman of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Steele told Newsbytes that he has been working with congressional staff on the drafting of a bill that will greatly increase funding to seed the transition to an open, more flexible method of intelligence gathering and sharing.
(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19930719/Press Contact: Robert Steele, Open Sources Solutions, 703-536-1775 (voice); 703 536-1776 (fax); E-mail on the Internet - steller@well.sf.ca.us)
E-mail on the Internet - steller@well.sf.ca.us)
7/19/93
Hillary Should Let Al Gore Come Out To Play
GENERAL
Comdex/Canada - Canadian Busines
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- MicroBiz of Spring Valley, New York, has launched The Canadian Business Controller. The package, which was launched during the Comdex/Canada show last week is a version of the company's point-of-sale (POS) PC software, with several enhancements that the company claims makes it suitable for use by Canadian businesses.
The company's existing software already supported Canada's two levels of retail sales tax, the provincial sales taxes and the federal Goods and Services Tax (GST), according to Robin Carley, a spokesman for Microbiz.
Carley claims that, with this new version, the company has replaced the fields for US ZIP codes with fields that accommodate Canada's six-character postal codes, has replaced the state indicators with a province indicator with appropriate choices, and has built in a currency conversion capability.
The software is available in several versions, including the general retail-and-wholesale version plus specially tailored versions for auto dealers, video shops, liquor stores, and hair and nail salons.
The package is aimed primarily at small businesses with one to nine employees, Carley said, though it can handle operations of as many as about 80 people.
In use, the software creates invoices and receipts, tracks inventory, and maintains a customer history. According to the vendor, it will work on any personal computer with a hard disk drive and the DOS operating system.
The Canadian Business Controller is now shipping, with a suggested retail price of C$1,149.
(Grant Buckler/19930719/Press Contact: Robin Carley, MicroBiz 914-425-9500, fax 914-425-4598; Public Contact: MicroBiz 800-637-8268)
5-4598; Public Contact: MicroBiz 800-637-8268)
7/19/93
Comdex/Canada - Canadian Business Controller
PC Retail Sales Predicted To Jum
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- In three years, most of the estimated forty-six PCs sold in the US will be purchased through retail outlets instead of the traditional computer outlets according to a recent survey released by Channel Marketing.
The survey information is from Channel Marketing's "Changing Trends in the Distribution of PCs in the 90s," which notes that the retail channel, or Power Channel, consists of computer superstores, office supply superstores, national and regional consumer electronics chains, mass merchants, department stores, warehouse clubs, and non specialty stores. The traditional channel is made up of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as Dell and IBM as well as computer stores such as Computerland and Microage.
In 1992 the majority of PC customers were split nearly evenly between corporate customers, home customers, and small to medium business customers.
The actual breakdown of PC customers in 1992 is 30 percent corporate, 27 percent home customers, 34 percent small to medium businesses, and 9 percent government customers. However, Channel Marketing has been predicting dramatic growth in the acceptance of PCs will alter the percentages of users to 42 percent home users, 36 percent small to medium business customers, 16 percent corporate and 6 percent government by 1996.
The increase in home and small to medium business customers coupled with the availability of brand name PCs in more of the Power Channel accounts for part of the predicted increase in Power Channel sales.
The other reason for the increase is the decreasing cost of PCs. Channel Marketing claims the PC became a commodity when 486-based systems were targeted at prices below $1,000 by manufacturers.
Specifically, the Power Channel is expected to provide 54.1 percent of overall sales by 1996 as opposed to 29.5 percent in 1992. The traditional channel's piece of the pie will drop to 36.9 percent in 1996 from current levels of 60.5 percent while value added resellers will go from 5.4 percent to 5.1 percent and system integrators will go from 4.6 percent to 3.9 percent the marketing group maintains.
Does this mean lower revenues for the other PC providers? Not at all, according to the Channel Marketing. The pie is growing so everyone's could grow in revenue, even if the percentage of the pie.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930719/Press Contact: David Goldstein Channel Marketing, tel 214-239-3305, fax 214-960-7159)
keting, tel 214-239-3305, fax 214-960-7159)
7/19/93
PC Retail Sales Predicted To Jump By 1996
TRENDS
Panasonic Notebook Upgraded To 4
SECAUCUS, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- Panasonic has announced a lightweight, low-voltage notebook PC with double the claimed battery life of its predecessor, along with a faster processor and a larger hard disk drive.
Panasonic's CF-1000A notebook features a new detachable floppy disk drive that can be easily replaced by an extra nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery. The new notebook is based on a 486SLC processor from Cyrix, rather than the 386SXLV processor from AMD used in the CR 1000.
The unit also comes with a choice of an 80 MB or 170 hard disk drive, in contrast to the 60 MB hard disk drive of the earlier version. In another enhancement, the hard drive is now pre-installed with SuperStor Disk compression utility software.
According to Yasu Enokido, sales planning manager with the company each NiMH battery offers a three-hour battery life, meaning that the CF-1000A can be run on batteries for a total of six hours without recharging.
Like the CF-1000, the CF-1000A uses VLSI Technology's VL82C315A Scamp II Low-Power System Controller and Cirrus Logic's CL-GD6412 LCD VGA Controller.
According to Enokido, the system controller supports 3.3V, 5.0V, or mixed-mode operation without external level shifters. The VGA controller is billed as the first device of its kind to allow major interface operation at either 3.3V or 5.0V.
Also like the earlier PC, the CF-1000A weighs in at five pounds. The shell is made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic, a newly developed material designed to be tough as well as lightweight.
The CF-1000A comes standard with 4 megabytes (MB) of RAM, expandable to 12 MB. The notebook also provides a 640-by-480 VGA display, an 84-key keyboard with 101-key AT keyboard emulation, a PCMCIA Type II slot, and a serial port, parallel port and mouse port.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930719/Reader contact: Panasonic, tel 800-742 8086; Press contacts: Ron Tomczyk, Panasonic, tel 201-348-7183; Adam Sohmer, Creamer Dickson Basford for Panasonic, tel 212-887 8031)
Creamer Dickson Basford for Panasonic, tel 212-887 8031)
7/19/93
Panasonic Notebook Upgraded To 486 CPU; Dual Batteries
Datasonics' Music Master Upgrade
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- Datasonics' Music Master software for IBM compatible PCs is now available in a professional version as well as the standard version for the amateur and education user. According to the company, it offers sequencing and notation functions in one package.
The standard package comes with a Midi Master 11 interface card with one Midi input and one Midi output port. The professional version has a Midi Master 42S card with four Midi output ports (giving up to 64 separate Midi channels), two Midi input ports, SMPTE/EBU timecode in and out ports (for synchronization with tape and other devices) and Metronome out signal. An on-board processor controls all timing functions during sequencing to minimize Midi data delays.
Suggested retail price in Australia is AUS$545 for both versions of software and AUS$250 and AUS$595 respectively for the hardware components. (AUS$3 is approximately equal to US$2).
Music Master is only a new product but, according to the developers it has already been considerably improved following feedback from early users. The latest version, 1.3, includes new manuscript editing and Midi output control. Music Master can automatically produce chord charts, analyzing note data and producing appropriate chords, with full jazz inflections where necessary.
(Paul Zucker/19930719/Contact: Datasonics on phone +61-47-59 1244 or fax +61-47-59 2778)
-47-59 1244 or fax +61-47-59 2778)
7/19/93
Datasonics' Music Master Upgrade
Sony's Minidisk -- The Japanese
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- Sony has developed a PC version of its Minidisk, first seen last year for the audio market-place. The disk, known as the MD Data format, is aimed at users of existing 3.5 and 5.25-inch floppy disks.
The audio Minidisk was launched last November and, since then, has been vying with the digital compact cassette (DCC) system unveiled by Matsushita and Philips. At the launch, Sony said it planned use the disks for computer data, but no one thought the disks would be ready so soon.
The MD Data disk is capable of handling an amazing 140 megabytes (MB) of data on a single disk -- equivalent to 2,000 PC screens of color data. Coupled with a data transmission speed for 150K per second, the disk is capable of reading and writing data faster than most PCs can cope with it.
The advantage of the MD Data format, according to Sony, is that the drives capable of reading and writing in the new format are remarkably similar to standard high density units. Sony claims that with a very slight modification to the standard drive at the manufacturing stage, it can read both standard and MD Data disk formats.
According to Sony, the MD Data disk can store data in three different formats: pre-mastered for electronic publishing recordable (full magneto-optical) and hybrid, which is part pre recorded and part magneto-optical. This latter format is for situations where some data has to be re-recorded, but where high density data recordings must be accessed on the drive.
Sony Japan also claims that the MD Data system also allows data to be exchanged between different operating systems. This is because each MD Data disk uses the same data format on the surface of the disk, regardless of what computing platform or operating system is used with the disk.
RESTON, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- A software company and an interactive television provider have teamed up to provide home financial services that will let you perform routine financial transactions while sitting in front of your television set. EON, the Reston, Virginia-based company that used to be known as TV Answer, says it has signed a non-exclusive agreement with Intuit to provide personal finance products and services for the EON platform.
Intuit is the Menlo Park, California-based company that publishes personal finance software Quicken. Intuit says more than five million copies of Quicken have been sold since it was launched a few years ago.
Both companies say they will develop products and services that will allow users to use their television sets to perform financial tasks such as organizing personal finances, reconciling and updating accounts, checking outstanding transactions, and reviewing the financial performance of selected accounts in the first phase of a multi-tiered program in which EON's system may be adapted to other Intuit products. Intuit says it may also incorporate EON into its marketing and service programs to offer consumers related supplies and services.
EON's Sally Olmsted told Newsbytes that the EON device resembles a VCR machine, and receives signals via radio waves as well as including the necessary computer functions. The user will utilize a handheld device that includes a roller ball and a "clicker" similar to a mouse button to make selections via "point-and-shoot." Olmsted said that the EON unit will be priced at just under $500. The Intuit service has not been priced yet, she told Newsbytes.
Olmsted added that the user interface screens will be familiar to existing Intuit users. "We're trying to keep it as similar as possible. That's in the works right now," she said.
Both companies note that the service will be available once the Federal Communications Commission determines which companies will get the right to install the necessary antennas. She compared the system to the cellular phone service antenna licensing process.
The agency is expected to start issuing licenses for interactive video and data services this summer. The licensing process for the technology is already underway for the New York, Los Angeles Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, Washington, Dallas and Houston markets.
EON is an interactive television service that turns the user's television set into a two-way communication tool. In addition performing financial tasks, users will also be able to play along with television sports and quiz shows, respond to news and interactive advertising, and participate in distance learning.
Users will also be able to order prepared foods for home delivery organize your TV programming for easy access, and buy products from interactive on-line catalogs.
WATERLOO, ONTARIO, CANADA, JUL 19 (NB) -- Dalsa, a Canadian firm that specializes in the development and manufacture of solid state image sensors and cameras, has announced a fast digital TDI line scan camera that has an effective data rate of 120 megabits (MB) per second.
The company claims that the camera employs time delay and integration technology which scans an image over multiple scan states, allowing it to capture high contrast images. That's of particular importance, Dalsa reckons, for use in applications with low ambient light, or in applications where images are moving at an extremely high speed.
Applications include high speed manufacturing and quality inspection, high speed document scanning and optical character reading (OCR), wafer and PC board inspection, and defect detection applications.
The new camera comes in two versions, one that can scan only in the forward direction, and one with bi-directional capabilities. Both versions support resolutions of 2,048 pixel elements. One model provides buffered raw analog video on eight parallel channels directly from the image sensor, while a second model provides eight bit digital video.
The company claims that the low light capability of the camera is particularly important in applications that cannot tolerate high light levels, such as light sensitive film and the inspection of food.
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- Representing a sort of microcosm of the computer industry as a whole, Apple Computer's software publishing Claris subsidiary, unlike its hardware manufacturing parent, has announced healthy revenues for its third fiscal quarter, which ended June 25, 1993.
The company reports that the results represent Claris' largest quarterly sales levels ever, and the third consecutive quarter in which Claris has achieved highest-ever revenues for the respective quarter.
Claris said that net revenues for the third quarter were $40.4 million, a 79 percent increase from the $22.6 million reported in the same quarter of the prior fiscal year. The company also reported strong pre-tax operating income.
Announcing the results, Apple President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Spindler, said: "The Claris business strategy is clearly on track and paying off with revenue growth at several times the applications software industry average. Claris is well-situated to continue healthy growth as a key part of Apple's multi-business strategy."
Claris President and Chief Executive Officer Daniel L. Eilers highlighted a number of reasons for the increased revenue: "The strong debut of ClarisWorks for Windows and ClarisWorks for Macintosh in Japan highlighted the quarter," he said.
"Sales of Macintosh and Windows products continue at strong levels throughout the world, with sales outside the United States accounting for 44 percent of total revenues in the third quarter," he added.
Bundling deals, popular among software publishers, will also play a major role in Claris' strategy, according to Eilers. "We also signed agreements with IBM and Toshiba for bundling arrangements of ClarisWorks for Windows, launching a new Claris Business in OEM (original equipment manufacturer) sales," he said.
Just last week Newsbytes reported that Apple had posted a huge loss for its third fiscal quarter, after taking a charge of $320.9 million, or $198.9 million after tax, for "restructuring and other cost reduction activities." As a result the company reported a net loss for the quarter of $188.3 million, or $1.63 per share. Even without the huge restructuring charge, Apple's profits would have been small.
Apple plans to focus its product development efforts on such areas as "multimedia, education, publishing, mobility, and graphics intensive solutions in its key markets."
Also reported by Newsbytes last week, Apple has also entered into a cost-cutting layoff program, cutting workers by the thousands. The company officially plans to "layoff approximately 2,500 full-time temporary and contract employees world-wide over the next 12 months consolidate some operations across divisions, and sharpen organizational focus."
Analysts contend that the company is even thinking about moving more of its operations out of Silicon Valley in an effort to cut costs.
(Ian Stokell/19930719/Press Contact: Steve Ruddock 408-987-7202, Claris)
s Contact: Steve Ruddock 408-987-7202, Claris)
7/19/93
3rd Quarter Revenues Up 79 Percent At Claris
BUSINESS
PenRight! Offered With NEC's Ver
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- The move towards pen-based mobile computing has been further highlighted with NEC's announcement that its VersaPad pen computer now supports PenRight!
According to NEC, its four-pound VersaPad is an 80486SL-based tablet pen computer designed for use in mobile data collection, order entry, sales, claims inspections, and medical record keeping applications. The company claims that VersaPad is now able to run more than 400 applications currently available for the PenRight! operating system.
The company also claims that some industry analysts estimate PenRight! has captured more than 80 percent of the pen-based market and in the last year, PenRight! sales have increased more than 200 percent.
PenRight! applications are used in such tasks as data collection inspections, route accounting, inventory control, shipping and receiving, sales force automation, and patient monitoring.
Announcing the support of PenRight!, Renee Bader, manager of strategic marketing for the portable computer systems division at NEC, said: "The largest opportunity for pen-based computing is in the vertical mission-specific applications. NEC plans to utilize PenRight!'s established community of developers that have shipped proven applications for the past three years."
NEC is licensing PenRight! for resale to users wanting to run software under the PenRight! environment.
Other products licensed to run applications developed with PenRight! are the Fujitsu PoqetPad, the Grid Convertible and PalmPAD, NCR's 3125/3130, the Norand Pen View, and Samsung's PenMaster.
PenRight! is a DOS-based graphical user interface and handwriting recognition system for uppercase and lowercase characters, pen gestures and international language support.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- The Campus Computer Resellers Alliance says that most major players in the computer industry will have a chance to meet with campus computer resellers next week when the Alliance holds its 1993 Campus Computer Resellers Conference at Seattle's Red Lion Seatac Hotel July 25 - 28, 1993.
The fourth annual conference is being held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Campus Computer Resellers Alliance, a special interest group within the National Association of College Stores. The CCRA was created top provide support to reselling operations whose primary purpose is to serve a college or university in the distribution of computer equipment and products.
CCRA says that the theme of this year's event is "The Reality of a Changing Marketplace." Nancy Hilliard, 1993 CCRA Council Chair and manager of the Vanderbilt University computer store in Nashville Tennessee, said that computer resellers have experienced a metamorphosis in the way they do business and in the business alliances they create.
"The professional that will be successful is the one who confronts these changes and uses all the resources available to create new opportunities," she said.
Concurrent education sessions, workshops, roundtables, and special events are planned to provide both resellers and vendors with the information and tools they need to work together. A number of hardware and software companies will also be present to present their programs and packages.
(Jim Mallory/19930719/Press contact: Jerry Buchs, CCRA 216-775-7777; For registration information: 800-622-7498 or fax 216-775-4769)
information: 800-622-7498 or fax 216-775-4769)
7/19/93
Campus Computer Resellers To Meet This Month
BUSINESS
Ethernet RISC Module For Enterpr
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- Fault-tolerant computing is becoming increasingly important for users of Ethernet networks. Now Advanced Computer Communications has announced the availability of a new Four-Port Ethernet RISC (reduced instruction set computing) Module for its ACCes/4500 Enterprise Hub.
According to the company, the module is designed to allow organizations to connect dozens of local Ethernet connections into a single enterprise hub. The new module provides users with increased local routing flexibility by supporting up to 40 Ethernet networks in a single 11-slot chassis. Additionally, the module is supported by a 320 Mbps high-speed backplane and a 10 Mbps backplane for fault-tolerant, high-speed connectivity.
Announcing the module, Kurt Bauer, ACC's director of marketing said: "With the new Four-Port Ethernet RISC Module, we have crafted a high-performance, fault-tolerant bridge/router solution to allow organizations to cost-effectively connect their local Ethernet networks to corporate information highways."
The new module allows for the support of all major internetworking protocols, including TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol), IPX (Internetwork Packet Exchange), DECnet, AppleTalk XNS, RIP, and OSPF. The module supports SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)-based network management.
"This module was created for large- to mid-sized organizations with mission-critical corporate networks composed of multiple local and remote networks," he said.
According to ACC, the ACCes/4500 Enterprise Hub is an integrated physical platform that houses up to 10 internetworking modules in combinations of Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interchange) and a variety of wide-area interfaces.
The Four-Port Ethernet RISC Module is listed at $8,550.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- Digiboard has introduced its first serial port products for the Sun SPARC computing environment.
The company has announced the SBus C/X and SBus EPC/x, two high performance cluster controller systems that allow users to add from 16 to 896 users to multi-user and networked systems via asynchronous serial ports. The company claims that the new controller systems offer higher speeds, greater CPU efficiency, more channels, longer distance capabilities and better diagnostic functions than existing serial products.
The company also claims that the two new systems are ideal for applications requiring multiple high speed modems or digital communication devices. Aggregate throughput for the EPC/X system supports 115 kilobits-per-second (Kbps) on 96 ports. Both systems can act as remote multiplexors allowing cluster groups to be configured remotely across telephone lines using standard analog modems, or via DSU/CSU equipment on a 56 Kbps leased line.
Joe Toste, Digiboard product manager, said that Digiboard developed the two units in recognition of Sun's growing share of the commercial workstation and server marketplace and its participation incorporate downsizing. "Many commercial transaction processing applications, such as customer service, bank trading, and inventory control, require large numbers of users on a single system," he said.
Digiboard's SBus system consists of a host adapter card that is installed in the Sun host computer, attached to one or more Digiboard C/CON-16 or EPCCON-16 concentrator boxes. Each box provides connections for up to 16 users via standard RS-232, DB25 or RJ45 connectors. The adapter card can support up to 14 EPC/CON-16s or eight C/CON-16s for a maximum of 224 ports per slot. Up to four SBus adapters can be installed in the host, allowing for a maximum of 896 users.
Using synchronous cabling, the C/CON-16 concentrators can be located as far as 4,000 feet from the host computer. With the Digiboard Fiber Link option, standard fiber optic cabling can be used to locate the first concentrator as far as 1.2 miles from the host. Using synchronous modems, workgroups can be tied to the server from anywhere in the world.
According to Digiboard, the SBus C/X is capable of sustaining data transmission rates of up to 38.4 kilobytes with as many as 64 concurrent users. Each serial channel has surge protection and each concentrator box has pass-through fault tolerance to protect other concentrators should one fail.
The SBus EPC/x is an enhanced performance cluster system that utilizes RISC (reduced instruction set computing) technology to achieve its speed and power. It can handle transmission rates of up to 115.2 Kbps for systems with up to 96 concurrent users, and Digiboard guarantees 38.4 Kbps with 896 users.
Both systems are scheduled to ship in August, and will be on display at the Interop Fall trade show August 25 through 27, 1993. The SBus c/x has a suggested retail price of $2,395, while the EPC/X sells for $2,895. Prices include the adapter card and one concentrator box.
BEAVERTON, OREGON, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- Timberline Software Corporation and Great Plains Software said this week they will team up to produce a link that will integrate Timberline's estimating software with the job cost module in Great Plains Accounting program.
Timerline says the link between its Precision Estimating software and the accounting package supports its goal of providing an open exchange of information between its product line and other software applications. "We want to break down the productivity barriers that now exist between Prevision and other software applications used by construction firms," says Curtis Peltz, vice president and manager of Timberline's estimating division.
Great Plains sales and marketing VP Dan Malmstrom calls the relationship between the two companies a win/win situation, saying the ability to link estimating with job costing will save time and eliminate duplication of effort.
Using the two software packages, contractors will be able to set up their own estimating database by selecting from a list of pre-built residential, commercial and specialty construction databases developed specifically for Great Plains Accounting, according to Timberline.
Other benefits include automatic linking to job costing of change orders entered in Precision, an optional import/export module, and optional support for digitizing.
Scheduled to ship in October, the Precision package and its Great Plains link will have a suggested retail price of $1,290. The Digitizer software will sell for $1,290, and the import/export module carries a $290 price tag. To use the combination you will need an IBM- compatible PC running DOS 3.0 or higher and equipped with a minimum of 640 kilobytes of system memory.
In addition to its own accounting software, which is available for both Apple Computer's Macintosh platform and PCs, Great Plains worked with Microsoft Corporation to develop Microsoft Profit, an integrated accounting and business management software package. The company also provides the customer support for that program.
(Jim Mallory/19930716/Press contact: Terry Kalil, Great Plains Software, 701-281-3130; Reader contact: Deb Carpenter-Beck Timberline, 503-526- 8166)
PUMA rating: 2.5 (on a scale of 1=lowest to 4=highest)
Reviewed for NEWSBYTES by: Naor Wallach
Summary: A historical trivia game. Somewhat limited and buggy.
=======
REVIEW
=======
Time Treks is a combination of Jeopardy, Trivial Pursuit and Concentration rolled into one that uses only history as its source of material. However, if you're looking for any kind of in-depth learning of historical information, Time Treks is not for you.
With a subject as wide and deep as history, I guess it's not really surprising that a single program cannot cover the whole arena. However, the program does make some rather broad claims about its teaching capabilities which are sadly not even approached.
In the game, one works to redeem some mistakes that an over-eager archaeologist made. Seems that in his haste to learn about previous civilizations he created a time machine. However, this time machine has the unfortunate tendency to leave open time doors which allow some unscrupulous characters to try and change history. Your task is to close the time doors. If you achieve your task, you are allowed to go after a more difficult villain. If you fail .... well ..... I'll let you find out.
When the program is running one is presented with a gameboard. On this board are 30 tiles with different designs. The idea is to control more tiles than the villain, then you win. To win a tile you must do one of the activities that is associated with that tile. Each tile has an icon inscribed on it that tells you what kind of riddle or challenge you need to solve to gain control of that tile. Most of the tiles only give control over themselves. Some types of tiles can give control over many tiles.
When you look at the half dozen or so different tile types, you might think that this game could really entertain or educate you. Unfortunately, it turns out that only two or three really different types of games exist. All the others are merely variations on the same themes. The most common type is a trivia game. It may be presented in various forms but the mechanics are the same. You find the correct answer to a question from among several presented. In all cases, each game or riddle is timed. You are allowed to use the program's extensive resources to search for an answer, but time does not stop while you do so. If you get the correct answer, you are rewarded with some musical tones and given that tile. Should you fail, a different tone is presented and the tile is given over to the villain. Unfortunately, the correct answer is not indicated so you have not really learned anything except that you were wrong.
The other type of game is an exploration type. Here you are given a hint about something and you need to find it within the timeframe allocated. If you get to the right screen, the game gives you a very broad hint as to where the item is. In some cases it even places an X over it and plasters a colorful rainbow in a corner of the screen.
The third type of game is somewhat of an adventure as you need to solve several riddles in a row to gain a whole bunch of tiles. This last has no knowledge component to it at all. You simply must remember what worked in the past and repeat it. When you get to a point where you earlier went wrong choose a different alternative. Given enough playing time you will solve the complete adventure.
The Macintosh version of the program is based on Hypercard. This makes a very large and very slow program. There are various technical defects which definitely distracted from my enjoyment of the game. For instance, the game shows the tiles in a single color. However, when you select a tile, it appears very briefly in full color mode before becoming monotone again. At one point in the program, the whole tile array is displayed in color which serves to remind you of how good the program could have looked.
In addition to the tiles, almost every screen piece that you see is also in some monochrome color. This is unfortunate since the artwork that went into the program is very nice. The lack of color makes sure that you will not want to spend too much time admiring the drawings. You are allowed a method of changing the colors. This is very limited though and I found little use in seeing things in a monotonic brown or red versus the monotonic blue that the program started in.
When you manage to take control over the majority of the tiles on the game board, you are given the option of moving up to the next level immediately, or of continuing with the current game board to get more points. If you choose the latter route you will need to turn all of the tiles before being allowed to move up. You cannot change your mind in midstream. When you do move up a level, the only difference in game play is that you are given less time to complete each riddle or challenge. Everything else (including the riddles) stays the same.
The MS-DOS version of the program shares all of the faults discussed above. In essence, the two programs are almost identical. They certainly run exactly the same. Any minute differences between them appear to be caused by the fact that Hypercard is not available on the PC so Earthquest's designers simulated many of its aspects.
While the graphics were interesting, many of the animations are failures. This happens as early as the opening screen. The first animation is of a space vessel of some type zooming across the screen and bringing to light the words "Time Treks." For some reason, the spaceship appears momentarily and then a whoosh sound is heard and the title text appears. This is very disjointed and appears very amateurish.
Another poorly implemented aspect of the game is the quitting routines. I could not believe it but whenever I wanted to quit, I had to press a Quit button in four or five different places before the program would let me out. Not only that but each time I pressed the Quit button, I would be sent to an area of the program that was totally unexpected.
The program's archives are a completely separate arena and can be explored independently of the game. I spent some time in there trying to learn different things that might help me. Here I was accosted with the exact same sets of problems that I discussed above in terms of feel and attractiveness. It got so bad that I just wanted to leave the area due to its look.
Another problem that I found with the actual material was that it is extremely shallow. Should you decide to really dig into one of the little factoids given by the program, you'll quickly find that there is nothing there. The problem with this is that I might not learn so much by knowing that Columbus discovered America in 1492.
Maybe I also would be interested in the origin of the continent's name?Perhaps the story of Columbus's travels might intrigue me? If that is the case, then I need to look elsewhere for the information. It will not be present in the program.
I was also confronted with another problem. Namely bugs. Many times in the period of this review, I tried answering a question or moving from point to point only to be presented with an error message from the program. The error was not my action since at other times it would execute just fine, but rather with the program itself not knowing what to do next. Pushing the "Continue" button enough times eventually cleared the problem. This is simply not acceptable in a program that you are asked to spend money for.
As a history buff I really wanted to like a program that promises as much as this one does. However, one disappointment after another leads me to the sad conclusion that I cannot in good heart recommend this game to anyone.
=============
PUMA RATINGS
=============
PERFORMANCE: 2 The program runs slowly and painfully. There are many areas that are not properly implemented which lead to consequent operational problems.
USEFULNESS: 2 If you know all your factoids, the game degenerates very quickly into repetitiveness. If you do not there is almost no way for you to learn.
MANUAL: 3 All the information that you need is there. However to go with the rest of the program, it is printed in a brownish reddish ink that is very unappealing.
AVAILABILITY: 3 From mail order houses and retail software stores. The company does not maintain a toll-free number for technical support which can become necessary.
(Naor Wallach/19930627)
ecome necessary.
(Naor Wallach/19930627)
7/16/93
Review of - Time Treks, Game For Macintosh
APPLE
REVIEW
#@#^#
Review of - All About Cows CD-RO
Runs on: MS-DOS-compatible; hard disk drive with at least 5.12MB RAM space available; CD-ROM player; MS-DOS CD-ROM extensions; MS DOS 2.11 or higher
From: Quanta Press Inc., 1313 Fifth Street SE, Suite 208C Minneapolis, MN 55414., 612-379-3956 voice or 612-623-4570 fax
Price: $30
PUMA Rating: 4 on a scale 1=lowest to 4=highest
Reviewed for Newsbytes by: Rick Bender, 07/16/93
Summary: All About Cows is an informative and entertaining CD-ROM for cow lovers everywhere or just those who want to find out more about the bovine world.
======
Review
======
If you are interested in cows, eat cheese, have a farm, or just like learning new things, this CD-ROM database will probably satisfy your curiosity. Cow breeds, behavior, history, myths famous cows, judging standards, a list of cow terms, even poetry literature, and song titles including cows, make up some of the documents included in All About Cows.
Ever wonder how milk is processed for market? The entire process is described here. Want to find out about different cow breeds? Look under "cow." You can search for any word related to cows or the dairy industry by simply typing the word and pressing Enter or you can do a narrowed, combined word search using operators such as "and," "or," or "andnot." For example, if you typed "cow" and "milk," you would get a list of articles with both those words; the process works similarly with "or" and "andnot."
In addition to full-text searching with the TextWare access software, you may mark entries, called "cards," and compile them in a sequential list for later reference. You can also save cards to an ASCII file or output them to a printer.
All About Cows is helpful for research because it contains lots of statistical data as well as factual data. In addition, the poetry and literature references can spice up a report or just be read for a laugh.
Very easy and fun to use, this CD-ROM database will be helpful to high school and college students who need to find out more about cows. It could also be useful for farmers, especially FFA (Future Farmers of America) members.
===========
PUMA Rating
===========
PERFORMANCE: 4 Fast and interesting enough for the average user.
USEFULNESS: 4 A good, though relatively small, database.
MANUAL: 4 Simple, brief, clear, and easy to follow.
AVAILABILITY: 4 Mail order direct from Quanta, Bureau of Electronic Publishing, or many other CD-ROM dealers.
(Rick Bender/19930611/Press Contact: Mark Foster, Quanta Press 612-379-3956 voice or 612-623-4570 fax)
379-3956 voice or 612-623-4570 fax)
7/16/93
Review of - All About Cows CD-ROM
REVIEW
Apple Posts Major Loss
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- Things have never been the same at Apple Computer since it tried to compete in the low-end personal computer market. Now the company has posted a huge loss for its third fiscal quarter which ended June 25,1993.
On the bright side, net revenues for the third quarter were $1.862 billion, a seven percent increase over the third quarter of the prior year. Macintosh computer unit shipments for the quarter were up 20 percent compared to the third quarter a year ago.
However, Apple also announced that it has taken a charge of $320.9 million, or $198.9 million after tax, for the previously announced "restructuring and other cost reduction activities" now underway. As a result the company reported a net loss for the quarter of $188.3 million, or $1.63 per share. Even without the huge restructuring charge, Apple's profits would have been small.
Needless to say, the company's stock has taken a battering. The results were announced after stock markets closed on Thursday. Even so, the San Jose Mercury News reports that, in after hours computer trading Thursday afternoon, Apple stock plummeted by $4 to $31.75 - under half the stock's $65 in January.
Apple claims that "continued gross margin pressures - a result of ongoing price wars in the personal computer industry, as well as a weaker than expected European economy - contributed to the disappointing results."
As a result, Apple plans to "compete more aggressively on price in its personal computer business, while dramatically reducing its cost structure to compensate for lower gross margins."
Having made the decision just a couple of years ago to compete aggressively in the low-end personal computer market, and therefore lose out on high profit margins it had with its upper-end Macintoshes, Apple really does not have much choice but to continue to cut prices in line with the IBM PC market.
Apple gambled years ago in its attempt to increase its market share with new low-end systems. However, the company was used to high profits from its high-end Macintoshes, favored by such niche markets as desktop publishing and general graphics-oriented applications. Profits for low-end machines were, even then small by comparison. The PC price wars of the past year or so have further devastated profits. A number of major IBM PC manufacturers have already filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and more are hovering on the edge.
According to Apple, it will now focus its product development efforts on such areas as "multimedia, education, publishing mobility, and ,"graphics-intensive solutions in key markets."
The company has also entered into a devastating layoff program cutting workers by the thousands. The company officially plans to "lay off approximately 2,500 full-time, temporary and contract employees worldwide over the next 12 months, consolidate some operations across divisions, and sharpen organizational focus. A broad re-engineering of the company, aimed at lowering costs has also begun."
In other words the company is thinking about moving more of its operations out of Silicon Valley in an effort to cut costs.
Michael H. Spindler, Apple's new president and chief executive officer, tried to put on a brave face, saying: "We're confident we can put our business back on a growth path by aggressively pursuing market share while offering innovative technology. At the same time, we must significantly - and permanently - lower our cost of doing business."
Spindler continued: "Early indications suggest that our most recent price reductions are accelerating our unit shipments. Development of new Macintosh desktop systems and new PowerBook notebook computers are on track. And prospects for our new and emerging businesses - personal digital assistants, servers, and software products - are promising to contribute to revenue and profits in the coming fiscal year. As a result, we see excellent opportunities for growth in Apple's future."
Analysts are skeptical of any short-term relief, however. And judging by the plummeting stock price, so are Wall Street and Apple's investors.
Apple has consolidated operations into five business units, with each business unit now holding "greater responsibility for profitability." The five business units are: the Personal Computer Division; the AppleSoft Division; the Apple Business Systems Division; the Personal Interactive Electronics Division; and Claris Corporation.
Things have been pretty turbulent all round for Apple this year already. John Sculley even stepped down as CEO in June to be replaced by former Chief Operating Officer (COO) Michael Spindler.
(Ian Stokell/19930716/Press Contact: Kate Paisley 408-974-5453, Apple Computer Inc.)
53, Apple Computer Inc.)
7/16/93
Apple Posts Major Loss
BUSINESS
Kaleida Appoints Mike Braun Pres
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- Kaleida Labs Inc., the joint venture company between Apple Computer and IBM, has announce the appointed of Michael A. Braun to the posts of president and chief executive officer by its board of directors. Braun is a 20-year IBM veteran and succeeds Nat Goldhaber effective July 31, 1993.
Newsbytes asked Diane Samples, spokesperson for Kaleida, if funding is likely to be affected by Apple's dismal earnings this quarter. Said Samples, "Not at all. The board has already gone through the process of reaffirming funding for Kaleida."
Both IBM and Apple remain committed to Kaleida, she told Newsbytes. "Apple and IBM both recognize that multimedia is the technology of the future" for the computer industry, she said.
Goldhaber has been named co-chairman of the board and Braun will serve as a director. Dr. Robert Carberry, president of IBM's Fireworks Partners, will continue as Kaleida's other co-chairman. The other board members are listed as Albert Eisenstat and David Nagel of Apple Computer, and Nobuo Mii of IBM.
Said Goldhaber, "I'm glad that Mike is joining our team at Kaleida. As an international leader in multimedia technology and business he possesses the skills and vision to carry the Kaleida message of cross-platform multimedia compatibility to the worlds of computer and consumer electronics."
Goldhaber maintains that he never intended to stay longer in the posts, saying, "I signed up to head Kaleida for one year because that was my goal for creating an independent company."
Goldhaber claims Kaleida's first year accomplishments include a hardware manufacturers' alliance designed to support the market development of Kaleida's ScriptX technology. Charter members include Apple, IBM, Toshiba, Mitsubishi, Hitachi, and Creative Technology Ltd.
In the past year, the company also formed a consortium with Scientific-Atlanta and Motorola, in which Kaleida will supply the software for a digital set-top terminal for use in the cable television industry.
Said Goldhaber, "Now, IBM and Apple have reaffirmed their support for Kaleida. The board firmly believes that Kaleida's customers and partners are best served by a privately held, strategic company committed to a non-proprietary cross-platform solution. My talents are best exploited by continuing to work with Kaleida as its co-chairman during the months ahead and as a developer of new venture opportunities outside Kaleida. I will explore opportunities with those technologies I sponsored at Kaleida that can be optimized in start-up environments. That is my specialty."
Braun served with IBM for 20 years in a number of posts including executive positions in marketing, sales, product development planning and channel management. As vice president of multimedia he guided IBM's multimedia strategies and investments across all lines of business worldwide. Most recently, he was vice president and managing partner of IBM's Fireworks Partners, a new IBM unit responsible for the formation of businesses that use multimedia technologies.
SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- As one of the major players in the Unix operating systems market, Santa Cruz Operation may be effected greatly if Microsoft's elusive Windows NT OS ever becomes successful. For now, however, the company has posted net income for the quarter ended June 30, of $1,937,000 or seven cents per share on revenues of $42,744,000.
The company says that average weighted outstanding shares for the quarter were 29,510,000. This compares to net income of $2,741,000 or 11 cents per share on revenues of $40,209,000 for the third quarter of 1992, during which average weighted outstanding shares were 25,906,000.
For the nine months ended June 30, 1993, revenues totalled $131,497,000, compared to the prior year nine month total of $115,901,000. Net income for the like period is $9,638,000 in 1993, compared to $5,358,000 in 1992.
In announcing the results, SCO President and Chief Executive Officer Lars Turndal said: "While we are pleased with the continuing customer acceptance of our products, we are somewhat disappointed with our overall sales results. Gross margins and expenses were carefully managed during the quarter."
"Current worldwide economic conditions," were blamed by the company for the results. Turndal also said that, "the quarter was negatively affected by the delay in signing of a number of contracts which are shipping in the fourth quarter."
It is difficult to predict how sales for the company will be affected by the introduction of WIndows NT. Microsoft has publicly "declared war on Unix," with the new NT OS, claiming that it is targeting the Unix market with its marketing efforts. If the Microsoft hype and some segments of the computer press are to be believed, you would think NT was already a best-seller, even though it is not really in general release yet.
However, analysts contend that it remains to be seen how many companies actually commit to such a new platform as NT, in the short term, for their important and critical information technology computing environments.
(Ian Stokell/19930716/Press Contact: Jeff Finn, 408-427-7671 The Santa Cruz Operation Inc.)
ta Cruz Operation Inc.)
7/16/93
SCO Posts 3Qtr Income
BUSINESS
Interactive Network Wins Case Ag
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- In a case involving Interactive Network Inc.'s interactive television patent, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California has ruled in favor of Interactive on a motion for summary judgement, filed against NTN Communications Inc.
According to Interactive, the court rejected NTN's principal claim that Interactive's interactive television patent was invalid because of fraud.
The court also found that NTN is "expressly barred" from arguing that its interactive football application, QB1, does not infringe the Interactive Network patent, because NTN conceded otherwise in a 1987 agreement settling prior litigation with Interactive Network.
The court's ruling reportedly leaves only Interactive Network's claims, including claims over the violation and interpretation of the 1987 settlement, in the suit, says Interactive. Also pending before the court is Interactive's motion to add to its claims a request for revocation of Interactive Network's technology license to NTN for QB1.
Speaking of the case, David Lockton, president and chief executive officer of Interactive Network, said: "When the fraud claim was filed, NTN knew full well that it had conceded this issue in a prior Settlement Agreement in 1987. Unlike NTN, which has instituted four separate lawsuits over the past six years, we moved for Summary Judgement to resolve the claims quickly. Interactive Network is very pleased that the court has upheld our position in this matter and we intend to vigorously pursue enforcement by seeking damages and other appropriate relief."
He commented too on Interactive's services, saying "Our proprietary technology and lead time have allowed us to successfully launch in Northern California and will take us to the Chicago market for the first phase of our national roll-out in the fall."
The ruling given by United States District Court Judge D. Lowell Jensen, who said that, "In light of the 1987 Settlement Agreement between the parties, there are no genuine issues of material fact in dispute regarding NTN's claims of patent unenforceability invalidity and non-infringement."
The court also held that NTN is "expressly barred" from contending the Interactive Network's patent is "invalid or unenforceable" by claiming NTN, rather than Lockton, was the true inventor, says Interactive. The judge also said that NTN conceded in the 1987 settlement that it had nothing to do with conceiving or developing Interactive Network's patented technology.
Interactive Network claims to be the only company offering an interactive simulcast television system to home subscribers. It says it has developed over 38 separate games, airing seven days a week and produces 120 televised and stand-alone events a day. Interactive Network is a subscription-based, patented entertainment service.
(Ian Stokell/19930716/Press Contact: David B. Lockton 415-903-4016, Interactive Network Inc.)
ton 415-903-4016, Interactive Network Inc.)
7/16/93
Interactive Network Wins Case Against NTN
TELECOM
3DO Lines Up Japanese Distributo
SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- The Japanese are being targeted by the 3DO Company as a potential market for its 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, expected to be available this fall. The company announced it has established 3DO Japan in Tokyo and appointed Japanese software publisher executive Aki Kodama to head the new subsidiary.
While the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer is expected to be introduced by Matsushita under the brand name Panasonic in the US this fall, plans are to introduce the 3DO units in Japan nine months later in 1994. The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer has been described as the next generation video cassette recorder (VCR), a compact disc (CD)-based unit equipped with a reduced instruction set computing (RISC)-based chip and the ability to display workstation-like graphics on a television set. Over 300 companies have signed up with 3DO for a license to develop titles for the new unit, and 50 of those are Japanese software developers.
Hardware licensees are fewer, but a new Japanese member, Sanyo has been added to Matsushita and American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T) as a licensed hardware developer.
As a company, 3DO has an unusual role. Started by Trip Hawkins the founder of computer game company Electronic Arts, 3DO neither develops hardware nor software. The company's role is in developing the technology which it then licenses to hardware and software developers and acts as a catalyst. From its introduction at the 1992 Winter Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas the company has garnered impressive backing from companies such as AT&T, Time Warner, MCA, Electronic Arts Matsushita, and Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Since its introduction, 3DO has also gone public.
The new head of the Japanese subsidiary, Kodama, was formerly executive director at Imagineer, a Japanese software publisher. Trip Hawkins said Kodama has a strong track record of success working in the Japanese consumer electronics industry and is key to 3DO's plans. "The new Japan office demonstrates our commitment to delivering on the promise to make 3DO a worldwide standard in interactive multimedia," Hawkins added.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930716/Press Contact: Diane Hunt, 3DO, tel 415-574-6786, fax 415-573-7417)
574-6786, fax 415-573-7417)
7/16/93
3DO Lines Up Japanese Distributor
BUSINESS
Cellular Phone Cancer Worries Wi
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- At a major press conference on Friday, representatives of the cellular phone industry said that there is no cancer risk associated with the use of hand held cellular radio telephones, but they could not cite a single study that specifically supports claims for the safety of hand-held cellular phones.
A law suit brought six months ago charged that a cellular phone had contributed to the death of an executive by promoting brain cancer and, ever since then, the industry has been trying to convince the public that their devices are perfectly safe.
At last week's press briefing the industry retracted its earlier contention that "thousands" of studies showed the safety of hand held cellular telephones, instead citing about 100 studies, but when asked which of those scientific studies were specifically concerned with the use of hand-held cellular telephones, cellular industry representatives were unable to point to a single study that explicitly looked at how these relatively new products are actually used.
Although still contending that there is no safety question, the industry has boosted safety-related research funding from less than $1 million per year to about $15- to $25-million. Louis Slesin editor of Microwave News, said on Monday's CNN Business Day program that the study group funded to evaluate the effects of cellular phone radio frequency emissions on users is overweighted with industry advisors and includes no impartial industry critics.
Unable to cite actual statistical studies of cellular phone users to prove safety, the industry instead had to be content with the statement that an extensive study of the literature had been unable to uncover any solid evidence that cellular phone radio waves actually caused pre-cancerous changes in the body's cells.
Dr. George Carlo, chairman of the Health & Environmental Science Group, studying health dangers of cellular phones on behalf of the Cellular Industry Association, said that no studies they have seen show any mechanism whereby cellular phone emissions could cause cancer.
This is a very different thing from proving that they are actually safe. What it actually means is that they don't know, and in point of fact, such a statement may mean little or nothing either way. It doesn't mean that the phones are safe, or that they aren't.
Concerns surrounding cellular phone safety center on possible damage to human cells caused by the relatively intense electromagnetic fields generated by the tiny antennas which hand-held phones place so close to the human head, not the general presence of radio frequency waves in the environment or even the fields generated by car phones which use external antennas and therefore cause a much weaker field at passenger's bodies.
The concerns about the phones' possible contribution to brain cancer or eye damage (a subject not addressed at all by the industry) are also unsupported by convincing scientific evidence, but that only means that no one actually knows whether or not they are safe and some users and potential users think that "better safe than sorry" is a good policy when it comes to any chance of getting cancer.
Actual statistical health studies of hand-held cellular phone users won't begin until next year at the earliest.
There is some statistical evidence that ham (amateur) radio operators, people who routinely expose themselves to intense radio frequency electromagnetic fields, are more prone to certain kinds of cancer.
The sort of portable telephones used by many home owners who plug a base station into their regular telephone lines and carry a wireless phone around the house or yard are not involved in the controversy both because of the much weaker signal strength and the different frequencies used.
(John McCormick/19930719)
frequencies used.
(John McCormick/19930719)
7/19/93
Cellular Phone Cancer Worries Will Not Go Away
TELECOM
Digital Cellular Standard Approv
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- San Diego, California based Qualcomm says that the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) has adopted its code division multiple access (CDMA) digital cellular technology as the basis for an interim standard known as IS-95.
Competition between different proposed digital cellular standards have blocked industry moves to improve present cellular service quality and expand new services.
The June 28 issue of Telephony said that the battle between supporters of the more advanced CDMA digital cellular technology and the older time division multiple access (TDMA), which has been accepted only by McCaw Cellular and SW Bell, was slowing acceptance of TDMA generally.
Nynex is testing TDMA in New York and a wireless CDMA system at its headquarters while BellSouth is currently testing E-TDMA (extended time division multiple access) from Hughes Network Systems.
Specifically, the Qualcomm CDMA-CAI or Digital Cellular Common Air Interface (CAI) Specification was used by the TIA's TR45.5 engineering subcommittee as the basis upon which it built the IS- 95 standard.
The adoption of a CDMA as an industry standard, three and a half years after it was demonstrated by Qualcomm, may allow both service suppliers and cellular phone manufacturers to move forward with development of the next generation of products and services, but this recent action does not block vendors and service providers from offering competing systems.
(John McCormick/19930719/Press Contact: Thomas Crawford, Qualcomm Inc., 619-597-5715)
omas Crawford, Qualcomm Inc., 619-597-5715)
7/19/93
Digital Cellular Standard Approved by TIA
TELECOM
Australian Database Helps In Che
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- A new networked database system to reduce the risk of chemical accidents has been unveiled in Australia. Emergency services in the state of New South Wales (NSW) have started using the system and it is expected that other states and overseas authorities will also purchase the package.
Known as SCID (Stored Chemical Information Services), the Aus$1M system was developed by the NSW WorkCover Authority. The fire brigade is already connected to the system and the Department of Planning and Environment Protection Authority are expected to connect soon.
The system runs on an 80486-based Compaq Prosignia server with Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disk (RAID) technology. Another server held by the fire brigade mirrors the entire system for further redundancy. The two systems are connected by an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) link. Ten Compaq DeskPro/M computers are used as workstations on a dedicated segment of the larger WorkCover Novell-based local and wide-area network.
Under Australian law, any organization keeping dangerous materials is required to have a license and this information has been used to build the initial database. Licensees are required to continually provide updated information and they can do this by written advice on diskette or via electronic mail.
The database not only keeps textual information but also site sketches and plans. When an emergency occurs and the SCID system flags that there are dangerous goods on or near the location, this is transmitted to the fire appliance on the way to the emergency. In the case of diagrams and maps, the information is faxed to the vehicle. The system keeps a full run-down on all chemicals that could be encountered, including toxicity, handling methods and first aid treatment.
The system will be progressively expanded to allow refinements. For instance, where random inspections of sites reveal work to be done this will be logged in the system and regular backup calls will be scheduled for the inspectors.
(Paul Zucker/19930719/Contact: John Sampson at WorkCover on phone 61-2-370 5693 or fax +61-2-370 5999)
ver on phone 61-2-370 5693 or fax +61-2-370 5999)
7/19/93
Australian Database Helps In Chemical Accidents
^ A`
AT&T Hikes Long Distance Charges
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- AT&T has released its new rate structure for long distance and it looks like business subscribers will be paying nearly four percent more for calls, while the average user will experience less than a one percent rise in costs.
Long distance rates for home, business, and Calling Card users vary, but AT&T states that the rates for most business services will increase by 3.9 percent. This includes 800-service (toll free) as well as domestic and international long-distance charges. Newsbytes notes that there will also be some changes to certain installation and recurring charges.
The company blames the increases on new equipment costs related to 800 number portability and inflation.
Some day and evening direct-dialed consumer domestic long distance call rates will increase by less than one percent while some evening rates will actually decrease.
Rates on direct-dialed non-business international calls from the United States to 56 countries would, under the newly announced rates, increase an average of 3.8 percent, while charges on calls back to the United States from 27 countries using AT&T USADirect Service will increase an average of 15 percent.
According to AT&T, base Calling Card and operated-assisted call rates will increase by an average of 3 percent.
The rate changes announced today are only proposed changes until the FCC approves or denies the new tariff schedule but are expected to take effect on August 1st.
(John McCormick/19930719/Press Contact: Mark Siegel, AT&T Consumer Services, 908-221-8413 or Mike Granieri, AT&T Business Communications Services, 908-221-7611)
ieri, AT&T Business Communications Services, 908-221-7611)
7/19/93
AT&T Hikes Long Distance Charges; Blames 800 Portability
TELECOM
Mercury Slashes Call Charges To
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- After a year of steady erosion of its pricing advantage over British Telecom (BT), Mercury has responded with a series of price cuts on international telephone calls on its 2200 and 2300 services, all of which are designed to encourage subscribers to use the service more.
While BT has concentrated on enhancing its frequent caller plans which involve the use of cover charges, Mercury has opted for straight price cuts. Most interestingly of all, Mercury has introduced a long call discount scheme for calls to the US.
From the beginning of August, any Mercury subscriber calling the US will find the cost of the call dropping by a hefty 25 percent for time spent after the first 15 minutes. According to Christine Holgate, Mercury's manager of consumer marketing, this means that for a 20 minute call to the US at off-peak times, the cost is UKP 6 69 -- a saving of 44.8 pence on the charges previously.
This 25 percent long call discount on US calls is being introduced on a trial basis, with the trial running until the end of October this year. If the scheme is a success, then Mercury will consider implementing it on several international routes.
The international call charge rates, meanwhile, have been cut by between 3.51 and 15.05 percent. Calls to many inland destinations notably mobile phones and specialist pager services, have also been reduced. Some charges, such as to Vodafone's messaging and operator services, have been increased, although Mercury claims it is still cheaper than BT for such calls.
Despite a recent shuffle in Mercury's tariff bands, to bring the company's rate chart into line with BT, Newsbytes notes it is becoming increasingly difficult to work out what savings, if any, a Mercury call has over BT.
The good news is that Mercury has abandoned its mandatory requirement for subscribers to its Frequent Calling Program (FCP) to have a variable amount direct debit (VADD) payment system linked to their bank account. VADDs allow the billing company to debit the customer's bank account automatically, once the bill has been sent out.
This change coincides with the August 1 price changes, Newsbytes notes, which also increase the FCP discounts on international calls. Where a standard call to the US costs 42.7 pence per minute during office hours, the same call on the FCP scheme costs 36.3 pence.
Subscribing to the FCP scheme costs an extra UKP 20 a year, billed quarterly, over and above the UKP 10 a year that Mercury charges for its standard subscription.
Mercury's 2200 and 2300 telephone charges are designed for users of BT's network. Like MCI and Sprint in the US, only long distance and international calls are routed through the Mercury network, with local calls continuing to b routed via the BT network.
Subscribers to Mercury 2200 and 2300 continue to use BT as their "local loop" service provider, and pay rental on their BT line as usual -- Mercury merely uses the BT line to allow its subscribers to access its network indirectly.
(Steve Gold/19930719/Press & Public Contact: Mercury Communications Tel: 0500-500-914 [toll free in UK] otherwise 071-528-2000)
[toll free in UK] otherwise 071-528-2000)
7/19/93
Mercury Slashes Call Charges To Meet BT
TELECOM
Digital Mobile Phones Come Under
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- Digital mobile phones specifically, the Groupe Speciale Mobile (GSM) variety, have come under fire from several quarters in recent months owing to the radio frequency (RF) interference they radiate. The problem has affected hearing aid users particularly badly, with many users reporting loud buzzing noises -- sometimes causing pain and discomfort -- when they are within a few meters of a GSM phone in use.
Now an international auditory conference, held in Sydney last week has confirmed what many in the mobile telecoms industry knew already, that GSM phones cause interference and, perhaps worse, it is not possible to stop this interference. Some sources had claimed that, with the latest hearing aids, all GSM interference could be removed.
The problem lies, Newsbytes notes, with the pulsed RF nature of GSM. Digital data is superimposed on a 900 megahertz (MHz) signal and pulsed to an from the nearest GSM base station. It is these pulses that cause the interference.
Such is the groundswell of public opinion in Australia about GSM fanned by frequent articles in the press -- that the organizers of the International Conference on Hearing Rehabilitation (ICHR) issued a statement outlining their findings.
"Hearing aid users standing within a few meters of someone using the new phones will be subject to a loud buzzing noise in their hearing aids," said the statement.
The statement is designed to reinforce the results of a report on GSM phone interference from the Australian Government. The report issued last Wednesday, found that GSM phones can cause interference with hearing aids as far away as 10 metres, although Newsbytes' basic research on the subject has discovered that problems only tend to occur within two to three metres.
The Australian Government report, which was conducted by the National Acoustics Laboratory, concluded that GSM phones, because of their more powerful nature than conventional analog phones, can start to cause interference as far away as 35 metres. Even the latest hearing aids, the report notes, are disabled by GSM phones operating within 1.5 metres of the hearing aid user.
During a visit to Cellnet last week, one of the UK's two cellular phone operators, and which is currently testing its GSM network for launch later this year, company officials confirmed the hearing aid problems. Officials claimed that the problem could be solved using the latest hearing aid technology.
Australian Government officials, backed by the National Acoustic Laboratory, remain ambivalent about this possible development. The root cause of the problem is the way in which hearing aids operate. Short of a radical change in the way that aids work, with attendant problems with compatible equipment, such as TVs and phones, the prospect of interference-free hearing aids looks very distant.
(Steve Gold/19930719)
very distant.
(Steve Gold/19930719)
7/19/93
Digital Mobile Phones Come Under Fire
TELECOM
Australian Computer Contractors
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- A number of information technology (IT) groups in the Asia-Pacific region are cooperating to provide a forum for computer contractors to advertise their skills. The Employment Network, the Computer Contractors Association and IBM Asia Pacific Developers Assistance Program have teamed up to create the Employment Network's Database.
Michael Verschgoor, the Employment Network's managing director, said that the growing move towards outsourcing of computer services meant that the service had been specially tailored to meet the growing needs of both contractors and organizations requiring their services.
"Until now the only avenues for contractors to advertise their skills an services has been through the traditional `bush-telegraph' referrals, professional networking and through contracting agencies," he said.
Verschgoor added that a large number of independent contractors waste much of their time finding suitable engagements, and new contractors have trouble getting started.
"On the other hand, the employers know what they want but not where to find it. That makes it difficult for them to plan major project. If they advertise then someone has to wade through the applicants for suitable people. Even then there is no guarantee they'll fit into the organization," he said.
The IBM Australian Programming Center was one of the first users of the new database. Manager Brian Assaee said: "We specified our requirement for a particular set of development skills to the Employment Network -- it only took a few minutes. Within two hours we had the details of the four contractors most suited to our needs from a shortlist of 27 people with the requisite skills."
Data stored on the system includes areas of specialization qualifications, skills, accreditations, experience and workstyle. It also shows the availability schedule, whether the person prefers to work individually or in groups, and the organization culture they prefer or work best in. The system costs AUS$30 a year for the contractor to be registered. A search costs $200 and $400 is levied for each person recruited as a result of a search.
(Paul Zucker and John Guthrie/19930719/Contact: The Employment Network on phone +61-2-262 5244 or fax +61-2-262 5357)
Network on phone +61-2-262 5244 or fax +61-2-262 5357)
7/19/93
Australian Computer Contractors Link Up In Australia
GENERAL
The Enabled Computer - ABLEDATA
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 19 (NB) -- The Trace Research and Development Center is about to release the sixth edition of the Co Net Hyper-ABLEDATA and DOS-ABLEDATA, an enabling technology database of tens of thousands of products. Newsbytes uses this database often as do many other specialists who work with disabled computer users but the latest release had been delayed so the Trace Center was able to greatly upgrade the disc's offerings.
The same CD-ROM (compact disc - read only memory) will contain Macintosh and MS-DOS versions of the access files with the DOS version specifically designed to be text-to-speech friendly for visually impaired users of the reference information.
ABLEDATA is an indexed database containing about 20,000 product listings (some of which are marked as discontinued) of specialty products which range from special software and hardware intended to accommodate various disabilities, to desks designed for wheelchair users.
The next release, which the center says will be available in August will include an expanded text library containing documents covering special funding, the full text of the new Rehabilitation Act, and many ADA legislation and technical assistance manuals.
A new cooperative service directory will include information about state and nation-wide disability-related services providers.
A specific price for the new version of ABLEDATA has not been announced, but the previous versions were sold as a two-issue subscription at a very low price and those subscribers who have already paid for and received issue number five will get the expanded Co-Net 6 as part of their subscription.
Co-Net is available from The Trace Research and Development Center S-151 Waisman Center, 1500 Highland Ave., University of Wisconsin Madison, WI 53706, 608-262-6966.
(John McCormick/19930719/Press Contact: Peter Borden, Trace Center, 608-262-6966)
Contact: Peter Borden, Trace Center, 608-262-6966)
7/19/93
The Enabled Computer - ABLEDATA CD-ROM Update Due
GENERAL
Animated Software Teaches Money,
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- If your kids are having trouble with their money counting, clock reading, or want to learn a foreign language, Nordic software says it has software that can help. The company has announced Coin Critters, a program designed to introduce children to US coins Clock Shop for learning to read and set analog and digital clocks, and Language Explorer for learning words in four languages.
Coin Critters starts with a bird's eye view of a woodgrain table with coins tossed onto the table accompanied by the jingling sound of change. The game is to get the "critter" through a maze of objects collecting coins and avoiding bombs and other perils. To play the game, children must correctly answer a set of problems. The beginning problems ask players to identify specific coins with their "heads" side up. At higher levels children are asked to choose the greater amount between two piles of coins, and in the advanced lesson kids will need to determine if they have enough money to purchase items.
Clock Shop has the characters "Old Father Time" and his "Helping Hands" to lead the players through eight lessons with multiple skill levels. In the beginning, children are asked to set a digital clock from an analog clock set in whole hour intervals. Later lessons ask the player to set the clock from words and phrases, such as "nine thirty-three" or "a quarter to eleven." The advanced lessons teach math skills by having the player determine what time it will be when an amount of time is added to the current time, such as what time it will be five hours and thirty-four minutes from now. Players earn time in the Clock Shop game for each lesson they complete.
Learning useful words in German, French, English, and Spanish is the focus of Language Explorer. Animated picture tiles and words are presented and the child must match the word to the correct picture. A compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) version of the product features the words spoken aloud by a native speaker. Nordic claims children ages seven to twelve are capable of learning twelve words in a foreign language per day and younger children can learn words in their own language. The program is not only for aspiring polyglots (persons who can read, write, and speak several languages) but can also be used as an English as a second language (ESL) tool, Nordic said.
All four products require at least a Macintosh Plus with System 6.0.7 or higher and one megabyte of random access memory (RAM). The CD-ROM version of Language Explorer requires a CD-ROM drive and retails for $77.95. The other three titles retail for $57.95.
Lincoln, Nebraska-based Nordic Software was founded in 1981 and describes itself as a developer of educational software. The company plans to demonstrate its latest titles at the Macworld show in August.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930715/Press Contact: Jim Wrenholt, Nordic Software, tel 402-488-5086, fax 402-488-2904)
rdic Software, tel 402-488-5086, fax 402-488-2904)
7/16/93
Animated Software Teaches Money, Time, Languages
APPLE
East-West Sending PCs To Sarajev
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- Alex Randall's East-West Foundation, which sent PCs to the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe before the Iron Curtain fell, now plans to aid Bosnia.
Randall, founder of the Boston Computer Exchange, a used computer market with affiliates around the nation, said the foundation will join with the National Endowment for Democracy in sending two donated, refurbished computers to Kemal Kursaphic, editor of the newspaper Oslobodjenje, or Liberation. The paper has lost its building to mortars and some of its staff to snipers, yet it continues to publish.
Randall, in a press statement, called Kurspahic "the last bastion of the free press in Bosnia. There is an urgent need for donations of recyclable computers to keep democratic principles alive in key sites around the world.
Kurspahic describes his paper as representing the "multi-ethnic multi-racial, multi-religious Bosnia" being systematically destroyed by Serbs and Croats, which have been accused of practicing genocide against the Bosnian Muslims, who are descendents of Turkish invaders who nearly seized Vienna in the 17th century.
While the paper's building has been partly destroyed, it has moved in a "nuclear bunker," designed to withstand A-bomb attack by the government of the former Yugoslavia.
Since its creation in 1990, East-West has donated over 5,000 computers. Its best-known donations before this were to Russia including the shipment of a laptop PC to then foreign minister Edvard Shevardnadze. Shevardnadze is now president of the republic of Georgia, which itself is fighting a civil war against separatists.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930715/Press Contact: Alex Randall, East West, 617-542-1234)
x Randall, East West, 617-542-1234)
7/15/93
East-West Sending PCs To Sarajevo
TRENDS
Smithsonian Starts Significant S
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- The Smithsonian Institution, which often refers to itself as "the nation's attic," has started The National Software Collection at the National Museum of American History. This collection will eventually include much of the Institute's vast mainframe and minicomputer software collection.
Microsoft Word will be the first program officially inducted into the collection.
Mr. Hampton Shaddock of The History Factory, told Newsbytes this morning that Microsoft Word would indeed be the very first software to be formally accepted in the Smithsonian's new collection but that other publishers' significant products are expected to follow quickly as the word spreads about the new collection.
According to Mr. Shaddock, Microsoft is not making any financial donation to the Smithsonian in conjunction with this new collection, but in addition to the software itself, the company is also donating archives containing materials relating to the creation and subsequent development of Microsoft Word.
The History Factory is a unique Washington-based communications firm consisting of a group of professional historians and communications specialists working for the competitive advantage of business.
(John McCormick/19930715/Press Contact: Lisa Matchette, Microsoft Corporation, 206-882-8080; or Hampton Shaddock, The History Factory, 202-387-3228)
Hampton Shaddock, The History Factory, 202-387-3228)
WASHINGTON, D.C, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- Open Source Solutions has announced that its second international symposium "National Security & National Competitiveness: Open Source Solutions," will be held November 2nd through 4th at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC.
According to Open Sources, "The symposium focuses on three themes of urgent interest to national security organizations as well as international enterprises concerned with their viability in an era of major change: what unclassified sources of multimedia (imagery and signals as well as print) data can be bought relatively inexpensively by government and private sector organizations; information handling tools which can convert information into intelligence; and opportunities for government and private sector contracts to increase organizational capabilities to collect, process, and exploit or disseminate unclassified data."
Robert David Stelle, president of Open Source Solutions, told Newsbytes, "Last year's conference was the first time that the intelligence community, the information industry and buyers of information and intelligence services were brought into the same room for open discussion. It is imperative that we move rapidly to change the way we have been gathering and using intelligence. The intelligence community has spent billions on building and maintaining a super highway between here and Moscow and running a Cadillac on it. The problem is that now we need 6 jeeps, 100 motorcycles and 1,000 bicycles; the Cadillac can't do off-road work."
Steele told Newsbytes that the symposium will attract speakers from all over the word. He said, "We have just received confirmation that three colonels from the KGB will be participating."
Among the speakers confirmed to date are Alvin Toffler, author; Mitch Kapor, Electronic Frontier Foundation; Vint Cerf, Internet Society; and Robert Gates' former director, Central Intelligence Agency. Tentatively scheduled as a luncheon speaker is Vice President Albert Gore.
(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/Press Contact: Robert Steele Open Sources Solutions, 703-536-1775 (voice); 703-536-1776 (fax); steller@well.sf.ca.us (e-mail)/19930715)
ller@well.sf.ca.us (e-mail)/19930715)
7/16/93
KGB, CIA To Share Intelligence Tips
GENERAL
Control Data Shipping Mail*Hub F
ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- Control Data Systems says it is now shipping Mail*Hub, a suite of electronic mail integration services and products for Sun SPARC systems running the Solaris operating system.
CDS says this is the first step in its strategy to provide customers with a choice of server platforms for the product. A Unix server version is expected to be announced later this year.
CDS says Mail*Hub is designed to integrate all of a company's existing e-mail systems and directories into a single system that incorporates all of the current standards in electronic mail and directory services, including X.400, SMTP, and X.500. The program also includes a set of gateways, add-on features and services which allow end users to use their own e-mail systems to communicate with people using other e-mail packages running on desktop, department and mainframe computers from a variety of vendors including local area network (LAN)-based personal computers and Unix systems.
CDS says gateways are provided for cc:Mail, Microsoft Mail, Lotus Notes, WordPerfect Office, and MHS Mail. Jim Payne, marketing manager for CDS network integration, says the company will also help customers evaluate their needs, select appropriate technologies then help test, configure, and monitor the system.
CDS says prices for Mail*Hub are based on the number of users in an organization and the type of services they need. A basic Mail*Hub "backbone," which includes X.400, SMTP, X.500, directory synchronization, and two PC gateways, starts at $18,000. Installation of an additional PC gateway starts at $2,000.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- The Japanese market is becoming increasingly important for many software publishers. Now Adobe Systems Japan has introduced version 3.5J of Adobe Type Manager. At the same time the company has also announced that its PostScript Level 2 technology is being used in Hewlett-Packard's new HP LaserJet 4ML printer.
Patricia J. Pane, spokesperson for the company, told Newsbytes that previous versions of the product had been "successful" in the Japanese market, and in the US where it is popular with Japanese-speaking users "working in an English environment."
Pane told Newsbytes that one of the main enhancements to the product is that it comes bundled with Adobe Type Composer 1.0 a new type application that, "allows users to mix-and-match Japanese language fonts and therefore create new styles," she said.
ATM 3.5J is claimed to be compatible with all PostScript and non-PostScript printers, virtually all Macintosh applications, with the more than 1,600 fonts in the Adobe Type Library, and with most Type 1 fonts from other vendors. The program also supports Adobe's multiple master fonts and Roman font substitution. The company says that this gives users the capability to perform font substitution when used in conjunction with Adobe's SuperATM software.
Adobe says that Adobe Type Composer allows users to manipulate type to: change the styles of Hiragana, Katakana Roman and punctuation characters; adjust the baseline of Roman characters relative to Japanese characters for optical centering; add Gaiji characters; download new fonts to any PostScript Japanese printer; and make other custom choices such as screen fonts sizes.
In announcing the new product, Masahiko Kozuka, Adobe Japan's director of Japanese typography, said: "Traditional Japanese typesetting systems allowed designers to make sophisticated style choices that have been difficult to achieve on the Macintosh. Adobe Type Manager 3.5J and Adobe Type Composer 1.0 software give even novice users the freedom of traditional typesetting right on the Macintosh desktop. The ability to customize fonts to specific company or design needs brings power and creativity to individuals using type on the desktop."
Adobe also plans to offer new companion font packages later in 1993, including the Heisei Mincho W3 Gaiji Pack and packages of Kana fonts designed for use with the ShinGothic family of Japanese fonts. The company says that Kana fonts from the LogoLine, LogoCut, LogoArl families are expected to be available in four weights each: light, medium, bold, and ultra. The Heisei Mincho W3 Gaiji fonts include JIS Level 3 Kanji and other characters and will allow users to add non-standard characters to any PostScript Japanese font.
Adobe Type Manager 3.5J retails for Y40,000 (approximately $400) and is available now through Adobe authorized distributors in Japan and the United States. Registered users of earlier versions of the Adobe Type Manager program can upgrade to version 3.5J with the Composer product for Y15,000 or to the ATM 3.5J software program only for Y5,000.
Minimum system requirements for the Adobe Type Manager 3.5J include a Macintosh with KanjiTalk 6.07 or later, including KanjiTalk 7.1; two megabytes (MB) or more of RAM (4MB for KanjiTalk 7); and a hard disk with about 9MB of space.
The company has also announced that Hewlett-Packard's new HP LaserJet 4ML printer incorporates Adobe's PostScript Level 2 software and related technologies. The HP LaserJet 4ML is a 300-dots-per-inch (dpi), four pages-per-minute (ppm) laser printer that, in addition to incorporating PostScript Level 2 software, also comes with the new PostScript Level 2 printer driver for the Macintosh platform plus enhanced HP PCL5.
The printer also includes Type 1 and TrueType rasterizers, both licensed from Adobe with the PostScript interpreter, and HP's new EconoMode and Intelligent On/Off features.
(Ian Stokell/19930715/Press Contact: Patricia J. Pane 415-962-3967, Adobe Systems Inc.)
415-962-3967, Adobe Systems Inc.)
7/16/93
Japanese Adobe Type Manager 3.5J
APPLE
Roundup - Stories Carried By Oth
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- Roundup is a brief look at some computer stories carried in other publications received here this past week.
UnixWorld for August carries an extensive profile of Novell's head, Ray Noorda, whom the magazine describes as "the second most important man in computing and the industry's most enigmatic figure." Contrasting him with Bill Gates, the article asks if a fellow who lives in a tract house can hope to compete with Microsoft in the Unix field.
July's Voice Processing Magazine has a good introductory article explaining just what interactive voice response can do for a business.
Federal Computer Week for July 12 compares prices for 486DX/33 systems on five federal contracts. The least expensive supplier is EDS on the DoD SMC contract and most expensive, with a smaller hard drive, is Lockheed on the Veterans Administration NOAVA contract.
Reseller Management for June advises consultants to take advantage of speaking at computer seminars to boost their credibility and access to markets but emphasizes that they should provide real, unbiased information, not tout their own products or services.
Computer Reseller News for the week of July 5 says that resellers are reporting disappointing sales of the new NetWare 4.0 operating system which they have been pushing since April. The front-page article blames NetWare 4.0's complexity, quoting a Novell spokesperson as saying that it takes time for users to evaluate major new releases.
(John McCormick/19930716/)
e major new releases.
(John McCormick/19930716/)
7/16/93
Roundup - Stories Carried By Other Media This Week
GENERAL
GTSI Counters ZDS 486 Desktop IV
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- Zenith Data Systems may have been the first out of the starting gate when it came to upgrading its offerings on the finally awarded Desktop IV contract. But when competitor Government Technology Services Inc. or GTSI, of Chantilly, Virginia, was finally able to unveil its 486 entries, it edged into the lead as far as Government Computer News's Cynthia Morgan is concerned.
In her July 5 review of the Desktop IV entrants, Ms. Morgan said that the GTSI CLIN 3AA provides a better network interface faster video, and a slightly lower price.
GTSI offers four basic PCs on the Desktop IV contract, ranging from the $1,327 Everex 20 megahertz (MHz) 386 with 2 megabytes (M) of memory and a 120 MB hard drive to a 33 MHz 486-based IBM system with 8 MB of memory, a 527 MB hard drive, local bus video and a 16-bit Ethernet card with 10Base-T priced at $6,335.
All four come with windows or Unix software and 14-inch Super VGA monitors.
Although the Desktop IV computers it sells will carry the GTSI label, IBM will actually make the three 486-based systems while Everex, which once hoped to be a major player in this contract will only be providing the very low-end 386-based PC.
Desktop IV is a major contract to supply the next generation of network workstations to Pentagon and other government buyers. In the course of the "fast track" contract negotiations Desktop IV was awarded several times and heavily protested, causing awards to be withdrawn.
After several years of negotiations, the contract is now finally in force and pent-up federal demand for high-performance PCs is expected to spark a mild surge of buying, mostly of the IBM-built 486-units.
One insider pointed out that the Everex model is unlikely to sell well, since Desktop III, which remained in effect during the Desktop IV contract bidding, offered similar machines and any manager wanting them wouldn't have waited for Desktop IV to take effect.
Buying pressure would be greater, but apparently a number of agencies just bought computers from the annual General Services Administration Schedule while watching Desktop IV's struggle to be born.
Suppliers on government contracts like Desktop IV are always free to lower prices at will but must have approval from the contracting agency, in this case the Air Force, to add new products the way GTSI has with its addition of IBM 486 machines.
(John McCormick/19930716/Press Contact: Bob Capose, GTSI, 703 631-3333 or fax 703-222-5210)
ose, GTSI, 703 631-3333 or fax 703-222-5210)
7/16/93
GTSI Counters ZDS 486 Desktop IV Offerings
Federal Users Rate PCs
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- In its latest Product Preference Survey, Government Computer News has reported in its July 8 issue that Hewlett-Packard and Gateway 2000 personal computers are most popular among the nearly 500 federal users who responded to the GCN mail survey.
In order of preference, Dell, Swan, Northgate, Zeos, Epson Apple, Compaq, and IBM PCs followed top rated HP and (tied) Gateway 2000 machines.
Northgate PCs rated highest for low maintenance costs, with IBM rating poorest in this category.
Dell came out on top for quality and speed of customer support while Hewlett-Packard PCs were rated tops for both reliability and quality.
Some users also cited Zeos systems both for quality and customer support.
Gateway 2000 scored far ahead of the others in price vs. performance, quality and speed of upgrades, and cost of support.
Details of the survey are given in the current issue of Government Computer News.
(John McCormick/19930716/)
ohn McCormick/19930716/)
7/16/93
Federal Users Rate PCs
Apple Australia Celebrates Half-
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- Apple Australia has distributed a promotional booklet to 2 million Australian households. "Apple Advantage" tells how buyers can "save up to $2000" on an Apple Computer.
The promotion is tied into the imminent sale of the 500,000th Apple Computer Macintosh. The lucky purchaser will have his/her money refunded. Also, buyers who register their new machines during the promotional period will go into a draw for a PowerBook computer.
Marketing Manager David Rigg said, "We're telling people about the Apple Advantage. It features a toll-free beginner's helpline where they get easy-to-understand advice when looking to buy their first computer. Those with DOS/Mac compatibility questions can call the compatibility helpline to find out how easy it is to connect a Mac to a DOS PC or LAN."
The book includes a ready-made financing plan so potential buyers can see just what their system of choice will cost to lease. It shows testimonials from four very different users, ranging from a family to small business. These are people who have "found improved productivity and lifestyle with the intelligent use of their Macs."
The promotion runs until August 31. Four of the products offered include: Performa 250 for AUS$2095, Stylewriter II for AUS$795 CD Drive 150 for $695, and PowerBook Duo 210 for AUS$2995 (AUS$3 is about US$2). These prices range from 20 to 45 percent discount on book price.
(Paul Zucker/19930716/Contact: Lee Hansen at Apple Australia on phone +61-2-452 8012 or fax +61-2-452 8160)
ralia on phone +61-2-452 8012 or fax +61-2-452 8160)
7/16/93
Apple Australia Celebrates Half-Millionth Mac Sale
APPLE
Apple Canada To Lay Off 21
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- In the wake of its parent company's announcement that it lost US$188.3 million in its third quarter and will lay off about 2,500 employees over the next 12 months, Apple Canada Inc., said it has given 21 employees their pink slips.
The 21 employees, who received their notice July 15, are scattered throughout the company and not concentrated in any one functional area, said Franca Miraglia, a spokeswoman for Apple Canada. They represent roughly 10 percent of the Canadian subsidiary's work force; the layoff leaves Apple Canada with 199 employees, Miraglia said.
The parent company said it took an accounting charge of US$320.9 million, or US$198.9 million after tax, for a previously announced restructuring and other cost-cutting measures now under way. This turned what would have been a quarterly profit into a loss.
In the third quarter, which ended June 25, Apple had revenues of US$1.862 billion, up seven percent over the same period last year.
Miraglia said Apple Canada made every effort to cut costs without cutting jobs, but was unable to avoid layoffs.
"The goal was to significantly and permanently reduce our expense structure," she said. The cuts do not change the nature of the work Apple Canada is doing, she added.
(Grant Buckler/19930716/Press Contact: Franca Miraglia, Apple Canada, 416-513-5511)
Apple Canada, 416-513-5511)
7/16/93
Apple Canada To Lay Off 21
APPLE
Comdex/Canada: Print Server, Net
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- Protec Microsystems Inc., a Montreal-based manufacturer, launched a new print server card and a network hub at the Comdex/Canada show here.
The four-port NetAdvantage PSC print server card is meant for Novell NetWare local-area networks (LANs) and installs in an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) or Expanded Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) expansion slot in any Intel-based personal computer with at least 256K bytes of memory. The PC can be linked to the network using any NetWare-compatible interface card, including Ethernet, Token Ring, or Arcnet cards, according to the vendor.
The server card uses RJ45 connectors (similar to the RJ11 jacks used for plugging in telephones) and twisted-pair cabling that converts to standard parallel connectors at the printer end company officials explained. It allows printers to be placed as far away as 600 feet.
The NetAdvantage PSC has a suggested retail price of US$795, and is due to ship by the beginning of August, the company said.
Protec also launched the Bytenet Hub, a peer-to-peer networking device designed to link as many as eight PCs. A software-only four-PC version is also available. The eight-PC version is a stand-alone box, about one foot by seven by three inches, with its own AC power supply. It uses twisted-pair cabling.
The list price for the eight-PC Bytenet Hub is C$345. The four-port software only version, which runs on any Intel-based PC with at least 256K bytes of memory, is $230.
Blanca Novoa, a company spokeswoman, said Protec sells its products in Canada, the United States, Europe, and Australia, and is likely to enter the Mexican market in the near future. She added that Protec also builds hardware for other vendors who sell it under their own brand names, among them the medical division of Hewlett-Packard Co.
Public Contact: Protec Microsystems, 800-363-8156)
7/16/93
Comdex/Canada: Print Server, Net Hub From Protec
Mohawk Data Sciences Changes Nam
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- Mohawk Data Sciences - Canada, Ltd., has changed its name to Recognition Canada Inc., a logical move since the company was acquired six years ago by Recognition International Inc., of Dallas.
MDS Canada was at one time the Canadian subsidiary of Mohawk Data Sciences Corp., a New York manufacturer of computer terminals and small computer systems. But in the spring of 1985, the Toronto firm's management bought it from the parent company and turned it into a Canadian-owned distributor and software developer. The purchase was part of a breakup of the parent by corporate raider Asher Edelman.
Then Recognition International, a maker of data entry and cheque processing systems, bought the company in 1987. The Canadian company began marketing Recognition's products along with others.
The company now provides networking, document processing, image and general systems integration services. It has about 140 employees, down from roughly 200 in the mid-1980s.
Michael D. Briand, Recognition Canada's vice-president and general manager, said the firm has come a long way from its original mission. It now works with a number of large corporate and government accounts, he said, with the largest being Canada's federal Department of Employment and Immigration.
(Grant Buckler/19930716/Press Contact: Peter Brugger, Recognition Canada, 416-475-6060)
, Recognition Canada, 416-475-6060)
7/16/93
Mohawk Data Sciences Changes Name
BUSINESS
TI's Record 2Q Revenues, Profit
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- Texas Instruments has announced its second quarter financial results, and unlike a number of other companies which are using words like "disappointing" to describe results, TI says its second quarter reached an all time high for net income and net revenues.
The company said net revenues for the quarter, which ended June 30 were $2.1 billion, a 13 percent increase from nearly $1.9 billion for the same period last year. Net income was reported at $112 million compared to $472 million last year. For the current quarter earnings per share were up 62 percent to $1.18 from last year's $0.73.
Profit from operations for the quarter was reported as $173 million compared to $128 million for the same period in 1992. TI says a substantially higher profit in semiconductors more than offset a loss in the information technology category. Defense electronics margins remained stable on lower revenues.
The company said second quarter results include an accrual of $20 million for employee profit-sharing plans, up from $7 million in the first quarter of '93. There was no accrual for profit sharing in 1992. Profit after tax return on assets was 7.4 percent, compared with 5.4 percent in the first quarter.
TI said its semiconductor orders reached all time highs in the second quarter, with orders reaching record levels in Japan, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Semiconductor revenues grew faster than the total market, and also reached record levels in the quarter, supported by increased shipments of bipolar products memory, and microprocessors. The company says it will increase capital spending in 1993 to 4700 million, up $50 million over previous projections, to support the demand for submicron CMOS semiconductors. In a letter to stockholders, TI Chairman, President and CEO Jerry Junkins said more than one-third of the company's bipolar logic and linear revenues come from differentiated CMOS and BiCMOS products.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- Editorial by Dana Blankenhorn. The appointment of Reed Hundt as FCC chairman brings anti-trust concerns to the fore in US telecommunications. The first challenge will be passing on the proposed merger of QVC and Home Shopping Network, the two largest cable shopping outfits.
At first glance, this looks like trouble. The two companies between them, totally dominate a $2.5 billion industry. Both stocks were up as the deal was done, so analysts expect big profits. But are they right?
In fact, home shopping is an easy business to get into. The only assets of the new combine are cable clearances, some broadcast licenses, studios, computer systems, and operators. Only the first two assets are anything special, and with increasing numbers of cable operators moving to increase the number of channels they offer, it's a short-term advantage at best.
Every major retailer, every phone company, and every credit card processor has the computers and operators needed to handle home shopping. Every city has lots of TV studios, and they're easy to build in any case. What Macy's and others who want to get into the business lack is the formula, which is not patented, and some way to differentiate themselves.
Home shopping today is very primitive. You can either look at pictures in a catalog, or buy on impulse from TV. IBM executive Lucie Fjeldstad showed one image of the future at the recent broadcasting show, systems which keep track of your size, which put you online with personal shoppers who know your tastes, and whose costs are built-into the price of the goods, costing consumers no more than today's choices. The race should now be on to create such a system. All I know is, it's far from being a reality yet. I've never bought anything off TV -- I find the offerings tacky and overpriced. When I'm ready to plunk down my credit card, regularly, on TV-fed offerings, and when you're ready to do the same, the technology will have arrived. Until then, don't worry about it.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930716)
out it.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930716)
7/16/93
Editorial - Home Shopping Net Mergers
EDITORIAL
TELECOM
Custom Exercise Video Program On
FRESNO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- You might want to clear some room in front of your computer as Computer Directions says it has introduced Fitness Partner, a program on compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) that acts as a personal exercise consultant. Fitness Partner not only helps you decide what exercises to do and for how long, it even creates a custom exercise videos complete with sound.
The program determines an exercise routine based on gender goals, age, and fitness level from over seventy-five full motion video exercises, the company said. Award-winning certified, workout trainer Roni Smaldino is featured on the CD ROM to demonstrate each exercise and offers coaching to be sure each exercise is performed properly.
Unlike fitness videos, the user is not faced with learning the exercises while trying to perform with the video because a special learning section is available. In addition, the program is designed with limited space in mind, so users aren't expected to have a lot of room in which to exercise.
While the actual video is half-screen size, the company claims the learn portion of the video, and the fact that it is customized so it isn't too strenuous, means users don't need a close-up view to follow the routine. Nine custom routines can be programmed for each of ten people, the company said. The routines can also be changed by the user to include different exercises or styles of music.
Fitness Partner tracks seven different measurements and goals for each participant and includes a measuring chart, a measuring tape, and a complete user guide with the CD-ROM. Those who send in $4.95 with their registration can get Covet Bailey's book "Fit or Fat" as well.
The program requires an IBM or compatible personal computer (PC) with a CD-ROM drive, a video graphics array (VGA) display a digital sound card, and Windows 3.1 or higher. The program can also be played on the Radio Shack VIS player, which connects to a television set and saves the custom information in cards which are inserted into the unit. Retail price of Fitness Partner is $69.95.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930715/Press Contact: Jeff White, Computer Directions, tel 209-435-5777, fax 209-435-3131; Public Contact 800-600-2348)
09-435-3131; Public Contact 800-600-2348)
7/15/93
Custom Exercise Video Program On CD-ROM
Storagetek 2Q Earnings Down, Ice
LOUISVILLE, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- Storage Technology Corporation (Storagetek) announced it earned $1.3 million in the second quarter of 1993. However, owners of Storagetek's common stock won't see a dividend.
Storagetek's David Reid explained to Newsbytes that's because of the way earnings are distributed. "We did earn $1.3 million but if you take away what we need to pay for the preferred stock dividends - $3 million - we have a loss per share for common shares of $0.04." Reid said preferred shareholders will receive $0.875 per share.
Storagetek Chairman and CEO Ryal Poppa said the company's European business is still affected by generally weak economies and the effects of a strengthening dollar, while US business is better. "Our US enterprise-level business continues on a positive trend but increasing competition is challenging our midrange business," according to Poppa. He said the midrange business will need to be refocused to meet competitive demands.
Poppa also said the company does not expect results to get better until the fourth quarter. "The development and market challenges of 1993 are not yet behind us," he said.
Late last month the company announced that the US Securities and Exchange Commission had launched an investigation into its announcements last year about its "Iceberg" product, a disk array system that stores data redundantly on multiple disks in order to protect against data loss. Iceberg is designed for large computer systems. The company has experienced several delays in shipping, but says Iceberg should ship before the end of the year.
Reid today denied a United Press International report that Iceberg is again being delayed. He told Newsbytes the system has been installed in Storagetek's data center and user testing will begin before the end of July. Poppa said the company expects to begin production before year end, but won't realize any revenue from Iceberg until 1994. He said some additional functions remain to be integrated and significant testing still has to be done. Says Poppa "We continue to expect that in the fourth quarter our results will begin to improve as revenues associated with our 1993 product introductions begin to complement our existing product portfolio."
Reid told Newsbytes the company has had orders for Iceberg since it was first announced and currently has an order backlog of nearly 200. He declined to say who would receive the first Iceberg system.
Storagetek also announced that is has acquired Sceptre Corporation, a supplier of software to manage cartridge-tape information storage in open systems computing environments. Sceptre based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is privately held. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Storagetek VP Don Patterson said the company plans to add resources at Sceptre and maintain it as a separate business.
Storagetek has announced alliances with several companies in the past months, including Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation, Epoch Systems Inc., and Network Systems Corporation. In February the company announced NearNet, a product for the network storage management market, and LibraryStation, a software product that enables the MVS operating system, NearNet, and other clients to share a Storagetek Nearline library.
In addition to Iceberg, Storagetek has several other storage products in the works, including Silverton, a 36-track tape development which is in beta testing and scheduled to ship at the end of the third quarter. WolfCreek, a smaller library, is in beta testing presently. PowderHorn, a second generation robotic tape library, began shipping in May. Ocean, a moderate-priced half-inch tape library for the midrange market, is also currently in beta testing at multiple sites.
(Jim Mallory/19930715/Press contact: David Reid, Storagetek 303-673-4815)
0715/Press contact: David Reid, Storagetek 303-673-4815)
7/15/93
Storagetek 2Q Earnings Down, Iceberg Ready For Testing
BUSINESS
Media Vision 2Q Revenues Up 250%
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- Media Vision developer of multimedia products, is reporting its second quarter revenue jumped from the $12.6 million reported last year to $45.1 million -- an increase of 250 percent. The company is crediting increased interest in multimedia for its growth.
Net income for the quarter rose to approximately $3.4 million (24 cents/share), compared with a net loss of $1.1 million in the second quarter of 1992.
The company has experienced phenomenal growth. In April Media Vision announced revenues of $37 million for its first quarter, up 450 percent over its $6.6 million in revenues for the year prior. Analysts expected Media Vision to hold even in its second quarter due to traditional seasonal slowness in the retail market, but the company surprised everyone by making significant gains during the period.
Paul Jain, Media Vision's president and chief executive said: "Our sales, over analysts' expectations, have resulted from a number of key market trends. The retail market for PC multimedia is robust. Moreover, our OEM (original equipment manufacturing) business is building more quickly than we had originally expected." Media Vision is a supplier to IBM Compaq, NEC, Sony, DEC, and Philips.
Despite its growth, the company is worried about stagnation. Media Vision's Allen Thygensen, senior director and general manager of multimedia publishing, told Newsbytes Media Vision does not want to go the way of other peripheral companies which either died or stopped growing, so it is moving into providing content for use with its hardware.
Stan Cornyn, founder and president of Warner New Media (now Time Warner Interactive), and Min Yee, formerly vice president of Microsoft's multimedia division and publisher of Microsoft Press, joined Media Vision in April to head a new multimedia publishing arm of the company. The new division announced an alliance with Hyperbole Studios Hyperbole for development of new interactive movie titles, and Virtualcinema, a software engine for development of interactive, three-dimensional films.
The company has not stopped making advances in its peripheral hardware line, however. Media Vision completed its acquisition of Pellucid, a graphics hardware company formed by a group of engineers out of Silicon Graphics Incorporated (SGI). As a result the company launched its new Pro Graphics line of graphics accelerator boards which offer workstation graphics for the IBM compatible personal computer (PC).
Media Vision also estimates that it holds about 85 percent of the total 16-bit sound board market with its Pro Audio Spectrum line of sound boards. The company asserts it was the first to offer a multimedia upgrade kit to meet the Multimedia Personal Computer (MPC) Level 2 standard and the first to offer an add in video board to offer real time compression of video images for under $450. Real-time or "on-the-fly" compression is more economical for users as it means the system doesn't increased capacity to store uncompressed video prior to the compression step.
The company is also boasting it is expanding its presence in Europe and is implementing of a series of merchandising and promotional programs for the retail, mass merchant, and reseller channels.
Media Vision is headquartered in Fremont, California and reported revenues of $68.9 million in 1992.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930715/Press Contact: Media Vision, Steven Allan, tel 510-770-8600; Abigail Johnson, Roeder- Johnson, tel 415-802-1851, fax 415-593-5515; Public Contact 800-845-5870)
5515; Public Contact 800-845-5870)
7/15/93
Media Vision 2Q Revenues Up 250%
BUSINESS
QuarkXprress 3.2 For Macintosh
DENVER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- Quark announced this week it has joined forces with Electronics for Imaging Inc., to produce QuarkXpress 3.2, a color management system for page layout on Apple Computer's Macintosh platform.
Quark says version 3.2 provides full compatibility with the Windows version of the program, allowing documents created in either version to be exchanged. QuarkXPress 3.2 for Windows is scheduled to ship within the next 90 days.
EfiColor is a new feature that uses device-specific color profiles to assure consistent color matching across a wide array of display and output devices, including offset presses, according to the company. Users can also now separate imported continuous-tone color images from within QuarkXPress using the EfiColor Management System.
Each EfiColor profile contains a characterization of a device's color space, the values the device uses to display print color. It also includes information about the capabilities and limitations of each device. The company says the system notifies a user when a color cannot be accurately displayed or printed by that device. If the user does not change the color, EfiColor automatically will choose the closest color match.
Version 3.2 also ships with a set of core profiles for various monitors, scanners, printers, and offset presses. Additional profiles are available from EFI and resellers of its software. David Blatner, co-author of The QuarkXPress Book, published by Peachpit Press, says users of the new software can take advantage of Color You See Is Color You Get (CYSICYG, pronounced KISSYKIG) an adaptation of the term WYSIWYG, or What You See Is What You Get a reference to software that produces an on-screen image identical in appearance and formatting to what will print.
The EfiColor Xtension supports Metric Color Tags, enabling the program to read color information in TIFF-format files.
The new version also incorporates a number of user requested features, says the company. Those include what Quark calls "a never ending request" for greater performance. To automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks support for Apple Events has been added. Using UserLand Frontier or AppleScript software, the user can automate tasks such as specifying print setting, importing information from a database, and performing mail-merges. A runtime version of UserLand Frontier is bundled with QuarkXPress 3.2.
The program also has a Collect for Output feature, which automatically gathers into a single folder all files needed to print a particular document. Quark says that should eliminate any problem of missing files or miscommunicated instructions between users and service bureaus. An Auto Backup feature saves multiple revisions of a document at user-specified intervals, a feature any user who has ever lost hours of work when the system crashed, will appreciate. Quark says when the number of revisions reaches a specified limit, the oldest version is automatically eliminated.
The company says registered users of QuarkXPress will receive instructions on how to upgrade. If you now use version 3.1, the upgrade will cost $150. For 3.0 users, the upgrade has a $295 price tag.
(Jim Mallory/19930715/Press contact: Peter Warren, Quark Inc, 303-894-3452 or Rochelle Schiffman, EFI, 415-286 8508)
le Schiffman, EFI, 415-286 8508)
7/15/93
QuarkXprress 3.2 For Macintosh
APPLE
UK - Energis Looks For US Partne
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- Energis, the telecom operation of National Grid, the UK power company, has revealed it is actively courting a US partner to enable it to compete with BT and Mercury in the telecom market in the UK.
Announcing the search, David Dey, the chief executive of Energis said that he is looking closely at a number of US operators with a view to working with them. "We are looking to North American operators where there is a very competitive market and delivery of very advanced systems," he said.
Dey, speaking at a press conference in London earlier this week said that any deal may involve the US partner taking a stake in the telecom operation. He added that the company is planning to double its cash spending to UKP 200 million next year.
Because of its existing national network of power lines, Energis claims that it can offer its telecom service at rates much lower than those of BT and Mercury. The company has been talking about calling rates of between 10 and 15 percent less than those of its main rivals, BT and Mercury.
Because of this pricing strategy, it could take up to three years before the Energis operation makes any money, according to John Uttley, the company's financial director. "Start-up costs mean Energis would likely lose money for about three years before moving into the black. It inevitably won't make a profit right away," he said in an interview.
(Steve Gold/19930715)
nterview.
(Steve Gold/19930715)
7/15/93
UK - Energis Looks For US Partner
TELECOM
Open Sesame! Intelligent Agent F
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- "Commander I notice you often open `Schedule' after opening `Project Budget.' Would you like me to automate this task?" read a slide projected onto a lecture room wall in MIT's Building E-51 last night.
There, at the Boston Computer Society's Main Macintosh Meeting Charles River Analytics Inc., introduced a new software package billed as "the first learning agent for the Macintosh," that will be unveiled to the public next month at MacWorld Boston.
"The user doesn't have to adapt to the software. Instead, the software adapts to the user," stated Dr. Alper K. Caglayan president of the small, Cambridge-based software house, in showing off the new agent, dubbed "Open Sesame!"
Slated to ship shortly after MacWorld at a price of $129, the Mac-based agent observes user actions in the background, learns time- and event-based patterns, and will automate these patterns with approval from the user, according to Caglayan.
"Open Sesame! is the first software agent that can learn from the user to figure out what to do for the user," he explained. The agent gets `smarter' about the user's computing behavior as time goes by, he added.
"Open Sesame" is based on neural network/expert system technology and uses "if/then" knowledge-based rules. The agent incorporates a System 7 knowledge base. To maintain the traditional Macintosh experience for the user, the software uses Apple Events in the Finder suite.
A wide variety of repetitive tasks can be automated, including desktop management, emptying the Trash, automatic backup, mail management, and database queries.
After noticing a particular pattern of behavior -- such as a tendency to open "Schedule" after opening "Project Budget" in Excel, for instance -- Open Sesame! informs the user of this observation.
The agent then inquires as to whether the user would like the task to be automated in the future. The user designates approval by clicking on "okay."
The user can also give the agent instructions on how and when to automate a task, telling it to empty the Trash ten minutes or two hours after a file is dropped, for example, or to rebuild the desktop each Wednesday at 4:00 p.m.
As the agent becomes more familiar with the user's activities, its guesses come more quickly, said Caglayan. But Open Sesame! is also designed to be nonintrusive, he emphasized. If the user doesn't want to communicate with the agent while working within applications, the software will keep a background log.
The log allows the agent's observations to be accessed, sorted organized, and dealt with on an individual basis at the user's convenience.
Open Sesame! also contains a password feature. Caglayan told the BCS members that this capability was added during the development phase, after a secretary at Charles River Analytics took note of one of the agent's observations. "The agent had observed that (the technical staff) was accessing Tetris every day at 4:45 p.m.," he reported.
Users can also designate the names they wish the agent to use in addressing them. During the demonstration, for example, Caglayan told the agent to stop calling him "Commander" and start calling him "Oh Great One."
Open Sesame! supports AppleScript, and the functionality of the agent will increase as more applications start to incorporate the System 7 scripting capability, Caglayan told the audience.
Right now, the agent works with front windows only, but support for multiple windows is likely to arrive in a future edition, he said.
During the demo, the agent "spoke" its observations to Caglayan and the audience. Afterward, Robin L. Jones, marketing director for Charles River Analytics, told Newsbytes that the vocal effects had been achieved by means of a microphone.
She added, however, that interactive voice response might become possible later, hinging on Apple's development of Casper and Galloway, a pair of prospective intelligent speech capabilities.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930715/Reader and press contact: Robin L. Jones, Charles River Analytics Inc., tel 617-491-3474)
Jones, Charles River Analytics Inc., tel 617-491-3474)
7/15/93
Open Sesame! Intelligent Agent For Mac Makes Debut
APPLE
SCO Chair Dies
SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- Difficult circumstances have hit the Santa Cruz Operation (SCO), known for its Unix operating system software. In December, Larry Michels, president and chief executive officer, resigned in December in the midst of sexual harassment charges and now company chairman James Harris died last week.
Harris, age 49, succumbed to chronic illness at his home in Hastings, New Hampshire last Saturday. Mr. Harris is survived by his sister, Audrey Harris, father Fred Harris and mother Etta Harris. SCO company officials were unavailable to comment as to the exact nature of Harris' illness.
Current president and chief executive officer, Lars Turndal said about Harris: "He believed in people, their inherent goodness, desire to succeed, and collective strength. We will all miss him and his support in bringing SCO forward."
SCO was privately held since it was founded in 1979 until its initial public offering (IPO) held in May of this year. Its annual revenues are in excess of $160 million.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930715/Press Contact: Zee Zaballos, Santa Cruz Operation, tel 408-427-7156, fax 408-427-5448)
ax 408-427-5448)
7/15/93
SCO Chair Dies
Industry Carnage Not Over, McNea
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- Consolidation in the computer industry is far from over, Sun Microsystems President Scott McNealy said in a keynote speech at COMDEX/Canada.
"There are still two to three times too many people in the computer industry," McNealy told a large crowd in the keynote speech for the LAN Expo segment of Canada's first COMDEX show. He predicted further cuts in large computer companies, and the demise of a good number of hardware architectures and operating systems.
McNealy said three hardware architectures and three operating systems will survive. He added three object models, the bases of an object-oriented computing world of the future. Not surprisingly all three lists of three included a Sun product.
McNealy backed Intel's Pentium, the PowerPC architecture backed by IBM, Apple, and Motorola, and Sun's own SPARC in the hardware race. He picked Microsoft's Windows NT, IBM's OS/2, and Sun's Solaris to win in operating systems. And he favored the efforts of the IBM-Apple Taligent joint venture, those of Microsoft, and the Object Management Group's standard (which Sun has implemented as Distributed Objects Everywhere, or DOE) as surviving object models.
He didn't concede survival to even those few rivals without a few biting comments along the way. For instance: "Can you think of a reason not to do NT. Maybe that it's not available, but don't worry about that." Or, giving OS/2 equal time: "They (IBM) really want to prove to Microsoft that they can take a piece of junk and actually make it successful."
In fact, McNealy's speech was the sort of collection of acerbic one-liners for which he has become known in the industry. But behind the wit was a message that, while not new, was somber: hard times in the computer industry are not nearly over.
In a later interview, McNealy pointed out that his company has revenue of between $300,000 and $350,000 per employee. He then asked how many employees IBM, for example, should have to meet the same benchmark. The answer is less than 200,000: IBM last year reported revenues of $64.42 billion.
Tying in to the theme of bad news for the established giants of the computer industry, McNealy talked of a trend which he likes to call "peer computing" and away from the host-based model (which he refers to as "master-slave" computing).
He recounted the story of how Sun two years ago had its only losing quarter so far as a result of mainframe problems, and said he decreed "read my lips -- no more mainframes" after that incident.
As a result, he said, Sun is now a leader in moving to distributed computing, one to two years away from putting all its corporate computing on its own "pizza box" processors.
While quick to point out others' problems, McNealy was more low-key about Sun's own. He acknowledged the company had problems last year in delivering a superscalar version of its SPARC architecture. It was "harder than we thought," he said, adding that it is harder than other manufacturers thought too and they either are having or will have similar problems.
And in response to questions about rivals Digital Equipment and Hewlett-Packard, whose single-processor performance in floating-point computing he admitted is "a little" better than Sun's, McNealy said more attention should be paid to the over-all performance of multi-processor systems rather than that of individual chips.
He did not miss the chance to fire a few shots at Microsoft, which he occasionally refers to as "the evil empire." McNealy said he is now lobbying the United States government to put in place a policy of not buying any system that does not have an open interface that multiple vendors can implement.
(Grant Buckler/19930715)
iple vendors can implement.
(Grant Buckler/19930715)
7/15/93
Industry Carnage Not Over, McNealy Tells COMDEX/Canada
TRENDS
SynOptics Posts Record Revenue F
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- As a further indication that the networking industry is the place to be for high profits, another major vendor has posted record revenue. SynOptics Communications Inc., has reported revenue of $180,117,000 for the second fiscal quarter ended July 2, 1993.
The figure represents an increase of 18 percent over the prior quarter and 120 percent over the year-earlier quarter. Net income was $24,549,000, or 35 cents per share, based on shares outstanding restated to reflect a three-for-one stock split.
The earnings represent a 12 percent increase over the previous quarter and 248 percent over the like quarter in 1992. For the second fiscal quarter of 1992, revenue was $81,847,000 and net income was $7,043,000, or 12 cents per share, calculated on a post-split basis.
The company says that the strong financial results were led by increased shipments of Token Ring modular and non-modular network hub products.
Hubs are increasingly important to companies migrating from host-based environments to distributed, client/server networking. Downsizing to server-based networks is one of the biggest trends in the industry today.
The company also says that, during the quarter, it made "substantial progress in bringing down the long-lead times it had been experiencing on some of its products."
In announcing the results, Andrew K. Ludwick, SynOptics' president and chief executive officer, said: "As more and more companies view networks as critical elements of their business, we are seeing the market dynamics change. We believe that companies increasingly prefer strong, long-term vendors, such as SynOptics that can offer a full range of solutions which include high-level management capabilities and data switching alternatives."
During the second quarter, SynOptics introduced a new technology advancement called SuperAgent, as reported by Newsbytes. The company also announced that it would Optivity network management system to the IBM NetView/6000 management platform.
In June Newsbytes reported on the SuperAgent announcement. At the time SynOptics claimed that the new technology delivers a "richer level of information to management applications about network behavior and attributes."
The company also said that SuperAgent software uses open standards and is distributed throughout the enterprise acting as middlemen for information that feeds to management applications. They perform specific functions such as correlating faults, collecting inventory information and mapping topology.
In July Newsbytes reported that the Synoptics User Group in the US has announced the formation of a UK section.
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- Platinum Software Corp., has acquired FRx Software Corp., the author of the FRx financial reporting software.
Kevin McGuirk, spokesman for Platinum Software, told Newsbytes that, "FRx has really got the very best financial reporting technology that's out there right now. They are way ahead of the competition. We've been working very closely with them for a long time, and the acquisition allows us to work even closer with them. We'll be bringing out some new products related to our financial software that we carry."
According to the companies, included with the acquisition were all rights to the current FRx software applications, as well as rights to as-yet-unreleased Windows-based, client/server versions of FRx.
While terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, Gerald Blackie president and CEO of Platinum Software, did say: "We have been working closely with Michael Rohan and FRx Software for over three years, and we are extremely excited to have acquired ownership of the very best financial reporting technology that exists today."
McGuirk told Newsbytes that, "We have two major lines of financial applications - the Platinum accounting software and SeQueL to Platinum, which is based on Sybase SQL Server and with Windows. We already have had in place, for about three years, a version of FRx that talks to the Platinum Landbased line, and we will be releasing a Windows-based client-server version that talks to the SeQueL Platinum line. This acquisition really solidifies the relationship."
The new version integrates with the company's Platinum line of local area network (LAN)-based financial applications and will soon be integrated with the company's SeQueL to Platinum line of graphical, client/server financial software, says the company.
Under terms of the deal, Rohan will join Platinum Software as president, FRx Software Division, with responsibility for the continued evolution of the FRx product line.
"FRx allows corporations to create an almost unlimited variety of powerful financial reports quickly and easily, including virtual organizational reports that allow top management to see in a nutshell what the impact of reorganizations will be," said Blackie
The companies claim that FRx provides support for a virtually unlimited number of financial statement formats, foreign currencies and financial reporting entities, as well as enterprisewide organizational financial reporting.
Platinum Software claims it was the first software developer to license a version of FRx to work with its financial software, having integrated the product with its Platinum accounting software line since 1990. Other software developers have also licensed DOS character-based versions of FRx: The Financial Reporting Extender.
Platinum did say, however, that it will take a charge of up to 65 cents a share during the quarter ended June 30, 1993, related to the acquisition.
(Ian Stokell/19930715/Press Contact: Kevin McGuirk 714-727-1250, Platinum Software Corp.)
7-1250, Platinum Software Corp.)
7/15/93
Platinum Software Acquires FRx
BUSINESS
Novell Heads Group To Improve Ne
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- Novell is leading a worldwide group of companies, industry partners and security experts that hope to increase the level of network security for commercial and government organizations.
According to Novell, the group will "define and deliver an evaluated and trusted computing model for affordable network security that more accurately reflects how customers implement systems and networks in today's corporate computing environments."
Novell also says that the security model also expands the scope of systems that can be submitted for C2/E2 security evaluation. Previous submissions for security evaluation involved only single component and stand-alone system configurations.
The National Computer Security Center (NCSC) C2 and European Commercial Licensed Evaluation Facilities (CLEF) E2 evaluation processes will be used to evaluate and validate the model. The company says the security model will be in the form of an open "umbrella" that allows Novell and other vendors to provide products for evaluation.
In announcing the move, Jan Newman, executive vice president for Novell's NetWare Systems Group, said: "This announcement has significant impact for security-minded commercial and government customers. Novell with the help of its partners and customers can build on the security foundation in NetWare to offer an open affordable and trusted network computing environment."
The Department of Defense and the NCSC have defined a set of criteria that provides guidelines for C2 security evaluation. While C2 comes from the Department of Defense environment, many commercial companies and non-military government organizations have adopted C2 functionality as the "security baseline standard" for protecting sensitive and mission-critical information. Novell says that the European E2 security requirements are almost identical in function.
The C2 security specification is described by four basic principles: identification and authentication; discretionary access control; audit which describes how the operating system audits all or selected security-related events between subjects and objects; object reuse which is a process whereby the operating system ensures that all user-assignable object space, such as RAM and disk space is "cleansed" of all data prior to its assignment to another user.
Novell says that the implementation of these principles forms the foundation for the security features and functions in an information system - which can be hardware, software or a combination of both.
Novell also claims that, supporting these principles is the notion of "assurance" which dictates that trusted network computing systems must be self-protecting and attempt to protect against tampering and malicious altering.
Novell says it has submitted its NetWare 4.0 network operating system (NOS) to the NCSC as the NOS for evaluation using the existing C2 security criteria. The company claims that NetWare 4.0 provides all four C2 security functions and supports a distinct level of assurance.
The NetWare security model attempts to expand the scope of systems that can be evaluated by providing an open architecture that allows Novell and other vendors to participate, says the company.
Novell has included Cordant's Assure product along with NetWare 4.0 in its initial proposal to the NCSC. The company claims that the Assure product provides the required C2 security functions for DOS and Windows clients and is tightly integrated with NetWare at the workstation to provide a seamless fit with NetWare's security model.
Novell also says that it intends to provide an open security API (application programming interface) set that will enable third-party developers to evaluate their products against the NetWare 4.0 C2/E2 baseline.
Novell is also forming two groups comprised of customers, partners developers and industry experts to work with the company - called the Industry Advisory Group (IAG) and a security Special Interest Group (SIG).
Novell claims that its NetWare, UnixWare and Unix System V systems all provide a high level of base security with options for C2 through B1 and B2 functionality. As the new security model is defined, these three systems will be integrated to provide customers with a trusted network computing environment that includes these products.
(Ian Stokell/19930715/Press Contact: Michael Adams 801-429-5809, Novell Inc.)
ael Adams 801-429-5809, Novell Inc.)
7/15/93
Novell Heads Group To Improve Network Security
GENERAL
Library of Congress Standardizes
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- In Washington the nation's library, the Library of Congress (LOC), is swamped with documents because it receives copies of virtually every document published in the United States. This has led to a variety of systems and proposals to catalogue and make this information available to the public and government, but one of the most important uses is to provide research data to the members of Congress.
Recently, the LOC's Congressional Research Service installed a Unix-based local area network using SAS Institute (Cary, North Carolina) statistical software to analyze a vast collection of census data, legislation, maps, and commercial databases.
Because of the volume of information being processed, this client-server network is based on two SPARCstation 2 Sun Microsystems computers, one configured as server and the other as client.
Government Computer News reports that response times had slowed to a crawl when using PCs to conduct searches because just one part of the 1990 Census data consists of 40 gigabytes of information stored on more than 60 CD-ROMs.
Borland's dBASE was formerly used for the CRS's PC-based research, but even routine searches, which took several hours using dBASE, now reportedly need only a few minutes' processing using SAS software running under SunOS.
(John McCormick/19930713/)
der SunOS.
(John McCormick/19930713/)
7/16/93
Library of Congress Standardizes On SAS
UK - Elonex Intros VL Bus PC Ser
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- Elonex has announced the PC 400/VL series of machines, which it claims are the first PCs from a top five manufacturer that combine conventional Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) expansion slots with high speed local bus slots conforming to the VL Bus standard defined by the Video Equipment Standards Association (VESA).
VL-Bus slots virtually eliminate system bottlenecks by providing a direct connection between the peripheral bus and the central processor unit (CPU).
The PC-400/VL series is available immediately and is supplied with a VL-Bus video card as standard. The card features an accelerated SVGA chipset capable of delivering 65,000 on-screen colors and speeds of more than 18 million Winmark. (A Winmark is a measure of the speed of a Windows-based PC).
Other VL-Bus expansion options include a high-end, 24-bit video adapter that can achieve 16.7 million on-screen colors and speeds of more than 50 million Winmarks, plus a range of cached hard disk controllers.
Three machines comprise the PC-400/VL series: the PC-433/VL, the 450, and the 466. These are based, respectively, on the Intel 33 megahertz (MHz) 80486SX, the 50MHz 80486DX2-50, and the 66MHz 80486DX2-66 chipsets. Each model is claimed to be CPU-upgradable and ready for Intel's Pentium Overdrive processor.
All machines come with a minimum of 64K of cached memory, with 256K available as an option for memory configurations of more than 16MB. Main memory options range from 4 to 64MB.
Buyers have a choice of two casing options -- the slimline M style with a 90 watts power supply, with room for three full length ISA slots, two VL-Bus slots and two drive bays; or the Compact B case which has a 150 watt power supply and room for five full length ISA slots, two VL-Bus slots and five drive bays.
Pricing on the new machines is highly dependent on the configurations required. Pricing starts at UKP 1,110 for a floppy only PC/433M/VL with 14-inch color display, to UKP 4,210 for a 20-inch color screen-equipped PC-466M/VL with 1,200MB of SCSI hard disk capacity.
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- Japan's major VAN (value-added network) service firm Intec says it will add more powerful features to its VAN, called Tri-P, in October. With the new services, the firm expects to gain additional 10,000 users.
Intec will provide 9,600 baud rate access to network users and hopes to specifically attract those with pictorial data to send. Also, Intec is preparing to provide connections to overseas major personal computer networks including CompuServe Colleague (Mitsubishi Trading), Delphi, and Dialog.
The firm has until now specialized in domestic networks and provides access to about 400 kinds through Tri-P. The domestic networks include NEC's PC-VAN, ASCII Network, JAL network and Nikkei Mix. An Intec spokesman says there are about 20,000 registered members for Tri-P. With the system upgrade, the firm hopes to gain another 10,000 members, including many overseas.
Online sign-up outside Japan is not currently available and prospective members need to write to Intec at 2-6-10 Sarugaku-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101, Japan, or send a fax request. The online usage fee is 10 yen (9 cents) per minute for domestic networks and 70 yen (65 cents) for overseas networks.
MILTON KEYNES, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- Buying a modem these days seems to be getting cheaper and cheaper, with most of the majors cutting their prices, either by releasing new lower-priced models, or by simply cutting their prices. Andest Communications has taken the latter path, significantly cutting pricing on its Quad series of modems.
The company's Roadrunner Quad modem, which supports all modem speeds to 2,400 bits per second, now costs UKP 249 -- down from UKP 329 while the Quad data/fax version, which supports 9,600 bps fax capabilities, costs UKP 299 -- down from UKP 399.
Despite the price cuts, both modems are supplied with batteries and AC adapters, plus all the comms software and cables in a "ready to go" combination.
Tony Sellers, Andest's managing director, claims that the price reductions are the result of increased market competition, plus the company's economies of scale. He reckons that the price move will boost sales still further.
Interestingly, Sellers claims that there is still a significant demand for a low-speed range of modems such as the Roadrunner Quad series for use where the volume of data does not justify the cost of a high speed modem.
"The Quads are well proven products for the professional user. Both models feature error-correction and data compression, and are ideal for applications where data reliability is more important than sheer throughput," he said.
(Steve Gold/19930715/Press & Public Contact: Andest Communications Tel: 0908-263300)
Communications Tel: 0908-263300)
7/16/93
UK - Andest Cuts Modem Pricing
TELECOM
5th Generation Computer Assn Lin
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- Japan's 5th generation computer development association has signed an agreement with Oregon State University which calls for both parties to jointly improve ICOT's current parallel processor and the software.
The research results are expected to be free to the public.
ICOT (Institute for New Generation Computer Technology) will grant $150,000 to Oregon State University. The association will also supply all the necessary hardware and software to the university. Professor John Connery and Assistant Professor Evan Tic of the Computer Information Science Division will be in charge of this joint project at the university.
To start, the university team will rewrite ICOT's parallel processing computer language called "K1 Compiler" in C language. Also, the university team will study gene data processing on ICOT's prototype parallel processor. The first phase of this project is expected to be completed at the end of 1994.
All research data will be open to public according to ICOT's policy.
ICOT was created by the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry in 1982. The association ended a 10-year project to develop a parallel processor last year. The association is studying the possibility of further improvements to its prototype parallel processor.
ICOT has conducting joint research with other universities and private firms concerning parallel processing computers.
5th Generation Computer Assn Links With Oregon Univ
GENERAL
Russia - Ural Factory Produces C
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 JUL 16 (NB) -- A former military factory in the city of Ekaterunbourg in the Ural mountains, is producing CD ROM titles and CD players under license from Philips.
According to the factory, the cost of producing a single CD is 10-15 percent less than in similar factories in Eastern Europe and Southwestern Asia.
Production started in late June. Currently the company produces 200,000 discs, mainly with the medicine and patent information, which will be distributed through a Holland subsidiary.
The project, which was a result of 1.5 year long cooperation with ODME former Philips subsidiary, will allow to fulfill demand for Russian information on CD-ROMs, according to Valery Savin, the project manager.
Commersant daily newspaper said that the ex military factory, equipped with the modern technology and having access to the sales channels, will be able to get hold of substantial market share in CIS and Eastern Europe, driving current suppliers off the market.
9 BOMBAY, INDIA 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- Sun Microsystems has signed up Bombay-based International Computers Indian Manufacture Ltd. (ICIM) as its value-added reseller (VAR) in the country. So far Bangalore-based Wipro Infotech Ltd., was the only distributor of Sun systems there.
According to Parag Samarth, general manager, ICIM, the modalities of the new relationship are yet to be finalized. "We are negotiating for the entire SPARC server and workstation range," he said
ICIM earlier had an OEM arrangement for Sun workstations with Wipro. As an OEM, ICIM had to cover the warranty on its own and hence, had a price disadvantage and often found itself competing against Wipro's own direct marketing force. Thus the relationship was short lived.
From the ICIM point of view, the Sun range will complement its existing DRS range of servers which are also based on the SPARC chip.
The strategy is to give customers a mix of binary-compatible hardware. There is bound to be an overlap, especially on the high-end, as both Sun and DRS are highly expandable machines and ICIM would rather push its own machines. While the company's earlier OEM agreement with Wipro was for workstations, this time ICIM is looking more for servers. It makes sense considering that ICIM's traditional stronghold has been the financial sector, where Wipro scored over the rest in the recent past.
ICIM's tie-up with Sun is also being perceived as an alternative to overcome DRS 6000's operating system limitations. Remarked a competitor, "With DRS, ICIM has hit a dead end, as it does not have a truly multiprocessing OS like Sun machines. The COSE initiative to back system V.4 kernel also makes it the ideal choice."
Once ICIM starts selling Sun, Wipro Infotech will have tougher competition on hand. But that does not seem to bother the firm currently ranked second in the Indian IT scenario. Says A.V. Sridhar CEO, Network Systems Division (the department in Wipro that handles Sun orders), "We would be entitled to overriding commissions on ICIM's sales even if they buy directly from Sun."
If this were to happen, ICIM's margins will get squeezed and it would be more or less in the same position as it was as an OEM of Wipro. To that extent it would serve neither Sun's apparent intentions nor ICIM's aspirations.
(C. T. Mahabharat/19930715)
(C. T. Mahabharat/19930715)
7/15/93
Sun Signs Second VAR In India
BUSINESS
Hyundai Set To Invade India
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- Hyundai is all set to swamp Indian shores with its computers. Partnering the South Korean giant is a previously little-known firm, Byte Systems.
Byte is launching a range of notebooks and desktops, to be called Hyundai-Byte. Hyundai Electronics, based in the US, will supply Byte with the kits that will be assembled in India. The initial order is for parts worth $3 million. Byte is also sending its personnel to Hyundai for training in assembly and quality control.
The Hyundai series ranges from Rs 95,000 (around $3,200) to Rs 1.85 lakh (around $6,100) in notebooks and from Rs 95,000 (around $3,200) to Rs 3 lakh (around $10,000) for desktops.
The company targets a sales turnover of about Rs 35 crore (around $11.7 million) during the current financial year.
The firm will initially concentrate on the eastern and western Indian markets. While the western Indian market is traditionally seen as a "lucrative section" because of the number of companies based in and around Bombay. The firm will find it easy to concentrate on the eastern segment as that is where it is headquartered.
The first products will be out in Calcutta later this month, and in Bombay in August.
Despite the Hyundai name, the going is not expected to be easy. First off the computer industry is going through a depression. And most of the major firms, from US or otherwise, are just getting ready to launch an assault on the industry. Also Byte will have to face competition from the unbranded segment, which sells Taiwan-made notebooks for around Rs 60,000 (around $2,000) and personal computers for even less.
(C. T. Mahabharat/19930715)
(C. T. Mahabharat/19930715)
7/15/93
Hyundai Set To Invade India
BUSINESS
IBM Adds New RS/6000, AIX Versio
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- IBM has added to its RISC/System 6000 line with a new desktop workstation, a new release of its AIX version of the Unix operating system other software, and a long list of storage products.
The new RS/6000 Powerstation/Powerserver 34H is said to be 37 percent faster than its predecessor, the 340. It comes with a 41.6-megahertz (MHz) processor, 16 megabytes (MB) of memory expandable to 256 MB, 400 MB of disk storage expandable to four gigabytes (GB), a 32K-byte instruction cache, four available Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) expansion slots, and built-in Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) and Ethernet controllers.
The 340 will continue to be sold for the time being, but the 34H will eventually replace it, a spokeswoman for IBM said. The price of the 340 has been cut to $9,990, she added.
Due to be available August 6, the new 34H has a list price of $13,200, including the AIX/6000 operating system.
IBM also launched AIX 3.2.4 for the RISC/System 6000, a new release of the operating system that the company said adds various improvements and will be quicker to install.
Besides cutting installation time to three or four hours on the new release, IBM has added the ability to download changes to the system from the server to clients, simplifying updates, the spokeswoman said.
AIX 3.2.4 is due to be available July 23, with prices varying according to number of users and processor model.
IBM also claimed to be the first vendor to provide distributed file services supporting the Open Software Foundation's (OSF) Distributed Computing Environment (DCE), a set of software tools and services meant to link clients and servers from multiple vendors. Its AIX Distributed Computing Environment Version 1.2 is due to be available July 23, at a price of $3,000. The distributed file services will let users use files stored anywhere on the network without having to know their physical location, IBM said.
AdStar, IBM's storage unit, unveiled a variety of storage products to go with the RS/6000 line. They include 540-MB and two-GB SCSI disk drives, SCSI expansion units, a new SCSI attachment feature for the 3490E Magnetic Tape Subsystem, two disk arrays providing 2.6 to 60 GB of storage, high-performance disk-drive subsystems, a rewritable optical disk drive, cartridge tape products, a high-performance input/output controller, and new models in the IBM 3995 Optical Library Dataserver line of rewritable optical libraries.
There are also a new High-Performance Parallel interface (HIPPI) MCA adapter for some RS/6000 models, a Multi-Protocol Communications Adapter, a High-Performance Disk Drive Subsystem Adapter, and Prestoserve software meant to improve the performance of Network File System (NFS) file servers.
IBM also announced price cuts in its PowerStation and PowerServer models 580, 97B, and 98B, and on various storage and memory products. Cuts in system prices ranged from 13.1 to 16 percent and on the other products from 13 to 34 percent.
(Grant Buckler/19930714/Press Contact: Greg Golden, IBM 914-642-5463)
ress Contact: Greg Golden, IBM 914-642-5463)
7/15/93
IBM Adds New RS/6000, AIX Version, Storage
Analyst Sees Promise In IBM's AT
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- By giving its endorsement to Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), IBM has taken a bold step that could benefit the company and the fortunes of ATM at the same time. That's the verdict of Paul Callahan, senior analyst of network strategy research at Forrester Research, Inc. in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
ATM is a high-speed networking standard being touted as a way of sending voice, data, and video over a single network. In a briefing for industry analysts July 13, Ellen Hancock vice-president and general manager of networking systems, said IBM plans a range of products based on ATM, including semiconductor chips, adapter cards, switches, network hubs, and software (Newsbytes, July 13).
IBM also said it is developing advanced technology to improve the efficiency of ATM networks by 20 to 50 percent.
Callahan said what appears to be an aggressive move into ATM could solve a problem for IBM and help kick-start the ATM technology, which he described in a research report a few months ago as facing a cloudy future for the next few years.
IBM needs a way of combining its aging Systems Network Architecture (SNA) standard with local-area network internetworking technology. ATM could be a safe way of offering that capability, Callahan said.
Further, he said, IBM is tailoring its version of ATM to data transmission, which Forrester Research believes will be the major market for ATM in the near future despite the fact that some of its advocates tout its ability to handle voice and video as well.
This could give IBM a performance edge in the ATM sweepstakes that, combined with an aggressive pricing policy, could make it a leader. And the low prices Callahan said IBM plans to offer on its ATM products would also make ATM more attractive to data communications users in comparison to options such as faster Ethernet systems and Frame Relay technology, which his earlier report said would steal much of ATM's thunder in the next few years.
IBM is talking about "delivering ATM for the masses instead of the performance elite," Callahan said.
IBM said its first products using ATM technology will begin to reach the market next year. Over time, IBM officials said, ATM technology will appear throughout the company's product line.
(Grant Buckler/19930714/Press Contact: Clifton Scott, IBM 914-642-5457; Forrester Research, 617-497-7090)
-5457; Forrester Research, 617-497-7090)
7/15/93
Analyst Sees Promise In IBM's ATM Move
NTT In Multimedia Telecom Experi
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- Japan's major telecom firm NTT is experimenting with what it calls multimedia telecommunication. VI&P, aimed at both business and home use is a scheme which transmits four times more data than HDTV (high definition TV).
The data was sent via NTT'S B-ISDN (Business Integrated Services Digital Network) on an automatic transmission mode switching device. In this experiment, NTT's Yokosuka Research and Development Center and its testing facility were connected with an optical fiber line. High resolution pictures, which are clearer than that those on 35-mm film, were transmitted at 100 megabits per second. One whole page of a life-size newspaper was shown on the large screen. The letters were clear enough to be read.
Also, NTT has transmitted HDTV pictures and TV phone data on a single optical fiber line. In this test, as many as 60 channels of TV data and phone data were sent on this single line, and it worked.
NTT has also tested a LAN (local area network) for business with what it calls ATM-LAN using an optical fiber line. A maximum transmission speed of 2.4 gigabits was achieved. Several offices were connected with this optical fiber on which they all conducted a teleconference.
The technology could be the stimulus for new businesses, such as an online medical diagnosis service. The technology is also to be applied to home use in the future. NTT is currently laying out optical fiber cables to connect individual houses.
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- Japan's watchmaker Citizen has stopped supplying notebook-type PCs to Compaq in the US due to rapid appreciation of Japanese currency.
Citizen has been supplying notebook-type personal computers to Compaq on an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) basis. However due to rise of the Japanese yen, Citizen will not be able to make a profit by exporting the PCs to the US.
Citizen started supplying the Compaq LTE Lite in 1989 at 20,000 to 25,000 units monthly. As of fiscal 1992, Citizen sold 34 billion yen ($310 million) of them, which is about 13 percent of Citizen's total sales. The firm was expecting 29 billion yen ($260 million) in sales this fiscal year.
Compaq will shift production of this notebook PC to its plant in Singapore in August. However, Compaq will get a supply of parts from Citizen. Such parts will include printed board units, LCD panels and floppy disk drives.
Citizen may continue to be an OEM supplier for Compaq for other products. Citizen is currently developing a 1.3-inch hard disk drive and a pen-input personal computer which it may OEM to Compaq.
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- The State Property Committee the main privatization body in Russia, has awarded a contract to develop a system of 60+ regional computerized shares registries to Sprint Networks Russia. With the large privatization order awarded to a company with relatively little experience in this technology, the market for such registries has heated up.
The financial details of the project were not disclosed.
The first large computer-based shares register was created by the Rinako investment house in cooperation with the Relcom e-mail network. Relcom was chosen last year to be the medium for all local State Property Committee affiliates to communicate with the central office in Moscow and with each other.
The current order of the State Committee, which was given to Sprint Networks Russia, provides no participation to Rinako the largest fund market maker and related technology developer. This shows that the field is getting hot, according to Valery Bardin, one of the Relcom network founders, currently with Relteam company.
(Kirill Tchashchin/199302)
h Relteam company.
(Kirill Tchashchin/199302)
7/15/93
Sprint Russia To Develop Russian Share Registry
BUSINESS
Intel Donates CPU For Low-Cost R
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- Arkenstone, the Sunnyvale, California-based non-profit group which supplies disabled computer users with special adaptive technology, has announced that the price of its Open Book text-to-speech reading machine will be only $5,395 because of an Intel donation of a half-million dollars worth of 486DX2/66 microprocessors.
The Open Book Special Edition, a reading machine for visually impaired individuals, scans printed materials and converts them to speech. By using the 66 megahertz 80486 chip, the Special Edition version will, according to Arkenstone, be about 2.5-times faster than the company's previous offering and will have greater storage capacity.
The previous version of Open Book, which used a less powerful version of the 80486 microprocessor, cost $1,000 more than the new version. The price reduction was due mainly to Intel's generous contribution.
Open Book is a complete, stand-alone package for visually impaired users and is not a computer. Rather it combines a scanner, speech synthesis, processor, optical character recognition software, and a 17-key control keypad.
Arkenstone provides its hardware through a worldwide network of local distributors and the products are only available to disabled individuals.
For further information about local distributors, contact: Arkenstone, 1390 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94089. Phone 800 444-4443, 408-752-2200, or fax 408-745-6739.
(John McCormick/19930715/Press Contact: Jim Frucheterman Arkenstone, 800-444-4443 or fax 408-745-6739)
an Arkenstone, 800-444-4443 or fax 408-745-6739)
7/15/93
Intel Donates CPU For Low-Cost Reading Machine
GENERAL
FTC Ends Intel Probe
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- Computer chip giant Intel has been informed by the Federal Trade Commission that it is no longer the subject of any investigation regarding possible unfair trade practices.
Intel has been under investigation by the federal regulatory agency since 1991 when it was accused by several small chip makers of engaging in predatory marketing practices which tended to block competition.
Last evening Intel released the following information from an FTC letter reportedly received by Andrew S. Grove, Intel's chief executive officer:
"Upon further review of this matter, it now appears that no further action is warranted by the commission at this time. "Accordingly, pursuant to authority delegated by the commission the investigation has been closed."
This would appear to end the business practices investigation of the world's largest microchip maker and, despite some comments about the FTC's ability to reopen the investigation if warranted Washington observers feel that there is little likelihood that the FTC would initiate another look at Intel's business tactics without clear and compelling evidence that the company is doing something that is illegal.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- The Philippines' efforts to upgrade its network once again headline international telecommunication news.
President Fidel Ramos has been fighting to break up the monopoly of the Philippine Long Distance Co., finally nationalizing stock tied to the Ferdinand Marcos regime. But he has also been trying to bring in foreign investment and improve the networks of the nation's interior. There he has been embarrassed by Cable & Wireless' decision to back-out of investing in Digitel's upgrade of its Luzon network, and Digitel's reaction to it. His latest move is to demand that firms which want to invest in the Philippines must bolster rural services -- that's similar to Digitel's position. C&W had refused to invest in Luzon unless it won the right to install an international teleport. Ramos won a small vote of confidence when Japan's government granted his country $105 million to finance a number of projects, including an emergency communications system.
Elsewhere, Italy pledged to end SIP's mobile phone monopoly, but experts note that it could take years for a winning consortium to reach the market. Bidding will start this summer on the concession, and the government wants a competitor operating by year-end. Three groups, headed by Olivetti, Fiat and the ENI state energy company, are bidding for the rights. Olivetti has brought in Bell Atlantic of the US as a partner. SIP wants compensation to give up its monopoly, which would otherwise run until 2003, and may retaliate against a competitor with high interconnect fees for linking cellular calls to the wired network. The government has promised to sell STET, the holding company which owns SIP, after the company's units -- cable domestic phone, and international calling -- are combined into one.
In Latin America, the greatest controversy still involves Cuba perhaps the last remaining Communist dictatorship. The US is moving to allow more direct links to the island, instead of forcing callers to relay calls via Canada. That could let US companies pay Cuba for taking the calls. Such a move is bound to prove controversial, as Democrats and Republicans bid to out-do each other in fealty to a policy of economic strangulation aimed at toppling Castro's government. The Administration will argue that the Castro government is making more money through its Canadian connection than it would with direct links.
Elsewhere in the region the news was all good. IDB signed an agreement with Brazil's Embratel to bring the services of its private line unit, IDB Worldcom, to Brazil. The agreement lets the company handle international calls to Brazil, not from it and the company hopes to generate 4 million minutes in traffic over the next year as a result. Brazil's stock market continues to rise in value, led by Telebras, the state-owned phone company due for privatization. Jamaica, too, has good news to report, as Telecommunications of Jamaica, a unit of Cable & Wireless reports that its profits for the year tripled.
Finally Bulgaria, which was isolated from the world when it was a Communist dictatorship, is soon going to get cable television. Foreigners are invited to participate. Bulgaria is also upgrading its domestic phone network and recently tied its data services to the Sprintnet packet net.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930715/Press Contact: Ed Cheramy, IDB, 213 270-3770)
Ed Cheramy, IDB, 213 270-3770)
7/15/93
International Telecom Update
TELECOM
InterDigital Adds New Patents to
KING OF PRUSSIA, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 15 (NB) InterDigital Technology continued to pursue Qualcomm's Code Division Multiple Access, or CDMA, digital cellular system in court by adding new patent claims to its lawsuit against the company.
InterDigital has held patents on Time Division Multiple Access or TDMA, digital cellular technology for some time. TDMA was endorsed by the cellular industry a few years ago, but so far only McCaw and Southwestern Bell have committed to installing it in their networks. Meanwhile, Qualcomm's version of CDMA has won endorsements from US West, Bell Atlantic, PacTel and others despite the fact it's not ready for market, mainly because it offers a 10-fold capacity boost against TDMA's three-fold increase.
Last year, however, InterDigital bought SCS MobileCom, whose founder, Donald L. Schilling, had patented some CDMA technology used on a wide range of frequencies, mainly by the military. Since then, InterDigital has been pushing what it called Broadband CDMA as a replacement for CDMA, which could be built on top of TDMA systems. Since buying SCS Mobilecom InterDigital has referred to Qualcomm's version of CDMA as "narrowband CDMA," since it uses single calling channels while SCS' technology uses all of the frequency available to a cellular carrier.
It has claimed in a lawsuit in a US District Court in Philadelphia that Qualcomm's version of CDMA violates the Schilling patents. The latest move is to add another Schilling patent to the claims. The suit not only names Qualcomm, but Oki Telecom, which has committed to making CDMA equipment. Qualcomm also has agreements with a number of Korean firms to make CDMA equipment.
InterDigital wants a permanent injunction barring Qualcomm and Oki from making CDMA equipment it claims infringes on its patent.
In a press statement President Robert Bramson was plain about InterDigital's goals in the suit. "We own a broad array of patents and patent applications covering CDMA and TDMA, the two principal alternative digital cellular telephone standards. Our goals are to license our patents and develop royalty income from these two technologies."
OAKBROOK TERRACE, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 15 (NB) Metropolitan Fiber Systems of New Jersey, Inc., a unit of MFS Telecom, greatly expanded its New Jersey network through an agreement with MH Lightnet, Inc.
Lightnet is owned by McLean Hunter, a Toronto company which also publishes McLeans Magazine. The two companies jointly agreed to build a fiber network in northern New Jersey which will run a total of 117 miles, MFS spokesman Claire Fennell told Newsbytes. That, added to MFS' existing 23 miles, will mean a 140 mile network linking over 80 buildings in cities like Fairfield Morristown, Newark, West Orange, and Secaucus.
The network can be used to link callers in those buildings to long distance companies like MCI and AT&T, bypassing Bell Atlantic's network. MFS also has a network in New York, Fennell said, but the two are separate.
MFS is the US' largest so-called competitive access provider also known as a bypass company, and operates networks in 14 metropolitan areas. MFS' New Jersey unit will operate the net network, while MH Lightnet will be responsible for outside plant construction, maintenance, right of way and building access. Service is expected to be introduced on the network over the next six months, with significant portions operational in July.
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- Dell Computer has announced it is now shipping Pentium-based servers and upgrade cards directly to customers across Europe. The company claims that this makes it the first direct-sell PC supplier to do this on this side of the Atlantic.
According to Dell, the System 4560/XE server, which the company announced on May 17, is the first to ship. The machine claims to combine the mechanical and electrical design improvements of Dell's new XE chassis with Intel's Pentium chipset architecture. Initial shipments of the 4560/SE system are supplied with the 60 megahertz (MHz) version of the Pentium.
Dell is also offering its customers a 60MHz Pentium upgrade card for the company's 486SE and 486DE series of desktop machines. The company claims that these cards increase general performance by around 50 percent, and floating point calculations by as much as 500 percent.
Roger Stone, Dell's European Group product marketing manager, said that the focus of the company's Pentium strategy is on providing affordable systems that provide an effective upgrade path for existing users, yet also address the need for high performance servers and workstations.
"The upgrade cards represent the fulfillment of our promise to upgrade our users, which has been made possible by our advanced product planning and close working relationship with Intel," he said.
Stone added that this close relationship is the main reason why Dell has been able to ship Pentium machines and upgrades so quickly.
"As one of the largest purchasers of Intel products, we have been able to obtain Pentium chips to enable customers with applications that demand high performance to be among the first to evaluate and adopt this important new technology. We anticipate being one of the largest suppliers of Pentium this year," he said.
Pricing on the Pentium-based server starts at UKP 4,069. For the money, users get a Pentium-based machine with 8 megabytes (MB) of memory, plus 1MB of video memory and a 320MB hard disk. DOS 6.0 and Windows 3.1 come bundled with the machine. The upgrade cards meanwhile, for the 486SE servers and 486DE desktops cost UKP 1,799.
(Steve Gold/19930715/Press & Public Contact: Dell Computer - Tel: 0344-860456)
& Public Contact: Dell Computer - Tel: 0344-860456)
7/15/93
Dell UK Ships Pentium Chip-Based Systems, Upgrades
DEC Shortens Customs Delays
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- Maynard Massachusetts' Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) was cited this week as being the first New England-based company to be preapproved under the US Customs Agency's Pre-Importation Review Program (PIRP). The PIRP system attempts to automate many customs-related import delays, expediting the release of cargos from bonded warehouses through reduced Customs' examination requirements, better expense and delay predictability, and paperless import document processing.
To qualify for preapproved imports under PIRP, a company must undergo a compliance audit by US Customs and provide the agency with detailed information about the business's product classification system. Based on a history of good compliance with US Customs regulations, companies such as DEC qualify for near automatic release of imported cargos, reducing costs both to the company and to the government.
(John McCormick/19930713/Press Contact: Patrick F. O'Malley, US Customs Service Northeast Region, 617-565-6215)
rtheast Region, 617-565-6215)
7/15/93
DEC Shortens Customs Delays
CA To Port Unicenter To UnixWare
ISLANDIA, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- Computer Associates International will adapt its CA-Unicenter systems management software to UnixWare, a version of the Unix operating system from Univel. Univel is joint venture of Novell and Unix Systems Laboratories.
CA-Unicenter provides common systems management, security scheduling, and task automation functions.
CA-Unicenter also is being developed for Novell's NetWare to provide clients with a common set of system management tools that span from mainframe to desktop. Beta testing is expected to begin in the fourth quarter, said Bob Gordon, a CA spokesman.
Availability of Unicenter for both NetWare and UnixWare will aid the companies' efforts to integrate the two operating systems more closely, said Melanie King, a spokeswoman for Univel. Many buyers of UnixWare are already major NetWare users, she said.
CA-Unicenter is already offered for a variety of Unix systems including IBM's RS/6000 and systems from Hewlett-Packard, Data General, Pyramid, and Sequent, as well as IBM's OS/2 operating system. It has been announced for Microsoft's Windows NT operating system and NCR 3000 machines.
Company officials said CA-Unicenter will help make UnixWare more attractive to customers thinking of moving critical applications from larger systems. They said these customers will be interested in such features as security management and control of superusers, task scheduling, help desk and problem monitoring disk and file management, backup and archiving, chargeback, and tape protection.
CA and Univel said they plan to work together to sell the software.
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- NCR announced this week it has opened a global support center to provide toll-free around-the-clock telephone support to Windows NT users worldwide.
The company says the new center, located in Columbia, South Carolina, offers support to any Windows NT users, whether running Microsoft's latest operating system on an NCR platform or other hardware. At present calls are toll-free within the US, but NCR says it will add toll-free access numbers for callers from major countries around the world within the next few weeks. In the interim, international callers who cannot access the 800 number from their phone systems can call a toll number until the no-cost lines are available.
NCR says the cost for support is based on the number of users a particular customer has, decreasing as the number of users increases. Discounts begin at 25 or more users. The cost for single-user US customers for one year is $180, progressively decreasing to $18 per user if more than 1,000 users are enrolled. International costs will vary slightly depending on the local market, NCR spokesperson Lynn Frye told Newsbytes. NCR can also provide on-site support from more than 1,300 locations in 120 countries worldwide. Frye told Newsbytes users needing Windows NT support can enroll in the program in advance, or the enrollment can be done at the time of the first support call. Corporate billing is available, and Frye said NCR will also accept Mastercard and Visa. Billing is in advance for one year.
According to Dick Reese, NCR customer services division VP, having all the support technicians located in a single facility is an advantage. "This concentrated level of expertise ensures the highest quality support to all our customers, anywhere in the world, no matter what time they call," he says.
NCR says the center will provide assistance with problem solving system tuning, configuration issues, and implementation questions and can also serve as a help desk for Windows NT users. A unique feature of the center is its ability to handle calls from non-English speaking callers. The company says those calls will be either handled by one of the center's multi-lingual staff members or, if necessary, the center will add an interpreter from AT&T's Language Line Services at no cost to the caller. Language Line Services provide over-the-phone interpretation from English to more than 140 languages. NCR is an AT&T company.
Users can also access NCR's Global Support Center bulletin board on a 24-hour per day basis. NCR service marketing representative Mario Mosesso told Newsbytes the bulletin board is expected to be operational next week. It will operate on Compuserve, an on-line subscription service, and will include much of the information found on the Windows NT support forum on Compuserve. "Future bulletin board services are also under evaluation as far as what other kind of information services we may offer our customers," Mosesso told Newsbytes.
The center will also dispatch on-site support when it's needed, but NCR says past experience indicates that over 99 percent of the calls will be resolved over the phone.
The company says support for Windows NT grew out of its ongoing relationship with Windows when the two companies collaborated for over two years in the development of Microsoft's new product, with NCR's Intel processor-based symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) systems being one of the NT development platforms. NCR has endorsed Windows NT for specific models of its System 3000 line.
WAN CHAI, HONG KONG, 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- Analog telecommunications in Hong Kong has become history as the territory's Governor, Chris Patten, made the last analog phone call at the official celebrations of the completion of Hongkong Telecom's digital conversion program. The event was held at the Marriot Hotel in Wan Chai and Newsbytes was present.
Hongkong Telecom has spent several years gradually replacing the analog equipment used in the territory's numerous exchanges, with digital technology. The entire business districts have been digital for about four years and able to offer advanced services still not available in many developed nations. Now Hong Kong's domestic telecommunications have been made fully digital.
Planning for a digital network commenced about twelve years ago and the transformation began at the end of the 1980's with the standardization of seven digit telephone numbers. Previously telephone numbers carried an area code prefix for Kowloon, Hong Kong, and the New Territories. The change in numbers allowed Hongkong Telecom to convert some of the existing lines from analog to digital, where the new digital exchanges existed.
Customers were encouraged to take advantage of the new digital services, such as call waiting, automatic call forwarding, and IDD passwords. In many instances this involved a change of telephone numbers, but it was justified by the additional facilities.
Now the full range of digital services is available everywhere in Hong Kong. Hong Kong's digital program stretches throughout dozens of outlying islands which form part of territory.
"Hong Kong's productivity has been boosted by more than 25,000 man-hours a day as a result of network digitalization," said Peter Howell-Davies, deputy chief executive of Hongkong Telecom. "Our fiber optic cables and digital network provide a cost-effective and convenient means of providing fast access to the services that we expect our customers to want in the future."
Services provided for residential customers are claimed to be among the lowest priced in the world. Local phone calls in Hong Kong remain free of charge. Installation and monthly subscription fees are also very low. International call tariffs, while not the lowest are at the lower end of the worldwide charging spectrum.
With the high number of expatriates in Hong Kong and the ever expanding nature of international firms, international telecommunications traffic is high by any global comparison.
According to Howell-Davies, this year alone Hongkong Telecom's on-going development called for investments of more than $500 million (HK$3.9 billion) but he said that this would ensure that Hongkong remains the hub of advanced telecommunications for the region and the business gateway to China.
Hongkong Telecom is the territory's largest publicly listed company and largest single private employer, its major shareholders include Cable and Wireless PLC of Britain, and the People's Republic of China through its external investment corporation, CITIC.
(Brett Cameron/19930713/Press Contact: Virginia Chiu, Hongkong Telecom, tel +852-883 3224)
inia Chiu, Hongkong Telecom, tel +852-883 3224)
7/14/93
Hongkong Telecom Completes Digital Conversion
TELECOM
Toshiba/NatSemi/Motorola In Join
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- Toshiba has agreed with National Semiconductor and Motorola on the joint development of next-generation logic integrated circuit (IC) chips.
The agreement calls for the three firms to develop ICs by the end of this year. They have also agreed to second source to each other. Toshiba and National Semiconductor have already been cooperating on the development of a logic IC. Now Motorola has joined in.
The new chip will be a low-electric consuming CMOS (complimentary metal oxide semiconductor) type. It consumes only three volts and supports the fast processing of data at four nanoseconds (ns). Also, the chip will be able to switch between three volts and five volts.
The new chip will be targeted at notebook-type PCs or hand-held PCs which use removable batteries. The companies are hoping sales to reach 55 billion yen ($500 million) market by 1997.
The firms' first chip will be shipped by the end of this year under their own respective brand names. The development deal lasts five years. The deal is also expected to save the three firms development costs.
For Toshiba, the deal is important in its ongoing battle against US criticism over semiconductor exports and imports. However Toshiba has already been cooperating with Motorola for several years involving the development and sales of DRAM, as well as central processing units (CPUs). The two companies already have a joint venture firm in northern Japan.
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- The Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) has announced a survey of expected microprocessor shipments for the last half of 1993. According to the survey, most manufacturers are planning to increase production of computer memory chips.
The Ministry's recent survey involved 18 chip manufacturers along with 56 major users. The manufacturers replied that expected shipments of four-megabit DRAM chips for the last half of this year (July-December) will be 248.7 million units. That figure represents a 25 percent increase over the first half of 1993. Regarding 16-megabit DRAM, 12.3 million units will be shipped. This is over three times that in the first half of 1993.
The report says that chip demand is extremely strong in the US and South East Asian markets, where many low-cost PCs are produced. However, the demand for other home electronics products such as televisions is still slow, says the report.
According to Intel Japan, the firm has gained $2.13 billion in sales of microprocessors during this second quarter. This is an increase of 61.4 percent over the same period last year. The increase was due mainly to the popularity of the 486 processor.
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- Calcutta-based BFL Software Ltd., has entered into a strategic alliance with US-based Tandem Computers Inc. According to the agreement, BFL will develop software both on-site and offshore for Tandem customers worldwide.
Tandem could also engage BFL's services for the development of software at the latter's export-oriented unit (EOU) at the Bangalore software technology park for execution of global contracts. BFL's EOU at Bangalore is being set up at an estimated cost of Rs 6 crore (around $2 million). To part finance the project, the company has recently entered the capital market with a public issue of shares aggregating Rs 4.5 crore (around $1.5 million).
Tandem Computers is claimed to be a major player (annual turnover $2.5 billion) of financial services software development and fault-tolerant systems for mission-critical operations.
The present alliance, claimed to be "Tandem's first of its kind in India" will help the Indian firm cater to the needs of Tandem's clientele in the US as well as in the South East Asian region. In India, Tandem's systems are sold by Wipro Infotech.
With the view to making the arrangement fruitful, Tandem has agreed to offer to BFL all required hardware at 50 percent of its US market value. The required Tandem software will be supplied free of charge. In fact, BFL has already placed a Rs 30 lakh (around $100,000) purchase order for Tandem's CLX series hardware.
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930714)
eries hardware.
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930714)
7/14/93
India - Tandem In Alliance With BFL Software
BUSINESS
NEC Rolls Out PC Servers, Some F
BOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- NEC has rolled out a series of PC servers that includes a family of 486 and Pentium-based machines specifically designed for deskside use of graphics-intensive applications.
The new Express/II Series, NEC's second generation of servers encompasses the ST Family of 486- and single Pentium processor based deskside servers, along with the LT Family of single and dual Pentium processor-based network servers.
All of the deskside servers in the ST Family offer CPUs (central processing units) with 256 kilobyte (KB) write-back secondary cache and 64-bit memory data path, features aimed at optimizing system performance on large applications.
The Pentium model, the Express/II P60ST, is billed as a native 64 bit system, and also as the first server to incorporate PCI local bus architecture. The server comes standard with 16 megabytes (MB) of memory, expandable to 192MB.
The two deskside models with i486 processors, the Express/II 433ST and 466ST, come standard with 8MB of memory, expandable to 192 MB. The 433ST provides an i486DX processor running at 33 megahertz (MHz), along with six available EISA (Extended Industry Standard Architecture) bus-master slots. The 466ST supplies an i486DX2 processor running at 33/66 MHz, plus seven available I/O (input/output) slots.
The Pentium-based P60ST comes with five EISA bus-master slots one PCI slot, and one shared slot that can be used for either ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) bus-mastering or PCI.
Each deskside server incorporates a choice of 540MB and 1.37 gigabyte (GB) SCSI-2 (Small Computer Systems Interface-2) drive, and a flexible drive bay design that allows for installation of up to nine devices. SCSI-2 enhances multitasking by doubling the data transfer rate of earlier SCSI implementations, officials noted in making the announcement.
A drive array controller, for increasing I/O performance and data integrity, is available as an option. The controller supports RAID (redundant array of inexpensive disks) levels 0, 1, 3 and 5 and up to 64MB of disk cache.
The Express/II LT Family of network servers is intended for use by medium-sized and large organizations as a high-end file server or midrange application server. The family includes two single Pentium processor-based systems - the P601LT running at 60 MHz and the P661LT running at 66 MHz - and one dual Pentium processor based system, the P662LT, operating at 66 MHz.
The LT servers offer an EISA architecture that has been optimized for Pentium, according to officials. A 16KB superscaler write back cache (8KB data, 8KB instruction) is complemented by a large secondary cache and a 64-bit memory path for high CPU performance.
Secondary cache is 256KB in the single-processor models and 512KB in the P662LT. With an optional memory expansion card, system RAM can be expanded to 384MB of parity memory or 256MB of ECC memory.
Models in the LT Family comes standard with an integrated dual channel, a fast SCSI-2 controller that supports up to 14 SCSI devices, eight available Fast-EISA bus master slots, eleven drive bays, a 384 watt power supply, and a pre-installed NEC MultiSpin CD-ROM reader for easing installation of operating systems distributed on CD-ROM.
The models offer a choice of 540MB or 1.37GB SCSI-2 drives. Eight of the available drive bays provide a distributed cable design, and are organized for easy installation and serviceability of a hard disk drive array. An optional drive array controller supports RAID levels 0, 1, 3 and 5 and up to 64MB of disk cache.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930714/Press contact: Geoff Spillane or Stephanie Allman, Golin/Harris for NEC, tel 508-264-8759 or 508-264-8835)
Harris for NEC, tel 508-264-8759 or 508-264-8835)
7/14/93
NEC Rolls Out PC Servers, Some For Deskside Use
Vendors Accept JPEG Format For W
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- Twenty multimedia software and hardware vendors have agreed to standardize on a common Joint Photographic Expert Group (JPEG) file format for bit-mapped images and compressed video data under Microsoft Windows.
The agreement will allow users to select from a variety of products that use JPEG compression technology to lower the storage space requirements for color still-images and improve the quality and performance of full-motion video.
Microsoft says JPEG still-image files will be supported under Microsoft Windows as device independent bitmap (DIB) files, and JPEG video files will be supported under Video for Windows as audio/video interleaved (AVI) files.
Microsoft says a standard DIB extension is one in which the data format is clearly defined so that any codec which claims to understand the standard will be able to process the image data correctly. In addition, the image data created by any codec must be readable by any other codec. In other words, it must conform to the standard. The standards are extensions to the DIB format defined by Windows 3.0.
Vendors who have endorsed the JPEG standard include AMDRIX Software, C-Cube Microsystems, Cirus Logic, Creative Labs, Dolch Computer Systems. Fluent Inc., Intel, LSI Logic Corp., Microsoft Motorola, New Media Graphics, Optibase, SuperMac, Telephoto Texas Instruments, Truevision, U-Lead Systems, Videologic, Xing Technology, and Zoran.
Interested developers can obtain the JPEG file format by calling Microsoft's PhoneFAX server, or by downloading it from the Windows Extension forum (GO WINEXT) on Compuserve. The file to download on Compuserve is JPEG.ZIP
der contact: Microsoft PhoneFAX server, 206-635-2222)
7/14/93
Vendors Accept JPEG Format For Windows Images/Sound
Microsoft To Host Usability Prof
[ REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- Microsoft will host the second annual Usability Professionals' Association (UPA) conference on its Redmond, Washington, campus July 21-23 1993.
The company says the conference is designed to promote the usability movement as a means to benefit consumers. Usability professionals from a broad range of industries will discuss the direction of trends in usability and practical applications to their individual disciplines.
In addition to host Microsoft, support will be provided from Lotus Development, Apple Computer, Hewlett-Packard, American Airlines WordPerfect, Sunsoft Inc., National Information Technology of Maryland, and IDS, an American Express company.
Microsoft Senior VP of Desktop Applications Pete Higgins says making products work the way users expect them to requires a focus on usability issues throughout the development process.
The theme of this year's conference is "Usability Makes the Difference." The first annual conference was held in Orem, Utah. Microsoft says this year's affair will be bigger and will sharpen the focus on professional development. About 250 usability professionals are expected to attend, representing such industries as hardware, publishing, research, software development, travel and financial services.
American Airlines' Janice James says the conference is an opportunity to increase usability professionals' knowledge and expand their insights into effective methods of working usability in the products used by customers.
This year's event will feature two concurrent tracks. Topics include: "What Is a Usability Professional;" "Engineering Usability Into the Lab Design;" "Organizational Issues;" " Usability Lab Tools;" and "The Developer's View." Speakers include Jakob Nielson of Bellcore; Thomas Grubb from PC world magazine; Mary Dieli of Microsoft; Judy Ramey from the University of Washington; and Hewlett-Packard's Amanda Prail.
James, with Jeff Schueler of Usability Sciences, formed the UPA in 1991 in order to provide a means for usability professionals to share information and exchange ideas about methods and methodologies, tools and technology, skills and skill development and organizational issues that may impact the success of usability testing.
(Jim Mallory/19930714/Press contact: Erin Carney, Microsoft Corporation, 206-882-8080)
tact: Erin Carney, Microsoft Corporation, 206-882-8080)
7/14/93
Microsoft To Host Usability Professionals' Conference
GENERAL
Exabyte 2Qtr Income, Earnings Do
BOULDER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- Exabyte has announced its second quarter financial results, with net income reported at $1.61 million, or $0.08 per share.
Net income for the same period last year was $11.66 million, or $0.54 per share. Revenues for this year's second quarter were reported at $75.7 million compared to $76.6 million for the same period last year.
The company also said its net income for the six month period ending July 3, 1993, was $7.62 million, or $0.36 per share compared to $23.42 million, or $1.08 per share, for the comparable 1992 period. Revenues for the six month period were $151.969 million compared to $152,744 million for the equivalent period last year.
Using a word that is becoming heard more frequently in connection with financial results, Exabyte Chairman Peter Behrendt said the company is "disappointed" with the results. "We are clearly disappointed with the results of the second quarter and are escalating our efforts to both reduce costs and optimize the revenue and margin opportunities for the coming quarters," he said.
Behrendt said the results were due in part to weakness of the dollar relative to the yen and the resulting adverse impact on the significant Japanese material content of the company's eight millimeter (mm) tape drives. To counteract that, Behrendt said that beginning this month, all full-height 8mm drive production will be returned to the US.
Behrendt said the cost of new technology is also a factor in the quarter's results, with the company heavily involved in research and development activities in the 4mm and quarter-inch drive areas. "Product costs are still very early in the learning curve, and marketing and administrative costs are being incurred without substantial amounts of revenue yet realized from these new lines."
Behrendt says the 4mm business ramped up significantly in the second quarter and a third quarter backlog indicates a probability that trend will continue.
Behrendt said the company will attempt to further cut production costs by moving its 4mm production to Malaysia later this year.
Exabyte recently acquired Tallgrass Industries, and Behrendt said the company is concentrating its distribution efforts through the former Tallgrass sales force, focusing sales efforts on the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) and value-added reseller (VAR) channels.
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- AST has announced that, not only is its acquisition of Tandy's personal computer (PC) manufacturing operations complete, but that the acquisition is going to put the company in the red for its 1993 fiscal year. Part of AST's strategy is to obtain access to the personal digital assistant (PDA) technology that Tandy and Casio have already announced.
The company has purchased Tandy's PC manufacturing operations as well as the Grid North American and European pen-based computing sales divisions, excluding Tandy/Grid France. The operations were purchased for $15 million in cash, with the balance not expected to exceed $160 million, to be paid with a three-year promissory note. The final purchase price will be determined based upon an audit, AST added.
Safi Qureshey, AST president and chief executive officer, said in a prepared statement: "The acquired production capabilities product technologies, and marketing and sales organizations represent important enhancements to AST's growth strategy. In addition, we are pleased to combine the many talents and resources of the Tandy and Grid employees with those of the AST team and become a valued supplier of PC products to the Tandy retail operations."
AST will double its manufacturing capability with the acquisition of the four Tandy manufacturing facilities - including three in Fort Worth, Texas, and one in East Kilbride, Scotland.
The deal is going to cost AST, however, as the company has reported the purchase and an accompanying restructuring charge will mean taking a pre-tax charge of up to $125 million, which will be reflected in the company's fourth fiscal quarter which ended July 3, 1993. This charge is expected to cause a loss in AST's fourth quarter, as well as a loss for the overall 1993 fiscal year.
Plans are to combine and restructure AST's manufacturing marketing, engineering, distribution, sales, and service operations. It restructuring charge also covers inventory adjustments to reflect the realignment of product lines, as well as estimated charges to integrate management information systems.
The arrangement also includes: a three-year supply agreement with Tandy to provide personal computers to Tandy's Radio Shack, Computer City, and Incredible Universe retail operations; assumption by AST of two research and development groups, relating to Tandy's pen-based and multimedia PC technologies, and more than 110 computer patents; the assumption of Grid's sales operations and all product trademarks including the Grid and Victor brand names; and the assumption of the employment of about 2,200 former Tandy/Grid employees worldwide.
Of the 130 former Tandy/GRiD engineers joining AST's development organization, approximately one-half will focus on pen-based and portable technologies, while the balance will concentrate on multimedia and other desktop technologies. Grid is Tandy's pen-based computer.
Newsbytes asked if AST is planning a personal digital assistant (PDA) device and while no specific product announcements have been made, company representatives said users can expect such an announcement. AST has access to the Zoomer technology as well as the Grid technology. Tandy and Casio have teamed up to offer the Zoomer PDA, a pen-based, hand-held IBM PC-compatible unit that is expected to be available to consumers for around $700 beginning this fall.
Tandy keeps its trademarks, such as "Tandy," "Sensation!" and "WinMate," and plans to continue to sell computers manufactured to its specifications with its brand name on the units, Tandy officials told Newsbytes. AST will also continue to market its PCs under the Premmia, Bravo, Manhattan SMP, Premium SE PowerExec and Advantage! brands, adding the Grid and European Victor product lines.
AST was first ranked in the Fortune 500 for the year 1991 taking the 431 slot. In 1992, the company moved up to be number 367 in the list of America's largest industrial companies based on sales. Revenue for 1992 was reported at $944.1 million and for the first three quarters of 1993 the company reported $1.003 billion. Represented in 100 countries, Irvine California-headquartered AST operates 41 international subsidiaries and sales offices worldwide.
SLOUGH, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- US Robotics seems to be getting fed up with waiting for the CCITT, the international telecoms regulatory committee, to formally ratify the V.Fast modem standard. For this reason, it has announced its intention to offer a UKP99 upgrade voucher to buyers of its existing high-speed modems.
The V.Fast standard, which has been under discussion by the CCITT for almost two years, pushes the modem transmission rate from the current 14,400 bits per second (bps) speed to 28,800 bps, using a special sampling system.
Newsbytes notes that this 28,800 bps data speed, though subject to good telephone line conditions, is quoted without data compression so, with the V.42Bis data compression system enabled, effective data transfers of 50,000 bps and more are possible.
This perhaps explains why US Robotics is issuing its vouchers to new buyers of its high speed modems. There is evidence to suggest that major companies are delaying the purchase of new modems until the CCITT agrees on the standard (an agreement is expected before the end of the year).
From now until the end of September, anyone buying a Courier V.32Bis or HST Dual Standard modem will be able to buy a voucher through his or her dealer for UKP99 that will allow an upgrade to the V.Fast standard once it is fully ratified by the CCITT.
Announcing the voucher scheme, Clive Hudson, US Robotics' sales and marketing director, said that the Courier high speed modems can be upgraded using a simple daughterboard swap approach. "All the customer has to do is to complete the warranty card and they are registered on the program. Then, when they are ready to upgrade they simply send the modem back to us and we will carry out the board change within 24 hours," he said.
Hudson wants US Robotics to be seen as a leading light in the V.Fast modem saga. "Other manufacturers have adopted a wait-and-see approach to V.Fast. We felt it was better to offer a high speed product here and now with a V.Fast upgrade option," he said. "Customers who urgently need something beefier than V.32Bis are opting for modems with our new HST 16.8 Kbps protocol with a view to upgrading next year."
(Steve Gold/19930714/Press & Public Contact: US Robotics Tel: 0753-811180)
& Public Contact: US Robotics Tel: 0753-811180)
7/14/93
UK - US Robotics Offers V.Fast Upgrade Voucher
TELECOM
IBM & Stac In Int'l Marketing De
< PORTSMOUTH, HAMPSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- IBM Personal Software Products (PSP) Europe and Stac Electronics have signed a joint marketing agreement, terms of which will allow Big Blue to market Stacker for OS/2 and DOS in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
As part of the agreement, IBM will be free to bundle Stacker with its OS/2 2.1 operating system and market the product alongside Stac Electronics.
The agreement, though logical for both companies, will clearly benefit Stac, which is currently embroiled in litigation against Microsoft, which (according to Stac) infringed on its patents with the data compression facilities in MS-DOS 6.0.
For IBM, Dave McAughtry, the director IBM PSP Europe, said he is excited at the prospect of bundling Stacker with OS/2 2.1. "The power of OS/2. and its ability to run DOS, Windows, and OS/2 applications has made it a huge success, but some customers have been inhibited from fully exploiting OS/2 because of inadequate hard disk space on their existing hardware. The inclusion of Stacker will enable us to reach a much wider user base with the power but not the hard disk space to run OS/2 efficiently," he said.
As reported by Newsbytes previously, Stacker for OS/2 and DOS which shipped earlier this month, automatically and transparently doubles the storage capacity of systems running OS/2 2.0 or later and DOS 5.0 or later. Users can now compress OS/2, Windows, and DOS files.
Chris Mossing, European General Manager for Stac Electronics, said that Stacker for OS/2 and DOS is a means of making OS/2 accessible to more users. "On a 100 megabyte (MB) OS/2 boot drive, OS/2 and a typical collection of applications including word processor spreadsheet, graphics and database, will occupy 76MB of space leaving just 24MB free. Add Stacker for OS/2 and DOS to the system and the amount of free space grows to 122MB," he said.
Like its sister package for Windows and DOS, Stacker for OS/2 and DOS is based on Stac's patented LZS compression technology. IBM and Stacker claim that the system is 100 percent-compatible with OS/2 its applications and hard disk file allocation tables. The package retails for UKP139 in the UK.
(Steve Gold/19930714/Press & Public Contact: Sally Llewelyn-Davies of IBM - Tel: 071-202-5402; Nick Spencer of Stac Electronics - Tel: 0344-873445)
Spencer of Stac Electronics - Tel: 0344-873445)
7/14/93
IBM & Stac In Int'l Marketing Deal For Stacker
UK - Olivetti Intros Cost-Effect
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- Olivetti has added the JP250 to its family of bubblejet printers. Designed as a personal printer for text and graphics, the printer features, what Olivetti claims is a revolutionary print cartridge that reduces printing costs by as much as 40 percent.
According to Olivetti, this makes the UKP249 unit one of the most competitive inkjets available on the market today and more cost effective than laser printing.
The revolutionary aspect of the print cartridge is its "clean hands" replaceable ink barrel, which the company claims can be changed as many as seven or eight times before the print head has to be renewed.
The printer has a specification of 300 dots-per-inch (dpi) and speeds of up to three pages-per-minute. Users can choose between two print quality modes: 180 characters-per-second (cps) for drafting text or graphics, or 120 cps for letter quality (LQ) print. The printer comes with 13 bit-mapped and 25 scaleable fonts as standard.
Mark McEvoy, Olivetti's printer product manager, says he believes that the arrival of the JP250 will help the company maintain its position at the vanguard of inkjet technology. He claims it will build on the success of its sister products, such as the JP150 and 350s, plus the Color 8000, the company's combined color printer and plotter device. "More and more customers are choosing to buy inkjets, as they recognize the competitive price/performance edge they have over other printer technologies."
According to McEvoy, inkjets can now offer the quality of a laser printer at the price of a dot matrix. "And they are quieter and more environmentally friendly than both," he said. "Olivetti's development of the JP250 eliminates the last remaining drawback to inkjet printing - the cost of printing per page - because the JP250 is not only inexpensive to buy, but also to run."
(Steve Gold/19930714/Press & Public Contact: Olivetti UK Tel: 081-785-6666; Fax: 081-874-3014)
Olivetti UK Tel: 081-785-6666; Fax: 081-874-3014)
7/14/93
UK - Olivetti Intros Cost-Effective Bubblejet Printer
TRENDS
> h L
BSA Outlines Strategy, Goals
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- The Business Software Alliance's (BSA) president, Robert Holleyman, has outlined the trade association's goals for 1993 and 1994 in an interview published in the BSA's newsletter. Unsurprisingly, BSA's major goals are to reduce software piracy worldwide and to support efforts to adopt NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement.
The BSA is a trade association formed to promote the interests of those software publishers whose programs are the most vulnerable to the practice of illegal software copying, also known as software piracy.
Focusing more on the international arena and leaving most domestic anti-piracy efforts to the much larger Software Publishers Association, the BSA now operates in more than 30 countries.
Priority regions for its anti-piracy efforts in the coming year are, according to Mr. Holleyman, Spain in Europe and Korea in Asia because both countries have weak copyright protection laws.
Once an all-American operation, the BSA has recently expanded its membership to include four regional European Community members as well as two new members in the Czech Republic. Two Asia regional members have also become members of the BSA, as foreign software companies have become stronger and are therefore encountering important losses from piracy.
Members of the BSA include: Adobe Systems, Aldus, Apple Autodesk, Borland International, Central Point Software, GO Corporation, Lotus, Microsoft, Novell, Symantec, The Santa Cruz Operation, and WordPerfect.
(John McCormick/19930713/Press Contact: BSA Diane Smiroldo, BSA new phone number 202-872-5500 new fax number 202-872-5501)
0 new fax number 202-872-5501)
7/15/93
BSA Outlines Strategy, Goals
GENERAL
ILM Demos Graphics Magic
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- Steve Williams and Stefen Fangmeier from Industrial Light and Magic shared the progression of their special effects capability and a glimpse into the future this week in a presentation sponsored by The American Film Institute's Advanced Technology Program at The Academy in Hollywood. The presentation was not only of clips of the special effects from famous films, such as "Terminator 2" and the recent hit "Jurassic Park," but also how that magic was created using computer graphics.
The development of the technology for computer-generated effects is very much driven by the movie industry and what filmmakers want. While there are interesting problems out there to solve, ILM spends its time solving the problems for which it gets paid, Williams and Fangmeier maintain. However, there is a definite progression toward being able to computer-animate more and more lifelike creatures from the real world, evident in the special effects technology in "The Abyss," "Terminator 2," "Death Becomes Her," and "Jurassic Park."
The computer graphics (CG) division of ILM started out as a small, service portion of the company that was known for being able to do things like "blood cells moving around" according to Williams. It wasn't until the work on the film "The Abyss" that the CG division was taken more seriously.
Williams and Fangmeier started with demonstrations of the special effects from the film "The Abyss" in which a woman's face is computer generated as reflective water. The chin of the woman looked pointed in the first few attempts and Williams said he was criticized for creating the look of the witch in the "Wizard of Oz." To correct the problem, Williams said he cheated and simply turned the angle of the computer-generated face so the chin was less prominent, a move he described as "cheating" for the camera.
"Terminator 2" was a big step because the entire movie was based on the success of the computer graphic animation of the character of the villain. The forty-nine scenes in the movie took a year to accomplish. Williams showed short clips of the actor who played the movie's villain walking like the character outdoors in his underwear with a black lines that formed a grid painted onto his entire body. This was done so the ILM team could see how to animate the movement of computer generated character, which was chrome. The team then went back, made a skeleton using the computer, put chrome "flesh" on the skeleton, and then mimicked the movement recorded by the actor to the computer generated figure.
The "reveal," when the character goes from chrome to cop, was anticipated to be difficult, Fangmeier said, but actually turned out to be one of the simplest portions to do because it was easy to get the computer to "peel" away the chrome from the cop figure.
"Death Becomes Her" was described as groundbreaking technology, although the team said it was really "back breaking" technology. The special effects in the film involving the actress's head were done by filming the actress with a blue knit sock on her head, then filming her head with a blue sock on her body, and then creating a computer-generated neck to connect the two. Problems in lighting and color were paramount to the team. As a result, they filmed everything from as many angles as possible in order to avoid asking the producer to later rebuild the set for a shot they didn't get.
Fangmeier said it was difficult to match the geometry of the neck to the moving films of the head and body, calling it "roto hell." Hair was also tricky and at one point the team took off the character's pony tail and animated another pony tail for a scene to make the special effects look right.
The progression of first being able to generate bones, and then flesh over the bones, and then movement, and then skin allowed filmmakers to create the effects in "Jurassic Park." It was so easy to create sequences that Fangmeier said he would: "Take a book with a nice picture, scan the picture, and then put the T-Rex in there." The problems occurred when the team attempted to figure out how a seven-ton bipedal animal would walk, since no references exist. The team did a lot of stomping around in rooms trying to walk like a T-Rex and arguing, "I look like a Rex," "No, I look like a Rex," Williams said.
They called the computer-generated dinosaurs that were put into the shots filmed on location, the "dinosaur input device" or DID. The team also did the fences in the scenes with the T-Rex as computer-generated animations because it was easier and less expensive.
"Jurassic Park" was the first project in which sculptors animators, puppeteers, and other professionals worked as a team to create a film, according to Fangmeier. Not all the dinosaurs in the film were computer-generated -- some were stop motion. But Williams said Steven Spielberg insisted the stop motion sequences have the look of the computer-generated ones.
During the production, ILM would send Spielberg incremental work on video via satellite to Poland where Speilberg was shooting another film on location. The team felt that Speilberg's ability to work on another film while the graphics were still being worked out was a vote of confidence both in ILM and in the technology.
ILM is still exclusively using Silicon Graphics' (SGI) workstations for their computer-generated animation work. SGI has worked closely with ILM to give them what they need in terms of technology and the software vendors have as well Williams added.
The next step is to computer-generate animals, and then people. Technically, that means being able to realistically generate skin and hair. Williams and Fangmeier were reluctant to talk much about the company's advances in that technology other than to say ILM is working on it and emphasized the technology is driven by market demands. "If someone wants a talking bear we'll come up with a way to do it," Williams added.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930713/Press Contact: Nick DeMartino American Film Institute, tel 213-856-7690; Katie Cotton Allison Thomas Associates for AFI, 818-981-1520, fax 818-981 4230)
81-1520, fax 818-981 4230)
7/15/93
ILM Demos Graphics Magic
TRENDS
Multimedia Group Formed In Europ
LA NAPOULE, FRANCE, 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- A group of companies from around the world has announced they have formed a group to work on promoting the design and use of collaborative multimedia applications. The seven founding companies are: Deutsche Bundespost Telekom, France Telecom, IBM, Intel, Northern Telecom and Telestra Corporation.
According to the group, collaborative multimedia applications allow people who cannot meet face to face to overcome any distances to work together at their workstations -- from any points on the globe.
In a statement issued at the end of June, the seven companies said that the name of their group is the Multimedia Communications Community of Interest (MCCI). Group officials said they welcomed other companies to join with them in discussing the service and technical requirements to turn their vision into reality.
According to a spokesman for the group with Northern Telecom, these are very early days for the organization, but the aim is to promote the use of applications that let people in different locations view documents, images, graphics and full motion video on a PC screen. These applications will let people discuss what they see on the screen as well as make changes that all participants can see.
The success of the group's initiative will depend on the degree to which this type of collaborative work can be accomplished regardless of the operating system, computer equipment or telecoms company being used.
Interestingly, the MCCI plans to begin a series of field trials in the first quarter of next year. The aim of these trials is to test the consistency of the technical approach and test services on a coordinated, global approach.
(Steve Gold/19930714/Press Contact: Northern Telecom Europe - Tel: 0628-812483)
Telecom Europe - Tel: 0628-812483)
7/15/93
Multimedia Group Formed In Europe
GENERAL
Motorola Codex Periphery Routing
WALLINGTON, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 15 (NB) -- Motorola Codex has announced it is taking what it claims is an entirely new direction for integrated branch networking or feeder solutions called Periphery Routing.
According to the company, Periphery Routing represents the first of several announcements from Motorola which are designed to address users' needs at the edge -- the periphery -- of the branch network.
As part of this strategy, Motorola Codex has also announced Release 3.1 and a Token Ring Interface Module (TRIM) as enhancements to its 6500 Plus communications processor. The company claims that together, Release 3.1 and TRIM offer a migration package for branches to handle local area network (LAN) and terminal-to-host protocols simultaneously from a single platform.
Motorola has enlisted the help of Jim Harrison, vice president of global networking strategies at the Meta Group, to publicize the new strategy. He claims that today's typical branch network has several legacy applications to support, while, at the same time, moving towards a LAN-based environment. "Motorola Codex addresses these needs in a cost effective way while providing a realistic migration path, particularly from existing analog multi-drop networks," he said.
According to Motorola Codex, Release 3.1 is the first step in a Motorola Codex migration strategy to provide the customer with a range of LAN routing solutions for multimedia traffic types. By treating LAN traffic as another protocol, the user benefits from the flexibility to mix various traffic types together in an efficient manner, minimizing site equipment costs and WAN transmission expenses.
Pricing on the TRIM and Release 3.1 enhancements to Motorola Codex' 6500 Plus communications processor will be announced closer to shipment date during this third quarter of the year.
(Steve Gold/19930714/Press & Public Contact: Motorola Codex - Tel: 081-669-4343)
Public Contact: Motorola Codex - Tel: 081-669-4343)
7/15/93
Motorola Codex Periphery Routing Network Strategy
GENERAL
Comdex/Canada - Sun/Bell Develop
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- Bell Canada needed multi-screen display technology to help it manage its telephone network, so the company worked with Sun Microsystems of Canada Inc.'s Canadian Development Centre to create software that lets X Window applications run on a mosaic of screens driven by Sun SPARCstations. Now Bell Sygma, a unit of Bell, plans to sell the software, called Mosaic Array Technology, or MOSART.
Shown at Comdex/Canada, the software works with mosaics of as many as 28 screens across by 28 screens high. It allows X applications on networked workstations to display on the full mosaic or any part of it, taking advantage of all the resolution available to display in more detail.
A user at any workstation on the network can work with any application displayed on the bank of screens, explained Mary McQueen of Sun's Canadian Development Centre. The MOSART software supports all X Window applications.
As a display subsystem, it requires a SPARCstation IPX or SPARCstation 10 with at least 32 megabytes (MB) of memory and 20MB of disk storage, plus the Solaris 1.0.1 operating system OpenWindows 3.0 windowing software, and Informix 5.0 database management system. Any color SPARCstation with at least 16MB of memory can be used as an operator console. Configurations with two displays per workstation require an extra GX frame buffer.
Bell Sygma will be selling the MOSART system worldwide McQueen said.
(Grant Buckler/19930714/Press Contact: Bell Sygma 800-26-SYGMA - 800-267-9462)
Press Contact: Bell Sygma 800-26-SYGMA - 800-267-9462)
7/14/93
Comdex/Canada - Sun/Bell Develop Multi-Screen System
SaskTel To Raise Local Telecom R
L REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA, 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- SaskTel the regional phone company service in Saskatchewan, has announced an across-the-board C$2 boost in local phone line rates. The provincially owned company said the move is meant to offset a loss of long-distance revenue due to competition.
SaskTel, alone among Canada's regional telephone companies, does not currently face competition on its home ground. The province is the only one left where telecommunications is regulated by the provincial government rather than the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), and the provincial government, which owns SaskTel, has steadfastly refused to allow Toronto-based Unitel Communications Inc., or any other company to offer competitive long-distance service in Saskatchewan.
However, SaskTel earns much of its revenue from long-distance calls that cross the provincial boundary. It shares in revenue from those calls through Stentor, the national consortium of telephone companies. With all other members of Stentor facing competition since the 1992 CRTC decision that opened the Canadian market to alternative long-distance providers, combined with long-distance rate cuts, SaskTel officials say they are expecting C$40 million less in long-distance revenue this year.
SaskTel may also have to prepare for competition at home in a few years. Bill C-62, the new federal telecommunications law recently passed and due to take effect this fall, puts a five-year moratorium on any change in SaskTel's provincially regulated status. Ron Podbielski, a spokesman for SaskTel, said it is not certain the company will come under CRTC jurisdiction after that time. However, he admitted such a change, which would probably mean an opening to competition, is possible.
Podbielski said SaskTel, which has a high proportion of rural subscribers since it serves a sparsely populated province, hopes to maintain its subsidy of local service from long-distance revenues. But he said the subsidy is likely to be less in future than it has been.
The increase, which takes effect August 1, means every phone line in the province, whether residential or business, will cost C$2 more per month. SaskTel expects it to produce C$6.2 million in revenues this year.
(Grant Buckler/19930714/Press Contact: Ron Podbielski, SaskTel 306-777-4476)
Ron Podbielski, SaskTel 306-777-4476)
7/14/93
SaskTel To Raise Local Telecom Rates
TELECOM
Software Customizes Checks On La
MOUNT AIRY, NORTH CAROLINA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- A North Carolina-based company has introduced a software program that makes it possible to print checks for various accounts on blank forms, customizing all the information including the special magnetic coding.
Called BlankCheck 2.0, the software enables uses to print properly encoded checks on an ordinary Hewlett Packard Laserjet printer eliminating the need to buy a separate box of checks for each account.
Magnetic Software says when it initially released the software in 1991 it was designed for organizations that had 25 or more checking accounts, such as payroll bureaus, insurance companies, property managers, and CPAs (certified public accountants). However, the new version, release 2.0, makes the technology available to anyone with more than one checking account. The software includes a direct interface with several business accounting programs, such as DacEasy, PeachTree, Quicken, and AccPac.
The key is the rather strange looking numbers at the bottom of the check. They comply with an international encoding standard called MICR, or Magnetic Character Recognition. Printed with magnetic ink and in a special font called E-13B, they allow the computers used by financial institutions to read the checks to determine the account number, the paying bank, and other check processing information. When you purchase your checks, they come with the numbers pre printed on the checks.
Using BlankCheck software and a special magnetic toner cartridge in the HP Laserjet, users can print the codes for any of their checking accounts on checks and deposit slips. Magnetic Software says as many as 68 forms per minute can be printed.
The company offers three versions of BlankCheck. "BlankCheck Basic" is designed for organizations with two to four checking accounts that use DacEasy, Peachtree, Quicken or AccPac accounting software.
"BlankCheck Enhanced" is for companies with up to 25 checking accounts, and includes user-configurable password protections, a special hardware security key, and a check log feature. It also interfaces with the accounting packages. The hardware security key plugs into the port on the printer, and the printer cable in turn connects to the security device, Magnetic Software's John Springthorpe III told Newsbytes.
For users having up to 300 checking accounts, the company offers "BlankCheck Corporate." It has the same features as the Enhanced version, plus support for international currencies, can print company or bank logos, and can print duplicate checks. It also includes design features that allow the user to design their own unique check forms.
In addition to the accounting packages mentioned, BlankCheck also has interfaces for various property management programs and other vertical applications, and supports fixed-length ASCII output so users of other programs can make use of the program.
To use any of the BlankCheck packages you need an IBM-compatible personal computer, a Hewlett Packard Laserjet Series III or 4 printer, a MICR Toner Cartridge and laser check forms. In addition to the BlankCheck software, Magnetic Software also sells the toner cartridges and the forms. The program can integrate a facsimile signature created by a drawing program.
The Basic version has a suggested retail price of $149.95. The Enhanced version sells for $299.95, while Corporate carries a $499.95 price tag. Additional accounting package interfaces are available for $49.95. Springthorpe told Newsbytes the company also produces custom forms such as payment books.
(Jim Mallory/19930713/Press contact: John Springthorpe III Magnetic Software, 919-786-1336: Reader contact: Magnetic Software, tel 919-786-1336, fax 919-789-4143)
Software, tel 919-786-1336, fax 919-789-4143)
7/14/93
Software Customizes Checks On Laser Printer
Dialog Commits To Sun Equipment
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- Dialog Information Services, the largest database service in the world said it will work with Sun to change its system from a proprietary, mainframe-based host into a distributed, standards based network.
As a start, the company, which is owned by Knight-Ridder, said it has purchased Sun SPARCstation and SPARCserver computers running Sun's Solaris system, a version of Unix, as its new development platform. Dialog said it now stores over two terabytes of data on its mainframe systems -- that is two trillion bytes.
In addition, Dialog said it entered into a strategic relationship with Sun and its SunSoft unit for managing information on the SPARC/Solaris platform, so SPARC/Solaris users will be able to gain access to information based on Dialog's information services in the future.
Most important is the fact that Dialog, one of the largest on-line service companies and one of the larger users of mainframe computers for database services, has indicated it is moving to a client-server architecture. It is a strong indication of the trend away from mainframe-based computing.
SHERMAN OAKS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A, 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- Independent Entertainment Group has said that shareholders have approved its name change to Independent Telemedia Group, although its stock symbol will remain INDE on the NASDAQ National Market System.
The name change was based on the fact that the company is moving away from merely being a provider of 900-number services becoming a service bureau for other providers as well.
Lewis Eisaguirre, the company's chief financial officer, told Newsbytes that the company is making real progress in that direction. For example, the company has won agreements with the regional Bell companies and major independents for exchange of what is called "BNA" - billing number and address data.
The BNA databases are considered the most accurate way of telling exactly where to bill someone for phone calls, since they are the addresses phone bills are actually sent to. The company is also modifying its main computers to link with this data in on-line, as calls come in.
Independent Telemedia is competing for the business with AT&T and MCI, with Sprint having left the market. While the two larger companies have complex content restrictions aimed at eliminating objectionable material, Independent Telemedia has run some of its services on toll-free and local numbers in the past -- such numbers are often used by sex-based services today.
However, the company hopes to prosper by using a database of 900-number deadbeats it has built. The database will be checked as people call, and those who have not paid for past calls will not be allowed future calls. Combined with the BNA data from phone companies, Independent Telemedia hopes to reduce the loss from uncollected calls to just 1-2 percent from the high of 66 percent experienced in past years.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930713/Press Contact: Independent Telemedia Group Inc., Lew Eisaguirre, 818-501-4633)
w Eisaguirre, 818-501-4633)
7/14/93
900 Operator Changes Name
TELECOM
Sprint Adds New International Ca
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A,. 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- Sprint, which has been falling behind MCI and AT&T as the world moves to worldwide networks, has made its first move in some time in an effort to catch up. The company has introduced The Most Worldwide, a new calling plan offering 20 percent discounts and simplified 12-hour calling periods.
While AT&T has moved to alliances with other telephone companies and MCI has signed to sell 20 percent of itself to British Telecom Sprint has stayed on the sidelines. However, there are a number of unaligned phone companies around the world, and analysts say these opportunities must be grasped quickly by Sprint before its rivals move.
France Telecom, for instance, has expressed regret that it could not tie up with MCI, and might be open to a move from Sprint. So might the Deutsche Bundespost Telekom due to be partly privatized later this decade, and the Scandinavian and Dutch phone units organized as Unisource.
With The Most Worldwide, Sprint has divided the day in each of its international destinations into day and night, with only two rates. Automatic discounts apply during all calling periods. The new calling plan also eliminates an extra-high charge on the first minute of calls, providing the same rate each minute for the duration of the call. The discounts also apply to users of the company's Fon calling card. Sprint also said it is offering the discounts to 280 foreign destinations, five times the number covered by rivals. All this costs $3 per month.
According to figures supplied to Newsbytes by Sprint, a 10 minute call to Japan which costs $7.80 using the AT&T Reach Out World calling plan will cost $6.16 via Sprint, while a call to the United Kingdom costing $5.90 with AT&T Reach Out World will cost $4.64 with the new Sprint plan. Comparisons are even better with AT&T's regular international rates, Sprint claims.
SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- Progress Software Corp., and the Santa Cruz Operation (SCO) have entered into a strategic and enhanced user support agreement.
Steve Zamierowski, spokesman for Progress Software, told Newsbytes that the deal involves "both marketing and development." He said that there are three levels, "One is to improve the technical link and the performance between the SCO operating system and the Progress application development and database. The next one is a joint training relationship, where we will train the SCO personnel and they will train us, so we can offer more efficient customer service and technical support. The other part is a joint marketing agreement."
Under terms of the partnership, the two companies will undertake joint engineering to "optimize software performance between the Progress Application Development Environment (ADE) and SCO operating system products."
The two companies also intend to establish programs designed to support one another through trade shows, publicity, and other marketing activities. The agreements also call for both companies' application providers to be trained on each others' products. In the words of the companies, this is intended to "create additional joint business opportunities through the reseller channel."
In announcing the deal, Scott McGregor, SCO's vice president of products, said: "The close relationship formalized between Progress Software and SCO gives business users the confidence to choose Progress databases and application development tools on SCO platforms. When a customer bets their business on a computing solution, they look for this highest level of integration between both the products as well as the supporting companies."
Progress claims to have shipped more than 170,000 licenses of the Progress Application Development Environment, which consists of a fourth-generation language (4GL), relational database management system (RDBMS), links to other data managers, and associated tools for application development and end-user query and reporting.
(Ian Stokell/19930713/Press Contact: Steve Zamierowski, or David Smith, 617-280-4000, Progress Software Corporation; Rebecca Somers, 408-427-7103, The Santa Cruz Operations, Inc.)
rs, 408-427-7103, The Santa Cruz Operations, Inc.)
7/14/93
SCO & Progress Software In Strategic Partnership
BUSINESS
GO & SunSelect In Pen Product De
FOSTER CITY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- GO Corp. has signed a deal whereby it will assume all responsibility for marketing, support and distribution of SunSelect's PenTOPS and PenCentral pen networking products to OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and end-users of GO's PenPoint operating system.
A SunSelect source told Newsbytes that, "There was a joint development between SunSelect and GO that has been in existence for a couple of years now. That was the Pen product line - the PenTOPS and the PenPoint products. It was a joint marketing and development relationship. At this point in time, both GO and SunSelect decided that, because the products are operating system (OS)-based products - based around GO's PenPoint OS - that the products should be marketed and distributed directly through GO. This is part of the evolution of the relationship that Sun and GO" already have.
According to the companies, the established agreement is designed "to develop and promote networking technology for the PenPoint platform."
In announcing the deal, Mike Homer, GO vice president of marketing said: "Having an effective means of exchanging information between personal communicators and desktop machines is a key capability for any mobile user. Through our support of PenTOPs and PenCentral we are ensuring that our PenPoint customers will continue to have the ability to take advantage of these important desktop integration solutions, with technology that is here today."
PenTOPs allows tablet users to connect their tablets to IBM PCs running PenCentral, which in turn connects pen tablets to DOS-based PCs via serial port, parallel port, or modem. The company says that PenCentral works with PenTOPs client to provide tablet users easy access to drives and printers on DOS-based PCs.
The deal calls for GO to provide customer support and technical assistance to all existing users of PenTOPS and PenCentral products for PenPoint.
Both products will be available for PenPoint 1.01 direct from GO. PenTOPS is currently bundled with the PenPoint operating system and is available to OEMs. PenCentral is now available from GO for a suggested retail price of $179.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- For electronic mail (e-mail) systems, interconnectivity between multiple platforms is vital if the product is to be accepted enterprise-wide. Now, Lotus Development has announced that it is shipping Lotus cc:Mail Link to UUCP 2.0, a gateway connecting cc:Mail e-mail users to Unix systems via the Unix-to-Unix Communications Protocol (UUCP).
According to the company, Lotus cc:Mail Link to UUCP translates outbound cc:Mail messages to UUCP-format messages, where they can then be sent to, and read by, users on a Unix host computer. Incoming UUCP mail messages are translated to the cc:Mail format.
Lotus claims that key features in the new release are: enhanced reliability through the provision of additional error checking and more robust asynchronous communications protocols; support for the transfer of multiple file types, including fax files and the transmission of Macintosh file attachments in Apple's bin/hex and AppleSingle formats; and simpler, more flexible procedures for installation and configuration.
A Smart Addressing feature enables Lotus cc:Mail Link to UUCP to automatically match names in an existing cc:Mail Post Office with incoming UUCP messages, claims the company. This saves LAN (local area network) administrators from having to manually create and maintain address-translation files.
UUCP is one of two widely used communications protocols for messaging to and within Unix-based wide-area networks. Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), is the other. According to Lotus SMTP is a high-performance protocol for networks with greater levels of e-mail traffic.
In announcing the product, Rex Cardinale, vice president and general manager of Lotus' cc:Mail division, said: "cc:Mail Link to UUCP complements our SMTP product by providing a cost-effective solution for smaller sites looking to send e-mail to and from Unix networks, including the rapidly growing Internet."
Lotus cc:Mail Link to UUCP offers a number of tools for network administrators, including a menu-driven installation and configuration utility that allows network administrators to customize the UUCP gateway.
A multiple-level logging feature provides a detailed report of events during installation and troubleshooting, then allows administrators to reduce the amount of detail so routine monitoring of message traffic levels can be performed faster.
Lotus cc:Mail Link to UUCP 2.0 is available immediately at a suggested retail price of $495, and free upgrades are available to registered users of any previous version of cc:Mail LINK to UUCP.
Lotus says that cc:Mail Link to UUCP conforms to Internet mail protocols RFC-822,-821, and -1154. The product requires an IBM PC XT, AT, PS/2 or compatible computer, 640 kilobytes (KB) RAM, a network adapter card and network connection hardware appropriate to each cc:Mail Post Office LAN. Software requirements are MS-DOS 3.1 or later and a cc:Mail Post Office at Level 6 or greater.
(Ian Stokell/19930713/Press Contact: Mark McHarry 415-335-6786, Lotus Development Corp.)
415-335-6786, Lotus Development Corp.)
7/14/93
Lotus Intros cc:Mail Link To UUCP 2.0
NCD Intros Large-Screen Color X
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- Claiming it is responding to customer demands for audio and graphics capabilities, Network Computing Devices Inc., has expanded its MCX line of sound-equipped color X terminals, with the new MCX19.
According to the company, the new high-end unit features a large 19-inch display screen and a new low-profile base. The new MCX19 is priced at $4,695 and offers 100,000-Xstone performance.
In announcing the new product, Judy Estrin, executive vice president said: "After seeing our MCX announcement last winter, a number of our customers, notably those accustomed to using workstation-size screens, said they wanted MCX features - such as audio support and low-cost PEX (3D X graphics) - in a 19-inch product. Besides addressing the screen-size issue, the MCX19 offers a new base that combines MCX electronics with the low-profile packaging of our other X terminals."
The MCX19's 19-inch low-emission (MPRII) monitor, with .28 dot pitch and a 72-hertz (Hz) non-interlaced refresh rate, offers user selectable screen resolution of 640 by 480 to 1152 by 900 pixels.
The company claims that the MCX19's integrated 16-bit audio input/output support is network directed, which allows multiple sound applications. The terminal features a 20 megahertz (MHz) MC88100 RISC (reduced instruction-set computer) processor along with support for up to 72 megabytes of memory, which according to the company, permits support for advanced applications such as PEX, color imaging, and Display PostScript.
The MCX19 runs NCDware, NCD's optimized version of the X11 server software. The terminal also supports xdcmp (X display manager control protocol); multiple local Telnet or LAT clients; VT320 emulation, including dynamic font selection and scroll bars; and SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)-based network management with NCD MIB extensions.
The MCX19 is priced at $4,695 with six megabytes (MB) of DRAM (expandable to 72 MB), mouse, keyboard, serial port and Ethernet controller. The software license is $50 per unit.
NOVATO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- Bundling deals are a good way for software companies to get their products into the hands of new users. Now Software Toolworks Inc., has signed OEM (original equipment manufacturing) product bundling deals with both Apple Computer and Tandy Electronics.
The multi-year agreement with Apple Computer calls for Software Toolworks to supply up to three CD-ROM products for bundling with several Apple Computer products, with initial shipments expected to begin by the end of 1993.
The deal with Tandy calls for the bundling of Tandy PCs with the MPC versions of the "Software Toolworks Reference Library," "World Atlas," "U.S. Atlas," and "The San Diego Zoo Presents ... The Animals!" Shipments under this agreement are expected to begin this quarter.
In announcing the bundling deals, Bob Lloyd, chief executive officer of The Software Toolworks, said, "These agreements are significant in that they position our products with outstanding companies in the computer and home electronics industry. The new business arrangements also testify to the breadth and strength of our products and technology."
(Ian Stokell/19930713/Press Contact: Vincent L. Turzo 415-883-3000 ext 568, The Software Toolworks)
nt L. Turzo 415-883-3000 ext 568, The Software Toolworks)
7/14/93
Software Toolworks In Bundling Deals With Apple & Tandy
BUSINESS
Dell Predicts Big 2Qtr Loss
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- Dell Computer is expecting to report a loss of $1.65 to $1.85 per share for the second fiscal quarter, and could default on some of its revolving credit agreements.
The company said the projected loss for the quarter, which ends August 1, is due to significant writedowns and restructuring charges of $75 million to $85 million stemming from restructuring inventory writedowns, and costs associated with delayed and canceled notebook projects. The restructuring consolidated some common functions to improve efficiency of operations, principally in the international market
Regarding the possibility of being in default of some of its financial agreements, Dell Chief Financial Officer Thomas Meredith said he is working with Dell lenders to resolve the situation, and that he does not expect a default to occur. "I'm confident that we will be able to secure alternative financing or obtain a waiver before any default would materialize," Meredith said.
In February Newsbytes reported that the company had withdrawn a planned four million share common stock offering, citing what it called "unfavorable market conditions." At the time the company said it was still confident of its ability to fund significant growth.
Dell Chairman and CEO Michael Dell called the loss "disappointing," and said the company is determined to take the steps necessary to strengthen the company for the future. "We have aggressively provided for known exposure with these charges. However, there is still work to be done as we further identify the systems and process improvements needed to support the increasing complexity of our business and the three billion dollars in revenue we expect to generate this fiscal year," said Dell.
In January Newsbytes reported that Dell had created a new position to oversee operational planning, supply chain management new product introductions, operations strategic planning, and distribution.
The company also promoted three sales executives within the US organization and named Dell USA President Joel Kocher president of worldwide sales, marketing, and service operations. Andrew Harris resigned as president of Dell's international unit after reportedly losing out in the competition for the position Kocher got. Last month Dell named former Apple Computer executive Eric Harslem to the position of senior vice president of the product group, replacing Glenn Henry, who was named to the newly created office of chief technology officer.
Dell also hired John Medica to rebuild its notebook business. Medica stopped development on most of the dozen or so notebook products that were to have been introduced this summer, and went to Japan to search for partners there to help rebuild the company's notebook business, including the possibility of an OEM (original equipment manufacturing) agreement with one or more Japanese manufacturers or a financial partnership.
The company says it expects to report revenues of $710 million to $730 million for the second quarter. If that estimate is accurate it will be an increase of 55 to 60 percent over the same period last year and will keep Dell on track towards the estimated revenues of about $3 billion it expects for the current fiscal year. The company reported $2 billion in revenues for fiscal 1993. Dell reported record revenues of $672 million for the first quarter for per-share earnings of $0.25, and also called those results disappointing. First quarter pre-tax income was lowered by more than $20 million due to poor results from the notebook computer business, and the company predicted the problems with the notebook delays and cancellations would negatively affect earnings for the following two quarters.
Last month Newsbytes reported that several shareholders had filed suit against the company, charging that Dell failed to disclose the problems in the notebook division. Dell stock dropped more than seven points when the first quarter results were announced. Dell officials claimed that the losses were not known until a few days before the earnings statement was released. The suit reportedly alleged that Dell had artificially inflated its stock price by failing to provide investors with accurate information..
Michael Dell said overall sales are continuing to grow rapidly despite soft demand in the European market and is taking steps to maintain that growth. "We have strengthened our management team with experienced executives from many leading company. We are focused on rebuilding our profitability quickly, developing the systems we need to support our growth and reentering the notebook business in a major way."
In April Dell announced that is had started shipping its Precision line personal computers to discount warehouse outlets Price Club and Sam's, and announced a distribution deal that would see Dell's Dimension line PCs sold in Wal-Mart stores.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- AT&T is putting a technology called TrueVoice into its network which, it claims will mean a big improvement in sound quality. The technology, once in place by the end of 1994, will cost consumers nothing, and is intended to give AT&T a leg-up in its competition with MCI and Sprint. The roll-out will be city-by-city starting in September.
TrueVoice enhances the bass end of the sound spectrum, and boosts the volume of the call by an average of four decibels, according to Mark Siegel. This makes for richer sound. He could not go into the further details, he added, for competitive reasons, indicating that if MCI or Sprint found out how AT&T was doing, they would do it, too. Once your city has the TrueVoice technology, he added, and you are an AT&T customer in that city, you will hear TrueVoice when you call-out. But the person on the other end of the line will not hear TrueVoice until their town, too, has the technology.
AT&T is advertising TrueVoice heavily. An ad which debuted during the Major League Baseball All-Star Game had a voice-over urging consumers to call a toll-free number and hear the difference between the current network and TrueVoice. The number to call is 800-932-2000, or 800-792-1900 in Spanish.
In a press conference July 13, AT&T claimed it tried-out the technology among 2,500 customers of all three major long distance companies and eight in ten thought it sounded "clearer, closer and more natural." But AT&T has so far refused to explain how TrueVoice works, although it does seem to boost the bass notes in a voice call. Thus, its rivals are calling the claims "smoke and mirrors." In fact, for the last few years, sound quality on all three major networks has been very similar. AT&T's advantages in the time it took to set-up a call evaporated recently when its rivals were forced to meet new government standards early this year.
The move by AT&T is the latest shot in a continuing war for long distance supremacy, where AT&T had been losing market share steadily until recently. Most of the battle is over price. MCI which won big with its "Friends and Family" calling circle plan is now going after business customers with a "Proof Positive" claim in which it reports quarterly on savings over AT&T. Sprint has launched "The Most Worldwide," a new cut-rate calling plan on international calls. AT&T's own entry in this is the "i Plan," a customized calling plan for everyone who calls its special toll free number in response to commercials.
And there's a fourth player - LDDS/Metromedia, created by the merger of many smaller carriers, which is aiming first at business customers, and recently won the contract to serve Mirage Resorts.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930714/Press Contact: AT&T, Mark Siegel 908/221-8413)
Mark Siegel 908/221-8413)
7/14/93
AT&T Announces TrueVoice
TELECOM
Cellular One Helping Flood Victi
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- As with Hurricane Andrew a year ago, the Cellular One units of McCaw Cellular are trying to help Mississippi flood victims with some free calls.
McCaw said the Northeast Region of its Cellular One network which is based in Pittsburgh, is shipping cellular telephones antennas, batteries and other support equipment to the St. Louis chapter of the American Red Cross, for free use to the business community and emergency management or public safety organizations during the crisis.
Last year, the company provided over 2,000 phones, along with its portable cell-on-wheels cell-sites, to victims and relief workers in the wake of Andrew.
In a statement from the company, McCaw estimated the value of last year's donations at $1 million in equipment and manpower and $20,000 per day in service.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930714/Press Contact: Paula McWilliams Cellular One, 412-427-9268)
Williams Cellular One, 412-427-9268)
7/14/93
Cellular One Helping Flood Victims
TELECOM
Digi Offers New ISDN Board For P
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- Digi International has announced PC IMAC/4, a PC expansion card for standard PC/AT slots that creates an ISDN (Integrated Services Digital networks) communications hub. The company said up to four of the cards can be installed in a single PC.
The result is that up to 20 ISDN connections can be housed in the PC to support up to 40 simultaneous calls. This helps ISDN connection management by reducing the number of boxes that need to be stored in the wiring closet. The company's products also include PC IMAC, a digital board for remote workers that acts as a client system on an ISDN network.
All the boards work with the company's ISDN Data Pump, or IDP module. Up to four IDP modules can be installed on a single card supporting one Basic Rate ISDN connection, which means two digital channels with a total capacity of 128,000 bits-per-second (bps).
The company claims that the modules are easy to install, so more capacity can be added as needed, and each module has a built-in channel protocol analyzer which works on the 16,000 bps signaling channel which is a standard part of ISDN.
Software can also be upgraded in the field. The board supports Novell's NetWare network operating system as well as Microsoft Windows NT operating system. Costs run from $1,195 to $3,980 depending on the number of IDP modules.
The board will get its first public display at Interop Fall in August, a show for users of the Internet networks and TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) protocols.
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- Dialog has made what it calls a "significant minority investment" in Personal Library Software which could bring natural language searching to Dialog's database services in time.
Dialog said it will gain representation on the PLS board from its investment. The amount invested was not disclosed, nor did either company discuss how much of PLS Dialog is buying, except to say it is a "minority interest." The move comes the same week Dialog announced it would become a major customer of Sun Microsystems and would, in time, move its multi-terabyte database to a Sun based client-server architecture from its present mainframe.
Newsbytes discussed the transaction with Richard Black, PLS' vice president-business development. "PLS has Sun products, and has been shipping them for a number of years," he said. "We're in the process of moving our graphical user interface into the Sun environment, most likely under Solaris. We keep abreast of the latest shipping environments from Sun.
"PLS is most famous for the fact we've been advocating automatic relevance ranking and automatic data feedback technology, which we've been doing since the early 1980s," he said. "All our products have this. This lends itself to natural language searching. To the layman we have algorithms that are able to make automatic decisions about what's important and what's not important in a query. When we deliver information back, it's not just in the normal chronological order. We rank by what seems to be closest to the query."
Dialog, by contrast, is known for requiring searchers to use complex Boolean algorithms involving and, or, parts of words, and lots of parentheses. "Boolean operators are different from what PLS software does. But if you do Boolean queries we have all the operators, and we handle structured data well," he said. "You can do the kinds of things that trained Dialog searchers might want to do - nested queries with multiple fields and various operators. However, we feel our post-Boolean technology makes that unnecessary. Most people will get very good results just saying what they're looking for. One nice thing about our approach is it's extremely interactive - the user can participate in the query."
Dow Jones News Retrieval has been getting very good results with a system called DowVision, and Black said there are similarities to what PLS offers. "That system is what we'd call query by example. PLS supports query by example in a strong way." In other words, you can say, "this is a good paragraph, show me others like it" or "this is a good thing, show me other documents that look like this." This kind of natural language interaction could, in time, make Dialog far more accessible to a broader audience it is presently used mostly by corporate and public librarians.
Patrick J. Tierney, president of Dialog, said in a press statement that, "PLS has excellent technology, strong performance and knows where the information business is heading." PLS President Matthew B. Koll noted that, "Dialog has the market presence to move the information business into the future." He added that Dialog's CD-ROM businesses will be the first target of opportunity for his company.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930714/Press Contact: Richard Black, Personal Library Software, 2400 Research Boulevard, Rockville, Maryland 20850, 301-990-1155, FAX 301-963-9738)
le, Maryland 20850, 301-990-1155, FAX 301-963-9738)
7/14/93
Dialog Moves Toward Natural Language With PLS Buy
BUSINESS
First COMDEX/Canada Opens In Tor
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- The first COMDEX/Canada show and conference started its three-day run today at the Metropolitan Toronto Convention Centre.
An edition of the huge COMDEX show whose fall version dominates the computer trade show calendar in the United States, COMDEX/Canada is already a major event on the Canadian scene. Its main competition will be the Canadian Computer Show, an established event that takes place each fall in Mississauga, Ontario, a Toronto suburb.
Some in the industry speculate that the marketing might of the US-based Interface Group, which runs COMDEX, could threaten the venerable Canadian Computer Show.
The Interface Group claimed more than 300 exhibitors and projected some 20,000 attendees at COMDEX/Canada this year. That is up significantly from last year's total of about 120 exhibitors and roughly 9,500 visitors at the PC Expo and LAN Expo shows that Interface Group combined to create COMDEX/Canada.
It is still small, however, compared to the Las Vegas COMDEX, which attracts more than 100,000 exhibitors most years.
In his introductory remarks, a pep talk that has become standard fare at COMDEX shows, Interface Group Chairman Sheldon Adelson said his company plans to launch further international COMDEX shows, in Europe and the Pacific Rim, quite soon. At present the only other COMDEX outside the United States is in Brazil.
The company has previously run COMDEX shows in Europe and Japan but dropped them.
(Grant Buckler/19930713/Press Contact: Kim Pappas, The Interface Group, 617-449-6600)
as, The Interface Group, 617-449-6600)
7/13/93
First COMDEX/Canada Opens In Toronto
GENERAL
Novell Leads Challenge To Fed En
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- According to a report in today's New York Times, Novell, AT&T, Computer Associates Citicorp, Hughes Aircraft, Motorola, and other companies, along with the European standards-setting agency, are all lined up in opposition to the Clinton Administration's proposed data encryption system, which many experts feel may offer less than secure data communications.
At a conference scheduled to be held today, Novell is expected to announce an industry coalition formed with the intention of developing or adopting a new data encryption standard for network and telecommunication data exchanges.
The federally proposed system, announced interestingly enough on April 15 - income tax day, has the major disadvantage of being secret itself; that is, cipher experts don't know just what precise encryption algorithm is being used in the government-proposed system and therefore can't determine just how secure it really is.
Speculation has been rampant that the National Security Agency based at Fort Meade, Maryland, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have designed and adopted this particular data encryption system precisely because the government can easily "break" or decrypt the encoding on any commercial or private message encoded using the software.
Back in April, Ken Wasch, executive director of the Software Publishers Association, warned that while the government has said it is reviewing all commercial encryption proposals the new administration made such a quick decision on the system which covers telephone conversations that it may also jump the gun on fax and computer data encryption.
Another security standard recently proposed by the government is a signature-verification code known as digital signatures. The industry is not opposed to this system, which is used to verify just who originated a particular file or e-mail message.
(John McCormick/19930713/)
or e-mail message.
(John McCormick/19930713/)
7/13/93
Novell Leads Challenge To Fed Encryption System
B `
Digital Signature Verification D
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- After many years of litigation over patent ownership, a report in the June 21 issue of Government Computer News says that government agencies are now free to make use of the vital digital signature encryption system which will allow recipients of electronic messages to instantly verify the origin of the document.
Digital signature verification systems are vital for business and government e-mail users because without a secure system of verifying that a particular message really came from the person who supposedly sent the file, and that the file has not since been modified, e-mail couldn't be relied upon for accuracy.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) formerly known as the Bureau of Standards, the agency responsible for establishing Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) says that an official FIPS DSS (digital signature standard) should be approved by early 1994.
A secure DSS based on the Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA) has been available for years, but disputes over just who owned the patents covering its use have dragged on and were only recently resolved. That was when NIST granted Sunnyvale, California-based Public Key Partners exclusive worldwide rights to the encryption system in exchange for the company's grant of a royalty-free license to the government for certain uses.
Specialists at NIST's Computer Systems Laboratory devised the DSS both to verify the integrity of electronic messages and to positively identify the originator, but they specified use of the RSA public key cryptography system invented at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) by mathematicians Ronald Rivest Adi Shamir, and Leonard Adleman.
Since MIT receives federal funding, the ownership of this fundamental new encryption system has been disputed for many years by Public Key Partners, which represents the interests of Stanford University, MIT, and RSA Data Security, the company founded by the inventors.
(John McCormick/19930713/Press Contact: John Henkel, NIST, 301 975-2762)
ess Contact: John Henkel, NIST, 301 975-2762)
7/13/93
Digital Signature Verification Dispute Over
Legent Computer Stock Plunges
Vienna, Virginia, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- Normally volatile Legent, a large Virginia-based software company, saw its stock plunge nearly 30% at market open this morning after reporting that the company expects earnings of only 26 cents per share for the third quarter ended June 30, 1993, down from the 38 cents per share earned for the same quarter of 1992.
After announcing last week that the release of quarterly results would be delayed by a few weeks, Legent's stock price dropped by as much as 9 percent last Friday, recovering slightly at the close.
The company reported that the earnings shortfall was due to expected contracts in the US which were not closed, and also to disappointing results in Germany, where the manager had been fired for nonperformance.
To help bolster prices, the company's board of directors has authorized a repurchase of up to 3.5 million shares of Legent's outstanding stock.
Legent Corporation stock had a calendar year high of 54-3/4 for 1993 and, until today, a low of 26.
The Washington Post today reported that a Pittsburgh Pennsylvania-based stock analyst said the company is basically strong with a very low debt level.
Software magazine's annual Top 100 study showed Legent as the number eight software company in the world based on sales, and Legent's chief executive, John F. Burton, was one of the members of the East Coast Team for this year's Computer Bowl held in mid May.
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- Fremont, California based SyQuest Technology has announced that it has been selected by Electronic Data Systems (EDS) to supply 3.5-inch removable hard drive cartridge systems for battery-operated and desktop computers sold under the eight-year Small Multiuser Computer contract.
The EDS contract could have a potential value of more than $700 million, but that depends on just what agencies make purchases and what their budgets are. The SyQuest SQ3105A hard drive will be offered as an option by EDS on the computers they supply under the contract.
This is the third recent major government contract which has included the SQ3105A system. The SyQuest drive was also included in an earlier $2.5 billion contract and the long-delayed $724 million Desktop IV contract. The SyQuest removable drive is a Winchester technology hard drive with an average access time of 14.5 milliseconds and a 100-thousand hour mean time between failure or MBTF, a standard measure of component reliability.
With its inclusion in these important contracts, SyQuest's removable hard drive technology appears to be on a fast track to becoming a major standard for federal computer users, many of whom must use removable media because their data has to be secured, often by removing hard drives and placing them in a safe.
(John McCormick/19930713/Press Contact: Will Matlack, SyQuest Technology, 510/226-4124)
ll Matlack, SyQuest Technology, 510/226-4124)
7/13/93
SyQuest To Participate In EDS Govt Contract
Low-Voltage CMOS Chip Alliance
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- National Semiconductor, Toshiba, and Motorola have jointly announced plans to form an alliance to produce the next generation of low voltage CMOS or complimentary metal oxide semiconductor microchips for laptop computers.
The goal of the alliance is to jointly develop electrical and physical compatibility standards.
The new three-volt microchips are intended for use in both high performance "green" (environmentally friendly) desktop computers and workstations where heat generation is a constant problem, and in laptop, notebook, and palmtop computers which used to operate at the five-volt standard, but are rapidly moving to the lower power-consumption and lighter batteries possible when using three-volt components.
The projected market for low voltage logic chips is $500 per year by 1997, according to information supplied by the companies.
(John McCormick/19930713/Press Contact: Holly K. Fleming National Semiconductor, 408/721-4138; Angie Hatfield, Motorola 602-952-3856; and Annette Birkett, Toshiba, 714-455-2298)
Birkett, Toshiba, 714-455-2298)
7/13/93
Low-Voltage CMOS Chip Alliance
GENERAL
Thailand Copyright Law
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- Thailand's Cabinet has just reportedly approved a proposed change to the country's notoriously weak copyright laws, and the Business Software Alliance, a nonprofit consortium of major software vendors applauds it.
Diane Smiroldo, spokesperson for the BSA, told Newsbytes that Thailand is one of the world's worst offenders when it comes to software piracy, with only an estimated one percent of the software in use actually paid for and licensed.
Because this is still a relatively small market, losses to publishers and distributors were only estimated to total $181 million in 1992, but the use of computers is growing rapidly in Southeast Asia and the problem as well as the costs to publishers were bound to increase dramatically if the Thai laws were not updated.
Diane told Newsbytes today that, "This is a step in the right direction. A stringent copyright law is needed in Thailand as the first step to eradicate the horrible piracy problem." She also expressed confidence that the Thai government would enforce the new laws (if and when they are finally enacted) and stated that the BSA is anxious to work closely with the government in Bangkok.
(John McCormick/19930713/Press Contact: BSA Diane Smiroldo, BSA new phone number 202-872-5500 new fax number 202-872-5501)
fax number 202-872-5501)
7/13/93
Thailand Copyright Law
Airfone Flies Farther
OAK BROOK, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- GTE scored a win in its bid to extend its Airfone airline phone system worldwide by signing up United Air Lines to a joint deal with Comsat.
United is a longtime Airfone customer which has installed the company's seat-back Seatfone system on many of its domestic airlines. Under the new deal, GTE will install the GenStar system from Comsat on over 100 aircraft destined for international service to Europe, Latin America and the Pacific Rim, starting early next year. GTE and Comsat have had a services agreement for a few years.
The Comsat GenStar network uses digital technology, like competitor InFlight Phone's network, while Airfone's domestic network is only now upgrading its system to digital service. GTE Airfone President Horace Lindsay noted this marks the first time an international fleet has been equipped with both the GenStar and a domestic system like Airfone.
Over the last year the airline phone market has heated up considerably. Singapore Airlines has created its own system InFlight has a joint venture in Europe, and the McCaw-Hughes Clearcom venture is pushing hard. All the ventures also have to cope with an increasing trend among airlines to ban use of laptop computers and other devices during take-offs and landings. The GenStar system also lets people receive calls as well as make them, an Airfone spokesman told Newsbytes.
While technology differences are emphasized in press statements on new airliner deals, what really seems to make the difference is the royalty rate offered airlines, which in these lean times are constantly looking for new sources of revenue.
VIENNA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- America Online locked in a tight race to be the number three consumer online service with GEnie, said it ended the June quarter with 300,000 subscribers. GEnie has an estimated 325,000 customers. Both companies are reportedly profitable, but only America Online reports its figures to the public, since its stock is publicly traded. AOL said it has added about 50,000 subscribers since mid April.
President Steve Case credited new Windows-based software launched in January, and a new pricing policy for the growth, but the company has also benefitted from local versions of its service launched in San Jose, California, and Chicago, with more local versions expected. Prodigy recently said it would go into the local-version business through a deal with Cox Enterprises which will put a local version of Prodigy into Atlanta and other cities.
Also, the company announced it has named Jack Davies a senior vice president. Davies will have both marketing and editorial functions. Most recently, he ran Citicorp's consumer finance business in London, and before that he was with RCA Records in Europe. The move could mean a new push for international business America Online has until now been only a domestic service.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930713/Press Contact: Jean Villanueva America Online, 703-883-1675)
anueva America Online, 703-883-1675)
7/13/93
America Online Passes 300,000 Mark
TELECOM
McCaw Intros TDMA In Seattle
KIRKLAND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- McCaw Cellular introduced digital service under Time Division Multiple Access or TDMA, standards in parts of its Washington and Oregon networks, including the area around its headquarters.
McCaw said its cellular companies, which do business as Cellular One, are in the process of upgrading its whole system to a dual standard TDMA-analog topology. The Seattle and Portland areas are being upgraded first, since they need the excess capacity TDMA brings, but other areas will be served digitally over the next 12-18 months.
TDMA is in a big battle with a competing digital standard, called Code Division Multiple Access, or CDMA, mostly fought over the decisions of big operators. While McCaw is going with TDMA, which is available now, rival US West NewVector has committed to the CDMA scheme, which is now being standardized and for which phones are now being ordered. While Southwestern Bell is in the TDMA camp, both PacTel and Bell Atlantic have committed to CDMA, and NYNEX is expected to follow suit. The result will be that people buying digital phones in the coming years will "lock-in" to a single digital cellular provider. Although they can switch carriers for analog-only service, the digital phones are far more expensive.
To encourage people to use its version of digital service, McCaw said, it is offering lower rates, as much as 40 percent less while "roaming" in a network outside their home area, up to 20 percent on regular airtime. Digital service also offers more privacy, since it can't be picked up by scanners, better access during peak hours, and the possibility of using other information services down the road. Digital coverage in the Pacific Northwest also includes Vancouver, British Columbia, through an agreement with Cantel. Dual mode digital-analog phones are available through the company's authorized dealers, and analog subscribers can still use the network as before.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930713/Press Contact: Bob Ratliffe, McCaw 206-828-8685)
Ratliffe, McCaw 206-828-8685)
7/13/93
McCaw Intros TDMA In Seattle
TELECOM
F p T
IBM Commits To ATM
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- IBM said it is committing to the emerging Asynchronous Transfer Mode, or ATM standard, for fast data networking.
ATM can presently, in theory, pass data, or digitized voice and pictures, at speeds up to 622 million bits/second, and many Internet backbone service providers, like the NSFnet, are looking to it as the answer to their growing pains. But equipment needed ATM routing and switching is only now coming to market, so it's not too late for IBM to get into the game.
Ellen Hancock, an IBM senior vice president, said the company is committing to deliver "a comprehensive set of ATM products." IBM will sell systems that use ATM standards for linking local area networks into larger systems, and give its big customers an "upgrade path" so they can convert to ATM from slower systems like frame relay as needed. Frame relay, which runs data at speeds of up to 1.544 million bits/second, is now gaining wide market acceptance. Some major vendors, like AT&T, Stratacom and Cisco, have committed to making sure that emerging ATM standards are backward-compatible with frame relay so customers don't lose their investments in equipment. IBM's statement seem to support that effort. Hancock said the company will offer everything from chips, and adapter cards to switches and hubs for building ATM networks of all sizes, as well as network management software. The company is also working on technology aimed at improving the efficiency of such networks 20-50 percent. Early products will be adapter cards for workstations or servers and intelligent hubs developed with Chipcom Corp., Southborough, Massachusetts.
Hancock cited market research from The Gartner Group indicating worldwide demand for ATM products will be $275 million this year and grow to $3.1 billion in 1997, while Dataquest estimates show the number of ATM-equipped switches shipped each year will grow from 17,000 in 1993 to 850,000 in 1997.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930713/Press Contact: IBM, Clifton Scott 212/745-6785)
Scott 212/745-6785)
7/13/93
IBM Commits To ATM
< f
Sybase Multimedia Database
EMERYVILLE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- Sybase has introduced a new version of its object-oriented, multimedia database application software, Gainmomentum 2.0. The company says the product offers the ability to build point-and-click interfaces that combine text, graphics, audio, and video with transaction data from structured query language (SQL) databases in a client/server environment.
The company says Gainmomentum 2.0 can be applied to uses such as decision support systems, electronic information kiosks command and control systems, interactive product catalogs computer based training, online help, and reference applications. For example, in the area of geoscience, Sybase says Gainmomentum is being used to integrate SQL databases containing massive amounts of data with multimedia information such as contour maps and well analysis charts to help geologists find oil reserves.
Bob Epstein, executive vice president of Sybase, commented: "Our vision for Gainmomentum is to enable a transition from the piecemeal approach to communications - paper-based videocassette-based, and electronic forms-based - to integrated, interactive, computer-based information delivery systems. Gainmomentum 2.0 combines the content-rich information delivery with RDBMS (relational database management system) for efficient transaction processing. By bringing together these formerly incompatible elements, Sybase is giving customers a unique opportunity to deliver mission-critical client/server systems with much greater visual appeal and ease of use."
Stewart Schuster, vice president of marketing at Sybase said: "End users can now not only have access to information where and when they need it, but also in the format that best suits the situation, whether an interactive electronic catalog, a graphical command and control console, or a video interview with an investment advisor."
While Gainmomentum has been available since May of 1992, Sybase says version 2.0 offers the following new features: tools to access, display and manipulate relational data from Sybase, DB2 and Oracle RDBMS servers, and from legacy data sources through the company's Open Server and Open Gateway products; extensions to the Gainmomentum Fourth Generation Language (4GL)-based scripting language for dynamically linking external C and C language libraries to Gainmomentum applications at runtime; and computer-based training and context-sensitive online help for Gainmomentum and object-oriented 4GL.
The product will be offered on the Sun Sparc, IBM AIX, and Hewlett-Packard HP-UX workstation platforms. Availability is expected in the third quarter of this year and pricing starts at $10,000 for single developer licenses. Sybase says it will offer volume licensing for both the developer and runtime versions of the product and current Gainmomentum customers will be upgraded to the 2.0 version automatically under their maintenance agreements with the company.
Emeryville, California-headquartered Sybase describes itself as developer of client/server-based software products and services for on-line, enterprise-wide applications. Sybase has software licensed to over 2,000 client sites, including Swedish Telecom.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930713/Press Contact: Cynthia Fetty, Sybase tel 510-596-3500, fax 510-658-9441)
-596-3500, fax 510-658-9441)
7/13/93
Sybase Multimedia Database
P-3 Market To Reach 5.2 Million
FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- The market for palmtop/handheld devices consists of multiple segments that, in combined form, will grow by 45% a year to reach 5.2 million US unit shipments by 1998, said officials of Link Resources and IDC in a teleconference yesterday afternoon.
Bruce Stephen, director of PC hardware research for IDC, told journalists that in speaking with 600 early adopters, the researchers determined that the market for these next generation "P-3" (Personal Productivity Partner) products consists of six categories.
These categories delineated by Link/IDC are information organizers electronic tablets or notepads, personal communicators, intelligent electronic books, electronic personal agents, and entertainment personal agents.
Market expansion will occur sequentially, added Michael French senior research consultant for Link Resources. Information organizations hold the lead right now, but their early headstart will be stunted in 1995, when pen-based PCs and personal agents will come to the fore.
Ultimately, the separate functionality of the various "P-3s" will be integrated into fuller functioned products, stated French, in response to a question posed by Newsbytes. The upcoming multifunctional units will first attain popularity at the high end of the market, he predicted.
According to Stephen, IDC/Link conducted the research among four groups of users identified as early adopters: mobile executives and professionals who account for more than 28 million potential users; high-end consumers, who represent over 26 million; another 26 million people who are home-based workers, and over 13 million white- and blue-collar workers employed in "industrial niches."
Home-based workers, he said, can be further divided into two subcategories: a segment of 12.1 individuals who are self-employed and a group of 14.2 million telecommuters.
P-3s started to receive strong use last year in industrial niches such as health care and insurance, according to French. The devices are now catching on among mobile executives and professionals, people who "have had a PC, may have had a notebook and are now looking at something smaller."
Home-based workers will enter the market some time next year, once there is a proven benefit, the analyst said. As a group, self employed people tend to be relatively cautious in buying new technologies, because the money invested comes out of their own pockets, he noted.
Generally speaking, the P-3s market is made up of two separate types of products, he explained, elaborating on a statement made in initial results of the study that were released at PC Expo.
Some of the products are extensions of desktop PCs, while others are scaled-down systems that are optimized for high mobility and long battery life. The newly announced Eo personal communicator for example, offers 100 hours of battery life, in contrast to the six or eight hours provided by a top-of-the-line notebook.
Among P-3s of all types, communications will be a "killer function," French told the journalists. By 1998, about 70% of the devices will be equipped with wireless capabilities, sometimes combining data, voice and fax, he projected. About 80% of survey respondents acknowledged the integration of voice communications as a preference.
Gains in pen-based and flash memory technology were among the other market drivers identified in the study. Researchers are now making headway that will result in solid gains in handwriting recognition over the next two years, said French. The gestures used in pen based computing will some day be as familiar to users as DOS commands are today, he suggested.
Aside from the information organizer, which will start to fall off in sales in 1995, all other segments of the P-3 market will continue to climb through 1998, according to the survey.
Intelligent electronic books, which typically include CD-ROMs, will be employed by users who need to bring long books, manuals or other textual materials with them in their travels, said French. "Entertainment personal agents," a category that is just emerging will include Game Boy-type devices and other consumer products.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930713/Press contact: Michael Ault, IDC, tel 508-872-8200)
s contact: Michael Ault, IDC, tel 508-872-8200)
7/13/93
P-3 Market To Reach 5.2 Million Units By 1998
TRENDS
Irvine Sensors In Neural Net Sen
COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- Neural networking is becoming increasingly popular because of its theoretical ability to solve problems by duplicating the human brain. Now Irvine Sensors Corp., has announced that it has won a $5.2 million contract to develop a neural network sensor intended to mimic some of the recognition capabilities of the human eye and brain.
The 26-month contract is being funded by the Strategic Defense Initiative Office (SDIO) and managed by the US Navy's Office of Naval Research (ONR).
John Stuart, spokesman for Irvine, told Newsbytes that, "We have this proprietary technology that we developed for stacking chips. It is the highest-density packet of electronics in the world. It was originally developed for SmartEye type of sensor applications ballistic missiles, surveillance from space - things of that nature."
Stuart said: "What this is, is an evolution of that, where you take a couple of stacks like that, rotate them, and connect them with a lot of cross-coupling circuits on the outside planes of the cubic structures. And what you get is one of these highly interconnected node-to-node kinds of things that looks - physically - very much like what people imagine a true biological neural net is."
According to the company, neural networks involve large numbers of sensing and processing nodes which continuously interact with each other. This is thought to be the way that the neurons of the human brain process sensory stimuli. Artificial neural networks are the subject of widespread scientific inquiry because sophisticated pattern recognition and learning behaviors, which humans perform routinely well and computers perform poorly, appear to be dependent on such processing.
In announcing the contract, John Carson, Irvine's chief technical officer, said: "This new contract is the first phase of a planned development that will eventually allow us to build modules with the interconnect densities and speeds of the human brain. We don't know of any other technology that offers that kind of potential in the foreseeable future."
The company maintains that both conventional computers and advanced parallel processors lack the kind of three-dimensional interconnectivity required for this kind of processing.
Irvine claims that its chip-stacking technology offers a powerful technique to achieve the very high levels of interconnectivity necessary for an efficient artificial neural network.
Said James Alexiou, Irvine's chief executive officer, "This contract keeps us on the leading edge of the interactive technologies that may define the industry of the future. Given the rapid commercialization of our chip-stacking as evidenced by last month's pilot line ribbon-cutting at IBM, we may even be able to accelerate the future. In short term, the new contract is concrete evidence to support our prediction of improving government sales."
Speaking of the contract with the Navy, Stuart told Newsbytes that "We had a prior contract from the Navy to develop some sophisticated electronic circuitry to put in those stacks that would electronically do that kind of cross-coupling and interconnectivity. So now this contract is to go build it and demonstrate that what we are saying can actually be done. We are literally the only people in the world that have a clue as to how to build something that might actually wind up with the densities and speeds of the human brain."
"This first two year contract will get us close, and then there's an evolution beyond that (which) will probably take another two or three years that would get us all the way there," he concluded.
Irvine Sensors In Neural Net Sensor Deal With Navy
Comdex/Canada - Suites, Not Spre
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- Spreadsheet programs have been the "defining" personal computer applications in the past - from VisiCalc through the role of Lotus 1-2-3 in luring buyers to the IBM Personal Computer. But no more, according to Steve Ballmer, executive vice-president of worldwide sales and support at Microsoft. Software suites, such as Microsoft's own Office and its rivals, are now the most important applications Ballmer said.
In the keynote address for Windows World, part of the Comdex/Canada show and conference here, Ballmer said integration of applications will be one of the most important software issues of the 1990s.
That will mean, among other things, more standardization across applications. For instance, Ballmer said he expects to see the industry converge on standard ways of implementing ease-of-use features that various vendors have each developed in their own way in recent years. Examples are drag-and-drop capabilities that make it easier to move text or data around in applications and the "Wizard" functions in some new Microsoft packages that walk users through common processes.
Sharing information will be more and more vital in coming years Ballmer said. On that note, his talk included a demonstration of Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) 2.0, technology to let different Windows applications share data and call each other.
With Ballmer on the stage was John Revay of Microsoft Canada Inc., who showed OLE 2.0 at work by selecting a table of numbers included in a Microsoft Word word processor document. When he selected the table, originally created with the Excel spreadsheet software, the computer switched into Excel, displaying the spreadsheet's menus (which have been modified in the upcoming release Revay was running to look almost exactly like those of Word).
He was able to use spreadsheet functions to work on the table then switch instantly back to word processing functions when he moved to the text.
Revay also demonstrated Visual BASIC for Applications, a cross-application macro language based on the BASIC programming language that Microsoft plans to add to its applications software. It will be available in the next release of Excel, which is due within six months, Ballmer said.
Ballmer said software of the coming years will be equipped with more "applied intelligence." It will anticipate what users are trying to do and save them steps, and it will allow people to "delegate" functions to software, telling the program what to do without having to give such detailed instructions as in the past.
Ballmer also maintained Microsoft is on target with its delivery plans for Windows NT, the operating system formally launched at Comdex/Spring in Atlanta at the end of May. At that time the company promised to ship NT by the end of July. Ballmer said the company is on target, though he also used the phrase "within the next several weeks," an optimistic description of the time remaining in July.
(Grant Buckler/19930714)
n of the time remaining in July.
(Grant Buckler/19930714)
7/14/93
Comdex/Canada - Suites, Not Spreadsheets, Central In Future
TRENDS
Comdex/Canada - ZyXel Intros Cel
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUL 14 (NB) -- ZyXel, an Anaheim, California-based modem maker, launched a new high-speed cellular modem and voice and fax software for its modem line at Comdex/Canada.
ZyXel's new ZyCellular is a compact cellular modem that can transmit data at speeds as high as 14,400 bits-per-second (bps) on a clear cellular line and 9,600 bps on typical cellular connections, the company said.
It is smaller than ZyXel's existing cellular modems, which will also be getting the ability to carry data at up to 14,400 bps shortly, said George Vande Bunte, a representative for the company in Canada.
The new ZyCellular modem is due to be available in the third quarter of 1993, at a price around C$650, Vande Bunte said. It will be sold worldwide.
New voice and facsimile software will be offered with all of ZyXel's high-speed modems. It is intended to be an alternative to sophisticated telephone systems for small businesses and home offices, company officials said.
The software, available for Intel-based and Apple Macintosh computers, can receive and store voice messages like a telephone answering machine. It can distinguish voice from fax calls and can send faxes, including broadcast faxes to multiple destinations. It can also store as many as 10 documents at a time for faxing to callers on demand. The software can work with distinctive ring features provided by many telephone companies in which more than one number is assigned to a line and each rings in a different pattern, Vande Bunte said.
The software is now included with ZyXel modems, the company said. Those who already have ZyXel modems can upgrade for a suggested retail price of US$50.
(Grant Buckler/19930714/Press Contact: ZyXel, 714-693-0808, fax 714-693-8811, BBS 714-693-0762; George Vande Bunte, for ZyXel 416-534-1508)
; George Vande Bunte, for ZyXel 416-534-1508)
7/14/93
Comdex/Canada - ZyXel Intros Cellular Modem
TELECOM
McAfee Half-Price Site License D
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- McAfee and Associates, known for its shareware virus protection software Viruscan and Clean-up, says it will offer a half-price site license deal to new customers who can provide proof of ownership of competing products.
McAfee has been distributing its anti-virus software via electronic bulletin board systems (BBSs) and shareware vendors on the "try-before-you-buy" approach. Usually a customer obtains the product by paying connection charges on a BBS or by paying a shareware vendor for the product on a disk. If the user likes and uses the product, they are expected to pay for it by sending in a registration fee to the author.
However, the increase in commercial shareware products and the recent introduction of Microsoft's MS-DOS 6.0 with built-in anti-viral utilities has put pressure on McAfee.
The company says the advantage to using its products is its large user base, its speed in identifying and developing antidotes for new virus strains faster than other vendors, and a 24-hour live technical support line that was recently implemented. McAfee also claims its products detect and eliminate more viruses than any other vendor's products.
William McKiernan, president and chief operating officer of McAfee Associates, said: "We invite users of competing products to access our software electronically and test it free of charge for five days to experience its advantages."
Included in the offer are McAfee's Viruscan, Clean-Up and Vshield for DOS, Wscan for Windows, OS/2Scan and OS/2Clean for OS/2, and Netshield for Novell file servers. A special form is required to get the discount which may be obtained through McAfee Associates or from its authorized agents. Users can download the software using a modem from the company's own BBS or from other popular electronic services such as Compuserve GEnie, and America Online.
Santa Clara, California-headquartered McAfee Associates went public in October of 1992. The company reported it had 1992 license bookings of its software totaling $19.4 million.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930712/Press Contact: Phil Talsky, McAfee Associates, tel 408-980-3629, fax 408-970-9727; McAfee BBS at 408/988-4004, 8-N-1; Compuserve, GO MCAFEE; America Online mcafee; Internet, mcafee.com)
America Online mcafee; Internet, mcafee.com)
7/13/93
McAfee Half-Price Site License Deal Offered
Borland Intros Paradox SQL Link
K SCOTTS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- Borland International has announced the immediate availability of Paradox SQL Link for IBM's Distributed Data Connection Service (DDCS/2). According to the company, this provides users with greater access to data residing on a variety of database servers.
Borland says that the IBM link brings a total of eight connections to Paradox 4.0, which now has access to data residing on DB2, SQL/DS SQL/400 and Database Manager (DBM) database servers.
DDCS/2 is part of IBM's Distributed Relational Database Architecture (DRDA), which provides connectivity among relational database management systems. DRDA supports SQL (structured query language) as the standard interface application used to access distributed relational data.
Borland says that Paradox SQL Link provides secure, transparent high-performance access to data residing on a variety of SQL database servers. The product also provides automatic translation of Paradox QBE and menu commands to the appropriate dialect of SQL.
According to the company, using Paradox SQL Link, native SQL statements may be embedded within programs written in PAL, and passed through to the database server. Using SQL pass-through Paradox developers have full access to all of the features and functions of database servers, including stored procedures, triggers and data dictionaries.
"Borland's implementation of the DRDA architecture is an important step towards achieving the goal of power made easy," said Janet Perna, director of database technology, PRGS Toronto Laboratory for IBM. "Paradox SQL Link for DDCS/2 provides a gateway to enterprise databases that ensures integrity, reliability, and recoverability of data important to supporting mission-critical applications."
Paradox SQL Link connections also support InterBase 3.3, Novell NetWare SQL 3.0, ORACLE 6.0 Server, Microsoft/SYBASE SQL Server IBM OS/2 Database Manager, DB2 through the MDI Database Gateway 1.01 and Digital Equipment Corporation's VAX Rdb/VMS 4.1.
Paradox SQL Link 4.0 connections are available immediately at the suggested retail price of $395. All versions of Paradox SQL Link also require Paradox 4.0, which is sold separately for $795.
ly MGee, 408-439-4862, Borland International Inc.)
7/13/93
Borland Intros Paradox SQL Link For IBM's DDCS/2
Chemical Plant Package To India
BOMBAY, INDIA, 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- Hinditron Informatics Ltd. has been appointed the country distributor by Houston-based Gulf Publishing Co. for its packages on chemical plant equipment design.
The Bombay-based company will vend over 30 packages ranging, in price, from Rs 20,000 (around $670) to Rs 8 lakh (around $27,000). Packages being distributed include 3D/SIM for 3D petroleum reservoir simulation, Paula, Natasha and Simple for surge analysis in pipelines, Triflex for pipe stress analysis, Projocon for project scheduling and management, Chemcalc 8 for centrifugal pump selection and rating, Chemcalc 15 for centrifugal compressor design and rating, Chemcalc 17 for emission analysis, Chemcalc 18 for underground storage and petroleum transportation and analysis, and Instrucalc 3 for instrument and control element sizing.
Hinditron is also planning to introduce ChemShare's MirrorModel systems in India. Hinditron has been distributing the US-based firm's products here for over a decade.
MirrorModel, a generic software for online optimization of process plants in realtime, is positioned for the petrochemical and refineries sector. The systems, used as a modelling foundation for process computer-integrated manufacturing, are priced between "Rs 90 lakh (around $300,000) to Rs 3 crore (around $1 million)," says Ram N. Iyer, divisional manager, Hinditron. Though no orders have been placed, the firm is negotiating with Madras Refineries Ltd.
(C T Mahabharat/19930712)
(C T Mahabharat/19930712)
7/13/93
Chemical Plant Package To India
BUSINESS
Ghana Telecom Due For Upgrade
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- After Mauritius, Kuwait and Oman, Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd., (TCIL), a Delhi headquartered profitable public sector company, will now be assisting Ghana in the expansion of its telecommunication network. The public sector unit has bagged a Rs 60 crore contract ($20 million) to design, install and commission Ghana's local telephone network extending from the exchange to the subscribers.
The 15-month turnkey project is being funded by the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (OEC) of Japan. TCIL hopes to complete its first-ever assignment in Ghana by the end of next year. Execution of the project and procurement of material from other developing countries besides India will begin in September after TCIL finalizes the contract with OEC.
"TCIL's credibility in rendering quality services coupled with its lowest bidding rates enabled it to win this contracts amongst stiff international competition," explained B.L. Arora, joint general manager, material procurement at TCIL. The company's execution of external telecom networks in countries like Mauritius, Zimbabwe Kuwait, Oman, Yemen, and Botswana has brought in about Rs 136.5 crore for the financial year ending March 1993. This accounts for 70 percent of the total revenue of Rs 195 crore posted by TCIL for the period.
(C T Mahabharat/19930712)
(C T Mahabharat/19930712)
7/13/93
Ghana Telecom Due For Upgrade
TELECOM
1,632 Take IBM Japan's Voluntary
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- IBM Japan reports that 1,632 employees opted for its early voluntary retirement plan, a number which surpasses the company goal of 1,200.
Under IBM Japan's program, called "Second Carrier Support Program," people over age 50 were qualified to receive extra retirement allowances and could participate in entrepreneurial ventures sponsored by IBM after their retirement.
Some 3,000 employees qualified for this program when IBM announced it in October 1992. IBM Japan has spent 20-billion yen ($180 million) to finance the extra retirement allowance. This is 3 billion yen ($27 million) more than it had expected.
IBM Japan has been trying hard to get over an industry slump and regain its power. The firm replaced the president, and separated its departments to beef up customer service. The firm has also created a new division to support its customers, called Client Server System Business Development. This division consists not only of sales people but also engineers who will be providing advice to clients concerning the creation of multimedia computer systems in their offices.
(Masayuki Miyazawa/19930712/Press Contact: IBM Japan, +81-3-3586 1111, Fax, +81-3-3589-4645)
Japan, +81-3-3586 1111, Fax, +81-3-3589-4645)
7/13/93
1,632 Take IBM Japan's Voluntary Retirement
Omron Does X-Windows
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- Omron software, called Multi Thread X-Server, which allows a Unix workstation to act as a parallel processor, will be included with the next version of X-Windows. This represents the first time a Japanese firm's software is to be used with X-Windows.
The official announcement has yet to be made. However, Omron reports that the members of the X Consortium have agreed on the usage of Omron software for the latest version of X-Windows, called X11R6.
Multi Thread X-Server was jointly developed by Data General and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This software allocates a multiple number of "jobs" to each central processing unit in order to create a parallel processing feature on Unix workstations. With this software, the workstation will be able to process faster and users can do scientific calculations and other spreadsheet work on the same workstation simultaneously.
X-Windows, standard Unix windowing software, is widely used on Unix workstations and is open to computer makers, which means that Omron will not be getting royalties for this software. However, the big advantage is that Omron will be able to release workstations with the latest version of X-Windows much earlier than other computer firms. X-Windows "X11R6" is expected to be publicly available early next year.
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- Sanyo Electric recorded a major sales slump in May. The loss is estimated around 12.5 billion yen ($114 million), and is expected to grow to 20 billion yen ($180 million) by November.
Sanyo Electric's mid-term 1993 sales were 500 billion yen ($4.5 billion), which was down 9 percent from the same term last year. Air conditioners, VCRs, and audio visual equipment did not sell well and sales of these products were 5 to 8 percent lower from the previous year.
Another reason for Sanyo's sales loss was the rapid appreciation of the Japanese yen. The yen went up by about 20 yen (20 cents) over the previous year, causing Sanyo a sales loss overseas.
Sanyo has sold equity to save 8 billion yen ($70 million) but the loss was bigger than expected.
The firm has been trying to reduce expenses and labor costs in order to ride out this situation. It will cut 3,000 employees by the end of 1995 and has switched to cheaper overseas manufacturing.
MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- Original equipment manufacturing (OEM) deals are often a major source of income for peripheral manufacturers. Now Creative Labs Inc., has signed an OEM deal with Gateway 2000. Under terms of the deal, Creative will supply Gateway with South Blaster 16 audio boards with advanced signal processing.
Arnold Waldstein, director of marketing, told Newsbytes that "Creative Labs considers Gateway as one of the high-quality providers of PCs in the professional and business marketplace and we are pleased to know that they have chosen our high-end technology to group with their own. We think the deal is very significant. They are a volume producer, and they sell into the high-end marketplace."
In terms of whether the Creative products would be used in specific machines or on-demand, Waldstein told Newsbytes "My understanding is that they will be offered as an option. I believe that Gateway is now offering CD-ROM drives with approximately half of their PCs."
Gateway 2000 claims to sell more IBM-compatible PCs through the direct market channel in the US than any other PC manufacturer. The company's 1992 sales exceeded $1.1 billion, nearly doubling 1991's $626 million figure.
In announcing the deal, Greg VandenDries, Creative Labs' vice president of sales, said: "Creative Labs now has ongoing agreements with seven leading PC makers, including Gateway 2000, IBM, Dell AST, Philips, Tandy and Packard Bell, who are collectively responsible for the majority of PCs sold in the US."
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- A "fraud barometer" just published by KPMG Peat Marwick claims to show that during the 16 months to the end of April, 1993, more top managers in the UK were charged with fraud than employees and middle managers put together.
The fraud barometer, which is based on press-reported cases where criminal charges involving sums of UKP100,000 or more have been brought, showed that 58 percent of such cases were brought against senior management, compared with 13 percent against middle managers and 22 percent against employees. This was despite the fact that employees greatly outnumber middle managers, who, in turn, outnumber senior managers.
KPMG Peat Marwick also found that reported fraud for the first four months of this year came to UKP571 million, compared with UKP671 million for the whole of last year. In 1991, reported fraud totalled UKP236 million.
KPMG noted that, for the period January to April of this year UKP489 million of the reported UKP571 million related to the BCCI case, but this still gave an average value of UKP6.3 million for the 13 other major frauds reported in the period.
PARIS, FRANCE, 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- In a frightening demonstration of what can happen when an electronic funds transfer at a point of sale (EFTPOS) network goes down, 40 percent of the French banking network's capacity was knocked out one weekend in late June. Cardholders were left without cash from automated teller machines (ATMs), while restaurant-goers were faced with the prospect of owing money when their cards were rejected.
A major computer failure at the offices of Carte Blue, the Visa affiliated credit/debit card issuer on Saturday morning, meant that 40 percent of French ATMs and EFTPOS machines went off-line until late on Sunday evening. Cardholders inserting their cards into ATMs found their cards rejected, while cardholders found themselves unable to gain access to their accounts while out shopping.
The problem hit the French particularly badly, since the Carte Blue smart card is widely accepted in France, acting as a checkbook debit card and credit card all in one. As a result, many French rely totally on their Visa smart card for all banking transactions.
Carte Blue say that the problem stemmed from a single cut in communications between their central computers and the banking control center. The result was that all Carte Blue ATMs and online EFTPOS terminals, including portable units used in shops and restaurants, went off-line.
According to Herve de Lecotte, a senior manager with Carte Blue, all systems came back online by late on Sunday afternoon. He was unable to say how many of the company's 20 million cardholders were affected by the outage. France has a total population of 57 million.
(Steve Gold/19930713)
of 57 million.
(Steve Gold/19930713)
7/13/93
French Visa Smart Card Network Crashes
TRENDS
Biggest Ever Card Crime In Taiwa
TAIPEI, TAIWAN, 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- Taiwan's biggest electronic financial crime ever has revealed a number of weaknesses within the island's financial industry and led to intensified calls for more secure financial facilities.
Cheng Chin-lung, a 34-year-old programmer who developed computer programs for five financial institutions' ATM networks in Taiwan, is alleged to have used his inside knowledge to hack the networks to produce a total of 7,174 forged cards from 64 card issuers.
The losses involved are unknown, but officials have frozen US$1.9 million "petty cash" in Chin-lung's current account, as well as a similar amount in his sister-in-law Hsiao Mei-yun's account.
Cheng was a software programmer with Universal Electronics and Computer (UE&C) between 1989 and 1992. He was also in charge of the company's hardware maintenance operations during that period.
According to officials with UE&C, Cheng is alleged to have acquired all the ATM card numbers and their associated PINs which were used during October of last year.
Officials say that the fraud has brought a number of potential problem areas to light, primarily the contracting out of computer programming work to outside companies by local banks.
The problem cannot be solved overnight. According to the Ministry of Finance, only about 30 percent of all local financial institutions have the expertise and resources required to design computer programs themselves; the rest entrust programming either partly or completely to external companies.
On the Taiwanese ATM system, which is thought to be similar to systems used in the US and Europe, when a card is inserted into a cash machine and its PIN entered, the PIN is validated by decoding the PIN and account details recorded on the card's magnetic stripe.
If the details are incorrect, the card is retained. Only if the PIN is validated are the details of the transaction, together with the PIN, transferred over a secure data line to the Taiwanese Financial Information System Centre (FISC). Data transferred between the ATM and FISC is scrambled.
Experts are suggesting that Cheng intercepted the data streaming into the FISC, but after the data had been unscrambled. Banking officials claim that in the absence of a confession from Cheng they cannot discover at what point he intercepted the card and PIN data, nor how he did it.
As a result of the fraud, the Taiwanese Ministry of Finance has requested all card issuers in the country to re-issue new cards to their cardholders, and add special verification codes to the magnetic stripe on the cards. While this will prevent Cheng's information from being used again, it may not stop the fraud from happening again if the data stream is intercepted at the FISC.
The Ministry of Finance has also taken the unusual step of requesting that card issuers revise their conditions of use to take account of a fraud occurring in their own operation and admit liability for any losses, as well as provide compensation in such cases. Experts suggest that this precedent could result in similar variations in agreements on a world-wide basis.
Taiwanese card issuers have also stated they intend to greatly accelerate the speed with which they plan to transfer to smart card technology with their ATM cards. The card issuers are currently working with Bull Taiwan on developing a smart ATM and credit card for issue some time next year.
(Steve Gold/19930713)
e some time next year.
(Steve Gold/19930713)
7/13/93
Biggest Ever Card Crime In Taiwan Causes Alarm
GENERAL
Correction - Restoring Snow Whit
BURBANK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- In the story about the restoration of Snow White that ran July 9 1993, we made an error confusing our bits and bytes.
The statement was made that: "At the peak of the project Cinesite was handling 2,000 frames of film per day or some fifteen terabytes (trillion bits) of data." This should have been more correctly stated as: "At the peak of the project Cinesite was handling 2,000 frames of film per day for a total of some fifteen terabytes (trillion bytes) of data in the project."
We apologize for the error.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930713)
pologize for the error.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930713)
7/13/93
Correction - Restoring Snow White To Theater Quality
CORRECTION
TRENDS
Defense Contractor Applies Exper
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- Martin Marietta Corporation says it has reached an agreement with Sega Enterprises for that company to use Martin Marietta's simulation technology in the development of a Sega multi-player arcade game.
Last year Sega signed a joint-development technology-transfer deal with GE Aerospace in Daytona Beach, Florida, but Martin Marietta bought GE Aerospace as part of a $3.05 billion deal in April.
Martin Marietta says the deal includes the use of Martin Marietta's phototexture simulation technology in Sega's electronic games and other entertainment products. The phototexture technology is designed to product continuous life-like imagery drawn from photographs.
This isn't the first time Martin Marietta and Sega have collaborated. Earlier this year, Sega introduced a computer graphics circuit board that it designed and uses Martin Marietta's computer graphic image processing technology.
The two companies said this week the new agreement also calls for Sega to adopt a Martin Marietta visual database generation system designed to create realistic three-dimensional moving models for use in Sega games.
Martin Marietta says the deal will accelerate the conversion of advanced image generation technology to mass market applications. "We will soon be able to deliver products as visually compelling as the movies, and orders of magnitude more stimulating than previous game experiences."
Earlier this year Sega, probably the biggest challenger to game industry leader Nintendo, said it would team up with Time Warner and Telecommunications Inc., to offer video games through US cable TV systems. American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T) said last month it will team with Sega to create a low-cost hardware product that will make it possible for several people to play video games over conventional phone lines.
(Jim Mallory/19930713)
conventional phone lines.
(Jim Mallory/19930713)
7/13/93
Defense Contractor Applies Expertise To Sega Games
TRENDS
Microsoft, Apple Push CD-ROM
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- Sometime antagonists Microsoft Corporation and Apple Computer said this week they will team up to promote Microsoft Office CD version 3.0 for the Apple Macintosh. The deal will include a free upgrade for selected Microsoft products.
Macintosh users who purchase either a new Apple Macintosh computer equipped with an Apple CD-ROM drive and The Microsoft Office CD, or an Apple CD-ROM drive and the Microsoft Office CD, will get the Office CD for $101 less than the suggested retail price, and will also receive a coupon good for $129 toward the next upgrade of either word processing software Microsoft Word for the Mac spreadsheet program Microsoft Excel for the Mac, or the Microsoft PowerPoint presentation graphics program for the Mac. The deal doesn't apply for purchasers of a Macintosh Performa computer. It is good through the end of September.
Microsoft Office CD for the Mac is a software suite that includes Microsoft Word version 5.1, a popular word processing program that is also available for DOS and Windows-based PCs; Microsoft Excel 4.0, a spreadsheet program; Microsoft PowerPoint version 3.0 graphics presentation software; and a workstation license for Microsoft Mail version 3.1 for the Macintosh. Mail is Microsoft's electronic mail package. Microsoft officials estimate that more than half the sales of Excel and Word will be through the sale of Office by the end of the year.
Customers who buy a Macintosh Centris 610 8/230 with CD-ROM or a Mac IIvx 5/80 equipped with a CD-ROM drive will also receive a $300 rebate from Apple as part of that company's "On the Spot Rebates On Target Solutions" promotion recently reported by Newsbytes. The program offers rebates ranging from $50 to $350 on the purchase of various Macintosh computers and Apple peripherals. The deal is available through participating local Apple hardware dealers.
(Jim Mallory/19930713/Press contact: Julie Briselden, Microsoft Corporation, 206-882-8080, Stacey Barnes, Apple Computer Inc, 408 974-6076; Reader contact for location of nearest Apple dealer: 800-538- 9696)
t Apple dealer: 800-538- 9696)
7/13/93
Microsoft, Apple Push CD-ROM
APPLE
3M Data Backup/Protection Awards
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- 3M Data Storage Products has joined forces with a dozen personal computer user groups to establish a formal, merit-based awards program honoring individuals who have created "outstanding personal computer data backup and protection policies for organizations."
The organization says the 1993 Data Preservation Awards are intended to help eliminate the nearly $4 billion in annual productivity losses incurred by US organizations due to inadequate backup and protection of personal computer-based data. The awards program was announced at PC Expo, a trade show held in New York the last week of June.
The Grand Prize winner will receive a travel package for two to New Orleans that includes round-trip airfare, $100 in spending money and a four-night stay at the Hotel Inter-Continental. The Second Prize winner and the nominators of the first and second place winners will also receive cash awards.
3M says winners will be selected by a nomination review board of journalists, corporate users and user group leaders based on five criteria. The criteria are originality, execution, communication motivation, and strategic thinking. Review board members will be announced later this summer.
According to Michael Stevens, business development director, 3M Data Storage Tape Technology Division, the rise of distributed information systems, the ballooning of personal computer storage capacities, expanded access to more sophisticated applications, and greater quantities of information have increased both the value and the vulnerability of personal computer-based data. "Those people who have been savvy enough to link personal computer data backup and protection and their company's overall business health, merit formal recognition," says Stevens.
User groups participating in the 1993 awards include the Association of Personal Computer User Groups; Berkeley Macintosh Users Group; Boston Computer Society; Capital PC User Group, Inc; Chicago Computer Society; New York MacUsers' Group; New York Personal Computer Users Group; North Orange County Computer Club; Sacramento PC Users Group; San Francisco PC Users Group; Silicon Valley Computer Society; and Washington Apple Pi.
Association of Personal Computer User Group President Judith Brown says the protection of personal computer data has never been more critical to successful computing. "We believe honoring those individuals who have raised themselves to the level of 'backup evangelists' is an excellent first step in improving organizations' data protection policies."
To be considered you have to be nominated. Nomination forms are available by contacting the awards organization on their toll-free number. The forms are also available on several electronic bulletin boards and on-line services, and through the supporting user groups.
In 1992 a survey by research group Intelliquest showed that about two-thirds of intensive computer users in US businesses are either unprotected by formal data safeguard policies or are unaware of the existence of their company's policy. Intelliquest says more than one of every four intensive users have been affected by significant data losses, while about half of the business users surveyed had experienced a serious loss at one time.
The organization says it will recognize the winners, their organizations, and the nominators at a ceremony to be held at Comdex/Fall 93 in Las Vegas in November. The Grand Prize winner will receive an engraved crystal trophy produced by Tiffany & Co.
(Jim Mallory/19930713/Press contact: Larry Teien, 3M Data Storage Products, 612-736-5961; Reader contact for nominator forms: Data Preservation Awards, 800-888-1889, ext 33)
Preservation Awards, 800-888-1889, ext 33)
7/13/93
3M Data Backup/Protection Awards Program
GENERAL
COMDEX/Canada Features Multimedi
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUL 13 (NB) -- Multimedia technology has real applications in areas such as desktop videoconferencing news distribution, and various kinds of retailing, Robert Carberry president of IBM's Fireworks Partners, told a large audience at the opening of the first COMDEX/Canada show and conference.
"The applications of multimedia technology are not a Field of Dreams -- build it and they will come," Carberry said, referring to a widely quoted line from a popular American movie -- "but you can apply it to very real business problems today."
Carberry illustrated his points with video clips, some of which were reminiscent of Apple Computer Chairman John Sculley's Knowledge Navigator video, a staple of trade show keynotes, and press conferences.
He showed an executive using a personal computer to conduct a desktop videoconference with a colleague, sending and receiving electronic mail from a personal digital assistant in an airport and checking news and travel information on a screen in an airplane seat back.
The screen in the airplane seat back is a limited reality today, he said: IBM has already installed "flying local-area networks" in six commercial jets.
Carberry also pointed out that with telecommunication networks now acquiring the ability to transmit data at 1.5 megabits per second the same speed at which data can be retrieved from a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) -- new openings for real-time information delivery are appearing.
He cited as an example the creation of audio compact discs on demand, using writable CD technology. IBM is already involved in a pilot project with an audio retailer. This system would let a music store download any title a customer wanted from a central server making available more titles than the store could keep in stock physically.
Video on demand, making movies available to the home when you want to watch them, is another possibility, Carberry said.
Fireworks Partners is investing in a variety of such areas including multimedia content creation, distribution, implementation services, and retail applications, he said.
Launched in January, Fireworks Partners took in IBM's multimedia systems and integration business, its Person-to-Person multimedia videoconferencing group, and its Atlanta-based Multimedia Publishing Studio.
The company, a unit of IBM's Personal Systems business, is responsible for worldwide marketing of IBM multimedia products and services. It will also back promising multimedia development by entrepreneurs outside IBM, and form joint ventures with other companies, officials said.
(Grant Buckler/19930713)
fficials said.
(Grant Buckler/19930713)
7/13/93
COMDEX/Canada Features Multimedia Keynote
TRENDS
Primera Printer Gets Dye Sublima
EDEN PRAIRIE, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- Fargo Electronics has announced an upgrade kit for its Primera color printer for Windows that adds dye sublimation and thermal transfer technology to the unit.
According to Fargo's vice president of sales and marketing, Mark Strobel, the product is unique because, until now, wax thermal transfer printers have been marketed separate from dye sublimation printers. "They're two totally different models in people's product lines," he said. The new upgrade kit for the Primera incorporates both technologies in a single printer.
Strobel claims that the ability to print high-quality photos on either white photo receptor paper or overhead transparency film differentiates the Primera printer from its competitors. "This is a capability unique to thermal transfer technology. No matter how much you pay, you'll never be able to print photographs with quality anywhere close to this on in jet color printer," he said.
The company claims that installing the upgrade kit is easy. The user installs the printer driver for the Primera printer then selects an additional selection for "photo." To print, put photo receptor paper in the feeder, install a dye-sublimation ribbon, and the Primera is ready to go.
According to Fargo, the new technology can save both time and money because the same printer is used to print proofs via was thermal transfer at about $0.45 per page. Once the user is satisfied with the image, he or she removes the thermal was transfer ribbon and inserts the dye-sublimation ribbon, clicks on "Photo" and gets the final print. Strobel says the process is less expensive because the user doesn't have to print a series of more expensive photo prints before arriving at the desired result.
The cost of the Primera and the Photo-Realistic Upgrade Kit is just under $1,250. In use, it works with any IBM-compatible PC that can run Microsoft Windows. Users who utilize photo software packages and want to print images stored on CD-ROM's or on Kodak's Photo CD disks (which require a special CD ROM drive) or those who use a service bureau to get their color prints, will be particularly attracted to the Primera with the upgrade kit. By itself the upgrade kit costs $249.95, and Fargo estimates prints can be made for about $3.00 each.
The company plans to start shipping the upgrade kit in mid-July, and later this month will introduce a $199.95 Quickdraw driver and interface for Apple Computer's Macintosh that also works with an off-the-shelf Primera printer and the Photo-Realistic Upgrade Kit.
(Jim Mallory/19930712/Press contact: Dee Anna McPherson, S&S Public Relations for Fargo Electronics, 708-291-1616)
&S Public Relations for Fargo Electronics, 708-291-1616)
7/12/93
Primera Printer Gets Dye Sublimation, Thermal Transfer
Vodafone Adds GSM Roaming Agreem
NEWBURY, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- Vodafone has announced it has signed bilateral agreements with SIP of Italy and SFR of France for their respective GSM digital mobile phone subscribers. The agreements will allow users of the Vodafone, SIP and SFR GSM networks to make and receive calls on the other countries' mobile phone networks.
GSM stands for Groupe Speciale Mobile, sometimes referred to as Global System for Mobile telephony. The system is an advanced digital mobile phone system that uses the latest technology to ensure crystal clear phone calls, as well as the ability to move data over the network without the need for a modem.
Since the networks are all-digital, data passing from a phone to the network can easily be routed between countries over PDNs (packet data networks) or similar. Call authorizations can be similarly routed, meaning that a UK GSM subscriber trying to use his or her phone in, say, Italy, will find the connection going through as quickly as normal.
The Italian GSM network, before allowing the call, would have quickly checked the status of the subscriber with the UK GSM network over a PDN link. Once the call is completed, call details are passed to the UK operator for billing.
Vodafone has also signed roaming agreements with Teledanmark Mobil one of Denmark's two GSM networks, as well as with Televerket, one of Sweden's three GSM operators. These agreements complete Vodafone's agreements with the other operators in Denmark and Sweden, Newsbytes notes.
Chris Gent, managing director of Vodafone, said that he is delighted to have reached commercial agreements with SIP and SFR to allow inter-network subscriber roaming.
"Subscribers to our digital services can now roam throughout the major markets of Western Europe. In addition, we are making good progress in our discussions with other GSM operators throughout Europe and expect to complete further roaming arrangements in the near future," he said.
Vodafone Adds GSM Roaming Agreements Across Europe
TELECOM
Compaq In Joint Venture To Build
4 HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- Compaq Computer Corporation has entered into a joint venture with a Beijing People's Republic of China-based organization to form a manufacturing equity joint venture to build Compaq PCs.
Compaq signed a letter of intent July 9 with Beijing Stone (Group) Corporation. The 11-year joint venture calls for Compaq to lease and manage an existing Stone facility to manufacture printed circuit boards and perform final product assembly of Compaq desktop computers.
Company spokesperson John Sweney told Newsbytes that the factory will have one CPU and three printed circuit board assembly lines. Compaq expects to hire about 200 employees from the Beijing labor pool for the 40,000 square foot facility. Production is expected to begin in December.
Sweney said that the managing director has not yet been named for the Shenzhen operation, but based on other Compaq subsidiaries, it will probably be a local individual if a qualified person can be located. The board of directors will be composed of four Compaq representatives and one Stone nominee.
Compaq President and CEO Eckhard Pfeiffer said that the Chinese market-place "represents a tremendous opportunity for Compaq."
According to Pfeiffer, the joint venture with Stone will solidify Compaq's position in the emerging Chinese market. The Beijing facility will be Compaq's 25th world-wide subsidiary.
Compaq first entered the Chinese market on a limited basis in 1984 and as Newsbytes reported became fully active there in 1990. According to research firm IDC Compaq holds an 18.5 percent market share in value and 16.3 percent in units shipped. Compaq operations in China are managed through the company's North Asia subsidiary in Hong Kong.
Last November Newsbytes reported the company had established the Tsinghua University Training Center in Beijing, investing $1 million in a partnership with Computerland China and Eekon Computer Systems.
The training center offers training in hardware architecture operating systems, networking and computer applications for users in the government, private industry, institutions and the general public.
(Jim Mallory/19930712/Press contact: John Sweney, Compaq Computer Corporation, 713-374-1564; Reader contact: Compaq Computer Corporation, 713-370-0679 or 800-345-1518)
uter Corporation, 713-370-0679 or 800-345-1518)
7/12/93
Compaq In Joint Venture To Build PCs In China
BUSINESS
Lotus Offers Universal Vouchers
STAINES, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- Confused by the plethora of upgrade offers available for Lotus' software? No need to be, as Lotus has unveiled a "Universal Upgrade Scheme," which it claims was designed expressly to avoid any confusion.
The scheme relates to four new products -- The Smartsuite Trade-up Pack, the Tradeup Pack, the Upgrade Pack and the Education Pack. Each claims to offer software resellers a more convenient and risk free method of upgrading customers while keeping profit margins up.
According to Lotus, the customer gains as well, because s/he can be sure that they are getting the best available deal, rather than having to pore through the adverts for the best published deal on a package.
In the past, it's been possible to buy a little-known version of a package and then upgrade at low cost. This has meant that other buyers of later versions of the package have lost out on such deals. Under the Universal Upgrade Scheme, customers will be offered the best available deal, regardless if where they buy their upgrade from.
To promote the scheme, Lotus is embarking on a national advertising campaign in the UK. The packs will use a new Lotus Gold packaging clearly identifying what they are to potential buyers. Jeremy Wray Lotus UK's marketing manager said that the upgrade scheme is a lot better for dealers and customers.
"In the past few years we've seen a number of different approaches to selling upgrades, from taking them in-house to setting up entirely new companies to handle them. None have pleased the publisher, reseller and customer. We believe that we can now offer the right combination of simplicity of administration to the reseller and universal availability to our customers," he said.
So how does it all work? Simple, says Lotus. Customers wanting to upgrade or trade up can simply buy the appropriate pack from their reseller. Inside the package is a voucher, plus instructions. The customer fills out the voucher and returns it to Lotus with the required proof of ownership of the earlier version of the software.
By return, the reseller gets a copy of the latest version of the software. This also qualifies him/her for 90 days free technical support. The advantage is that the customer can buy his/her upgrade through the computer dealer, yet still get the latest version from Lotus.
(Steve Gold/19930712/Press & Public Contact: Lotus Development Tel: 0784-455445)
c Contact: Lotus Development Tel: 0784-455445)
7/12/93
Lotus Offers Universal Vouchers For Upgrades
GENERAL
Bell Canada Poised To Launch Por
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- Bell Canada is getting ready to launch a portable phone number service in Toronto that will let subscribers have their phone calls follow them wherever they go. The company is only awaiting approval from federal regulators to begin the service, which it calls PrimeLine Executive.
The service, which Bell hopes to extend to Montreal, Quebec City Ottawa, and neighboring Hull, Quebec, by the end of the this year, would be the first such offering in Canada, Bell officials said.
For C$14.95 per month, any business or residential customer would get a special telephone number that is not tied to any one telephone. By calling a special number, the subscriber would be able to use a touch-tone telephone keypad to identify him or herself and then tell the phone system where to send calls.
Subscribers would be able to pre-schedule regular shifts in how their calls are directed, explained company spokesman Geoff Matthews. They could, for instance, tell the system that calls should go to a home phone number until 7:00 a.m., then to a car phone from 7:00 until 8:30, and then to an office phone.
They could also vary the routine as needed, and send calls all over the world if desired. A subscriber could have calls to his or her Toronto number directed to a hotel room in Switzerland if desired, Matthews said. As is normal with diverted calls, the caller would continue to pay local or trunk charges for the main call, with the recipient picking up the tab for excess charges incurred.
Bell plans to extend the service throughout the provinces of Ontario and Quebec eventually, Matthews said, but cannot provide a detailed timetable.
The package will include some call-screening features and will allow customers to add a pager or voice-messaging function.
Company officials said they had hoped to have the service available July 12, but are still awaiting approval from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). Service will start as soon as the CRTC gives the green light, Matthews said.
In 1992, Bell conducted an eight-month trial of portable phone number services in Ottawa and Hull, offering the main components of the PrimeLine Executive service under the names Find-Me and Follow-Me.
(Grant Buckler/19930712/Press Contact: Geoff Matthews, Bell Canada, 416-353-8138; Sandra Cruickshanks, Bell Canada 416-581-4205)
-8138; Sandra Cruickshanks, Bell Canada 416-581-4205)
7/12/93
Bell Canada Poised To Launch Portable Phone Numbers
TELECOM
Intel Income Up 167 Percent, Emp
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- Intel, known for its leadership in microprocessor chips for IBM and compatible PCs, has revealed that second quarter net income has risen a whopping 167 percent over the same a year ago.
Revenue for the quarter was $2.13 billion, up from the $1.32 billion one year ago and net income is reported at $569 million or $1.30 per share, compared with the $213 million or $.50 per share of a year ago.
The company says it has already exceeded in the first half of this year, what it earned all year last year. For the first six months of 1993, revenue of $4.15 billion was up 62 percent from $2.56 billion a year ago, and net income jumped 181 percent to $1.12 billion or $2.53 per share, vs. $397 million or 93 cents per share.
The per-share amounts reported have been restated to reflect the 2-for-1 stock split effective May 6, 1993. Intel said the split was a psychological move as it appeared investors thought the company's stock prices couldn't go any higher and the price mysteriously started to fall.
Shipments of the latest 80486 and the new Pentium microprocessors are credited with the gains, according to Andrew Grove, Intel's president and chief executive officer. "Thanks to great performance by our factories, we have been able to increase our Intel486 processor shipments very rapidly. We're now in a position to meet demand for most versions of the Intel486 family, while also ramping Pentium processor shipments," he said.
As a reward to Intel employees, the company said it will pay out approximately $48 million in its Employee Cash Bonus Program. Intel's 27,500 employees world wide will receive bonuses for the first six months totaling 11.4 days pay.
Intel said it exceeded its goal of shipping 10,000 Pentium processors in the quarter, and expects to ramp production of the product aggressively in the third quarter. ALR, in an announcement made last Thursday, is the first to begin shipping Pentium-based PCs and other companies are expected to rapidly follow suit.
To meet demand for its microprocessor products, Intel announced at the beginning of this month it would add a fifth building and 750 jobs at its Folsom, California site for research and development.
The company also announced a $1 billion expansion of its manufacturing facilities in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.
Intel is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930712/Press Contact: Gordon Casey, Intel tel 408-765-1480, fax 408-765-6008)
rdon Casey, Intel tel 408-765-1480, fax 408-765-6008)
7/12/93
Intel Income Up 167 Percent, Employee Bonus $48 Mil
Antiquated Computer Blamed For P
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- San Francisco officials are blaming an antiquated computer system and a shift change for a four-minute delay in dispatching police units to a skyscraper where a gunman killed eight people and wounded six others last week.
"Equipment, absolutely equipment, that's what I feel was at fault here" Lt Bruce Lorin said. Lorin is in charge of the police department's internal investigation into possible police foul-ups related to the incident.
Police computer records show that the initial call for help was received July 1 by a 911 operator st 2:57:57 PM. The call was received as "a man with a gun" at the skyscraper located at 101 California street.
But according to press reports, Lorin said that his office gets ten such calls a day. Lorin has told reporters that the dispatcher felt more information was needed before dispatching officers. One minute later, a second call, requesting an ambulance, was received and routed to paramedics, who responded.
At that point the police dispatchers changed shifts, and the new dispatcher was told that the gunman was locked in a fire stairway. Two minutes later, at 3:02 PM, the first police cars were dispatched to the scene.
San Francisco Police Chief Tony Ribera said that the delay in dispatching was more than he would like to see in responding to a shooting with victims. "I would like to see us get rolling to a report like this as soon as possible."
However, the four-minute delay in dispatching the first police unit may not have mattered in the number of victims. Police now say the suspect, 55-year old Gianluigi Ferri, allegedly did all of his killing in the first four minutes after he opened fire in a law office then roamed two other floors of the building firing machine pistols.
Ferri, reportedly a mortgage broker from Los Angeles who was having financial difficulties, started his shooting spree in the law offices of Pettit & Martin because he was upset about the handling of a 10-year old real estate deal.
Ferri allegedly shot himself about 75 minutes after the incident started, after being trapped in a stairwell by a police SWAT (special weapons and tactics) team.
Antiquated Computer Blamed For Police Delay In SF Killings
GENERAL
Bell Company Update
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- It's a continuing uphill battle, but regional Bell companies appear to be winning their fights to enter the long distance business and get more control over their own rates from state legislatures. The success is reflected in the companies' stock prices, most of which are near record highs, despite high capitalizations and rate regulation which should make such progress difficult.
In the Southwest, Southwestern Bell won the right from the Federal Communications Commission to link its Frame Relay service to long distance networks. This means it can offer digital lines of 56,000 bps to 1.544 million bps on-demand to businesses throughout in Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.
Frame Relay is an economical alternative to leased lines presently used by most businesses for their fast data needs because Frame Relay lets you connect to multiple points, as you need the connections, without having to re-engineer your network.
Southwestern Bell is offering businesses in its five-state region three speeds -- 56,000 bps, 384,000 bps and 1.544 million bps although Frame Relay standards allow for short "bursts" of data to be transmitted at much higher speeds than those ratings.
In the Upper Midwest, Ameritech is fighting with Allnet, a small long distance provider covering the same territory, over its right to enter the long distance market, and the rules governing such entry.
Allnet is concerned that Ameritech wants to deny it the same access to the Ameritech network, and the same prices, that Ameritech wants to give itself. The arguments involve such things as "intraLATA equal access," which means access to phone company facilities within an urban area, even if that area covers more than one state, like the New York metro area.
Earlier this year, Ameritech asked for permission to enter the long distance market in exchange for giving competitors "equal access" to its facilities, and the complex rule-making now taking place before the FCC will be important in setting the rules for that access.
In Pennsylvania, meanwhile, Bell Atlantic's Pennsylvania Bell unit won a major legislative victory when acting governor Mark Singel signed a law which will let it ask for some rates to be deregulated in exchange for its promise to replace copper with fiber in its network by the year 2015.
Under the law, regulators' failure to act on a rate hike request within 9 months will put the new rates into automatic effect.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930712/Press Contact: Roy Morris, Allnet 202-293-0593; Scott Hilgeman, Southwestern Bell, 314-247-4613; Eric Raabe, Bell Atlantic, 215-466-5611)
lantic, 215-466-5611)
7/12/93
Bell Company Update
TELECOM
Computers Set To Control Tokyo C
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- The Japanese Ministry of Construction has unveiled what it claims will be the next generation car traffic system. The technology, which is expected to allow Tokyo traffic to enter the next century without any worries of gridlock is based around (you guessed) a computer.
Under the new technology, plans call for radio wave conduits to be laid along the streets of Tokyo. These conduits feed back to regularly-sited base stations, from which radio-based control signals for each car will be transmitted.
The idea is quite radical, since it involves an onboard car computer making decisions on where to steer, how fast to go and when to shift gears and brake, based on input from its sensors, the controlling radio waves and, optionally, the human driver.
Before you freak out at the thought of turning control of your 100mph-plus car over to a few slivers of silicon, the Ministry has pointed out that the plan will be implemented in three stages.
The first stage involves the car signalling, by means of a buzzer or red light, when it is in danger of becoming involved in a road accident. The second stage will involve the car being equipped with an automatic braking system that is triggered by the base stations.
Only when everything is complete and correct will the third stage be implemented. The idea behind the project is to cut down on the number of road traffic accidents occurring in Japan. According to the MInistry, there were 11,451 people killed on the roads last year.
Once the new system is installed in around 50 percent of cars on Tokyo's roads, this death toll could be reduced by as much as 3,000 people a year.
The Ministry estimates that the technology necessary to implement stage one of the project will take around 10 years to perfect, so for the time being, they suggest we view it as an expert navigational system rather than a computer control system for cars.
(Masayuki Miyazawa/19930712)
ntrol system for cars.
(Masayuki Miyazawa/19930712)
7/12/93
Computers Set To Control Tokyo Cars Into Next Century
Aldus Announces Freehand Joint M
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- Aldus Corporation has announced plans to offer joint promotions in the US and Canada for its graphic design and illustration software Aldus Freehand 3.11 and Ray Dream's addDdepth, a Postscript 3D application.
The company says that the first promotion, which is immediately available, allows registered owners of Freehand 3.11 for Apple Computer's Macintosh to order addDepth for $99. The usual suggested retail price of addDepth is $179.
The two companies are also offering a retail bundle promotion through Mac Warehouse that allows purchasers of Aldus Freehand 3.11 to receive addDepth at no cost. That deal is good through September 30, 1993.
Aldus Graphics Products Director Cliff Chiris said that the partnership with Ray Dream gives Aldus a competitive advantage over the Illustrator/Dimensions software bundle.
Freehand is a Postscript-compatible design and illustration software package that includes pressure-sensitive drawing tools, layers, and the ability to undo multiple layers, and is designed for use by professional designers and illustrators.
Ray Dream's addDepth creates depth and perspective effects for type and line art, and is compatible with desktop publishing presentation, and drawing software. Users can type or draw directly in addDepth or import vector-based art from other applications. Depth and perspective are automatically generated by addDepth, and artwork can be edited in various drawing programs or placed in a Macintosh application.
Aldus Freehand for the Macintosh has a suggested retail price of $595 in the US.
SOMERS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- IBM Technology Products, which last October began a serious push into selling chips to other companies, has unveiled a microcontroller meant to be used in disk drives and other board-level controller applications.
IBM's new MC19610 is compatible with Intel Corp.'s 8096 chip architecture, company officials said. Western Digital, which wrote the microcode for the new controller, has placed a large order for the chips for use in its hard disk drives, according to IBM.
IBM Technology Products is talking to other potential customers but is not ready to announce any other sales, company spokesman Jim Smith said. While the microcode in the MC19610 chip is designed expressly for Western Digital products, IBM might use a derivative of the device in products of its own in the future, he added.
The MC19610 consists of a 16-bit processing unit and peripherals meant to deal with board-level controller challenges, said IBM. The new device comes in a 20-megahertz (MHz) complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) version and has the options of 32K bytes of mask read-only memory (ROM) and 1K bytes of random-access memory (RAM).
The MC19610 is available now, at prices depending on configuration. With 32K bytes of mask ROM and 1K bytes of RAM pricing ranges from $11 to $14 depending on volume, IBM said.
(Grant Buckler/19930712/Press Contact: Jim Smith, IBM Technology Products, 914-766-4066; Bob Blair, Western Digital, 714-932-7834)
66-4066; Bob Blair, Western Digital, 714-932-7834)
7/12/93
IBM Launches Microcontroller For Merchant Market
Silicon Graphics Intros Workstat
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- The trend towards videoconferencing, especially on local area networks within a corporation, has been highlighted with Silicon Graphics' introduction of a new workstation complete with an integrated video camera.
Jill Grossman, a spokesperson for Silicon Graphics, told Newsbytes that, "'Indy' is the name of the workstation, and 'Indycam' is the name of the digital video camera that is included with it." The workstation will let users within a company see the image of another worker using another system.
Set for availability in the third quarter of 1993, Grossman said that, "The computer is sold at $4,995, with the camera included."
Speaking of the intended market, she said that: "It's targeted towards our traditional markets and additional high-end Mac and PC markets, desktop publishing, and publishing."
The engineering industry was highlighted by the company as a target niche market, with designers at different locations able to demonstrate a specific part using the system's viewing capabilities.
The workstations used would have to be connected in some way either through a local area network, if communication is just in-house, or with modems and carrier telephone lines if workers at different locations are conversing.
Grossman told Newsbytes that the operating system used with the new workstation is not a new one, but is "Irix, our version of Unix."
ilicon Graphics Inc, tel 415-390-1516, fax 415-960-1737)
7/12/93
Silicon Graphics Intros Workstation/Video Camera Combo
TRENDS
Novell Intros NMS Software Devel
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- Novell has announced NetWare Management System (NMS) Software Development Kit (SDK) version 2.0.
Kay Paumier, spokesperson for Novell, told Newsbytes that, for the end user, the significance of version 2.0 is that "it allows the NetWare environment to be managed by any management system based on SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)."
Novell claims that the NMS SDK provides developers with a comprehensive set of tools and open APIs (application programming interfaces) with which to develop management services and applications.
Paumier told Newsbytes that the new version offers a NetWare server MIB (Management Information Base) and an SNMP desktop transport.
The NetWare server MIB and SNMP transport allow any SNMP console to manage NetWare servers and server-based applications, and an SNMP desktop transport allows developers to build management applications that relay information from desktop systems to any SNMP management system.
Announcing the kit, Navindra Jain, vice president and general manager of Novell's Network Management and Internetworking Products Division, said: "Providing full SNMP support for the NetWare environment is another significant step in Novell's efforts to support enterprise customers."
"Our new SDK enables third-parties to integrate with the NMS console, or any other SNMP-based system, to manage NetWare services and NetWare clients from a central point. In addition, our customers can integrate management of NetWare servers and desktops with the management of other network devices through the SNMP-based management system of their choice," he added.
Novell claims that an enhanced NetWare MIB specifies how NetWare can be managed via SNMP-based network management systems. According to the company, the agent that implements this MIB will be available in early 1994. The NetWare MIB enables network managers to access such server information as configuration management, problem identification, and resource accounting from any SNMP-compliant network management system.
The APIs in the NMS SDK enable developers to integrate their own products for managing network devices, such as routers or hubs with the existing set of management applications provided by Novell in the NetWare Management System, says the company.
Paumier told Newsbytes that the NMS SDK 2.0 tool kit is available through the Novell Professional Developer's Program, priced at $495. The price includes free technical support and free automatic updates.
(Ian Stokell/19930712/Press Contact: Kay Paumier, 510-656-8512 Communications Plus)
: Kay Paumier, 510-656-8512 Communications Plus)
7/12/93
Novell Intros NMS Software Development Kit 2.0
GENERAL
Dolch Intros Scalable, Customiza
MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- Dolch Computer Systems has launched the MediaMach family of scalable and customizable portable presentation PCs.
Each model in Dolch's latest series of Mach platforms is made up of two distinct function modules -- the ComposerSlice and PresentationPlayer -- that come together to form what is described as a complete portable multimedia production and delivery system.
After a presentation has been created, the lightweight PresentationPlayer can be detached from the unit and brought out on the road, leaving the larger ComposerSlice behind.
The new system is designed so all hardware needed for production resides in the ComposerSlice and the presentation hardware resides in the PresentationPlayer, officials explained when announcing the product.
The units come configured with a CD-ROM in the ComposerSlice and a software suite loaded on a 486DX-33MHz PresentationPlayer with 4 MB of memory and a 120 MB hard drive.
Through the one- and two-inch MultiSlice modules that characterize the company's Mach architecture, the systems can be expanded to CPU power of up to 486/DX2-66MHz, hard drive capacity of up to 1 GB and memory of up to 32 MB.
Other options for MediaMach include a choice of active matrix TFT or passive matrix STN display, and the ability to select between JPEG, MPEG, or DVI video compression and playback.
The TFT option displays a palette of 185,193 colors at a 60:1 contrast ratio on a 10-4-inch display that folds out from the PresentationPlayer. The more economical STN option, for applications where full-motion video is not required, shows 227,000 colors on a 9.5-inch double-scan display. A touch screen option is also available.
Each model in the new MediaMach series features a channel between the fold-out screen and the PresentationPlayer's upright standing case that is aimed at eliminating the need for external speakers.
According to Volker Dolch, company president, the channel achieves amplification through "impedance transfer," the same scientific principle that operates in other simple cones, such as megaphones.
To gain maximum performance in the smallest possible space, and to eliminate the noise of a fan, the MediaMach and other Mach PCs use a cooling technique that was originally devised for supercomputers.
All major heat producing elements within the unit conduct heat to cold plates through a highly heat-transmissive fluorocarbon liquid.
The plates are then cooled by a process known as "vertical channelled drafting," or, more commonly known as the "chimney effect." A temperature-controlled fan is available for use in extreme environments.
In addition, like other Mach PCs, the MediaMach units are ruggedized. The Mach enclosure is fabricated from aircraft alloy and covered by a shock absorbent rubber compound. Inside the enclosure, all system components are individually suspended and shock mounted for further protection.
Members of the new MediaMach family weigh in at under 13 pounds. Units are currently available two to six weeks ARO (after receipt of order). Prices start at $11,295.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930712/Public contact: Dolch Computer Systems tel 408-957-6575; Press contact: Steve Fritz, Dolch, tel 408-957 6575)
-957-6575; Press contact: Steve Fritz, Dolch, tel 408-957 6575)
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- The number of home computer users that have a modem is increasing. Now Global Village Communication has announced the $109 TelePort/Bronze II fax/modem for the Macintosh.
The company is targeting the new product at home, home office and small business users. TelePort/Bronze II includes Global Village's GlobalFax software for communications management. With the new product users can send faxes at 9600 bits-per-second (bps), receive faxes at 4,800 bps, and access on-line services at 2,400 bps.
Interestingly, the fax/modem ships with a TelePort/Bronze II cable that plugs into the serial port for fax and data communication, and the Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) port for power access. The device is powered by the Macintosh, and therefore requires no extra power cable.
Announcing the new fax/modem, Neil Selvin, president and chief executive officer of Global Village, said: "With TelePort/Bronze II we believe that high-quality communications on the Macintosh will be accessible to thousands of new users. And, with an integrated and scalable product line, a customer can buy into the world of Global Village communications affordably and enjoy consistent usability as their needs increase."
The TelePort/Bronze II is available immediately through the company's authorized resellers, mail-order firms, and international distributors for a suggested retail price of $109. The company says that pricing outside the United States will vary by country.
(Ian Stokell/19930712/Press Contact: Kathy Bower, 415-390-8218 Global Village Communication)
er, 415-390-8218 Global Village Communication)
7/12/93
Global Village Intros Low Cost Mac Fax/Modem
GENERAL
Second Round Apple Price Cuts On
CAMPBELL, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- Apple Computer is again announcing price cuts of 29 to 24 percent on its Macintosh Quadra, Apple Workgroup Server, and Powerbook notebook computer line. The company is also offering rebates of $100 to $200 on selected products in its Performa computer line.
The Macintosh Quadra 950 systems have been reduced up to 29 percent the Apple Workgroup Server 95 computers have been reduced up to 20 percent, and the Powerbooks have come down 7 percent to 34 percent. The company has set up toll-free lines to answer consumer questions about pricing and availability.
This is the second round of price cuts Apple has announced in less than a month. In June, Apple announced price reductions selected Macintosh Centris 610 models, Macintosh IIvx models, Powerbook 180s Apple Onescanners, and the Applecds compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) drives.
Turmoil at Apple has been in the headlines. The company lost its lawsuit against Microsoft over Windows, replaced its chief executive officer (CEO) John Sculley with chief operating officer (COO) Michael Spindler, who promptly announced lay offs of 2,500 employees, has frozen employee wages while cutting the pay of top management, and there have been hints Apple is for sale.
Bob Puette, president of Apple USA said concerning the current round of price cuts: "The price reductions, and the Performa rebates, are part of our overall company strategy to take aggressive actions in order to increase our market share."
Apple said it expects lower earnings for this half of the year and industry analysts say pricing pressures from the IBM and compatible personal computer (PC) market coupled with the success of Microsoft Windows are the cause. The company's earnings statement is on track for release the middle of this month, company officials added.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930712/Press Contact: Lisa Byrne, Apple Computer, tel 408-862-5154, fax 408-967-5651; Apple Customer Assistance Center 800-776-2333; Apple reseller or retailer referrals 800-538-9696)
; Apple reseller or retailer referrals 800-538-9696)
7/12/93
Second Round Apple Price Cuts On Quadra, Server, Powerbook
APPLE
Lightning Offers Complete 486-66
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- One of the true inevitabilities of the computer hardware business is that PCs powered by what was leading-edge semiconductor technology, will over a matter of just a couple of years, virtually halve in price. That's already happening to 486-based systems, which previously took over the top rung of the ladder from 386-based PCs.
Intel's new Pentium processor will likely replace the 486 at the leading edge of the desktop PC market, when it finally reaches mass production. But in the meantime, Lightning Computers claims its new trade-in program allows users to send in any working 286 or 386 system and receive a "complete," American-made Pentium-upgradable i486-66 megahertz (MHz) local-bus SVGA system with 170 megabyte (MB) drive, for only $1,395.
In announcing the trade-in offer, company President Richard McCabe said: "We're offering users a chance to get a state-of-the-art 486/66 MHz local-bus system for under $1,400 and get rid of their old PCs at the same time. We'll build your dream machine to your specifications, at our manufacturing cost, with trade-in of any 286 or 386, regardless of brand, speed or architecture."
The company claims that, for $1,395, the Lightning Omniflex 486/66 includes: 128 kilobyte (KB) of cache, expandable to 256KB; six ISA (Industry Standard Architecture), two VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) local bus slots, AMI BIOS (basic input/output), P24T Pentium ZIF socket; 4MB RAM, expandable to 32MB; 170MB IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) hard disk with 13 millisecond (ms) average access speed; 1.2MB 5.25-inch or 1.44MB 3.5-inch Teac floppy disk drives; local bus SuperVGA card with 1MB RAM; 14-inch non-interlaced SuperVGA monitor with .28 dot pitch; standard desktop chassis with 250 watt UL/CSA power supply; 101 key enhanced AT keyboard; one parallel, one game and two serial ports.
Lightning also says that it offers "hundreds" of options which users can select in order to create their own custom-built PC.
The company offers customized PCs directly to users or through value-added resellers. The company also offers a standard warranty term that includes one year parts and labor with on-site service. Extended term warranties are optional.
Lightning claims to have received a number of industry awards for their computers, including "Editor's Choice" from PC Magazine "Byte Best" from Byte magazine and "Best Bet" from PC Computing magazine.
(Ian Stokell/19930709/Press Contact: Rick McCabe 415-543-3111, Lightning Computers)
tact: Rick McCabe 415-543-3111, Lightning Computers)
7/9/93
Lightning Offers Complete 486-66 System For $1,395
TRENDS
Adobe Systems Splits Stock
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- High revenue has led to Adobe Systems splitting its stock.
The company says that its board of directors has approved a two-for-one stock split, payable in the form of a stock dividend. The record date for the stock split will be July 27, 1993, with a distribution date of Aug. 10, 1993.
The company also says that upon completion of the split, the number of common shares outstanding will be approximately 45,162,650.
In announcing the split, John Warnock, chairman and chief executive officer of Adobe, said: "The stock split should serve to broaden the shareholder base by reducing the price per share and increasing the availability of shares for trading."
Adobe says that revenue for 1992 exceeded $265 million.
The company has been in the news lately mainly because of its new Acrobat product. In June Newsbytes reported that Adobe is planning Power PC and Sun Solaris, HP, DEC, and SGI Unix versions of the viewing software for Acrobat, as well as a multimedia capable second release of the entire Acrobat family of viewing and document creation products.
Also in June, Newsbytes reported that Business Link, a service bureau which uses fast ISDN (Integrated Services Data Networks) data lines to collect print jobs from magazines and designers, said it will use the new Portable Document Format, or PDF, of Adobe Acrobat.
(Ian Stokell/19930709/Press Contact: Linda Prosser 415-962-3840, Adobe Systems)
3840, Adobe Systems)
7/9/93
Adobe Systems Splits Stock
BUSINESS
Computer-Aided Design Software F
TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- Davidson & Associates, a company specializing in the development of educational software, has begun shipping Kid CAD, which it claims is the computer equivalent of Lego. The company is billing the software as the first computer-aided design (CAD) package for children.
So, what can children do with CAD software, traditionally used for architects and engineers? Davidson claims that the package allows children to design and build almost any type of structure with electronic building blocks, in much the same way children have played with snap-together toys for years.
The twist is that the design then becomes a three-dimensional (3D) virtual environment that can be viewed from different perspectives. Plants, furnishings, pets, and characters are all available for addition to the design and children can even add landscaping. When they're done, kids can "blow up" or otherwise destroy their creation, just as they could with physical blocks.
Announcing the package, Jan Davidson, president and founder of Davidson & Associates said: "Kid CAD offers a 3-D virtual environment that is unparalleled in other software products for children."
"With just a few mouse clicks, players can select from over a hundred objects and tools; rotate and paint those objects; zoom in and out on their creations; and switch from a bird's eye view to ground level. This ability to manipulate three-dimensional objects and understand perspective captivates children and encourages their creativity," he said.
The product features list includes: a zoom feature and multiple "camera views" for rotating objects; inclusion of several pre-made shapes and patterns with a simple "point and click" interface to accomplish most tasks; a set of tools to design any type of structure, select building materials, choose colors, decorate and furnish interiors and include characters, animals and plants; demolition tools such as bombs, bulldozers, laser beams, and lawn mowers; and animated panoramas for city, town, and farm locations.
When users first come into Kid CAD, they see an animated panorama; clicking on objects within that screen offers additional animations clever sound effects and original music. Kids then say where they would like to build, a plot of land is made available, and users can choose from pre-made structures to place on the land or make their own.
If the child chooses to build a structure, choices of such as Spanish tile roofs, wood parquet floors, glass blocks, and lots of different wallpapers, and paints are available to decorate the structure. In addition, zany patterns -- like popcorn, polka dots happy faces and ice cream -- can be applied to anything. A variety of characters, plants and animals from apple trees to dinosaurs can be added and the creation can be printed on a black and white or color printer.
Kid CAD runs under the Microsoft Windows operating system, and requires Windows version 3.1 in enhanced mode, a minimum of an 80386 microprocessor running at 25 megahertz (MHz), 4 megabytes (MB) of random access memory (RAM), 9.7 MB of hard disk space and a video graphics array (VGA) color monitor.
A sound card, such as a Sound Blaster or another Windows-compatible sound unit, is recommended. The product retails for $49.95 and is shipping now.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930712/Press Contact: Linda Duttenhaver, Davidson and Associates, tel 310-793-0600 ext 230, fax 310-793 0601; Public Contact, 310-793-0600)
, fax 310-793 0601; Public Contact, 310-793-0600)
7/12/93
Computer-Aided Design Software For Kids Arrives
No Excuses For Poor Spelling In
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- There are now no excuses for sloppy spelling on the Mac, as no less than three spell checker programs were shown at a printing equipment show held in Moscow last week. The packages are Maximum Text, Orkon and Glyph.
Maximum Text is a package from the Maximum Company, which claims that the software has a dictionary of 100,000 words. Orkon, a competing package developed by a team of linguists led by a professor Belonogov, claims to have a dictionary of 200,000 words. The third package, Glyph, is from Apcom and has a dictionary of 120,000 words.
All three of the Mac spellcheckers have parallels with early spelling checkers for the Mac released in the US, since they can only function with plain text files. This limitation was observed on Mac spellcheckers in the mid-1980s and, owing to the quirky formats of several of the Mac's word processors, it took some time for spelling checkers capable of working directly with WP files to find their way to market.
Industry observers in Russia say that the appearance of the spellchecker packages is a sign of the recent development of the Mac software market in this country. Newsbytes notes, however, that the "localization" of the Mac is a long and slow process for Russia.
MAIDENHEAD, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- Advanced Micro Research (AMR) has announced the VGA-8 Host adapter card, a unit that allows up to 32 simultaneous VGA stations to be linked to a single Unix host. According to Brian Haynes, the company's European sales and marketing director, the card is being targeted towards PC unix integrators.
"User demand is forcing integrators to offer more than alpha numeric applications on dumb terminals. There is a shift in the PC Unix market towards applications that use color and graphics. If integrators are to stay competitive, they need to offer users I/O boards and terminals that can run all the latest color and graphics based software in the Unix, DOS and Windows worlds," he said.
Backing up his claims, Haynes referred to Dataquest's 1991/92 figures that show that world-wide sales of Multiconsole seats was 24,000, a figure that rose to 79,000 in 1992/93. Dataquest, a market research company, projects that, by the time 1997 rolls around sales will have reached almost 500,000 seats world-wide.
"My view is that PC Unix integrators need a low cost alternative to the dumb terminal, one which offers the same display and I/O capabilities as a PC. The world is going graphical but many PC unix vertical integrators still offer only mono text solutions. Within the next 12 months, they will find mono ASCII text solutions increasingly harder to sell," Haynes said.
Standard features on the VGA-8 card include mono/color VGA and SVG graphics, along with super fast data speeds (to 77 million bits per second), plus local serial and parallel ports at each user station. The card itself incorporates support for ASCII, X Windows, MS Windows, Alpha Windows, ANSI mono and color and DOS text plus graphics applications.
Multi-user operating system drivers are available for SCO Xenix Unix, ODT, Interactive Unix and, just launched, Unixware from Univel.
The VGA-8 card is available immediately with a list price of UKP 2,920 for an eight user version. Trade discounts are 30 per cent and are volume related. A VGA monitor and keyboard are extra.
(Steve Gold/19930712/Press & Public Contact: AMR - Tel: 0628-778682)
712/Press & Public Contact: AMR - Tel: 0628-778682)
7/12/93
Advanced Micro Research Intros VGA-8 Host Adapter
More Computer-related Products T
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- More computer-related products will soon be appearing that use a high performance memory product.
That's the word from Ramtron International Corporation, the Colorado Springs, Colorado-based semiconductor memory chip company. Ramtron said it has signed deals with six customers for its EDRAM (enhanced dynamic random access memory) chip, an ultra-high performance memory product that combines the properties of static RAM (SRAM) and dynamic RAM (DRAM) on a single chip. The result is a chip that allows for memory access that is twice as fast as any conventional DRAM chip, the company claims.
The company says that the speed of EDRAM chips makes them ideal for virtually any high-performance industrial or consumer application. Some of those applications are expected to be a system from Yarc Systems that's based on the PowerPC microprocessor recently introduced by the Apple-Motorola-IBM alliance.
Yarc Systems already uses EDRAM chips in its existing computer graphics product. "We're so pleased that we're not only building Ramtron's EDRAM into our existing computer graphics product but are also integrating EDRAM into another Yarc System product," explained Trevor Marshall, chief technical officer at the company.
Other applications using the EDRAM chip are expected to include a portable laptop computer, a CAD (computer aided design) systems accelerator, a wide-area network controller, and a broadcast graphics product.
Ramtron declined to disclose the names of the six customers, saying they had requested anonymity until they are ready to announce their EDRAM-based systems.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- Telecom Plus and Apple Australia have combined their advanced technologies to develop OzOrder, a new order processing system that Apple says has enabled it to provide overnight turnaround of repair parts.
OzOrder was developed as part of Apple's drive to improve its service to business partners and in turn help them to improve them service their customers, yet maintaining smaller spare parts reserves.
According to Bill Hastings, Operations Director at Apple Computer repair orders were taking an unacceptably long time to be processed a couple of years ago, so the company began a two phase project to speed up orders for both new and exchange parts.
"We began by redesigning our internal processes. For example, we improved warranty processing by linking serial numbers on machines to comprehensive database records," he said.
"Then, in phase two, we concentrated on improving the communications between Apple and our service providers throughout Australia. At that time, all orders and confirmation notes were being faxed, and like all paper-bound systems, were vulnerable to error and delay, so we wanted to develop a remote order processing system," he added.
For this, Apple required an extremely reliable, cost-effective communications system. They sought the help of Telecom Plus, a division of the major Australian carrier Telecom (or Telstra outside Australia). Telecom Plus provided Apple with its electronic messaging service, Keylink, which guarantees to be working 99.8 percent of the time. (It also guarantees problem resolution within four hours).
Apple's Service Operations Manager John Khoo said that this has revolutionized the system. "Now Apple repair centers simply send electronic orders via Keylink to the Apple mailbox and this gives Apple service operations staff the ability to deal with requests almost until the delivery trucks leave," he said.
Orders are batch-processed on an hourly basis, being handled by Apple's mainframe using ATFM (Advanced Telecommunications Facilities Manager) so that human intervention is not needed. Only five percent of orders actually need human attention.
OzOrder was developed on the Mac using C++MACAPP software to "give it a traditional Mac feel." Communications costs are claimed to be less than 70 cents (US) for a typical order.
(Paul Zucker and Niki France/19930712/Contact: Jennie Wright at Telecom Plus - tel: +61-2-956 9957)
t: Jennie Wright at Telecom Plus - tel: +61-2-956 9957)
7/12/93
OzOrder Helps Apple Supply Its Customers In Australia
TELECOM
Asian Region R&D Spending Patter
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- The National Science Foundation has published a survey of science and technology human resources for the Asian region; the survey shows surges in research and development (R&D) spending per researcher for India, Singapore and South Korea, compared with steady or falling expenditures in Taiwan and the US.
Figures for China weren't available before 1990, but, in that year Communist China spent $55,000 per researcher, putting the country just behind India at $57,500 and not very far below the spending levels in Singapore ($67,000), South Korea ($73,000), or Taiwan ($77,000).
Japan spent $117,000 per researcher in 1990 while the US invested $136,825 in 1989, the last year reported.
Even more important, is that the US figure has remained almost the same since 1975, and was never higher than $143,000 back in 1985 while India's spending has grown by 84 percent since 1976, and South Korea's R&D monies jumped by 124 percent.
Reflecting this increased expenditure, US patents awarded to Chinese residents went from one in 1975 to a high of 52 in 1989; in the same period, Japanese-held patents increased from 6,350 to 20,100 in 1989; Taiwanese-held US patent awards jumped from 23 in 1975 to 731 in 1990; and South Korea's have gone from a low of four in 1979 to 224 in 1990.
The actual number of R&D researchers in various Asian countries added up to almost the same number as in the US for 1990, but while the number of US-based researchers has grown by 80 percent from 1975 to 1989, the total percentage increase for all of Asia has been slightly over 161 percent, not counting China.
This compares with the US, which is now about on a par with the major Asian countries taken as a whole - the trend, if it continues will see the US rapidly falling behind over the next few years.
When we consider the total ratio of researchers compared to the entire workforce, in both the US and Japan there are about 75 workers involved in R&D for every 10,000 total workers.
Perhaps the most distressing numbers disclosed by this research are that the US lags far behind China, Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan in the percentage of college degrees awarded in science and engineering, compared to the total number of bachelor's degrees awarded to each country's citizens.
This means that, for instance, there are more than twice as many science and engineering degrees awarded per Japanese college graduate than US college graduate, despite the fact that many of these Asian students are graduating from US colleges and universities.
Data referred to in this Newsbytes report is taken from "Human Resources for Science and Technology: The Asian Region, NSF 93-303." A free copy of the 140-page report can be ordered from the National Science Foundation at 703-644-4278 (fax), or e-mail a request to pubs@nsf.gov on the Internet.
(John McCormick/19930712)
n the Internet.
(John McCormick/19930712)
7/12/93
Asian Region R&D Spending Patterns Revealed
TRENDS
Media Vision Unveils Two Multime
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- Media Vision has launched two high-performance multimedia upgrade kits: the Fusion Double CD 16 and the Pro 16 Multimedia System. The company claims that the two kits will allow PC users to run high performance multimedia applications.
Both kits are compatible with the Multimedia PC (MPC) marketing council's recently-introduced MPC Level 2 specification. This states that the minimum specs for a Level 2 multimedia PC are 16-bit sound a double-speed CD-ROM (compact disc read only memory) drive and multi-session Photo CD capabilities.
Both the kits include Media Vision's Pro Audiospectrum 16-bit sound card with a double speed CD-ROM drive. Paul Jain, Media Vision's president, claims that the company is active supporter of the MPC marketing council.
"This new specification represents the council's recognition of the market's enhanced expectation for multimedia performance," he said adding that the company will continue to adhere to market standards in future product releases.
The Fusion Double CD 16 upgrade kit includes a Pro Audiospectrum 16 sound card, plus a double-speed CD-ROM drive and four bundled discs including Virgin's The 7th Guest. The Pro 16 kit, meanwhile includes the Pro Audiospectrum 16 sound card, a double-speed NEC 84JD01 CD-ROM drive, eight discs and MIDI sequencing software.
The Fusion Double CD kit costs UKP 599, while the Pro 16 Multimedia costs UKP 799. Both kits are available immediately through Media Vision's distributors in the UK -- Ingram Micro, Gem and Omnimedia.
(Steve Gold/19930712/Press Contact: For Media Vision - SMI Tel: 071-354-4444)
ss Contact: For Media Vision - SMI Tel: 071-354-4444)
7/12/93
Media Vision Unveils Two Multimedia Upgrade Systems
TRENDS
Three New Ambra PCs Launched In
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- Expercomp Service, an IBM Canada subsidiary that sells Ambra PCs in Canada, has unveiled three new Sprinta machines based on IBM's 50-megahertz (MHz) 486SLC2 processor.
Launched in June, 1992, the SLC2 microprocessor uses clock-doubling technology and has power-management features and an internal 16K byte cache. According to Expercomp, the new machines are available with a choice of hard drives, monitors, memory configurations, and bundled software.
Customers can choose 2, 4, 8 or 16 megabytes (MB) of memory and an 85MB, 170MB, or 240MB hard disk, explained Bobby Hsieh, marketing manager at Expercomp. There is also a choice of VGA, Super VGA, or Ultra VGA low-radiation monitors.
The standard software bundle that comes with the machines includes the DOS operating system, Version 6.0, plus Microsoft Windows 3.1 and Microsoft's Works for Windows integrated software. Lotus Organizer, a personal information manager, is also included except with the cheapest configuration, a machine with 2MB of memory and an 85MB hard drive.
Those who buy the new Sprinta with at least 8MB of memory and a 240-MB hard drive can also choose IBM's OS/2 operating system, Version 2.1, in place of DOS and Windows, Hsieh said.
The new PCs are due to be available in stores by the end of July Expercomp officials said. Sample list prices are: C$1,599 for a machine with 2MB of memory, an 85MB hard disk, and a VGA monitor; C$1,999 for one with 4MB of memory, 170MB drive, and a Super VGA monitor; and C$2,399 for a Sprinta with 8MB of memory, a 240MB hard drive, and a Super VGA monitor.
Expercomp has also announced that all Ambra PCs are now covered by IBM HelpWare, a lifetime support service offered by the parent company.
(Grant Buckler/19930712/Press Contact: Kate Jobling, Goodman Communications for Expercomp, 416-924-9100, fax 416-924-5709; Bobby Hsieh, Expercomp, 416-946-4158)
9; Bobby Hsieh, Expercomp, 416-946-4158)
7/12/93
Three New Ambra PCs Launched In Canada
Spinnaker To Market Green Thumb'
e CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- Spinnaker Software has named Green Thumb Software's LandDesigner the second member of its Affiliated Labels Program, a move that will bring the PC-based residential landscape design software into the retail channel for the first time.
The new partnership program from Spinnaker gives other software companies the chance to market their products on a broad scale through Spinnaker's well established retail channel, national sales force, and Power Up catalog, according to Dan Chmielewski, a Spinnaker spokesperson.
The first entry in the partnership program, the myHouse home design package from DesignWare, topped the Ingram Micro June 1993 best seller's list for retail products in the graphics category.
"Stemming from the success of the myHouse program, we're discovering that there's a substantial market for home applications software. We're hoping LandDesigner mirrors this success," commented Dale Weideman, director of the Affiliated Labels Program.
As home applications products, LandDesigner and myHouse are strong complements to Spinnaker's personal productivity software for home offices and small businesses, he added.
LandDesigner is a Computer Aided Design (CAD) software package aimed at letting home users quickly and easily create complete landscaping plans. Users can design gardens, lawn areas, walkways, and sprinkler systems covering up to 170 acres.
"This agreement marks the first time LandDesigner will be available in the general retail channel. With the power and savvy of Spinnaker's established sales force behind it, LandDesigner should soon be readily available to customers all over the US," noted Judy McNary, president of Green Thumb.
Plans call for Spinnaker to market LandDesigner through 15,000 retail outlets, as well as through PowerUp, a catalog with an annual circulation of 10 million. LandDesigner will also be made available to Spinnaker's PC OEM partners.
LandDesigner is priced at $89. Use of the package requires an 80286 based IBM-compatible PC or higher, a VGA or EGA graphic card 1MB of RAM, a hard disk, and a mouse.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930712/Public contact: Green Thumb, tel 800-336 3127; Dealer contact: Spinnaker, tel 800-323-8088; Press contacts: Dan Chmielewski, Spinnaker, tel 617-494-1200, ext 458; Jane Rubinstein, Green Thumb: tel 303-442-8049)
ext 458; Jane Rubinstein, Green Thumb: tel 303-442-8049)
7/12/93
Spinnaker To Market Green Thumb's LandDesigner Software
Softbank CD-ROM Marketing Firm O
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A. (NB) -- In an increasingly competitive software industry, vendors are seeking new ways to distribute products. Now four companies involved in the distribution and direct marketing of software have announced the creation of a new company called Softbank Inc., that will market a CD-ROM containing multiple software products, called "Softbank On-Hand."
Softbank, Merisel Computer Products, Phoenix Technologies, and Alexander & Lord are the firms involved in the joint venture. The company says it will begin shipping its first Softbank On-Hand Software Library CD-ROM disc set, bundled with computers and multimedia upgrade products, this fall.
The company claims that the On-Hand Library enables users to "desktop shop" for software and other products without having to go to a store. They simply call a toll-free number to obtain a code to "unlock" actual software programs from the CD-ROM disc.
The On-Hand Library will reportedly include interactive product advertisements, demos, and "hundreds" of purchasable software titles organized in an "interactive multimedia interface."
The library also includes a variety of free software. Users who obtain the free On-Hand Library may also subscribe to a monthly series of CD-ROM discs containing news, features, interactive multimedia ads, additional free software, and additional new software titles that can be purchased.
The Softbank On-Hand Software Library runs under Windows 3.1 on 80386 or 80486-based PCs with multimedia-compatible CD-ROM drives and sound capabilities.
Announcing the new CD-ROM, David Blumstein, president and CEO of Softbank, said: "Softbank On-Hand is a fundamentally easier and more efficient way to buy software because it lets people try and compare software before they buy it. We're catering to the growing desire of users to shop from home or office."
However, the company claims that traditional software retailers are not cut out of the loop, as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), distributors, and retailers who distribute the Softbank On-Hand Library bundles receive a percentage of revenue from products sold.
(Ian Stokell/19930712/Press Contact: Margaret Tuttle, 408-655-6000 Softbank)
s Contact: Margaret Tuttle, 408-655-6000 Softbank)
7/12/93
Softbank CD-ROM Marketing Firm Offers First Disc
BUSINESS
Seikosha Intros Speedjet 300 Ink
SLOUGH, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- Seikosha has announced the Speedjet 300, a 300 characters per second (CPS) inkjet unit that it claims works to letter quality (LQ) standards.
According to the company, the unusually high speed is achieved by using a new high-capacity 128 nozzle ink jet print head capable of printing 2.4 times more characters in a given space than established 50 nozzle heads can manage.
This translates into a much faster print speed -- twice as fast as the HP Deskjet 500/510 series and the Epson Stylus 800, its primary competition in the inkjet stakes. Even better, Seikosha claims that the printer runs for just 1.3 pence per page.
The design flexibility of the new printer is impressive, including standard fonts such as Dutch 801, Proportional Letter Gothic and Courier in various styles. These fonts can be printed in either vertical or horizontal formats, as well as in various widths as a print resolution of 300 x 300 dots per inch (DPI).
As supplied, the Speedjet comes with a print buffer of 24K, with optional 128 and 256K cards available if required. According to Gareth Cornish, Seikosha' general sales manager, the printer can connect with any PC using the standard parallel or the optional serial port.
The Speedjet 300 is available immediately at a retail price of UKP 359. Optional on-site warranty is available for an extra UKP 20.
(Steve Gold/19930712/Press & Public Contact: Seikosha UK - Tel: 0753-685873; Fax: 0753-682036)
osha UK - Tel: 0753-685873; Fax: 0753-682036)
7/12/93
Seikosha Intros Speedjet 300 Inkjet Printer
GENERAL
Canadian Product Launch Update
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- This regular feature appearing every Monday or Tuesday, provides further details for the Canadian market on announcements by international companies that Newsbytes has already covered. This week: new SPARCstations and Apple price cuts.
Sun Microsystems of Canada joined its US parent in unveiling three new workstations in its SPARC line (Newsbytes, July 5). The new SPARCstation 10TurboGXplus workstations are priced C$2,200 about the basic system prices of comparable SPARCstation 10 machines, starting at about C$33,000. The SPARCstation ZX basic system is priced at C$29,000, and the SPARCstation 10ZX starts at C$41,700.
On Friday, Apple Canada joined its US parent in announcing price cuts on PowerBook notebook computers and Macintosh Quadra systems. PowerBook price cuts in Canada range from five to 16 percent affecting PowerBook 145B, 160, 165c, 180, and 180c models.
Apple also cut the price of a Quadra 950 with 8 megabytes (MB) of memory and a 230MB hard disk by 25 percent, from C$8,080 to C$6,090 and that of the same machine with a one-gigabyte hard disk by 20 percent, from C$9,990 to C$8,000.
(Grant Buckler/19930712/Press Contact: Michael Douglas, Sun Microsystems of Canada, 416-477-6745; Franca Miraglia, Apple Canada, 416-513-5511; Public Contact: Apple Canada, 800-263-3394)
act: Apple Canada, 800-263-3394)
7/12/93
Canadian Product Launch Update
GENERAL
Australian Software Products To
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- The Sydney branch of the Australian Software Publisher's Association (ASPA) has signed four new high profile, pioneering Australian software publishers. Plans call for ASPA to promote the company's products at the PC93 computer show, which takes place in Melbourne next month.
According to ASPA president Steve Goschnik, the new members put a better national balance on the group. The new members are: Corporate Workgroup Resources (publishers of Talking Windows communications package); TypeQuick (a typing tutor); Odyssey Development (Isys text retrieval); and Custom Made Software (accounting and personal management software).
The new members' packages which will be shown at the August OC93 show are: Windows TypeQuick; Windows Isys; Ed for Windows version 2; POWRRR CHART/VB programming tool for Visual Basic; Graphic Gallery II and a $5 software postcard called "Greetings from Australia"; WordQuest for Windows (primary school education package); version 3 of the Murrembeena Network System; InspectA archiving software; multi-user version of Letter Magic and so on.
(Paul Zucker/19930712/Contact: Steve Goschnick, ASPA phone +61-3-754 4377 or fax +61-2-752 5033)
Goschnick, ASPA phone +61-3-754 4377 or fax +61-2-752 5033)
7/12/93
Australian Software Products To Feature At Melbourne Show
Kerridge Network Systems Unveils
NEWBURY, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 12 (NB) -- Kerridge Network Systems has launched the Micro-I, an integrated services digital network (ISDN) half card for PCs. The card, which costs UKP 799, is available immediately.
According to the company, the half-length PC card is designed for use with British Telecom's ISDN-2 service, which BT is actively promoting.
ISDN-2, which is available across 70 percent of the UK, offers two 64,000 bits per second (bps) and one 16,000 bps data channel to ISDN standards. The service does not support the Basic Rate Access (BRA) features of ISDN, which has caused some users to criticise ISDN-2 as being only a compromise solution. BRA allows advanced features to be added to the ISDN service.
The Micro-I card, however, is designed to interface a PC directly to the ISDN network. The card will support 64,000 bits per second per channel data transfers and can even drive both channels on an ISDN-2 line, using asynchronous data on one channel and synchronous data on the other -- no mean feat in anyone's datacomms book.
The MIcro-I card can operate as a direct replacement for a modem controlled by the usual "Hayes" command set. Alternatively, it can be configured as a single channel X.25 packet assembler disassembler (PAD) allowing access from the ISDN network into a corporate data network.
X.25 is the communications standard used by packet data networks (PDNs) around the world to link disparate data environments. The X.25 protocol, a standard agreed by the CCITT, the international telecoms regulatory body, allows data from these disparate environments to be moved across a PDN, almost regardless of its original state. The X.25 standard means that data is "parcelled up" into chunks and then re-assembled in its original form at the other end of the link.
This is important, for example, where binary data is to be moved across a PDN. Ordinary data links would freeze up as the eight-bit data is interpreted as control characters. Over an X.25 link however, the discrete nature of the packets of data would mean that the contents would be ignored, with only the packet address details interpreted by the network.
Announcing the budget "do it all" ISDN card, Yuri Pasea, Kerridge's Business Development Director, said that ISDN is the way of the future. "We're firm believers that ISDN is the next dynamic growth path in the field of datacomms, hence our focus on the ISDN area," he said.
What's interesting about the Micro-I, Newsbytes notes, is that it supports Kerridge's own Synclink terminal emulation system, which includes 3270, 5250, C03, X.32 (X.25) and 3780 standards. The ability to handle such a wide variety of standards means that the card can be used in a variety of situations that might otherwise require the use of dedicated (and expensive) hardware.
(Steve Gold/19930712/Press & Public Contact: Kerridge Network Systems - Tel: 0635-524155; Fax: 0635-38578)
rk Systems - Tel: 0635-524155; Fax: 0635-38578)
7/12/93
Kerridge Network Systems Unveils PC ISDN Card
TELECOM
Radio Shack 486-based Multimedia
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- Radio Shack has introduced a 486-based entry level multimedia personal computer the company says is designed for price-conscious consumers.
The $1,599 system is run by a 25 megahertz (MHz) Intel 486SX microprocessor and ships with four megabytes (MB) of system memory or RAM. Memory can be increased to a maximum of 64MB.
Other features include a 3.5-inch high-density (1.44MB) floppy drive, 130MB hard disk, a Kodak Photo CD-compatible CD-ROM drive and Super VGA graphics card. The unit also ships with an 8-bit SoundBlaster Pro audio card, two-button mouse, and one game/MIDI one serial, and one parallel port. The Photo CD-compatible drive allows users to view their pictures taken with a 35mm camera and stored on a Photo CD ROM disc by the photo processor.
Factory-loaded software includes Microsoft's DOS 6, the multimedia version of Microsoft Windows 3.1 and the multimedia version of Microsoft Works for Windows. Works includes word processing database, spreadsheet, and WorksWizards. Wizards aid the user in creating documents like form letters, mailing labels and address books by providing step-by-step guidance.
Tandy says the system was primarily developed for the home user and ships with several multimedia programs on CD-ROM disc that include reference and education programs as well as communications software for online access to Online America.
CD-ROM software includes The San Diego Zoo Presents The Animals and The Software Toolworks World Atlas and Reference Library. The Animals software includes: 60 minutes of video clips; pictures of over 200 exotic mammals, birds and reptiles; more than 1,300 color photographs with descriptions; and 2,500 pages of habitat description, articles, and scientific data.
The Toolworks World Atlas includes video of what the publisher considers the world's greatest cities; 1,000 location photographs; information about over 200 countries; a currency conversion chart; and country and city maps. The software can also create and combine maps, charts and graphs.
In the Toolworks Reference Library users will find a national directory of addresses and phone numbers; a collection of legal forms suitable for business use; three dictionaries (standard edition, 20th Century history, and famous quotes); a writer's guide; and a thesaurus.
Radio Shack spokesperson Ron Trumbla told Newsbytes the retail price of $1,599 does not include speakers for use with the sound card nor a monitor. Trumbla said the Radio Shack speaker-amplifier combination sells for $79.95, and a color monitor is $200.
(Jim Mallory/19930709/Press contact: Ron Trumbla, Radio Shack,817-878-4969)
on Trumbla, Radio Shack,817-878-4969)
7/9/93
Radio Shack 486-based Multimedia PC
India - Computer Company Bosses
BANGALORE, INDIA, 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- Last week, some of the top members of India's recession-hit computer industry met in a Bangalore pub on an unlikely mission -- to greet Bacchus and bid farewell to their blues over mugs of beer.
Plummeting profits, flat sales, vicious price wars and deferred big-ticket purchases joined hands with the bank scam, post-Ayodhya riots and Bombay blasts to dip the Indian IT industry growth rate in fiscal (Apr 92 - Mar 93) to 20 percent. This is poor compared to the 40 percent growth until two years ago.
The 11 industry heavyweights, who are members of the MAIT (Manufacturers' Association of Information Technology), the country's lobby of computer hardware companies), feel that beer is a time-tested antidote to drive away the blues. And to show that they are serious about what they feel, the 11 have launched a quaffing association devoted exclusively to the information technology industry -- Beer Drinkers Association of Information Technology (BAIT).
For most, BAIT might provide the funny side of the IT industry but for the founding members it is serious business as the objective of the association is to "have and share beer-oriented view of the Indian IT industry and to look for the IT market through the beer glass!" That nothing but frothy, distorted images would be visible through the chilled glass does not seem to bother the industry bosses.
Founding members include such luminaries of the industry as Pravin Gandhi, president of the Manufacturers' Association for Information Technology (MAIT); Ashok Soota, CEO of Wipro Infotech, the second largest computer company; Anal Jain, chief of marketing, Tata Information Systems Ltd., the IBM joint venture; Bikram Dasgupta director of PCL, whose tie-up with Dell Computers makes it one of the most exciting firms to watch; Kapil Jain, general manager marketing, Digital Equipment India Ltd., a subsidiary of DEC; Vijay Thadani, Director NIIT, the leader in the training industry; and Pradeep Kar, chairman of the Bangalore-based Microland. Microland holds the distribution rights for Compaq products in the country and has also tie-up with Computerland.
Kar has been chosen the secretary-general of the association which will be headquartered in Bangalore.
The next meeting of the association will be in August. By this time membership to the group is expected to swell, especially considering the state of the industry. The criteria for membership are: any IT professional desirous of becoming a member will be required to approach any of these executive council members with a formal application; every new member will be required to buy beer for all other members in the first meeting that he/she attends; every member will be required to stay for at least two hours in each meeting. Anybody who leaves earlier will be required to pay for the next six rounds of beer.
Finally, members will have to accept anything said by another in these meetings. But that is not all, the association plans to bring out a bimonthly news bulletin called BAN-IT (BAIT's Newsletter for IT industry). This bulletin will contain beer-related jokes for IT professionals, a sure-fire method of bringing some cheer to an otherwise gloomy industry.
Finally, DOS will be discussed at these meetings. Only for BAIT members it stands for "Drown Our Sorrows."
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930709)
s for "Drown Our Sorrows."
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930709)
7/9/93
India - Computer Company Bosses Beat Blues In Beer Bash
GENERAL
Sun Opens Training Center In Sib
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- Sun has announced opening of a training center in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk. It is the second such center that the company has established in Eastern Europe.
The center is equipped with five powerful SparcStations, which will be used for training, scientific research, and advertising according to Robert Hall, Sun's Moscow operations boss.
Previously a similar center was opened by Sun Microsystems at Moscow State University in mid-December, 1992.
As part of its educational program, Sun announced its intent to sell more computers to the education ministry, and provide the network equipment to link them together. Sun is also negotiating with the Soros Foundation to pay for part of the computer shipments intended for Russian universities, according to Hall.
(Kirill Tchashchin/19930709)
Hall.
(Kirill Tchashchin/19930709)
7/9/93
Sun Opens Training Center In Siberia
GENERAL
Editorial - Economic Summit Ends
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- By John McCormick. According to a CNN report, there were 11,531 reporters covering this week's economic summit in Tokyo, more than 30,000 Japanese security officials and police, and President Clinton alone had a staff numbering in the hundreds. I didn't attend, and I am glad I didn't waste my time going.
These yearly Group of Seven Economic Summit meetings have grown from a small informal get-together, where heads of state could get to know each other and really discuss problems, to events of state rivaled only by the pomp and circumstance surrounding some royal weddings. And, just as with those weddings, everyone knows in advance what will happen; we don't even get to wonder about how much the gown costs.
After Wednesday's announcement by US Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen that a great breakthrough had been made in reducing tariffs, followed closely by Thursday's comments by some other members of the Group of Seven who de-emphasized the impact of the same memo of understanding, President Clinton, in a Friday morning (US time) news conference, basically declared victory and withdrew.
Any event that news department executives pay 11,000-plus reporters to cover will automatically generate a lot of reports if only so the journalists can justify their expense accounts but what, if anything, really happened at this summit?
The first thing that happened was that every leader described the state of his or her own domestic economy and said what they were doing to improve it. President Clinton said on Friday that he was very impressed by the fact that all the executives had a good understanding of what was wrong with their own economies. Well, duh, isn't that impressive? The Presidents and Prime Ministers came to an economic summit prepared to discuss the world's economy. Gee whiz.
Other than that, the US reached understandings about eliminating some tariffs which, according to former Commerce Secretary Robert Mosbacher, who is a Republican, could have been agreed to at any time in the past five years. But since all involved ignored the vital agricultural subsidy question, just what did happen at this incredibly expensive summit?
According to the joint statement made at its close, Japan stated that it is committed to spurring its economy and domestic consumption, which may lead to a lowering of its massive trade surplus.
Everyone agreed that trade sanctions are bad, tariffs are bad and economic growth is good.
European governments stated that they were committed to lowering their interest rates.
The US said that it is attempting to lower its debt. The other leaders said that was good.
The Group of Seven agreed to meet again this fall to discuss job creation, presumably how to find jobs in the private sector after they are voted out of office.
President Clinton called this a "Jobs Summit" and claimed that the agreements reached would mean hundreds of thousands of new jobs here in the US, and millions worldwide, but there were no new agreements.
So just what does all this mean to the world economy in general and the US computer industry in particular?
In a word, nothing!
Perhaps we shouldn't have expected any real advances to come from this economic summit; after all, nothing much has come from any of the dozen or so previous ones, and this one was attended by very weak heads of state, most of whom don't expect to still be in office next year. But with all the media hype that is sure to follow this Tokyo conference it is important to cut through all the talk of friendly discussions and "job summits" and look at the reality which lies behind all the press releases.
Steven H. Axilrod of Nikko Securities said on CNN's Business Morning today that both France and Germany will dramatically lower their interest rates, but that this was going to happen whether the summit had been held or not.
What didn't happen:
Despite some hype to the contrary, there was no major breakthrough on world trade talks; France is still opposing any reduction in its payments to farmers, so GATT is actually no closer to being signed.
There was no mention of supporting the yen or stopping the slide of the dollar.
There was no promise from Japan that it would take any concrete steps to reduce its trade surplus.
There was no mention of lowering the present EC tariff structures which include a 14 percent tax on semiconductors and a 4.9 percent levy on all imported computer products.
What could happen:
This summit could reinforce the Clinton Administration's resolve to reach a good budget agreement with Congress and result in a real deficit-reduction package for the US.
European interest rates could come down a bit faster than they would have otherwise.
Japan's embattled leader, Prime Minister Miyazawa, COULD use this as an opportunity to really boost domestic spending and lower costs for Japanese consumers in an attempt to salvage his party's poor position in the election polls and, at the same time, lower the trade surplus.
None of what happened helps the computer industry in any way except in that a general improvement in world economic conditions would help many business sectors, including computers.
(John McCormick/19930709/)
sectors, including computers.
(John McCormick/19930709/)
7/9/93
Editorial - Economic Summit Ends, Clinton Declares Victory
EDITORIAL
Wang Loses Big Patent Fight
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- Faltering Wang Laboratories, which is already in bankruptcy, suffered yet another major blow when a federal judge reversed an earlier court decision which had determined that Japanese computer companies NEC, Toshiba, and Mitsubishi Electric were violating Wang patents on computer memory.
In an ironic twist of fate, Wang was originally founded on the money which IBM paid Dr. An Wang back in the 1950s over a patent dispute regarding mainframe computer memory, and this latest blow to Wang is related to a Wang patent on microcomputer memory specifically the way memory chips are mounted on small strips for easy insertion in computer expansion boards and motherboards.
NEC and Toshiba had earlier been ordered to pay Wang Laboratories for having used its memory chip mount technology without a license, but yesterday's ruling probably puts an end to that potential source of income and pushes Wang one step closer to disappearing completely.
The actual ruling involved three-chip mounts which are widely used to install memory in personal computers, but Wang retains patent rights to the nine-chip SIMM, or single inline memory modules, used in some computers and both NEC and Toshiba had earlier said that they were willing to pay licensing fees for use of the larger SIMMs which are not very common.
Using SIMMS to add memory is less expensive than having to insert each chip separately, so they are popular with manufacturers and users who want to upgrade their systems.
Wang had earlier announced that it expects to complete its reorganization and emerge from bankruptcy this fall but that will not be the end of red ink for the once major player in office automation.
Wang held a strong position in the office market for years before personal computers became available but continued to sell proprietary hardware and software for years after other companies had moved to far less expensive compatible PCs.
(John McCormick/19930709/)
(John McCormick/19930709/)
7/9/93
Wang Loses Big Patent Fight
$ N l
International Telecom Update
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- The telecommunications sector remains a world bright spot, with new contracts, continued growth, and renewed efforts to privatizing state-owned monopolies.
Italy's Anti-Trust Authority said it is investigating one such monopoly, that held by SIP in cellular telephony. SIP wants compensation before giving up the monopoly, which under present rules lasts until 2003. But the formal inquiry could decide that monopoly is illegal, breaking it up without compensation.
Also in Europe, prospects for Sprint or AT&T to make another play on the continent rose as French telecom minister Gerard Longuet began pushing for state-owned France Telecom to find an American partner. MCI's decision to sell 20 percent of itself to British Telecom, now being totally sold-off, is behind the turn-around. France Telecom could not buy the equity. Thus, a review of its status seems in order, Longuet says.
Alcatel Cable, meanwhile, won contracts for phone networks in Thailand and Poland, worth a total of almost $50 million.
NYNEX of the US confirmed it has bought 20 percent of STET Hellas Greece's first celullar telephone service.
In Asia, Chinese Long March rockets should get another try-out despite past failures, as a joint venture among Chinese and Hong Kong interests offer Asian nations bargain-basement rates of $30 million per launch for a shot at the business. Competition rose in the Philippines, to the satisfaction of President Ramos, as Singapore Telecom's Globe Telecom affiliate filed an application to install 1.2 million new lines there over the next 7 years further denting the PLDT monopoly, while Ericsson signed a contract to add 22 exchanges to the PLDT monopoly. Also, as expected, tempers cooled as Indonesia replied to Tonga's accusations it stole a satellite slot, denying the allocation had ever been made after Tonga threatened to move a satellite into Indonesian space in retaliation. Negotiations on the question are expected to resume in September.
Finally, in Latin America, Peru began pre-qualifying companies interested in buying Entel Peru and Compania Peruana de Telefonos, known as CPT. President Fujimori considers privatization the centerpiece of his effort to regain credibility after staging a coup last year aimed at battling leftist rebels and drug traffickers. Some analysts have called CPT the best available opportunity in Latin America for high profits, despite its risks. That's because Peru has the lowest phone density on the Continent, just 2.5 telephones per 100 inhabitants, and that means there are ample growth opportunities.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930709)
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930709)
7/9/93
International Telecom Update
TELECOM
Correction - AIN And BellSouth
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- In a story yesterday on BellSouth's plans for its AIN, we got it right at first, then got it wrong.
AIN stands for Advanced Intelligent Network, as reported in the first paragraph of the story. It does not stand for Advanced Information Network, as reported in the second graph. Thanks to to reader David Lin at MIT, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for pointing out the error, which Newsbytes regrets.
The AIN is a US version of an international CCITT standard for intelligent networking, Lin adds.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930709)
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930709)
7/9/93
Correction - AIN And BellSouth
CORRECTION
TELECOM
Massive Effort Restored Snow Whi
BURBANK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- Walt Disney's first animated classic, Snow White, recorded originally 56 years ago, was in need of a refurbish and Kodak's Cinesite digital film center in Burbank, California got the job.
The film had already been reworked once, but until Kodak announced its Cineon digital technology, the quality of the restoration wasn't good enough for the big screen.
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" was the first feature-length animated film. The film made Walt Disney Studios, which struggled financially both before and during the three years it took to produce the film. Upon its release in 1937, Snow White attracted 20 million viewers in the first three months, to the surprise of Hollywood skeptics. Since at that time there was no category for animated features, Hollywood had to create a special Oscar to honor the film.
YCM Laboratories in Los Angeles handled the original restoration of the classic film when Disney Studios decided to start a preservation and restoration program for Snow White's fiftieth anniversary in 1987. The nitrate base used with all films produced prior to 1950 was deteriorating and was potentially volatile as well, so the entire film classic library had to be restored. The YCM equipment was state of the art at the time, but Disney executives felt the quality of the restoration was only good enough for videotape. YCM also restored Fantasia, which was subsequently released for home video.
In 1989 Kodak announced plans to develop a high-resolution digital film system called Cineon. When the Cinesite facility opened, postproduction manager at Industrial Light & Magic, Ed Jones, an Oscar winner for his work in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," was named president. Bruno George, a veteran visual effects artist and past producer of "Max Headroom," was assigned creative director and was designated to oversee the project. In late 1992 Kodak successfully restored one minute, or less than two percent, of the Snow White film using prototype components of the Cineon system. Based on the one-minute sample, Disney committed to the restoration.
At one point Kodak says it had as many as forty people working three shifts on the project. Some 119,500 individual frames of 35 mm film were restored, each frame requiring over forty megabytes (MB) of hard disk space. A special scanner developed by Kodak captured image information from the film at the rate of one frame every three seconds, and the captured pictures were converted to computer-readable binary data. At the peak of the project, Cinesite was handling 2,000 frames of film per day or some fifteen terabytes (trillion bits) of data.
Jones said: "If your dictionary is more than five years old, it probably doesn't have a definition of terabytes. It was unthinkable to handle that much data as recently as a few years ago, so there was no need for a definition."
Workstation computers were implemented to eliminate flaws in the film, such as fine dust on the glass platen of the animation camera stands used in 1937 that ended up photographed onto the film. Jones said regarding the anomalies: "They probably weren't aware of it. Remember, everything has improved today, including camera and print films and the projection systems. In addition, expectations of audiences have been heightened. We worked very closely with the Disney restoration team to be extremely discerning about those anomalies we corrected -- such as eliminating the dust which distracts audiences -- and those we left intact for the purpose of retaining the character of the original film."
Other flaws were due to age and normal handling of the film over time. As flaws were eliminated, the computer used visual information from other portions of the film to fill in the gaps.
The restored "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," released to the movie-going public this month, is authentic right down to the width-to-height of the projected image (an aspect ratio of 1.33:1) which is somewhat squarer than the wide screen formats of today's films. Restoration of the animated classic has led to hope that other films may also be similarly preserved. Jones said: "It has been the dream of filmmakers from the beginning of the industry that movies are forever. We have now taken a giant step toward making that dream come true."
(Linda Rohrbough/19930708/Press Contact: Alison Hofland for Kodak, Creative Communication Services, tel 619-438-5250, fax 619-438-5230; David Harney, Eastman Kodak, tel 716-724-3169 fax 716-724-9829)
rney, Eastman Kodak, tel 716-724-3169 fax 716-724-9829)
7/9/93
Massive Effort Restored Snow White To Theater Quality
TRENDS
ISO 9000 Quality Program Impleme
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- The American Electronics Association (AEA) says 22 percent more companies in its survey are using the ISO 9000 and/or the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award criteria to implement quality programs. The implementation of these standards has become expected by European buyers. US companies wanting to sell to European markets are adopting the quality control measures.
This year's survey showed 64 percent of the 455 participants currently are implementing quality programs as opposed to 42 percent in 1992, the AEA said. The assumption on the part of buyers is companies which implement quality control programs are better run, and will therefore produce a better product. The Chairman of Grumman, Renso Caporali, was quoted in a July, 1992 issue of "Military Space" as being skeptical about the Total Quality Management bandwagon up until recently. "In any business, it seems to be a basic reaction when we are getting our brains beaten out. We immediately want to know where the rulebook is," Caporali said.
The ISO 9000 standards for Total Quality Management (TQM) are widely known. Developed by the International Standards Organization (ISO), based in Paris, the ISO 9000 standards have to do with three phases of product development, design production, and the testing of the final product. The ISO 9001 standard includes all three phases, the 9002 standard covers production and testing, shipment of the final product, and the 9003 standard is aimed only at the final product. The US representative to the ISO is the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
TQM has been implemented throughout manufacturing by 41 percent of the survey participants, including 35 percent that have extended it to non-manufacturing areas, continuing a recent upward trend. More than 70 percent of the participants said they have a TQM program in place -- approximately the same level as in the past four years. Of the 53 software companies surveyed, only 35 percent said they had a TQM program in place putting software companies significantly behind the other types of businesses in the survey. It can cost upward of $10,000 to become ISO 9000 certified, but companies are saying it actually saves them money in the long run.
Gunter W. Kirn of the German Business Machines and Information Technology Manufacturers Association (VDMA) in the May, 1993 issue of "Marketing Computers," was quoted as saying: "As a company takes steps to implement ISO 9000, there's a motivation to improve the way things are done. When you have to describe every step of a process, you often see that it can be done more efficiently or more inexpensively."
Eighty-seven percent of the respondents in the AEA survey listed "product quality" as the most important competitive success factor for high tech firms. Product design automation was cited as the most widely used approach to improving quality and productivity. Yet of the 89 percent of software companies implementing design automation, just 6 percent have a formal plan.
J. Richard Iverson, AEA president and chief executive officer said: "The 1993 AEA Survey of Quality and Productivity Programs shows that our companies are moving solidly to Total Quality Management as a competitiveness tool. However, the positive results that accrue from such commitments don't happen all at once -- they take time and this time lag can have a dampening effect on a company's enthusiasm."
The survey was conducted by Pittiglio, Rabin, Todd, and McGrath, Survey participants are from a cross-section of technology industry executives -- 36 percent are presidents chief executive officers or chairmen, and 38 percent are vice presidents.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930709/Press Contact: John B. Hatch American Electronics Association, tel 408-987-4232)
merican Electronics Association, tel 408-987-4232)
7/9/93
ISO 9000 Quality Program Implementation Up In US
TRENDS
Toshiba Mobile Multimedia PCs
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- Toshiba has introduced the T6600C, T6600C/CD, and T6600C/CDV, a series of portable PCs that incorporate extensive voice, stereo sound digital video, graphics, and animation capabilities.
The T6600C, the basic unit in the new mobile multimedia family comes standard with a 66 MHz i486DX2 processor, 8 KB internal cache, 8 MB of RAM (expandable to 40 MB), a 510 MB hard disk, an integrated audio subsystem, a graphics accelerator, and a 10.4-inch active-matrix TFT-LCD that displays 256 colors at 640-by-480 resolution.
Also included in the basic unit are a detachable full 101-key keyboard with a tilt option, a Logitech Trackman, one PCMCIA Type III slot, two full-length ISA slots, a SCSI-2 port, a parallel port, a serial port, a PS/2 keyboard port, a PS/2 mouse port, and a 5.25-inch half-height drive bay.
The T6600C/CD brings a CD-ROM to the basic system. The T6600C/CDV provides a CD-ROM as well as a professional level video board. All three PCs are bundled with MS-DOS 6.0, Windows 3.1, Asymetrix Compel software for creation of interactive multimedia applications and MediaBlitz to add synchronized multimedia scores to presentations in Windows 3.1 applications. A 128 KB turbo cache is an option for each model.
In announcing the trio, officials said that the T6600C, a 17.1 pound unit priced at $7,699, is aimed at such markets as field service, field engineering, software/hardware development, network analysis, database storage and retrieval, document image processing, and desktop replacement.
The 18.7-pound T6600/CD, priced at $8,299, and the 19.3-pound T6600C/CDV, priced at $9,499, are targeted at interactive training point-of-sale, professional presentations, CD-ROM development architectural design, CAD/CAM/CAE, video capture, and field editing.
Each of the three models measures 15.4-inches wide by 12.4-inches deep by 4.7-inches high. The audio subsystem offered in each includes a Microsoft Sound System chipset, with audio, MIDI and CD audio generation capabilities, plus a high-resolution accelerated video port, microphone, and self-contained speakers.
The CD-ROM that accompanies the T6600C/CD and T6600C/CDV provides 200mS 5.25-inch double-speed playback capability. The video subsystem in the T6600C/CDV consists of a pre-installed MediaShare Mambo (Indeo DVI) board supplying hardware-assisted video compression expansion, full-motion digital capability with stereo sound, and a built-in Ethernet port for networking.
The units give users an array of expansion options, officials emphasized. The SCSI-2 port can be used for internal and external hard drives, disk array, tape backup, or a scanner. The Type III PCMCIA slot is able to accommodate Type III as well as Type I and Type II cards. The two full-length ISA slots support a wide range of expansion board possibilities.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930709/Public contact: Toshiba, tel 714-583 3000; Press contacts: Howard Emerson, Toshiba, tel 714-583-3925; Bob Maples, Maples & Associates for Toshiba, tel 714-253-8737)
for Toshiba, tel 714-253-8737)
7/9/93
Toshiba Mobile Multimedia PCs
Philips Head Steps Down, Starts
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- Gordon Stulberg, chairman of Philips Interactive Media International (PIMI) and credited as being the driving force behind the compact disc interactive (CD-I) laser disc format, is stepping down. Stulberg said he is resigning as chairman of Philips but will working with the company as a consultant.
Stulberg, a diabetic, said in a prepared statement that the travel demands of the position were too taxing. Jan Timmer Philips Electronics N.V. president said: "It is with regret that we comply with Gordon Stulberg's wish to relinquish his active role in Philips Interactive Media International."
A new company, Digital Development, is being started by Stulberg. Digital Development's focus is to offer consulting services in the area of CD-I software.
Philips is attempting to make CD-I an accepted format and has distributed its CD-I players, which hook up to television sets and look much like video cassette recorders (VCRs), in retail outlets such as Sears. The company announced a deal with movie maker Paramount in June to develop and distribute theatrical length (seventy-two minute) movies in the CD-I laser format.
Prior to his position at Philips, Stulberg was president of Twentieth Century-Fox and the president of the theatrical-film division of the Columbia Broadcasting System. He has also served as vice president and chief studio administrative officer of Columbia Pictures.
Philips company officials said Stulberg will be leaving in September. No announcement of a replacement has been made yet.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930709/Press Contact: Tom Wright, Philips 310-444-6619, fax 310-476-5937)
Tom Wright, Philips 310-444-6619, fax 310-476-5937)
7/9/93
Philips Head Steps Down, Starts Consulting Company
PUMA rating: 4 (on a scale of 1=lowest, 4=highest)
Reviewed for Newsbytes by: Naor Wallach
Summary: A great multimedia creative toolset for the younger set.
=======
REVIEW
=======
Take a kid. Put him or her in front of a computer. Load and run a program that allows that kid to draw, doodle, write, and create all kinds of different things. Add color. Stir in some sounds and speech. And you have the recipe for a great product that any parent might want to have.
The above paragraph sums up my feelings about the Kid Works 2 programs from Davidson. I had the opportunity to use both versions and this review will cover both. There are no major differences between the MS-DOS and the Macintosh version so anything that you see described here is available to you regardless of which machine you might have.
Kid Works 2 offers children a collection of four kinds of activities. There is a drawing program (called Story Illustrator) which gives children various tools. There is a Story Writer that allows children to experiment with writing short stories and hear them read to them. There is an area where icons and their sounds can be created by the children (Icon Maker). And there is an area where stories can be played as if on a tape recorder while the story's text scrolls by (this is called Story Player).
Once the program is started, the children are first shown a little startup sequence that includes animation, music, and speech. First, a picture of a backyard is shown with a secret club house that only kids can enter. Then the contents of the club house are shown. All the while, a bright and sprightly tune is being played. Inside the clubhouse, each of the toys that are strewn about does something and a female voice welcomes you to the program. On the clubhouse's whiteboard are four drawings representing the four activities available.
Story Writer looks like a page from an elementary school notebook. There are five lines of familiar lined paper that helps you write in straight and big script. On the left is a toolbox with four tools while along the bottom are five different drawers containing various objects. The idea is for the child to write their own stories. The lines scroll once the initial screen is all filled up. The child can type the words that he/she wishes. When appropriate, the child can choose an icon from one of the bins below. That icon is then inserted into the text at the location selected. Four of the five bins are filled with words and icons that come with the program and are categorized in a certain way. The fifth bin contains any pictures that the child itself has created.
Each of the icons in the bins has a speech file associated with it so that when the program reads the story out loud it speaks the name or contents of that icon. The four tools along the left side allow the program to speak, play sounds and erase any of the text. This program has text to speech technology built-in. Sometimes. it's really funny how the program interprets words.
Story Illustrator is a drawing package. Those used to MacPaint or Windows Paintbrush will have no problem identifying the various functions. The impressive thing here is that there are 18 different tools provided to children and they are displayed in such a manner that children have no problem at all figuring out how to use them. The tool bar is on the left of the drawing area and takes the shape of a bookcase. Each of the eighteen tools is actually a tool on the bookcase. Once a tool is selected, the tool's icon disappears from its shelf until a different tool is selected.
Along the bottom of the screen are icons that help the child select both colors and patterns with which to draw. In addition little stamps can be selected and then stamped all over the diagram from a selector that has several dozens of little stamps. Color selections made for the pens also affect the color of the stamp.
Finally there is a little bin that allows the child to get premade but uncolored pictures. This feature makes the drawing program behave like a coloring book.
Story Player plays stories that have been saved by Story Writer. The screen looks like a standard tape player with all of the necessary buttons and those funny international symbols that mean Play, Fast Forward, etc. Under the buttons are two lines of text where your story line is shown and to the right of the buttons is an area where pictures can be displayed especially those pictures that the child created on their own.
The final module is called Icon Maker and it is a more limited drawing package intended for the creation of icons and stamps. In addition to creating the icons, the child can also select the bin into which the new icons get placed.
Davidson says this program is for children aged 4 to 10. Certainly my four-year-old got into the program in a big way. Practically every evening during the review period he would ask to play with it. Of course, his capabilities are currently limited to the drawing packages but it was fascinating to see how quickly he mastered the Story Illustrator and the drawing book. Within an hour of being introduced to the program he had already figured out how to get the canned pictures into the illustrator and how to fill in and color the drawing according to his tastes.
We also tried the Story Writer but since he only knows how to write his name at this point, he quickly lost interest in that part.
I introduced other children to this program. The age of the child clearly determined how much of the program they could use but without a single exception, they all enjoyed the various parts of the program and have been asking to use it at every opportunity. The eight to ten-year-old set was particularly impressed with the program which probably has to do with their increased awareness of technology.
There are more colors in use on the Macintosh -- 64 compared to 16 on the PC. There are more fonts loaded on the Macintosh, and there is a preview option -- pictures created and stored in the picture box can be viewed as a thumbnail small picture prior to display on the Macintosh.
To summarize, this program is a hit. It is a hit with the children who saw it. It is a hit with the parents of the kids who saw what their kids can accomplish with it. And it is a hit with me in my roles as chief kid, parent, and reviewer. Highly recommended.
=============
PUMA RATINGS
=============
PERFORMANCE: 4 The program runs quickly and with no glitches
USEFULNESS: 4 If you have a kid between the ages of four and ten - get this program for them. They'll show you how creative they can be in no time.
MANUAL: The manual is very detailed and thorough.
AVAILABILITY: 4 Available from mail order and software stores. Davidson also maintains toll-free numbers for sales and customer support.
(Naor Wallach/19930502/Linda Duttenhaver, Davidson and Associates)
da Duttenhaver, Davidson and Associates)
7/9/93
Review of - Kid Works 2, For Mac & DOS
APPLE
REVIEW
Review of - AutoWorks
Runs on: IBM-compatible PCs with at least 520 kilobytes of RAM, DOS 3.3 or higher, VGA graphics seven megabytes of hard disk space, and a 5.25-inch or 3.5-inch disk drive. A mouse is recommended, but not mandatory. The software ships with both 3.5-inch and 5.25-inch program disks.
From: Software Marketing Corporation, 9830 South 51st Street Building A-131, Phoenix, AZ 85044 Tel: 602-893-2042
Price:: $69.95 Suggested Retail Price
PUMA Rating: 3.75
Reviewed for Newsbytes by: Jim Mallory 07/09/93
Summary: Autoworks is an interesting program that graphically shows the various parts and systems of automobiles. It would be useful for computer users who want to know more about modern automobiles and how the various systems work.
======
Review
======
Autoworks uses graphics very nice graphics to display the various systems and their components, including internal parts of the engine such as pistons, timing chain, camshaft, fuel injection, cooling system, heating and air conditioning, electrical and brake systems.
When you open the program you will find a menu bar across the top which, if you don't have a mouse, can be activated by holding down the ALT key while pressing the first letter of the menu you want to see (Alt-F for the File Menu, etc). Below the menu bar the left part of the screen displays a picture of a sporting convertible while the right hand portion contains a list of various parts of the body, such as fender, mirror, rocker panel, bumpers and so forth. Moving the pointer to one of the listed items, which you can do using the cursor arrow keys if you don't have a mouse, and pressing Enter causes a line to be drawn from the list element you chose to the corresponding part of the car. This part is pretty basic, since most people know what a mirror or a fender is.
Across the top of the screen, below the menu bar, is a tool bar that graphically depicts other systems of the car. For example, clicking on the icon for the exhaust system displays a schematic diagram of the exhaust system, from perspective both above and from the side of the frame with the body removed. Other icons activate similar displays for other systems.
One of the menu choices is Animation. That drop-down menu lets you select an animation of one of the systems. For example, if you choose fuel injection, a schematic of the combustion chamber appears, with the pistons moving up and down and the fuel-air mixture firing. There is a Zoom feature that allows you to zoom in on any image in two steps, each magnifying the picture to a larger image. A full screen icon can be clicked to have the current image fill the screen. A Bookmarks feature allows the user to place bookmarks anywhere in the program. A maximum of five bookmarks are permitted, and are retained until you exit the program.
An Index Search choice allows you to find items you would like to view. If you want a list of images on brakes, for example, you would choose Index Search, then type the word BRAKE in the search box. That will get you a list of all entries that contain the word "brake." Highlight your choice from the displayed list will take you to that image. There is also a "See Also" icon that displays a list of items relating to the current image. The text explaining the various systems seemed adequate to us, and was easy to understand.
Images from Autoworks can be exported for use in other draw or paint programs, with the image being exported in the popular .PCX file format. There is no import facility.
The program also has a game mode. Choosing the game presents you with an image of one of the schematics, with a line pointing to one part of the system. You choose the correct answer from the five choices offered, and the program keeps score of your right and wrong answers. In the Quiz Mode a correct answer takes you to the next question. If you choose incorrectly, you can't move to the next question until you answer correctly. In the Test Mode a right answer moves you to the next question automatically. A wrong answer requires you to click the mouse or press Enter to move on.
Autoworks comes with drivers for various laser printers, including HP Laserjet, Deskjet and Paintjet printers and drivers that will work with most Epson or IBM Proprinter-emulating dot matrix printers. You can also specify the parallel or serial port where your printer is connected.
============
PUMA RATING
============
PERFORMANCE: 3.5. Autoworks does exactly what it is supposed to do. We tested it on a 486SX- based system with 6MB of memory, and its speed was excellent. The only drawback we found was that it only depicts a front-wheel drive automobile.
USEFULNESS: 4.0. We thought the program was worth the relatively low cost of $69.95. It's a highly specialized product, so we couldn't compare it with any similar software, since we didn't find a similar program during a cursory check of our software listing books.
MANUAL: 3.5. The documentation for the most part was adequate however, we would prefer that somewhere it contained the command necessary to start the program. The 15-page manual devotes several pages to configuration of your computer including four pages of troubleshooting tips. It reads easily and contains numerous pictures of the various menus and schematics. Included in our review copy was a combination registration card and coupon for a drawing to win a free week of auto rental from Avis. There is no index in the manual. Online help is available from the drop-down menu bar.
AVAILABILITY: 4.0. Initially we had problems loading the program on our test system, which was configured for Windows 3.1 and called Tech Support. Our call was answered promptly and the technicians advise (boot the system with a basic configuration floppy rather than from the hard drive with all its Windows and additional drive information) worked. We only waited about two minutes on SMC's toll number.
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- Apple Computer representatives have confirmed reports that the company has frozen all employees salaries, except top management, who will receive a five percent pay cut. This announcement was made to company employees on Monday when Apple announced a reorganization that included cutting of 2,500, or about 15 percent, of its workforce.
The company has been in turmoil beginning early last month with hints that it was for sale from Chief Executive Officer (CEO) John Sculley. Sculley stepped down as CEO later in June to become the company's traveling search-light for new technology opportunities. But now there are hints Sculley will not return to Apple when his sabbatical ends in August.
Analysts say intense pressure from the IBM and compatible personal computer industry, in the form of the graphical Microsoft Windows 3.1 and the PC price wars, is what is squeezing Apple. June was also the month Apple officially lost the suit it brought for $5.5 billion against Microsoft over the Windows user interface. Apple did say it plans to appeal, but no word of any further action has been forthcoming.
In June, Apple said stockholders could expect lower earnings for the second half of its current fiscal year due to profit cutting price wars. Apple's stock has dropped one-third in value overall since the beginning of the year. Many analysts however, including those at California Technology Stock Letter are seeing Apple's stock drop as an opportunity for investors. Confidence in the company is high, they say, and they are urging their readers to buy as much of the stock as they can.
The wait now is for the company's second quarter earnings statement, which company officials say is on track for about the 15th of this month.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930709/Press Contact: Kate Paisley, Apple Computer, tel 408-974-5453, fax 408-967-5651; Public Contact 408-996-1010)
3, fax 408-967-5651; Public Contact 408-996-1010)
7/9/93
Apple Salary Cuts And Freezes, Earnings Awaited
APPLE
" @ ~
SunExpress Opens Distribution Ce
SAGAMIHARA, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- Hoping to push its Unix hardware and Solaris software in Japan, Sun Microsystems' SunExpress direct marketing subsidiary has opened its first international distribution center, based in Sagamihara.
According to the company, the new center represents a "significant expansion of SunExpress' international operating company, SunExpress International."
The distribution center will increase delivery speeds on a variety of Sun and third-party products for Sparc systems which run the company's Solaris and other Unix computing environments.
The company says that SunExpress will provide next-day delivery on currently stocked items for most of Japan (except Hokkaido, Kyushu and Okinawa), and optional same-day delivery service in the greater Tokyo region. The company will deliver to more remote areas within five working days.
In announcing the new distribution center, Dorothy Terrell, president of SunExpress, said: "SunExpress is pleased to offer the breadth of products, the knowledgeable telesales staff and fast delivery times that have made our United States and European operations so successful."
SunExpress has also named Yoichi Hosoi general manager of SunExpress International's Japanese operation. Hosoi was previously president and managing director of ViTel Japan Ltd.
SunExpress offers customers telephone access to a range of Sun and third-party products. In addition to, what the company claims will be, its fast shipping service, SunExpress will offer free freight as well as free telephone and fax lines, according to its press release.
The company says that the new distribution center is the first that the company has opened outside the United States. The company is hoping that its presence will broaden SunExpress' presence in Japan. SunExpress says it first entered the Japanese market in May 1992, initially targeting educational institutions.
SunExpress will market its products through advertising in Japanese trade publications, direct mail promotions, catalogs, and trade shows. SunExpress' first Japanese catalog was released last May. The company is planning to issue larger catalogs shortly.
As reported by Newsbytes at the time, SunExpress was created in September, 1991, and was geared to the delivery of products for use within Sun's client-server environment.
In September, 1992, Newsbytes also reported that SunExpress had extended its telemarketing operations to Europe.
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- Dell Computer Corporation announced that it will target the Kindergarten through 12th grade education market with a new Partner Program designed to enable Dell to better meet the needs of specialized resellers. The program is also designed to offer a much wider range of custom-configured systems suitable for the education market.
Dell says as part of its new Education Partner Program, it has initiated an outreach effort for third-party resellers who have already penetrated the K-12 market. Specifically the company wants to form a limited number of strategic partnerships with the resellers, who will have a direct relationship with Dell maintained by dedicated account teams. The teams consist of sales professionals, customer service and technical support experts specifically designated to meet each reseller's needs.
The company says the Education Partners will be able to choose from a variety of specially designed purchasing and financing options such as volume purchase discounts and the "DellTA option, through which Dell fan factory install a reseller's hardware and specialized software on a PC then ship it direct to the end user. "DellTA" also provides for direct billing to the school with a rebate to the reseller.
Education Partners will also have access to other Dell programs such as service training and qualification and a spare parts inventory. Both resellers and customers can elect to participate in Dell's own service program of guaranteed next-business-day on-site service and up to five years of extended warranty coverage.
Dell VP of Government, Education and Medical Sales AnnMarie Randle says joint activities between resellers and Dell will benefit the customer. "Education customers are looking for the best value for their PC dollar," according to Randle.
Dell says it will also make available demonstration units electronic bulletin board access, and sales support literature for its Education Partners.
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- It's all systems go from today (Thursday) as the third and final sale of the Government's stake in British Telecom (BT) gets under way in earnest.
The past month has seen the advertising machine get rolling on the TV and in the press for the sell-off. Now the books have officially opened for the share purchase applications, which will be accepted until July 16. SG Warburg is handling the administration of the sale.
Such is the scale of the sale that the British Government is monitoring the flow of applications for purchase on a daily basis through main agents and hourly through its own offices. Shareholders will pay 150 pence for their first installment, international investors expect to pay 160 pence. The second instalment of 140 pence per share will be paid next year, with a third installment of an unspecified amount to be decided on July 18.
Warburg will have just 48 hours to decide the basis on which share allocations will be made. On July 18, details of who gets want and how the allocations will be made to applications, will be announced. Previous public applications for shares in the Government's stake in BT have been vastly over-subscribed, Newsbytes notes.
Warburg has revealed that as many as 1,200 million BT shares will be made available in this third and final sell-off of the Government's stake in the telecom giant. Plans call for the shares to be divided equally between UK and international applications. If demand from the UK is sufficient, then the UK allocation will be bumped up to two thirds.
(Steve Gold/19930708)
up to two thirds.
(Steve Gold/19930708)
7/8/93
Third British Telecom Share Sale Underway
TELECOM
IBM Europe Shuffles Managers
PARIS, FRANCE, 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- In a sudden rash of internal moves, IBM Europe has moved Bill McCracken, its general manager of PCs in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, to become president of Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. He moves from the company's Paris headquarters to Basingstoke in the UK.
McCracken's position is taken by Guiseppe Giuliani, who moves in the reverse direction to McCracken, from being head of ICPI, Big Blue's Ambra PC marketing operation in the UK, who will move to Paris in the next few weeks.
Brian Woodham, meanwhile, who is currently brand manager with IBM's PC division in the UK, becomes head of ICPI.
Speaking with Newsbytes, Malcolm Gregg, head of media relations at IBM Europe in Paris, said that the move from four international managers to six a few months ago had created the vacancy for McCracken. "It's a logical step for him and IBM," he said.
"It's good for IBM, as he has been in an acting capacity for the past few weeks. This solidifies the situation somewhat," he added.
(Steve Gold/19930708/Press Contact: IBM Europe - Tel: +33-1-4905 0499)
Europe - Tel: +33-1-4905 0499)
7/8/93
IBM Europe Shuffles Managers
BUSINESS
Data General Unveils Powerful Mu
WESTBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- Data General has unveiled a new family of super powerful open systems servers along with an economical desktop color graphics workstation and a new release of DG/UX 5.4, the company's implementation of the Unix V Release 4 operating system.
The new AV 9500 Series servers constitute the first from DG to offer up to 16 symmetric multiprocessors, and also the first in the marketplace to operate at over 1000 TPS (transactions per second) said Paul Martucci, product manager, in an interview with Newsbytes. The high-end servers perform at 1600 MIPS.
The new family also includes the AV 8500 Series midrange servers supplying two or four symmetric multiprocessors. Each series is based on a new, highly redundant architecture designed for rapid and reliable handling of even the most demanding client-server applications.
"We will be selling systems on this new, `next generation' platform for at least the next three years," Martucci told Newsbytes. The new servers supply twice the CPU performance of DG's previous high end server, the AV 8400, along with larger disks, faster busses, and more memory, he said.
The AV 9500 Series, configurable with two, four, eight or 16 multiprocessors, comes standard with 128 MB of memory, expandable to 2 GB. The AV 8500 Series comes standard with 64 MB of memory also expandable to GB. An additional 1 TB of storage can be obtained through connection to Data General's Clariion disk arrays. Fault tolerant backup is available through Clariion tape arrays.
CPU, memory, I/O channel and disk channel are all fully redundant meaning that the systems will recover within minutes in the event of chip failure. Systems are also configured at "N+," providing a supplementary power supply and fan for continued operation if the main power or cooling subsystem should fail.
The systems will be sold through VARs, and also direct to Fortune 1000 corporations. "We'll be looking at large installations running RDBMS (relational database management systems), especially in fields like banking and manufacturing," Martucci told Newsbytes. Oracle, Sybase, CA-Unicenter, Focus 4GL, Pick, SmartStream, and Open Millennium are some of the RDBMS environments being targeted.
The new AV 500 desktop color graphics workstation is aimed at GIS (geographic information systems), CASE, coding, and other CPU intensive client/server applications. Priced starting at $15,000 the workstation provides up to 2 GB of internal storage, fast integer and floating point performance, and from 16 to 128 MB of memory.
In DG/UX 5.4 Release 3.0, DG's Unix-based operating system has been enhanced with support for the POSIX 1003.4a standard for Threads as well as new Virtual Disk Management and Distributed Lock Manager capabilities.
The new support for Posix is intended to improve performance of RDBMS applications and other systems equipped with multiple threads of control, and also to increase overall applications throughput on DG's symmetric multiprocessing systems.
The Virtual Disk Management capability allows customers to dynamically reconfigure disks online, transparent to applications execution.
The Distributed Lock Manager permits Aviion systems to be configured in clusters for improved applications availability. Other features of the Distributed Lock Manager include on-line controller restart, applications-transparent use of back-up LAN controllers, and dynamic bad block disk remapping.
The AV 500 workstation and the two- and four-way configurations of the AV 9500 and AV 8500 are available immediately. Data General expects to ship the six- and eight-way versions of the AV 9500 later this year, the 12- and 16-way versions of the AV 9500 in the spring of 1994, and DG/UX 5.4, Release 3.0 in the fourth quarter of this year.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930708/Press contacts: Kim Sarkisian, Data General, tel 508-898-4056; Marcia Goff, The Weber Group for Data General, tel 617-661-7900)
f, The Weber Group for Data General, tel 617-661-7900)
7/8/93
Data General Unveils Powerful Multiprocessor Servers
Weights And Measures Conversion
MELBOURNE, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- Now let's see. There are about 39 inches in a yard, and one yard equals three feet so one foot...... If you've ever found yourself trying to figure out the conversion of some measure or weight from one standard to another, a Melbourne, Florida-based company has the solution.
Expert Systems Inc (ESI) says it is now shipping a computer software program that takes the work out of converting numbers between various systems and units of measurements. Called Metrics, the program can perform 400 different conversions, such as inches to feet, feet to meters, pints to liters, or square kilometers to square feet in ten major groups of weights and measures.
The ten groups include Area, Length, Liquid, Recipe, Temperature Time, Speed, Troy Weight, and Volume. Those headings are further divided into specific conversions accessible via pop-up menus. Once the conversion has been made, Metrics can copy and paste the results into a word processor, database or spreadsheet file.
Despite what weights and measures standard the rest of the world uses, Americans grew up learning about inches, feet, yards, pints quarts, and gallons. If we have to convert, most of us would look for a conversion chart. Schools used to teach how to convert from degrees of Fahrenheit to degrees Celsius, but who remembers whether you add or subtract the 32 first or last, and do you multiply by 5/9 or 9/5? The closest most of us come to the metric system is when we look at the speedometer of our car, since most cars built for the past 10 years or so show both miles per hour and kilometers per hour.
ESI's Marketing Vice President Timothy Dean says Metrics overcomes all those problems. "Metrics is well suited for a wide spectrum of users including business, home, office, teachers, students technicians, and engineers of all types who on occasion, or as a matter of their profession, need to make a conversion from one unit of measure to another. Metrics uses point and click to select the measure you are converting from, the measure you are converting to and the quantity to convert.
Metrics, which has a suggested retail price of $39, is available for Apple Computer's Macintosh platform, and runs under system 6 or System 7. The company says it is working on a Windows version of Metrics.
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- Tokyo-based software maker Gengo Kogaku Kenkyusho has developed a program that reads text aloud and does not require any peripheral equipment to work.
The software, called "Kotei Jr," is priced at 9,700 yen ($90) and can read MS-DOS text files aloud. According to Gengo Kogaku Kenkyusho, the software analyzes the text data and converts the beeping sound of a PC into speech. It can read Japanese language with Kanji and Kana letters as well as numbers. Unfortunately, it cannot read English. However, the user will be able to register English words into the dictionary of this software if spelled in Katakana lettering in a phonetic manner. The software has a 70,000-word Japanese dictionary.
The speech is not very clear but can be understood despite the fact that it reads sentences without the correct accent.
This software is currently available for NEC PC-9801 and the Seiko-Epson's PC with an 80386 or an 80486 processor. The software does not work on some PCs which have no sound volume adjustment such as notebook-type PCs. There is no plan to develop a Macintosh or other version of this software, according to Gengo Kogaku Kenkyusho.
SALO, FINLAND, 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- Packet radio technology, as seen with Ram Mobile Data and Ardis in the US, is the coming trend but cellular phone networks are so well used that they are likely to be the favorite for mobile data transmission in the years to come. That's the message that Nokia Mobile Phones wants to get across to the industry.
Nokia has developed a range of "mobile data" systems for cellular phone users, including a PCMCIA card modem that plugs into its 101 and 121 series of handheld cellular phones. According to Reijo Paajanen, Nokia's vice president of mobile data, mobile data services will significantly expand the traditional cellphone market but the market will initially open up for cellular modem technology.
"We believe that, by 1997, as much as 20 percent of new cellular phones will be used for data transmission. This means there will be approximately five million cellular phone users in Europe alone, who will also use their phones for data transmission," he said.
Paajanen claims that, in the future, as more of the business population will be working with data networks, the transfer of data must, and will be possible and easier, whenever and wherever.
"In the future, more and more people will work from their homes, and the site of their workstation will be entirely inconsequential. At that time, the cellular phone, the credit card-sized modem and the laptop will be the tools they will use to take care of business regardless of time and place," he explained.
What about printing all this data out? No problem, fax the data to the nearest fax machine. "Just imagine all the world's faxes become your remote printers," he said.
Over the next few months, Nokia will begin shipping a range of cellular modem products, including a PCMCIA type 2 9,600 bits per second fax and data modem that plugs into several of Nokia's phones. A special version of the unit has been developed for Hewlett-Packard Omnibook 300 handheld portable PC.
If your need to use a mobile data system is to send and receive messages, Nokia is suggesting an alternative to a packet radio or cellular modem system. It's pointing potential users at the Nokia 1011 handheld GSM (Groupe Speciale Mobile) digital phone.
GSM is the pan-European digital cellular network. According to Nokia, its 1011 handheld phone is the first to support the preliminary Short Message System (SMS) implemented by selected GSM service providers, including Vodafone in the UK.
SMS uses the data transmission features of the GSM network to transmit and receive messages of up to 160 characters. Under the SMS system, messages are passed from the mile to the network and only delivered when the destination phone is on line. At this point, the distant phone/mobile issues an acknowledgement which feeds back to the message originator.
According to Nokia, the possibilities with SMS are almost unlimited since it influences all the network elements of mobile communications. Many voice messages can be replaced with SMS text messages, since they are more effective than the spoken word in achieving the desired result -- the passing of information between users.
(Steve Gold/19930708/Press & Public Contact: Nokia Mobile Phones Tel: +358-24-3061; Fax: +358-24-3064-277)
el: +358-24-3061; Fax: +358-24-3064-277)
7/9/93
Nokia Gets Behind Data Over Cellular
TELECOM
UK - Hewlett-Packard Laserjet 4M
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- Hewlett-Packard has announced in the UK the Laserjet 4ML, the latest addition to its Laserjet 4 family of laser printers. The 4ML has been designed for Apple Mac and Windows PC users who need the functionality of both Postscript and enhanced PCL 5 printer languages, the company claims.
The 4ML is the same chassis printer as the Laserjet 4L, Newsbytes notes, but with the addition of Adobe Postscript level 2 software. The machine has Bi-tronics parallel and Localtalk (Apple's Mac network system) facilities with automatic switching.
Key features of the printer include: Economode, which cuts the amount of toner used by 50 percent, so cutting print costs in half; auto power-on/off using an instant fuser, which reduces power consumption; and a small footprint (14.5 x 14.0 inches) with a 6.5-inch height.
Announcing the Laserjet 4ML, which starts shipping next week Richard Bee, HP's Apple program manager, said that the 300 dots per inch (DPI) printer is ideal for low volume Mac users. "This printer meets the needs of individual Mac users in the home, small business or corporate office who wants true laser printing with mainstream business functionality, easy operation and affordable pricing," he said.
The 4ML comes with a simplified front panel that has a one-button front control panel that the company claims allows the user to control the printer with a touch of a single button. The printer also has an intelligent on/off system that eliminates the need for a switch and on/off facilities.
(Steve Gold/19930708/Press & Public Contact: Hewlett-Packard - Tel: 0344-361265)
blic Contact: Hewlett-Packard - Tel: 0344-361265)
7/9/93
UK - Hewlett-Packard Laserjet 4ML Laser Printer
GENERAL
Japan Business Almanac Published
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- Tokyo-based major personal computer dealer Catena Group has developed a CD-ROM business almanac of Japan that operates on Apple Computer's Macintosh. It is called Japan Business Today version 1.1 and is due for release July 20 for 100,000 yen or $800.
The CD-ROM data is written in English, but the disc also comes with an English and a Japanese manual.
This disc consists of three parts: Japan Business Today News, Japanese Economic Statistics, and Make Your Own Presentation. The first part is a collection of NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) satellite TV news broadcast during 1992. It includes economic, financial and business-related news in English. 80 minutes worth of QuickTime Movies are also included here.
The second part, Japan Economics Statistics, includes corporate data regarding 4,000 firms and various marketing data with charts and lists.
The third part, Make Your Own Presentation, provides features to create a users' own data. For instance, one would will be able to create statistics on designated firms. Also, specific firms could be analyzed using keyword search. The keywords can be a name of a firm, an industry, or a date.
Version 1.0 of this software was released late last year. Catena Group says it will provide a free upgrade to these users.
(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930706/Press Contact: Catena Group 81-3-3615-3218, Fax, +81-3-3615-9060)
Group 81-3-3615-3218, Fax, +81-3-3615-9060)
7/9/93
Japan Business Almanac Published On CD-ROM
APPLE
Next-Generation Cordless Phone T
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- Japan's next generation cordless phone is due to be tested by major telecom firms this fall. The Personal Handy Phone is a digital system.
NTT, Daini-Denden, Japan Kosoku Tsushin, Japan Telecom and KDD are planning to test the Personal Handy Phone. NTT, Daini-Denden and Japan Kosoku Tsushin will test this phone individually. Japan Telecom and KDD will jointly experiment with this system.
The testing will start in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan in October and is expected to last until the end of 1994.
The Personal Handy Phone is a digital cordless phone for home use. It is a small mobile phone, which is connected to a main phone. The user will be able to carry this phone just like a current analog cordless phone. This digital phone is expected to use both ground bases and space satellite to receive and transmit data.
The Personal Handy Phone uses a simple system compared with current mobile phones. And the biggest advantage of this device is the cost it will be much cheaper than current mobile phones.
Meanwhile, the sales of current mobile phones dropped recently. According to the Telecom Machinery Industry Association shipments of radio telecom devices including mobile phones went down by 1.4 percent in April.
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- Pioneer LDC, a laser disk subsidiary of Pioneer, says it will start renting laser disk software in October. This is the first time laser disk software will be rentable through shops in Japan.
400 titles will be available, most of these are movies or films that were shown in theaters. They include popular movies such as "Back to the future," "Batman," and "Terminator 2."
Until now, Pioneer has banned the rental of laser disk software but has changed its corporate strategy in homes of popularizing the medium.
Pioneer started selling laser disk players in 1981 and claims to have sold 4.63 million units in Japan. This represents a penetration of 10 percent of the total number of households in Japan.
Laser disk software rental may stimulate sales of laser disk players in the future because users will be able to enjoy the titles at a cheaper price. Currently, laser disk software costs 3,500 ($30) to 5,000 yen ($45) per disk. However rental is a more economical way to view laser disk titles the cost is expected to be 500 to 600 yen ($5) per day, or roughly the price of a videotape rental. Pioneer expects that by the end of this year, 1,000 of the 10,000 rental shops in Japan will stock rental laser disks.
Pioneer will also release low-cost versions of its laser disk players. The cheapest model will cost 59,800 yen ($550), which is about 20 percent cheaper than the current lowest-cost model. With this strategy, Pioneer hopes to raise sales of laser disk players to 25 percent of households within a few years.
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- Catalog-on-a Disk says it has developed a Microsoft Windows-based program for IBM and compatible personal computers (PCs) aimed at small to medium-sized companies which want to present products to customers. The concept is a viable one, according to the company, because it costs about a third of the cost of a conventional color catalog.
The company claims users can see more with Catalog-on-a-Disk than with conventional catalogs as animation can be added and the user can begin ordering by clicking the mouse. Orders are automatically calculated and custom designed order forms can be printed for mailing or faxed by modem over the phone lines.
The cost effectiveness comes in several ways. One is using the color in Windows instead of color printing. Since the product is distributed on floppy disks, copies can be produced in small batches or even on demand as duplication is easy and inexpensive. Mailing costs are also lower as catalogs cost more to handle and ship than disks and a single disk can easily replace a 100-page catalog.
Catalogs have advantages -- the quality of an image on a printed page could be better than the quality of an image displayed in Windows, depending on the type of monitor the user has.
But the company says changes to the catalog, such as scroll boxes instead of printed lists, are the types of things users can expect in taking a catalog from print to electronic form. An added advantage for the catalog producer is being able to display the company's logo on screen as an icon with the catalog behind it.
Catalog-on-a-Disk limits itself to production of catalogs small enough to fit on a floppy disk. The company is located at 1330 South Bascom Avenue, Suite C, San Jose, CA 95128.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930708/Press Contact: Joe Gagliano, Gagliano PR, tel 408-298-8678; Al Fisch, Catalog-on-a-Disk, tel 408-297 4056; Public Contact, Catalog-on-a-Disk, tel 408-298-8678)
, tel 408-298-8678)
7/9/93
Catalog-On-A-Disk
TRENDS
Microsoft News Roundup
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- Microsoft Corporation investment relations officials said the company had no comment on upcoming release dates for upgrades of spreadsheet program Microsoft Excel and its word processing program Microsoft Word saying it is company policy not to pre-announce upcoming product shipments.
The statement was in response to a statement by Goldman Sachs analyst Rick Sherlund that he expects a two to three-month delay in shipment of the upgrades. Microsoft shares fell 3-1/2 this week to 82-1/2 after Sherlund lowered his fiscal 1994 per-share estimate to $3.80 from $3.90. Microsoft also declined to comment on fourth quarter earnings. The period closed June 30, and a Microsoft spokesperson reportedly told the British news service Reuters the company is currently in its pre-earnings release "quiet period." Earnings are expected to be announced at an analyst meeting July 29.
Microsoft said earlier analyst estimates for the quarter, which ranged from $0.85 to $0.90, were "do-able." Sherlund is on vacation and was not available for comment. Industry watchers had speculated that Word and Excel upgrades would be available in the first half of fiscal 1994.
In other Microsoft news, Microsoft has joined the US Environmental Protection Agency's Ally program, re-emphasizing its commitment to providing consumers with software that supports energy efficiency. Microsoft ships Advanced Power Management 1.0 drivers in each MS-DOS 6.0, Windows, and Windows for Workgroups box. APM allows firmware built into a personal computer to determine when the software is not in use and when the system can conserve power. Microsoft also says it is making a concerted effort to educate employees about powering down idle computers and turning off their PCs during weekends and evenings.
The company also disclosed a new audio compression technology for deliveries of what it described as improved audio capabilities across a variety of hardware platforms running Microsoft Windows. Microsoft hardware accessories group Product Manager Bob McBreen says voice and audio recordings occupy a large portion of a user's hard disk space, and that has inhibited the adoption of audio. "The creation of this audio compression technology offers significant opportunities for audio uses to apply audio more efficiently whether on a network or individually," according to Mcbreen.
The software giant also says its Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows for Workgroups is now available. TCP/IP is a low-level protocol standard for use on non-proprietary networks and is designed to give users running Windows access to Windows for Workgroups. Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows for Workgroups incorporates support for the Windows Sockets API (application programming interface) that allows developers to write client-server applications for Microsoft Windows.
The Windows Sockets interface is part of the Windows Open Service Architecture (WOSA) and allows users running TCP/IP for Windows for Workgroups to use applications developed by third-party vendors. Microsoft TCP/IP has a suggested list price of $49.95 from Microsoft.
(Jim Mallory/19930709/Press contact: Microsoft Public Relations, 206-882-8080)
Relations, 206-882-8080)
7/9/93
Microsoft News Roundup
BUSINESS
New Tandy Chief Probably Won't M
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- Tandy Corporation says it brought in an outsider to head its Radio Shack division to focus on retailing improvements, not make radical changes.
That's what Tandy Chairman and CEO John Roach told reporters earlier this week. "We don't want to radically change the course, nor is it indicated that we should," said Roach.
When asked by reporters if he was to be an agent of change, newly appointed Radio Shack President Leonard Roberts said that when he interviewed with Roach, he told the Tandy boss, "If you're looking for a custodian, I'm the wrong person." Some industry analysts saw the choice of an outsider over someone from within the Tandy family as a sign the company might be looking for change.
Newsbytes reported earlier this week that Tandy has named Roberts as the new Radio Shack president. Roberts joins Tandy Corporation from restaurant chain Shoney's Inc, where he was chairman and CEO.
Roach told reporters the performance of Tandy's retail units including Radio Shack, has been "generally good" in 1993, and characterized consumer electronics personal computer sales as "good to strong" for both Tandy and the industry in general.
Roberts said his main goals at Radio Shack are to provide support for store associates, enable the company to gain a greater understanding of who its customers are and what they value, and said he will use same-store sales growth as his "key measurement." Tandy reported this week that in June same-store sales increased eight percent over the same period last year. Total sales for the year are up 17 percent to $266.7 million from $227.6 million last year. Closed stores associated with the company's recently announced restructuring are not included in the June results.
Neither Roberts or Roach envision increasing the number of Radio Shack stores from the present 4,500 retail stores and 2,050 dealers. "Radio Shack is a saturated organization, very limited in terms of unit growth," said Roberts. Roach said in the future Radio Shack may do more to determine what products sell better in which geographical locations and adjust inventory to reflect that. Roberts said he supports a strategy of using a portion of Radio Shack's profits to fuel other Tandy businesses such as Incredible Universe and Computer City. "New unit opportunities are really focused on Computer City and Incredible Universe," said Roberts, referring to Tandy's superstore operations.
Recent Newsbytes stories have reported on the formation of the superstores as well as Radio Shack Express and Energy Express. Tandy spokesperson Lou Ann Blaylock told Newsbytes Radio Shack Express stores encompass about 1200 square feet of store that will carry about 75 percent of the most popular products sold in Radio Shack stores. Blaylock told Newsbytes the company expects to open about a dozen of those outlets in 1993. Energy Express outlets are free-standing kiosks in malls which will specialize in hard to find batteries and a selection of name brand consumer electronics products. At least one Energy Express operation has been opened to date.
Tandy Corporation declined to reveal Robert's salary, but Blaylock told Newsbytes his predecessor Bernard Appel was paid $545,864 plus benefits such as stock options and other incentives.
(Jim Mallory/19930709/Press contact: Lou Ann Blaylock, Tandy Corporation, 817-390-3487)
t: Lou Ann Blaylock, Tandy Corporation, 817-390-3487)
7/9/93
New Tandy Chief Probably Won't Make Radical Changes
BUSINESS
Chinese Sale Is Mitel's Largest
KANATA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- Mitel Corporation has announced a sale of 175 public switching systems to a Chinese telephone company in what Mitel said is its largest individual sale ever.
The sale of switching systems to the Hunan Province Countryside Telephone Exchange Bureau is worth about C$24 million, Mitel said. Company spokeswoman Bonnie Perrigard said it is Mitel's first sale of GX5000 switching systems in China and she believes it is the company's first sale of any kind in that country. GX5000 switches are installed in more than 15 countries, Mitel said.
While this sale is sizeable, Mitel officials see it also as a foot in the door in the growing Chinese market. A statement from the company said China is expected to add 75 million public-switching central-office lines by the end of the decade.
The switches for the Hunan sale will be built at Mitel's plant in Kanata, near Ottawa. Perrigard said the company does not expect to be hiring additional staff as a result of the deal. "I think we've got enough of a contingent here now that we'll be able to handle it." If this sale leads to further inroads in the Chinese market, though, manufacturing might be expanded.
The initial shipment of 73,000 lines is set for March, 1994.
Mitsui and Co. (Canada) Ltd., a subsidiary of the Japanese trading firm, played a role in setting up the deal and arranging for service for the Mitel equipment in China, Perrigard said.
Mitel had revenues of C$423 million in fiscal 1993.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- Speakers at the recent Computers in Education conference held in Sydney claim that Australian schools have been faster to accept technological developments than most other countries, especially the US.
Apple Australia's director for consumer and education products Diana Ryall, predicted that by the turn of the century students would be submitting assignments to their teachers on credit-card-like storage devices. She said major leaps in technology should be expected in several areas such as handwriting, speech and gesture recognition, pliable plastic screens, long-life batteries, and cheap mass storage.
The four-day conference had more than 750 delegates and was the biggest in Australia since the 1990 World Technology in Education conference was held here. An exhibition was held in conjunction with the conference - the major platform supported was IBM-compatible but Apple and Acorn had a strong presence.
Ryall told the audience that a number of technology in education initiatives had been developed in Australia. "The electronic classroom is a world standard piece of software that allows a teacher to teach in remote classrooms via a common whiteboard relayed to Mac screens. Recently Korean classes have been delivered around the state of New South Wales. The challenge this decade is that we must cease to be change-resistant and learn to manage change. We must take hold of it and mold it to improve our children's experience at school. We must prepare young people for a world where technology will be an integral part."
Many Australian schools have adopted portables for student use some issuing them to 100 percent of pupils. While Toshiba and Apple have long been active in this area, Compaq Australia has recognized the potential market and had an active team demonstrating at the conference.
(Paul Zucker/19930709)
g at the conference.
(Paul Zucker/19930709)
7/9/93
Australia - Computers In Education Conference
GENERAL
Australia - Toshiba Drops Prices
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUL 9 (NB) -- Toshiba Australia has reduced the price of its mobile computer across the range by up to 18 percent. The company does not sell traditional desktop machines in the Australian market.
It now claims to offer the lowest-priced color notebook in Australia - the 386sx T1850C with 120M hard disk and 4M RAM is now list priced at AUS$3681 (around US$2500), down from $4493 including tax. The entry level 486 T1900/120 is now AUS$3853.
The high performance T4400, 4500 and 4600 series of 486 machines have each dropped by around 10 percent. "We are dropping prices on our computers to maintain the momentum of the personal computer market's shift to mobile computers," said David Henderson, general manager of Toshiba's computer division.
Figures recently released by research company IDC show sales of mobile computers are growing faster than desktops in Australia. They had 1 0.8 percent of the market in 1991, 13 percent in 1992 and are expected to have 13.8 percent this year.
"Our Intel 486, active matrix color and monochrome models are equal to any of the high-end desktop computers and customers can now see the additional benefits they can gain from using a computer which they can carry with them," said Henderson.
(Paul Zucker/19930709)
id Henderson.
(Paul Zucker/19930709)
7/9/93
Australia - Toshiba Drops Prices Again
UK Town Goes High-Tech In A Big
KINGTON, HERTS, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- Kington in Hertfordshire has been selected for what is claimed to be an unique initiative for the high-tech rural community of the future. The project, known as the "Connected Community," is billed as the most innovative of its kind to be run in Europe and is being supported by Apple Computer British Telecom, The Department of Trade and Industry, and the Rural Development Commission.
The aim of the project is to study the potential benefits that state-of-the-art technology can provide for the economic and social fabric of small towns and villages. Opportunities for new businesses and increased employment to counter the effects of agricultural decline and the remoteness from large centers of population, are key objectives of the study.
Apple Computer, BT and a number of secondary partners are providing more than UKP 250,000-worth of computer and communications equipment and support for Kington's use. Both companies claim they are working to ensure that the community maximizes the benefits available from the resources. The DTI and the Rural Development Commission meanwhile, will offer additional grant-aid support to the project.
The effects of Kington's use of computer and communications equipment will be monitored over a 12-month period by the Henley Center, the social and economic research company.
Announcing the project, Baroness Denton, technology spokesman for the DTI in the House of Lords, said that it aims to help small businesses and expand employment in the area, as well as studying the effect of the technology on the town of Kington itself.
So, why Kington? "Kington was chosen partly because it has suffered from some of the effects of the long-term decline in agricultural employment and because it is relatively remote in geographic terms," she explained, adding that the technology has the potential to overcome these disadvantages by assisting local businesses by giving them better links with customers.
Many of Kington's shops, small firms, local offices, clubs, doctors' offices and schools will be equipped under the scheme. Plans call for the technology to generate new jobs, better working conditions and generally benefit the community as a whole. A full-time project manager will be based in the town.
Mike Newton, regional general manager with Apple UK, is enthusiastic about the project. He claims that the project will "provide invaluable research into the contribution that computer and communications technologies can make to the economic and social development of rural communities in Britain."
The town of Kington has 2,200 inhabitants and serves an agricultural area of 150 square miles, which itself has a population of 5,500. The population, according to project officials, consist mainly of people who have lived in the area for generations.
Although the young people of the town and its surrounds leave the area for work and qualification, many stay behind, while more come back. The project aims to boost the number remaining in the area and coming back after gaining qualifications.
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- Olivetti has unveiled Philos, a range of notebook PCs that it claims will cater in terms of price and features to business users. Four models in the range are available -- the Philos 11, 22, 33 and 44.
The first two machines claim to offer an aggressively priced quality system for general applications such as word processing and spreadsheets. The flagship models, the Philos 33 and 44, are designed for users seeking exceptional performance and high-level features for more complex applications.
Announcing the new machine, Alan Rogers, Olivetti's portable product manager, said that the notebook market has split neatly into two sets of users. "One is looking for a compact PC for general applications. The other needs a portable with advanced features which will possibly be used as a main PC," he said.
According to Rogers, the Philos range offers a competitive system to both these types of users. "The entry level Philos 11 and 22 provide business users with a quality alternative to clone notebooks, and incorporate the key ergonomic and portability features of the whole Philos family -- online manuals, security software, pop-up mouse and very fast SL chips from Intel," he said.
"The Philos 33 and 44, meanwhile, offer the user all the features of a high-end PC workstation in a compact and lightweight notebook format. Both models deliver an outstanding feature set in an ergonomically designed and space-saving casing at a cost-effective price," he added.
Warming to the theme, Rogers said that there are very few PC vendors who can supply color active matrix technology at such a low price. He claimed that, as a family, the Philos range of machines caters to every portable requirement and budget, "leaving the choice entirely down to the user."
The Philos 11 is a 25 megahertz (MHz) 80386SL-based machine with 2 megabytes (MB) of memory and a 60MB hard disk. The Philos 22 meanwhile, is a 25MHz 80486SL-based system with 4MB of memory and 84MB of hard disk capacity. External floppy drives are available as optional extras on both machines.
The Philos 33 and 44 feature as pop-up trackball that mounts on the side of the machine. Other features include a PCMCIA 2 slot, plus an onboard mike and speakers for multimedia applications, as well as two line jacks for external mikes, speakers or tape/DC recorders.
4MB of memory is supplied as standard on the Philos 33 and 44 machines, expandable to 32MB internally. Three removable hard disk options are available -- 85, 120 and 240MB, respectively. The Philos 33 is 20MHz 80386SL-based, while the Philos 44 is 25Mhz 80486SL chipset-based.
Various screen options are available on the Philos series. The basic display is a 64-shade-of-gray screen, while a color super twist nematic (STN) screen is available on the Philos 22 and 33. The Philos 44's color option is a thin film transistor (TFT) active matrix screen supporting 256 colors.
All four machines come with DOS and Windows, plus a copy of Lotus Organizer and a Business Audio System. Documentation and manuals are supplied in both print and disk format for ease of use.
Pricing on the Philos series has yet to be announced.
(Steve Gold/19930706/Press & Public Contact: Olivetti UK - Tel: 081 785-6666; Fax: 081-874-3014)
Tel: 081 785-6666; Fax: 081-874-3014)
7/8/93
Olivetti Philos Family Of Notebooks
Dinosaur Fever Hits Compuserve
BRISTOL, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- In case you hadn't noticed Jurassic Park, the movie, is taking the US by storm, with fever building in the UK for next week's national showing on this side of the Atlantic. Dinosaurs are everywhere -- on kid's T-shirts, in the toy stores and on the back of cereal packages. Now they're on Compuserve.
Subscribers to Compuserve can now receive what Compuserve claims is up-to-date discovery information and even share prehistoric reptile humor through the Dinosaur forum (GO DINO) on the Compuserve Information Service.
Compuserve claims that the forum is not entirely due to the success of Jurassic Park, and that dinosaurs are of a growing interest to kids and adults everywhere. The Dinosaur forum offers updates on scientific reports, museum events and schedules, as well as current information on conversation about dinosaurs and dinosaur graphic images, viewable on computer screens.
Compuserve is pulling out all the stops in "pushing" the DINO forum. The company has arranged for a number of "world-reknowned" palaeontologists (dinosaur experts) to answer questions and offer first-hand information in the forum. Matt Smith, who created the Snake River dig site for Jurassic Park, the movie, will conduct interviews and conferences online.
The DINO forum is operated by The Dinosaur Society, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the funding of dinosaur research and education, plus a major source of information on dinosaurs for journalists, publishers and product manufacturers. The forum even has the support of the Dinomation International Society, a non profit organization that promotes science education and research with an emphasis on dinosaur palaeontology.
(Steve Gold/19930706/Press Contact: Compuserve Information Services UK - Tel: 0734-391064; Public Contact - Tel: 0272-255111; Email on the Internet: 76003.1126@compuserve.com)
rnet: 76003.1126@compuserve.com)
7/8/93
Dinosaur Fever Hits Compuserve
TELECOM
Low-Priced, Retail Software With
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- Memorex Computer Supplies (MCS) will lend its brand name and its marketing arm to provide low-priced retail software under the name "Memorex Software." The company has formed a three-way marketing venture with San Jose-based disk manufacturer Zenex and Redwood City, California-based Graphic User Interfaces (GUI) which will supply software titles for distribution.
Memorex Software titles will be trial software packages from established publishers such as Autodesk, Lotus, Wordstar Microsoft, and Ventura, as well as "Custom Budget" titles of software written specifically for this product line or acquired exclusively for this channel. Popular shareware products may fall into this category as well, but Memorex says it will pre-pay the shareware registration fee to avoid consumer confusion.
Dan Shafer, well-known in the software industry, will handle the acquisition of titles, negotiate and maintain contracts with software authors, and provide technical support through GUI. Shafer said: "When we started to look at this market, we expected that shareware would make up the bulk of our business. But we heard repeatedly from retailers that previous attempts to test-market shareware at retail had not been particularly successful. Customers often did not understand the shareware concept. When they did, they were unhappy paying several dollars for a disk and then finding they were expected to pay $5-50 in addition before they could legally use the programs. It was a real mess for some retailers. So we decided to focus most of our early energy on low-cost licensed retail software."
MCS President Robert Farrell said: "At a time when more and more individual and corporate software buyers are looking to the low-priced retail channel to help them get first-rate software at affordable prices, we believe that bringing the Memorex' name and quality reputation to the market will help those buyers make a confident decision. Right now, there are a few small and medium-sized companies distributing products in retail channels, but none that has the consumer brand-name recognition of Memorex."
Company officials said a market test is being conducted now with a national roll-out in 2,500 retail outlets. Based on the success of the test, the company expects Memorex Software could be in as many as 20,000 stores by the end of 1994.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930707/Press Contact: Brendan Staveley Zenex, tel 408/727-2213, fax 408-727-1878; Dan Shafer, GUI 415/367-1221; Mark Lutvak, Memorex, 408-957-1927)
GUI 415/367-1221; Mark Lutvak, Memorex, 408-957-1927)
7/8/93
Low-Priced, Retail Software With Memorex Brand Name
BUSINESS
Rochester Tel Builds Long Distan
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- The seven regional Bell companies want badly to get into the long distance business. They may be hoping to emulate the success of Rochester Telephone, whose 9-year old RCI Long Distance unit has shown steady growth and profits.
RCI is presently entering the Washington, D.C. market by buying Mid-Atlantic Telephone, a small long distance company. It has begun advertising in the area that its rates are 10-21 percent below AT&T standard rates, marketing its services as Budget Call in Maryland and RCI Casual Calling in Virginia, and signing with Bell Atlantic's C&P Telephone unit for billing.
Newsbytes discussed this with Jeffrey Gold, director of marketing for RCI Long Distance. "In our first quarter statement our president noted that our outstanding performance gave the whole company good results. Earnings were up 18%. Revenues grew 24% and operating income 74% in the long distance unit. Long distance now represents about a third of total revenues, and they've had it since 1984." Beyond long distance, Rochester Tel owns 36 local phone companies in 15 states, with the largest being the system around Rochester, New York.
"There are synergies," between local and long distance services Gold insisted. "Our only origination is in the Northeast and mid Atlantic, but we can terminate service anywhere in the world through agreements with other carriers. It's where our physical network is, where our switching platform resides, and what we choose to manage."
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- Responding to a Federal Communications Commission proceeding on future Advanced Intelligent Networks (AIN), BellSouth has offered to let customers take direct control of some aspects of the AIN it's now building in the Southeast.
The Advanced Information Network, or AIN, is a computerized system of hardware, databases and software which will let the phone company provide new services very quickly. But BellSouth spokesman Bob Morrow told Newsbytes that his company doesn't know all the applications for the technology, and may find it uneconomical to create some services, so it wants to offer access to the system to all-comers.
The AIN itself replaces a system where new services are defined in switches, which are really computers, Morrow explained. "Signaling System 7 services like Caller ID sold well. But every time we wanted to introduce a new service, we had to change the software. We have 1,600 switches, so it was a lot of software. And the switches are made by different vendors."
Thus, the Advanced Intelligent Network. "Rather than having the service reside in each switch, we created a central computer to introduce new services. Instead of the switch checking with local memory, it can check with central memory. So we can introduce new services quickly."
BellSouth plans a three-phase plan for allowing access to its AIN system, Morrow said. "In the early stages of opening the network, you'll be able to use a PC, get into one of our computers, and we'll provide a graphic interface so it's easy. Then you'd create your own service. A small insurance office might create a small automatic call distribution system. Another business might create a service like that and sell it to others. That's using our software but creating your own service.
"Stage two is where we let you set-up your own service creation computer. A local pizza chain might set up a database (that) branches can use that lets you have one number in a town that would switch to the database and route the call to the closest available location." In that case the customer can change the database, change how it works, and re-route calls.
"In stage three, you'd be able to tie-in not only with that computer, but with voice-based services. If you had voice storage equipment you could add that on, if you had speech recognition in your computer you could add that. In that case, it might be something a large business would create for re-sale, like a follow-me service," where calls follow a customer as they move from home to office or car, "or it might be something you create on your home PC, using commercially available software. Every time you get an incoming call the PC tells the network what to do with it. If certain numbers call, it might send the call through, or if it's another number, you might send it to voice mail or a certain number can get a personalized message."
Security has been considered, Morrow assured Newsbytes. "The architecture of the thing will let you use this to create services, but it will protect both the security and privacy of other users. We'll have some control over the signals as they come through the network, and check authorizations. They'll be certain things that are legitimate to tell the network to do others that aren't. That's something that can be engineered-in very well. Obviously the security of the network is paramount. But this is good business. We feel there's more in it in a competitive environment rather than the traditional phone company system where we're the only ones who can create the services.
"Phone company services tend to be mass services. Niche markets aren't addressed because it's not economical for us. This new scenario assumes other people have great ideas. Obviously we'll make money off network usage."
How fast will this happen? By 1995 at the earliest, Morrow said. The "Caller ID" technology is already in place, BellSouth has Service Control Points which would let it offer some services and is buying service nodes that will allow for more database based services. "We're getting close to bringing up AIN services," he said. "Obviously as you make elements available it's tariff time, so the FCC and local commissions come in, with the regular process" takes hold.
BellSouth is also hopeful that more use of its AIN software will let it sell more digital circuits under ISDN standards. "ISDN has a very big place in the AIN, only because if you're setting up voice-related stuff in the final stage, the way you'll link will be through an ISDN line. We haven't tariffed residential ISDN anywhere. We're doing application testing in Tennessee, which is the first place which will get residential-line tariffs. If you look at the future, you can see how crucial ISDN is."
Morrow said BellSouth will offer as much advice as possible, as well as access software, to help customers create new services with AIN. "The best bet is to set up an environment where it's easy to create services rather than charge for expertise. Both sides benefit when you make it easy to sell services. We're trying to sell that service. AIN will allow us to roll out services very quickly. In a matter of weeks. Traditionally it took years. We're just starting to roll out AIN."
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930708/Press Contact: Bob Morrow, BellSouth 404-529-8003)
t: Bob Morrow, BellSouth 404-529-8003)
7/8/93
BellSouth To Offer Access To Network
TELECOM
Cox Ties With Prodigy On News Ne
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- Cox Enterprises which owns 17 newspapers and numerous cable systems, said it will ally itself with Prodigy and work to help newspapers nationwide create local information systems tied to the Prodigy network.
The first such system will be offered this fall in Atlanta, tied to Cox's flagship paper, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Newsbytes discussed the deal with Jay Smith, executive vice president for the Cox Newspaper Division in Atlanta, and a former publisher of the Journal-Constitution. He acknowledged that no equity is changing hands in this deal, unlike a tie-up between the Tribune Co. and America OnLine in which the Tribune bought substantial AOL equity before offering a special version of the service in Chicago. He also understands that downloads of newspaper data will be allowed on local versions of Prodigy although he referred technical questions to the service itself.
Smith said he has been a Prodigy user for some time, and is impressed with it.
The Journal-Constitution has been attempting to create electronic adjuncts for some time, so far without much success. It was an early user of the BellSouth TUG gateway, it began a free audiotex service on 222-2000 that drew 5 million calls a year, and it has won the right to charge for such services in both Palm Beach Florida and Atlanta on 511, a number related to the 411 information and 911 emergency services codes. Its most recent online offering is called Access Atlanta, which will be folded into the special version of Prodigy. "Access Atlanta exists even as we speak," said Smith. "That was largely an attempt to get us on the playing field, do some research and development. While we're proud of what we accomplished, with a subscriber base of about 1,000, we had no illusions of the quality of Access Atlanta vs. Prodigy."
Smith told Newsbytes he has no problems with Prodigy's policies which include strict control over notes posted by users on public bulletin boards. "I'm sympathetic to the fact that in many ways they're like a family newspaper. Prodigy goes into the home and is accessed by 8-year-olds and parents. Their approach is not unlike that of a newspaper, where you look at issues of taste, of fairness, of libel and invasion of privacy. That's not to say there are clear black and white answers -- there are a lot of gray areas. I've been a newspaper publisher for 12 years -- I'm sure I've blown some decisions. I've been impressed, and been on Prodigy for some time -- I've been very impressed with the openness they show. I think they're sensitive to the precise issues we care about. While we may carry advertising for x-rated movies, we're terribly careful about how that ad is put together what words and pictures are used, and in this new relationship with Prodigy I've been impressed with their sensitivities, their bias toward what does go."
Smith also acknowledged that this is a preliminary agreement and there are a lot of details to be worked out. "We wanted the world to know we've met, we've talked, we like each other very much, and we think that by putting our considerable resources together and inviting other newspapers to join us we're on to something that can advance not just the cause of an electronic information provider like Prodigy but be a real plus for an industry like newspapers.
"Technical problems are sometimes the easiest to fix. Deep-seated philosophical issues are thornier. But it's awfully important that we not think of Prodigy with a local newspaper affiliation as a complete replacement for the newspaper. It's not. It's a supplement. My view is the household receives the newspaper in the morning, has Prodigy in the home and uses the directory service of the newspaper to get additional sidebar information or do some interactive business."
Smith said there are roughly 23,000 Prodigy members in the Atlanta area, perhaps double that number of users. "Given the promotional power of a daily newspaper with a half-million circulation, a Sunday newspaper with 700,000 circulation, along with the whole new area of local news, information and advertising, I don't have any hesitation in saying we can double their local membership and more than double their local usership."
He adds, "You take that out over the country and all of a sudden you've done some nice things in terms of revenue development" for Prodigy, which has yet to turn a profit. That lack of profits does not disturb Smith at all. "I think there's a wonderful newspaper published every day that hasn't turned a profit, USA Today, which is doing a lot of other things to help Gannett and hasn't disappeared."
Smith also briefly commented on the fact that Cox, which owns a number of cable systems, might also provide versions of Prodigy on those markets. "We want to at least state for public consumption that our Cox Cable division is interested in Prodigy. Beyond that I don't want to say any more. Cox is a multimedia company and while we're private, we're bigger than the New York Times," which means it feels a responsibility to be forthcoming about its plans.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930708/Press Contact: James McKnight, Cox Enterprises, 404-843-7936)
cKnight, Cox Enterprises, 404-843-7936)
7/8/93
Cox Ties With Prodigy On News Network
TELECOM
Court Says MCI Must Publish All
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- US District Judge Stanley S. Harris ruled that MCI must publish all its rate schedules, including those with large companies. He ruled in a case brought by AT&T, which was forced to publish such rates under the "dominant carrier" rules of the Federal Communications Commission. AT&T had sued saying the rules violated its constitutional rights. Courts have agreed on the merits of that argument, and the FCC has backed-off the rules.
Harris ordered that MCI file detailed rates charged in its customer-specific contracts. MCI had previously filed only a general tariff that provided ranges of charges or maximum charges related to customer contracts. MCI issued a press statement which said it will comply with the order. However, the company told the press, "MCI assured its major customers that despite today's District Court ruling that all rate schedules be filed with the FCC, MCI's ability to fulfill all of its current or future contracts is not impeded."
The company added, "By ruling as it has, the District Court has essentially required that individual customer contract rates be tariffed, rather than supporting the FCC position permitting a range of contracts to be covered in a combined filing." MCI added it has carefully complied with applicable regulations at each stage of this legal determination, and will promptly comply with today's decision as well."
However, MCI added, "Since individual customer contracts are only tariffed after they have been negotiated and awarded, the requirement to subsequently file tariffs will not impede MCI's ability to compete effectively for these contracts, just as it has not impeded AT&T's ability to do so. While MCI is the only carrier named in today's ruling, the legal principles underlying this ruling equally impact all non-dominant carriers. This includes cellular service providers, competitive access providers, and other small long distance carriers. The additional regulatory burden on these carriers and on the FCC is not a positive development, but given today's court ruling Congressional or Supreme Court action may be required to alter these requirements."
The result of the court action, in other words, could stimulate moves in Congress that would reduce the rate-filing burden on all companies, since extending the filing of special deals to small long distance companies could drive many out of business.
MCI also responded to the decision by rolling-out press releases on some of its recent successes. It said Holiday Inns, which is owned by the Bass Brewing Company of the United Kingdom, signed a $15 million contract for global communications services over 5 years, which will include the installation of satellite terminals at 150 properties in Latin America linked to the company's Atlanta-based reservation system. MCI also sent out a release on its heavily advertised Proof Positive promotion, under which the company will provide written documentation of savings off AT&T rates to businesses every 90 days. The plan also assures that businesses are always using the most cost-efficient MCI calling plan and its best price. MCI said it has fielded more than 10,000 calls from prospective customers since announcing the program in May.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930708/Press Contact: MCI, John Houser, 202 887-3000)
ontact: MCI, John Houser, 202 887-3000)
7/8/93
Court Says MCI Must Publish All Rates
TELECOM
Russia - New National Online Ser
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- Russia is quickly entering the information age now that plans are underway to establish a national online information serve. The Moscow-based research company Relteam has started "Stream" -- a countrywide information and database distribution network.
The software consist of the simple HyperStream object-oriented environment, supporting various data and image formats. The group of information providers and local distributors claim to be eager to support the service, and the legal and financial framework to protect copyright and provide for timely payment for services is in place, Stream creators say.
The HyperStream software (recommended price US$45) supports text, GIF graphics, tables, charts and drawings. Voice and live video support are expected for the next release.
The main advantage of HyperStream is an ability for the user to customize the information he needs, order data from the distributor and have it regularly updated over the computer network even on still popular 286-based machines, according to Valery Bardin, project manager.
A substantial part of Stream is the built-in opportunity for instant feedback from user to information providers and experts.
Two large non-state-owned information providers -- Commersant publishing house and the Postfactum information agency -- have joined the project with their information products and new tailor-made reports provided in the Stream standard format. Both agencies are expected to substantially redesign their internal infrastructure to supply direct end user service. "The Stream's success heavily depends on the creation of expert groups answering end user queries," Bardin said.
The Centre of Information Researches said it will provide Stream users with access to large pool of databases and experts in various fields both domestic and international.
The project announcement was made on a three-day seminar in the Sofrino, near Moscow, late last week.
The information distributors (currently 20) are located in different cities of the former Soviet Union, from the Baltic States to Kamchatka.
Trial experiments with the system began in May, and the complete system is expected to be fully operational at the end of August.
Relteam Co Ltd., is a private company consisting of a group of Unix developers and creators of the Relcom electronic mail network now Europe's largest.
Postfactum is now the largest non-state information service, which now employs more than 500 people. Commersant is the largest private publisher, with eight different business newspapers.
team e-mail fox@relteam.msk.su; phone +7 095 116-2273)
7/8/93
Russia - New National Online Service Being Developed
TELECOM
Nintendo Delays Release Of CD-RO
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- Japan's Nintendo says it will delay release of its CD-ROM-based game device, which was originally slated for an August release. This is the third time that Nintendo delayed the release of this device.
The release has now been pushed back to next year. According to Nintendo, the major reason for the delay is the lack of quality software. Nintendo developed the CD-ROM-based game device well over a year ago. Sony was slated to manufacture the device, and software makers were given the tools to produce quality game software, but so far few titles have emerged.
Nintendo first planned to release the CD-ROM device in August 1992. The release was delayed to this past January, and again, the release was delayed to this August.
Nintendo faces a tough market for new game machines. Many rival game machine makers as well as electronics firms are releasing powerful competitors. They include Sega Enterprises and NEC Home Electronics. Matsushita Electric is also developing a CD-ROM-based 32-bit game machine jointly with California's 3DO, and it will be released in October. Atari is also developing a 64-bit game device.
Meanwhile, Nintendo is heavily promoting its current best selling 16-bit Super Famicom instead of releasing the new CD-ROM device.
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- Kawasaki Steel has acquired equity in California-based Wireless Access, a semiconductor firm. This is Kawasaki Steel's second foreign investment. The firm entered the semiconductor market about two years ago.
Kawasaki Steel has purchased a 10-percent equity share of Wireless Access. Both firms have agreed to jointly develop LSI chips for wireless telecommunication devices. In the future, both firms will develop application specific ICs and will cooperate on the sales of these products.
Jointly developed chips will be manufactured at Kawasaki Steel's new plant, which will be built in Japan in the near future. Kawasaki Steel has reportedly dispatched its executive director Tadashi Tomijima to Wireless Access where he has assumed the part-time executive director's post.
Wireless Access was created in 1991. The firm has been developing manufacturing, and selling semiconductor chips, and is especially good at LSIs for telecommunication devices and IC cards for personal computers.
Kawasaki Steel, one of the major steel firms in Japan, entered the semiconductor market in 1985 following a steel industry slump. At that time, the firm set up a joint venture firm "Japan Semiconductor" in cooperation with LSI Logic.
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- Ah, the excitement of it all! Everyone from Tokyo to Washington seems to have their GATT(ling) guns primed and ready to fire after yesterday's excited announcement by US Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen that the Big Four out of the Group of 7 had reached a breakthrough trade agreement. But virtually everyone outside the Clinton Administration sees the glass as far more than half empty, with most of yesterday's claims being described by analysts as more empty promises than achievements.
In particular, three major US electronics trade associations the American Electronics Association (AEA), the Computer and Business Equipment Manufacturers Association (CBEMA), and the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) have released a press statement jointly expressing disappointment with both the lack of any meaningful cuts in the world's tariffs on electronics goods and in the failure to reach a GATT agreement.
The present tariff structures include a 14-percent tax on semiconductors and a 4.9-percent levy on all computer products imported into the European Community.
Japan and the US, on the other hand, both eliminated all duties charged on imported computer parts back in 1986.
The joint statement released by the three electronics associations blames this tariff for costing an estimated $340 million a year in lost revenues to electronics manufacturers. Of course, they are speaking of Asian and North American losses and no statement was made regarding any possible benefits which might be accruing to European manufacturers by the maintenance of an EC tariff.
While no one thought that much would come out of the ongoing Group of 7 industrialized nations' much-touted meeting in Tokyo the US made a big deal yesterday of announcing what was described as a breakthrough Japan-Canada-US-Europe trade agreement to reduce tariffs on a number of goods. Administration executives and spin doctors were happily announcing the dawning of a new age of international trade and a bright future for GATT trade negotiations, while ignoring the fact that no tariff agreement was actually signed and that pending US Steel anti dumping sanctions will cause a lot of headaches when it comes to implementing any changes in tariff structures.
Also missing from the agreement was any mention of the critical European agricultural subsidies or Japan's massive tariffs on rice imports.
One major breakthrough listed in yesterday's Clinton Administration claim of accomplishments was an agreement to open up Japan's government contracting to outside construction companies. As former Commerce Secretary Robert Mosbacher reminded CNBC viewers on Wednesday evening, he had already supposedly opened up Japanese domestic projects to outside construction contractors several years ago, but not much had changed.
The GATT, or General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, Uruguay Round, which takes place mostly in Switzerland. It was scheduled to be completed several years ago. The past two US administrations have periodically announced major breakthroughs which would end the deadlock and usher in a new world free-trade agreement designed to dramatically reduce trade barriers and spur both domestic and international economic conditions.
So far, every announced breakthrough has turned out to be more of a wet firecracker and there is no real evidence that Wednesday's announcement by the Clinton Administration will prove any different, observers suggest. In fact, by Thursday morning US time, other chief executives meeting in Tokyo were saying that the earlier US announcements overstated the accomplishment.
Mr. Bentsen hailed US negotiators' efforts as "Turning the Economic Summit into a Jobs Summit," but some Washington insiders see it as only providing a marginal improvement in job security for the present Democratic administration and not something which will actually have a major favorable impact on unemployment.
It is important to remember that while the US has an average unemployment rate of about 7 percent, that is by far the best employment situation of any of the Group of 7 countries with the exception of Japan.
(John McCormick/19930708/Press Contact: John Hatch, AEA, 408-987 4232, Jan Goebel, CBEMA, 202-626-5725, or Angela Newlove, SIA 408-246-2711)
EMA, 202-626-5725, or Angela Newlove, SIA 408-246-2711)
7/8/93
Electronics Associations Disappointed in Tokyo Summit
US Marshals Make Biggest Counter
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- Microsoft Corporation said this week that US Marshals and Microsoft investigators have completed the a sweep of the US that netted the largest-ever seizure of allegedly counterfeit Microsoft software.
The seizures reportedly occurred in areas from coast to coast over the past four months and was intended to purge the market of illegal Microsoft MS-DOS and Windows operating system software, according to Microsoft. "We have redoubled our efforts to purge the market of illegal software," according to Jim Lowe, Microsoft corporate attorney. Lowe said the Federal Bureau of Investigation, US Customs, and local law enforcement agencies worked with Microsoft to stem the tide of black market software estimated to be worth billions of dollars.
Several of the defendants named in separate lawsuits filed prior to the seizures were formerly or are presently Microsoft licensees according to Microsoft. The company said undisclosed amounts of assets belonging to some of the defendants have been frozen.
In California, over 125,000 allegedly illegal copies of MS-DOS 5.0 and Windows 3.1, with an estimated street value of about $7 million were seized from Unitron Computer, and is one of the largest seizures to date. Microsoft alleges that Unitron, whose Taiwanese parent company had been licensed to distribute Microsoft software only with its computer systems, was manufacturing and distributing large amounts of the software by itself. Microsoft says it terminated Unitron's license to reproduce Microsoft software prior to filing suit in Los Angeles against the company, its officers distributors, and printers.
A lawsuit filed in New Jersey charged CMOS Technologies with producing tens of thousands of counterfeit Windows 3.1 packages. Microsoft said as US Marshals served the seizure order, a New Jersey printer continued to manufacture counterfeit Windows manuals in full view of the officers. Over 10,000 allegedly counterfeit Windows manuals were eventually surrendered by the printer.
A Houston firm, Micro Innovation Inc., also apparently operating under the name MIC, was charged with producing unlicensed copies of MS-DOS 5 and Windows 3.1 under its own trade name, then distributing the software through the PC Innovations stores and other resellers nationally. Agents conducted simultaneous raids at seven Houston area locations, seizing 35,000 units of MS-DOS and Windows estimated to have a street value of $2 million.
Microsoft licenses MS-DOS and Windows to computer manufacturers to include with the personal computers, but the software cannot be sold or distributed by themselves. The company cautions software users that use of unlicensed Microsoft products increases exposure to viruses and reduces the chances for product support, upgrade offers and other benefits available to licensed users. The company maintains a toll-free number for use by parties who have questions about the legitimacy of Microsoft-brand products. The company has stressed that it will not prosecute users of counterfeited software and has issued a list of trade names that it says should be considered suspect. The list includes Acbel, AUVA, BEC, BTI, CMOS Firenze, FRL, Kenitec, MIC, MTD, Provitek, Spring, Spring Circle Superwave, Unitron (also known as Uniron), and Z-Nix. A recent Newsbytes story reported that Microsoft had been awarded $12.5 million in a suit against BEC.
At least two trade organizations, Software Publishers Association and Business Software Association, are active in working against software counterfeiters. SPA has established a fund to assist in the prosecution of alleged counterfeiters. Microsoft is a member of SPA but does not utilize the fund to prosecute its cases, a Microsoft spokesperson told Newsbytes.
(Jim Mallory/19930708/Press contact: Alison Gilligan, Microsoft Corporation, 206-882-8080; Reader contact to report possible software counterfeiting: 800-662-6796)
to report possible software counterfeiting: 800-662-6796)
7/8/93
US Marshals Make Biggest Counterfeit Software Bust Ever
Novell Acquires Network Full-Mot
PROVO, UTAH, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- Novell, best known for its network operating system software Netware, announced this week it has acquired Natick, Massachusetts-based Fluent, Inc., a company that produces video networking products that integrate full-motion video and audio into networked applications. The acquisition could open a whole new market for multimedia, which some analysts have called "a solution looking for a problem."
Fluent produces Fluentlinks, a Netware Loadable Module (NLM) that enables multiple users to access and play motion video segments from a remote file server, using standard protocols and network topologies. Novell says it will leverage Fluent's current products to deliver full-motion video over computer networks and support desktop computer multimedia. The company says it is integrating networked multimedia, including full-motion video, with its Netware software and believes networked video services will transform multimedia from a stand-alone application to distributed network-based multimedia.
Novell says that is a better system that the CD ROM-based multimedia systems which can only be updated by purchasing a new CD ROM disk. Real-time video updates, live broadcasts, and duplexed video conferencing will be possible when multimedia services are available through computer networks, according to Novell.
According to Jan Newman, Novell executive vice president and general manager of the Netware Systems Group, "Computer users are looking for the means to add full-motion video services to existing data networks and avoid dedicated video network solutions." Newman says companies like Apple, Intel, and Microsoft are working to support multimedia on the desktop, and with the acquisition of Fluent Novell can provide the system software to put multimedia on computer networks.
Novell says it will make network services for multimedia available in phases beginning next year. The first will be network server-based video playback, which will integrate with existing desktop multimedia standards including Apple Computer's Quicktime and Microsoft's Video for Windows. Applications for those environments will be compatible with Novell's multimedia services.
The company says additional phases will extend the available services to ultimately support desktop-based video conferencing. New networked applications could include training and education systems, information kiosks, stored video access and distribution live video broadcast, and video conferencing.
One of the problems associated with multimedia has been the large amounts of disk storage space required to store the audio and video files. However, Microsoft now has the solution for those problems. Microsoft's Video for Windows offers data compression for video images, and earlier this week the company told Newsbytes it now has a new audio compression technology available that can be incorporated into new applications. Working with Compaq and DSP Group, Microsoft has developed an audio compression technology that it says provides up to 10 times the voice compression previously possible for 386 and 486-based personal computers. The technology was originally developed by DSP group for the consumer telephone market under the name Truespeech.
Novell says the Fluent acquisition will be accounted for as a purchase. Novell acquired Fluent through a $17.5 million purchase of the outstanding shares of the privately held company, expected to result in a one-time write-off of assets of up to $15 million in Novell's third quarter, which ends July 31.
(Jim Mallory/19930708/Press contact: Michael Adams, Novell 801-429-5809)
/Press contact: Michael Adams, Novell 801-429-5809)
7/8/93
Novell Acquires Network Full-Motion Video Company
BUSINESS
Grand Jury Indicts Two Companies
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- A grand jury has handed down the first two indictments for software piracy under a recent federal felony copyright law, the US Attorney's office in San Francisco announced this week.
Defendants in both cases, which included companies and individuals are alleged to have produced thousands of copies of Microsoft's MS-DOS and Windows. The software reportedly was worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. The US Attorney's office said the Department of Justice has recently made investigation and prosecution of computer crime a top priority. "This prosecution is a result of that new emphasis," according to a spokesperson for the US attorney's office.
One of the indictments alleges that Abba Systemations Inc., doing business as Prosys, Avenue Systems Group, Yu Jung Wu, and Henry Siu Kwan, counterfeited more than 20,000 units of MS-DOS and Windows as well as the manuals and packaging, and sold them through Prosys. They allegedly then laundered about $500,000 in proceeds from the sale of the products through Avenue Systems Group, a corporation allegedly created just for that purpose. The two companies and Wu and Kwan face charges of trafficking in counterfeit trademarked goods, conspiracy, criminal copyright infringement, and money laundering. A third individual, William Hay, was charged separately with criminal copyright infringement.
In the second indictment Ever Supply Inc., Roland Tsai and Tony Shen negotiated with an individual who turned out to be an informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation to sell several thousand copies of MS-DOS and Windows software. When the software was delivered, the FBI seized about 1,000 software units and thousands of component parts for additional units with a total estimated retail value of over $300,000. Each defendant was charged with two counts of criminal copyright infringement and two counts of trafficking in counterfeit trademarked goods.
Trafficking in counterfeit goods carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail and a $250,000 fine for individuals, and a $1 million fine for companies. Money laundering carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
(Jim Mallory/19930708/Press contact: Microsoft Corporation 206-882-8080)
708/Press contact: Microsoft Corporation 206-882-8080)
7/8/93
Grand Jury Indicts Two Companies For Software Piracy
ALR Shipping First Pentium PCs S
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- Advanced Logic Research (ALR) claims it is the first to actually ship beginning today, IBM compatible personal computers (PCs) based on the new Pentium microprocessor introduced by Intel. But, not only is the company the first to ship the high-horsepower PCs it is pricing the units beginning at $2,495 specifically to put pressure on its competitors.
There are two basic Pentium PCs in the Evolution V series. ALR says the Evolution V is geared toward the individual user while the Evolution V-Q is aimed at the network server market. Both machines include either a 60 or 66 megahertz (MHz) Pentium processor, a five-year warranty, and a heat sink with a fan mounted on top of the Pentium to handle the heat generated by the new processor.
The Evolution V offers 64-bit design and 8 MB of memory on the motherboard expandable to 128 MB. The $2,495 price leaves out several key components, such as a hard disk drive and a monitor, but is still a bargain. For $3,595 ALR offers a full system with a 170 MB hard disk drive, DOS, Windows, a mouse, a Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus (VL bus), and a 14-inch 1024 by 768 picture element (pixel) screen with a .28 dot pitch.
The Evolution V-Q server offers a 128-bit design, 10 extended standard architecture (ESA) slots, 3 local bus slots, 1 gigabyte of main memory, 13 drive bays, and a 415-watt power supply for $4,495. The company said users can get the server with a 1.2 GB hard disk drive and the VL bus for under $7,000.
ALR Vice President of Marketing David Kirkey said he can remember when he was selling new 386-based machines for that price. Kirkey told Newsbytes just offering computers at the same price as IBM or Compaq is not enough to compete, so ALR is making the price point the issue. "Few companies are willing to acknowledge that the PC market is a commodities market. We are willing to make that distinction," Kirkey added.
Kirkey said users can expect to get a Pentium machine ordered today in two to three weeks. However, the Pentium processor is allocated by Intel, so quantities are limited. Kirkey maintains there has been strong interest in the units, however, and expects demand for the PCs to be high.
ALR also introduced two new 486DX2 50 megahertz (MHz) PCs, the energy-efficient Flyer VL 4/50d starting at $1,595 and the Evolution IV 4/50d beginning at $1,479. The company said both machines are priced low to compete with similar units from Compaq, AST, and Dell and both can be upgraded to the Pentium microprocessor. For only a $100 more than a 33 MHz i486, users can get 50 percent performance gain, ALR representatives said. A monitor and a hard disk drive ranges from $700 to $800 more depending on the system.
ALR employs over 400 and is located in Irvine, California.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930708/Press Contact: David Kirkey, ALR, tel 714-581-6770, fax 714-581-9240)
David Kirkey, ALR, tel 714-581-6770, fax 714-581-9240)
7/8/93
ALR Shipping First Pentium PCs Starting Under $2,500
FCC Gets Money To Enforce Cable
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- The Federal Communications Commission has gotten the $21 million interim Chairman James Quello said was needed to enforce the 1992 Cable Act through September. The money came in a supplemental appropriation President Clinton signed on July 2.
In approving the funds, Congressmen insisted that rate reductions start September 1, as called for in the law. But that's unlikely. Quello has said that he'll need time to hire about 240 new staffers before ordering any rate cuts - until then a rate freeze remains in effect.
Under the 1992 act, local governments have the power to set rates for the nation's 10,000 cable operations. The local decisions can be appealed by operators to the full commission. Regulations on rates cannot go into effect until an analysis of costs, based partly on FCC rules issued last month, is performed by the local government, with input from each local cable operator, and an appeal, if sought, is heard by the FCC. It's estimated that this will take six months from the date when local governments file papers with the FCC stating they have a monopoly cable operator in their community.
Congress would like faster action, but Congress wrote the law mandating the longer procedure, FCC spokesmen indicate. Rep. Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat who helped write the law, has claimed that the three-month delay in enforcing the act created by the FCC revenue shortfall will cost consumers $250 million in over-payments to cable operators, based on estimates of previous over-charges.
MIAMI, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- Peoples Telephone Co., a fast-growing operator of pay phones in the Southeast and elsewhere, filed an antitrust action in the US District Court in Miami against BellSouth's Southern Bell unit.
The charges include monopolization, an attempt to monopolize and misrepresentations in connection with Southern Bell's operation of its pay telephone business in the State of Florida. The Complaint seeks unspecified damages and other relief.
People's is currently the largest US operators of pay phones handling 28,000 phones, some of them public pay phones, other prison phones, and some cellular units, in 38 states. The company said its gross revenues grew 54 percent for the quarter ended in March, while net income grew 79 percent, and earnings before interest taxes and depreciation grew 48 percent.
A source close to the case discussed it with Newsbytes. Southern Bell "leveraged the monopoly to foreclose competition," according to the complaint. "It has done that by engaging in a variety of conduct, including denial of access to essential facilities misrepresentations to independent pay telephone providers subsidizing its pay telephone business with revenues from its telephone company business, and other things."
For instance, Newsbytes was told, Southern Bell is not providing People's, or other competitors, with the kinds of features and functions it provides itself for use in pay phones, like answer supervision. The company is also accused in the complaint of misrepresenting the traffic and number of pay phones that may be available for bid, and with subsidizing its own pay telephone business with profits from regulated phone services.
An answer to the People's complaint is now being awaited by the court. Papers were served on Southern Bell in the case on July 1, and it has 20 days to reply.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930707/Press Contact: Peoples Telephone Co., Robert D. Rubin, 305-593-9667)
hone Co., Robert D. Rubin, 305-593-9667)
7/7/93
Southern Bell Faces Anti-Trust Lawsuit
: X
Wang Files Plan, Hopes To Leave
LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- Wang Laboratories, approaching the first anniversary of its filing for protection under Chapter 11 of United States bankruptcy law hopes to be on its feet again by fall.
Wang has filed an amended plan of reorganization and disclosure statement in US Bankruptcy Court in Boston. If creditors and stockholders approve the plan, Wang officials said, the company could be out of Chapter 11 in September.
Company officials also said they now expect revenues of about $1.24 billion and a net loss of about $199 million in the 1993 fiscal year, which ended June 30. The revenue figure is down from an earlier projection that said the company would make between $1.25 billion and $1.3 billion in the year.
Based on its plan to emerge from Chapter 11 protection in September, Wang is forecasting revenues of about $955 million in the 12-month period from October 1, with operating profit of about $76 million before a non-cash amortization expense of about $23 million required by the accounting rules set down for firms emerging from Chapter 11.
The company had earlier forecast revenues of about $1 billion in fiscal 1994. Officials said they have refined their projections "using a conservative approach."
As the company said earlier, it plans to focus on two areas where it has some strength: integrated imaging and related software; and value-added network and integration services, with the emphasis on office systems.
Under the reorganization plan, some creditors with priority claims are to be paid in full, while the others will get stakes in the company. Holders of Class B and C common stock will get warrants covering some 20 percent of the reorganized firm's stock, exercisable at a price meant to let them recover 95 percent of their claims before the exercise price of the warrant equals the trading price of the common stock.
The company also plans an employee stock ownership program that would let employees hold up to 12.5 percent of its stock. This is aimed at keeping valuable employees from leaving the company officials said.
Wang said it plans no further cuts in its work force beyond those announced March 16. At that time the firm said it would bring its payroll, which then stood at about 9,300, down to about 6,000 people worldwide. Wang peaked at more than 20,000 employees during the 1980s.
Wang also named a new board of directors, chosen by the creditors' committee. The directors include: David A. Boucher managing general partner at venture capital firm Applied Technology and president and chief executive of Ticker Research Inc., a medical technology company; Peter A. Brooke, chairman and chief executive of Advent International Corp., a venture management firm; Stephen G. Jerritts, former director-general of France's Bull Group and a former president of both Honeywell Information Systems and Storage Technology Corp.; Raymond C. Kurzweil, founder, chairman and co-chief executive of Kurzweil Applied Intelligence, Inc.; Paul E. Tsongas, a partner in the Boston law firm of Foley, Hoag & Eliot; Joseph M. Tucci, who was named president and chief executive of Wang in January; Karl G. Wassmann, III, senior vice-president and chief financial officer of Kendall Square Research Corp.; Dr. John P. White, director of the Center for Business and Government at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Business; and a director to be designated by the family of company founder Dr. An Wang.
(Grant Buckler/19930707/Press Contact: Frank Ryan, Wang 508-967-7038; Ed Pignone, Wang, 508-967-4912)
, Wang 508-967-7038; Ed Pignone, Wang, 508-967-4912)
7/7/93
Wang Files Plan, Hopes To Leave Chapter 11 By Fall
BUSINESS
Electric Sports Cars/Vans In Los
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- GM's subsidiary, Hughes Electric, forced to look for a new market for specially developed electric car drive trains, recently signed a deal with electric car producer Solar Electric Engineering (SEE). What this means is that, not only will SEE be the first to produce electric cars in California, but consumers will be able to get almost any style of electric car, from a sports car to a delivery van.
General Motors was going to begin mass production of simple two-passenger electric cars this year, but the massive losses the company experienced pushed back its production schedule. Meanwhile, GM Hughes Electric had big money invested in the development of a special front-wheel drive train for full-sized and utility vehicles that puts an electrically-driven motor on each front wheel.
In the deal with SEE (who is changing its name to Electricar), GM Hughes provides for its drive system components to be used to modify automobiles to be electrically powered. David Brandmeyer chief operations officer and general manager of Electricar said "These advanced AV systems will provide the range, acceleration and reliability that major fleet users require from electric vehicles (EVs)."
SEE offers conversions of several automobiles, including the Geo Metro Prism, the Ford Escort, the Chevy S-10 Pickup, the Toyota Pisao, a Lamborguine-like car called the Targa, and even a van. The vehicles cost between $16,000 and $80,000, get about a 40 to 60 mile radius on a single overnight charge, and can be driven anywhere - including on the freeway.
There are a number of advantages, including: motors only have one moving part as opposed to hundreds of moving parts in a gasoline powered engine; expenses are less as there is no need for gas, oil tune-ups, or emissions tests; and the car is quieter than gasoline cars.
The biggest drawback is that $1,000 worth of new batteries have to be purchased once every 350 to 500 full charges, which translates into about once every two years. Options such as air conditioning are also available, SEE representatives said.
SEE says its first hope is in placing electric cars with fleet buyers, such as municipalities and large companies. The state of California has already said it will begin requiring the purchase of electric vehicles by 1996 and in 1998, two percent of all vehicles sold in California will be required to be zero emission (electric). The State of California is offering a $1,000 tax credit to electric car purchasers and there's talk of a ten percent tax credit being considered by the Federal government.
In addition, SEE is opening a 15,000 square-foot production facility in the riot-torn areas of LA with the help of the City of Los Angeles, Rebuild LA, and Southern California Edison. The new plant operates as Electricar Los Angeles, and will begin electric vehicle production this summer. The company has also developed the first EV system integration training program in conjunction with LA trade schools and community college programs.
In addition, since EVs will probably be charged at night, the technology provides for a way to use electricity generated at night which cannot be stored. SEE representatives said a recent study showed the LA Department of Water and Power could generate enough electricity to charge 1.2 million electric cars at night without adding any additional capacity.
It takes several months to get an electric car, but there is financing available with ten percent down. Several insurance companies have also said they will cover electric cars including State Farm insurance, according to SEE.
President and chief executive officer of SEE Ted Morgan said: "This advanced technology, combined with the recent legislation encouraging the acquisition of electric vehicles through tax incentives, has created a strong demand for electric vehicles in the coming months that will last for years to come."
(Linda Rohrbough/19930707/Press Contact: Alex Campbell, Solar Electric Engineering, tel 707-829-4545, fax 707-829-4538; James Driver, Electricar LA, 310-352-1353)
James Driver, Electricar LA, 310-352-1353)
7/7/93
Electric Sports Cars/Vans In Los Angeles
TRENDS
Insurance Industry Embraces High
TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- According to Xplor International, the paperwork-intensive insurance industry is embracing high speed electronic printing as a continuing productivity priority. The findings are the result of a technology study conducted by the document systems industry professional association.
Xplor International says it surveyed 57 member insurance companies representing most of the high volume users and vendors of electronic printing and publishing equipment. Thirty-one of the surveyed companies are considered large, while 16 are mid-sized and the remainder smaller. Group and individual life insurers accounted for 33 of the respondents, while 24 of the companies responding are property and casualty carriers.
According to Dr. Keith Davidson, Xplor executive director, "Printed documents are an insurance company's product as far as the customer is concerned." Davidson also says the industry's documents are heavily regulated for appearance and content by a variety of government agencies. He said that while 81 percent of the respondents reported having a centralized document composition department, only 26 percent have integrated network and mainframe publishing. Sixty-three percent have a company printing strategy, and 28 percent say they have already developed a publishing strategy.
Xplor International spokesperson Jim Porter explained for Newsbytes that printing strategy includes the managing of the technology side, including both software and hardware, while publishing strategy includes printing and the composition, appearance and other less mechanical aspects of document publication.
Dr. Davidson says the results indicate the companies are now attempting to manage technology and production rather than just information flow. "Bringing printing strategy under publishing strategy should enhance communications to improve productivity."
Seventeen of the respondents say they are using an imaging system and two have already integrated their imaging and publishing systems. "Like the lion's share of business today that is adopting imaging technology, the insurance industry is proceeding on a departmental or application-specific basis," says Davidson.
Some insurance companies have already taken the next step in document handling and storage, installing systems that handle the document from start to finish in an electronic manner. Document imaging companies such as Optika, which recently relocated its headquarters from Simi Valley, California to Colorado Springs Colorado, install systems that receive an incoming claim document electronically, circulate it among action offices, add signatures and approvals electronically, and store it on computer disk after electronically faxing a copy back to the originating agent or other interested parties.
Optika President and CEO Harvey Jeane told Newsbytes he doubts that American business will ever see the long sought-after "paperless office." He says studies show that the majority of document storage will still be on paper at the end of this century. That, according to Jeane, is because, while documents can be created and stored electronically at the source, the recipients will still store hard copies.
Xplor will host its 14th annual electronic document systems conference at the Colorado convention Center November 14 through November 19 this year.
(Jim Mallory/19930707/Press contact: Jim Porter, Xplor International, 310-373- 3633; Reader contact: Xplor International 310-373-3633, fax 310-375-4240)
lor International 310-373-3633, fax 310-375-4240)
7/7/93
Insurance Industry Embraces High Speed Printing
TRENDS
AMD Announces 486 Chips With Own
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- AMD has announced three new 486 microprocessors, compatible with the Intel microprocessor line, but with microcode that AMD claims was developed internally.
However, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) representatives said the company expects to face legal battles from microprocessor giant Intel at every turn, but it will continue to produce microprocessor chips, compatible with the Intel microprocessor line, which has a strong hold as the "brain" of IBM and compatible personal computers (PCs).
AMD announced the industry's first 40 megahertz (MHz) 486SX product and a 33 MHz Am486SXLV device capable of 3.3-volt operation, both of which will begin shipping this quarter. The 486SX product is pin-for-pin compatible with the Intel 486SX microprocessor, but the Am486SXLV, targeted at low voltage applications such as laptop and notebook computers, will not fit into sockets developed for Intel processors.
However, AMD says the chips offer more bang for the buck with either an increase in performance or low power consumption without a price premium. In addition, AMD claims both microprocessors are completely compatible with the $80 billion worth of software applications used in personal computers (PCs).
In its announcement of the new 486 products, AMD officials said they still feel the company has a right to use Intel's microcode (instructions built into the microprocessor chip) per a 1976 licensing agreement with Intel. The 1976 agreement has been an issue of bitter dispute between the two companies. The entire issue is over whether or not the term "microcomputer" in the licensing agreement includes the microcode in the microprocessing chips. The wording of the agreement allows AMD use of "microcode contained in Intel microcomputers and peripherals sold by Intel." AMD says the term microcomputer includes the microcode, while Intel says microcomputer never meant chips.
Intel has already filed suit against AMD concerning the 486 chips, even though the chips have not been released. AMD officials said they understand the Intel claim is that the microcode is not "clean" - meaning Intel is charging AMD did not start from scratch. Suits from Intel are common, AMD's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) W.J. Saunders said, but suing in advance is unique.
AMD is hoping it can capture ten percent of the potential 486 market or about one million units per quarter in 1994. Company officials were quite insistent that AMD's offer to provide to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) a "steady" source of supply, coupled with a lower price, will be enough to attract business, despite Intel's claims. AMD is charging $185 each in quantities of 1,000 for the newly announced 486 chips.
Intel has tried to enforce the Crawford Patent, a patent competitors say is invalid, to exact a royalty from anyone using chips other than Intel chips. According to AMD, no money has been paid to Intel on the patent, although PC manufacturer Dell did sign the forms Intel sent to OEMs. However, Dell exclusively uses Intel components.
A new product announcement every quarter is what AMD officials say they are planning. In addition, the company revealed it plans to add reduced instruction-set computing (RISC)-like features to its chips, but declined to offer any specifics on planned future products.
AMD claims it is the fifth-largest US manufacturer of integrated circuits with sales offices worldwide and manufacturing facilities in Sunnyvale, California; Austin Texas; Bangkok, Thailand; Penang, Malaysia; Singapore; and Basingstoke, England. The company reported its second quarter earnings are up 17 percent on sales of $409,092,000 and 55 percent on net income of $64,353,000 compared to the same period a year ago.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930707/Press Contact: John Greenagel Advanced Micro Devices, tel 408-749-3310, fax 408-749-3375)
tel 408-749-3310, fax 408-749-3375)
7/7/93
AMD Announces 486 Chips With Own Microcode
Lotus, Borland Mix Quattro & Not
SCOTTS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- In a surprise move, considering the lawsuit Lotus is expected to win against Borland, Lotus and Borland have teamed up on the same products they've been fighting about in court. The two companies have announced they will offer an integration of Borland's Quattro Pro for Windows spreadsheet product with Lotus Notes, a client-server application for workgroup environments.
Integrating Lotus Notes and Quattro Pro at the application programming interface (API) level enables users to not only view and annotate Quattro Pro spreadsheets within the Notes environment but to also take advantage of Notes' compound document management capabilities via Windows' Object Linking and Embedding, the companies said. Notes can be viewed as a shell or wrapper around traditional desktop applications which allows Quattro Pro users, for example, to store spreadsheets as "live" objects in a Notes document and share these objects as part of a networked application.
In this strange relationship, the court battle Lotus initiated against Borland nearly three years ago over similarities between the DOS-based Quattro Pro and its 1-2-3 spreadsheet product will continue unchanged, Borland representatives said. However, large customers of both companies, such as the accounting firm Price-Waterhouse, which prefers the Lotus Notes/Quattro Pro combination, have been accommodated in the integration of the two products.
Just last week Borland suffered another blow in the court battle when US District Judge Robert Keeton reaffirmed his previous ruling that a single element of the Lotus 1-2-3 screen display -- the hierarchy, or order, of the menu commands is copyrightable, and the use of that ordering infringed the copyright of Lotus 1-2-3. This ruling covers the 123.MU file an optional command system file Borland had been continuing to distribute separately from Quattro Pro to interested users.
However, things have changed a great deal since the Borland/Lotus court battles made headlines last summer. Both Borland and Lotus have faced losses, with Borland reported $61.3 million in losses for the last quarter of 1992 that surprised the software industry. Borland's stock has also been severely devalued in the market and the company suddenly laid off 350 employees in December of last year.
There have been reports that Lotus chief Jim Manzi and Philippe Kahn, president of Borland, met last December at a hotel in San Francisco to discuss a possible merger between the two companies. However, until today's announcement, no cooperative moves have been made by either company.
Borland representatives say the current integration is not necessarily a permanent arrangement. A new technology, Borland is calling Object Exchange (OBEX), is planned which will allow users to perform similar integration functions without Lotus Notes. Borland did not say when the OBEX technology would be available.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- Tandy Corporation has picked a former restaurant executive to lead its Radio Shack Division, saying he knows how to interpret consumer needs.
Tandy Corporation said today it has named Leonard Roberts to lead its retail outlet division. Roberts was chairman and CEO of Shoney's Inc., a restaurant company for three years. He served as president and CEO of Arby's, the fast food restaurant chain, for five years, and served in various management and marketing positions at Ralston Purina Company.
Tandy Corporation Chairman and CEO John Roach said Roberts was chosen because "he is a proven marketing driven executive who has been very successful at interpreting consumer needs and then engineering and communicating clearly strategies to his associates to meet those needs. Those talents should complement Radio Shack's strengths," said Roach.
Roberts replaces Bernard Appel, who left the presidency in January 1992 and the company in June of this year. Three vice presidents have made up the office of the president since Appel left that position. Asked by reporters yesterday who his successor might be Appel said, "I don't know."
The three executive vice presidents of Radio shack, David Christopher, James Nichols, and Joe Tanner, will report to Roberts. Tandy said the three will retain essentially the same duties that they have previously performed.
Forty-four year-old Roberts, who will report to Roach, graduated from the University of Illinois, and holds a graduate degree from DePaul University.
The Radio Shack division of Tandy operates 4500 retail stores and reported sales of about $4 billion in 1992.
(Jim Mallory/19930707/Press contact: Lou Ann Blaylock, Tandy Corporation, 817-878-4955)
: Lou Ann Blaylock, Tandy Corporation, 817-878-4955)
7/8/93
Former Restaurant Exec Named Radio Shack President
GENERAL
Company Formed To Develop Digita
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- Sierra Semiconductor, known for its modem chipsets, and MPR Tech, a research and development (R&D) subsidiary of GTE Canada, have formed a new company whose focus is to find a cheap way to use the existing cellular network to move computer-generated digital data. The new company is Sierra Wireless and will be based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Now there are "road warriors" who are trying to use cellular technology on the road from a portable computer to send and receive mail and information. However, it is a problem to get lots of digital data, such as entire files or video information, over a cellular network. Using and enhancing the Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) performance specifications Sierra Wireless plans to use R&D from MPR Tech and funding from Sierra Semiconductor to find a way to move digital data in addition to voice data over the same cellular connections at the same time.
The CDPD standard, recently developed by the US cellular industry, has been hailed as one of the most important developments in communications technology. CDPD is a way to take digital data, break it down into "packets" and transmit the packets over the cellular network with voice transmissions.
It is estimated that 13 million users will employ this new technology within the next seven years in North America alone. While the development of this technology is still several years off, Sierra Semiconductor representatives told Newsbytes it is important to begin now. The lion's share of the market belongs to the company which can deliver an "open specification" environment to the manufacturers of data communications products. This will determine their ability to win more market share, and Sierra Wireless hopes to be that company.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930707/Press Contact: Steve Cordial, Sierra Semiconductor, tel 408-263-9300, fax 408-263-1969)
rra Semiconductor, tel 408-263-9300, fax 408-263-1969)
7/8/93
Company Formed To Develop Digital And Voice Cellular
TELECOM
Nokia Gets Tandy Shares of Cellu
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- Nokia Corporation and Tandy Corporation announced that they have signed a letter of intent to transfer all of Tandy's shares in two jointly owned cellular phone manufacturing facilities.
Tandy says it will receive book value plus $6.5 million, for a total of about $31.5 million in cash. The deal is subject to the execution of a definitive agreement by both parties. One of the plants is in Fort Worth, Texas, and the other is located in South Korea.
The announcement says the move will strengthen both company's strategies to concentrate in their core activities. Tandy says it will concentrate on its cellular retail businesses and will remain a major customer of Nokia. Jorma Ollila, president and CEO of Nokia says taking full ownership of the two factories indicates how serious the company is in its commitment to the cellular phone industry.
Tandy says Nokia approached it with an offer after Tandy said it would divest itself of most of its manufacturing activities recently. "While the Tandy-Nokia joint ventures had not been a part of the original divestment plan at Tandy, it is highly consistent with Tandy's objective of only retaining manufacturing that is closely related to its Radio Shack division and concentrating Tandy's strategic focus on retailing," says Tandy chairman and CEO John Roach.
Nokia and Tandy founded TMC Company in Masan, South Korea almost 10 years ago. TMC produced its two-millionth cell phone in April of this year. In June of 1992 the two companies decided to establish another joint manufacturing unit to be located in Fort Worth, and TNC Company shipped its first phones by the end of 1992.
(Jim Mallory/19930707/Press contact: Martin Moad, Tandy Corporation 817-390- 3730)
: Martin Moad, Tandy Corporation 817-390- 3730)
7/8/93
Nokia Gets Tandy Shares of Cellular Factories
TELECOM
KDD Expands Int'l LAN Service
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- KDD Teleserve, a subsidiary of Japan's major international telecom firm KDD, will expand its international local area network (LAN) service by the end of this year.
KDD Teleserve's international LAN service provides LAN-to-LAN connections between different countries. It is mainly aimed at corporate customers who are dealing with a huge amount of data that must be transferred between workstations in different countries. Data is transferred via Infonet's international VAN (value added network) in the US. Currently, the service is available in 32 cities in 18 countries including Singapore Hong Kong and Australia.
According to KDD Teleserve's plan, the service will be expanded to Asian countries, including Taiwan and Korea, and northern Europe primarily Norway. As a result, the service area will encompass 44 cities in 24 countries.
Using KDD Teleserve's service, customers will be able to link their Token Ring and Ethernet networks at transmission speeds up to 64 kilobits per second. KDD Teleserve plans to speed up the host system to support even faster data transmission speeds, and in order to accomplish this, may install frame relay switching devices by the end of this year.
KDD Teleserve took over this international LAN service from Mitsui Information Service in Tokyo last year. KDD Teleserve also provides language interpretation service for overseas telephone callers.
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- Japan Digital Equipment Corporation and Yokogawa Hewlett-Packard have released DOS/V-based powerful personal computers. Japan DEC has also lowered the prices of existing PCs.
Japan DEC has released 2 new PCs in 6 models. The high-end version of the DEC PC LP/MT is based on a 66-megahertz 80486 processor, has powerful graphics features, and supports Japanese Windows 3.1. The main memory can be expanded to a maximum of 64 megabytes. Japanese DOS/V is built-in. A 127MB or a 245MB hard disk is also built into this PC.
The other model, called the MT ISA PC, is designed for corporate LAN (local area network) systems. The LP costs 278,000 yen ($2,500) and the MT costs 448,000 yen ($4,000). These are fairly low-cost considering the powerful features.
Japan DEC has also lowered the prices of its personal computers by 6 to 21 percent. This is made possible, according to Japan DEC by an improved distribution method and quantity production of the PCs. A one-year on-site maintenance contract is available for these PCs.
Meanwhile, Yokogawa Hewlett-Packard, a joint venture of Hewlett-Packard and Japan's Yokogawa Electric, has also released DOS/V-based personal computers as the newest members of HP's Vectra series. There are four models, all of them are equipped with an 80486 processor, MS-DOS 5.0V, and Japanese Windows 3.1. Designed for a network environment, prices are between 208,000 yen ($1,900) and 681,000 yen ($6,200).
BANGALORE, INDIA, 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- IBM Ships Notebooks Tata Information Systems Ltd (TISL), a joint venture between the Tata group and IBM, introduced two models of IBM's Thinkpad notebooks in India. These two models mark the company's initial foray into the Indian notebook market.
The models are the 486SX-based Thinkpad 700 C, that comes with a color monitor and a built-in trackball, and the Thinkpad 300, a 386SL based notebook with a built-in Ethernet card. Both models incorporate IBM's Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) and run DOS, Windows, OS/2 and Novell. Disk capacity can be stepped up from 16 MB to 500 MB.
While the 700 C is priced at over Rs 3.5 lakh (around $11,670) Thinkpad 300 retails for Rs 1.5 lakh (around $5000).
TISL does not hope to sell more than a few hundred notebooks in the first year itself. "But it is going to be a low profile entry this year as the market for notebooks is yet to grow," says Paritosh Segal, marketing manager, TISL.
Package Aimed At Middle East Oil Sultans
Nexus International, a Dubai-based non-resident Indian's company will distribute Maps, the maintenance planning software of Bangalore-based Access Business Enterprise, in the Middle East. Maps integrates preventive maintenance, breakdown maintenance, condition based monitoring, third party maintenance, and spares inventory. The package runs on DOS and LAN and will soon be available on Unix. Maps has a base price of Rs 45,000 ($1,500). Maps is being aimed at niche segments like transport and the oil industry in Gulf, unlike in India where it has been sold mostly to process and manufacturing industries.
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930707)
C.T. Mahabharat/19930707)
7/8/93
India Technology Briefs
BUSINESS
IBM's Job-Cutting Plan Works Bet
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- More IBM employees than expected -- possibly as many as twice the target number -- have taken advantage of incentives to leave the company this year.
IBM had hoped to cut its worldwide payroll by about 25,000 in the first half of 1993 through incentives to employees to leave. The offer closed June 30, and there are reports the actual number of people taking advantage of the deal may run as high as 50,000.
An IBM spokeswoman confirmed that "more people than expected are taking the package, but we don't have a final number." IBM will release the figure when the count is complete, she said.
The success of incentives aimed at getting employees to leave the company voluntarily may mean the jobs of those who remain are more secure. IBM made it known at the beginning of this year that it would resort to involuntary layoffs -- something unheard of at IBM in the past -- if necessary to meet its cost-cutting targets.
Employees were laid off in some of the company's US operations earlier this year.
At the end of 1992, IBM had about 302,000 employees, down from a peak of 406,000 in the mid-1980s. Last year, the company shed about 40,000 employees through an incentive program that was initially meant to cut the payroll by some 20,000.
The company took a $6-billion charge against its fourth-quarter 1992 earnings to provide for the cost of the job-cutting plan.
(Grant Buckler/19930708/Press Contact: Tracy O'Neill, IBM 203-973-7680)
708/Press Contact: Tracy O'Neill, IBM 203-973-7680)
7/8/93
IBM's Job-Cutting Plan Works Better Than Expected
Interface Group To Launch New Me
NEEDHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- Multimedia consumer electronics, computers, and communications will be among the attractions at a new trade show and conference set to make its debut in Los Angeles next April.
The Interface Group, producer of the huge Comdex computer shows has announced plans for New Media Expo, to take place April 12 to 14, 1994, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
The organizers are expecting about 250 exhibitors at the first edition of the annual show, company spokeswoman Cheryl Delgreco said. They will cover such areas as telecommunications broadcasting, multimedia, consumer electronics, interactive television, and videoconferencing.
Visitors -- of whom the Interface Group is hoping for about 10,000 -- will be able to see everything from cable TV converters to personal digital assistants (PDAs), Delgreco said.
Most of those visitors will not be the consumers who buy such devices, though, but business and technical executives information providers, distributors, and business users according to the company. In short, the show is aimed at those who stand to make money on the new technologies.
New Media Expo will also have a conference program, focusing on implementation requirements, business development, and service provision, and accompanied by one-day "market perspective tutorials."
(Grant Buckler/19930708/Press Contact: Cheryl Delgreco or Peter B. Young, Interface Group, 617-449-6600, fax 617-444-0165)
ace Group, 617-449-6600, fax 617-444-0165)
7/8/93
Interface Group To Launch New Media Show
GENERAL
Japanese Posts &Telecom Ministry
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 8 (NB) -- The Japanese Ministry of Posts & Telecommunication plans to install an advanced local area network (LAN) system in its headquarters in Kasumigaseki, Tokyo. The system will be in operation as early as spring of 1994.
This is a major project for the Posts & Telecom Ministry, which will be spending 4.5 billion yen ($40 million) to create the LAN.
According to the plan, the Ministry will post a tender notice this month, and will choose the supplier of the LAN system by September. Later, the Ministry will decide what type of personal computers to be installed on this workstation-based LAN system. The LAN will then be tested, using 200 personal computers. By the year 1996, the Ministry wants to install 2,600 personal computers at its headquarter, or one for each employee.
This LAN system will use optical fiber cabling and will support Ethernet. Also, the LAN will be operated by radiowaves in order to make changing of office layouts easier. The Ministry is also calling for in-house e-mail, BBS, electronic conference systems and links to commercial databases via ISDN to be a part of the configuration.
The LAN system will be the model for other Ministries, which are behind in computerization of their offices.
(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930705)
offices.
(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930705)
7/8/93
Japanese Posts &Telecom Ministry Plans Major LAN
TELECOM
Peachtree & Staffing Firm Team U
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- Accounting software publisher Peachtree says it has teamed up with staffing services firm Robert Half International (RHI) to develop a skills assessment and testing program for RHI's temporary employees.
The program calls for the two companies to develop testing and certification of RHI temporary employees on Peachtree's two major accounting software programs - Peachtree Complete Accounting for DOS and Peachtree Accounting for Windows.
Peachtree Product Manager Diane Bates told Newsbytes RHI plans to set up a computer in each of their more than 100 offices nationwide running the two Peachtree products. People working as temporaries out of the RHI offices will have access to the system in order to learn the program, and can then be tested.
Bates said the tests are being developed out of the curriculum used in the Peachtree University, a training program for dealers offered at the Peachtree support centers. The test requires the employee to perform specific step-by-step typical accounting tasks, according to Bates.
Bates says a RHI survey showed a significant demand for Peachtree-qualified temporaries, particularly at certain times of the year, such as when a company is closing its books.
(Jim Mallory/19930706/Press Contact: Cristy Hayes, Peachtree Software, 404-564-5897; Reader contact: Peachtree Software tel 404-564-5700 or 800-247-3224, fax 404-564-5888; Robert Half International, 415-854-9700)
64-5888; Robert Half International, 415-854-9700)
7/7/93
Peachtree & Staffing Firm Team Up To Test Temps
BUSINESS
Digiboard Intros New VAR Support
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- Digiboard has announced a new program to provide support and increase sales and profits for its value-added resellers (VARs).
The company says that the DigiVAR program calls for its field sales force to provide resellers with qualified leads as well as assist them in finding business partners to better meet the needs of various markets.
Digiboard says resellers will be able to buy product from their choice of Digiboard authorized distributors, but will get their sales, marketing, and technical support directly from the company. Resellers will also accrue co-op funds that can be used in any way the reseller deems appropriate for promoting Digiboard products so long as they follow the Digiboard co-op guidelines.
The company says other benefits of the DigiVAR program include competitive pricing, immediate product delivery, direct toll free support, free sales training and literature, advance notification of new products, and the opportunity to participate in national ad campaigns.
The program has two levels of participation, based on the sales volume of Digiboard products the VAR commits to sell each month. To qualify for the program, the reseller must serve a predefined specific geographic area, show it has the necessary technical expertise to service Digiboard products, and have the resources to follow up on sales leads provided.
Richard Smith, Digiboard national reseller manager, said the concept for the program grew out of responses to an extensive reseller and distributor survey. The responses were used to develop a program that would provide Digiboard VARs with the best benefits, said Smith.
The program gives the VARs direct buying access to companies like Novell, Santa Cruz Operation, Sun Microsystems, Apple, and Microsoft. Smith said that that link is invaluable to a VAR. The company expects to authorize about 250 VARs in the US.
(Jim Mallory/19930706/Press and Reader Contact: Kristin Kimmel, 612-943-9020, Digiboard)
: Kristin Kimmel, 612-943-9020, Digiboard)
7/7/93
Digiboard Intros New VAR Support Program
BUSINESS
R | `
Recycle Your Laser Printer Toner
ROSELLE, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- Laser-Pro says it will pay $5 and shipping charges for your used laser printer toner cartridges and will also pay the shipping on orders for remanufactured or new cartridges.
The company says it is now selling remanufactured laser printer cartridges that do not leak and cost up to 20 percent less than new cartridges. Laser-Pro President Jim Ogborn says it is a "win-win" situation to send in used cartridges and buy remanufactured or new ones. "Not only can businesses feel good about recycling but they can purchase quality printer cartridges for a fraction of the standard retail prices."
When Canon first introduced the tone cartridge that makes the laser printer perform its work, they were designed as a one-time use product to be thrown away when the toner was used up. When the first attempts were made to re-fill the cartridges the toner powder often leaked. Not only did that make a mess on the paper and necessitate frequent printer cleaning, but it could also cause mechanical damage to the printer.
Later attempts were more successful, with re-manufacturers disassembling the cartridges and replacing worn parts. With a savings of 30 to 40 percent over the cost of a new cartridge combined with an increased interest in recycling, users became more interested. Laser-Pro says the newest cartridges are better made and reduce the need to cannibalize old cartridges for parts.
(Jim Mallory/19930706/Press Contact: Erica Swerdlow, EBS Public Relations for Laser-Pro, 708-520-3301; Reader Contact: Laser-Pro 800-377-0551 or 708-893-1888)
eader Contact: Laser-Pro 800-377-0551 or 708-893-1888)
7/7/93
Recycle Your Laser Printer Toner Cartridges For Cash
GENERAL
Ask Group Intros New Version Of
ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- Third-party programs that provide access to mainstream database products are an important area of the database management system (DBMS) market. Now ASK Group has announced the shipment of a new release of its Ingres/Gateway to Digital Equipment's Rdb relational DBMS.
According to the company, the new version provides read/write "transparent" SQL (structured query language) access, and introduces Open/SQL database procedure functionality which allows "end-users to achieve performance gains by providing quick and efficient access to Rdb data."
Glynnis Woolridge, spokesperson for the company told Newsbytes that the new version price "varies according to the type of system configuration you have," and ranges from $2,500 to $175,000.
According to Ask, Ingres/Gateway to Rdb provides users with ad hoc data access using SQL, along with remote access of pre-defined Rdb functions. The company says that the new gateway capabilities will offer increased performance while supplying complete transparency from the underlying database mechanisms.
The company also says that Ingres/Gateway to Rdb supports remote client access to Rdb and is interoperable with the Ingres/Star and Ingres/Net open connectivity products. Also included is support for Digital's CDD/Repository version 5.1.
The gateway also provides access to Rdb data from other Ingres toolset products including Ingres/Windows4GL, Ingres/VisionPro Ingres/ESQL and Ingres query and reporting tools. The gateway allows Ingres tools to access existing Rdb data and present it to the end user with graphical user interface and character-based applications.
Ask Group Intros New Version Of Ingres/Gateway To Rdb
GENERAL
Syquest & Macromedia Offer ClipM
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- Bundling deals between software publishers and hardware vendors are all the rage these days by companies eager to penetrate new markets and access new users that would otherwise not be aware of their products. Now SyQuest Technology and Macromedia have signed such a deal that bundles Macromedia's ClipMedia, valued at $295, with SyQuest removable hard drive cartridges.
The companies say that, beginning immediately, purchasers of specially marked SyQuest brand 5.25-inch 44 megabyte (MB) and 88MB Macintosh cartridges will receive "hundreds" of media clips from Macromedia's ClipMedia SE (SyQuest Edition), at no additional cost.
The pre-loaded collection of royalty-free media clips will be called "Macromedia, Volume 1." The companies say that the collection consists of such graphics as flags, buttons, and travel luggage, as well as QuickTime animations.
In announcing the deal, Joel Levine, vice president of marketing at SyQuest, said: "It's no secret that multimedia demands fast performance and high capacity storage solutions."
The "Macromedia, Volume 1" special offer will run through September 30, 1993, or "until supplies last," said the company. ClipMedia is also available from Macromedia as a stand-alone product.
Syquest & Macromedia Offer ClipMedia/Hard Disk Bundle
BUSINESS
UK- Low Cost PC-Based E-Mail
KILBARCHAN, SCOTLAND, 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- Fleet Digital Solutions (FDS) has announced a PC-based electronic mail (e-mail) system costing UKP89 for small to medium-sized companies. The package called CQ Mail, has been designed to interface with the Colloquium on-line service, which is being marketed as an optional extra for UKP59 for a year's "all-in" subscription.
Colloquium has full messaging and access facilities to the Internet the packet data network that links thousands of on-line systems and bulletin board systems (BBSs) around the world - Usenet, Bitnet and the Joint Academics Network (Janet), as well as other CCITT X.400 linked on-line systems.
The X.400 standard is an agreed method of exchanging messages (both ASCII and binary) between otherwise incompatible on-line systems. X.400 was defined by the CCITT, an international telecoms regulatory body.
FDS claims that, by allowing companies access to their own PC e-mail system (CQMail), it will enhance their productivity. By linking the CQMail PC system to Colloquium, the e-mail possibilities expand greatly, allowing message and file exchange with a variety of other users of on-line systems around the world.
According to FDS, the "Mail Enabled" badge is becoming increasingly important for organizations trying to do business with clients in Europe and the Far East. Fax, the company claims, is not acceptable as a secure messaging system, whereas CQMail can easily be linked to a data encryption package for secure e-mail and file exchanges.
"This package dramatically reduces the cost of putting a business e-mail solution on to the desktop," explained Sam Matheson, manager of messaging systems with FDS. "Linked to the Colloquium messaging service, the client presents electronic mail as no more than an extension of the familiar paper desktop that any manager uses."
Brian McMillan, the technical director with FDS, is enthusiastic about the way in which CQMail dovetails with the Colloquium on-line service, which he developed for the company. "It automates everything and makes sure that even novice PC users can gain access to all the messaging services on Colloquium," he said.
The Colloquium on-line service was established in mid-1989 to provide electronic conferencing services to members of a United Nations sub-committee. Since then, the service has been developed as a more general on-line system with conferencing and inter-system e-mail as standard features.
FDS, meanwhile, operates Colloquium, and offers facilities management services to a variety of markets. The company's main competition is BT, Mercury and AT&T, with the result that it has scooped up business from companies with under 100 employees, a category of businesses that the major telecoms companies seem to ignore.
Colloquium, a licensed Newsbytes republisher, is accessible via the Mercury 5000 packet data network (PDN) service. This service, which operates at all modem speeds to 9,600 bits-per-second (bps), is available on local call access from around 95 percent of the UK meaning that Colloquium itself is available on local calls access across most of the UK. Colloquium also has CCITT X.29 PAD access for major users of PDN services.
FDS is marketing CQMail with a "No Dicker Sticker," which the company claims is a clear indication that the UKP89 package includes everything that a user needs to get hooked up to an e-mail network. The e-mail client includes a file cabinet that fully integrates with existing word processor and document conversion packages.
"The price has surprised a lot of people, but we can provide a client/server package with unlimited Internet mail traffic. Receiving X.400 mail messages costs nothing and sending them costs little more than first class post, but with a much faster service," said Matheson.
(Steve Gold/19930706/Press & Public Contact: Fleet Digital Solutions, 05057-2030; E-mail on the Internet: mcmillan@cqm.co.uk; E-mail on X.400 systems: Info; o=fds p=cqmail a=attmail)
nfo; o=fds p=cqmail a=attmail)
7/7/93
UK- Low Cost PC-Based E-Mail
Japan - Casio's TV Remote Contro
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- Japan's major calculator maker Casio, has come up with a wrist watch that has a built-in remote control unit.
This unique device is called the CMD-10, which is nicknamed "Uderimo." It will be released on August 17 at a cost of 9,500 yen ($85).
A Casio spokesman told Newsbytes that the wrist watch controller can be used with most audio visual devices such as television sets and video players. It uses infrared technology just the same as regular remote control devices.
The setting procedure for the controller simply involves choosing the manufacturer's codes and the device codes. The user has to push only eight keys to set the codes. The remote controller can control multiple audio devices.
The controller supports a TV's power on/off, channel selection and volume control. Regarding VCR operation, it supports power on/off, fast forward/rewind, play, stop, and channel selection.
The controller is the size of an ordinary wrist watch. A Casio spokesman said it is handy and convenient because users do not have to worry about losing TV or video remote controllers.
Besides the remote control function, the wrist watch has various features such as a stopwatch, an alarm clock and a calendar. The removable battery lasts for about a year and half.
Casio expects this remote controller to be a big hit in Japan. The firm is planning to ship 100,000 units per month.
(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930705/Press Contact: Casio tel +81-3-3347-4830, fax +81-3-3347-4669)
Casio tel +81-3-3347-4830, fax +81-3-3347-4669)
7/7/93
Japan - Casio's TV Remote Control Wrist Watch
TRENDS
UK - Olivetti Intros Windows Qua
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- Olivetti has unveiled a Windows version of its Quaderno A5-sized sub-notebook PC.
The original version, which is now discounted down to UKP500 only came with DOS blown into read-only memory. This version which sells for a fairly hefty UKP1,199, comes with Windows 3.1 plus MS-DOS 5.0, a customized version of Lotus Organizer, and Microsoft Works for Windows.
Alan Rogers, Olivetti's portable product manager, said that the machine manuals and diagnostic software are supplied pre-loaded on to the Quaderno's hard disk. The trend to supplying software-based manuals as well as printed version is growing among portable PC manufacturers, Newsbytes notes.
"The new Quaderno 33 will be ideal for users who have delayed buying a notebook PC because they need both a small footprint and high functionality. Although it offers the power and features to double as a desktop, the typical user will probably be someone who really does need to use a portable on the move and intends to take the Quaderno 33 quite literally everywhere," he said.
The Quaderno 33 is based around an AMD 386XLV microprocessor running at 20 megahertz (MHz) and comes with 4 megabytes (MB) of basic memory, expandable to 12MB internally. A 60MB hard drive is fitted as standard, as is a Level II PCMCIA expansion slot.
Power management routines have been improved on the Quaderno 33 compared to its predecessor. The main criticism of the original machine was its screen imaging - since the screen was non-backlit people complained they could not read it under poor lighting conditions. That has been solved with the "33" by bumping up screen resolution to VGA and adding a backlight.
"The original Quaderno was a personal organizer/sub-notebook. The Model 33 is more a sub-notebook/desktop PC, since it has VGA graphics and sockets for a keyboard plus monitor," explained a spokeswoman for Olivetti. "It's actually a different machine," she added.
Like the original Quaderno, the model 33 has a curious digital sound recording system that allows spoken word messages to be recorded through the internal mike and stored on disk. This feature enables the machine to double up as a dictaphone if required.
Shipment of the Quaderno 33 is next month in the UK. US and international shipment details have yet to be announced.
(Steve Gold/19930707/Press & Public Contact: Olivetti tel 081-785-6666, fax 081-874-3014)
ontact: Olivetti tel 081-785-6666, fax 081-874-3014)
7/7/93
UK - Olivetti Intros Windows Quaderno Sub-Notebook
Crosscomm And Tricom Team Up To
HIGH WYCOMBE, BUCKS, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- Crosscomm in the US has teamed up with Tricom Communications in the UK to form a new company - Crosscomm UK - with the express intention of servicing the IBM internetworking market on the UK side of the Atlantic.
To date, Tricom has been handling Crosscomm's products in the UK under its own name, as part of an exclusive distribution arrangement. Both companies claim that the sales success of the Tricom Universal Router has meant that the Crosscomm name should now be brought to the fore.
The new company will be 51 percent owned by Crosscomm in the US with the remaining 49 percent owned by Tricom. Plans call for the companies' range of IBM internetworking product range to be fleshed out.
At the Networks '93 show in Birmingham recently, Crosscomm UK announced a new backbone router known as the ILAN XL80, which it claims is the only router to provide non-stop networking for mission-critical networks. Newsbytes notes that it competes head-to-head with the Cisco 7000 router announced earlier this year.
Tad Witkowicz, Crosscomm US' president and CEO, said that the UK is one of the biggest markets for the company. "The conversion from mainframe to client/server computing is growing fast in the IBM/SNA (Systems Network Architecture) environment, which presents us with some major opportunities," he said.
"To capitalize on this, we wanted to build on the very successful relationship with Tricom and increase our presence in the UK. Through Crosscomm UK, we will have infrastructure to support some major IBM/SNA accounts," he added.
Mike Hafferty, Tricom's chief executive, reckons that Crosscomm products bought through the new UK operation could account for up to one third of his company's revenues.
"The UK market is open to us, because SNA users increasingly want internetworking solutions that integrate easily into their existing network environments. The formation of Crosscomm UK is a measure of our commitment to this market and our determination to win the confidence of some of the major IBM network users in the UK," he said.
So far, it's very early days for Crosscomm UK, Newsbytes notes. It will take until September at the earliest for the new company to make an impact on the market, since the summer months are traditionally quiet in the UK technology marketplace.
(Steve Gold/19930707/Press & Public Contact: Tricom Group tel 0494-480245, fax 0494-480232)
ntact: Tricom Group tel 0494-480245, fax 0494-480232)
7/7/93
Crosscomm And Tricom Team Up To Create Crosscomm UK
BUSINESS
UK - British Telecom Beefs Up It
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- Ever aware that Mercury is moving closer on the low end of the integrated services digital network (ISDN) market, British Telecom (BT) has announced a number of enhancements to its ISDN-2 service.
ISDN-2, which is available across 70 percent of the UK, offers two 64,000 bits-per-second (bps) and one 16,000 bps data channel to ISDN standards. The service does not support the Basic Rate Access (BRA) features of ISDN, which has caused some users to criticize ISDN-2 as being only a compromise solution. BRA, which allows advanced features to be added to the ISDN service.
The ISDN-2 enhancements announced go some way towards meeting these criticisms. The main enhancement is the addition of direct dial inwards (DDI) to the ISDN-2 services. DDI allows data on the required extension or allocated voice number to be passed from the exchange to the private automatic branch exchange (PABX) linked to the ISDN-2 port at the subscriber's end of the link.
How does DDI work? Suppose your phone number is Deeborough 456780. Using DDI, your PABX can have its extensions assigned virtual public switched telephone network (PSTN) numbers of 456781, 456782 and so on. As calls are received for these virtual numbers, they are routed by the BT exchange to 456780 and information on the required number (e.g. 456782) passed across the ISDN-2 link. The PABX interprets this information and routes the call to the required extension.
DDI for ISDN-2 will cost the same as the service for ISDN-30. Charges are UKP2-30 per ISDN-2 DDI number, plus UKP4-40 per DDI number per year.
As well as offering DDI, BT is now offering its Totalcare 24 hour-a day repair service as an optional extra. Totalcare will cost UKP8-25 per ISDN-2 line - the same price as a standard BT exchange line. Totalcare offers a four hour response to any problems with the exchange line.
(Steve Gold/19930707/Press Contact: Penn Communications Tel: 081-569-9768; Fax: 081-569-9667)
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- Mercury Communications, a division of Cable & Wireless, has taken the wraps off an innovative air-to-ground digital phone service. The "Inflight Phone" service will be formally enter service this December.
The service will be run by a new company, Mercury Inflight Phone Europe (IFPE), which is 49 percent owned by Mercury, 30 percent owned by Inflight Phone International (a division of Goeken in the US) and 21 percent owned by Irelandia, a private investment company.
At a special press conference held in London, Mercury officials said the system will operate via a series of earth stations beaming digital signals to aircraft throughout Europe. Rather than use satellites or VHF radio, as is the norm in the US, the IFPE service will use digital cellular-like signals to ensure total coverage.
The IFPE service uses a similar concept to cellular, with base stations handing calls over to other base stations as the plane travels through Europe. Up to 60 base stations will ensure that total coverage is available throughout Europe and nearby areas.
The system will be compatible with digital systems already in use in the US and some parts of Europe. Base stations are expected to be installed around Europe at diverse locations. Sandra Goeken Martis head of IFPI, said that the base stations are quite compact and do not require major installations.
Services available in flight will include digital phones, fax machines and ISDN (integrated services digital network)-like services such as interactive games, news services and even the ubiquitous phone shopping facilities seen on some intra-US flights.
Now the bad news. Expect to pay $3 a minute for "local" country calls, and more for international calls. Incoming calls will not be available, so say goodbye to a quick call to your partner in the office and then getting him/her to call you back at the firm's expense.
IFPE claims that the relatively high charges are due to the high cost of the network. IFPI's network in the US has cost $60 million so far, with 67 base stations installed. Similar costs are expected in Europe, with each base station costing around $150,000.
No commercial airlines in Europe have signed up to the service Newsbytes notes. The European service sounds as though it has been enhanced over the IFPI US service - IFPE seems to have "gone to town" on the planned plane equipment for the service.
Plans call for onboard equipment to include a switched broadband local area network (LAN) on the plane, with under-seat computers telephone handsets and LCD (liquid crystal display) "seat back" screens. Users are to be offered a choice of five languages, including English, French and German. Up to sixteen calls per plane can be made.
UK - Mercury Launches Digital In-Flight Phone Services
TELECOM
AGT Forms Alliances With Equipme
EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA, 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- AGT, the telephone company serving the province of Alberta, is changing its approach to selling telecommunications equipment. Turning away from reselling telecom hardware, AGT has instead announced alliances with a list of major equipment vendors, to whom it will refer customers.
"We're going to focus more on our network," said Ron Liepert, a company spokesman. In the past, AGT would have sold equipment to its customers itself. Now it will suggest they deal directly with one of its partners.
AGT's initial list of alliances includes: Mitel, Northern Telecom Motorola Information Systems, Newbridge Networks, Gandalf Canada, General Data Communication, Annixter Canada Ungermann-Bass, Banyan Systems, and Cisco Systems Canada.
The list could grow in the future, Leipert said. "I think we'd always be looking at that."
Company officials said AGT will continue to uphold agreements between national customers and Stentor, the consortium of regional phone companies of which it is a member. AGT will also continue to provide maintenance services to customers.
(Grant Buckler/19930707/Press Contact: Ron Liepert, AGT tel 403-498-7329, fax 403-498-7322)
ert, AGT tel 403-498-7329, fax 403-498-7322)
7/7/93
AGT Forms Alliances With Equipment Vendors
BUSINESS
Telesat Mobile Emerges From Bank
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- Telesat Mobile the mobile-communications firm that slipped into bankruptcy in April after financing came apart, has a new lease on life as a subsidiary of Montreal-based BCE, Canada's largest company and the parent of Northern Telecom and Bell Canada.
Through a subsidiary, BCE now holds all the common shares of the reorganized TMI Communications and Company Limited Partnership. Former investors in Telesat Mobile, including Telesat Canada and international investors led by Japan's Itochu, got preferred shares in a company that holds an interest in TMI. BCE will have full control of TMI, company spokeswoman Janis Downey said.
Officials said BCE plans to invest C$120 million in TMI Communications over the next few years, aiming to complete a mobile satellite communications network serving North America by 1995.
According to information released by Telesat Mobile in early June, the company's revival also depends on aid from the federal Department of Communications, partly in the form of prepayment for future services.
Telesat Mobile's service depends on mobile satellite (MSAT) technology, and is used largely for communication among trucks and other moving vehicles. The company currently uses rented satellite capacity, but has admitted there have been transmission quality problems and it needs the new technology to be used in its own satellite.
Originally set for launch next summer, the satellite is now expected to go up in the fourth quarter of 1994, Downey said.
-4100; Public Contact: Telesat Mobile, 613-742-0000)
7/7/93
Telesat Mobile Emerges From Bankruptcy As BCE Unit
BUSINESS
Hong Kong Training Council Picks
WAN CHAI, HONG KONG, 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- Hong Kong's Vocational Training Council is to upgrade its electronic design courses by adding advanced software tools from Mentor Graphics.
The Boardstation 500 and Idea Station software, valued at HK$4.5 million, ($600,000) will run on a Sun SPARCserver and nine Sun SPARC-10 workstations. It will be used by electronics engineering students as part of their courses on the design of printed circuit boards (PCBs) and application specific integrated circuits (ASICs).
"Mentor Graphics' Boardstation 500 suite is a total design solution that not only provides integration with ASICs but most importantly handles high speed and complex designs in a very cost-effective way," said Tsui Ping-Fong, manager of the VTC's ASIC Training Centre. "After thorough evaluation of various PCB design products, we decided that Mentor Graphics offered a truly integrated suite of software tools for concurrent design, which is one of the major trends in electronic design automation for the 1990s."
The Vocational Training Council provides practical training to people working in industry. It plays a major role in furthering the education of Hong Kong's workforce, particularly in areas considered critical to the local economy such as electronics design.
William Cheung, managing director of Mentor Design Automation (MDA), sole distributor for Mentor Graphics in Hong Kong, said: "The VTC will be using the new release 8.2 suite of design tools, which have been received enthusiastically by users in Hong Kong and worldwide."
The ASIC portion of the new software will be donated by Mentor Graphics, which believes that it stands to gain future sales from the use of its products by VTC students. "The VTC upgrades the skills of numerous design engineers every year," noted Cheung. "Having such an important institution as our customer is a highly effective way to draw the attention of potential users to our software. It gives them a benchmark by which they can judge the relative merits of the different design automation tools available."
(Brett Cameron/19930630/Press Contact: William Cheung 852-881 6883, MDA)
930630/Press Contact: William Cheung 852-881 6883, MDA)
7/7/93
Hong Kong Training Council Picks Mentor's Design Prgm
GENERAL
CA's Accpac Gets Indian Distribu
BANGALORE, INDIA, 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- Bangalore-based Infosys Technologies will market, in India, CA-Accpac, an accounting package from Computer Associates (CA).
Available on DOS and LANs (local area networks), CA-Accpac commands 60 percent market share in its segment in the United States. The decision to market CA-Accpac in India is consequent to Computers Associates' appointing Infosys as the authorized distributor of its Micro products division.
At present, CA-Accpac and Accpac Plus (an enhanced version with modules such as "inventory") do not have provisions to handle accounting in rupees. However, a multi-currency version slated for launch in August will include the rupee. "There will be some amount of customization in Accpac to suit Indian accounting practices," said C. Vijay Kumar, marketing manager for Infosys.
Accpac is being targeted at medium and small businesses. At Rs 13,345 (around $445) for a basic module without inventory Accpac will be competing with Tata Consultancy Services' EX (an accounting package from the largest software developer in India) and Bangalore-based Peutronics' Tally.
Infosys is planning to emulate CA's concept of `Qualified Installer,' where a dealer sells the licence and an accounting professional who is an expert on the package sells support and services.
The distributorship also authorizes Infosys to sell CA-Clipper 5.2 CA-Superproject, and CA-SuperCalc.
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930707)
rCalc.
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930707)
7/7/93
CA's Accpac Gets Indian Distributor
BUSINESS
FCC Offers Suggestions On Saving
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- With millions of Americans going on summer vacations, The Federal Communications Commission has offered a few suggestions to save money.
Before you leave, spokesman Steve Svab told Newsbytes, call your regular long distance carrier for dialing instructions. These might mean using a code like AT&T's 10288, a toll-free number or a local number starting with the 950 exchange. Pay phone operators must let you access your chosen long distance company with the 10XXX code, and using it can save you money. If you're staying at a hotel that doesn't let you use this method, you can use the toll-free or 950 numbers, which even these phone owners must allow access to.
The commission is also repeating warnings from many local and long distance companies about the use of your phone card, Svab noted. Look for pay phones you can slip the card into, especially in crowded areas like airports, instead of trying to type the number into a regular pay phone. Some crooks like to look over callers' shoulders, sometimes using binoculars, in order to catch the calling card number, and personal identification number used to access the account. The crooks then take these numbers to other pay phones and sell "free" service to passers-by which you might be responsible for.
Also on the topic of calling cards, the FCC wants you to be sure and report the loss of a calling card immediately to the telephone company that issued it, and never use the calling card as identification. Finally, disable your answering machine or leave a message on it stating you won't accept charges on third party calls before you leave.
) LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- Mercury Communications has revamped several aspects of its Mercury 2300 long distance and international phone service. The changes are in response to similar moves by BT and are designed to simplify cost comparisons, as well as more than match cost reductions on the BT network.
The changes split neatly into three categories -- duration discounts a reduction in international charges, and a change in tariff banding.
The duration discount is a new scheme that cuts the cost of US-bound calls which are longer than 15 minutes. After the 15-minute point call charges drop by 25 percent. The duration discount is being tested for three months starting in August.
International call costs are being cut. European calls will cost around eight percent less, while US/Canadian calls will fall by around 10 percent. The charge changes also come into effect on August 1.
In addition to the charge changes, major business on the Mercury's frequent caller program (FCP) level four will receive an extra 10 percent discount from August 1. The increase in FCP discounts mean that a level four FCP subscriber can get a 19 percent reduction in call charges.
Last, but not least, Mercury has shuffled its rates from five into four categories. The new categories are local, band A trunk (to 50 kilometers), band B trunk (50km plus) and B1 low-cost routes. According to Mercury, these bands are directly comparable to the British Telecom rates.
The slightly bad news is that large customers who have direct connection to Mercury's network will pay five percent extra for their analogue line rentals, and six percent extra for digital links, from August 1. Residential and small business users on the 2200 and 2300 "indirect" services are unaffected by the line price rises, since they continue to use BT lines to access Mercury.
Smaller customers, meanwhile, will be pleased to hear that Mercury's "Easy Access" service trials are going to plan. The Easy Access service allows callers to prefix the required trunk or international number required with "132" and have calls billed to their account without the need for PINs, as is the case with the Mercury 2200 and 2300 services.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- At this year's PC Expo, mobile computing was among the outstanding themes, and accordingly, a pocket in the corner of the lower level received more than its share of foot traffic.
In the PCMCIA Gallery, attendees gorged themselves on case after case of credit-card-sized devices, more than most people have ever seen in any particular place at any given time.
Although the plethora of cards looked virtually identical, the devices differed a lot in what they would let a PC do, so salespeople were kept busy with a steady stream of questions.
The PCMCIA bonanza featured some previously released products, plus an abundance of new cards announced at the show. Among the new offerings, data/fax modems and Ethernet adapters were the most prevalent, but innovative SCSI-2 and wireless LAN cards made first appearances as well.
In the modem arena, a PCMCIA category that is getting already pretty well stocked, vendors like Practical Peripherals, Data Race and Epson stepped away from their competitors some with V.32 bis offerings.
Like their larger counterparts, the pint-sized high-speed modems are officially pegged at 14.4 Mbps on the data side, but will actually run at up to 38 Mbps due to data compression and error correction. Data Race was unveiling a new PCMCIA Ethernet LAN adapter, too.
Meanwhile, Proxim exhibited an upgrade of its PCMCIA wireless LAN card that is noteworthy for its wider range. Also available in an ISA edition for desktop PCs and servers, the RangeLAN2 operates at 1.6 Mbps over spread spectrum RF (radio frequency channel), a speed fairly typical for an RF LAN adapter.
Wireless transmission takes place at up to 300 to 500 feet in "normal office locations" and up to 800 to 1000 feet in open space environments, a range Proxim says is the highest available within the product class.
Also at PC Expo, Proxim introduced the RangeLAN2 Bridge, a wireless local bridge billed as providing transparent access to wired LANs. The bridge ships with drivers for NetWare, NetWare Lite, LAN Manager, and Windows for Workgroups.
TWD Electronics was among the vendors showing new PCMCIA SCSI-2 adapters. TWD's new Model 2001/2002 is able to link a mobile computer to a desktop workstation or a SCSI peripheral, supporting 8-bit transfer of up to 5 Mbps on the SCSI bus, both synchronous and asynchronous, and concurrent 16-bit transfers at full bus speed on the PCMCIA bus.
The PCMCIA SCSI card is available either separately (Model 2001) or as part of a complete system that also includes an interconnecting cable, device drivers, a carrying case and a user manual.
IBM was visible (and audible) in the gallery, too, with several PCMCIA product prototypes. One card, similar in functionality to a SoundBlaster, was being used to play music for the bustling crowd. Another, being shown more quietly, was a PCMCIA interface to an IR (infrared) wireless device.
On display, as well, the miniature IR transceiver looks a lot like a mouse, except that it features an optical node for converting electrical signals to and from IR light. IBM hooked up one transceiver/PCMCIA interface combo to one notebook, and another duo to a second notebook, located about five feet away. When the two transceivers were pointed at each other, the two notebooks were able to communicate, just like any other IR-based systems.
An IBM sales rep working in the booth told Newsbytes that he was unable to say if or when IBM will announce the PCMCIA audio and IR technologies as products.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930706)
Emigh/19930706)
6/7/93
PCMCIA Gallery
McLean, VA Company Markets Russi
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- We all knew that a large number of the world's skilled scientists and engineers the Soviet Union must have a lot of inventions hidden away that they were unable to use effectively because of military paranoia. Now The Washington Post reports that those people and secrets who became a part of Russia are having their inventions marketed in the West by BDM International of McLean, Virginia, a very affluent Washington suburb which is home to the CIA, and a number of government-oriented high-tech firms.
This company has reportedly found that because there was no technology sharing during the cold war era, the former Soviets developed new, and often superior ways to do some things which western companies need, such as a new way to batch test the silicon wafers used to manufacture semiconductors.
That technique alone may dramatically improve semiconductor production efficiency. That's because current test systems can only sample wafers while the Russian system permits every silicon disk to be tested before the expensive etching process is begun.
Another innovative product developed under the cover of military secrecy and now being used at Unisys, involves the use of aluminum instead of silicon as the basis for microchips.
(John McCormick/19930706/)
r microchips.
(John McCormick/19930706/)
7/6/93
McLean, VA Company Markets Russian Patents
TRENDS
Microsoft Five-game Arcade Pack
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- Microsoft says it will introduce a five-game pack of arcade-style games for Windows next month, and will join forces with floppy disk maker Verbatim to promote the software.
Named Microsoft Arcade, the package includes Asteroids, Centipede Battle Zone, Missile Command, and Tempest, five of the most popular games published by Atari. According to Microsoft, the games were reproduced to give users the same look and effects on the Windows platform they would experience if they were playing the original arcade versions.
The company says Microsoft Arcade supports a full range of the original sounds. To do that, the design team recorded the actual arcade machine sounds and digitized them for use with Windows. Specially designed software allows for multiple sounds to be played concurrently using standard sound hardware such as the Microsoft Windows Sound System.
Your manager at work may not like the idea, but Microsoft has designed the game software so that while the game play area uses the entire monitor screen, eliminating the menu and scroll bars, the game will instantly shrink to a window by pressing the Escape key "in case of an office emergency," as the Microsoft folks call it. In other words, if the boss stops by your desk.
The promotion deal with Verbatim will include one extra disk containing four Microsoft fully operational games in each specially marked Verbatim disk package. Each game is selected from one of Microsoft's four Entertainment Packs for Windows. The games sampler promotion runs through the end of the year.
Microsoft says Arcade is scheduled to be available in computer stores in August, with a suggested retail price of $39.95. To run the games, users will need Windows, a PC using a 386SX 20 megahertz chip or better; two megabytes of system memory; one high-density disk drive; a VGA or Super VGA monitor, and a mouse. A color monitor and a sound board is recommended.
(Jim Mallory/19930706/Press contact: Julie Larkin, Microsoft Corporation, 206-882-8080; Reader contact: Microsoft Corporation 800-426-9400 or 206-882-8080)
ion 800-426-9400 or 206-882-8080)
7/6/93
Microsoft Five-game Arcade Pack
Bull Of France Wields Job Axe On
PARIS, FRANCE, 1993 JUL 6 (MB) -- Troubled Cie des Machines Bull has announced it will shave 6,500 from the worldwide payroll between now and the end of next year. The French computer manufacturer which has just colocated subsidiary Zenith Data Systems' UK headquarters with its Bull UK offices, has a total of 35,200 staff in the world.
At a press conference held in Paris this morning, Bull officials revealed that the job cuts are just part of a company-wide scheme to cut costs and get Bull out of its current red ink rut. Bull has been reporting losses for some time now, but this latest round of job and cost cuts should drag the company back into the black within two years.
Herve Hannebique, the personnel director and the man charged with selecting which of the company's employees will receive their pink slips, said that the staff reductions "form part of the acceleration of our effort to reduce costs." This, he predicted, would translate into a net profit for the group in 1995.
The 6,500 reduction in world-wide workforce before the end of 1994 comes on top of 3,000 layoffs already announced this year. Newsbytes notes that the company has cut staffing by around 27 percent over the last three years. 2,500 of the 6,500 jobs to go will be in France, Newsbytes understands.
Hannebique said that he is looking at cutting costs in property (hence the Zenith co-location), purchasing and information systems. He plans to save around FF 500 million ($87.4 million) in property alone.
The savage cuts announced today are the direct result of the FF 4,720 million ($821 million) loss reported for 1992, which came as something of a shock for the French Government when it was announced. Government officials had hoped that the state-controlled company would break even in 1992.
(Steve Gold/19930706)
k even in 1992.
(Steve Gold/19930706)
7/6/93
Bull Of France Wields Job Axe Once More
BUSINESS
Graphical Workstations From SGI,
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- Silicon Graphics Incorporated (SGI) and Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation (SMCC) have both announced new lines of workstation computers aimed at the growing graphics and multimedia markets.
SGI is known for the work the film industry has done with its workstation computers. Special computer-generated effects such as those in the movies "Terminator 2" and "Jurassic Park" have been produced using SGI systems by the firm Industrial Light and Magic.
SGI announced two new Indigo2 systems, the XL and XZ product lines. Both systems start at prices as low as $18,000, the company added.
The XL system is designed for picture element (pixel), vector and X performance with 24-bit color and 1280 by 1024 resolution. The system offers 1.4 million X lines per second 600 kilobyte (K) two-dimensional (2-D) vectors per second, and up to 437 million pixels per second in graphics performance SGI said. The XL is aimed at computer-aided design (CAD), image processing, and visualization applications.
The ZX system also offers 24-bit color at 1280 by 1024 resolution, but with three-dimensional (3-D) hardware support via two of the company's proprietary Geometry Engine graphic processors. The company says the unit is capable of 250 K flat shaded triangles per second, and 43K Gouraund-shaded, lighted independent polygons per second. The system is aimed at mechanical CAD (MCAD), 3-D visualization, animation, and architecture applications.
The Indigo2 ZL and ZX systems both offer fast small computers systems interface (SCSI)-II channels at 10 megabytes (MB) per second throughput on each channel, extended industry standard architecture (EISA) slots for expansion, and a new 64-bit system bus architecture for faster system throughput.
The ZL system starts at $17,995 and the ZX systems start at $25,500. For an additional $3,999 users can add the Indigo2 Video option for video communications including mail interactive presentations, and real-time print-to-video of graphics. The ZX system is available now, while the XL system will be available the third quarter of this year.
SMCC announced its three new SPARCstations: the SPARCstation 10Turbogxplus, the SPARCstation ZX. Sun says the 10Turbogxplus workstation is aimed at the electronic design automation (EDA) mid- to low-end MCAD, and geographic information systems (GIS) markets where it feels it has been strong in the past. The 10Turbogxplus systems offer a single SBus accelerator, double buffering for smooth animation of 2-D and 3-D wireframe images and high screen resolution of up to 1,600 by 1,280 picture elements (pixels).
The company claims its 10Turbogxplus offers two-dimensional (2-D) performance at more than 1 million 2-D vectors per second, a speed it claims beats 2-D performance from competing workstations offered by Silicon Graphics, Hewlett-Packard IBM, and DEC.
Software developers, financial traders, and publishers will also find the 10Turbogxplus workstations faster due to increased speed in the display of on-screen windows, SMCC asserts.
SMCC says the SPARCstation ZX system is based on the SPARCstation LX product line and up to 290,000 triangle meshes/second, or nearly three times the three-dimensional (3 D) performance of other graphics workstation costing less than $20,000. Specifically compared by SMCC are the Hewlett-Packard 715/33/24Z, which offers 100,000 triangle meshes/second and the Silicon Graphics' Indigo XS/24 performs, which offers 50,000 triangle meshes/second.
A big brother to the ZX workstation, the SPARCstation 10ZX workstation is equipped with similar graphics capability, but offers higher computational performance, multiprocessing capability, greater disk and memory capacity, and more expandability, SMCC maintains.
In addition to such features as Gourard shading, 24-bit double buffered color, a 24-bit z-buffer and full stereoscopic capabilities, these workstations offer dynamic tessellation of non-uniform rational B-spline (NURB) surfaces. NURBs are a way to mathematically define a curved surface on a computer screen and what's new about dynamic tessellation of NURBs is the workstation dynamically alters the number of triangles used to render different parts of an object. By using fewer triangles for less-complex parts, the object can be rendered and animated more quickly.
The company says the ZX and 10ZX workstations are targeted toward the high-performance 3-D applications including mechanical computer-aided design (MCAD), molecular modeling and scientific visualization. SMCC representatives say the difference between SMCC workstations and SGI workstations is illustrated in the movie "Jurassic Park." While SGI workstations were used to computer generate the images of the dinosaurs used in the film, SMCC workstations are being used by scientists patterned in the movie who are really doing genetic modeling and similar applications.
SPARCstation 10Turbogxplus workstations are priced at $2,000 above the basic system price of SPARCstation 10 systems. For example, the SPARCstation 10 Model 30LC is $15,995 so the comparable 10Turbogxplus system would be $17,995. The Turbogxplus systems are also compatible with the complete suite of 7,500 SPARCware applications that now run on systems equipped with SMCC's GX accelerators. The SPARCstation ZX system is priced at $19,995, while the SPARCstation 10ZX starts at $28,745.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930706/Press Contact: Jill Grossman, Silicon Graphics Inc, tel 415-390-1516, fax 415-960-1737; Robert Manetta, Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation, tel 415-336 0979, fax 415-336-3880)
n, tel 415-336 0979, fax 415-336-3880)
7/6/93
Graphical Workstations From SGI, Sun
New Visual Imaging Technology An
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 6 (NB) On the heels of its announcement of new workstations aimed at graphics imaging applications, Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation (SMCC) says it is working on two new technologies for visual imaging code names internally SX and Sunvideo.
SX is an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) integrated within a workstation's memory subsystem that allows manipulation of larger and more complex images than previously possible, according to SMCC. In fact, SMCC claims SX can deliver up to 100 times the imaging performance found in current imaging workstations and high-end Macintosh computers. The company says the technology is intended for applications in markets such as color pre-press, satellite imaging, and medical imaging.
Kodak, ERDAS, CEMAX, and AVS are some of the companies named by SMCC which are currently using SPARC systems with prototype SX technology for testing and porting. The SX technology is being prepared for official introduction in the form of a product at the end of this year.
Sunvideo is the company's name for its real-time video compression technology. Sun says the technology is built on an SBus board and can capture as well as compress images at 30 frames per second. The company claims Sunvideo will offer low cost video conferencing and video authoring on the desktop. SMCC software partners such as Insoft, Paradise Software, and Aimtech Corp are testing the technology now. Pricing and availability information will be specified before the end of this year, SMCC claims.
New workstation products announced include the SPARCstation 10Turbogxplus, the SPARCstation ZX, and the SPARCstation 10ZX. The workstations are all targeted for two- and three dimensional graphics rendering markets, SMCC maintains.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930706/Press Contact: Robert Manetta, Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation, tel 415-336-0979, fax 415 336-3880)
ion, tel 415-336-0979, fax 415 336-3880)
7/6/93
New Visual Imaging Technology Announced By Sun
B `
ATI Supports Display Power Manag
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- ATI Technologies said it will shortly offer software drivers that will let many of its personal computer display adapters support the Display Power Management Signalling (DPMS) proposal for reducing the amount of power used by monitors.
The proposed standard comes from the Video Electronic Standards Association (VESA), an industry group. It is supposed to drop a monitor's power consumption to less than 30 watts when the screen is inactive.
All ATI video cards using the company's mach32 chip and built since September 1992 - which is most of the mach32 cards since they only began to ship in August 1992 - can support the standard, company spokesman Andrew Clarke said. The cards include the ATI Graphics Ultra+, the Graphics Ultra Pro, and others.
To make it work, users will need a software driver which ATI plans to make available later this year through its own bulletin board system at 416-764-9404, through the ATITECH forum on the CompuServe on-line information service, and directly from ATI customer support at 416-882-2626.
There is no hurry to get the software at the moment, since DPMS-compliant monitors haven't come to market yet. "You can't buy one right now," Clarke said, but he added that prototypes exist and the monitors should be on the market very soon.
(Grant Buckler/19930701/Press Contact: Andrew Clarke, ATI Technologies, tel 416-882-2600 ext 8491, fax 416-882-2620)
16-882-2600 ext 8491, fax 416-882-2620)
7/7/93
ATI Supports Display Power Management
Australia - Jeeves Turns PC Into
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JULY 7 (NB) -- The PC is a powerful control system, yet most of us use it just a few hours a day, leaving it idle most of the time. By adding the Jeeves system, your PC can become a powerful home security and control system.
Jeeves consists of a control module and Windows software. The control module is a self-contained box that connects to a spare serial port on the PC and runs from 110 volt or 240 volt mains depending on the market.
As standard, it has a digital keypad and 16 digital input and eight digital output lines. These can be used to control or take signals from an almost unlimited range of devices such as, intruder sensors heat or smoke sensors, thermostats, telephone dialers, radio transceivers, motion detectors, lights, mains-powered devices duct dampers, heaters, and air conditioners.
The software consists of a graphical representation of your house or the area to be controlled, and a logical program detailing what is to be controlled and how. For instance, you can use the system as a burglar alarm and also use it to turn lights on and off at night while you are out. It could also run the garden watering system control the heating and even feed the parrot if you can find a suitable electrically operated feed dispenser. In fact, just about any sort of sensor or control device you can find at the local electronics hobby store can be connected to Jeeves.
And if you decide to change things while you're out, you can dial-in using a touchtone phone, and change a program or setting just like you were at home. The system is password-operated so that the house can be progressively unlocked to suit the circumstances. For instance, the cleaner can have a password that gives limited access but still keeps some areas secure. Jeeves can also log events so that you can review things after your return.
Although it is designed and built in Australia, Jeeves will be available in the US via the Smart PC Catalog from September. The price for the basic system is US$295.
(Paul Zucker/19930702/Press Contact: Rob Rohrlach, tel 61-9-385 8054, fax +61-9-385 3847, Yeoman)
ohrlach, tel 61-9-385 8054, fax +61-9-385 3847, Yeoman)
7/7/93
Australia - Jeeves Turns PC Into Home Security System
Wordperfect Presentations Suppor
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- Wordperfect says Wordperfect Presentations 2.0 for Windows will be the first presentation graphics application to support the new Roland Audio Producer card.
The card, called the RAP-10, brings together CD-quality digital audio (WAV format files) and MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) sound files in a single-track compositional format allowing users to edit and synchronize multiple audio files for use in computerized presentations.
In addition to combining and editing WAV and MIDI files, the company says the RAP-10 will give Wordperfect Presentations users greater control over audio synchronization in their presentations. Roland's Audio Toolworks software, which ships with the card, allows users to synchronize audio tracks independent of slide presentations.
RAP-10 features include digital signal processing for reverb and chorus, a 16-part multitimbral sample-based synthesizer that is compatible with General MIDI, two tracks of digital hard disk recording in mono or one track in stereo, scrub editing, pitch shift, filtering, and panning. A Wave Composer capable of merging up to 16 different audio files over time for automated dubbing and an integrated Sound Canvas synthesizer that allows fully orchestrated performances are also included.
In addition to support for Roland's RAP-10, Wordperfect Presentations for Windows offers painting, drawing, charting and text handling tools, as well as support for object linking and embedding (OLE), the technology that allows other objects to be embedded in a file. Support for TWAIN image acquisition and direct CD ROM sound is also included.
When you buy Wordperfect Presentations for Windows, you will receive in the package a $200 discount coupon off the regular price of the card. Both products are scheduled to ship this month. Wordperfect says Presentation for Windows will have a suggested retail price (SRP) of $495, while the SRP for the RAP-10 is $599.
(Jim Mallory/19930702/Press Contact: Hank Heilesen, Wordperfect Corporation, 801-228-5035; Tom White, Roland Corporation 213-685-5141; Reader Contact: Wordperfect Corporation, tel 801-225-5000, fax 801-228-5077; Roland corporation, tel 213-685-5141, fax 213-722-0911)
oland corporation, tel 213-685-5141, fax 213-722-0911)
7/7/93
Wordperfect Presentations Supports Roland Audio Card
UK - Jaguar Communications Intro
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- Jaguar Communications has unveiled the DV2, a high performance multimedia ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) switch that is capable of supporting data transfer rates of 6,400 megabits-per-second (Mbps).
According to the company, which launched the unit at Networks '93 the DV2's ATM protocol supports all traffic types including voice data and video over local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs).
So how does the unit work? By providing adaption interfaces to non-ATM traffic, the DV2 integrates a variety of existing traffic, including Ethernet, X.25, HDLC (High-level Data Link Control) and frame relay into a high speed data backbone with a total throughput of up to 3,200 Mbps. In addition, the unit supports new Broadband integrated services digital network (ISDN) applications that need high speeds that, Jaguar claims, only ATM can support.
According to John Earley, Jaguar's marketing manager, the DV2 is an important addition to the company's product range, since it provides extremely high performance connections that ensure that LAN users get instant responses. This, he says, increases their productivity.
"It also provides a simple and secure migration path to emerging services such as public broadband ISDN and it is particularly well suited to users who demand high bandwidth for applications such as video conferencing, video file transfer, or large data file transfers," he said.
What's interesting about the DV2 is its ability to support interconnection over a WAN while operating as a LAN hub distributing traffic at high speeds across a multi-site environment. It's this flexibility that Jaguar claims sets the unit apart from the rest of the switching devices on the market.
Pricing on the DV2 depends on exact requirements of users. The company claims that pricing is the most competitive in its league.
(Steve Gold/19930702/Press & Public Contact: Jaguar Communications, tel 0727-41311, fax 0727-51245)
aguar Communications, tel 0727-41311, fax 0727-51245)
7/7/93
UK - Jaguar Communications Intros ATM Packet Switch
GENERAL
< f J
UK - Viglen Intros Color Noteboo
ALPERTON, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- Viglen has added the Color Dossier 486 to its range of 486 processor-based notebook computers. This latest addition features an active matrix TFT (thin film transistor) screen which gives a wide viewing angle.
Based around an Intel 25 megahertz (MHz) 486 processor, the machine comes in both SX and DX chip varieties, with four megabytes (MB) or memory and a 120MB hard disk, at UKP2,299 and UKP2,499, respectively.
The machine tips the scales at 3.1 kilos (seven pounds) and has a footprint of 280 by 22 millimeters (mm). The casing has a height of 43.8 mm. The 8.5 inch-screen can display up to 256 colors while the 80 key keypad includes an integral mousepad.
An interesting feature of the notebook is a one-stop connection option that allows rapid access/connection to desktop peripherals. Viglen claims that this feature is unique. An optional fax/modem is also available for the machine.
A spokesman for Viglen at Networks' 93, where the machine was launched, told Newsbytes that optional extras for the Color Dossier include up to 20MB of memory and a 200MB hard disk.
Newsbytes queried the three hours per battery charge on the machine and was told that it uses nickel metal hydride battery technology. The power per single charge is further enhanced by the use of built-in power management software on the machine.
Bundled with the notebook are copies of MS-DOS 6.0 and Windows 3.1. A mouse and carrying case are also included in the price.
(Steve Gold/19930702/Press & Public Contact: Viglen 081-758-7000)
ublic Contact: Viglen 081-758-7000)
7/7/93
UK - Viglen Intros Color Notebook
Trio Signs WindSurfer Deal With
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- Trio Information Systems says it will support IBM's Mwave WindSurfer communications adapter in its DataFax for Windows product.
WindSurfer consolidates data and fax functions, along with telephone answering, voice messaging, and audio on a single add-in card. DataFax for Windows is Trio's fax software product and was designed originally for computer networks which are NetBios compatible, including Novell's NetWare.
The WindSurfer card is based on digital signal processor technology developed by IBM, Texas Instruments and Intermetrics which also lets all programs run in the background.
The card is a 16-bit ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) plugged adapter that requires Microsoft Windows 3.1, and complies with the audio specifications of the Multimedia PC Marketing Council.
Since it's based on a DSP chip, it can quickly be upgraded for new functions to act as a faster modem, offer speech recognition text-to-speech functions, image compression or even motion-video acceleration without changing the hardware. For instance, Trio said the card could answer the telephone and tell a caller to press a number to send a fax, or it could allow the appending of a voice message to a fax.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930706/Press Contact: Peter Baron 404-806-0062, for Trio)
: Peter Baron 404-806-0062, for Trio)
7/7/93
Trio Signs WindSurfer Deal With IBM
Top 100 Software Firms Show 23%
WESTBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- The top 100 companies in the software industry chalked up 23 percent revenue growth in 1992, reaching a total of nearly $17 billion according to Software Magazine's annual Top 100 study.
Microsoft was number one for the second consecutive year, and cemented its lead with 48 percent growth in software sales, that brought it to $2.95 billion in packaged software revenue in 1992. That is more than the combined revenues of the second and third-ranked companies: Computer Associates International with $1.77 billion and Oracle with $1 billion.
Next on the list are Lotus Development, ranked third with $900 million in worldwide revenues, and Novell, with $873 million. Numbers six through 10 are, in order: WordPerfect Borland International, Legent, Dun & Bradstreet Software, and SAS Institute.
Microsoft's 48 percent revenue gain was impressive, but was not the fastest growth among the top 10 companies. That distinction belonged to Novell, which recorded a 53 percent revenue gain in 1992. The biggest gainer on the top 100 list was Cheyenne Software, whose 219 percent revenue growth brought it to 79th spot with revenues of $29.7 million.
Software Magazine said vendors have begun repositioning their products to fit the client/server model, which relies on networks of computers working together rather than on large, monolithic machines. As buying patterns change, the. emerging market presents software vendors with enormous development challenges and the opportunity for dynamic growth, the report said.
Industry shifts hit IBM hard in 1992, the survey reported, but software sales contributed significantly to IBM's bottom line accounting for 17 percent of its total revenue. IBM's software revenue in 1992 was $11.1 billion, up from $10.5 billion in 1991 (not being strictly a software company, IBM was not listed in the Top 100; had it been, it would have dwarfed Microsoft).. .
Professional services emerged from the Top 100 study as a market sector to watch. Professional services revenues among the Top 100 rose 25 percent in 1992, with combined revenues totaling $2.2 billion. Of the Top 100 companies ranked, 59 reported revenue in this sector.
Total non-US revenue for the Top 100 reached $7.9 billion in 1992, up from $6.5 billion in 1991. Non-U.S. revenue has been climbing steadily over the past several years as companies team up with foreign business partners, Software Magazine said.
WESTBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 7 (NB) -- A group of 33 hardware and software vendors have founded the Data Management Interfaces Group (DMIG) to promote standard links between Unix operating systems and data management products.
The standards would govern the way such software as backup and restore, file migration, compression, encryption, and monitoring utilities work with various flavors of Unix.
Group members who make data management products hope the standards will free them from much of the work of adapting their software to work with the many variations of Unix, and let them focus instead on adding features.
"Vendors like ourselves are spending an inordinate amount of time trying to keep up with (revisions) of the operating systems," said Andrew Hettinger, a spokesman for group member Epoch Systems.
He said the standard would also help vendors of Unix operating systems software by improving the power and choice of data management products for Unix. Unix vendors want to persuade current users of proprietary mainframe systems to downsize to Unix machines, Hettinger said, but these customers are used to extensive data management capabilities. "They don't want to downsize unless they can continue to do business the same way they're doing it today," he said.
The group's originators are Auspex Systems, E-Systems, Epoch Systems, and Hitachi Computer Products, which began work on the project in January. Among the other members are IBM, Novell Santa Cruz Operation, SunSoft, Unisys, Univel, and Unix Systems Laboratories.
The group hopes to create an application programming interface (API) for Unix data management utilities, which would then be adopted by operating systems vendors. The members are holding monthly meetings and hope to complete phase one of their specification by the end of 1993.
DMIG is working with other standards groups, including the Systems Management Working Group of X/Open and the Common Open Software Environment (COSE) initiative, in the hope of gaining formal approval for its API.
One DMIG member, Auspex Systems, is due to ship later this year a "proof-of-concept" implementation of a specification being considered by DMIG.
Membership in DMIG is open to interested vendors, and input from users is welcome, Hettinger said. The group's chairperson is Ross Garber of Epoch Systems.
(Grant Buckler/19930702/Press Contact: Andrew Hettinger, Epoch Systems, 508-836-4300; Public Contact: Epoch Systems, 508-836 4300, electronic mail - dmig-request@epoch.com)
4300, electronic mail - dmig-request@epoch.com)
7/7/93
Group Tackles Unix Data Management Interfaces
Russian Firms Test Their PCs In
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- A totally new event for the Russian computer market took place in the town of Shuya, Central Russia. Nine local computer producers provided their branded PC-compatibles for public testing.
The tests were performed at Aquarius Systems Integral (ASI) plant which was built in Shuya two years ago. They included 18-hour 40-degree Centigrade burn-in tests and various other benchmarks. The largest participants were ASI, whose plant in Shuya can produce up to 10,000 personal computers monthly (though now it assembles far fewer), and Moscow-based LAND which sells about 300 PCs daily. The two other largest Moscow PC vendors -- Stins Coman and Excimer -- did not participate.
Other participants mainly specialized in customized assembly of 200-300 PCs every month. Their components mainly come from Southeast Asia, but, for instance, LAND has already begun production of motherboards in Moscow, Newsbytes was told.
In many cases Russian PC makers use facilities of the former USSR defense industry to make their machines. For example the Mediann company assembles its network servers at the Chrounichev factory, which also produces Proton rockets and "Mir" orbital stations.
The tests showed serious deviations in productivity, especially in graphic applications, mainly attributed to internal bus usage. Newsbytes was told that all models have passed the temperature tests and the results of benchnmarks were "satisfying."
The testing was organized by PC World Russian edition, Russian computer magazine ComputerPress, and SoftMarket weekly newspaper.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- Touchdown Math is a new program which uses a football motif to teach concepts like rounding, percents, fractions and decimals, on the Apple Macintosh.
It's the first Mac product for Gamco, which offered previous teaching games on the Apple II. Jerry Proffit of Gamco Industries told Newsbytes at a recent educational conference that it's too late for the product to get into the adoption process for major states. "A state has to post a call" before a math program can be considered. Gamco missed the most recent state call and "It will be at least a year" before the next one. "Most schools are buying without adoption anyway," he adds, which means Gamco will work on a district-by-district basis. The product sells for $79.95 in its single-user version, $395.95 in the network version. So far it's been doing well.
"Its first month in release it went to our Top 10," out of almost 100 products. There are 250 dealers working with it.
Gamco itself is a 37-year-old company that started out with chalkboards which featured math functions built into them, like Cartesian and palm markings. He says that independent software companies are doing best in the industry. "Integrated Learning System and hardware guys say life is getting difficult, but we're doing well." He called education "a growth industry." It needs to be. Gamco is currently a division of a company called Siboney Corp., best known for having oil rights in Cuba which date before Castro.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- At last week's PC Expo, GO Corp. announced "ink processor," financial work processor and development software for its PenPoint operating system, along with a localized Japanese edition of the GO Fax application for PenPoint.
InkWriter, Numero 2.0, and PenApps Application Builder 1.0 are all products of third-party vendors, while Go Fax is produced by GO. The four new packages complement GO's existing suite of applications for mobile users, said Mike Homer, vice president of marketing for GO. "They also demonstrate how PenPoint's object oriented architecture enables developers to speed the development process and get innovative products like this to market faster," he commented.
InkWriter, an offering of aha! Software, is designed to let PenPoint-based systems easily edit and search for handwritten words in the form of electronic ink, without first translating them into computer text. The package is priced at $249.
Numero 2.0, a product from PenMagic Software, is an upgrade of a package for performing numeric tasks. Version 2.0 adds about 100 new features, including MagicScript, a visual scripting system designed to let end users create their own checkbooks, expense reporting systems, sales order books, and other personalized applications without programming. Numero 2.0 lists for $399.
PenApps Application Builder 1.0, from Slate, is a visual development tool for creating forms-based and data-intensive applications, previously available only for Windows for Pen Computing. Applications developed in PenApps will be portable between PenApps and Windows for Pen, according to Slate officials. Each version of the application builder is priced at $995, with runtime license fees of $49 (individual) and $2,995 (unlimited).
GO Fax is intended to turn a pen-based computer into a mobile send and-receive fax machine. Like its US counterpart, GO Fax 1.0, the new GO Fax 2.0 Japanese provides electronic fax cover sheets, a customizable address book, background dialing, display magnification, digital ink markup, resend, and an automatic log of all incoming and outgoing fax activity.
GO Fax 2.0 also adds Japanese salutation and cover sheet options Japanese telephony settings, and phonetic and alphabetic name sorting. GO announced last fall that six major Japanese hardware makers plan to build industry-specific or general purpose mobile products supporting PenPoint. The companies are Canon Inc. Fujitsu Ltd., IBM Japan Ltd., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Oki Electric Industry Co. Ltd., and Toshiba Corp.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930702/Press contacts: Renee Risch, GO Corp. tel 415-358-2028; Kim Carsten or Chiyoko Ono, Regis McKenna for GO tel 415-354-4475)
or Chiyoko Ono, Regis McKenna for GO tel 415-354-4475)
7/6/93
PC Expo - Ink Processor, Three Other PenPoint Apps
GENERAL
Supermac - More About Cinepak Vi
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- Supermac is the developer of the new compression/decompression (CODEC) Cinepak, which has been licensed by major players in the computer industry including Microsoft and Apple. Supermac claims the Cinepak CODEC will become the new compression standard and here's why.
The problem with digitized video is it simply takes up an enormous amount of disk space, hence the development of compression/decompression schemes. A single minute of uncompressed full-motion video with sound can take as much as twenty-seven megabytes (MB) of hard disk space. The shear volume of video data has forced distribution to be on compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), which can hold as much as 650 MB of data. However, without special hardware to assist the CODEC, the video played back from CD-ROM was in a very small window on the screen and at low quality resolution.
Supermac said it wanted to come up with a way to compress video so a full motion picture could be stored on a single CD-ROM and no hardware was required for playback. It asserts Cinepak meets those requirements. Cinepak will play back video in one-fourth of the screen to a full-screen, depending on how the developer of the CD-ROM title set up the resolution. Cinepak plays back video at 320 by 240 picture elements (pixels), so to see the video in the 640 by 480 pixel screen resolution of most video graphics array (VGA) personal computer (PC) monitors, the developer would have to play back the video in a one-quarter screen.
The Cinepak CODEC can play back the video at 12 frames per second to 30 frames per second, depending on the processing capability of the computer and the speed of the CD-ROM drive. On a low-end PC, such as a Macintosh with a 12 megahertz (MHz) Motorola 68000 central processing unit (CPU) or a 16 MHz 286 CPU-based PC, the playback is at 12 frames per second. The more frames per second, the smoother the video, with 30 frames per second being the rate of television broadcast-quality video playback.
Cinepak is vector-based and works by cutting out data that is redundant, or data that holds little information, according to Supermac. The compression ratio averages 20:1 and the higher the compression, the more data is ignored. Not capturing some data saves on space, but the more data ignored, the more "blocky" and "jagged" the playback. With varying compression ratios, Cinepak movies can require 3 to 10 MB of disk space per minute of compressed video, meaning the average CD-ROM can hold from one to three hours of video.
Cinepak is definitely for developers as it takes compression 10 to 20 seconds per frame. This means it can take a full hour to compress a single minute of video at 15 frames per second.
Because the Cinepak CODEC offers video playback on low-end computers without special hardware, its adoption has been widespread. Microsoft, Apple, 3DO, Sega, Atari, Creative Labs and Cirrus Logic are the companies which have licensed the technology so far. Creative Labs announced in June it was the first to bundle the Cinepak CODEC software with its Videospigot for Windows hardware. Supermac asserts that 90 percent of CD-ROMs in all platforms will be using Cinepak for video content delivery this year.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930702/Press Contact: Debra Doyle, Supermac tel 408-541-5372, fax 408-541-6150)
ebra Doyle, Supermac tel 408-541-5372, fax 408-541-6150)
7/6/93
Supermac - More About Cinepak Video Compression Scheme
GENERAL
Supermac Video Editing/Authoring
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- Supermac has announced its latest video capture, editing, and authoring product for the Macintosh, the Digitalfilm Deluxe video production system. The new product is a combination of the company's Digitalfilm 1.2 product bundled with other software tools, such as Macromedia's Director 3.1.3, for an interactive editing and authoring package.
Users can expect the features they've come to enjoy with the Digitalfilm 1.2 hardware product including real-time, full screen capture, fast video-editing, realistic playback, the ability to record to video tape, and support for Quicktime and XCMDS. The Digitalfilm product uses a single slot in the Macintosh, offers Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) compression built into the hardware, and can playback full screen, full-motion video with synchronized audio on any display with up to 17" timing (832 by 624 resolution).
In addition, the Digitalfilm Deluxe package comes with Macromedia Director 3.1.3, video-editing software Adobe Premiere, the Cosa After Effects special-effects package; Diaquest's DQ-Timecoder for stamping time-codes on video frames, and Alsoft's Diskexpress II for optimizing the user's hard disk for smooth recordings.
Macromedia Director can be used to create multimedia CD-ROM titles, presentations, interactive kiosks, informational exhibits, point-of-purchase displays, training programs, and scientific, engineering, or educational visualizations. The product allows users to combine photorealistic color graphics synchronized music, sound effects, voice-over tracks animations, and digital video.
Supermac says the bundled software alone is retail priced at $3,500 but users can get the entire Digitalfilm Deluxe package including the bundled software, for $5,999. The bundle is only available through Tech Data, Intelligent Electronics, Falcon GTSI, Computerland, and Microage at this time. Upgrades are available to registered users through Supermac by contacting the company directly.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930702/Press Contact: Deborah Doyle Supermac, tel 408-541-5372, fax 408-541-6150; Public Contact 408-541-6100)
08-541-6150; Public Contact 408-541-6100)
7/6/93
Supermac Video Editing/Authoring Bundle
APPLE
Software Price Cut Campaign Star
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- Lotus (Tokyo) and Microsoft (Tokyo) have recently slashed their prices in Japan, apparently in reaction to the current price war among makers of personal computers.
Lotus (Tokyo) cut the price of Macintosh software for the first time. The price of 1-2-3 R1.1J, a Japanese version of 1-2-3 for the Macintosh, was cut from 98,000 yen ($890) to 58,000 yen ($530). Also, the MS-DOS version of 1-2-3 and Freelance were cut down to 58,000 yen from 98,000 yen. The notebook version of 1-2-3 is now sold at only 18,000 yen ($160), which is down from 38,000 yen ($350).
Lotus is also planning to lower prices of Windows versions of 1-2-3, Freelance, and Windows Office. All of these programs will be released July 18.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has started a trade-in campaign for its Word 5.0. It retails for 58,000 yen. However, users of other word processors can get it for 25,000 yen ($230).
PC makers including NEC, Compaq, and Dell Computer, have been slashing prices drastically in Japan, and software makers are now expected to follow suit.
(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930705/Press Contact: Lotus, Tokyo 81-3-5496-3185, Fax, +81-3-5496-3407, Microsoft, Tokyo, +81-3 5454-8000)
5496-3407, Microsoft, Tokyo, +81-3 5454-8000)
7/6/93
Software Price Cut Campaign Starts In Japan
BUSINESS
Pioneer Creates Multimedia Softw
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- Japan's major audio visual product maker Pioneer has set up a group to create multimedia software for its latest interactive laser disk player. The group is called "Multimedia Creators Network" and it consists of noted computer graphics designers, musicians and motion picture writers. This group aims to create software for Pioneer's new multimedia device called Laser Active.
The group's office will be located at Studio Garage, which is an unique software facility in Tokyo. Major Japanese advertising agency Dentsu and Los Angeles-based Magic Box Productions will also participate in this group. It is expected that these participating members will develop educational or entertainment software for adults.
The Laser Active is a hybrid machine based on Pioneer's laser disk player. Besides regular laser disks, the device supports karaoke laser disks and game disks. These features were added to the laser disk player in cooperation with Sega Enterprises and NEC Home Electronics. With ROM packages, the user will be able to play NEC and Sega game programs on this laser disk player.
The actual release of Laser Active is scheduled to be August 20. The retail price of Laser Active is 89,800 yen ($820). ROM packages for Sega and NEC game software costs 39,000 yen ($350) each. One game software cartridge costs about 10,000 yen ($90).
Pioneer Creates Multimedia Software Development Group
BUSINESS
Phiber Optik Pleads Guilty
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- Mark Abene, better known throughout the computer world by the hacker handle "Phiber Optik," plead guilty on July 2 in Federal Court to felony charges of conspiracy and unauthorized access to computers. Abene had been due to go to trial on these counts today.
The plea by Abene, entered before Judge Louis Stanton in the Southern District of New York, admitted intrusion into computers owned by NYNEX, BellSouth, and Southwestern Bell. In his statement, Abene said that he had, in his actions, "never tried to damage any computer systems and, to my knowledge, I never have."
In the course of the proceedings, Judge Stanton asked Abene a series of questions including: whether he understood the charges; whether he realized that, by pleading guilty to felony charges he was exposing himself to possible loss of civil liberties such as the right to vote, sit on jury or hold public office; whether he realized that he could face a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and a maximum fine of $500,000; whether he understood that he could be required to make restitution for damages; and whether he was satisfied that he had received adequate legal counsel. He replied yes to all the above, but no to the question of whether he had been threatened or coerced by the United States Attorney's office to change his plea.
Following the questioning, the judge asked Abene to say what he did. Abene responded by admitting that he had conspired with others to gain access to various computer systems, including those belonging NYNEX BellSouth and Southwestern Bell; he had intercepted data on networks belonging to British Telcom and Tymnet; and that he had misrepresented himself to employees of phone companies to gain access to their systems. It was during these admissions that Abene said that he had never, to his knowledge, damaged any systems.
At the end of Abene's statement, Assistant US Attorney Fishbein stated that Abene had fraudulently used computer accounts at New York University to access the remote computer systems. When asked by the judge to confirm Fishbein's assertion, Abene did.
Judge Stanton then stated, "Mr. Abene is fully competent to make an informed plea in this case. He is knowledgeable of the charges against him and is aware of the possible consequences. I accept his guilty pleas."
Judge Stanton then set sentencing for 9:30AM Wednesday, November 3rd. He asked Abene's attorney, Paul Ruskin, to insure that he do everything possible to cooperate with the probation staff in its development of a background of Abene for the sentencing procedure. Abene was then released on his own recognizance.
Abene, together with Elias Ladopoulpos, a/k/a "Acid Phreak;" Paul Stira "Scorpion;" John Lee, "Corrupt;" and "Julio Fernandez, "Outlaw," were indicted on July 8, 1992. Ladopulous, Stira, Lee, and Fernandez previously plead guilty to charges relating to the indictment. Lee the only one sentenced to date, has received a year and a day. Stira and Ladopoulos are scheduled for sentencing on July 23.
In a prepared statement after court adjournment, United States Attorney Mary Jo White said that the investigation leading to the indictment was performed jointly by the United Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. She praised both the Secret Service and FBI and thanked the Department of Justice Computer Crime Unit for "their important assistance in the investigation."
Ruskin, Abene's attorney, told Newsbytes, "My personal opinion is that Mark has outgrown the phase in his life in which he performed the activities to which he confessed. He wants to use his considerable computer talents in manners that will be productive to society."
Fishbein told Newsbytes, "The government is satisfied with the successful end to an important case. We hope that other people involved in illegal computer activities recognize that the Federal Government takes these cases very seriously."
(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19930706)
& John F. McMullen/19930706)
7/6/93
Phiber Optik Pleads Guilty
Trimble Supplying AMSC Dishes
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- Trimble Navigation, a leader in the use of global positioning satellites signed a deal to supply mobile satellite terminals for American Mobile Satellite Corp.'s Skycell Fleet Management service. A total of 1,000 Inmarsat terminals are part of the initial order.
On June 29, Trimble signed a deal to work on a Application Program Interface to global positioning satellites under Go's PenPoint. Both AT&T and IBM pen-based systems will use it when it's published by Go later this summer. There are a number of US government-owned GPS satellites orbiting the Earth at about 11,000 miles high, and Trimble's receivers calculate positions sometimes down to the millimeter, by comparing the distances to several satellites at once.
First installations of the new terminals will be on the fleet owned by TMC Transportation Inc., a long-haul truck operator in Des Moines, Iowa. The Trimble Galaxy system will be combined with AMSC's own mobile communications network to offer both messaging and positioning. AMSC has an FCC license for providing mobile satellite services, and is owned by a consortium of companies including GM's Hughes division, McCaw Cellular, MTel Singapore Telecom and General Dynamics.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930706/Press Contact: Barbara Thomas, Trimble Navigation, 408-481-7808)
imble Navigation, 408-481-7808)
7/6/93
Trimble Supplying AMSC Dishes
TELECOM
International Telecom Update
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- While the US was celebrating its independence from Europe, Europeans were trying to prevent new dependence on the US.
Olivetti President Carlo de Benedetti told the European Parliament that more money must be allocated to improve Europe's computer networks and make them more competitive with US nets. He said 100 million ECUs won't cut it, that five times that amount is needed, and he called moves by some member states to cut research on information technology short-sighted.
Many European governments have concluded that privatizing their networks is the only way to assure a steady flow of intelligently deployed capital to the sector. Italy, after a slow start, is moving quickly. The same day de Benedetti spoke, the IRI state holding company handed the government its plans for rationalizing the nation's phone nets under one operator before it is privatized.
Elsewhere in Europe, Nokia of Finland said it will buy Tandy's interests in two of its phone-making joint ventures. Tandy has been getting out of manufacturing to concentrate on retailing and recently sold its computer-making operations to AST Research. Nokia will buy out Tandy's stakes in TNC Co., of the US and TMC Co., of Korea for $31.5 million. The Korean company makes 8 percent of the world's mobile phones, according to Nokia.
The other news was not as good, with Telecom Portugal announcing it will cut its staff by one-fifth, to 9,000, by the end of next year, thanks to automation. The company will also cut long distance charges but raise local charges, to prepare for a more open market.
In Latin America, Sociedad Comercial del Plata, known as SCP officially sold its 5.24 percent stake in the Cointel SA consortium which runs Telefonica de Argentina back to a unit of network operator Telefonica de Espana. The move was expected. Cointel controls 60 percent of Telefonica's equity. Telefonica along with the neighboring Telecom Argentina company, represents one of the great victories for privatization in South America. Both were created out of the former state-owned EnTel monopoly and both have acquired large profits and big gains for shareholders while improving service nationwide. SCP expects to earn a gross profit of $39.24 million on its $18.6 million investment. Markets throughout the continent rose on light trading for the week.
In Asia, Japanese companies continue to seize control of the growing Vietnamese market, where a US embargo remains in place. Fujitsu won an order worth about $1.8 million for 7 new digital exchanges there. The nation has said its goal is to boost the number of phone lines in the country from 180,000 to 3 million by the year 2000, but it has been hampered by the US embargo. Even a recently installed fiber line is considered inadequate, and most calls go out over an Australian satellite system.
Finally, the Reuters news agency reports that Tonga and Indonesia are fighting a war in space. Tonga says Indonesia placed a satellite in space it was allotted, and the tiny South Pacific kingdom plans to retaliate by moving a Russian-made satellite into a slot owned by Indonesia. Once that happens, it will knock both satellites off-line, at which point negotiations are expected to begin in earnest.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930706)
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930706)
7/6/93
International Telecom Update
TELECOM
IBM PC Company Keeps IBM At Top
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- "At nine months old we're the youngest kid on the block. But we continue to be the biggest," said Robert Corrigan, president of the IBM Personal Computer Company.
Corrigan delivered that ironic statement, and then proceeded to provide a detailed explanation, during a plenary speech at PC Expo '93 called "The IBM PC Company: On the Comeback Trail."
By rolling out IBM's ThinkPad mobile computer and ValuePoint economy product lines, "refreshing" the older PS/1 and PS/2 PC families, and streamlining operations, the recently formed business unit has met an initial goal of widening IBM's lead over "newcomers and no-names" in the PC market, he said.
"But while we're encouraged, we are by no means complacent," he told an audience largely made up of corporate computer buyers. "We've come a long way. Yet we've still got a long way to go."
Since its establishment in September, the IBM PC Company has knocked down the organizational walls separating development manufacturing, marketing and distribution to create small, fleet footed brand teams, according to Corrigan.
By focusing on efficiency, the unit has cut product development time to six months from a previous mark of two to four years. Within months of the debut of the ThinkPad 700, the company extended the new line with the ThinkPad 500 subnotebook and ThinkPad 350 economy notebook, he pointed out. Furthermore ValuePoint is in its third iteration since October.
The company has given brand teams the power to make their own competitive pricing decisions, thereby reducing market response time from months to hours, he said.
The unit has also revolutionized the way IBM goes about designing new PC products. "In the past, (IBM) developed products and hoped that customers would buy them," he acknowledged. "Now, customers are flocking to the products, and in fact we're running hard just to keep up with the demand."
IBM has been number one in the PC market since the industry was born, but began losing ground to competitors in the late '80s. The main trouble was that IBM relied on a single high-priced product line, failing to react to the varying needs of many different segments that make up that market, said the company president.
"There was no consistent interface with customers," Corrigan commented. To address that omission, the PC Company is identifying user needs through extensive market research interviews with customers. "We're listening to customers from around the world," he asserted.
IBM's Easy Options, a series of CD-ROMs, sound and video cards keyboards and other accessories newly announced at PC Expo, is one example. "We sent a team out to customers with one request. `Help us to design a line that meets your needs for add ons and options,'" Corrigan illustrated.
The new TrackPoint II is based on market research indicating the need for an integrated pointing device that is equally useful to left-handers and right-handers, he said. TrackPoint II is incorporated into both ThinkPad and the PS/2E, an Energy Star compliant PC that IBM unveiled two weeks ago.
Similarly, at the Consumer Electronics Show in early June, the PC Company introduced a family-style version of the consumer-oriented PS/1 that is going to be bundled with Disney software.
The IBM business unit is also challenging the expansion of competitors into multiple channels with measures of its own, he said. The PS/1 can now be purchased at 6000 retail outlets in the US, and another 6000 outside the US. The PC Company has also moved into catalog sales, with IBM Direct Sales.
IBM's latest product offerings represent attempts to provide a "naturalness" that extends the PC past its previous function of list-making, stressed the company chief. "Multimedia and interactive communication will move us far beyond list-making. But if these applications are to succeed, they'll have to become convenient for people to use," he remarked.
"The fact is that today, as ten years ago, people find computing a difficult act. (But) they want (computing) to be as convenient as talking, as gesturing, and as touching. They want it to be a `natural' in any environment, whether (that) be the home, the office, the car, or the pits of the Indy 500," he elaborated.
IBM will keep striving in this direction with upcoming products, he concluded. "As we continue to deliver new incremental technologies, we will continue to discuss them with you. What I can say now is that (the technologies) will allow anyone to communicate naturally with computers," he predicted.
"And we'll keep going back to our customers to ask if we `did it right,' and how we could do it better. We want our customers to challenge our designs," he declared. "And we're not going to be timid in challenging them with new ideas."
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930607/Press contacts: Annie Scully or Mark Haviland, Bruno Blenheim, tel 800-829-3976)
Haviland, Bruno Blenheim, tel 800-829-3976)
7/6/93
IBM PC Company Keeps IBM At Top Of Market
MacTV Schedule for July 5-23
MARLOW, NEW HAMPSHIRE, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- MacTV is the daily one-hour satellite computer product news program broadcast every day on Galaxy 6, Channel 22 starting at 8 a.m. Eastern time. Some shows are also broadcast on the Mind Extension University cable channel.
Previously broadcast programs are available at $9.95 plus $3 Shipping.
MacTV Schedule for Week of July 5-9. 1993
Monday, July 5, 1993: Print Dialogue Box, considerations to make when documents are being printed; DynoPage 2.0, printing a way you've never done previously; Persuasion 2.1: Printing, details of this program's output capabilities; Print Merge: Word/Excel how to do print merging by using Excel and Word; Apple's Newest Printers, how they differ; Smart Label Printers, desktop label printing made quick and inexpensive; StickyBusiness Plus, how to custom-design labels as needed.
Tuesday, July 6, 1993: Panorama II, a quick, efficient database that seems to have ESP; TouchBASE 2.0, a Rolodex of your business and personal contacts; IN CONTROL, the latest version of this list manager program; Macintosh Trade Shows, are they in your future plans?; Office Manager 2.5, gives your home office a business package; Print Merge: Word/FMP, allows addresses to be imported from a database.
Wednesday, July 7, 1993: 4th Dimension 3.0, information access manipulation, and management; Lotus 1-2-3 1.1, the newest version of this spreadsheet; FileMaker Pro 2.0, how to take full advantage of this renowned area; HayesConnect, network serial device-sharing; LinksWare 3.0.1, graphics and sound linked to text; AppleScript, what it is and what it can do for you.
Thursday, July 7, 1993: AppleCD 300, the manufacturer's latest CD-ROM drive; From Alice to Ocean, a trek through the Australian outback, on an interactive book/CD; Learn to Speak Spanish, teach yourself Spanish with this CD-ROM; Sherlock Holmes, try to determine the villain(s) before Holmes does; Footage '91, a CD ROM reference guide to stock footage; CD-ROM ToolKit, how to boost the drive performance of your CD-ROM.
Friday, July 8, 1993: Meeting Maker XP, a cross-platform scheduler for groups and resources; Now Up-to-Date 2.0, built-in what-to-do lists within a calendar application; File Mgmt. Strategies, documents can be filed as if you have a file cabinet; Power Team, general office duties organized; M.Y.O.B.: "To-do" List, tells you to collect your debts and pay your bills; Personal RecordKeeper, a simple way to do home inventory updating.
MacTV Schedule for Week of July 12-16, 1993
Monday, July 12, 1993: New Virus Warning, watch out for the "Init-M" virus; Anti-Virus, detects, protects against, and removes any/all viruses; SAM 3.5, how to keep your system safe from viruses; Capturing a Screenshot, how screenshots aid your troubleshooting efforts; Wallpaper, desktop patterns created edited, and saved; Voice Impact/Pro, gives your Mac sounds; FileGuard 2.7, there are features galore in this security program.
Tuesday, July 13, 1993: Hi!Finance, a finance program for personal and small business use; LinksWare 3.0.1, document linking program that is one-of-a-kind; ACT! Mail Merge, how to combine ACT! elements to perform mail merge; Word 5.1: link documents, more advice on how to use this program; EndNote Plus/EndLink, helps you to generate and reference bibliographies; Apple File Exchange, lets you translate DOS files to be used on your Mac; Remote Network Access, how work is changed by remote access.
Wednesday, July 14, 1993: Mathematica 2.2, this system helps you use your Mac to do math; UNIX: What is it?, another UNIX explanation; Prograph 2.5, use icons to develop custom applications; Authorware Professional, interactive learning can be done with this authoring tool; Mechanism Animation, learn more details about Ashlar Vellum; Apple Developer, tells how you can be an Apple Developer.
Thursday, July 15, 1993: FreeHand 3.1, professional-quality graphics and how to create them; Dimensions, ways to add details to artwork in FreeHand and Illustrator; MacDraw Pro, a package that combines powerful illustration tools and performance; Ashlar Vellum, a tool for top-quality design and drafting; Apple LaserWriter Pro, a look at this 600 DPI laser printer.
Friday, July 16, 1993: PowerBook Travel, what to take along when travelling, to keep your Mac working properly; Hard Shell Cases strong, sturdy plastic cases that protect PowerBooks; PBTools good programs in, inadequate programs out; Shadowgate & Deja Vu; still played and enjoyed after all these years; On The Road, how your PowerBook can perform faxing and printing while you travel; PowerPort, give your PowerBook the quickest internal fax-modem.
MacTV Schedule for Week of July 19-23, 1993
Monday, July 19, 1993: DateBook, combines a calendar, a time manager, and a "to-do" list; PowerBook Duo 230, a detailed explanation about this extraordinary new computer; PowerLink Presentor, the PowerBook Duos have a presentation dock; Action! add interactivity, motion, and sound to your presentations; Persuasion 2.1, lets you create top-quality presentations.
Tuesday, July 20, 1993: Desktop Dialer, lets you dial your telephone no matter which application you are in; PowerBook 165c the premier color-capable PowerBook; MacLuggage, what to carry your compact Mac or LC in; Electronic Map Cabinet, a one-of-a kind mapping program on CD-ROM; Swamp Gas Visits USA, geography lessons given by an extraterrestrial; World Atlas, the popular combination almanac/atlas/world fact book; Pronunciation Tutor let your Mac teach you how to pronounce foreign languages.
Wednesday, July 21, 1993: MacProject Pro, how to manage presentation features and resources; Lotus 1-2-3 1.2, use this program to find out how much your mortgage payments will be; NetScope System, this gives AppleTalk networks traffic management; Diagnosing Problems, some good trouble-shooting advice dispensed; OrgChart Express, this organizational charting software has no equal.
Thursday, July 22, 1993: Color Classic, the newest compact Mac is quite colorful; SuperPaint, a simple paint-and-draw package; CheckWriter Pro, a totally new and sophisticated interface; Quicken 3.0: Business, tells you how business views Quicken; ClarisWorks 2.0, the best-selling program made even better; Installers: Ins & Outs, tells you what installers do and how they do it.
Friday, July 23, 1993: PowerPCs: Discussion, what might appear in the future; Something New, not just for portfolio management; On Account, almost instantaneous invoice preparation; Frame Maker/Reader, the next level of electronic publishing; Common Ground, what digital paper technology can produce; Near Future of Faxing, what fax technology will be in the future.
(John McCormick/199376/Press Contact: Wayne Mohr, Executive Producer PCTV and MacTV, 603-863-9322)
PCTV and MacTV, 603-863-9322)
7/6/93
MacTV Schedule for July 5-23
APPLE
Canadian Product Launch Update.
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- This regular feature, appearing every Monday or Tuesday, provides further details for the Canadian market on announcement by international companies that Newsbytes has already covered. This week: Apple's Macintosh LC 520 and several software packages shipping from Quarterdeck.
Apple Canada announced the Macintosh LC 520 (Newsbytes, June 28), a model with built-in compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), stereo sound and other features aimed at the education and consumer multimedia market. A basic unit with eight megabytes (MB) of memory, an 80-MB hard disk, and 768K bytes of video memory is C$2,549. A similar machine with a 160-MB hard disk is C$2,739.
Quarterdeck Office Systems Canada, of Toronto, began shipping Version 7 of its QEMM memory manager, Version 2.6 of its Desqview and Desqview 386 multitaskers, and Version 2 of Manifest, a network analysis and reporting package that comes with QEMM and Desqview or can be bought separately (Newsbytes June 16).
In Canada, the suggested list price of QEMM 7 is C$129.95 Desqview 2.6 lists at C$129.95, and Desqview 386 2.6 costs C$194.95. Upgrade pricing is C$50 plus C$8 shipping and handling for QEMM, C$32 for Desqview 2.6, and C$63 for Desqview. 386 2.6. Upgrades for Manifest, Desqview 2.6, and Desqview 386 2.6 are available from Quarterdeck Canada only and an C$8 shipping and handling charge applies. Users may have to pay C$54.95 when upgrading QEMM from a retailer, the company added.
(Grant Buckler/19930706/Press Contact: Loretta Lam, The Communications Group for Quarterdeck Canada, 416-696-9900; Public Contact: Quarterdeck Canada, 416-360-5768, fax 416-360-4885)
, 416-360-5768, fax 416-360-4885)
7/6/93
Canadian Product Launch Update.
GENERAL
ThinkPad Supply - Forget 700C, E
SOMERS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- After a lackluster history in the portable computer market, IBM finally got it right with the ThinkPad line, which has proven popular. Too popular -- if you want to buy a color ThinkPad model, you really have only one choice and it could be a long wait.
The original ThinkPad 700C is, for all intents and purposes, no longer available. It is being manufactured "on a very limited basis," a spokesman for IBM told Newsbytes recently. "Dealers are assessing the situation and are encouraging some users to buy the 720C," said the spokesman, who asked not to be identified.
But many customers are being told the 700C is history, and dealers say it is taking them several weeks to get the 720C, if they can get it at all. In fact, said one Canadian dealer, "every single ThinkPad I have is between three and six weeks away."
A dealer in Colorado said he had a six-to-eight-week backlog on the machines, and one in New York said they are simply not available.
And IBM Direct, the toll-free order number IBM uses to sell its machines, has no ThinkPad 720C machines at all for the rest of the summer. This has sparked rumors the machine is already out of production, but IBM denies this. IBM Direct had a fixed allotment of 720Cs for the summer, the spokesman said, and has sold them all. More will be available in the fall, he claimed.
In the IBM ThinkPad Forum on the CompuServe online information service, some IBM customers said they had been told IBM was having a problem with the availability of the color displays used in the 700C and 720C.
At the time of the 720C announcement in early May, IBM officials said the 700C would continue to be sold. However, within days of the announcement Newsbytes learned that some customers were being told the 700C was no longer on the market. A spokesman emphatically denied that the machine was being dropped, but in June an official of IBM Canada said at a Toronto press conference that the 700C was no longer available in Canada and only a few leftover machines could still be had in the US.
A number of customers and dealers are unhappy. "This kind of stuff is getting really old coming from the `new' IBM," one customer grumbled on the CompuServe forum. And a dealer said IBM's handling of the ThinkPads has "made quite a mess in the marketplace," though she added that some other vendors are doing no better at delivering their machines.
IBM would comment only through spokesmen who insisted on anonymity, and refused requests for an interview with a more senior official.
(Grant Buckler/19930706)
ith a more senior official.
(Grant Buckler/19930706)
7/6/93
ThinkPad Supply - Forget 700C, Expect To Wait For 720C
Apple Layoffs, Higher Than Expec
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- Rumors fed by a New York Times article last week hinted Apple Computer would lay off as much as ten percent of its work force, but the official announcement of layoffs at Apple is worse than expected. The company publicly announced fifteen percent, or nearly 2,500 of the company's 16,000 employees, will be getting their pink slips.
Most of the layoffs will occur this month, according to Apple which is calling the move part of its "re-engineering" effort planned for the next twelve months. Apple says the restructuring will be company-wide and aimed at accelerating revenue. In June, Apple said stockholders could expect lower earnings for the second half of its current fiscal year due to profit-cutting price wars. Intense pressure from the IBM and compatible personal computer (PC) industry has finally caught up with Apple, according to analysts. The two main pressure points are the success of graphical Microsoft Windows 3.1 and the PC price wars.
This is not the first time Apple Computer has announced layoffs. However, this is the largest layoff the company has announced to date. In May of 1991 Apple laid off ten percent of its work force, or nearly 1500 employees. At that time, some employees set up a protest outside Apple and read excerpts from Apple Chief Executive Officer (CEO) John Sculley's book "Odyssey." Sculley said in his book that companies owe it to their employees to make "work" a rewarding experience and that corporate strategy should not be driven by the need to improve quarterly earnings.
In the company's current dilemma, Sculley suggested Apple Computer was for sale last month when he mentioned to various publications his suggestion to IBM that it should buy Apple. Talks about a possible purchase of the company by American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T) have been hinted, but no official announcement or even a confirmation of the talks has been forthcoming from either company.
Sculley stepped down as CEO in June as well, and former Chief Operating Officer (COO) Michael Spindler took the CEO slot. Industry analysts have said if things were really, really bad at Apple, the company's board of directors would have put Sculley out entirely, but some speculation suggests such a drastic move would alarm stockholders. Sculley's responsibilities currently include travel in the search for new technology opportunities for Apple. There is a report by the San Jose Mercury News which suggests that Sculley may not return to Apple after his sabbatical ends in August.
The wait now is for the company's second quarter earnings statement, expected in the middle of this month. The stock market appears to approve of Apple's layoff move as the company's stock was up in morning trading. Apple's stock has dropped one-third in value overall since the beginning of the year, to close Friday, July 2, 1993 at thirty-eight. Many analysts, however, including those at California Technology Stock Letter, are seeing Apple's stock drop as an opportunity for investors. Confidence in the company is high, they say and they are urging their readers to buy as much of the stock as they can.
The restructuring charges incurred by the current round of layoffs will not be seen until the third quarter earnings statement Apple added.
(Linda Rohrbough & Wendy Woods/19930706/Press Contact: Kate Paisley, Apple Computer, tel 408-974-5453, fax 408-967-5651; Public Contact 408-996-1010)
67-5651; Public Contact 408-996-1010)
7/6/93
Apple Layoffs, Higher Than Expected
APPLE
Microsoft To Add Truespeech To W
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- In an exciting move Microsoft is working with Compaq Computer and the DSP Group to develop a Windows-compatible speech compression utility which could add sound to nearly every Windows application, from annotating letters to providing audio help.
The project, which will be based on DSP's Truespeech technology is not targeting voice recognition, which would mean control of Windows applications by voice commands, but instead will provide a simple way to store highly compressed sound files which can be attached to documents, spreadsheets, database files, or programs themselves.
Microsoft Windows already has speech recording and playback capabilities, but the audio files are very large, making the use of voice annotation impractical except on rare occasions where they may be critical.
Using DSP's expertise in producing highly compressed files Microsoft Windows with Truespeech will, according to a statement from DSP Group, be able to store speech-quality audio in files only one-tenth as large as is presently the case.
Compaq Computer has been a leader in including audio output and speech capabilities for business computers, just as Tandy has done so for inexpensive home computers.
Truespeech for Windows could also provide improved voice mail or even voice annotated electronic mail because the compressed files could easily be sent over local area networks.
DSP's unique compression technology is based, not on just compressing files, but on compressing speech elements themselves resulting in far greater degree of compression than can be accomplished by the use of mere data compression algorithms.
DSP says that a one minute voice file which other PC audio systems would store in a file just under one megabyte in size would only occupy a 60 kilobyte Truespeech file.
(John McCormick/19930706/Press Contact: Sue Barnes, Waggener Edstrom for Microsoft, 408-986-1140 or Abigail Johnson, PR firm for DSP, 415-802-1851)
Johnson, PR firm for DSP, 415-802-1851)
7/6/93
Microsoft To Add Truespeech To Windows
0 Z x
How Much Technology Is In School
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- The excitement of a show like the National Educational Computer Conference, where over 5,000 teachers offered their stories of helping kids learn with technology, and 400 exhibitors offered new computers and software, is in sharp contrast to the reality of the situation in schools.
Market Data Retrieval surveys schools about what they really have in terms of technology, and was showing an online version of the database, which is aimed at companies trying to sell to the market. Newsbytes picked a school at random this author's alma mater, Massapequa High School on Long Island.
Within 10 seconds the database revealed that the school is now much smaller than when this authored attended 20 years ago, and only serves 3 grades instead of 4. We saw a list of faculty, no familiar names there anymore, but per-pupil expenditures are now half those of nearby Jericho, on the North Shore. The whole school has no computer networks, about 20 Apple IIs, and a few older machines. I was told this is fairly typical.
In contrast, the MDR survey of technology plans in grades K-12 showed dramatic growth. Three-quarters of the districts have at least one CD-ROM drive by 1993, two-thirds at least one local area network. Integrated learning systems like those sold by Jostens' Learning, which are offered on a turnkey basis and often called "computer labs," were in about 30 percent of the districts. In total, the number of CD-ROM drives, videodisc players, LANs and distance learning systems all doubled.
Market Data Retrieval is a Dun & Bradstreet company.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930702/Press Contact: Sal Capozzi, MDR, 203 926-4800)
orn/19930702/Press Contact: Sal Capozzi, MDR, 203 926-4800)
7/2/93
How Much Technology Is In Schools? - Education Conference
TRENDS
Microsoft Moves Into Market - Ed
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- Microsoft had a fairly modest booth at the National Educational Computer Conference, but spokesmen made it plain they aim to be a power in the educational software market.
Their first product is Encarta, a multimedia encyclopedia on a CD-ROM. Encarta was introduced last year. At this show, the company announced that Ann Fenner, formerly a senior editor of The World Book Encyclopedia, will be the new editor of Encarta, in charge of a 10-person team performing annual updates. Encarta was initially developed for the Apple Macintosh and a network license is now available. The company also announced that it has developed free lesson plans to help teachers incorporate Encarta into classrooms and library work. The plans include elements like group activities, "seek and find" exercises, and worksheets, on topics like endangered animals, the solar system and Shakespeare.
More impressive, perhaps, is what we can't report. In a suite at the Orlando Marriott World resort, Microsoft was demonstrating future products on a non-disclosure basis. Without breaking that agreement, we can report that Microsoft sees its consumer products unit as exceedingly important, with Chairman Bill Gates quoted as predicting it will be the largest Microsoft division within five years. As with other educational publishers Microsoft expects that about three-quarters of its education market will be found in the home, although the company will also push new products in the school market. The division is also expected to develop products under Microsoft Windows, and the first of the line should be out this fall.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930702/Press Contact: Pat Higgins, for Microsoft, 312-263-2135)
s Contact: Pat Higgins, for Microsoft, 312-263-2135)
7/2/93
Microsoft Moves Into Market - Education Conference
GENERAL
Borland Will Ship Quattro Despit
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- Remember the Lotus/Borland suit over the similarities between spreadsheet products Lotus 1-2-3 and Quattro Pro? Well, Borland has lost another round in the most recent decision handed down from US District Judge Robert E. Keeton, but says it will continue to ship Quattro Pro regardless.
In a partial judgement offered last year, Keeton came out and said Borland was liable. Judge Keeton said at that time: "I conclude that no reasonable jury could find for Borland that Borland did not take the menu commands, menu command structure macro language, and keystroke sequences substantially as they were." The big question now is how liable, but the latest decision doesn't answer that question.
In yesterday's decision, Keeton, reaffirmed his previous ruling that a single element of the Lotus 1-2-3 screen display -- the hierarchy, or order, of the menu commands -- is copyrightable and the use of that ordering infringed the copyright of Lotus 1-2-3. This covers the 123.MU file, an optional command system file, that Borland last year said it would continue to make available to customers upon request for a nominal charge to cover shipping and handling.
Borland representative Steve Grady told Newsbytes he couldn't remember if Borland even still offers the file or not, but it will no longer be available now. Keeton also said Lotus' two and a half year delay in filing the suit does not prohibit Lotus from pursuing Borland.
Also, Borland is careful to point out that the infringing versions of Quattro Pro have been discontinued since August 1992, when Keeton's first judgement was released, and the menu structure of the new versions has been changed. Borland also quotes Keeton as saying the Borland interface "looks substantially different from the 1-2-3 interface."
Borland maintains the decision has no effect on its delivery of Quattro Pro, or any of its other spreadsheet products to the market. Borland does offer an optional Lotus 1-2-3 compatible macro command system file, also known as the "key reader." Lotus has added a supplemental complaint to the suit alleging that Borland infringed the copyright of Lotus 1-2-3 by including the key reader, and the court indicated it expects to address the issues of the key reader phase of the case in an opinion expected later this summer.
Things have changed since last summer when Keeton issued his first judgement in the case. Borland's stock has been severely devalued in the market, the company suddenly laid off 350 employees in December of last year, and it reported $61.3 million in losses for the last quarter of 1992 that surprised the software industry. In addition, Lotus chief Jim Manzi and Philippe Kahn, president of Borland, are said to have met in December at a hotel in San Francisco to discuss a possible merger. However, reports are that nothing substantial has come of the talks.
Lotus has won twice in similar suits against Paperback Software and the Santa Cruz Operation. Lotus representatives were unavailable for comment on how much in damages it plans to seek if it wins, but analysts have said Borland could face paying out damages of $10 million to $100 million.
Borland contends it has been headed for the Court of Appeals since the case started. "We believe the court's position is inconsistent with those of other federal courts and the opinions of legal scholars and the US Copyright Office itself," said Spencer Leyton, Borland's senior vice president, business development.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930702/Press Contact: Sandra Hawker Borland, 408-439-1659, fax 408-439-9273; Richard Eckel, Lotus Development Corporation, tel 617-693-1284, fax 617-693-1779)
rporation, tel 617-693-1284, fax 617-693-1779)
7/2/93
Borland Will Ship Quattro Despite Lotus Suit
Review of - Collage Complete Ver
Runs on: PC-AT, PS-2, AND 100% compatibles with 1M RAM and a VGA EGA, CGA, MDA, PS/2, AT&T 6300 or Hercules-compatible monochrome monitor.
Collage Complete Windows requires MS-Windows 3.1 or higher and all of Windows' hardware requirements, including 4M RAM and a hard disk. Collage DOS products require DOS 2.0 or higher. LIM 4.0 is recommended.
Price: $199.00 SRP $59 upgrade direct from InnerMedia
PUMA Rating: 3.75 (on a scale of 1=lowest to 4=highest)
Reviewed for Newsbytes by: tbass HNDYPRSN, MCI:379-5378
Summary: Collage Complete adds many image handling features to Collage Plus' Windows program while maintaining its DOS program as a stable screen capturing program in the same package.
======
REVIEW
======
Authors are required to provide illustrations of the screens they are describing when they submit the final draft of a book to a publisher. The style sheets provided by Prentice-Hall's New Riders and Alpha Books units, for instance, require that the writers submit screen shots in a specific format from Collage, or Collage Plus. Now Collage Complete replaces the other Collage programs. It adds cataloguing and image enhancing features in its Windows incarnation.
In its DOS version, Collage works well and makes life simple when printing illustrations for a publisher. The shortcoming with Collage Plus is that the writer has to go to another program to edit the screen shot if cropping or editing is necessary. That shortcoming is corrected in the Windows version of the program by adding limited image editing. Image editing for Collage Complete includes the ability to crop, annotate, size, and clean up. In the process the image may be flipped, rotated, inverted, or combined with other images to enhance the effects of the image. Collage's tool bar make these features easily accessible.
Beside the image editing feature the graphic image may also be converted to one of eleven different file formats. The formats included are TIFF, PCX, GIF, TGA, BMP, WPG, WMF, DCX, JPEG, PICT and Clipboard. Variations include Dithered or True Color Dithered or Grayscale, and B/W.
A new feature added to the Collage Complete's MS-Windows image managing application is the ability to catalogue the images with thumbnail or larger images. This means that groupings of thumbnail size images of the graphics files can be examined and organized for printing or showing. Editors like illustrations to be in correct order on their ID sheet for the printer. Let there be no mistake about the order at printing time!
According to its advertisements, Collage Complete interfaces directly with "TWAIN"-equipped image scanners. Neil Rosenberg, a technical person for Inner Media, says, "'TWAIN' is an industry standard for receiving images from scanners and other image producing devices. It has been around for at least a couple of years. Scanners by LogiTech, HP, Polaroid and most other companies are compatible with 'TWAIN.' Also most new paint programs are 'TWAIN' compatible." "TWAIN" receives images from black-and-white up through 24-bit color.
Remember that this program is a memory resident, or TSR application and therefore takes memory that the primary application might need. However, it does support expanded memory so if you use expanded memory and memory management software it is less demanding on base memory. This means that it is less likely to interfere with your other primary programs.
Collage Plus made my life simpler a few months back when working on "The Modem Coach" with Dana Blankenhorn, Kimberly Maxwell Kevin Stoltz, published by New Riders Publishing. Collage Complete would have made things even simpler when I needed to "clean-up" screen shots from a Windows-based communications program for the book.
============
PUMA RATING
============
PERFORMANCE: (3.5) It works as advertised. Collage Complete is easy to learn, easy to use, and works fast. Its shortcoming is not having the same cataloguing and image management features for both DOS and Windows.
USEFULNESS: (4) The usefulness of this product will continue to be discovered as people use it. For illustrations to accompany instructions, whether for a book, magazine, or inter-office memo this program works well. It is a boon for the person in the office who instructs everyone else how to use their computer. Now just send them a memo; a little less handholding is required from there forward. This program is well worth the $199 suggested retail price.
MANUAL: (4) Manuals, both DOS and Windows are clearly written and describe the features well.
AVAILABILITY: (3.5) Collage Complete can be purchased for the introductory price of $149 or as an upgrade for $59 directly from InnerMedia at 603-465-3216. If a copy of Collage Plus was purchased before 1 April, 1993 an upgrade is available at no charge. Programmer's Shop, a Massachusetts based mail-order house at 800-447-8041 offers Collage Complete at $169 and Programmer's Paradise, a New Jersey based mail-order house at 800-445-7899 has it for $149.
The 800 numbers are nice, but it would be more convenient if it was available at the corner discount software store.
FOLSOM, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- Intel says it will add 750 new jobs in adding a fifth building to its Folsom California site to expand its research and development capacity. Intel recently announced it would spend $1 billion in expansion of its manufacturing facilities in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.
California needs the jobs as companies have been moving out of the state due to sluggish economic conditions, threatened tax increases, and high costs. California Governor Pete Wilson said in a prepared statement, "We intend to make California the most competitive state in the new global competition for jobs. Today's decision by Intel, a global high-tech leader, to expand in California is a sign that California is a great place for businesses interested in investing in the future."
Intel is now the world's largest manufacturer of semiconductors, fed mostly by the explosion in the market for IBM and compatible personal computers (PCs) for which it supplies the majority of semiconductor components. Intel's expansion is to accommodate demand. Market research firm Channel Marketing has predicted the number of PCs in homes in the US alone will expand from the 1992 average of .3 per home to 2.5 in the next six years.
Intel's current plans, subject to final approvals, call for starting work on a 160,000-square-foot fifth building at the Folsom site in the first quarter of 1994. The building is expected to open for occupancy in the first half of 1995. Intel said it opened the Folsom site in leased space in the city in 1984, followed by completion and occupancy of its first building on the existing 236-acre site in 1985. Since then the company maintains the Folsom site has grown by an average of 11 percent per year.
In the next two- to three-year period 750 engineers will be hired or transferred to the new site, to join the 2,500 employees that currently perform research and development marketing and administrative functions.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930702/Press Contact: Sandra Duncan, Intel tel 408-765-6005, fax 408-765-6008)
x 408-765-6008)
7/2/93
Intel To Add 750 Jobs
BUSINESS
Ungermann-Bass Offers On-board S
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- The Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is extremely important for the management of devices on many local area network (LAN) configurations. Now Ungermann-Bass has announced an on-board SNMP agent for its MasterLAN ISA Network Adapter Card for Ethernet networks.
The company claims that the on-board SNMP agent is a better alternative to using one residing in host memory or by using a proprietary driver agent as the driver or proxy agent. The price of the MasterLAN adapter is not scheduled to increase because of the enhancement.
According to the company, current memory-intensive applications make the amount of memory available in a workstation an important link in the efficiency of a network. The company claims that traditional SNMP agents take up to 40 kilobytes (KB) of memory. The MasterLAN SNMP Agent saves memory because it does not require any host memory. The company also says that all SNMP message processing is performed on the adapter card itself, which saves on host processing cycles.
In announcing the technology, Jack Moyer, general manager for the Ungermann-Bass Desktop Products business unit, said: "SNMP network management to the desktop allows the user to monitor and control every MasterLAN-equipped workstation in the network from NetDirector, or any other SNMP-compliant network management system."
Ungermann-Bass' NetDirector is available in OS/2 and Unix versions and provides a range of network management tools offering such features as continuous network monitoring and reporting of any errors in a graphical format.
The company says that MasterLAN with SNMP Agent is designed to support future applications that will run on the card independently of the host PC, including support for Virtual Network Architecture (VNA) to the desktop.
The MasterLAN ISA SNMP Agent also includes standard MIB II support. No proxy agent is required as the agent communicates directly with the network management system. The agent includes its own self-contained UDP (User Datagram Protocol) protocol stack on the card, and is therefore host protocol independent claims the company.
The MasterLAN SNMP agent also includes a BootP client application that can be used for initializing the agent's IP (Internet Protocol) address, its subnet address mask, and the IP address of its default router gateway.
The SNMP agent for MasterLAN is being offered as a free upgrade beginning in August to existing customers who have previously purchased MasterLAN ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) adapters. AT the same time it will also be included at no extra charge on all MasterLAN ISA adapters.
(Ian Stokell/19930701/Press Contact: Jim DeTar 408-987-6531, Ungermann-Bass)
ss Contact: Jim DeTar 408-987-6531, Ungermann-Bass)
7/6/93
Ungermann-Bass Offers On-board SNMP For MasterLAN
GENERAL
Wall Data Support of Novell's Ap
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- Wall Data has announced support for Novell's AppWare development strategy.
As a result, Wall Data's RUMBA Tools for AppWare will include an object-oriented application loadable module (ALM) that integrates with AppWare. The company says that this will provide users easy access to host applications and information regardless of network connectivity or desktop environment.
In announcing the support, John Wall, executive vice president and founder of Wall Data, said: "Wall Data is the first connectivity software company to announce its support of Novell's new infrastructure for network application development. This announcement further enhances our relationship with Novell."
According to the two companies, the RUMBA software and tools in conjunction with Novell's AppWare technology, will allow developers to "easily and rapidly build graphical and distributed network applications that run on multiple platforms."
"Our customers will benefit from Wall Data's support of AppWare with Wall Data's RUMBA software," said John Edwards, executive vice president of Novell's Desktop Systems Group. "Novell and Wall Data have a complementary strategy to support applications running on multiple platforms in a distributed environment. AppWare and RUMBA work together to improve the efficiency of network application development by delivering the power of the network by shielding developers from its complexity."
RUMBA Tools for AppWare, coupled with RUMBA software, will enable these new applications to integrate with multiple host applications running on IBM mainframes, AS/400s and RS/6000s as well as Digital Equipment Corp.'s VAX computers, claims Wall Data.
In addition, the company maintains that RUMBA Tools for AppWare and RUMBA software will enable developers to create cooperative processing applications using Advanced Program-to-Program Communications (APPC).
The company says that RUMBA Tools for AppWare will be available later in 1993.
In March Newsbytes reported that Wall Data was one of five major Systems Network Architecture (SNA) vendors that announced support for Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. The companies, which included Attachmate Corporation, Digital Communications Associates Eicon Technology, Network Software Associates, and Wall Data reportedly represent more than 70 percent of the market for connecting corporate desktop computers to IBM hosts.
(Ian Stokell/19930701/Press Contact: Douglas Engle 206-883-4777, Wall Data Inc.)
las Engle 206-883-4777, Wall Data Inc.)
7/6/93
Wall Data Support of Novell's AppWare
GENERAL
Specialized Mobile Radio Net Set
GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- Dial Page announced plans to build a digital Specialized Mobile Radio network across North and South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee and eastern Georgia. The plan will be carried out by a new unit of the company called Dial Call.
Specialized Mobile Radio, or SMR, are thin calling channels around the 900 MHz frequency range which were licensed on a local basis in the 1980s. Federal Express was the first company to build a network of such stations in order to transmit data.
Motorola is the largest licensee today. In the last few years new digital technologies from Motorola and Racotek have encouraged licensees to build networks out of their licenses hoping to compete head-on with cellular telephone systems.
In the latest move, Dial Page has entered into agreements or letters of intent to acquire licensees needed to create its own digital SMR network in the Southeast. Dial Page is best known for its paging and messaging services in the southeast. In addition to offering phone and data service, the network will also let it offer enhancements to its paging services, with alarms, inter-active electronic mail, and dispatch applications.
Fidelity Capital, which is the largest SMR licensee in New England, is a part of this plan, having agreed to combine its SMR operations in North Carolina with Dial Call's in a general partnership. The company also got a Federal Communications Commission waiver giving it five years to build its network. Dial Page president Jeffrey R. Hultman, in a press statement, called Dial Call a natural outgrowth of his company's existing paging operations.
To finance the program, Dial Page has sold stock to investors including Boston Ventures, The Hillman Company, J.P. Morgan Capital Corporation and Fleet Equity Partners. The company is entering into a competitive market, however. In March, three southeastern SMR operators -- American Mobile Systems, JCC Holdings and Transit Communications, announced plans to merge into a new public company to pursue enhanced SMR opportunities in the Southeast.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930701/Press Contact: Thomas A. Grina, Dial Page, Inc., 803-242-0234)
ontact: Thomas A. Grina, Dial Page, Inc., 803-242-0234)
7/6/93
Specialized Mobile Radio Net Set For The US Southeast
TELECOM
ATI 14,400-bps Fax Modem Fits PC
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- ATI Technologies Inc. has unveiled a 14,400-bit-per-second (bps) facsimile modem that conforms to the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) standard for plug-in circuit-card peripherals.
The 14400 ETC-Express sends and receives fax documents at 14,400 bps, ATI said, and can use data compression techniques to transmit data files at effective speeds as high as 57,600 bps. It will work with any Group 3 fax machine, dropping to a lower transmission speed if the machine at the other end cannot support 14,400 bps (many fax machines are limited to 9,600 bps).
The modem will also adjust its speed in the middle of a call as line conditions change, dropping to a lower speed to maintain transmission quality and speeding up again if conditions improve. This will work whether another ATI modem or one from another manufacturer is at the other end, said Andrew Clarke, a spokesman for ATI.
The modem also has an auto sleep mode to save power when it is not in use, the company said.
PCMCIA slots are found mainly in portable computers. However, IBM recently announced an energy-saving desktop model, the PS/2e that uses PCMCIA slots instead of conventional expansion slots. With an industry push toward power-saving computers apparently getting under way, PCMCIA may become a standard on more than just notebook and laptop machines.
The ATI 14400 ETC-Express is to be available late this summer at a list price of US$499, making it the first 14,400-bps PCMCIA fax modem to sell at a price below US$500, ATI said. It will carry a five-year warranty.
ATI also dropped the list price on its external 9600 ETC-E fax modem from US$389 to US$229 and that of its 2400 ETC-FAX internal modem from US$149 to US$129.
(Grant Buckler/19930701/Press Contact: Andrew Clarke, ATI Technologies, 416-882-2600 ext. 8491, fax 416-882-2620)
, 416-882-2600 ext. 8491, fax 416-882-2620)
7/6/93
ATI 14,400-bps Fax Modem Fits PCMCIA Slot
TELECOM
Australia's Commonwealth Bank Sw
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- Some four years ago Microsoft boss Bill Gates visited Australia to announce that Australia's largest bank, the Commonwealth, had decided to "go OS/2," making it the world's largest OS/2 site. That was when OS/2 was a Microsoft product, but now it has been announced that the bank is now to become a 100-percent Windows NT site.
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) currently has more than 1400 OS/2 1.31-based LANs (that's 1400 networks, not just PCs) using Microsoft LAN Manager and SQL server. Now it has decided to switch the lot over to Windows NT. The CBA made its decision after looking at the option of moving to the next version of OS/2 and thereby following IBM, or of staying with Microsoft and migrating to the NT operating system.
It was the first customer in the world to receive a beta copy of NT and with its OS/2 experience was able to made a considered judgement "a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of both options," according to Microsoft.
The CBA has planned on a two-year migration and believes it will take that long because of the sheer number of machines, not because of any anticipated problems. Microsoft would not comment on what the CBA would pay to go the NT route, but there is a clue in what CBA's IS assistant general manager, Brian Morris said. "We are very pleased that Microsoft agreed from the start to work with us to ensure that the financial implications to the CBA of the decision to pull out of OS/2 would be minimized."
(Paul Zucker/19930702/Contact Brian Morris, CBA on phone +61-2-378 0101)
702/Contact Brian Morris, CBA on phone +61-2-378 0101)
7/6/93
Australia's Commonwealth Bank Switches To Windows NT
PC Expo - Speech Interfaces For
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- In one of the most popular booths at PC Expo this week, Verbex Voice Systems unveiled speech interfaces for nine major PC applications: Microsoft Office (Microsoft Word, Mail, Excel, PowerPoint), WordPerfect, Aldus Pagemaker, Asymetrix Compel, Corel Draw, and AutoCad for Windows.
Aimed at non-typists and computer novices, the new interfaces allow command, control, navigation and data entry to take place by speaking in words, phrases, or complete sentences.
The interfaces are based on "continuous speech," a technology developed by Verbex to provide a "natural" means of addressing the computer. "Unlike other products on the market today, Verbex's interfaces truly work. They respond to a user's voice with speed and accuracy," asserted Jeff Heithall, director of marketing.
Each interface is language independent and recognizes a user's voice regardless of dialect or accent. The interfaces are scheduled for availability in August, at prices starting at $99.95.
According to Heithall, the nine interfaces introduced at PC Expo represent only the first sampling of hundreds of speech-ready applications to be available from Verbex and third-party developers.
Verbex is also offering a kit for creating "continuous speech" applications. The kit includes an ISA-bus compatible Speech Commander DSP (digital signal processing) board, a noise cancelling microphone, complete documentation, and Respond for Windows speech response development software. The Listen for Windows Power User's and Speech Developer's Kit (SDK) will be priced at $695 through September 1.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930702/Press contact: Jeff Helthall, Verbex tel 908-225-5225; Jordan Chanofsky or Cheri Grand, Technology Solutions for Verbex, tel 212-505-9900)
nd, Technology Solutions for Verbex, tel 212-505-9900)
7/6/93
PC Expo - Speech Interfaces For Word, Excel And More
GENERAL
Shany's AlertVIEW Supports NetWa
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- Shany Inc. claims that its AlertVIEW program is the first product to be integrated with Novell's NetWare Management System (NMS) up to the NMS data base level.
Doug Kolb, Shany's technical director, told Newsbytes that "NMS and AlertVIEW working together give the global network administrator the ability to actually monitor and manage application activity on workstations and then automatically have the problems corrected."
The AlertVIEW local area network (LAN) application management software monitors programs that run on network PCs, gathers information about errors or potential errors, sends the relevant messages to the user and LAN manager, and then corrects the problem.
Said Kolb to Newsbytes, "AlertVIEW monitors the activities of users, and applications and operating systems on workstations. NMS allows the reporting of events that occur around the network in a central location on a graphical map. Our product provides information about application activity to the global enterprise that is described on the map."
According to the company, among AlertVIEW's features are: the integration of NMS Alarm Monitor and AlertVIEW Event Manager with a common alert log simplifying the task of identifying network problems; the integration with NMS Map, so that diverse tasks, such as controlling remote workstations, can all be performed from the NMS Map; the writing of application-related information directly to the NMS database, which allows NMS to better support workstation level management; and the providing of alert forwarding services that include a modem gateway and a cc:Mail electronic mail gateway.
NMS supports the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) a standard designed for managing diverse networks and protocols. The company claims that AlertVIEW allows managers to decide which alerts should be reported at the local level and which should be forwarded to a central SNMP console.
Among other features, AlertVIEW includes: Scheduled Procedures which automatically initiate operations at managed workstations; an Autodiscovery capability that detects and defines parameters for users; and remote access capabilities.
AlertVIEW is designed for both LANs and enterprise-wide networks and supports DOS, Windows, and OS/2 workstations connected to NetWare, LAN Manager, and LAN Server. AlertVIEW is priced at $935 for 10 concurrent users.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- Network Computing Devices (NCD) has won a sizeable contract to supply X terminals to the Department of Defense.
Under terms of the deal, the company will supply X terminals to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) Defense Medical Systems Support Center (DMSSC) Automation Support Hardware program. The program is designed to upgrade systems and automate procedures in more than 700 DoD clinics and hospitals worldwide.
Reston, Virginia-based prime contractor and systems integrator Cordant selected NCD, with the deal reported to be worth up to $5 million to NCD over the next four years.
Cordant was awarded the prime contract by the US Army Information Systems Selection and Acquisition Agency (ISSAA). Under that deal Cordant is to provide the DASH program with over $60 million worth of computer and communications equipment to "address current and future DoD medical data processing requirements." Equipment for the fulfillment of the contract will come from Data General, the Santa Cruz Operation, Informix, InterSystems, Kyocera, DAC, and NCD.
NCD says it will be providing its NCD17c color X terminals, which feature resolution of 1024 by 768 pixels on a 17-inch screen. Delivery has been going on since May.
In announcing the contract, Judy Estrin, NCD executive vice president said, "X terminals will make a significant contribution to the DASH program's goal of delivering higher-quality patient care and service to US military hospitals around the world. This award is a further signal that the federal government recognizes the value of X terminals in reducing overall cost-of-ownership and increasing system-wide security."
NCD has won a number of other government contracts recently including a $4 million contract for NASA's Scientific and Engineering Workstation Procurement (SEWP) program and a $30 million contract for the Department of Defense's Joint Computer-Aided Acquisition and Logistic Support (JCALS) system.
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- Accessing multiple printers on a local area network (LAN) can be confusing to users and administrators alike. Hoping to address that issue, ASP Computer Products has introduced the JetLAN 4P network print server.
According to the company, the 4P offers the ability to connect four printers to one network connection on an Ethernet network running Novell's NetWare network operating system. The company also claims that the 4P is the first network print server available that allows each printer to connect to the device using a parallel port.
Network administrators nearing their NetWare login connection allowance can attach four new printers to the LAN using only one network connection.
According to the company, the server is especially useful for workgroups that require access to multiple printers, for example the accounting department of a company may require access to a laser printer for general printing, a wide-carriage printer for financial statements, and dot-matrix printers for print invoices and labels.
Many print servers require connections be made using a printer's serial port. However, as Amnon Even-Kesef, ASP president, says many printers do not have serial port connections. According to Even-Kesef, "Our customers tell us they want a print server that connects multiple printers using the printer's parallel port. Network administrators would have to spend extra money just to add a serial port connection to the printer in order to use competing products."
Speed can also be an issue, said Even-Kesef, "Printing through a serial port is significantly slower than printing through a parallel port."
According to the company, the JetLAN 4P installs on the network similar to a new network node. The product can also be used without having to dedicate a PC to manage network printing.
The company claims that the 4P is three to five times faster at printing than Novell's own print server protocols can process jobs. Print jobs are transferred from the file server to the 4P in large blocks at network speeds, which reduces the load on the network. Also, the ports on the device can be configured for "first available printer" output or can be assigned to serve specific print queues.
The JetLAN 4P for Ethernet comes with both an RJ-45 connector to support 10BaseT configurations and a BNC connector to support 10Base2 configurations, and they automatically sense the type of network that is active. It is scheduled to begin shipping in August at the suggested retail price of $795.
HALF MOON BAY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- Passport Producer Pro is a real-time, interactive multimedia production tool, according to its maker, that offers support for external devices, and instant playback of sound, video, graphics and other data as part of "what if" scenarios.
The company says that Producer Pro's real-time development environment gives producers "instant feedback" during the production process. Producer Pro is a "time-based" production tool that combines and synchronizes animation, video, sound music, and presentation graphics in a real-time environment. The program uses AppleScript to allow developers to directly link sub-routines, and offers the ability to antialias text in real-time.
Producer Pro also offers external device control for Sony VISCA Videomedia's VLAN, Advanced Remote Technologies' ARTI devices and MIDI (musical instrument digital interface).
The company also says that any object, including text, animation files, QuickTime movies, graphics and buttons, can now move on the screen, either along default paths or user-defined custom paths. Users are able to control the acceleration and rate of any object's movement.
The program can also capture video in QuickTime format, and save an entire presentation as a QuickTime file. It can also incorporate live video in a window from any video source into presentations which can then be played back full-screen. Full-motion video can also be used without digitizing it into QuickTime.
The company calls the "drag-and-drop" visual user interface, the "Cue Sheet," which presents users with a timeline for integrating media elements. Each "cue" occupies a single location in a track matched to a specific time slot. All tracks and time locations are displayed on the cue sheet. Multiple cues can be aligned at the same time for simultaneous playback, says the company.
The company also says that cues can be media elements from any presentation software that saves files in TEXT, PICT, TIFF, PICS or QuickTime file formats.
Passport Producer pro is to be released this month at the suggested retail price of $1,495.
(Ian Stokell/19930702/Press Contact: Philip Malkin 415-726-0280, Passport Designs)
ntact: Philip Malkin 415-726-0280, Passport Designs)
7/6/93
Passport Designs Intros Multimedia Production Tool
APPLE
Moscow City Phone Company To Be
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 JUL 6 (NB) -- The Moscow city telephone network, also known as MGTS, has announced privatization plans under the current Russian privatization law. This is the first time ever that a large communications company in the former Soviet Union has become non-state.
A conference of the company's personnel approved a plan to offer shares in the new company late last week.
The estimated capital of MGTS, in the amount of 1191 billion rubles (approximately US$1.2 billion) will be divided between various shareholders as follows:
39% of the capital in voting shares will be owned by the Federal Property Fund, the state holding company;
25% of the capital in non-voting shares will be distributed free to its 20,000 workers;
8.2% of the voting shares will be sold to company workers at a 30% discount price;
5% of voting shares will be sold to MGTS management (34 people) for an immediate cash payment;
22.8% of voting shares will be sold to the general public through auction sales or investment tender.
The shares will be issued with a 1000-ruble (US$1) face value.
The published reports noted that, by law, not less than 29% of the company's shares must be made available to the public to make the privatization legal. MGTS reportedly asked State Property Fund to reconsider its shareholding to make the process completely legal.
The Moscow city telephone network owns 99% of telephone lines in Moscow.
(Kirill Tchashchin/19930604)
in Moscow.
(Kirill Tchashchin/19930604)
7/6/93
Moscow City Phone Company To Be Privatized
TELECOM
Atari, IBM Team Up On Video Game
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- Atari and IBM have teamed up in order to offer a new advanced entertainment system, called the Jaguar.
The deal is worth $500 million over 30 months, and is designed to win Atari back the video market dominance it has lost to Nintendo and Sega. Atari had sales of about $2 billion and 10,000 employees in 1982. However, the company's sales in the past two years combined was $385 million. In 1992, it reported a $73.6 million loss on sales of $127.3 million and laid off more than 10 percent of its 500-person workforce.
Under the deal with IBM, the new system would be produced at IBM's manufacturing plant in Charlotte, North Carolina. IBM is offering Atari a complete turnkey manufacturing system. IBM will be handling the outsourcing of components in the Jaguar, assembly of the product, sourcing of the other components that go along with the actual system - a game cartridge that comes with the system, publications, cabling, power supply - and will be packaging the product in its final consumer box and bulk-shipping those products to distribution points specified by Atari, according to Bob Page, spokesman for IBM's Charlotte plant.
The system to be built by IBM is a powerful 64-bits, instead of the usual 8-, 16- or high-end 32-bits, currently sold. It will be capable of fast three-dimensional graphics and is planned for release in the fall of 1993 in a limited area -- New York City. The a national rollout will be in 1994, Page told Newsbytes. The price will be $200 and a CD-ROM drive will cost an additional $200.
One of the things that IBM has been doing over the past few years is offering contract manufacturing to other companies. "The OEM being addressed by IBM is worth $100 billion dollars a year, so it's a huge opportunity. Up until this time, it's been a largely untapped market by IBM," said Page.
Why is IBM excited to be involved in the project? This is the first opportunity that the Charlotte manufacturing facility has had to make a product like this, he says. It's made adapter cards and other things but this is the first time for a high-volume electronics product.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- Aldus Corporation announced this week it is now shipping version 3.5 of SuperPaint for the Macintosh and has lowered the suggested retail price of the paint/drawing program.
SuperPaint 3.5 for Apple Computer Corporation's Macintosh platform works with Apple's System 7 operating system, although that may not be important to many users. A recent survey indicates that only about half of Mac users have upgraded to System 7.
Aldus says the upgrade includes pressure-sensitive tools, new paint and draw plug-in tools, TWAIN support, and an Apple QuickTime plug-in module.
The pressure-sensitive tools include Magic Marker, Calligraphy Brush, Twister, a variable-size Eraser, a Texture Brush, Smudge Tool, and a Charcoal Tool. Pressure sensitivity is supported on computer systems that use pressure-sensitive tablets or keyboard equivalents.
A new Copy Brush Tool allows the user to select any scanned image as a reference, then either paint or copy, or modify the image by applying one of several visual effects included in the program. A color clarity filter has been added for increased image-enhancement. New plug-in tools include the Crop Mark Flowers, and Grid, as well as the Magic Marker and Variable-size Eraser.
TWAIN support allows users with a scanner to scan images directly into SuperPaint from devices that use the TWAIN technology. Using the QuickTime plug-in module, users can place frames of Quicktime movies or images from a Kodak Photo CD directly into SuperPaint at a specific resolution.
Kodak's Photo CD allows conventional photos to be stored on a CD-ROM disc that can be read by a special CD-ROM drive allowing the user to take their own pictures, load them into a program like SuperPaint, then edit, print and save the modified image.
System 7 support provides support for Apple's Publish and Subscribe, Truetype, 32-bit addressing, virtual memory, and Balloon Help. Aldus says the program will also allows users to print documents with more than 16 million colors on an ImageWriter II that has a color ribbon. Improved support for TIFF and EPS files has also been added.
SuperPaint 3.5 can handle files in PICT, TIFF, EPS, MacPaint Apple Scanner, Thunderscan TIFf, Paint Texture, Draw Texture, and Quicktime formats as well as images from TWAIN-compatible scanners.
SuperPaint 3.5 runs on any Macintosh computer that has at least 2 megabytes (MB) of system memory, and a 20MB hard drive using System 6.0.5 or later. To work with color documents you need 4MB of memory, 32-bit QuickDraw, and a color monitor. The program has a suggested retail price of $149.95.
SuperPaint 3.0 was introduced in September 1991, with a suggested retail price of $199. Version 3.5 was demonstrated at the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco in January 1993.
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- Colorado Springs, Colorado-based TWD Electronics Inc has introduced the latest addition to its line of PCMCIA-based products, the PCMCIA SCSI-2 adapter card Model 2001.
The company says the new external adapter card connects to the PCMCIA Type II slot available in many newer laptop and notebook computers to provide users a low cost method of transferring data between portable computers, desktop workstations, and SCSI-compatible peripherals.
According to John Brown, founder and president of TWD, laptop users can quickly connect to hard disk drives, CD-ROM drives, tape drives, communications devices, multimedia devices, and other peripherals.
Brown has considerable experience in the electronics industry and says he recognizes the need for a general purpose expansion bus. He was involved in the product launch of NCR's 53C810 PCI/SCSI processor when he was product manager for high end SCSI controller chips with that company's Microelectronics Division.
The Model 2001 supports eight-bit transfers of up to 3 megabytes per second on the SCSI bus with concurrent 16-bit transfers on the PCMCIA bus. The standard DOS 5.0 and higher drivers supplied with the Model 2001 adhere to standard CAM architecture guidelines says the company. SCSI terminators, included on the adapter card can be disabled using the software, and a sleep mode is provided to reduce power consumption when the system is not active.
TWD says the Model 2001 is available individually or as a system that includes the interconnecting cable, device drivers shipped on a 1.44 MB floppy disk, and a user manual. Pricing starts at $225 for the adapter card only and $285 for the complete system. Evaluation units are already available, and the company says it expects to ship production quantities in the fourth quarter.
(Jim Mallory/19930701/Press contact: Kim Bayne, wolfBayne Marketing Communications for TWD, 719-593-8032; Reader contact: TWD Electronics, 719-634-8187)
Reader contact: TWD Electronics, 719-634-8187)
7/2/93
Colorado Company Intros PCMCIA-based Products
GENERAL
AT&T Aims To Deflate 800-Collect
BASKING RIDGE, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- AT&T is aiming to knock MCI's 800-Collect program out of the water before it has a chance to really get rolling.
Spokesman Jon Mellor said AT&T plans to compete everywhere -- it plans to compete on price, and it plans to offer voice recognition technology for added value. For starters, regular AT&T operators will serve a new number, 1-800-Operator, which will compete directly with MCI's new 1-800-Collect service. To start the ball rolling, AT&T is offering a low, low rate of 10 cents per minute on all customer-dialed collect calls on July 4.
Mellor told Newsbytes that AT&T is committed that 1-800-Operator rates will match or better the everyday state-to-state collect call prices of MCI or any other major carriers. And the service can be used by any phone, regardless of the long distance company serving that phone. Customers in AT&T's "i plan" calling program can save 15 percent on all collect calls made to the number, and in a summer-long promotion travelers at major airports will save 30 percent over regular collect call charges.
Since introducing 1-800-Collect May 19, MCI has been advertising it heavily, aiming at a 25 percent discount off AT&T's old collect rates. Ads in subway stations and other public places advertise the service but don't mention MCI by name.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930702/Press Contact: AT&T, Jon Mellor, 908 221-5017)
t: AT&T, Jon Mellor, 908 221-5017)
7/2/93
AT&T Aims To Deflate 800-Collect
TELECOM
Nationwide Cellular Phone Net De
WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- Calling it "a giant step towards making cellular phones as easy to use as regular wireline phones," a consortium of 15 US and Canadian companies have announced MobiLink to provide guaranteed cellular service across North America.
Starting today, the group will also begin a major ad campaign for the service with the tag-line "MobiLink: It's Simply the Way to Communicate."
MobiLink embraces cellular system operators across the US and Canada who have agreed to meet a set of operating and service quality standards for the area they serve. Requirements include providing round-the-clock customer service, answering incoming service calls within a set period of time, standardized feature codes for services like roaming and call forwarding, the ability to receive calls in any MobiLink market, and maintaining a specified level of call quality, defined as dropped or blocked calls.
Some of the more technical standards include permissive dialing which allows the cellular phone user to make calls with or without a "1" prefix. MobiLink customers will find also it easier to get service on their units, through MobiLink's single 800 number that will reach a service center at any time of the day or night.
Al Boschulte, president of NYNEX Mobile Communications and chairman of the MobiLink board of directors, says the new service does not replace, but rather complements, the existing service of local cellular service providers. "People will continue to buy service from the local carrier which, in turn, will provide MobiLink benefits as an extension of their own service." The organizations says several hundred service centers have met its criteria for providing cellular tune-ups, antenna replacement accessory sales, loaner phones, and other services. Dependent on availability, they will also provide loaner phones while the customer is in their service area and their phone is being repaired.
MobiLink says its customer satisfaction guarantee promises that a MobiLink carrier will resolve any problems to the customer's satisfaction or the primary carrier will provide a free call. The guarantee does not apply to service and equipment pricing, but does cover poor-quality calls.
So far, US MobiLink members include Alltel Mobile Communications Ameritech Mobile Communications, Bell Atlantic Mobile, BellSouth Mobility, Cellular Inc, Century Cellunet, GTE Mobilnet, Contel Cellular, NYNEX Mobile Communications, PacTel Cellular, Rochester Tel Mobile Communications, SNET Cellular, Spring Cellular, and US West Cellular. In Canada, the service will be offered by Mobility Canada, which operates that country's largest wireless network including 12 cellular service providers.
One of the most immediate and obvious benefits to users is the ability to receive calls wherever they go in the MobiLink service area. Known as roaming, a cell phone user who lives in one service area can travel across the country, and always be able to receive calls through their home service area if their destination is in the MobiLink network, US West Cellular spokesperson Wendy Carver Herbert told Newsbytes.
The network may prove slightly confusing to some cellular phone users, however, because many of the regional Bell companies own "non-wireline" licenses outside their home service territories. In Atlanta, for instance, BellSouth has the "wireline" service license and has its BellSouth Mobility network plugged-into MobiLink. Its local competitor, PacTel, is also a member of the group, but its PacTel cellular unit had to make other roaming arrangements with regional non-wireline companies called SouthReach. In Los Angeles, by contrast, PacTel is the MobiLink member, since that is part of its service territory and BellSouth's cellular unit there must make other arrangements.
MobiLink spokesperson Stephanie Sacks told Newsbytes cellular providers participating in MobiLink pay a fee to the partnership which is based on the number of customers they have. Sacks couldn't say for sure that the individual service providers wouldn't pass that cost on to customers, but US West's Herbert said it would not in that company's service area.
(Jim Mallory & Dana Blankenhorn/19930702/Press contact: Stephanie Sacks, Burson-Marsteller for MobiLink, 202-833-4229)
Marsteller for MobiLink, 202-833-4229)
7/2/93
Nationwide Cellular Phone Net Debuts
TELECOM
PC Expo - WordPerfect, Novell, I
5 NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- At PC Expo this week, WordPerfect and Novell unveiled plans to implement Apple's OpenDoc technology for the Microsoft Windows platform in the second quarter of next year, and IBM stated its intentions to provide OpenDoc in a future version of OS/2. Borland also endorsed OpenDoc.
Known in its early phases as Amber, OpenDoc is an open software architecture designed to allow easy and intuitive creation of compound documents, or documents that include information and media from many different sources. With OpenDoc, a text paragraph or a graphic becomes a reusable software object. Users can combine components from a range of applications to build custom software.
The technology interoperates with Microsoft's OLE (object linking and embedding) 2.0 -- an architecture aimed at introduction this fall in Microsoft Excel 5.0 and Microsoft Project 4.0 -- as well as with other document architectures.
WordPerfect and Novell will work together in developing the Windows implementation of OpenDoc, officials said in making the announcement.
According to John Edwards, executive vice president of Novell's Desktop Systems Group, the OpenDoc architecture will be a key building block in Novell's Appware, a new multilayer crossplatform development platform.
On the IBM side, OpenDoc will use System Object Model (SOM) to package and execute parts of a compound document, said Lee Reiswig president of IBM's Personal Software Products division. SOM is an object interface also used by the OS/2 Workplace shell.
Borland is endorsing OpenDoc as another way of bringing power flexibility and ease of use to customers, stated Philippe Kahn founder and CEO. "Our focus on object technology is a natural fit for OpenDoc plug-and-play solutions," added Kahn.
OpenDoc source code will be licensed to system vendors who want to implement the architecture. Code is expected to be available for the Mac and Windows platforms later this year, and for other platforms shortly afterward.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930702/Press contacts: Jackie Promes, Apple tel 408-974-3609; Debbie Hendrickson, WordPerfect, tel 801-228 5022; Jennifer Johnson, Novell, tel 801-429-5804; Barbara Woolf Novell, tel 801-429-5853; Rob Crawley, IBM, tel 914-766-3963; Marguerite Padovani, Borland, tel 408-439-4775)
-3963; Marguerite Padovani, Borland, tel 408-439-4775)
7/2/93
PC Expo - WordPerfect, Novell, IBM Implement OpenDoc
Smart Cards Make New Stab At Deb
REDWOOD CITY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- VeriFone, a leader in transaction automation through mag-stripe terminals found at thousands of stores, signed a deal with Gemplus, a French maker of chip-based "smart cards," in another attempt to replace cash with plastic.
VeriGem, a new joint venture company, will be the vehicle for bringing what the two firms called SmartCash technology to the market. Instead of carrying paper dollars, the idea is that people will hold cash balances in chip-based SmartCards, which will let them track expenses to the penny, solve security problems, and reduce vandalism and petty theft by eliminating cash.
For many years, companies have tried and failed to make a dent in the market for cash using debit cards. These are plastic cards with magnetic stripes, issued by banks, and used by automated teller machines for dispensing cash. The cards can also be used at some stores, and remove money directly from customers' accounts. They have not made much of an impact in part because most credit cards offer a 25-day "float" through which those with good credit histories can delay payment of bills, and because many people don't want government or credit agencies tracking all their transactions. Smart cards have not been implemented in many places, in part, because of the huge installed base of magnetic stripe readers.
The two companies hope their size and market position can give them a leg-up in getting the new market off the ground. VeriFone has a 60 percent share in those mag-stripe readers, with over 2.9 million shipped, while Gemplus ships 12 million chip-based smartcards a month.
The two companies cited a newsletter called The Nilson Report indicating that despite their size they have barely scratched the market's surface. It indicated that 68 percent of consumer transactions last year, 70.9 billion worth $1.6 trillion, were made with cash in 1992, while only 9 percent were made with credit or debit cards, for a total of $418 billion. The two companies will call together on banks and payment processing outfits worldwide, and call directly on large franchisors and retail chains.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930702/Press Contact: Mark Smotroff, for VeriFone, 415-904-7070; VeriFone, 415-591-6500; FAX, 415-598 5504)
VeriFone, 415-591-6500; FAX, 415-598 5504)
7/2/93
Smart Cards Make New Stab At Debit Market
TRENDS
Microsoft Awarded $12.5 Million
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- Microsoft Corporation has been awarded a whopping $12.5 million in a software piracy case.
US District Judge David Kenyon awarded the default judgement to the computer software company in a piracy case brought by Microsoft against BEC Computer Co. Inc., of the US, BEC Computer Co. Ltd., of Taiwan, and Ley Her Enterprise Co. Ltd., of Taiwan.
In 1991 Microsoft licensed BEC Computer to distribute its MS-DOS and Windows operating systems under the BEC name so long as the software was distributed with BEC's computer systems. That's the same system under which all computer makers are able to distribute the copyrighted software. Microsoft does not authorize Windows and MS-DOS to be sold stand-alone except in the case of upgrades. It had sought damages in excess of $5 million.
Microsoft sued BEC Computer when it learned that company was producing and selling MS-DOS and Windows separately. BEC filed counterclaims last August alleging that Microsoft had violated antitrust laws and engaged in copyright and trademark misuse in its licensing agreements. Judge Kenyon dismissed BEC's claims.
Trade organizations such as the Software Publisher's Association (SPA) and the Business Software Association (BSA) estimate that millions of dollars in software sales are lost annually worldwide because of software piracy and counterfeiting. Last year the SPA set up a copyright protection fund that funds legal action against parties accused of illegally duplicated copyrighted software. Microsoft is a member of SPA.
Microsoft spokesperson Alison Gilligan told Newsbytes this is the largest award ever made in the US in a software piracy case, and said Microsoft plans to vigorously pursue collection of the judgement, which was against both BEC and its subsidiaries Babtech Enterprise Company and BEC Computer Company Limited, and principals Chunk-Kai Lus, Quey-Pink Wang and Wei-Lung Lee. "We think there are assets (to collect) and we have investigations ongoing in several Asian countries right now. We fully intend to collect, even if they declare bankruptcy." BEC's US offices were located in City of Industry, California, but there is no phone number listed currently for the company, according to one California reporter. Gilligan said the whereabouts of BEC's principals is presently unknown.
Microsoft has been vigorous in pursuing alleged counterfeiters. In late 1990 Taiwan authorities, acting on a complaint by Microsoft broke up a DOS counterfeiting ring. In mid-1992 police and Microsoft representatives raided locations in Taiwan, Hong Kong and the People's republic of China after a six-month investigation. They shut down an operation that was alleged to have been producing as many as 75,000 phony copies of Microsoft DOS and Windows. Last month the Taiwan courts awarded $1.1 million to Microsoft in another counterfeiting case.
The problem is not limited to the Asian market. In 1992 Microsoft "software cops" and US Marshals seized more than 150,000 allegedly fake copies of DOS at multiple locations in California and New Jersey. The confiscated software filled 16 semi-trailers and reportedly had a value of more than $9 million.
The penalties for counterfeiting software can be stiff. Laws vary from country to country, but in the US, you can get up to five years in jail and be fined up to $250,000 under the Software Copyright Bill. In Australia the BSA has established a "snitch" fund of $2,500 leading to the successful prosecution of software counterfeiters. BSA of Australia estimates $250 million in software sales are lost annually in that country due to counterfeiting.
The US government is attempting to bring pressure on Taiwan authorities to step up enforcement of intellectual property rights. In May US trade representative Michael Kantor placed Taiwan on the US government's "priority watch list" of countries suspected of violating American copyrights. The government says it may impose trade sanctions unless Taiwan cracks down on the counterfeiters. Some experts believe violations of US copyrights by Taiwanese companies cost American firms more than $700 million last year alone.
Microsoft says it often becomes aware of counterfeiting because of tips from users and due to mistakes by the crooks. One piracy situation came to light because of spelling errors on the software packages. Microsoft maintains a toll-free number to call for users who suspect they may have counterfeit software, and says it won't prosecute the user. To report possible counterfeit software: 800-662-6796.
(Jim Mallory/19930702/Press contact: Microsoft Corporation 206-882-8080)
ess contact: Microsoft Corporation 206-882-8080)
7/2/93
Microsoft Awarded $12.5 Million In Piracy Suit
Wordperfect Ships Interim Works
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- Wordperfect Corporation is now shipping an interim release of its integrated software package Wordperfect Works for Macintosh.
The company says release 1.2.1 includes enhancements in each module. The program includes a word processor, spreadsheet with charting capabilities, a database, telecommunications, and drawing and painting.
Consumer Products Division Director of Development Mark Simonsen says users will notice faster scrolling within modules as well as when switching between modules. He said memory handling of large documents and clipboard handling on systems running under Apple Computer's System 6 operating system have both been improved, and users will find printing within the spreadsheet and database as well as application launching, are all "noticeably faster," according to Simonsen.
In addition to faster printing, the company says the word processor offers 500 percent faster scrolling as well as enhancements to the find and replace feature, the speller, and the thesaurus.
Wordperfect has also added some new tool bar buttons in the spreadsheet that include shortcuts for dollar, percent, and comma formatting of cells to speed up that function. Spreadsheet formatting is also quicker in the interim release, and an "intelligent delete" feature allows deletion of entire blocks of cells at one time. Charts now can handle a wider range of values including negative numbers.
In the database, WP says users will find it's easier to import and export larger files due to the improved memory handling, and label printing has been improved within the database due to improved compatibility with a variety of laser printers.
The company also says the paint module, when the program is being run on a Macintosh Plus, SE, Classic, or Powerbook 100, does a better job of handling background and foreground colors on monochrome screens. The communications module now includes the updated Apple Modem Tool that allows users to take advantage of Apple's latest improvements to the Communications Toolbox. Review and scrollback buffer handling have also been improved in the comm module.
Several new sample documents have also been added, including a check register, an address database, and a loan amortization worksheet. Wordperfect Works sample documents can be used as templates modified to meet the user's specific needs.
The company says a network version of the interim release is also available that allows users to launch from a single copy of Wordperfect Works installed on the network server. The network version provides a new file sharing feature that allows multiple users to access files.
Wordperfect Works 1.2.1 has a suggested retail price (SRP) of $249. Users of version 1.2 or Beagleworks can upgrade for $10. Users of MacWrite II, WriteNow, or any Macintosh Works package can trade up to the new release for $99.
ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- IBM will set up a subsidiary to sell low-priced clones of the personal computer standard it established -- the Ambra line already offered in Europe and Canada -- in the United States this summer or fall.
The European and Canadian subsidiaries have done well at pursuing the price-conscious buyers who tend to steer clear of IBM's own brand, and "it's logical to assume we'll be doing something similar to that in the United States," company spokesman William Amanna told Newsbytes.
By this fall at the latest, Amanna said, a subsidiary will be set up to sell the Ambra computers in the US. The unit will be owned directly by IBM Corp., but will report through IBM Personal Computer Co., he said.
"I'm hesitant to give a date," Amanna said, "because these things have a way of moving, but I would say late summer or early fall."
IBM Canada created a subsidiary called ExperComp Services last August to sell the Ambra line in Canada. ExperComp operates through distributors, including the Canadian arm of Merisel which is also a major distributor in the United States. The Ambra line includes both desktop and portable models based on Intel Corp.'s 386 and 486 processors.
IBM could not confirm by Newsbytes' deadline whether the Ambra line sold in the US will include exactly the same models offered elsewhere.
(Grant Buckler/19930701/Press Contact: William Amanna, IBM 766-3317)
701/Press Contact: William Amanna, IBM 766-3317)
7/2/93
IBM Will Launch Ambra Subsidiary In US By Fall
Wang Sells Supplies Business To
LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- Wang Laboratories Inc., still working to emerge from the protection of Chapter 11 of US bankruptcy law, has sold its computer and office supplies business to Nashua Corp.
New Hampshire-based Nashua gets Wang's office and computer supplies catalog and the Wang Express name under which Wang has sold supplies as well as computer hardware, software, and services. Wang spokesman Steve Casey said his company will keep the hardware, software, and services sales business, now called its Telesales unit.
The business bought by Nashua includes the sale of such goods as paper, toner for printers and copiers, and diskettes. For the time being at least, Nashua plans to keep using the Wang Express name.
"What we've done is sold part of that business that we feel is not part of our business going forward," Casey said. He said the supplies business will fit better with the focus of Nashua, a major maker of diskettes. "That's the business they're in, and it makes sense for them."
Terms of the deal were kept secret, and Casey would not comment on Wang Express' profitability.
He said about 70 Wang employees will move to Nashua as a result of the deal. Another 20 former Wang Express workers will remain in Wang's Telesales unit, and about 20 more will find other jobs within Wang. Besides these, there will be "a small number" of layoffs, Casey said.
Wang has been operating under Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy law since last August.
(Grant Buckler/19930702/Press Contact: Frank Ryan, Wang Laboratories, 508-967-7038; Daniel M. Junius, Nashua 603-880-2363)
; Daniel M. Junius, Nashua 603-880-2363)
7/2/93
Wang Sells Supplies Business To Nashua
BUSINESS
Moscow - Phone Rates Up Again
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- Moscow city phone authorities announced yet another 50% phone rate jump. The previous announcement, which doubled prices, happened just one month ago.
The cheapest night rates to call the US from Moscow are up from 400 to 600 rubles for residential phones, and to 900 rubles (approximately 90 cents) for businesses. The daytime rate is 1500 rubles a minute (US$1.5). Calls to Europe at peak hours cost 750 rubles a minutes (US$0.75).
Prices for the countries which are most frequently dialled rose more than the less popular ones.
Operator-assisted calls are three times more expensive. Changes were effective on the first of July, 1993.
This is a technical correction, which was made by the phone authorities to reflect higher-than-expected international calling after the availability of 24-hour direct dial last month according to a phone company representative.
(Kirill Tchashchin/19930602)
(Kirill Tchashchin/19930602)
7/2/93
Moscow - Phone Rates Up Again
TELECOM
Moscow - DEC Sells To The Govern
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- Digital Equipment has announced a US$2 million contract to supply the Russian Supreme Soviet (parliament) with modern computer equipment. This will also be the first time Alpha-based equipment will be imported into Russia.
The project, scheduled to be completed in 9 months, will include installation of a DEC VAX 4000/300 double processor a 200 MHz Alpha central processor, a number of 486-based workstations, and high bandwidth communications equipment to provide access to various databases, according to the company. DEC says it will also sell specialized software.
DEC already supplied 20 Russian private banks and the Moscow branch of the central bank with customized computer systems during the last year.
Various other events announced by DEC this week include:
A corporate banking computing seminar, just completed in Moscow, drew a number of Russian bankers to this 5-day event.
An oil industry event, managed by Society of Exploration Geophysics, in which DEC will demonstrate its computer systems and software tailored for large oil companies takes place in Moscow from August 16 until August 19.
DEC will participate in the Moscow Aero Show, the large aviation industry gathering, showing large enterprise computing tools, in Moscow, starting August 25th.
(Kirill Tchashchin & Newsbox Monitor/19930602)
Tchashchin & Newsbox Monitor/19930602)
7/2/93
Moscow - DEC Sells To The Government
Roundup - Stories Carried By Oth
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- Roundup is a brief look at some computer stories carried in other publications received here this past week.
July's issue of Databased Advisor carries a special report on delivering database applications across Windows, MS-DOS, and Macintosh platforms. This includes a special section looking at the emergence of Macintosh servers and clients being integrated into networks and where the joint Apple-IBM Taligent "pink" object-oriented operating system fits into the mix. The joint venture is billing this as a major Macintosh/MS-DOS network platform for the mid-90s.
The June 28 Telephony says that the battle between supporters of the more advanced code division multiple access (CDMA) digital cellular technology is still slowing acceptance of the older time division multiple access (TDMA) which has been accepted only by McCaw Cellular and SW Bell, among leading cellular suppliers. Nynex is testing TDMA in New York and a wireless CDMA system at its headquarters while BellSouth is currently testing E-TDMA (extended-time division multiple access) from Hughes Network Systems.
Federal Computer Week dated June 28 says that GTSI is beefing up its Desktop IV offerings by adding IBM-built 80486 PCs to its contract which was won jointly with Zenith Data Systems originally based on 80386 computers because the bidding has taken so long.
(John McCormick/19930702)
ing has taken so long.
(John McCormick/19930702)
7/2/93
Roundup - Stories Carried By Other Media This Week
GENERAL
IBM, AT&T Win Major Army Contrac
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- It looks like the Army's Sustaining Base Information Services users will be getting true-blue IBM RISC System/6000 computers and Ma Bell's AT&T/NCR System 3000 systems to replace the aging IBM and Amdahl mainframe computers which currently use proprietary systems to manage Army bases' budgeting, training, housing, security, and engineering tasks.
Under the 10-year contract, IBM and AT&T would install compatible networks at 128 Army installations and 69 further Army-related processing points.
Insiders see this contract award as being a milestone in IBM Federal Systems' contracting procedures because this is the first time that Big Blue was willing to work closely with a major competitor to produce a compatible, platform-independent system.
Under this contract, IBM will be providing the software for both its own and the NCR systems.
The biggest loser when the $474 million plus contract went to the IBM/AT&T team was Electronic Data Systems and its bidding partners Amdahl and Sun Microsystems.
Protests are expected from some or all of the losing multiple vendor bidders.
(John McCormick/19930702/)
ers.
(John McCormick/19930702/)
7/2/93
IBM, AT&T Win Major Army Contract
Everex Loses Out In Latest Deskt
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- What once looked like an important contract for Everex Systems, the shared win between Zenith Data Systems (ZDS) and Government Technology Services Inc. of Chantilly, Virginia, is rapidly becoming a very very minor potential sale as both ZDS and GTSI move to upgrade their offerings at the high-end.
When Desktop IV, the big, multi-year military computer contract was first proposed, the king of the PC hill was the 80386-based computer, but as negotiations, awards, protests, award voiding counter protests, and finally a solid award early this year have proceeded, the 386 microprocessor has faded into obscurity as lower costs, and ever-increasing software demands on system hardware resources, has made the 80486-based office computer almost the standard minimum system.
GTSI, which will share Desktop IV with ZDS, competing for orders under the contract, originally selected Everex to supply some of the computers, but after the recent challenge to GTSI's position by Zenith which began offering 486-based systems at very competitive prices, the Chantilly-based federal supplier has tagged IBM, not Everex to supply it with 486-based computers which it will sell under the multiple-award contract.
This leaves Everex as a supplier of only the very low-end 386 SX/20, which was a good office computer when Desktop IV was originally bid, but is now the sort of system being widely discounted to home users.
GTSI is also interested in bolstering its position in Desktop IV by adding at least one Apple Macintosh computer to its offerings under the contract.
Companies which have won a federal contract can almost always upgrade their computer offerings and lower their prices under the provisions of the contract. What the negotiated contract guarantees to the buyers is a maximum price they will ever have to pay and, especially with these large, long-term contracts, the vendors often either lower prices or add extra features such as faster microprocessors or larger hard drives as the contract continues and PC prices continue to fall.
(John McCormick/19930702/)
tinue to fall.
(John McCormick/19930702/)
7/2/93
Everex Loses Out In Latest Desktop IV Twist
World Library Wins Electronic Co
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- World Library publishers of Library of the Future on compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), has won a suit against Pacific Hitech for copyright infringement on works that, in their print form, are not copyrightable. Pacific Hitech allegedly duplicated nearly 860 works of literature from the World Library CD-ROM on their Masterpiece Library CD-ROM product.
The copyright World Library protects its electronic work from duplication. Those who wish to duplicate the work must scan or enter the data themselves to avoid violation of World Library's copyrights, according to representatives from the company. World Library discovered the works had been duplicated on the Masterpiece Library CD-ROM because some obscure works the company had trouble finding suddenly appeared on the Masterpiece Library CD-ROM and all the formatting, typos, page breaks, and so on were duplicated exactly.
Salt Lake City, Utah-based Pacific Hitech says it got the text from the Internet where unknown individuals had posted the text after removing all the World Library copyright statements that appear on each page. The Internet is a network of ten million users on more than 9,000 subnets primarily at government and university sites. World Library stipulated that Pacific Hitech did not act in bad faith in copying the text. US District Court Judge James Ware stipulated Pacific Hitech refrain from "directly or indirectly infringing World Library's copyrights" for the 2,000 works of literature on its CD-ROM titles. The Masterpiece Library in its current form was ordered not to be sold any longer, all current masters are to be destroyed, and the infringing CD-ROMs are to be delivered to World Library for recycling or destruction.
The Masterpiece Library CD-ROM had a retail price of about $49 while the World Library of the Future CD-ROM retails for $299.
World Library, with an interest in the intellectual property rights of electronic media, says it is sponsoring a lobbyist in Washington, DC to work for the interests of electronic publishers. World Library's attorney, Michael Grow of the firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour, and Pease said, "Even though existing copyright law clearly protects World Library's electronic copyrights, there is general confusion in the publishing industry because the printed versions of these works are in the public domain."
There is also concern over the inability to trace the source of the World Library material on the Internet, an issue the company also hopes to have addressed.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930701/Press Contact: Michael Terpin, The Terpin Group for World Library, tel 310-798-7875, fax 310-798 7825)
ld Library, tel 310-798-7875, fax 310-798 7825)
7/2/93
World Library Wins Electronic Copyright Suit
TRENDS
Japanese Telecom Firms Form Over
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- Japan's major international telecom firm KDD has linked with MCI of the US in an agreement which allows both companies to process phone credit card transactions of the other. KDD's phone credit card is called the "Hello Card" and with it, a cardholder can make an international phone call from any telephone except some public pay-phones. KDD is further planning to create similar alliances with British and French telephone firms.
Meanwhile, KDD has signed an agreement with 8 Asian firms concerning laying of a major undersea optical phone cable that will connect Korea, Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand. The optical cable will support a transmission speed of 5 gigabits per second. The total cost will be 67 billion yen ($610 million) and the line is expected to be completed in 1996.
Meanwhile, KDD's rival, international telephone firm IDO, has linked with Singapore Telecom to rent mobile and car phones in each firm's home country. The registered users of IDO, for instance will be able to rent a car phone from Singapore Telecom in Singapore. Payment will be made in Japan.
PARSIPPANY, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- While you've been able to order the American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T) EO 440 Personal Communicator, you can now actually go into an AT&T Phone Center and see one. The AT&T EO 440 falls in the category of personal digital assistants (PDAs) and has been described as a lightweight, mobile unit that combines the capability of a cellular phone, a fax machine, and a personal computer.
The AT&T EO 440 has a instruction set computing (RISC) chip the Hobbit, as its microprocessing unit, but is IBM personal computer (PC)-compatible. It is nearly all screen, at a resolution of 110 picture elements (pixels) per inch, and has a pen-based user interface. The 440 offers: 4 megabytes (MB) of random access memory (RAM); a high-speed serial port; a cable for connection via the serial port to any IBM-compatible personal computer; a parallel port for connection to a printer or an optional 1.44 MB floppy disk drive; a communications port for optional cellular or wireless modules; and a Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) slot.
The 440 comes in various models that add a modem, more memory and a hard disk drive to the basic unit. Prices start at $1,999 and go to $3,299 for the 8 MB of RAM, modem equipped model with a 20 MB hard disk. AT&T says the $3,299 is just an introductory price however, and the price will go up to $3,499 after the middle of August.
AT&T has selected 52 Phone Centers for initial rollout of the AT&T EO 440, but says all 300 other Phone Centers will get the unit gradually throughout the rest of the year. Consumers can call a toll-free number to determine the nearest AT&T Phone Center with the new PDA in their area.
AT&T is also planning release of the AT&T EO 880, a similar unit to the 440 but equipped with added features including a 40 MB hard disk drive.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930701/Press Contact: Kevin Compton, AT&T tel 408-452-3966, fax 408-437-0398; Steve O'Donnell, AT&T, 201 581-3904; Public Contact, AT&T Phone Stores, 800-222-3111 Additional Product Information 800-458-0880)
l Product Information 800-458-0880)
7/2/93
AT&T Phone Centers Now Display EO
TELECOM
Australia - Microsoft Cuts Prici
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- Microsoft Australia announced in May that it would introduce a fee for all support other than installation and bug fixes. All changes are planned to be in place by the end of this year. Now Microsoft has announced significant price cuts on all of its best-selling products effective July 12, though it denies a direct link to the support issue.
The decision to charge for support will make Australia the first country to adopt such a policy across the entire range of products though Microsoft Australia MD Gary Jackson said Australian users were not necessarily being used as a test for such a decision worldwide -- he feels it is inevitable in most markets. Many software vendors and analysts have said that Australia is being used by Microsoft to see what the reaction will be when such an across-the-board policy is introduced in the US and other markets. They believe that Microsoft will fine-tune its policy based on the Australian experience.
When the fee-for-service decision was announced Microsoft also opened a hotline for users to register their feelings on the matter. Jackson said that most users had welcomed the idea of paying for support if that also meant a commensurate decrease in the price of products.
He told Newsbytes that the price reduction decision had been as a result of a number of considerations, but one of these was NOT pressure from the Prices Surveillance Authority (PSA) watchdog which has been critical of the price of software in Australia. "The PSA is irrelevant and should butt out of our industry." The PSA had suggested that Microsoft reduce prices by around seven percent to compensate for the removal of free support.
The suggested retail price cuts, which range from five to 29 percent are:
Product New Price (Approximate US$) Reduction
Dos 6.0 AUS$199 $132 25%
Windows 3.1 $225 $150 13%
Windows for Workgroups AUS$390 $260 29%
Access AUS$795 $525 13%
Excel AUS$755 $500 8%
Word AUS$735 $485 5%
PowerPoint AUS$755 $500 8%
Office AUS$1150 $760 5%
Works AUS$299 $200 5%
(Paul Zucker/19930702/Contact Gary Jackson at Microsoft Australia on fax +61-2-805 1108)
oft Australia on fax +61-2-805 1108)
7/2/93
Australia - Microsoft Cuts Pricing
Windows NT To Own World By 2000,
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- Sporting a loud Windows-patterned tie, Microsoft VP Mike Maples yesterday told the faithful and skeptical alike how Windows NT will work on everything and conquer all. Maples was in Australia to keynote yesterday's first day of Windows World conference which is being run in tandem with Network World. All of the 1000-plus delegates at the conference will receive a complimentary copy of NT.
"It isn't just a nice try - it really does work," said Maples about the operating system Microsoft believes will dominate the brave new world of client-server technology. NT would blend and merge the worlds of big-iron host systems with individual PCs in a union set to last until the end of time. "NT could well be the last big operating system ever written."
Maples blew some hope into the desolate domain of mainframe vendors by saying he believed the mainframe would "never be obsolete and never be useless." At a press conference after his keynote Maples sounded the death knell for competitive PC operating systems such as IBM's OS/2 and Sun's Solaris, saying that in the face of NT their market shares would dwindle to fractions of percentages.
He hypothesized that by the year 2000 NT and its derivatives would be running on 100 percent of client servers and 80 percent of clients. The only remaining client PC operating system of any note would be that belonging to the Apple Macintosh. He said growth would be slow in the first year, reaching just five percent of networks, but that in the second year this would climb to 20-30 percent.
At the press conference a number of journalists concentrated on the question of Microsoft being under the spotlight in the US because of its monopoly of the PC operating system marketplace. Maples replied, "Success is no reason for trust busting. It isn't against the rules to do well in business, just to do it illegally. And it can't be our size that's the problem - we're still half the size of Apple and a fraction of the size of IBM."
(Stuart Kennedy and Paul Zucker/19930702)
size of IBM."
(Stuart Kennedy and Paul Zucker/19930702)
7/2/93
Windows NT To Own World By 2000, Maples Tells Aussie Crowd
Editorial - Clinton's FCC
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- Editorial by Dana Blankenhorn. As President, Bill Clinton has created a new hoop nominees must jump through called, for lack of a better term "public vetting."
Under public vetting, a nominee's name is leaked and the reaction is measured for signs of trouble. Public vetting is embarrassing to the nominee and angers the press, which otherwise likes having stuff leaked to it. Public vetting was made part of the process after the Zoe Baird nomination, where the Administration learned that hiring illegal aliens was, like 1980s pot smoking disqualifying to high nominees, especially those involved in law enforcement.
Usually, public vetting results in nothing, and sometimes it improves the result. Kimba Wood's failure in public vetting resulted in Janet Reno, who most consider a superior choice. Stephen Breyer's failure in public vetting resulted in Ruth Ginsberg, a more popular nominee.
In the naming of a new head for the Federal Communications Commission, public vetting revealed problems with potential nominee Antoinette Cook, counsel to the Senate Communications Subcommittee. Ms. Cook had challenged RKO station licenses in the 1980s, and made millions when, despite the validity of the challenges, RKO was allowed to sell the station. Then-FCC chairman Mark Patrick called the episode an abuse of minority set-asides, since her attempt to buy the station was based upon her minority status. After five months, she took her own name down following the birth of a son.
So, is Reed Hundt, an anti-trust lawyer and one-time classmate of both the President and Vice President, another Janet Reno? Could be. Anti-trust questions really are becoming paramount as cable telephone, wireless, entertainment, information, and other industries merge into one mega-industry. Many people have assumed that the merging of these industries makes anti-trust irrelevant that competition will take care of everything.
But that is not certain. Hundt advised the Wireless Cable Association, individual cable operators and Hughes Communications in their efforts to get access to cable networks "locked up" by TCI and other big operators. The 1992 Cable Act finally guaranteed that access. Many pending questions also bring up anti-trust issues. Should cellular operators be able to "lock up" so-called PCN service, extending their monopolies to the microwave frequencies? How can the regional Bell companies be moved to bring fast-data services to homes just as their monopoly status is removed? Should the links between content and delivery remain broken, as they were between movie studios and theaters or TV networks and programmers?
Hundt's own views on these questions are unknown. The identity of his firm is no clue -- one of his fellow attorneys at Latham & Watkins is former Reagan FCC chairman Mark Fowler. But it seems that, at the very least, he has the right experience, and has the right knowledge, to understand and make decisions about the key issues involving telecommunications today.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930701)
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930701)
7/2/93
Editorial - Clinton's FCC
EDITORIAL
TELECOM
Hong Kong - Computer Associates
TAIKOO SHING, HONG KONG, 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- Software publisher Computer Associates (CA), with offices throughout Asia, recently became a member of the Business Software Alliance (BSA). It joins eight BSA members in their worldwide campaign against the growing software theft, that BSA claims costs the industry $12 billion each year.
Computer Associates is a founding member of The Alliance to Promote Software Innovation, an organization dedicated to preserving and promoting effective legal protection for computer programs under copyright law.
"CA's participation in the BSA's worldwide anti-theft campaign in 36 countries will greatly strengthen the software industry's global efforts to reduce the high level of software theft," said Alix Parlour vice-president of the Business Software Alliance for Asia.
"Computer Associates suffers intolerable losses through piracy of its products, particularly in Asia where software theft is rampant," said Ms Parlour. "CA's support of our public policy, education and enforcement initiatives is a significant and welcome step towards our goal of strengthening copyright protection for all software publishers around the globe."
As part of this campaign, the BSA operates 20 hot-lines around the world for callers seeking information about copyright or to report suspected incidents of unauthorized copying of software, she added.
As a member of the BSA, Computer Associates will provide support for all of the BSA's educational campaigns and legal actions against suspected software copyright infringers in Asia, North America, Europe and Latin America.
"Computer Associates is throwing its support behind the BSA because we are committed to the protection of intellectual property," said Allan Smith, Computer Associates' managing director for Hong Kong and the PRC. "Software theft robs the creative individual and company not only of revenues, but of all incentive to invest time and money in technological innovation."
The BSA's members also include Aldus, Apple Computer, Autodesk Computer Associates, GO Corp, Lotus Development, Microsoft, Novell and Word Perfect.
(Brett Cameron/19930630/Press Contact: Alix Parlour, BSA, Tel: +852 804 4240;HK time is GMT + 8)
BSA, Tel: +852 804 4240;HK time is GMT + 8)
7/2/93
Hong Kong - Computer Associates Joins BSA
GENERAL
AST Opens Office In Shanghai
SHANGHAI, CHINA, 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- AST recently inaugurated a new office in Shanghai with the concept of expanding and enhancing its marketing and support service, and increase its foothold in the Eastern Chinese computer market.
"This is AST's first move towards further strengthening its market presence and maximizing market opportunities," confirmed Philip Wong Asia Pacific managing director of AST Research. "The new office serves as a nerve center providing AST dealers with access to a range of educational, technical, marketing and sales support."
"With the rapid economic development and growth in business activities in Shanghai and its vicinity, there is huge demand potential for PC solutions," said Mr Wong. "The opening of the office is a pro-active move towards keeping in pace with the growing PC market."
It is expected that the opening of the new office will bring about an increase of sales of at least 50 percent in a year's time. AST is believed to be the number one foreign PC vendor in China with 60 percent of the Chinese market.
The new office allows AST to respond promptly to developments in the local market place. "As the number of users increases, there will be an even greater need for value-added products as well as strong backup support," said Mr Wong.
"We believe it important to continue to educate the market and encourage growing popularity of PC technology as a productivity tool," Mr Wong said.
In 1988 AST opened an office in Beijing and established a dealer/reseller network throughout China. In 1990 AST expanded its operation in Beijing by opening a service center in Beijing, designed to provide pre- and post-sale technical services to the mainland market.
(Brett Cameron/19930630/Press Contact: Philip Wong, AST Research, Tel: 852-410 8888;HK time is GMT + 8)
2-410 8888;HK time is GMT + 8)
7/2/93
AST Opens Office In Shanghai
GENERAL
India Technology Briefs
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- Scam-time at SCL: Even the long-delayed Rs 215-crore government sanction for rebuilding the chip-manufacturing facility at Semiconductor Complex Ltd. (SCL), Chandigarh, couldn't find enough rejoice among its officials. For the vigilance cell of the Department of Electronics was probing into allegations of irregularities in voucher payments award of civil contracts to favored parties and even money being siphoned off to other businesses owned by family members of some top officials of SCL. The "scam" amounted to a few lakhs of rupees.
At our press-time, Col. Ramakant, chairman and managing director of SCL, was suspended pending inquiries into charges of "misuse of funds, favouritism and misuse of authority." H.J. Zarabi, currently executive director, has taken over as CMD of the company. But suspecting that the suspension of Ramakant may not be the end-all, there is an uneasy calm at SCL.
Duo for MS:
Microsoft has appointed Sonata (the software division of Indian Organic Chemicals Ltd.) of Bangalore as its second full-fledged distributor in India. Until now, Tata Unisys Ltd. was the distributor for Microsoft's entire range of systems software and application products, while Sonata used to sell Microsoft's database range of products such as MS Foxbase MS Foxpro and MS Access. Microsoft reportedly handed over distribution rights after surveying Sonata's technical and marketing merits. That Sonata grossed Rs 5 crore in 1992-93 on Fox products alone while TUL's sales of all Microsoft products put together was only marginally higher, may have influenced Microsoft's decision.
Agency for Datacom Gear:
Develcon Electronics Ltd., Canada has appointed Microsense Computers Pvt. Ltd., of Bombay, as its authorized distributor for India. Microsense will make available Develcon's internetworking products such as Ethernet and Token Ring bridges, Ethernet hubs, ISDN bridges and terminal adapters, and communications servers.
PV-Wave in India:
For visually analyzing and navigating through large databases, the Bombay-based Onward Engineering Technologists Pvt. Ltd. is offering Precision Visual, a workstation analysis and visualization environment (PV-Wave). Developed by Visual Numerics Inc., of the US, this 4GL environment can be used to convert data into visual images immediately. Targeted at professionals in the fields of aerospace, bio-medical engineering, weather forecasting, economists and automobile manufacturing, the workstation-based PC-Wave Core Language package is being offered at $7,000 and the add ons come with an extra of $1000 to $3,000.
ADA Compilers:
Dharma Computers Pvt. Ltd., of Bangalore will be marketing in India the Open ADA desktop compilers from Meridian Software Systems of the US. ADA is a language primarily developed for the US Department of Defense for time-critical applications. Meridian ADA supports calls to Unix via the Meridian Unix system interface (MUSIX). Open ADA is available on Venix, Real-time Unix, LynxOS and Unix (AT&T and SCO). Hardware platforms include DEC, HP, IBM and Sun. Dharma is selling the DOS version of Open ADA at Rs 1.5 lakh and the Unix version at over Rs 2.5 lakh. The compiler mainly is targetted at defense establishments. Dharma is also negotiating with Wipro Infotech and Digital Equipment India Ltd. for OEM agreements.
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930702)
C.T. Mahabharat/19930702)
7/2/93
India Technology Briefs
BUSINESS
Indian Scientists Improve Satell
BANGALORE, INDIA, 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- Indian scientists have succeeded in improving the image location accuracy of the remote sensing satellite IRS-1B by one km., a development which will allow more precise knowledge of satellite-based studies. Until now, the accuracy achieved was 2.2 kilometers.
Image location accuracy means the closeness of a picture taken by a satellite to the existing ground map in terms of latitude and longitude. The method has been jointly developed by the National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA), Hyderabad, Space Applications Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Satellite Centre, Bangalore. It was field tested over the last one year using data generated by IRS-1B.
Scientists have used a traditional method of navigation which uses landmarks as reference points, and call it swath modelling, as the method uses a model over the swath. For example, to match a satellite image with the one already available on a map, the operator has to slide the transparency on a map of the same scale until well-defined contours like railway lines, water canals or highways match. The whole operation is carried out automatically in this method. This contrasts the precision processing method, where a single scene is processed at a time using the known landmarks, or ground control points (GCPs) exclusively from that scene alone.
The Department of Space is planning to put this method into regular operation at NRSA for studying the data obtained from IRS-1B.
The Indian remote sensing program covers a wide spectrum of development projects of the country where it provides important inputs, from agriculture to urban planning to mineral exploration.
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930702)
l exploration.
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930702)
7/2/93
Indian Scientists Improve Satellite Imaging
TRENDS
Worldwide Launch of Statistical
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- SPSS Inc., the Chicago-based statistical analysis software firm, is getting serious about India. The company has recently made, what the press release claims as, a "first time worldwide, offer to users of statistical software." The offer is open to users of all statistical software including those using pirated versions of SPSS' products.
Under the offer, those who register with Wipro Infotech, the Indian distributors of SPSS' products, will receive a registration pack containing publications from SPSS, a registration certificate and invitations to seminars. Registration fees amount to Rs 5,000 (around $170), which the company claims is the cost of the material.
Explaining the reason for such a scheme a spokesman of the company said that despite owning stat software most people in the country were not aware of how best to use them. He, however, pointed out that the company was not on some sort of a "philanthropic mission." The idea behind the scheme is to identify users of software, so as to efficiently target future releases from the company. This, he said, is also the reason why they have promised "amnesty from legal action" to all users of pirated software registering before the 30th of September.
Illegal software users will not be given any special benefits apart from the material that everyone else is eligible to get. They are unlikely to get the rebates on upgrade versions that legal users are entitled to receive. According to SPSS estimates there are over 1000 illegal users of their products in India.
SPSS already has products installed at various institutions including the Government of India's Planning Commission, Ashok Leyland, the Indian Institutes of Technology (the cream of the engineering talent in the country come from the five IITs) the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs, reputed to produce the country's top management staff) and the Defence Research Development Organization.
SPSS has recently launched SPSS for Windows and also for Motif. The firm is also trying to enhance its line of software products by including more hardware platforms and adding new modules in partnership with Indian companies.
(C. T. Mahabharat/19930702)
Indian companies.
(C. T. Mahabharat/19930702)
7/2/93
Worldwide Launch of Statistical Analysis Package
BUSINESS
FaxWorks Pro 3.0
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- SofNet announced this week is it now shipping FaxWorks Pro version 3.0, its fax software for personal computers using Microsoft Windows.
Faxing from a PC is becoming a routine action in many offices particularly small and home-based businesses. Faxing first came to the PC in the form of a dedicated fax board that goes in one of the computer's expansion slots and is accompanied by software that could send faxes and keep track of the documents that were sent and received.
More recently PC-based faxing consists of software used in conjunction with a data/fax modem that performs those tasks and more, such as integrating sophisticated cover sheets created with the user's paint program or the fax software itself, and the ability to edit, rotate and edit faxes, which are graphics files.
SofNet says the newest version of FaxWorks Pro, version 3.0 was developed by the company's engineering team after they listened to users who were dissatisfied with "awkward and incomplete fax software tools." Says SofNet President Pat Dane "Our Pro product is the best on the market because it's a snap to install and supplies everything a user needs to fax effectively from a PC."
Dane is referring to Faxworks Pro includes features users of earlier PC-based faxing systems will appreciate. An auto-install feature includes diagnostics that automatically detect the hardware set-up, checking communications ports and record all the necessary information, such as phone line, port baud setting, and class. The company says this "no-questions-asked" procedure eliminates any confusion for the user during installation and set-up.
Pro also includes drawing and annotation tools selected by clicking on the appropriate icon (a small picture representing a particular function or program) on the floating tool bar. Text can be added at any angle, lines, circles or freehand drawing is possible and portions of a received fax can be deleted before the document is resent.
The program also offers on-line help for each icon, button or menu item. Called CueCard Help, the feature can be toggled on or off. Users can instruct the software to automatically forward incoming faxes to another fax device, either a fax modem or a fax machine. The drawing tools allow the user to create customized fill-in-the-blanks cover sheets and add signatures and a logo.
FaxWorks Pro can archive, find, log, and index faxes, and assemble multiple faxes into one document. Incoming faxes can be printed or viewed on-screen. A MiniView feature allows the user to view a selected fax in a dialog box scrolling through received faxes to locate a particular document. The mini-view is zoomable, and a magnifying cursor feature allows the user to select a particular area of the fax to enlarge on-screen. Page rotation is available, a feature SofNet says is particularly helpful for landscape (horizontally oriented) pages or when a fax is transmitted upside down. Rotation is possible at 90, 180, or 270 degrees in any direction with the click of a mouse.
FaxWorks Pro also offers OCR (optical character reader), which converts the graphical images into editable text. Support for scanners is provided through the TWAIN scanner standard.
System requirements include a personal computer using a 386 or higher microprocessor, four megabytes (MB) of system memory five MB of available disks space for the program files, Windows 3.1 or higher, DOS 3.0 or higher, and a Class 1, Class 2, or CAS-compatible fax modem. The program has a suggested retail price of $129.99. SofNet says users of any competitive products can upgrade to FaxWorks Pro for $49, and the program has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
The company offers free phone technical support (the call itself is not free) and FaxWorks Pro is supported on CompuServe (GO SOFNET). The company also maintains a fax phone to receive faxed technical support questions and inquiries about its products.
A SofNet spokesperson told Newsbytes the company also produces fax software for local area networks and for IBM's operating system OS/2, and plans to release a DOS version of FaxWorks Pro in July.
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- Dataflex Design, after years of bundling its own communications software, or Messiter's Trans-send communications package, has started bundling Delrina's Winfax Lite package with its modems. DOS users are being offered DOSfax Lite as an alternative.
The bundling deal, announced at the Networks '93 show this week, is yet another feather in the cap of Larry Levy, Delrina UK's managing director, who has been progressively "signing up" the British modem industry this last few years since the company began operations in the UK. Delrina UK is an operating subsidiary of Delrina Corporation in the US, set up by Levy just two years ago.
Initially, the two Lite comms package are being bundled free of charge with the Dataflex Rapier+, Sapphire+ and Gem modems. Both packages come packaged on disk with the modems, with users sending off a reply-paid card for the appropriate manual.
Phil Benge, Dataflex's marketing director, said that he is pleased to sign the deal with Delrina, which he noted as having around 85 percent of the UK fax communications software market-place.
"The combination of Dataflex modems and Winfax software will provide users with an extremely easy solution for sending and receiving faxes from the desktop or remotely through notebook PCs," he said.
Winfax Lite and DOSfax Lite are "light" versions of the full commercial software from Delrina. Both packages support a variety of terminal emulations and file transfer protocols for data communication, as well as an optical character recognition (OCR) set of fax software. Both packages also support more than 300 Class 1, Class 2 or Sendfax fax modems.
UK - Dataflex Design Bundles Winfax Lite With Modems
TELECOM
Synoptics' User Group Sets Up UK
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- The Synoptics User Group in the US has announced the formation of a UK section. Announcing the new section at the Networks '93 show this week, officials with the user group said they are now looking for networking managers to assist in the running of the division.
The Synoptics User Group (SUG) was set up as an independent operation five years ago in the US, with the support of Synoptics. Today, the US group has sections operating in South America and Canada. This is the first time that the group has set up operations in Europe.
According to spokeswoman Sarah Mason with Synoptics, the group's UK mission is to keep users of Synoptics' products in touch with the latest products and developments coming out of the company, using regular meetings and events. The events are designed to give users the opportunity to meet, talk, and share experiences.
Plans call for the first UK meeting to be held this fall. Any Synoptics' users interesting in joining and/or running the user group, are asked to contact Mason at the company's Marlow headquarters.
(Steve Gold/19930701/Press & Public Contact: Sarah Mason, Synoptics Tel: 0628-477477; Fax: 0628-481144)
noptics Tel: 0628-477477; Fax: 0628-481144)
7/2/93
Synoptics' User Group Sets Up UK Division
GENERAL
Artisoft Announces Fault Toleran
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- You thought that Artisoft's Lantastic low-cost networking system was a budget system? So did Newsbytes, which makes the company's announcement of fault tolerance for its network operating system (NOS) all the more surprising.
Announced at the Networks' 93 show this week, the No Stop Network addition to Lantastic is designed as an extra module for Lantastic 5.0, Artisoft's latest network offering. The software duplicates all network transactions on to a mirrored file server so that, if the main network goes down, the No Stop backup will kick in and allow network access to continue on an uninterrupted basis.
Mac McKinley, Artisoft's managing director for Europe, said that the introduction of fault tolerance on to Lantastic introduces a whole new set of possibilities for potential and existing Lantastic users.
"No Stop Network software provides level three fault tolerance giving Lantastic users real time and immediate access to the information on the network in case of a problem with a server," he said.
No Stop Network is actually a DOS utility that runs on all workstations on a Lantastic network. The company claims that this protects against most problems occurring on that network node
Level three FT means that all data moving over the network is backed up constantly. In the event of the main server failing, the backup picks up the tasks almost immediately and, even if transactions over the network were in progress at network down time, the transactions are re-run ("roll back in FT jargon) and restarted.
Pricing and availability of No Stop Network will be announced in due course.
` 0 BUFFALO GROVE, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 2 (NB) -- Zenith Data Systems announced two new desktop systems based on Intel's 486DX2 microprocessor, and said the systems include some major enhancements.
The two models are additions to the ZDS Z-400+ line of desktop machines. System features include a 256 kilobyte (K) write-back cache, local bus video, 4 megabytes (MB) of system memory, and five available ISA (industry standard architecture) expansion slots.
The company also said a 256K write-back cache module is now available for all its Z-400+ PCs using DX or DX2 chips. The cache module price is $239. ZDS Product Group Executive Vice President David O'Connor says the use of a write-back cache can increase performance by as much as 46 percent on a 66 megahertz (MHz) DX2-based system.
The Z-400+ now also uses local bus super VGA circuitry with VESA-compliant refresh rates in supported modes. The company says that means flicker free performance of the monitor. The circuitry also supports a 24-bit color capability and support for 64,000 colors in the SVGA mode and 16.8 million colors in VGA mode.
One MB of video memory is now standard on the 400+ line, up from the previous 512K.
ZDS says the Z-400+ systems are build to order, permitting custom configurations. Buyers can select the processor, amount of memory, capacity of the hard drive, number of size of the floppy drives, and whatever peripheral devices they desire.
All Z-400+ systems have an open drive bay that allows addition of a second floppy drive, tape backup system, CD-ROM drive, or a second hard drive.
While 4MB of RAM (random access memory) is standard on the Z-400 units, memory can be expanded to as much as 64MB on the system board. Hard drives are available in 170, 245, 340MB, and the company is now offering a new 510MB hard drive. They are also offering a 1.2MB/1.44MB combination drive that occupies only one drive bay. A two-button mouse and a one year on-site limited warranty are included, and Microsoft Windows 3.1 is pre-loaded.
ZDS says buyers can choose from six monochrome and color monitors. A Z-400+ with a 13-inch monochrome monitor, a 170MB hard drive and powered by a 50MHz DX2 chip is priced at $2,099.
SOMERS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- Going after every piece of the personal computer market it can get, IBM Personal Computer Company has announced plans to sell a line of computer accessories throughout North America.
The company launched the Easy Options line of peripherals and accessories for its own and compatible PCs. The products will be sold in retail stores where customers usually buy such accessories, the company said, including mass merchandisers warehouse clubs and computer superstores.
Some of the products are made by IBM and others are from other manufacturers with the IBM label added, a spokeswoman for the company said. She said IBM asked customers what they wanted, then selected products of its own and from others to fill those needs.
The initial Easy Options offering consists of 53 products, such as audio and game cards, modems, video cards, TV cards, memory joy sticks, keyboards, mice, trackballs, compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) drives, magnetic disk drives, tape drives, power supplies, and scanners.
The program will be run by a small group within IBM PC Co. team which employs consultants, end-users and retailers to help design and execute the program, the company said. The group will offer retailers a merchandising package that includes point-of-sale displays and sales training materials.
IBM said it offers seven-day-a-week, toll-free support for the Easy Options product line, and will refund the purchase price to any customer who is unhappy with a product within 30 days of purchase.
(Grant Buckler/19930701/Press Contact: Katie Brazel, for IBM 617-894-0003)
atie Brazel, for IBM 617-894-0003)
7/1/93
IBM Launches PC Accessories Line
PC Expo - Personal Navigators De
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- AT&T, GO, PenStuff and Trimble Navigation have announced software designed to turn personal communicators into "personal navigators" that let on-the go users find out where they are on the map, navigate from point to point, locate businesses and restaurants, and even obtain current traffic and weather information.
Being shown on an AT&T EO 440 at PC Expo this week, the new PenPoint Global Positioning System applications programming interface (API) is aimed at letting hardware makers and developers build PenPoint-based applications that take advantage of the $13 billion Global Positioning System being sponsored by the US Defense Department.
The government-sponsored system is available free of charge to all users. In announcing the new API, officials said that the combination of GPS and personal communicators will permit users to pinpoint their location in terms of latitude, longitude and altitude.
Officials expect the new technology to be especially useful to field workers, and for integrating positional data into GIS (Geographic Information Systems) desktop applications.
"Many of the players in the emerging mobile computing and communications market recognize the natural synergy that exists between personal communicators and GPS technology. Integrating GPS is simple in concept, yet can be difficult for third-party developers to implement in practice. By defining this standard API, we've taken a giant step towards removing the complexities of sing GPS in PenPoint applications," stated Bill Dussell of Trimble Navigation.
PenStuff and Trimble Navigation will offer a PenPoint software development kit (SDK) based on the new API in the third quarter the companies said. The SDK will be designed to let developers quickly integrate GPS into their PenPoint applications.
The SDK will include an installable service and sample source code developed by PenStuff, and use a Trimble Navigation Mobile GPS sensor. Supplied as a PCMCIA (Personal Memory Card International) Type II card, the Trimble sensor will give applications access to exact user positioning and the current time. A software-only version of the SDK will be available directly from PenStuff.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930701/Press contact: Terri Hodges, AT&T Microelectronics, tel 408-980-3797; Renee Risch,, GO Corp., tel 415-358-2075; Bill Rigney, PenStuff Inc., tel 716-461-3182; Bill Dussell, Trimble Navigation, tel 408-481-8915)
Trimble Navigation, tel 408-481-8915)
7/1/93
PC Expo - Personal Navigators Debut
TRENDS
PC Expo - WordPerfect For DOS 6.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- At PC Expo WordPerfect has released Version 6.0 of its flagship word processing package for DOS, adding a CD-ROM edition and a couple of extra enhancements beyond the product as it was originally announced.
As previously reported in Newsbytes, Version 6.0 was designed from the outset to bring an extensive array of new features, including spreadsheet functionality, the ability to fax from directly within WordPerfect, WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) editing selectable merge, and support for four types of scalable fonts.
On the show floor at PC Expo, where the new release is being demonstrated, Jeff Larsen, a company spokesperson, told Newsbytes that WordPerfect has since decided to incorporate drag-and-drop text, along with separate set-up functions for text and graphics modes.
Further, the company has opted to issue Version 6.0 on CD-ROM as well as floppy diskettes, according to Larsen. The CD-ROM edition provides expanded reference tools, plus additional fonts beyond the Adobe Type 1, Agfa Intellifont, Bitstream Speedo, and TrueType varieties offered on diskette, he said.
Under the new set-up functions in Version 6.0, the user selects from different sets of options for graphics and text, Larsen explained. The options for graphics include features such as scroll bars and button bars, but the text options do not.
In previous versions of WordPerfect, these graphical features, once chosen, appeared whether the user was working in text or graphics he told Newsbytes. "During beta, though, we found that users don't like to have these features when they're working in text," he commented.
Also at PC Expo, WordPerfect has announced upgrade pricing for the diskette edition. Full package upgrades will be available for $129 to existing WordPerfect customers and $149 to owners of competing word processing packages. WordPerfect 6.0 will list at $495 in floppy form. The diskette and CD-ROM editions are both shipping.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930701/Reader contact: WordPerfect, tel 800 451-5151; Press contact: Jeff Larsen, WordPerfect, tel 801-228 5034)
ss contact: Jeff Larsen, WordPerfect, tel 801-228 5034)
7/1/93
PC Expo - WordPerfect For DOS 6.0 Gets Extra Features
PC Expo - Hewlett-Packard's Rock
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- At PC Expo, Hewlett Packard has rolled out a new family of economical but environmentally responsible 486-based PCs.
With list prices starting at under $1,250, the new Vectra 486VL series constitutes the least expensive PC lineup HP has ever offered, said Bob Sanocki, product manager, in an interview with Newsbytes on the show floor.
The new Vectra 486VL computers represent the fifth group of PCs to be introduced by the company over the past two months, coming on the heels of the Vectra 486M, 486MI and 486XM series, HP's first Pentium-based PC, and the Vectra NI series and enhanced Vectra N series.
Sanocki told Newsbytes that all models in the VectraVL family feature Intel processors, along with exceptionally fast graphics. In an unusual move, a graphics accelerator has been built right into the local bus, he explained.
The VectraVL PCs offer video power-down, and most of them qualify as energy-efficient under the US Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star computer program.
In addition, the PCs are made of completely recyclable parts Sanocki said. Plastic parts are marked with a code indicating the kind of recyclable plastic used. The computers are manufactured without ozone-depleting chemicals, and batteries have been eliminated to avoid the use of hazardous material, he said.
The Vectra VL PCs offer an industry-standard ISA architecture and Intel 486 processors. Standard models include the 486SX/25 486DX/33, and 486DX2/66. The SX/25 and DX/33 models feature a choice of 120 MB or 240 MB hard drives. The SX/66DX2 provides a 240 MB hard drive.
Each PC comes standard with 4 MB of RAM, expandable to 32 MB. Each also offers an optional 128 KB of second-level write-back memory cache. Also incorporated are a standard 3.5-inch floppy disk drive and a 5.25-inch bay for a floppy disk drive or CD-ROM support.
The Vectra VL series is expected to ship today. Prices range from $1,219 to $2,359, including a three-year limited warranty.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930701/Press contact: David Schneider Hewlett-Packard, tel 408-720-3021)
: David Schneider Hewlett-Packard, tel 408-720-3021)
7/1/93
PC Expo - Hewlett-Packard's Rock-Bottom-Priced PCs
PC Expo - Show Daily Produced Ri
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- More so, perhaps than almost any other medium, a show daily needs to be up-to-the-minute. At PC Expo, Xerox, Microsoft, Apple, and three other companies have joined together to publish that show's daily bulletin instantaneously, and in full view of the 85,000 attendees.
Xerox, Apple, and Microsoft are working with Aldus, Nanao USA, and New York Metro Computer Press to produce the Big Apple News Late Edition for expo organizer Bruno Blenheim in a show floor area entitled the Desktop Publishing Center.
Representatives of participating companies said that the joint publishing venture serves as an excellent way of demoing their products. Mary Ellen McCrossen, manager, color marketing and business strategy at Xerox, noted that the application lets the Xerox 4700 II, a color printer being introduced at the show, prove what it can do.
"Once a document has been received and processed by the 4700 II, it is then printed in any quantity at the full-rated speed of the printer. So we can take the PC Expo newspaper and print several hundred copies without reprocessing the job. This is particularly impressive when you see it printed in full-color on 11- by 17-inch stock," McCrossen commented.
Aldus is contributing the most recent release of PageMaker desktop publishing software, PageMaker 5.0, to the collaborative effort.
Apple is providing Macintosh PowerBook computers for the show daily reporters, a Color OneScanner for including photos in the paper and a Macintosh Centris computer for page composition in the booth.
Microsoft is supplying Microsoft Word for Macintosh, also for the reporters. Nanao is pitching in with FlexScan T660i 20-inch Trinitron color monitors for use within the on-floor Desktop Publishing Center.
Xerox officials predicted that the Desktop Publishing Center at PC Expo could represent a forerunner of the way in which show dailies of the future will be put together.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930701/Press contact: Xerox Public Relations Office, Corporate Headquarters, tel 203-968-3000)
ions Office, Corporate Headquarters, tel 203-968-3000)
7/1/93
PC Expo - Show Daily Produced Right Before Your Eyes
TRENDS
PC Expo - Show Daily Produced Ri
Wang Sells Supplies Business To
IBM, AT&T Win Major Army Contrac
Microsoft Moves Into Market - Ed
PC Expo - Ink Processor, Three O
Digiboard Intros New VAR Support
Wang Files Plan, Hopes To Leave
Japan DEC, YHP Release DOS/V PCs
Rochester Tel Builds Long Distan
Three New Ambra PCs Launched In
1,632 Take IBM Japan's Voluntary
Aldus Announces Freehand Joint M
AST To Post Loss - Tandy Purchas
French Visa Smart Card Network C
Japan's NTT To Cut 6,000 Operato
TI's Record 2Q Revenues, Profit
India - Oracle Sets Up Subsidiar
NTT Data In Talks With IBM
Microsoft Buys Visual Database B
India - Autodesk Opens More Chan
PC Expo - For EDP Professionals,
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- Just how much money can you expect to earn in the electronic data processing (EDP) field? The answer depends on where you live, in addition to your area of expertise and how much experience you can offer, according to a new survey released at PC Expo.
Available to those who stop by the Source EDP booth at the show, as well as to others who contact the company, the 1993 Computer Salary Survey presents salaries for some 60 categories of EDP jobs ranging from programming to sales and from consulting to technical support, in more than 50 North American cities. Salaries are also shown in light of years of experience.
Findings indicate that, in virtually every job category, EDP professionals tend to earn more in the New York City area than elsewhere in the US. For example, an MIS director can expect to earn $100,000 in New York, in comparison to $85,100 in Boston $75,000 in San Francisco, $72,100 in Atlanta, $61,800 in Albuquerque, or $56,100 in San Diego.
Outside of that trend, though, there seems to be little in the way of a general pattern. Senior software engineers in Boston for example, out-earn their counterparts by a score of $58,200 to $55,000. For senior technical writers, on the other hand, the reverse holds true. For these professionals, the salaries cited are $38,300 for Boston and $41,600 for San Francisco.
The survey numbers are based on an analysis of position openings current salaries, and local market economies, according to Source EDP.
For the sake of easy comparison, the geographic statistics are presented in wall chart format. US cities are broken down into New England, Middle Atlantic, East North, West North Central, South Atlantic, South Central, Mountain, and Pacific regions. Separate figures, measured in Canadian dollars, are provided for Vancouver Toronto, and Edmonton/Calgary, Canada.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930901/Reader contact: Source Services Corp. tel 214-717-5005; Press contact: Joan Pursche, Source Services Corp., tel 214-717-5005)
act: Joan Pursche, Source Services Corp., tel 214-717-5005)
7/1/93
PC Expo - For EDP Professionals, Earnings Depend On Areas
TRENDS
HP, Lotus In E-Mail Development
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- Electronic mail or "e-mail" has evolved into a vital part of most companies' internal communication channels. However, getting different e-mail products to work effectively with each other can be a major problem especially for widely dispersed systems. Now Hewlett-Packard and Lotus Development have announced a cooperative development marketing, distribution and support agreement designed to integrate the Lotus cc:Mail client with HP's enterprisewide HP OpenMail e-mail system.
According to the two companies, the agreement includes HP OpenMail support for multiple cc:Mail clients, including cc:Mail for Windows.
The companies also say that the development effort was designed to "meet the needs of customers with large global networks," and has resulted in HP OpenMail's support of the cc:Mail Engine interface. Using Lotus' Windows client, users can access HP's Unix system based messaging backbone via the Mail-engine Driver.
Information technology managers will benefit, according to the companies, as they will not need to support gateways, directory synchronization or dedicated PC-server post offices. This in turn will lower the overall cost of ownership for messaging.
HP OpenMail also will support the Vendor-independent Messaging (VIM) standard to ensure integration with VIM-enabled applications. HP claims that OpenMail can interoperate with a variety of systems from PC LANs (local area networks) to minicomputers and mainframes.
HP OpenMail is licensed by a number of OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), including Applix, Uniplex, and European telecommunications company Alcatel. According to HP, OpenMail's support of VIM and other APIs (application programming interfaces) provides users with a choice of e-mail clients and mail-enabled applications.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- The second half of the year opened with optimism all around in the telecom sector.
The big news came from Europe, where moves to privatize the Dutch and German phone companies picked up steam. NM Rothschild & Sons of the UK was named advisor to the Netherlands over its proposed float of the Koninklijke PTT Nederland NV. The government said it will sell two-thirds of the company in three or four separate sales. In Germany, the opposition Social Democrats approved a plan to sell-off the Deutsche Bundespost. A new postal law must still be drafted this fall and the sale would not come off until 1996 with the first sale to represent just 10-15 percent of total capital.
Elsewhere in Europe, Pacific Telesis of the US agreed to buy 51 percent of Sweden's NordicTel holdings for $153 million. NordicTel, whose cellular network is sold under the name Europolitan, is owned by a number of companies including Volvo. Sweden's Ericsson has become a hot stock in the US thanks to big orders during the first half of 1993, and the trend continued as the company's Finnish unit signed a joint distribution agreement with the Helsinki Telephone Company to sell systems which can include US-made equipment.
Also, Michael Smurfit was cleared of wrongdoing involving Telecom Eireann real estate, which he headed in 1990 Belgacom of Belgium cut its trans-Atlantic direct-dial rates over 11 percent -- they're still considered very high and the European Investment Bank lent the Czech Republic 65 million ECU, ($50 million) to modernize its telecommunications network.
There was also good news in the developing world. Philippine President Fidel Ramos won an endorsement of his policies from Citicorp, as a Eurobond issue managed by the US bank was over subscribed. The success will strengthen Ramos' hand as he tries to break up the monopoly of PLDT and bring in overseas investments despite a continuing feud between Cable & Wireless and Digitel. Stocks rose in both Argentina and Brazil, where the Telebras phone company is still due to be privatized. Brazil's market alone rose 17.5 percent during June, in constant dollars despite a cruzeiro inflation rate of 31.5 percent.
AT&T and MCI were both active. AT&T announced International Advanced FAX Service, an digital fax service which will be offered in conjunction with other phone units -- in the Philippines PLDT will sell it as FAX Access Service. The company also won a new contract with the Saudi PTT, saying it will install about 12,000 new lines in that kingdom's eastern province.
MCI's big news was a tie-up with KDD of Japan, under which the two companies' will support each others calling cards. It means MCI cardholders can use their cards in Japan for international calls, while KDD customers in the US can call home at the company's direct-dial rates, and place calls to other countries at MCI rates.
Finally, IDB of the US announced its IDB Systems group has completed the installation of earth stations in the People's Republic of China, South Korea, and the Philippines, completing a network using the Intelsat network which will add alternate calling channels to all those destinations.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930701/Press Contact: Lori Gutknecht, IDB 213-240-3758; MCI International, Jane Levene, 914-934-6480)
al, Jane Levene, 914-934-6480)
7/1/93
International Telecom Update
TELECOM
IBM, 6 Telecom Firms Sign Multim
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- IBM and six other companies, meeting in France, have formed a group aimed at promoting standards in collaborative multimedia applications.
The group is called the Multimedia Communications Community of Interest. In addition to IBM, founding members include British Telecommunications, France Telecom, the Deutsche Bundespost Telekom, Intel, Northern Telecom and Australia's Telstra group. Other companies have been invited.
The group says its charter is to promote the use of applications that let people in different locations view documents, images graphics and full-motion video on a personal computer screen. These applications also let people discuss what they see on the screen as well as make changes that all other participants can see.
They will also greatly increase the amount of communications bandwidth used by business, which is why telecom companies are very interested. They will also promote the use of high-end microcomputers, which is behind IBM and Intel's interest.
The companies said their success will depend on the degree to which the work can be accomplished regardless of the operating system, computer equipment, or telecom company being used. Where no standards exist, the group will define working specifications until open standards are adopted.
The group said it will begin work with a series of field trials in the first quarter of next year aimed at testing services on a coordinated, global basis.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930701/Press Contact: Clifton Scott, IBM 914-642-5457; Frank McNally, Northern Telecom, 703-712-8374)
nk McNally, Northern Telecom, 703-712-8374)
7/1/93
IBM, 6 Telecom Firms Sign Multimedia Pact
TELECOM
IBM Shows Off Continuous Speech
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- IBM demonstrated continuous speech recognition working with two major personal computer applications under its OS/2 operating system at PC Expo and is about to ship the technology to software developers.
Demonstrations showed IBM's Continuous Speech Series (ICSS) working with WordPerfect for OS/2 and Lotus' 1-2-3 for OS/2. In both cases, IBM said, the new technology lets a speaker control the computer and input data by talking normally, rather than with a brief pause after each word as most speech-recognition technology requires.
The software, first demonstrated at last fall's COMDEX show in Las Vegas, does not have to be trained to individual speakers' voices, officials said.
IBM will be shipping development tools for ICSS on the OS/2 and AIX operating systems within days, said Elton Sherwin, manager of speech recognition strategy and market development in IBM's Personal Systems unit. The tools will be available to large corporate customers doing their own software development and to commercial software firms.
ICSS development tools to be used on OS/2 systems to create Microsoft Windows software are currently in beta testing, Sherwin added. Similar tools that will allow development under Windows are planned for late this year.
"We'll see over the next five or six months a large number of software developers shipping speech recognition either standard or as an option with their products," Sherwin told Newsbytes.
In addition to Lotus and WordPerfect, he said, about 15 other software developers announced at PC Expo that they would support the continuous-speech technology.
Sherwin said IBM's continuous speech recognition technology is accurate between 97 and 99.5 percent of the time. The latter figure would mean one word wrongly recognized in about every 200 words -- better than most people's typing accuracy, he pointed out.
To date, speech recognition has mainly been used in situations where a keyboard was impossible or awkward to use. It has helped physically handicapped people use computers, and it has been used in some cases where a computer user's hands are otherwise occupied.
However, Sherwin said about a third of IBM's sales of speech recognition technology -- the non-continuous type already on the market -- are going into general computer use. A major reason for the change, he said, is that the technology has reached the point where it works with fairly inexpensive microphones and sound cards, instead of the costly top-quality devices it once needed.
Another factor is that the recognition of numbers -- a vital part of computer input for many users -- has improved.
"In some sense we crossed both an accuracy and a cost threshold at the same time," Sherwin said.
In the future, he predicted, speech recognition will not only move more into the mainstream of computing but cross over into home entertainment as well. He spoke of a control box sitting on top of the home TV set that would accept spoken commands. Speech recognition could play a role in a dilemma facing the consumer electronics industry: how people will control TV sets that in a couple of years may be able to receive hundreds of channels through satellite dishes and digitally compressed cable signals.
(Grant Buckler/19930701/Press Contact: Amy Arutt, IBM 914-642-5553; Lisa Poulsen, Burson-Marsteller, 212-614-4994; Peter Cohen, Lotus Development, 617-693-1283; Liz Tanner WordPerfect, 801-228-5004)
3-1283; Liz Tanner WordPerfect, 801-228-5004)
7/1/93
IBM Shows Off Continuous Speech Recognition
IBM Creates PowerPC Division
SOMERS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- IBM has set up a new division within its Personal Systems organization to focus on its coming PowerPC products. IBM also rolled most of its Entry Systems Technology group into the IBM PC Co. business unit.
Based in Somers, the new Power Personal Systems Division will focus on delivering computers using the PowerPC technology that IBM is developing in cooperation with Motorola and Apple Computer, based on the reduced instruction set computing (RISC) chips used in its RISC/System 6000 workstation and servers.
Nobuo Mii, former general manager of Entry Systems Technology was named president of the new division. The group will have about 300 employees initially, drawn from across IBM, company spokeswoman Tara Sexton said, and they will concentrate on technology and market development at first. The group expects to unveil its first products within a year, Sexton added.
IBM also turned over responsibility for all PC technology development to the IBM PC Co. Most of Entry Systems Technology, a unit formed in 1991 to develop emerging technologies and subsystems crucial to future PC design, will be merged with the PC Company.
Paul C. Mugge has been named general manager of the new development organization, called the IBM PC Company Technology Center. He will report to Robert J. Corrigan, president and chief executive of IBM PC Co.
(Grant Buckler/19930701/Press Contact: Tara Sexton, IBM 914-766-3781, or 203-973-5265 week of July 5)
r 203-973-5265 week of July 5)
7/1/93
IBM Creates PowerPC Division
Puzzles, Pranks and Games For Wi
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- What would you do if you were busily typing away on the business plan your boss needs today and your screen display dissolved before your very eyes?
You might look around the office to see if any of your coworkers have a copy of Wicked Windows: Puzzles, Pranks and Games For Windows Users. You'll know this combination book-program disk when you see it. There's a silly-looking jack-in-the-box on the cover.
Published by Abacus, the same company that brings you other book disk combinations like DOS 5.0 Complete and Laser Power Tools, this package includes 20 absolutely non-productive (unless you are a master prankster) free programs on the disk that raise havoc with whatever computer they are installed on. All the programs run under Windows, and the Paul Symanski book, written with tongue firmly planted in cheek, has a section for each utility. In addition to the serious instructions of how to use the program, Symanski also spins a tall tale about how he came about writing each one of his heart-stoppers.
But now back to the opening scenario. You're typing away as fast as you can when suddenly your display dissolves and runs to the bottom of the screen to the accompaniment of burning sounds. Chances are good that one of your associates has installed Meltdown. But don't get up to punch him in the nose. Not to worry, none of the programs - according to the book - do any permanent damage, and no data is lost. You just have to know how to restore your computer to normal.
Most of the programs on the disk are diabolical in nature. In addition to Meltdown, there are programs that display abusive statements periodically, while Flipper reverses your display so it appears you're looking out from inside the monitor. Or perhaps you would find UAE more to your liking - if you're the installer, that is. Earlier versions of Windows were infamous for displaying periodic UAE (Unrecoverable Application Error) messages that lose all the data you hadn't saved. In Microsoft's defense, most would say that Windows 3.1 is better behaved. This version of UAE isn't real, but is so similar to the real error message that your blood pressure might jump 40 points before you see the "NOT!" button. Clicking on the button restores your application.
The package also includes some games, and an interesting little screen saver that ..... Well, let's allow you to find out for yourself.
(Jim Mallory/19930628/Reader contact: Abacus, 800-451-4319 for ordering)
act: Abacus, 800-451-4319 for ordering)
7/1/93
Puzzles, Pranks and Games For Windows
US Robotics Announces PCMCIA Mod
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- Followings its acquisition of PNB, the French portable modem manufacturer earlier this year US Robotics has unveiled two new credit card-sized fax modems that conform to the PCMCIA 2.0 specification.
Much the modem's design was created by PNB in France, which US Robotics acquired in April. The two modems -- the Worldport 2496 Fax and 14,400 Fax -- cost, respectively, UKP 399 and UKP 599. Both support all modem speeds to 2,400 bits per second (bps) and 9,600 bps fax standard tones. The 14,400 Fax version also supports 9,600 and 14,400 bps modem tones.
According to a spokesman for US Robotics at the Networks '93 show in Birmingham, England, where the units were launched, both modems will come with Delrina's Winfax Lite fax software, and support the Class 1 and 2 fax specifications.
"US Robotics was originally planning to launch its PCMCIA modems later this year. Buying into PNB in April gives us access to leading edge technology and this is included in these two PCMCIA modems," the spokesman told Newsbytes.
Interestingly, both modems employ an external data access arrangement (DAA) to link to a phone line. The DAA system allows the modem to link to almost any phone line in the world, provided the right DAA line module is available.
(Steve Gold/1993063/Press & Public Contact: US Robotics - tel: 0753 811180; fax: 0753-811191)
- tel: 0753 811180; fax: 0753-811191)
7/1/93
US Robotics Announces PCMCIA Modems
TELECOM
UK - Sophos Netware Anti-Virus P
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- Sophos has announced that its Sweep anti-virus software has been adapted for the Novell Netware network operating system environment. The package has been certified as suitable for use with Netware 4.0 by Novell.
Netware support has been made possible by creating a Netware Loadable Module (NLM) version of Sweep. This NLM version can be loaded and run alongside Netware 3.11 and the newly launched Netware 4.0 network operating system.
According to Dr Jan Hruska, technical director of Sophos, the package has been top-ranked by Patricia Hoffman's VSUM testing laboratory report of 28 April this year. Hoffman's anti-virus study on the package claims to show that Sweep for Netware scored 91.2 percent efficiency against viruses, as compared with McAfee's Netshield which scored 89.4 percent, Intel's Lanprotect, which scored 59.0 percent and Central Point's AV/NLM, which rated just 56.4 percent.
In use, Sweep for Netware claims to detect more than 2,600 viruses. The package, which costs UKP 495 for a 20-user network and UKP 895 for an unlimited user network, is being updated monthly to take account of the proliferation of new viruses.
An OS/2 version of Sweep is being shown at the Networks '93 show. Featuring the same facilities as the Netware NLM version, the OS/2 edition is aimed at stand-alone OS/2 workstations and OS/2 LAN servers. Hruska claims that the package will detect OS/2 specific viruses as they appear.
"This is a strategically important tool for any network supervisor in charge of an OS/2 LAN server, he explained, adding that the OS/2 version puts the security function of virus detection into the hands of the network supervisor, rather than the user. "This process can function in the background and is completely transparent," he said.
The OS/2 version of Sweep, which will ship later this summer, is expected to cost UKP 295 for a year. The LAN server edition will cost UKP 495 for a 20 user network and UKP 895 for an unlimited user network. Prices include 12 free updates.
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- Japanese electronics firms in an effort to stimulate software demand for the coming wave of HDTV laser disk video players, have set up a joint venture to distribute laser disk software for high definition TVs. Sales will start in September.
The new joint venture called High Vision Soft was created by 10 Japanese firms including Matsushita Electric, Sony, Sharp Toshiba, JVC, Pioneer and Mitsubishi Electric. The capitalization of this firm is 402.5 million yen ($3.7 million), which was paid by Pioneer (80 mil yen/$0.7 mil), Matsushita ($0.7 mil), Sony ($0.7 mil), Toshiba (40 mil yen/$0.35 mil), Sanyo (30 mil yen/$0.27 mil), Sharp (25 mil yen/$0.23 mil), Hitachi ($0.23 mil), Mitsubishi Electric ($0.23 mil), Fujitsu General ($0.23 mil) and JVC (15 mil yen/$0.14 mil).
Sony's Hironaga Yoda has been named the new firm's president, and each participating company has sent employees to staff it. NEC has not participated in the new firm, but says it will support it.
To start, the joint venture firm will market HDTV laser disk software via mail order. HDTV Laser disk titles will be purchased at wholesale by the company and advertised in its catalog which will be published four times a year. Purchase orders can be accepted by mail or fax. Ordered product will be delivered to the customer within 3 to 7 days, the company promises.
Actual HDTV broadcasting is due to start in 1997 in Japan.
Japanese firms planning to release new HDTV laser disk players include Toshiba, which will release them October 1, getting an OEM supply of laser disk players from Pioneer. The retail price will be whopping 600,000 yen ($5,500). The XR-HD1, as the player will be called, will be sold under Toshiba's brand name. Pioneer will also release a laser player under the Pioneer brand name at the end of October.
Meanwhile, other electronics makers including Matsushita, Sony and Philips are creating an association to establish a digital VCR standard, which will also support HDTV as well as multimedia devices.
Japan - HDTV Laser Disk Software Distrib Firm Created
BUSINESS
PC Expo - Windows Version Of Des
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- At PC Expo, CoStar is debuting a Windows version of its desktop addressing system.
The new system includes an 8.7- by 8.5-inch impact dot matrix printer that has been specifically designed for envelopes, along with Windows software that consists of three components.
An application, which appears as a Tool Bar, lets the user design envelope templates, manage mailing lists, and manage other functions. A Windows print driver allows envelopes to be printed directly from any Windows program. The software also includes macros that appear as icons for easy access within the Tool Bars of three popular Windows-based word processors: WordPerfect, Word, and Ami Pro.
According to the company, once the miniature printer and software have been installed, envelopes can be produced within seconds. The nine-pound printer holds 100 envelopes up to 4.33-inches accommodating the most widely used envelope sizes in the US and Europe. The device comes in both 110- and 120-volt models.
A special AddressBook feature is designed for importing, storing and printing mailing lists. Another software feature automatically prints out postal Delivery Point Barcodes.
The system works with both ATM and TrueType fonts. Other capabilities include WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) preview of mailing labels, the ability to print labels and documents simultaneously without additional keystrokes, and support for Windows-compatible networks, including Novell and LANtastic.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930629/Press contacts: Lauren Finkelman and Patrick Fitzgerald, S&S Public Relations for CoStar 708-291-1616)
d, S&S Public Relations for CoStar 708-291-1616)
6/30/93
PC Expo - Windows Version Of Desktop Addressing System
Newton Connection Kit -- Link Ne
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- Apple Computer is offering the IBM and compatible personal computer (PC) market a way to communicate with the Newton, its personal digital assistant (PDA). Apple has announced its Newton Connection Kit, which allows the Newton to "talk" to a PC as well as to a Macintosh.
Other PDA devices such as the American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T) EO Personal Communicator and the Zoomer from Casio and Tandy, are already compatible with PCs. However, since PDAs are expected to be a highly portable extension of desktop computers and PCs have the lion's share of the desktop market, Apple wants to make the Newton PC compatible as well. The Newton Connection Kit is Apple's answer.
The Newton Connection Kit will enable intelligent transfer synchronization, back up, and updating of information between a Newton and a PC or a Macintosh personal computer, according to Apple. One of the features of the Newton Connection Kit is "Smart Synchronization" which is designed to automatically update information between the Newton and a PC or a Macintosh.
Since users are expected to be maintaining basic information such as their appointment calendar and Rolodex on the Newton as well as their desktop computer, update of this information to their desktop machine could be important. In addition, users are expected to be able to draw, write letters, perform calculations and do other functions with the Newton.
Apple says the Newton Connection notes any changes made to the information on the Newton or on the personal computer, and automatically synchronizes and updates information between the two when they are connected. In fact, the Newton Connection is designed to automatically track deleted information and keep a copy of it in an archive file on the personal computer just in case it is needed later.
As a data safety measure, the Newton Connection is also designed to allow a back-up copy of Newton's information to be saved on the hard disk of the desktop machine. Users may also add application or utility software to the Newton from the desktop machine.
A "professional" version of the Newton Connection Kit is also planned that will offer users the ability to directly share Newton information with Microsoft Windows applications on the PC and Macintosh applications. This enables users to use their everyday desktop applications to track their Newton information.
A serial cable, included in the Newton Connection, along with software, is required to make the data transfers and updates. Separate Newton Connection kits will be available for the PC running Windows or Macintosh. Apple said the kit was developed in conjunction with Travelling Software of Bothwell, Washington known for their laptop to PC connection software product Laplink.
Pricing information has not been announced, but the Newton Connection is expected to be available later this summer when the first Newton product is launched, Apple maintains.
Rumors about Apple's future plans, lack of profitability, and direction in the short term are rampant. The most recent report was from the Wall Street Journal which said Apple is planning to announce a Macintosh that is PC compatible by inserting an Intel microprocessor (the brains of the PC) in addition to the company's own Motorola processor.
Other reports say Apple is talking with AT&T about a possible merger and layoffs are imminent. Apple company representatives are not talking, but there is little doubt big changes are in store. Much of the mystery is expected to be dispelled when Apple releases its second quarter earnings statement, expected in mid-July.
Today, the San Jose Mercury News quotes sources as saying that Apple Chairman John Sculley will not return to Apple when he concludes the sabbatical he is on until August.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930630/Press Contact: Frank O'Mahony, Apple Computer, tel 408-974-5420, fax 408-967-5651)
Computer, tel 408-974-5420, fax 408-967-5651)
7/1/93
Newton Connection Kit -- Link Newton To PCs
APPLE
Paul Allen Sole Investor In Mult
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- Multimedia company Lone Wolf says it has just been financed by billionaire Paul Allen. The amount of the investment Microsoft co-founder Allen has infused into Lone Wolf was not revealed, but Allen is reported to be the sole investor.
Lone Wolf offers a multimedia network protocol it calls Medialink for a high-bandwidth connectivity between everything from remotely operated submarines used by NASA to consumer electronics products. In addition, the company offers the Visual Network Operating System (VNOS) which it describes as a computer-independent authoring platform for creation and interaction with virtual representations of the networked environment. NASA is using the VNOS system to remotely control vehicles. For example, the operator at a terminal can turn his head and the vehicle will turn.
Allen's investment will provide money for cooperative research and development of the company's networking technologies and cross licensing of related enhancements. Allen's other companies Asymetrix, developers of multimedia application software development tools, and Interval, a multimedia think-tank, will also be working with Lone Wolf.
Executive Vice President Rick Rutkowski asserted "Connectivity is a fundamental part of the much-talked-about convergence of telecommunications with computing entertainment, and consumer electronics."
Mark Lucas, the company's co-founder and president, said, "Our technology is about the transparent integration of multiple data formats into a common platform or environment. That's what we mean when we say 'distributed multimedia.' The Medialink protocol has been specifically designed for real-time transmission of multimedia data, such as audio and video, as well as control and monitoring signals, so that all data formats can be carried on a single cable through a single port. We think of ourselves as the Federal Express of digital data: hand us a packet of digital data and we will guarantee real time delivery."
Lone Wolf is privately held and is based in Redondo Beach California.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930630/Press Contact: Richard Rutkowski Lone Wolf, tel 310-379-2036, fax 310-374-2496)
owski Lone Wolf, tel 310-379-2036, fax 310-374-2496)
7/1/93
Paul Allen Sole Investor In Multimedia Network Co.
BUSINESS
UK - Paknet Mobile Radio Data At
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- Paknet, a subsidiary of Vodafone, and one of several packet radio network providers, was busy at Networks '93 this year promoting its mobile packet data network. Instead of making vague promises about "easy to use" network technology, however, the company was bending over backwards to make sure that stand visitors appreciated its technology is easy to use.
According to Paknet, the Paknet packet radio network has more than 11,000 active subscribers in the UK. The main reason for this relatively high number of subscribers, the company claims, is the technology on which the service is based. The key to its success is the ability to quickly open a radio channel and "burst" transmit a block of data almost instantly. This contrasts with the need to dial and negotiate a conventional modem transfer.
Paknet claims that its service is available across more than 85 percent of the UK and has links into standard packet data networks PDNs) for onward switching to both national and international services.
Damon Oldcorn, Paknet's national sales manager, said that the service has been operational since February, 1990, when it entered commercial service. "We're a tried and trust network," he explained adding that the network actually underwent testing as far back as August of 1989.
The service was originally owned by Mercury and Vodafone and, in July of last year, was acquired totally by the Vodafone Group. Operating in the 160 megahertz (MHz) VHF radio waveband, the service has gateway links into BT's global network service (GNS) and Mercury PDN, the two main national packet data network (PDN) service providers in the UK.
"This has allowed to offer, quite literally, a plug-in-and-go set of modem solutions to end users. In use, our modems can be used just like any hard-wired telephone modems. The advantage is that data links can be established almost instantly," said a spokesman for the company on Paknet's stand at Networks '93.
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- Companies often make wild claims about the number of copies they have sold of particular programs, so the Software Publishers Association regularly certifies sales numbers for some popular programs.
Since 1985 the SPA Certification Program has audited sales of more than 450 programs published by over 55 companies and this week they released minimum sales numbers for 49 new products.
Accolade has sold 50,000 or more units of the following: Al Michaels Announces Hardball III; Blue Angels Formation Flight Simulator; Elvira; Jack Nicklaus Golf & Course Design Signature Edition; Jack Nicklaus Presents the Major Championship Courses; Mike Ditka Ultimate Football; Star Control; Steel Thunder American Battle Tank Simulation; The Cycles International Grand Prix Racing; and The Muscle Cars: Test Drive II Car Disk.
Sales of the following were greater than 100,000 units each: Grand Prix Circuit; Hardball II; Jack Nicklaus Unlimited Golf & Course Design; Test Drive II The Passion; and The Supercars: Test Drive II Car Disk.
Broderbund Software sold more than 100,000 units each of: BannerMania; Dazzle Draw; MemoryMate; Prince of Persia; The New Print Shop Graphics Library; Type!; Where in America's Past is Carmen Sandiego?; Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?; and Wolfpack.
And more than 250,000 units of these were sold: Kid Pix; The New Print Shop; The Playroom; and The Print Shop Deluxe.
These two were best sellers for Broderbund at more than 500,000 units each: The Print Shop Companion, and Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?
The Learning Company was certified as having sold more than 50,000 units of Operation Neptune and Super Solvers Spellbound; while sales of Reader Rabbit 2 were 100,000 units.
Maxis' A-Train sold 50,000 plus units; SimAnt's sales were 100,000 units; SimEarth's sales reached 250,000 units; and SimCity was most popular with sales in excess of 500,000 units.
MySoftware Company's MyBackup and MyLabelMaker had sales of more than 100,000 units.
Reality Technologies' Wealth Builder by Money Magazine topped 50,000 unit sales.
Spectrum HoloByte's Flight of the Intruder; Vette!; and Wordtris all sold more than 50,000 units each; and both Falcon 3.0 and Super Tetris sold 100,000 plus copies.
Tally Systems Corporation's PC Census had sales of 500,000 units.
Walt Disney Computer Software has two software products Donald's Alphabet Chase and Mickey's Runaway Zoo - that sold more than 100,000 units each.
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- The Japanese subsidiary of Dell Computer has signed a distribution agreement with Orix Rentec, a subsidiary of Japan's major financial firm Orix Corporation. Also, Dell Computer has cut its PC prices again.
The agreement between Dell Computer Japan and Orix Rentec calls for Orix to market Dell's low-cost PCs through its nationwide rental and sales network, and by mail order. The companies project first year sales will be 2,000 units worth 760 million yen ($7 million).
Del Computer started selling low-cost DOS/V-compatible PCs in Japan last year. The cheapest model, which costs only 98,000 yen ($890) sent a shockwave through the industry and consumers in Japan. Now, Dell has gone even farther -- it recently cut prices again by 9 to 23 percent. This translates to a price cut of between 40,000 yen ($360) to 90,000 yen ($820).
Dell's computers are now coming pre-installed with MS-DOS 5.0N and Windows 3.1.
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- Major Japanese arcade game software maker Taito is preparing to list its stocks on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in August. This is the most recent of several attempts to list its stocks, all previous attempts were thwarted by a market slump.
Taito has been a major Japanese arcade game software maker as well as hardware maker. Established in 1953, it developed the worldwide hit game "Space Invader" in late 1970s. Now, it is heavily involved in the "karaoke" business, and has won a major share of this market.
Taito is now the number-two arcade game machine and software maker, following Sega Enterprises. Taito's annual sales as of fiscal 1992 were 93 billion yen ($850 million) and its income was 5.9 billion yen ($54 million). This is much smaller Sega Enterprises' income, but is more than Namcot's, a company which has already listed its stocks at TSE. Another arcade game machine maker, Konami, has also listed its stocks.
TAIKOO SHING, HONG KONG, 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- Microsoft has launched a version of the Windows 3.1 operating system that supports traditional Chinese characters. It is expected to have a dramatic impact on the Chinese language computing market in Hong Kong.
Chinese Windows 3.1 takes all the familiar features that have made Windows 3.1 so successful and combines them with support for the 16 bit, or "double byte" characters required for Chinese language processing. The result is a standardized environment for Chinese language personal computing.
"We believe the effect of Chinese Windows 3.1 is going to be at least as powerful locally as the release of Windows 3.1 on the global market last year," said Laurie Kan, country manager of Microsoft Hong Kong Ltd. "The Chinese language computer market is going to become extremely important by the end of the decade and it is our intention to be the major player in that market."
According to Kan, the development of widespread demand for Chinese personal computing in Hong Kong and elsewhere has been held back by a lack of standards. Without a standard interface, Chinese PC applications have been considered difficult to use.
"By combining our Windows graphical user interface with effective double byte character input and display technology, we have created a Chinese personal computing platform which is going to be very attractive for application developers and users alike," he said.
The new operating system has a Chinese language interface with Chinese drop-down command menus, Chinese dialogue boxes Chinese on-line help information and Chinese manuals.
Among the new features in Chinese Windows 3.1 is scalable TrueType font technology which enables users to display and print Chinese fonts in any size.
As well as the traditional Chinese font that comes in the package, the system is also compatible with the number of Chinese TrueType fonts available from independent digital type foundries in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Microsoft is offering multiple features deal with ideographic character input with Chinese Windows 3.1. These include an intelligent on-screen "soft keyboard" function that allows users to enter Chinese characters with a mouse. The system also supports two popular keyboard input methods with which existing Chinese PC users are likely to be familiar.
Microsoft already has Chinese versions of Excel and Word on the market and claims it is committed to adding Chinese language support to its entire Windows application portfolio in the coming months.
Chinese Windows 3.1 is the result of a joint development project undertaken by Microsoft's Greater Chinese Region, headquartered in Taipei, in conjunction with Microsoft Japan and Microsoft Korea.
Japanese and Korean versions of Windows 3.1 have been launched within the last month to enthusiastic market response. Microsoft is projecting retail sales of 300,000 copies of the new double byte versions of Windows 3.1 within the first month of release and sales of 1.5 million copies within a year.
The company will also be signing agreements with PC manufacturers in the region to enable them to bundle Chinese Windows 3.1 with their systems.
"For application developers the availability of Japanese and Korean Windows 3.1 along with the Chinese version represents a real opportunity, since all three versions work in the same way and have the same application programming interface," said Kan. "This means that companies which have developed an application in one language should have little difficulty in releasing versions for the other markets."
A simplified Chinese version of Windows 3.1, for use in the PRC, is currently in the final stages of development and will be released later this year.
(Brett Cameron/19930630/Press Contact: Sasha Skinner, Microsoft, Tel: 852-804 4261;HK time is GMT + 8)
52-804 4261;HK time is GMT + 8)
7/1/93
Microsoft Chinese Windows 3.1
India - Multilingual Computing
PUNE, INDIA, 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), a trailblazer in multilingual computing, has taken a major step towards commercial self-sustenance. It has appointed a nationwide network of 32 distributors for its Graphics Intelligence-based Script Technology (GIST) software products.
CDAC also plans to start a separate business division to market the GIST packages. This is expected to be followed by appointment of dealers abroad for worldwide distribution.
Products being launched through these distributors are GIST word processor (GWP) and ISFOC Script Manager (ISM). GWP allows handling of all Indian scripts through WordStar-compatible commands and translation between Indian scripts and even to Roman scripts. With ISM, software packages on Windows can be used with any of the Indian scripts. Other multilingual products to be made available through this network of software distributors include multilingual database publisher (MDP), caption editor, and multi-publisher.
The DOE-aided GIST project is credited for having evolved standards for computerization of all Indian languages scripts. It has led to a standard alphabet representation - Indian Standard Code for Information Interchange (ISCII) - which has also been adopted by ISO. Intelligence-based script font code (ISFOC) has enabled international software packages such as Windows or desktop publishing software to be used for development of fonts thesaurus, and spelling checkers in Indian languages. It has also given a standard single keyboard for various Indian language scripts.
Work on GIST started back in 1983 as a DOE-sponsored project of Mohan Tambe and Vivek Gandhi at IIT, Kanpur. First demonstrated in 1983 at the International Hindi Sammelan in Delhi, GIST-based products are already being manufactured by 25 companies. In 1990 CDAC made the first commercial ASIC (GIST 9000) in India, which enabled a new range of multilingual products such as the GIST card and terminals. Meanwhile, Language Independent Program Subtitles (LIPS), an electronic subtitling technology has evolved through the base provided by GIST technology.
Calling GIST a significant achievement, N. Vittal, Secretary Department of Electronics (DOE), admitted DOE's failure in popularizing the development at the launching ceremony. But he lamented that while the technology development for Indian languages (TDIL) project was visualized with an outlay of Rs 17 crore, the DOE has been promised only Rs 5 crore as of this date.
Though not in such a big way, CDAC has followed the policy of commercializing from the beginning. DOE earned Rs 2 lakh by transferring the technology to manufacturers. Though a small sum this was more than the initial investment and it was the only project (more than 20 in all) that proved to be profitable for the DOE.
The development of GIST-based products has not cost CDAC much when compared to its sister mission, the PARAM supercomputer. While the cost of developing PARAM was Rs 30 crore, the money spent on the development of language technology software only Rs 3 crore.
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930701)
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930701)
7/1/93
India - Multilingual Computing
BUSINESS
HiSign - Signature Verification
BOMBAY, INDIA, 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- The Bombay-based Hinditron Informatics Ltd., has launched HiSign, a signature retrieval package on MS-Windows.
The signature retrieval in HiSign is based on user-defined primary or secondary indices. Using a handheld scanner signature specimens are converted into electronic images and stored in user defined fields appropriate for each application. The user can declare one or more fields to be an index for fast retrieval. The displayed signature images can be flipped or zoomed according to requirements.
There is a facility to store multiple signatures in each record and also to create multiple databases for different applications. A multiple level security feature to check unauthorized users is also built into the package.
A provision to export HiSign databases to other database formats is among other key features.
Hinditron claims that the package, which has both LAN and stand-alone versions, verifies about 200 signatures an hour. A similar signature verification package, called Signbank has been developed and sold by Tata Unisys Ltd.
Hinditron is targetting the package at banking and financial segments. HiSign is priced starting at Rs 30,000 ($1,000).
(C. T. Mahabharat/19930701)
($1,000).
(C. T. Mahabharat/19930701)
7/1/93
HiSign - Signature Verification Package
Microsoft Adds Visual Basic To E
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- Microsoft says it will integrate its Visual Basic programming language into some of its applications in order to make them easier for users to customize.
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, delivering the keynote address at the PC Expo trade show in New York City, said Visual Basic Application Edition will be integrated into spreadsheet program Microsoft Excel version 5.0 and business project planner Microsoft Project version 4.0. The newest versions of both programs are scheduled to ship in the fall.
Microsoft says incorporating Visual Basic into a program will enable users to develop customized business applications using object oriented programming that employs a building block-like technique, with each block containing programming code that accomplishes a particular task. The company says users can customize their own programs by taking blocks from other programs and combining them to meet specific needs.
Gates told showgoers, "The integration of Visual Basic in the Microsoft Office applications (Excel and Project are included in Microsoft Office, along with word processing program Microsoft Word and a license for electronic mail) with its support for OLE (object linking and embedding) 2.0 will give the customers the best way to quickly build powerful custom solutions using off-the-shelf applications."
It could also change the face of programming as we know it today. Instead of programmers laboring to produce or upgrade thousands of programs, each performing a different specific task, they would write "objects" that could be integrated into off-the-shelf spreadsheet or database software. With a high percentage of personal computers using Microsoft Windows as the operating environment of choice, and Microsoft's ability to market software like Excel and its popular word processing program Microsoft Word, this week's announcement is another step in Microsoft's campaign to keep a tight hold on the software market.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- Aldus Corporation has announced an application that links its desktop publishing program Pagemaker 5.0 for Windows to database management systems.
Called InfoPublisher Database Edition, the new program has a spreadsheet-like interface that allows users to query, retrieve and format information from popular database programs and insert the data in publications produced with Pagemaker. The company says users will be able to combine data from multiple database tables, calculate new fields based on any data in a database and sort the data "in practically any order."
Aldus users of InfoPublisher Database Addition will be able to put raw data from dBase, Paradox, FoxPro, Access, Excel and even ASCII text files into their PageMaker documents. "This new release will extend Pagemaker's publishing power by supporting data from leading database systems, with much tighter integration between PageMaker and the InfoPublisher interface," says Aldus Additions Senior Product Manager Karen Howe.
In addition to the InfoPublisher Addition, which is scheduled to ship in the third quarter, Aldus packages several other Additions with PageMaker designed to automate routine and repetitive tasks. InfoPublisher is the first stand-alone Addition the company has announced for PageMaker 5.0.
In order to use the InfoPublisher Addition you will need Windows 3.1 or higher, and Windows-compatible hardware. Aldus recommends a 486-based personal computer, six to eight megabytes (MB) of system memory, an 80MB hard drive, an EGA or Hercules graphics adaptor card, and a mouse or compatible pointing device.
InfoPublisher Database Addition will have a suggested retail price in the US of $199. Registered owners of Aldus PageMaker 4.0 Database Edition can upgrade for $79. Users who buy the Database Edition after June 29, 1993 will receive InfoPublisher at no cost. If you order the software through Aldus' customer Service before November 1, 1993 you can get InfoPublisher for $129.
DENVER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- Telecommunications company US West has announced a new digital messaging service that brings one step closer a telecommunications link between personal computers and cellular telephones.
Effective immediately US West cellular phone customers will be able to receive voice mail messages, pages, and callback numbers as well as conventional cellular phone service anywhere in the company's cellular service area using a new high-tech digital telephone.
"This is the first wave in the new world of what the industry is calling nomadic computing," Robert Rosenberg, president of Insight Research Corporation, a telephone industry research company, told The Denver Post newspaper. Joe Dodson, vice president of marketing for US West Cellular, says within one year customers will be able to send customized 14-characters from a laptop computer to the special digital cellular "smart phone" manufactured by Motorola and Nokia. The phones cost from $200 to $900 depending on the features offered, and the digital message service is $9.95 per month.
Using the new phones, customers will be able to receive short messages displayed in the window where the number of a cellular user appears, and a beep will signal that a message is waiting. Pressing a button will automatically connect the cellular phone to the US West voice mail service, and another feature takes a number when the call cannot be completed. The phone stores the number, which can be called by pressing the cell phone "Send" key.
The voice mail service has been available for some time to conventional cellular phone users signed up with US West Cellular.
UW West Cellular spokesperson Wendy Carver Herbert told Newsbytes the service is available in the Colorado area, as well as the Puget Sound area in the state of Washington. Herbert said that presently the digital messages consist of two pre-programmed messages, "Call Office" and "Call Home" as well as five additional ones "Code 1" through "Code 5" that the user can use to signify specific information.
The ability for callers to send the user-generated 14-character messages is a feature US West Cellular has asked Motorola to develop.
Rosenberg says US West Cellular is one of the more aggressive cellular companies, driven in part by the wide open spaces of the company's 14-state Rocky Mountain service area. "There are a lot of miles between phones in parts of Colorado," he told reporters.
US West is calling the new digital phone "MegaPhone." Half-page newspaper ads running in Colorado newspapers say the phone "costs no more than similar cellular phones without these great digital messaging capabilities."
(Jim Mallory/19930630)
(Jim Mallory/19930630)
7/1/93
US West Cell Phone - PC Link
TELECOM
UK - Mercury Reveals Plans For G
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, 1883 JUL 1 (NB) -- As reported earlier this year by Newsbytes, Mercury Communications has been busy this last few months setting up its global managed data service (GMDS) division. At Networks '93 this week, the company finally revealed its hand on the exact services available.
According to Mercury, the GMDS operation will operate along similar lines to the British Telecom global approach to provision of services, except that the service will be better and offer a higher level of value for money.
The GMDS will provide UK companies with access to packet data networks (PDNs) in more than 100 cities around the world, using a broadly similar logon system. The idea is to emulate the service offered by Computer Science Corporation (CSC) Infonet, which allows instant access around the world to PDNs without the need to preregister. All that is required is a single "one stop" subscription in the UK.
Unlike the BT and Infonet global services, the Mercury GMDS offering will be available on both a pay-as-you-go and a flat rate tariff system. The flat rate tariffs will be agreed on a per-user basis dependent on their estimated usage of the network.
Keith Joseph, Mercury's product marketing manager for GMDS, reckons that the service is unique in the market-place, thanks to parent company Cable & Wireless' operations around the globe. The bulk of GMDS ports outside of the UK are being provided through one or more of C&W's subsidiaries.
"For the first time, multinationals will be able to use international datacomms services based on a high quality consistent technological infrastructure, with uniform features and management information," he said.
Initially, services will be dial-up CCITT X.25, the international standard for PDN services, although plans are in hand to support systems network architecture (SNA) and frame relay standards in due course. There are also plans to implement future technologies such as cell relay, which supports both data and voice over a single data transmission, giving priority to voice transmissions.
(Steve Gold/19930701/Press Contact: Emma Tarring, Mercury Communications - Tel: 071-528-2547; Fax: 071-528-2629; Public Contact: Mercury Communications - Tel: 071-528-2000; fax: 071-528 2181; Toll-free [UK only] on 0500-500-194)
000; fax: 071-528 2181; Toll-free [UK only] on 0500-500-194)
7/1/93
UK - Mercury Reveals Plans For Global Managed Data Service
TELECOM
Monopoly Fears Cancel Chipsoft/M
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- Tax preparation software company Chipsoft has called off its proposed purchase of its largest competitor, Meca, due to concern on the part of the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice that the acquisition would give Chipsoft a monopoly.
Chipsoft originally announced its intention to purchase Meca in April of this year, but has announced several extensions to the merger due to investigations on the part of the Antitrust Division. The last extension, announced June 22, 1993 would have lasted until July 12, 1993. Meca would have been the third company in three years acquired by Chipsoft. In 1991, Chipsoft announced both the purchase of Park Technologies publisher of Taxease, and Softview producers of the Macintax product. Chipsoft's markets the Turbotax family of tax preparation software.
The Meca purchase would have left as the company's only competitors Parson's Technology with Personal Tax Edge, Softkey and its Easy Tax product, and several smaller players. Many of the competitors Chipsoft representatives named as offering tax preparation software are shareware vendors who market their software on a try-before-you-buy approach.
MECA's President and Chief Executive Officer Daniel M. Schley said in a prepared statement, "We are greatly disappointed by the termination of our tender offer with Chipsoft. During the past four months we have spent a great deal of time and effort on securing this transaction which we believed was in the best interests of our shareholders. The uncertainties created by the proposed transaction and the decision by the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice to challenge this merger have come at a great cost to Meca."
Meca lost money last year and has already announced it expects to report a loss for the 1993 fiscal year ending June 30, 1993. The loss for this year is above analysts expectations and Meca's stock dropped three and three to close at six and a quarter when the merger cancellation was made public. The company markets Managing Your Money, Taxcut, and Home Lawyer.
Chipsoft also reported a loss last year, but the company's stock is up one and a half, closing yesterday at ten and a half, after the news of its cancellation of the Meca merger. Year-end 1993 financial reports for Chipsoft are due to be out August 20, 1993, company sources said.
BOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUL 1 (NB) -- NEC Technologies, Inc., has a legal crusade on its hands -- to make the world safe for brand-name printer ribbons.
Saying it is "battling an industry-wide problem of counterfeit computer supplies," NEC has announced this month that it will "bring the full weight of the law down upon parties caught counterfeiting and/or knowingly selling counterfeited NEC equipment or supplies."
The company said it has lost millions of dollars in revenues -- a spokeswoman said she could not provide a more specific figure through the sale of supplies bearing its name but made by others. And according to NEC, the impostors have given customers problems ranging from poor print quality to actual printer failure.
NEC is working with the United States Customs Bureau and several shipments of counterfeit supplies have been seized on their way into the US, the company said.
Selling counterfeit goods is a federal felony in the US punishable by fines and imprisonment. It also violates federal and state statutes on trademark, copyright, and unfair and deceptive trade practices.
NEC is urging its customers to examine the packaging of all NEC printer supplies they buy, and to call the company at 800-388-8888 if anything seems suspicious. NEC is accepting tips about possible counterfeiting schemes at the same number. The company urges customers to buy only from authorized NEC dealers.
NEC is also implementing new security features in its supplies to reduce the risk to customers. The spokeswoman would not be specific, saying the company does not want to tip off counterfeiters to its plans, but she agreed that a hologram on the packaging -- something Microsoft Corp. has used to foil counterfeiters of its MS-DOS operating system -- would be a possibility.
(Grant Buckler/19930701/Press Contact: Beth Anderson Golin/Harris Communications for NEC, 312-836-7358)
arris Communications for NEC, 312-836-7358)
7/1/93
Will The Real NEC Ribbon Please Stand Up?
GENERAL
NECC - Paramount's Caulo Says He
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- Vice President Al Gore and Paramount Technology Group Keith Schaefer had to cancel their planned Wednesday keynotes at the National Educational Computer Conference. Ralph Caulo, president of the Paramount Publishing education group, replaced Schaefer. Newsbytes caught up with him and Computer Curriculum head Ron Fortune, who reports to Caulo, at the NECC press room.
Caulo's speech focused on Paramount's commitment to education as a corporation, "showing some of the things we're doing and thinking about doing. We're going to run the gamut, from simple audio to complex CD and CD-I and distance learning."
Caulo also expressed understanding of the fact that education debates don't involve technology. "I don't think" technology should be part of the public debate, he said. "Education has to catch up with the rest of society, using technology to its advantage. That's where it lags, and that's created problems. Everyone's for technology. But what they think it is, differs. Taxpayers are for technology. Have they stepped up to the cost or have we formulated a plan for how to implement, and what it's going to do? No."
The problem is, "Education has a disadvantage the private sector doesn't in implementing technology. They can't capitalize it. They don't have a method for capturing the investment in 18 months. It's hard to quantify." Thus, most of the education debate involves what will or will not be taught. "Technology allows for more choice than what was offered before. If someone wants to restrict the curriculum, technology allows for it. But that's not the intent."
Caulo manages 15 separate subsidiaries, many of which had small NECC booths in a shared corner of the show floor. Among the units are Prentice-Hall's education publishing divisions and Coronet Films, responsible for those old film strips you may remember if you attended school in the 1960s.
"Paramount corporate is a provider of educational-entertainment knowledge -- a continuum. What we're doing here is to show we've gone way beyond the book," he said, licensing characters like those from Richard Scarry's children's stories for new learning software. "What we're trying to say is that with technology integrated into the learning scheme, we're going to be able to not just learn more and faster, but retain and use it," he said.
Fortune expanded on the Scarry series for Newsbytes. "It's based on his playgrounds. It's developed for pre-schoolers. We've defined about 40 basic readiness skills and built playgrounds using Richard Scarry characters, in which we will develop those readiness skills. This will be on floppy disk and CD-ROM. It will be sold directly to consumers, through traditional means, but also to education through various ways. It will come out under the Paramount logo. We have another unit, Paramount Interactive which has the charter of moving our educational software to consumer markets."
He continued: "You can't afford to re-invent schooling. Technology should be the catalyst to maximize what they have in terms of facilities, and get to more kids in a timely fashion. With technology schooling shouldn't stop at the door at 3pm. But it does - historically other than homework. Technology should make it more palatable maybe you get another 15-30 minutes of learning going on, because of the use of technology."
Caulo also spoke up on behalf of the teacher's role in reforming education, a theme brought up the previous day by Jan Davidson of Davidson & Associates. "The teacher is becoming more powerful and rightly so. The teacher also has to have the responsibility for making that decision. I agree with Jan that the teacher is core. The boards of education are not taking over instruction. I think what we'll see more is demonstratable accountability. I hope technology will add to that and stimulate the student. I think the teachers will buy in very strongly. They've probably bought in more than we realized. The critical point is the teacher attracting the student who is the consumer, getting some of that enthusiasm and having the teacher be comfortable that learning is going on."
As to what will create a roadmap for adding more technology to schools, "I think necessity and peer pressures will create the roadmap. We're going to have to go in this direction. If public schools are to remain a great institution, they have to move in this direction. You can't just stand still. Technology's changing and combining of jobs has been very traumatic. it's not a smooth road. But it's necessary. And we at Paramount just feel real strongly about it, and have been going through these changes in digitizing everything. We're all facing the same thing. And schooling is a big industry. The most important one."
What attracts people like Caulo to the education market is mainly its potential, not its reality, he added. "Last year $5.5 billion was spent on videogames. $4 billion was spent on all educational materials, from chalk to PCs. The $5.5 billion was spent with no restrictions on it, voluntarily. There has to be something there we can learn - don't fight 'em." Caulo doesn't think edutainment is a bad thing. "One thing that got my attention is the amount of print support there is for videogames to increase your knowledge. There's a whole spin-off. There's motivation. Is it problem solving? I don't know."
He continued: "If you think about what Ron Fortune has said about the ideal teaching-learning situation, it's exactly what you have in games. They're totally goal-oriented. In what other venue can you get people to practice as they do in videogames? Many of those attributes we're looking for in education are demonstrated in videogaming. Why? Constant assessment - they're always informed where they are. I think there's going to be a blur between the school and consumer market. The whole emphasis on original stories, on teaching by writing," is identical.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930630)
writing," is identical.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930630)
6/30/93
NECC - Paramount's Caulo Says He Understands Education
GENERAL
NECC - A Tour Of The Show Floor
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- The National Educational Computer Conference is a professional conference, not a trade show. But it did have two separate exhibit halls where one could, at a glance, see the market's pecking order.
The main show floor was dominated by two booths, those of Apple Computer and IBM's EduQuest unit. Josten's, which actually sells more computers than either, had a smaller booth, without the "gee-whiz" of its two rivals. Its sales cycle concentrates more on principals, superintendents and school boards than teachers. Its booth was low-key.
The same could not be said for the other large booth at the show from Tandy's Computer City Direct unit. There, multimedia PCs were demonstrating educational titles, and the word throughout the booth was "sell, sell, sell." An equally high-pressure atmosphere was to be found in a smaller booth for Dell Computer.
Paramount's effort was divided among many small, clustered booths, with only an aisle sign identifying the fact that all had the same corporate parent. Other key software players, like Davidson & Associates, Broderbund, and MECC, had small booths demonstrating their latest software titles. Scholastic had two booths, one for its new on-line network, one for its books. All the major book publishers, including MacMillan and ScottForesman, also had small booths in the main hall.
Scholastic was not the only on-line offering at this show. About a half-dozen of the 10 by 10 booths in the second NECC hall were offering on-line systems of one sort or another. AT&T was demonstrating its Learning Network for teachers, while other Internet providers were showing their wares alongside market research companies. At one booth, from Market Research Plus, this reporter looked up his old high school, which he hasn't seen in 20 years, finding it smaller, with little technology, none of the old teachers, and a per-pupil expenditure now half of nearby rivals.
The other booths at the second hall were as diverse as the backrooms of an old Comdex or PC Expo. Included were distributors, security companies, makers of printed teaching materials, and a few real breakthroughs like the Roamer robot. While the 5,123 teachers who were registered attendees spent most of their time at this show in sessions, learning what their colleagues across the country were doing with meager resources there was steady traffic throughout both halls. The traffic was punctuated by school children who appeared to be mostly teachers' relatives, being treated with deference given real decision makers.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930630)
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930630)
6/30/93
NECC - A Tour Of The Show Floor
GENERAL
Japan - Proposed Digital VCR Sta
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- Ten Japanese and European electronics firms have been hammering out a proposed standard for the international digital video cassette recorder (VCR).
It is expected that the firms will create an association and announce possible specifications under the standard. It is speculated that the digital VCR could become one of the major products for the multimedia market.
The firms include Matsushita Electronics, Sony, Philips Thomson, Hitachi, Toshiba, Japan Victor Corporation, Sanyo Electric, Mitsubishi Electric, and Sharp.
According to Matsushita, the firm will make an announcement of the creation of the association and the standard specifications at the end of this week.
The digital VCR is claimed to be a unique data compression technology. Its tape is only 0.25-inch or 6.4-millimeters (mm) wide, which is about a half of current VHS tape. It can also reportedly record and replay pictures at an extra clear resolution.
It is reported that the tape can record a maximum of four hours. It is compatible with various high definition TV (HDTV) standards which include those being proposed as industry standards in the US and Europe.
However, there is no compatibility with the existing VHS and 8-mm VCRs. The ten firms are also talking about a standard on digital camcorders, which will be able to record an hour picture on a tape.
(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930630/Press Contact: Matsushita Electric, tel +81-3-3578-1237, fax +81-6-906-1749)
ic, tel +81-3-3578-1237, fax +81-6-906-1749)
6/30/93
Japan - Proposed Digital VCR Standard Soon
TRENDS
Sega & W-Industries In Virtual R
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- Sega Enterprises has signed an agreement with Britain's W-Industries which calls for both firms to jointly develop a virtual-reality arcade game device and software.
Under terms of the agreement, Sega Enterprises wants to develop a low-cost simulation helmet-type device. It is reported that W-Industries has developed an advanced virtual reality technology. Sega wants to incorporate the technology in the company's prototype device.
Sega's current head-mounted display allows game players to enter into an artificial playing environment. The companies hope that, with this head-gear and the software, users will be able to experience new three-dimensional games.
Current head-gear weighs about two to three kilograms, which is quite heavy. However, the new device is expected to weigh only around 500 grams.
The first prototype device is expected this August. The device will be manufactured by Sega and will be marketed worldwide by the end of 1993. The firm plans to create five kinds of software within two years.
Sega also wants to use the new device at its game parks, which are planned for Japan and overseas. To start, the firm plans to introduce the device at the game park in Osaka, which will open in early 1994.
(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930630/Press Contact: Sega Enterprises, tel +81-3-3743-7603, fax +81-3-3743-7830)
es, tel +81-3-3743-7603, fax +81-3-3743-7830)
6/30/93
Sega & W-Industries In Virtual Reality Deal
BUSINESS
Two Suspects Arrested In Connect
NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- Two Arizona men have been arrested in connection with a fraud case that involved using a fake automated teller machine (ATM) in a Connecticut mall to obtain the account numbers and identification codes of bank customers.
Alan Scott Pace and Gerald Harvey Greenfield, both of Tucson Arizona, are in custody and charged with fraud, conspiracy, and transportation of stolen property, after the illegally obtained codes were used to steal about $100,000 from bank accounts, Dan Marchitello, the Secret Service agent in charge of the investigation told Newsbytes.
Several warrants were outstanding for Pace on other offenses including credit-card fraud, Marchitello said.
The dummy bank machine was placed in the Buckland Hills Mall in Manchester, Connecticut from April 24 to May 9 of this year Marchitello said. It recorded the account numbers and personal identification numbers of bank customers. The thieves then used those numbers to withdraw money from customers' accounts at various bank machines up and down the East Coast of the United States.
Marchitello said Pace and Greenfield were arrested partly as a result of information from a New York company that had sold them coding and embossing equipment. The company said the men had not paid a $20,000 bill for the gear.
A court appearance is set for July 1. The Secret Service is seeking a third suspect who played a minor role in the scam Marchitello said.
(Grant Buckler/19930630/Press Contact: Secret Service New Haven, 203-865-2449)
Contact: Secret Service New Haven, 203-865-2449)
6/30/93
Two Suspects Arrested In Connecticut ATM Fraud
Northern Telecom Expects Loss, S
h MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- Northern Telecom has revealed that it expects to report a loss in its second fiscal quarter, which ends June 30.
The company also announced that Paul Stern, who had already been replaced as president and chief executive, has resigned as chairman. The quarterly loss will be Northern's first in almost five years.
Stern's departure is not likely a direct result of the expected second-quarter loss, though some observers link his earlier removal from the president's office to the company's troubles. Jean Monty, former chairman and chief executive of sister company Bell Canada, was brought in as president and chief operating officer of Northern last October, and took the chief executive's title from Stern in March.
A statement from the company said lower-than-expected sales of public switching equipment, along with continued price pressures will reduce Northern's gross margins in the second quarter and all of 1993. While revenues in Asia, the Pacific Rim, the Caribbean and Latin America are strong, North American and European revenues are growing more slowly than expected, officials said.
"The other shoe has fallen," commented Eamon Hoey, a Toronto telecommunications consultant. "I don't think the third quarter's going to be much better."
He claimed that Stern's management style - widely reported to be heavy-handed and confrontational - contributed to Northern's problems. He was optimistic for the future, however, saying Monty faces a difficult task, but "anyone who thinks Jean Monty doesn't have the stomach and nerve to take this, they're in for a surprise."
Northern also appointed a new chairman, O. Bradford Butler former chairman of Procter & Gamble Co. His appointment is effective immediately.
Also, Northern appointed W.B. (Brian) Hewat, former president and chief executive of Stentor Resource Centre, as chairman and chief executive of its Bell-Northern Research subsidiary. Stentor Resource Centre is part of the Stentor alliance of Canada's regional telephone companies, which includes Bell Canada. Northern said George C. Smyth, president of Bell-Northern, will focus on developing the research firm's core technologies and international expansion strategy.
(Grant Buckler/19930630/Press Contact: Tom Tropea, Northern Telecom, 416-566-3178; Gary Brandt, Northern Telecom 416-566-3098)
; Gary Brandt, Northern Telecom 416-566-3098)
6/30/93
Northern Telecom Expects Loss, Stern Leaves
TELECOM
IBM Canada Outsources, Creates N
+ MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- A shuffle at IBM Canada has created a new network services company analogous to the Advantis joint venture in the United States, while outsourcing the company's internal computer operations to ISM Information Systems Management, a services firm in which IBM Canada is the majority shareholder.
IBM Canada is combining its IBM Information Network (IIN) unit with its Telecommunications Services network to create a still-unnamed network services company. A wholly owned subsidiary of IBM Canada, the new unit will have about 210 employees at first, said Bob Milne, its general manager. It is already in operation, and Milne said he expects it will have a name in four to six weeks.
The new unit's employees will initially include about 150 who formerly ran computer and telecommunications services for IBM itself, Milne said. Another 150 of those people will be "loaned" to ISM to help the outsourcer take over IBM's computer operations. As the new network services organization grows, it will take those people back from ISM.
Tom McNulty, a spokesman for ISM, said his company expects to hire additional staff to help it handle the IBM contract, which he said is worth about C$15 million per year.
Combining ISM's existing Toronto computer center with IBM's facilities will create one of the largest computer centers in Canada, ISM officials said. IBM Canada owns 53 percent of ISM.
Milne said his new organization will set out to expand its business in providing network services to a variety of customers. The existing IBM Information Network unit already serves about 1,400 customers in Canada, he said.
As a worldwide operation, IBM Information Network has always enjoyed a good deal of independence from country subsidiaries Milne said. With the new arrangement in Canada, his group will be given only revenue and profit objectives by the parent company and will be otherwise independent.
The new Canadian subsidiary is somewhat like Advantis, IBM's networking joint venture with Sears Roebuck in the United States Milne said, except that it is wholly owned by IBM. Advantis is "a much more separate business than we would be at present," he said.
(Grant Buckler/19930630/Press Contact: Mike Quinn, IBM Canada 416-474-3900; Tom McNulty, ISM, 416-351-6506)
M Canada 416-474-3900; Tom McNulty, ISM, 416-351-6506)
6/30/93
IBM Canada Outsources, Creates Network Services Unit
Explosion In Home PCs Predicted
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- Market research group Channel Marketing is predicting "explosive" growth in the PC market in the next six years saying more than eight times as many personal computers (PCs) will be sold by 1999 than have been sold since the introduction of the PC.
The group also claims the majority of these computers will be purchased through mass marketing outlets, such as warehouse buying clubs, just as microwave ovens and video cassette recorders (VCRs) are now.
A high 2.5 computers per household is predicted by the end of the decade, up from 2.2 per household predicted a year earlier. At the end of 1992 there were an estimated 0.3 computers per household or about 30 million units. Contributing factors to the purchase of computers for the home include lower prices, increased mass market retail availability, increased growth in home-based businesses and telecommuting, educational needs of children, and the use of computers by college and university students, the group said.
In the educational environment, many higher educational institutions are now requiring that students own a computer. In the future, parents are also expected to offer each child their own computer as an educational advantage. The research firm also maintains families want to have access to on-line information utilities such as America Online, Compuserve, and Prodigy. The notebook computer will be as common in schools across America as the pocket calculator is today, Channel Marketing asserts.
By 1995, more than half of all computers purchased will be purchased through the consumer mass market channel. Since most computers come with the software installed, buying a computer will be no different than buying any other appliance for the home, Channel Marketing insists.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930630/Press Contact: David Goldstein Channel Marketing, tel 214-239-3309, fax 214-960-7159)
ting, tel 214-239-3309, fax 214-960-7159)
6/30/93
Explosion In Home PCs Predicted By 1999
TRENDS
New Typefaces From Adobe - Wild
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- Animals and trendy themes dominate one of Adobe's two newly released sets of fonts, the Wild Type collection. The other new set is the Adobe Type Basics set aimed at those who are starting a type library.
The Wild Type collection includes: Critter, creatures who say who they are by their letter by Craig Frazier; Cutout by Gail Blumberg, described as flexible figures of people; Studz, a typeface made to look like rivets by Michael Harvey; Rad designed around the skateboard "scene" by John Ritter; Mythos a typeface of legendary beasts by Min Wang and Jim Wasco; Toolbox, in which each letter looks like a tool, by Brian Strysko; Quake, inspired by an earthquake and designed by Fryda Berd; and Giddyup and Giddyup Thangs, with an old west theme by Laurie Szujewska. Five other fonts included from the Adobe Originals collection are: Myriad Sketch, Myriad Headline Myriad Tilt, Birch, and Utopia Headline.
Also announced is the Adobe Type Basics, a collection of 65 typefaces. "Adobe Type Basics is targeted at the entry-level customer who wishes to build a versatile library of high quality typefaces at an affordable price," said Brian Heuckroth senior product marketing manager for Adobe Type Products. The Basics package includes Adobe Type Manager with 13 standard typefaces, 22 standard typefaces from Adobe's Plus Pack, and 30 Adobe Type 1 typefaces.
Both the Wild Things collection and the Adobe Type Basics are available now through Adobe resellers for both the Apple Computer Macintosh and IBM compatible personal computer (PC) platforms. The Wild Things package carries a suggested retail price of $60. The Adobe Type Basics is $198, reduced from a suggested retail value of $2,000, Adobe maintains. In addition registered users of Adobe Plus Pack may upgrade to Adobe Type Basics for $39 through December 31, 1993.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930630/Press Contact: Sonya Schaefer, Adobe tel 415-962-2630, fax 415-961-3769; Public Contact, Adobe 800-833-6687)
15-961-3769; Public Contact, Adobe 800-833-6687)
6/30/93
New Typefaces From Adobe - Wild Types & Basics
GENERAL
PC Expo - Ultimedia Tools, Wider
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- In a press conference at PC Expo, IBM introduced three new Ultimedia products for the recently released OS/2 2.1 that are designed to make OS/2 a premier environment for creating and delivering multimedia.
In a suite of additional OS/2 announcements, IBM stated that the new version of the operating system, delivered to retail stores three weeks ago, will now be available with computers from Compaq Everex, and Unisys.
"OS/2 2.1 is everything DOS and Windows would like to have been and everything Windows NT would like to be, whenever it ships," stated Lee Reiswig, president of IBM's PSP (Personal Software Products) Division, in a press briefing where IBM issued the OS/2 announcements and also unveiled Pen for OS/2, PenDOS 2.2 and PC DOS 6.1.
The new multimedia tools for OS/2 2.1 are Ultimedia Builder/2, a multimedia presentation development package; Ultimedia Perfect Image/2 image processing and enhancement software; and Ultimedia Workplace/2, for linking multimedia information to relational databases.
In the OS/2 resale deals, OS/2 2.1 will be available on request for all current Compaq desktop and server products through Compaq's traditional reseller channels.
OS/2 2.1 will also be available for the Unisys PW2 Advantage and Advantage Plus series of PCs, including the new Intel Pentium based Advantage Plus models 5606 and 5608, as a companion operating system for Unisys "dual personality" Open A Series line of enterprise servers, and, initially as a shrink-wrapped package, for the newly released STEP VL bus system family from Everex.
Additionally, Everex has ported the IBM Symmetrical Multiprocessor software (OS/2 SMP) to its upcoming STEP dual processor desktop systems. Also at PC Expo, IBM is demonstrating SMP with extensions to OS/2 2.1. With SMP, application processes and threads are automatically dispatched by the operating system to run on any of several general purpose processors, a measure aimed at improving multitasking and multithreading performance.
"I'd like to congratulate IBM for the level of support they've given us," said John Paul, Compaq's vice president of sales, also speaking at the press conference. IBM hardware divisions are competitors to Compaq, but the IBM Personal Software Products Division, which produces OS/2 and other software offerings, is not stated Paul. "We've been placed on a very level playing field with IBM's personal computers," he commented.
In a question-and-answer period at the close of the briefing Reiswig was asked what sort of impact Windows NT will have on OS/2 sales when NT comes to market, an event that Microsoft CEO Bill Gates has promised will occur by July 24 in his keynote speech at PC Expo.
"Right now, we're competing against a phantom," responded Reiswig. "I kind of wish NT would come to market, because then we'll know what we're up against. But I don't think (the release of Windows NT) will have a dramatic impact."
The new Ultimedia products from IBM are slated to ship July 15. Ultimedia Builder/2, a package to list at $345, will provide a filmstrip-like work area where end users can drag-and-drop audio video, graphics and animation files to create a "story" or presentation.
End users will also be able to reorganize and edit presentations with cut, copy and paste, and embellish presentations with special effects. Professional users will be able to take advantage of the AVA/2 (Audio Visual Authoring) language for more sophisticated multimedia applications.
Ultimedia Perfect Image/2, a package to list for $175, will let users capture images from a variety of sources, and convert images between AVC (Audio Visual Connection), TIFF/Fax compressed, OS/2 bitmap, Windows 3.x bitmap, PCX, and TARGA file formats.
Users will also be able to enhance image through such tools as a mask, a grayscale feature, and a color wheel for choosing a color range or shifting the overall color tone for or away a specific color.
Ultimedia Workplace/2, also to list at $345, will include Light Table folders that will let users see and work with thumbnail pictures of multimedia files. Users will also be able to link multimedia files to a range of popular relational databases including dBase IV, Oracle, OS/2 Database Manager, and DB2/2, and to query Workplace/2 with the use of SQL (standard query language).
Through September 30, Ultimedia Builder/2 and Ultimedia Perfect Image/2 will be sold as a promotional bundle for $99, and Ultimedia Workplace/2 will also be sold for $99.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930630/Press contacts: Steven Malkiewicz IBM, 914-642-5449; Gary Baker or Jeff Insco, Technology Solutions for IBM, 212-505-9900)
Jeff Insco, Technology Solutions for IBM, 212-505-9900)
6/30/93
PC Expo - Ultimedia Tools, Wider Distribution For OS/2
PC Expo - IBM Unveils PC DOS 6.1
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- At PC Expo, IBM has unveiled PC DOS 6.1, an system slated for shipment July 24, along with plans to provide a free upgrade in September that will supply both PC DOS 6.0 and 6.1 with the disk compression capabilities of Microsoft's competing MS DOS 6.0.
In a press conference where the product was announced, IBM officials said that PC DOS 6.1 will be the only DOS to ship with pen extensions and PhoenixCard Manager Plus, software that provides advanced management of PCMCIA cards. PC DOS 6.1 will also include utilities from Central Point Software for backup memory management and scheduling, as well as newly developed anti-virus technology from IBM.
Lee Reiswig, president of IBM's PSP (Personal Software Products) Division, stated that IBM will be offering an upgrade that integrates a complete version of Addstor's SuperStor/DS into PC DOS 6.1 or 6.0. Speaking with Newsbytes after the press conference, a spokesperson said that the SuperStor/DS upgrade will become available in mid to late September.
According to Reiswig, Super Stor/DS will provide real-time data compression that can up to double the capacity of fixed and removable disks. The software will also include password protection, integral disk caching, enhanced memory management and support for Universal Data Exchange (UDS), a feature assuring that compressed files on removable media can be read by a DOS system, even if compression software is not installed.
SuperStor/DS will run with DoubleSpace and the Microsoft Real-time Compression Interface specification, allowing users to migrate from the Microsoft disk doubling software to DoubleSpace, a capability aimed, in particular, at environments in which information is shared between PC DOS and the Microsoft MS DOS product.
The PenDOS extensions included in PC DOS 6.1 are designed to let users navigate most mouse-based DOS applications using a pen. PhoenixCard Manager Plus, a technology from Phoenix Technologies includes the EZInstall feature for simplified installation and configuration, Advanced Power Management (APM), support for hot insertion and removal of PCMCIA cards without rebooting, and several DOS and Windows utilities geared to ease of use, including display of PC card slot configuration status.
The utilities from Central Point include Central Point Backup (for DOS and DOS/Windows), the RAMBoost memory management utility undelete and a program scheduler.
The new AntiVirus utility is designed to scan for, identify, and eliminate over 1,400 computer viruses, Reiswig told the reporters. The tool also offers such features as a small memory footprint, a fuzzy logic engine to assist in identifying mutating viruses, and advanced false alarm avoidance.
PC DOS 6.1 will be list priced at $189 for the base product and $109 for an upgrade from a previous edition of DOS. For the first 90 days, though, the product can be obtained for $59.99 by calling 1-800-342-6672.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930630/Press Contacts: Deborah Siegel, IBM tel 642-5377; Gary Baker, Technology Solutions for IBM, tel 212 505-9900)
ry Baker, Technology Solutions for IBM, tel 212 505-9900)
6/30/93
PC Expo - IBM Unveils PC DOS 6.1, Disk Doubling Upgrade
PC Expo - IBM Intros Pen For OS/
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- At PC Expo, IBM has introduced Pen for OS/2 and PenDOS 2.2, the first two pen operating systems from IBM to be available direct to end users.
Like previous editions of PenDOS, the two new systems will also be available pre-installed on hardware from a variety of vendors officials said in introducing the products. Hardware vendors that have endorsed the new Pen for OS/2 include Dauphin, AST, Tusk TelePad, and FTG Data Systems.
In version 2.2, PenDOS has added support for opaque tablets, a capability shared by Pen for OS/2. Pen for OS/2 allows users to operate almost any OS/2, Windows or DOS application using the pen instead of a mouse. PenDOS does the same for almost any DOS application.
The pen operating systems can also be used with applications specifically designed for pen computing. Pen for OS/2 and PenDOS 2.2 each ship with two applications of this kind. Pen for OS/2 comes with Telepen, a collaborative "chalkboard" application, and Sketchpad, a tool for creating freehand drawings. For PenDOS 2.2 the bundled software includes expense reporting and freehand fax applications.
Pen for OS/2 also provides a extensive selection of standard handwriting gestures to control applications. PenDOS 2.2 supplies a smaller subset of the same gestures. On both systems, gestures can also be user-defined to execute menu commands or macros in both pen-based and traditional applications.
Other features common to both pen systems including a handwriting recognition that users can "train" to their own handwriting characteristics, a handwriting recognition window designed to accept handwriting and pass it back to the application as traditional text, and a pop-up on-screen keyboard that lets users enter traditional text, numbers and commands using the pen.
According to officials, the Telepen application that accompanies Pen for OS/2 allows networked users to share a common space for viewing, drawing and annotating. Screen captures can be easily imported into Telepen.
In addition, drawings created with the Sketchpad tool in OS/2 can be inserted into other applications through the use of the system clipboard.
The expense reporting application bundled with PenDOS 2.2 is intended for keeping track of and tallying expenses while traveling. The freehand fax application lets users create hand written faxes, and send these faxes by means of a pen-based computer and Class 2-compatible fax modem.
The two new pen operating systems are available now to end users at a price of $89 each. Volume pricing is available for OEMs (original equipment manufacturers).
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930630/Press contacts: Rob Crawley, IBM, tel 914-766-3963; Gary Baker, Technology Solutions for IBM, tel 212 505-9900; End-user contact: IBM, tel 800-342-6672; Developers' contact: IBM, tel 404-238-2200; OEM contact: IBM, tel 800-426-4 579.
404-238-2200; OEM contact: IBM, tel 800-426-4 579.
6/30/93
PC Expo - IBM Intros Pen For OS/2 And PenDOS 2.2
Networks '93 - US Robotics' Phas
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- US Robotics used the Networks '93 show in the United Kingdom to announced the second phase of its shared access local area network (LAN) connectivity product range.
As well as showing off an enhancement to its modem sharing kit that allows network users to send a fax over a shared modem, the company unveiled two new network access units that integrate modem technology with LAN hardware.
The two network access units are the LAN modem for Ethernet and the Communications Server 386 for Ethernet. Both units allow inwards and outwards dialing for a LAN that uses a modem to move data around.
The UKP995 standalone LAN access unit allows a modem to be woven into the framework of a LAN without the need for a PC, or a dedicated system node on the network. The idea of the unit is to allow networks to be linked together over the public switched telephone network (PSTN) on a pay-as-you-go basis, with the advantage that mobile users can also gain access to the LAN on demand.
The UKP1,295 Communications Server 386, meanwhile, combines a high speed modem and a PC for linking to a network. The system provides all the facilities that the LAN modem for Ethernet does, but with the added advantage of allowing non-PC users to dial in to the network and access applications software as if they were driving a PC.
Both units support V.32Bis -14,400 bits-per-second (bps) - speeds plus, are what USR claims to be "field upgradable to V.Fast." V.Fast is the soon-to-ship 28,000 bps modem standard being developed by several modem manufacturers, under the watchful eye of the CCITT international telecoms regulatory body.
According to USR, the enhanced modem sharing kit (MSK) is pitched at a slightly lower level of user than the Ethernet "black boxes." The UKP799 MSK claims to provide a shared fax facility on a LAN for around half the cost of a dedicated LAN fax gateway. A dual port version is available for UKP1,094.
(Steve Gold/1993063/Press & Public Contact: US Robotics - tel 0753-811180, fax 0753-811191)
US Robotics - tel 0753-811180, fax 0753-811191)
6/30/93
Networks '93 - US Robotics' Phase II LAN Plan
GENERAL
Networks '93 Show Opens In UK
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, 1993 JUN 20 (NB) -- Networks '93, the annual communications show, takes place in Birmingham this week. As the show opened Tuesday, it was obvious that the recession that its still sweeping the computer industry has not affected the connectivity marketplace.
In total, more than 350 vendors have turned out for the three-day event, with more than 16,000 visitors to the show expected by the organizers, Blenheim Online.
Amidst all the local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs) and other connectivity options, the buzzword this year seems to be "flexible networking" technology. 3Com announced its networking technology for 1993 - collapsible backbones - which center around installing asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network technology into a network system progressively. Coupled with 10 and 100 megabit-per-second (Mbps) Ethernet networking, 3Com claims that its approach is flexible, despite costing rather more than the 100Mbps networking technologies from other vendors.
ATM features predominantly at the show, despite the fact that the cost per network node of ATM technology is typically ten times the $200 per node costs of Ethernet. Other technologies on show included 100Mbps systems from a variety of vendors, most of whom showed their products actually working over Type 3 and Type 5 unshielded Ethernet networks.
Networks' 93 runs through Thursday of this week.
(Steve Gold/19930630)
week.
(Steve Gold/19930630)
6/30/93
Networks '93 Show Opens In UK
GENERAL
PC Expo - ProtoGen+ Visual Dev S
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- At PC Expo ProtoView has introduced ProtoGen+, a visual development system for Windows applications that is designed to replace the ProtoGen Application Generator and ProtoView Screen Manager, Menu Designer Library and Dialog Editor.
Aimed at C/C++ as well as Pascal applications, the new object oriented environment provides point-and-click, drag-and-drop programming, officials said in announcing the development system.
Other capabilities include a live test mode, the ProGen+ Visual Development Workbench and operability with the company's upcoming SQL View database front end and Visual Coders, along with such features as range validation, choice checking, and complete MDI (multiple document interface) support.
The new test mode is meant to be used before code is generated or the application compiled. According to the company, the user starts with a standard menu, tool bar and status line, and then fills out the menu with bitmaps, separators and cascaded items.
Status line messages for menu items, child windows, and pop-up windows are then added in, along with common dialogs for file open, file save, help, color selection, and printer setup.
The developer then mixes in dialogs and data entry screens complete with data validation, picture masking, three-dimensional effects, colors, and fonts. After being connected with the use of floating menus, the application is ready for a simulated run.
The ProtoGen+ Visual Development Workbench is a set of tools that includes the ViewPaint Dialog Editor, a menu designer, code generators, and the ProtoGen+ Library, and the WinControl Library.
The ViewPaint Dialog Editor employs a WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is what-you-get) approach to developing application windows, data entry forms and dialog boxes. The developer can use a data validation feature to verify user-defined ranges, choice lists mandatory fields, or table lookups.
Other functions include the ability to establish DDE (dynamic data exchange) links between fields in a dialog and other applications set help messages for each control in a dialog to be displayed automatically when the user presses the F1 key, create user defined error messages, and design and select tools that will be automatically loaded and displayed on the top, bottom, or either side of a dialog box.
The menu designer, also a WYSIWYG tool, is designed to let developers quickly design and link menu resources, and save them to single or multiple menu template files.
Also in the menu designer, developers can create pop-up menus produce checked and grayed menu items, place bitmaps as menu items, copy and paste menu items, and insert menu breaks and separators.
The code generator in ProtoGen+ builds on and is completely compatible with ANSI C for Borland, Microsoft, Watcom and Zortech C++ for Borland's OWL, C++ for Microsoft's MFC, and Pascal with Objects.
The ProtoGen+ Library is a new DLL (dynamic link library) of more than 175 screen management functions. The library supports C class libraries from Borland and Microsoft, displaying data entry dialogs as MDI windows. The library can also be used to browse files and reports, create DDE objects, animate objects on the screen, and edit files from Windows programs.
The WinControl Library is a DLL of 14 custom controls that add to the six standard Windows controls. These include controls for buttons, numerics, dates, colors, currencies, real numbers strings, 3D effects, tables, bitmaps, icons, tickers, and more.
Operability with SQLView will provide visual access to over 30 different database products, including Excel, DB2, dBASE compatibles, Oracle, Paradox, Btrieve, SQL Server, and NetWare Server, officials said.
ProtoGen+ will also be fully compatible with snap-in Visual Coders that extend the data collection and code generation capability. New coders will include Multimedia, MAPI, a report writer, and OLE 2.0, according to the company.
ProtoGen+ is slated to ship July 15. On an introductory basis, the product will be available for $199. List price is $395. Upgrades are $99.95 for current ProtoGen customers, and $79.95 for customers who now have both ProtoView and ProtoGen.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930629/Press contact: Eileen R. Carlson ProtoView Development Co., 908-329-8588; Reader contact: 800-231-8588)
nt Co., 908-329-8588; Reader contact: 800-231-8588)
6/30/93
PC Expo - ProtoGen+ Visual Dev System For Windows
PC Expo - Low-Cost, High Res Sca
( NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- At PC Expo this week, UMax is rolling out a low-cost, high resolution scanner for IBM-compatible PCs, Apple Macintoshes and Unix workstations.
Priced at $2,495 for the Windows and Mac models and $2,645 for Unix, the new UC1260 flatbed scanner is designed for use in desktop publishing, computer graphics, and other applications requiring resolution of up to 2400-by-2400 dpi (dots per inch), said Aileen Yang, marketing director, in an interview with Newsbytes.
Yang told Newsbytes that, like the company's high-end 30-bit, one pass UC1200S flatbed scanner, the new 24-bit, three-pass UC1260 reaches an optical resolution of 600-by-1200 dpi, a level that is raised to 2400-by-2400 dpi through software interpolation.
The only scanners that achieve hardware-only resolution of this degree are drum scanners, a category priced in the $10,000 to $500,000 range, said Yang.
"A professional might be able to tell the difference between the results obtained from a drum scanner and our flatbed scanners with software interpolation, if the image is enlarged. But to most eyes, the results are indistinguishable," she said.
The UC1260 is also noteworthy for its high-speed scanning amounting to 135 seconds-per-page (spp) for color and 12 spp for line art, according to the marketing director.
The new scanner joins a family that also includes the UMax UC630 for low-end desktop publishing. Yang told Newsbytes that all UMax scanners feature drivers that are fully TWAIN-compatible, meaning that users can scan images from any application that supports the TWAIN standard.
The driver also provides such capabilities as an interactive preview window, zoom, automatic exposure, and gamma correction for brightness control.
The Windows and Mac versions of the UC120 are bundled with Photoshop, and the Unix model with Core software for image editing and retouching. The Unix model operates with Sun Sparcstations IBM RS/6000, and DEC Ultrix.
Options include an automatic document feeder, priced at $495, and a transparency adapter, priced at $1,895. Yang told Newsbytes that all models of the UC1260 will ship in mid-July.
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- Microsoft Corporation says it will begin shipping release 2.0 of Microsoft Publisher, its desktop publishing program for Windows next month.
Microsoft Publisher, a low-end desktop publishing program, is designed for users who have little or no experience in graphic design. Typical applications include newsletters, flyers brochures, banners, invitations, greeting cards, business forms, and calendars.
One of the more than 25 new features is Cue Cards, an online advisor that helps users design their creations by clicking on a help button. There are also enhanced PageWizard design assistants, a form of interactive template that asks users a series of design questions to create a custom publication.
Publisher comes with 35 templates for various applications and a feature called QuickDemos is available for the first time user that shows various desktop publishing tasks like layering of frames. Features called Layout Checker and Print Troubleshooter are available to help ensure the publication looks professional and will print correctly.
Microsoft says it has also added some advanced features particularly in the area of text handling. Word Art, a text effects feature, can be used with any TrueType font and typography techniques such as kerning, tracking, auto-hyphenation and justification are also available. Users can create text in their favorite word processor and import that document into Publisher 2.0. For multi-page creations, Publisher can automatically insert "continued on" or "continued from" at the appropriate place, and text drag-and-drop is supported.
Microsoft says Publisher is its first application to provide support for OLE 2.0. OLE stands for object linking and embedding, a technology that allows the user to create a text, graphics, video or other file, and either link that file or embed it in the original file.
The company says Publisher 2.0 will ship in July in the US with international versions (Dutch, French, French-Canadian German, Italian, spanish and Swedish) available in the fall of 1993. A CD-ROM edition of Microsoft Publisher 2.0 is also scheduled for the fall.
Publisher 2.0 has a suggested retail price of $199, but is available with special introductory pricing of $139 until September 30, 1993. Microsoft is including a $20 rebate coupon in the Publisher box that can be redeemed by users of Publisher 1.0, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office, and Microsoft Works.
System requirements for Publisher include DOS 3.1 or higher Windows 3.1 or higher, a personal computer with a 286 or better processor, 4 megabytes (MB) of system memory, six to 13MB of available hard disk space for the program files a 3.5-inch 1.44MB high-density floppy drive, a mouse or compatible pointing device, and VGA or better video graphics adapter.
(Jim Mallory/19930629/Press contact: Karen Meredith Microsoft Corporation, 206-882-8080; Reader contact: Microsoft Corporation, 206-882-8080 or 800-426-9400)
soft Corporation, 206-882-8080 or 800-426-9400)
6/29/93
Microsoft Announces Publisher 2.0 For Windows
Financial Software Vendors Embra
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- At least seven vendors of financial services software showed Windows NT-based software for the financial industry at the Securities Industry Association conference meeting in New York City this week.
The vendors, including Desktop Data, Fides Informatik, Market Vision Corporation, Micrognosis, Teknekron Software, Townsend Analytics and Track Data, demonstrated software ranging from trader workstation and analysis packages to quote servers and tools for incorporating real-time data in applications. The vendors say the programs are indicative of a growing momentum toward the recently announced Windows NT as well as other Microsoft Windows-based technologies in the financial services industry.
In addition to the demonstrations, the Open Market Data Council for Windows-based applications announced its decision to examine the use of Microsoft's object linking and embedding (OLE) as a standard for integrating real-time data into Windows-based applications. The group is comprised of suppliers to the financial services industry that now has 56 members including the NYSE and NASDAQ stock exchanges. The group says using OLE would make that technology the framework for the Windows Open Services Architecture (WOSA) Extensions for Real-time Market Data, a specification the council is in the process of drafting.
If the standard is adopted, users of real-time market data would be able to access information from a variety of vendors and sources and developers would find it easier to build integrated applications that incorporate live data feeds. Professional traders are interested in obtaining stock market information on a real-time basis in order to make buy and sell decisions promptly. The group also says that since OLE version 2.0 is an existing technology developers would be able to work with real-time data without having to learn a new programming interface.
"The power and reliability of Windows NT will provide a high-performance platform for developing the next generation of data-intensive financial services applications," according to Louis Morgan, chairman of financial quotations service PC Quote.
In addition to the seven vendors showing specific applications more than 25 other vendors reportedly have Windows NT-based financial services applications under development. Many of those companies are participants in Microsoft's Solutions Providers program that gives early access to new Microsoft products as well as technical and marketing support.
WOSa is an open environment technology from Microsoft to support applications using Windows. The WOSA Extensions for Real-time Market Data, announced by the council in late 1992, is designed to extend the benefits of WOSA to applications that incorporate real-time market data.
(Jim Mallory/19930629/Press contact: Microsoft Corporation 206-882-8080 or 800-426-9400)
soft Corporation 206-882-8080 or 800-426-9400)
6/29/93
Financial Software Vendors Embracing Windows
PC Expo - Gates Promises NT By J
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- Windows NT will ship by July 24, Microsoft's new Chicago operating environment is about a year away, and the first applications to use OLE 2.0 technology will be released in the third quarter, said Microsoft CEO Bill Gates in a keynote speech and press conference at PC Expo this morning.
During the keynote, Gates announced that the upcoming Microsoft Excel 5.0 and Microsoft Project 4,0 will each incorporate the Visual Basic programming system, Applications Edition, a macro language that includes support for OLE (object linking and embedding) Automation 2.0. Both applications will be delivered this fall, he added.
OLE 2.0 gives users "remote control" over functionality in supporting applications, allowing changes to be made in embedded applications without exiting the primary application. The technology is especially useful for quick development of custom applications, Gates asserted.
Visual Basic will serve as the common macro language in future versions of applications for the Windows and Macintosh operating systems in The Microsoft Office as well as other Microsoft applications, he stated.
In a wide ranging Q&A session with the press right after the keynote, Gates reaffirmed a pledge first made when he introduced Windows NT at Spring Comdex last month.
Gates renewed his NT vow after a journalist noted that, during the PC Expo keynote, the CEO had mentioned that NT would ship "in another 60 days." Elaborated the reporter: "That's what you said at Comdex."
Responded Gates: "When did I say that? On May 24? Well then Windows NT will ship by July 24."
Chicago, an operating environment now being prototyped by Microsoft will represent an enhancement of Windows 3.1, much as Microsoft's upcoming Cairo environment will be the "next generation" of Windows NT, Gates told the journalists.
Meanwhile, Windows NT itself will serve as "a form of Unix," and in fact, "the most popular form of Unix," he said. Due to long-standing experience in the mass software marketplace Microsoft will be able to introduce new applications and upgrades more quickly than traditional Unix vendors, he suggested.
In addition, Windows NT will not be faced by the compatibility issues that plague the existing flavors of Unix, he said. "But NT will be only one form of Unix. It will not replace Unix," he concluded.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930629/Press contacts: Annie Scully or Mark Haviland, Bruno Blenheim, tel 800-829-3976)
runo Blenheim, tel 800-829-3976)
6/29/93
PC Expo - Gates Promises NT By July 24
ECHO To Have Full Internet Conne
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- Echo Communications Group has announced that its ECHO (East Coast Hang-Out) conferencing system will install full Internet capability in July 1993.
Full Internet capabilities will allow subscribers to communicate via electronic-mail across the entire Internet to any of its estimated 15 million users. It will also allow the use of the "telnet" feature which allows users to remotely log on to computers throughout the world. Additionally, full access allows the gathering of information via "FTP" (File Transfer Protocol).
ECHO has been the subject of recent articles in The Village Voice and Details magazine in large part because of its large percentage of female participants. ECHO has almost a 40 percent female membership in contrast to an average of 10 percent on other systems.
ECHO's conferences include Cyberia, Culture, Sex, Movies & TV and Music. ECHO subscribers also have access to WON (The Woman's On-line Network) which concerns itself primarily with political and social issues involving women.
Stacy Horn, president of Echo Communications, told Newsbytes that "We are opening up the brilliant, witty, in-your-face salon to the world."
Horn told Newsbytes that the charges for ECHO will be revised to add a $9 monthly fee for those existing ECHO clients who use the full Internet facilities. There will be no additional charge for those who do not choose the full Internet option although they will now receive the benefit of Internet connection for e-mail.
Horn explained the new charge structure to Newsbytes, saying, "A person can pay $19.95 and receive either full use of the ECHO conferencing system or full Internet capability - that price is $13.75 for students. An additional $9 for a total of $28.95 or, for a student, $22.75 brings full use of ECHO with full Internet capability."
Horn said that July 19 is the target date to be up and running with full Internet capability. At that time, her e-mail address will change from "horn@echo.panix.com" to "horn@echo.nyc.com
(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19930628/Press Contact: Stacy Horn, ECHO Communications Group, tel 212-255-3839 e-mail horn@echo.panix.com)
212-255-3839 e-mail horn@echo.panix.com)
6/30/93
ECHO To Have Full Internet Connectivity
GENERAL
Logo Foundation Publishes New Ne
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- The Logo Foundation has published "Logo Update," the premiere issue of a new newsletter to be published three times a year. The first issue features a lead article, called "Where's the Elephant", by MIT professor Seymour Papert, often referred to as "the father of Logo."
Papert, author of "Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas" and the soon-to-be released "The Children's Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer," discusses Logo as a teaching tool and its strengths and weaknesses after 25 years of use. The title of the article relates to Papert's use of an old story about three blind men and an elephant to explain the different views of Logo held in the educational and computing communities. In the story, the first blind man touches the ear of the elephant and says "It's a curtain." The second touches the leg and says, "It's a huge pillar." The third touches the tail and says "No, no, it's a small snake."
The initial issue also contains an article by Michael Tempel, president of the Logo Foundation, tracing the development of Logo as an educational tool. There are other articles by a variety of educators around the world on related topics as well as resource listings for Logo software sources, Logo courses, and Logo users groups.
(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19930629/Press Contact: Tessa R. Harvey, Logo Foundation, tel 212-765-4918, fax 212-765-4789)
ation, tel 212-765-4918, fax 212-765-4789)
6/30/93
Logo Foundation Publishes New Newsletter
GENERAL
Creative Labs Intros Multiple Pr
MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- Creative Labs probably best known by most consumers for its SoundBlaster audio boards, has introduced a number of new offerings and announced plans for other products.
Among the new products is a new version of its VideoSpigot for Windows digital video capture card for the PC. The company has bundled VideoSpigot for Windows with the Cinepak codec (compressor/decompressor) and Microsoft Video for Windows. VideoSpigot offers capture rates up to 30 frames per second, and will sell at a suggested retail price of $399.
Creative claims to be the first company to utilize and ship the Cinepak codec, a technology licensed from graphics peripheral supplier SuperMac Technology. Cinepak is a video software codec which the company claims can achieve ratios of up to 20:1 with virtually no loss of image quality compared to original uncompressed 24-bit AVI files.
At the same time the company is also planning a number of desktop video-conferencing products for Windows using technology from ShareVision Technology, which Creative acquired in June.
According to Creative, ShareVision's ShareView and ShareView Plus products operate over a single standard telephone wire and allow users to simultaneously collaborate on the same documents in real-time, regardless of whether both users have the same installed software. ShareView Plus also features real-time, live color video of both parties.
In announcing the ShareView products, Hock Leow, Creative's vice president of video product marketing, said: "With our future line of affordable ShareView video products for the PC and our present best-sellers Video Blaster and VideoSpigot, we can further broaden our already large base of PC video end-users while we still aggressively market and support the development of the ShareView line for the Macintosh."
Creative claims that the ShareView products are the only add-on boards on the market that allow users to transmit video, voice and data over a single standard analog telephone line, enabling users to simultaneously collaborate on the same document. ShareView Plus offers a proprietary video-compression ratio of 350:1.
Creative Labs has also introduced the Sound Blaster DigitalEdge CD multimedia upgrade kit for the PC. The kit features Sound Blaster 16 with advanced signal processing and a double speed multi-session CD-ROM drive. According to the company, the kit exceeds the advanced multimedia capabilities of the MPC Level 2 specifications. The kit also provides real-time hardware compression. The double-speed, XA-ready internal CD-ROM drive with multi-session Photo CD-compatibility offers a 350 millisecond (ms) access rate.
Bundled software includes Creative's VoiceAssist speech-recognition software, multimedia software, word processing and database management programs, productivity tools, and a microphone and speakers.
Sound Blaster 16 is the company's 16 bit CD-quality sound card which uses a programmable advanced signal processor for high speed digital signal processing and real-time hardware compression and decompression. The card also features an add-in connector for Wave Blaster, Creative's General MIDI (musical instrument digital interface)-compliant wave-sample synthesis daughterboard. The Sound Blaster DigitalEdge CD retails for $999.
The company has also released the Creative OmniCD, an MPC Level 2 CD kit that the company says provides a low cost, high quality CD system for all PCs.
In addition to the Creative Double Speed Technology, XA-ready multi-session internal CD-ROM drive, the kit also offers Aldus Photo-Styler SE Photo-CD access and imaging software, and an interface card that functions with all manufacturers' audio cards. Creative OmniCD will sell at an expected street price of $299.
Creative says it has the exclusive rights to Aldus Photo-Styler SE and is the first Photo-CD access and imaging software ever to be offered in a CD kit.
The Creative Double Speed Technology CD-ROM drive was co-developed by Creative and Matsushita, and offers 680 megabyte (MB) storage capability, 350 ms access time, and an automatic front-loading tray.
The company has also announced that its VoiceAssist speech recognition system will begin shipping in mid-July as a stand-alone Windows software product for most PC audio cards including 8- and 16-bit Sound Blaster cards.
According to the Creative, the program automatically recognizes and activates all menu commands in Windows applications and allows for a user-defined vocabulary of over 30,000 words. VoiceAssist has been available with Creative's 16-bit Sound Blaster audio cards.
Arnold Waldstein, director of marketing for Creative Labs, said: "There is enormous potential for the use of speech-recognition in entertainment and education as well as business and productivity applications. This area is virtually untapped at present, which makes the VoiceAssist API particularly attractive to the development community. The demand for software which utilizes speech-recognition technology will also increase as this potential is realized and implemented."
VoiceAssist is compatible with most major 8-bit and 16-bit PC sound boards on the market which have a Windows 3.1 driver and microphone input capability, says the company. It will continue to be bundled with Sound Blaster boards. VoiceAssist software is bundled with a microphone and retails for $99.
BURLINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- Easel has begun expanding its Enfin line of client/server development tools into the worlds of Unix, multimedia, and "legacy" applications built on older host systems.
Easel launched Enfin SQL Edition for AIX Motif, which runs on IBM's RS/6000 workstations and servers. The company said the new version of Enfin, object-oriented software already available for Windows and OS/2, is the first of a number of Unix versions planned.
"I can't give you any dates," company spokesman Douglas Clauson said, but Easel plans versions of Enfin for Santa Cruz Operation Hewlett-Packard, and Sun Microsystems variants of Unix.
Enfin Commbuilder is meant to help software developers build client/server applications around existing host-based systems that are networked to personal computers. Clauson said the software, available for the Windows and OS/2 versions of Enfin makes it easier to surround existing host applications with graphical front-end components.
Enfin Commbuilder is available immediately as part of the Distributed Presentation Option for Enfin, which lists for $3,995.
Enfin Multimedia is designed to help developers build sound, still images and live-motion video into applications. Easel said it will be suited to applications where images, photographs, and associated commentary are critical, such as insurance claims processing and legal record keeping. Enfin Multimedia is to be available in the third quarter for Enfin for Windows, with a list price of $1,995.
Enfin for AIX is based on the SmallTalk object-oriented programming language. Easel said developers can use it to build applications that take advantage of AIX's multiuser, multitasking environment and can be ported seamlessly to Windows and OS/2. Enfin applications developed for Windows or OS/2 also can be moved to AIX.
Enfin for AIX uses the Motif graphical user interface (GUI). Easel also said Enfin for AIX is the first client/server development tool to adopt the Common Open Systems Environment (COSE) by providing Common User Access (CUA) '91 constructs such as notebook and slider. The development environment provides a suite of client/server development tools and supports major Unix and mainframe databases, such as Oracle, Sybase, and Informix.
Enfin for AIX is due to ship in the third quarter, with a list price of $7,900.
(Grant Buckler/19930629/Press Contact: Douglas S. Clauson Easel, 617-221-3088)
Clauson Easel, 617-221-3088)
6/30/93
Easel Expands Enfin Family
October is Computer Learning Mon
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- October is Computer Learning Month, according to the Computer Learning Foundation of Palo Alto, California. This year it has awarded what it calls a seal of approval for schools to 72 computer, software, and related products.
The foundation awards these products "Computer Learning Dollars." This is a new program sponsored by Tetra Pak, which makes drink boxes, and will be piloted in North Carolina, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.
Schools can earn the Computer Learning Dollars by saving the symbols on Tetra Pak drink boxes from a variety of products. The symbols can be traded in for discounts on a catalog of approved products sent by the foundation. Principals in the states will be sent a kit in August. Office Depot is sponsoring the program in North Carolina.
Computer Learning Month started as a project of the Software Publishers Association in 1987, and was spun-out a year later. The group publishes a number of books and pamphlets aimed at helping parents sort through learning software choices.
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- Math Trek, an educational program for personal computers running DOS and the Microsoft Windows graphical user environment, developed by a school board, will soon be offered through a subsidiary of Unisys Canada and Addison-Wesley Publishers.
The Carleton Roman Catholic School Board developed Math Trek for Grade 7, 8, and 9 students as part of a project aimed at creating a new core curriculum for what the board calls, "the transition years."
According to its creators, Math Trek is a modular program that makes much use of graphics and animation. It is designed for self-directed, self-paced learning, with each module containing tutorial lessons, practice material, and tests. There are also an on-line glossary and help, a detailed teacher's manual and a student tracking and recording system.
The program's seven modules cover algebra, fractions, integers geometry, percentages, graphics, and whole numbers and decimals. It covers about 70 percent of the Province of Ontario's math curriculum for the three grades, the developers claim.
Development was supported by the NECTAR Foundation, a charitable body associated with the Carleton Roman Catholic School Board.
Howard Neubauer, president of Unisys Canada subsidiary Iconix International, said his company will promote the software to its customers. Iconix sells computer hardware and software to the education market. However, buyers will be referred to Addison-Wesley, which will handle distribution.
The Ontario government has approved the program for use in the province's schools, and Iconix is working on similar approval from other jurisdictions, Neubauer said.
Distribution of the software has just begun, he added. Prices range from C$129 for one module on a single computer, through C$695 for all seven modules on one computer or for a site license for one module, to C$2,795 for a site license for all seven modules. Board licenses are negotiable.
(Grant Buckler/19930629/Press Contact: Howard Neubauer, Iconix 416-609-7819; Vic D'Amico, NECTAR Foundation, 613-224-7286; Public Contact: Iconix, 800-387-5078)
286; Public Contact: Iconix, 800-387-5078)
6/30/93
Math Trek Aimed At Grade 7 To 9 Students
Micrografx Ships Picture Publish
RICHARDSON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- Micrografx has announced that it now shipping release 4.0 of Picture Publisher its Windows-based image editor.
The company says the new release includes a number of new features including Object Layers and FastBits. Object Layers is a technique that places pasted-in bitmap objects in layers. The objects can be moved and edited. The company says that will be of particular interest to graphic artists and image retouchers who create composite images.
Micrografx says FastBits evolved from listening to and watching users of Picture Publishers, who would frequently want to edit a small area or "bit" of a large image. Picture Publisher provides an option of previewing the image and creating a user-definable grid to select a portion of the image for editing to speed up retouching and editing.
The program has added a new text engine that allows text to be entered on-screen rather than in a dialog box, with text sizing, font changes, and editing available on-screen. "We looked at how difficult text was in competing products and solicited feedback from our customers to provide the best text engine for bitmap programs," said Product Manager Grant Wickes.
The company has also added a new color correction option that is designed to allow users to visually correct images for color balance as well as contrast and brightness. The previous method of changing numerical values to change those characteristics is still available but the added method lets the user correct images quickly by looking at and adjusting thumbnail representations.
An ImageBrowser has also been added that lets the user view thumbnail images for opening and saving files, and searching can be done using key words or file names. The program also supports the use of wild card characters. Users can also save images in groups Micrografx calls "Albums," so images associated with a single subject or project are saved together.
In addition to the previously available masking tools like AutoMask and Color Shield, Picture Publisher now includes a Paint-On mask that uses a paintbrush-type technique to create a mask. The company also claims that users can apply a transparent red film over the image to create the mask they need. Single-button control adds or subtracts within masked areas.
Picture Publisher 4.0 has a suggested retail price of $595, and is available through September 30, 1993, for $199 for users who switch from a competitive product. Registered users of Picture Publisher can upgrade for $99.95 through June 30 only.
Micrografx spokesperson Katrina Krebs told Newsbytes that while it might seem unusual for such a short upgrade time, all registered users have already been notified of the upgrade offer. Starting July 1, 1993, registered users of earlier versions will pay $149.95.
ntact: Micrografx Inc, 214-234-1769 or 800-733-3729)
6/30/93
Micrografx Ships Picture Publisher 4.0 for Windows
Charles Barkley & Bubsy Bobcat G
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- In the high-flying world of professional sports, you know you're a genuine superstar when you get to endorse a video game. That is what's happened to Charles Barkley, the NBA's Most Valuable Player, who has signed an exclusive, worldwide licensing agreement with game maker Accolade.
At the same time, the company says it has reached an agreement with Burbank, California-based Imagination Factory that makes the company the exclusive merchandising and licensing agent for video game character "Bubsy Bobcat."
According to Accolade, Barkley will co-design and endorse a basketball game that is scheduled for release on the Super Nintendo Sega Genesis and IBM PC platforms during the first quarter of next year.
Under terms of Imagination Factory's agreement, the character of the videogame "Bubsy in: Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind," will be marketed worldwide.
One of the first marketing endeavors planned for "Bubsy Bobcat" is an animated television special set to air over the Thanksgiving Weekend in 1993 during the "Kid's Day Off" block, a syndication package by Bohbot Communications. The special is entitled "What Could Possibly Go Wrong?"
_ BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- Both Newsweek and Business Week have announced plans to create and distribute their own multimedia CD-ROM titles. Newsweek is offering Newsweek Interactive, a quarterly wrap-up of multimedia news and information, while Business Week says it will team up with Standard & Poor's to produce a round-up of the top 1,000 US companies in its Business Week 1,000 CD-ROM.
Users can expect text, audio, video, animations, narration, and photo essays in the titles. The first issue of the Newsweek Interactive CD will focus on the possible demise of the game of baseball and on environmental concerns. Interactive advertising from American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T), Ford Lincoln-Mercury, IBM and Sony will also be on the CD. The company says it is the only quarterly multimedia news magazine on multiple CD-ROM platforms to be sold by subscription.
Software Toolworks, known for its game titles, is distributing the Newsweek Interactive CD in the retail channel. Consumers can expect to find the CD in Babbages, Best Buy, Circuit City Computer City, Compusa, Egghead, Electronic Boutique, Micro Center, Software Etc., Waldensoft, and The Wiz.
Business Week is attempting to present an executive roundtable on key issues and a portrait of corporate turnaround. Interviews with executives from the company, terms and technology issues, and data will all be part of information available to users. The determination of what companies are listed in the CD is based on market value. A database is central to the CD, which allows access to volumes of financial information on the companies and in-depth background and historical information from Standard & Poor's Information Group, a division of McGraw Hill.
Both products are expected to be available to consumers in July. The Newsweek CD will be available for IBM and compatible CD-ROM-equipped personal computers (PCs) and the Sony Multimedia CD-ROM Player which uses the CD-ROM XA format. Subscriptions to the Newsweek Interactive are retail priced at $149 per year or $49.95 per issue in stores.
The Business Week CD will be available in both PC and Macintosh CD-ROM formats. The CD is retail priced at $399.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930628/Press Contact: Diana Pearson Newsweek, 212-350-4342, Public Contact, Newsweek 800-634-6850; Jo Coppola, Business Week, 212-512-2932)
800-634-6850; Jo Coppola, Business Week, 212-512-2932)
6/30/93
News, Corporate Info CDs From Newsweek, Business Week
GENERAL
MatLab Software Ported From Unix
NATICK, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- The Mathworks has ported its MatLab high-performance computation software from Unix platforms to the Windows 3.1 environment.
In addition to numeric computations, MatLab provides a 4GL (fourth generation language) programming language, graphics, and application-specific toolboxes for analyzing and visualizing data optimizing engineering systems designs and algorithms, and creating mathematical models.
MatLab 4.0 for Windows 3.1, a 32-bit implementation, contains such Windows-specific enhancements as the ability to play back sampled sounds from any Windows 3.1-compatible sound device, and to paste MatLab graphics into other Windows applications, officials said in announcing the product.
Other features include a new external interface library, an improved facility for working with external C and Fortran routines flexible file input/output, and upgraded debugging and programmable user interface controls.
MatLabs 4.0 for Windows is shipping now. The software is also available for Sun Sparcstations, DEC Ultrix, IBM RS/6000, HP 9000 Series 300/400/700, and Silicon Graphics Iris 4D workstations.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930628/Press Contacts: Mary Campbell Rourke & Company for The Mathworks Inc., tel 617-267-0042 ext 304; or Joanne Dawson, The Mathworks, tel 508-653-1415 ext 418; Reader Contact: The Mathworks, tel 508-653-1415)
der Contact: The Mathworks, tel 508-653-1415)
6/30/93
MatLab Software Ported From Unix To Windows
PCTV Schedule For July, 1993
MARLOW, NEW HAMPSHIRE, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- PCTV, the weekly show hosted by Victoria Smith, has provided the following information regarding their schedule for next month. PCTV is seen on the Mind Extension University cable channel Saturdays at 6 p.m. Eastern time or other times, according to local schedules and a number of broadcast stations across the United States.
Direct satellite feeds of PCTV are seen on G6, transponder 23 Thursday at 4 p.m., on Tel 301, transponder 19, Thursday at 10 p.m., and on G5, transponder 21, Saturdays at 6p.m. - all times Eastern.
July 1, 1993, PCTV (93-26) "Managing Your Information": Victoria Smith looks at Lotus Development Corporation's Lotus Organizer, a personal information manager for Microsoft Windows. Lotus gives us some tips for using Lotus Organizer, and we find out how a computer's keyboard works.
July 8, 1993, PCTV (93-27) "Home Finance Made Simple": Victoria Smith shows us a new software release that makes managing your finances at home easier. We also take a look at Per%Sense financial calculation software from Ones and Zeros, Inc.
July 15, 1993, PCTV (93-28) "Making the Right Contacts": Victoria Smith takes a look at Symantec Corporation's ACT! for Windows version 1.1, a contact management software package. Symantec will give us some tips for using ACT! for Windows, and Fred Langa of Windows Magazine will show us an add-in that improves the Windows 3.1 interface.
July 22, 1993, PCTV (93-29) "The Captured Image": Victoria Smith takes a first look at a new technology in scanners. Inset Systems shows us Hijaak Pro for Windows, a graphics utility package for capturing, saving, sending, and translating graphics files. PC Computing's Ron White takes us inside the computer monitor.
July 29, 1993, PCTV (93-30) "All In The Palm of Your Hand": Victoria Smith looks at some of the latest handheld and sub-notebook computers. After we get an explanation of SCSI, and why this interface makes sense, Dale Lewallen will give us an answer to a common computer question in PC Computing's Q&A.
(John McCormick/19930628/Press Contact: Wayne Mohr, Executive Producer PCTV and MacTV, 603-863-9322)
PCTV and MacTV, 603-863-9322)
6/30/93
PCTV Schedule For July, 1993
GENERAL
India - Sonata's Network Guru So
BANGALORE, INDIA, 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- American Hi-tech Corp. (AHC) is gearing up to launch the NetGuru suite of integrating network design and simulation packages in the United States. The software was developed by Sonata (Software Division of Indian Organic Chemicals) of Bangalore.
NetGuru is now in the final testing stages and is likely to be launched in September this year. The testing is being done at 50 to 60 beta sites in the US, according to C. Ramachandra, assistant vice president of Sonata.
Sonata developed NetGuru with venture capital funding from PACT in technical collaboration with AHC. The development involved 15 man years of effort and an investment of Rs 60 lakh. PACT funding was to the extent of Rs 20 lakh.
NetGuru comprises three modules. Netbook, the first module, is a compendium of all networking standards and all subsystems that go into a network. In other words, it is a tutorial package on networking.
The Net manager module has a network designer database and facilities to keep track of hardware and software configurations used in order for a network administrator to design a network.
The third module is a simulator which can simulate off-line how a network design will perform. Networks designed on Net manager could be loaded on to the simulator. The package works with the Windows graphical user environment.
NetGuru is targeted at large system integrators and network administrators. "We're still working with AHC on the pricing and whether we must offer the modules separately," said Ramachandra.
Sonata has plans to market the NetBook module in India, though not the other two modules. Ramachandra reckons that NetGuru's chances in the US are bright, "as there is no other product in the US market which clubs tutorial, design, and simulation of networks as yet."
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930630)
of networks as yet."
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930630)
6/30/93
India - Sonata's Network Guru Software For The US
Japan Digital Equipment Moves In
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUN 30 (NB) -- Japan Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) has just completed its own office building. The firm's 1,700 employees will make the move into the building on July 2.
It is estimated that it will take about two months for the company to complete the move.
Japan DEC's new office building is located in Tokyo's Suginami Ward which is just slightly west from the center of the city. It is 18 stories high, and has a total area of 17,550 square meters. The high-tech building is equipped with local area networks based on high speed optical fibers.
Currently, Japan DEC has its headquarters in the Sunshine building in Ikebukuro and several branch offices in Tokyo. The firm's employee training center will be kept at the Sunshine building. It took three years to complete the new building.
The address of the new headquarters will be 1-2-1 Kamiogi Suginami-ku, Tokyo 167. The main telephone number will be 03-5349-7111.
(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930629/Press Contact: Japan Digital Equipment Corporation, +81-3-3989-7145)
n Digital Equipment Corporation, +81-3-3989-7145)
6/30/93
Japan Digital Equipment Moves Into New Building
GENERAL
BoCoEx Index
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- Boston Computer Exchange for the week ending June 25, 1993.
Closing Prices from the Boston Computer Exchange
Machine Main Closing Price Ask Bid
Drive Price Change
IBM PS1 386SX/25 130 MgB 850 900 750
IBM PS/2 Model 70-A21 120 MgB 875 950 800
IBM PS/2 Model 56SLC/20 120 MgB 1050 1300 900
IBM PS/2 Model 55SX 60 MgB 650 800 700
IBM ThinkPad 300 80 MgB 1400 1500 1325
IBM ThinkPad 700 80 MgB 1850 2400 2000
IBM ThinkPad 700C 120 MgB 3600 3700 3500
IBM V\P 3/25T MOD. 80 80 MgB 1500 1600 1500
IBM PS/2 Model 90-OH9 160 MgB 1700 1700 1600
IBM PS/2 Model 95-OJF 400 MgB 3000 3300 2700
Compaq Prolinea 4/66 340 MgB 2000 2150 2000
Compaq Prolinea 486/50 240 MgB 1450 1500 1200
Compaq Portable 386 100 MgB 650 800 600
Compaq SLT-386 120 MgB 925 950 850
Compaq LTE-286 40MgB 600 700 600
Compaq LTE-LITE 3/25 120MgB 1350 1450 1200
Compaq LTE-LITE 4/25C 120MB 3450 3600 3400
Compaq SysProXL 1.02 Gig 8,100 12,500 6,000
Compaq Syspro 486/50 Mod 1 6700 8500 6500
Compaq Prosigna 486 /33 550 MgB 3500 3800 3350
Compaq Portable 486/66 525 MgB 3650 4000 3500
Compaq DeskP 486DX2/66i 240 MgB 2100 2400 1900
AST Prem Exec 386SX20 40 MgB 675 750 650
NEC UltraLite 25C 80 M0gB 2000 3400 3300
NEC UltraLite Versa 20C 80 MgB 2850 2950 2800
Zenith Mastersprt-386SX 60 MgB 800 900 800
Zenith SuperSport 386SX 40 MgB 650 800 650
Macintosh Classic 40 MgB 600 650 600
Macintosh Classic II 40 MgB 750 800 700
Macintosh SE 40 MgB 575 650 550
Macintosh SE-30 80 MgB 1050 1150 1000
Macintosh LC 40 MgB 1000 1300 800
Macintosh II 40 MgB 1250 1300 1250
Macintosh II SI 80 MgB 1200 1300 1200
Macintosh II CX 80 MgB 1450 1550 1400
Macintosh II CI 80 MgB 2150 2250 2000
Macintosh II FX 80 MgB 2600 2800 2600
Macintosh Quadra 700 160 MgB 3050 3100 3000
Macintosh Quadra 900 160 MgB 3700 4000 3600
Macintosh Powerbk 165C 80 MgB 2400 2500 2400
Macintosh Powerbk 145 40 MgB 1450 1550 1400
Macintosh Powerbk 180 80 MgB 2925 down 25 3100 2900
Apple Imagewriter 2 200 ` 225 175
Apple Laserwriter IINT 900 1000 900
HP Laserjet II 675 700 650
HP Laserjet IIISI 2200 2300 2000
Toshiba T-1200 20 MgB 350 375 350
Toshiba T-1600 40 MgB 525 575 500
Toshiba T-2000 SX 40 MgB 700 800 700
Toshiba T-2000 SXE 40 MgB 800 900 750
Toshiba T-2200 SX 80MgB 900 1000 900
Toshiba T-3100 20 MgB 400 400 400
Toshiba T-3200 40 MgB 550 700 500
Toshiba T-3200 SX 40 MgB 600 750 500
Toshiba T-3200 SXC 120 MgB 1850 2000 1800
Toshiba T-6400DX 200 MgB 2200 2300 2100
Toshiba T-4400C 120 MgB 3025 3100 2900
Toshiba T-5200 200 MgB 2100 2200 1900
BoCoEx Index data is compiled by Market Analyst, Gary M. Guhman
Here are some current retail-oriented Seats on the Exchange, presented in a cyclic basis.
Dallas - Ft. Worth, TX - DFW Computer Exchange - M.B. Lee - 817-244-7833
Escondido, Ca. - Affordable Computer Solutions - Dean Jacobus - 619-738 4980
New Orleans, Louisiana - Audubon Computer Rental - Mike Barry - 504-522 0348
Detroit, Michigan - CompuCycle - Walt Hogan - 313-887-2600
Albuquerque, NM, Western Computer Exchange - David Levin - 505-265-1330
Fresno, California - MacSource Computers - Mike Kurtz - 209-438-6227
BoCoEx Index prices are based on complete systems with keyboard, VGA monitor and adapter, less the value of any software or peripherals.
Boston Computer Exchange is available at: 617-542-4414, Buyer's HotLine: 1-800-262-6399, In Alaska and Canada 1-800-437-2470, FAX: 617-542-8849.
(BOCOEX/19930629)
COEX/19930629)
6/29/93
BoCoEx Index
BUSINESS
Links To Notes, Databases In Imp
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- A new release of Improv for Windows, Lotus' new-design spreadsheet software, brings the package's first links to Lotus' Notes work-group development software and to database packages, along with network-ready installation and other added touches.
Launched at the PC Expo trade show, the software is due to be available in July, Lotus said.
The original Improv for Windows release, shipped last February was meant for stand-alone use. Improv for Windows Release 2.1 adds a network-ready installation procedure that is the same whether you load Improv for stand-alone, network distribution, or server use, the vendor said.
Lotus said Improv's installation scheme is now a standard for its entire product line. It was recently added to 1-2-3 for DOS Release 3.4a, 1-2-3 Release 4 for Windows, and the Ami Pro word processor, and soon will be used in all Lotus products.
The new Improv also reads and writes .WK4 files from 1-2-3 Release 4 for Windows, which began shipping June 15.
Improv for Windows Release 2.1 will ship with Q+E Extend for Improv Starter Edition, technology licensed from Q+E Software Inc., that lets users query data from various external databases and bring data into Improv worksheets. This is much the same function Lotus' Datalens technology serves in 1-2-3.
Q+E Extend for Improv Starter Edition provides access to Borland International's Paradox and dBASE, Btrieve, and Microsoft Excel database formats, as well as text files.
Customers may upgrade to Q+E Extend for Improv Client/Server Edition, which gives direct access to more than 20 database formats, for $99 through Q+E Software in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Improv for Windows gets its first link to Notes with Application Field Exchange (AFE), which lets users link Lotus Notes fields with a Lotus Improv worksheet. Using AFE, when an Improv worksheet is updated the new values automatically appear in the corresponding Notes document via object linking and embedding (OLE). The AFE technology will also work the other way around update the fields of a Notes document and the changes will appear in Improv.
While this is Improv's first link to Notes, an upcoming Release 3.0 will provide much closer integration, a spokeswoman for the company said.
In a twist on the familiar competitive upgrade ploy, Lotus is offering users of its own 1-2-3 spreadsheet as well as rival products a special deal on Improv as a "second spreadsheet." The Companion Upgrade Edition, which the spokeswoman said is a full version of Improv, is available to licensed users of 1-2-3 (except 1-2-3 for Home), Improv for Next, Symphony, Excel Quattro Pro, and CA-Compete for a suggested retail price of $199.
Versions of Improv for Windows Release 2.1 will be available in Dutch, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Swedish within 60 days.
The suggested retail price of Improv for Windows Release 2.1 is $495. Improv license packs without disk and documentation are available for $395. Improv for Windows Release 2.0 owners can upgrade for a $10 shipping and handling charge through Lotus at 1-800-Tradeup, ext. 8945. (Canadian customers call 1-800 GoLotus.) The update kit does not include Q+E Extend for Improv Starter Edition.
Improv for Windows Release 2.1 requires a PC with an 80386 or higher microprocessor, four megabytes (six MB recommended) of available system memory, a hard disk with 12 MB available, and Microsoft Windows 3.1 or higher.
Network operating systems supported include: Novell Netware 4.0 3.11, and 2.15c; IBM PC LAN 1.2 and 1.34xs; Banyan VINES 4.0 4.11, and 5.0; Microsoft LAN Manager 2.1a and 2.2; IBM LAN Server 1.3, 2.0, and 3.0; Digital Equipment's Pathworks 4.1; and NCR's StarGroup 3.5 and 2.1a.
(Grant Buckler/19930629/Press Contact: Peter A. Cohen, Lotus 617-693-1283; Shelly Eckenroth or Toni Mattucci, McGlinchey & Paul for Lotus, 617-862-4514)
Mattucci, McGlinchey & Paul for Lotus, 617-862-4514)
6/29/93
Links To Notes, Databases In Improv For Windows 2.1
Apple Canada Coy On Layoff Rumor
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- Apple Canada Inc. will not confirm rumors of impending layoffs, but is careful not to rule out the possibility either. Meanwhile, the company recently replaced its marketing boss.
"At this point we have no announcement about the rumored layoffs," company spokeswoman Franca Miraglia told Newsbytes. "It's obvious that business right now is very competitive and we're always reviewing every aspect of our operations."
There have been reports of impending job cuts at Apple both here and in the United States.
Miraglia also confirmed that Wayne Arcus, former vice-president of marketing, has left the company. She would not comment on the reasons for his departure, saying it was "a personal matter between Wayne Arcus and the company."
David Wright, a 10-year veteran of Apple Canada, has been named vice-president of marketing in Arcus' place.
(Grant Buckler/19930629/Press Contact: Franca Miraglia, Apple Canada, 416-513-5511)
raglia, Apple Canada, 416-513-5511)
6/29/93
Apple Canada Coy On Layoff Rumors
APPLE
Software Exec Outlines Education
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- Jan Davidson president of Davidson Associates, held an the National Educational Computing Conference audience in Orlando in rapt attention during her keynote address. Unlike the sales pitch delivered a day earlier by 3DO's Trip Hawkins, Davidson issued a call to action, asking teachers to think of students as customers to be satisfied, not charges to be led.
Her talk, titled, "The Future Isn't What It Used to Be," recalled past conferences where she sat in the audience when people like Al Gore and John Sculley previewed products and concepts which are now common currency. She was obviously thrilled to be in their place, and her audience, recognizing the former teacher as one of their own, seemed genuinely thrilled to hear her.
"If anyone is going to change education and ensure that our students will thrive in the 21st century, it's this group," she said. "I took the skills I had developed in education and applied them to running a business," and "I had learned far more than I'd realized about marketing and sales.
"The past decade has opened my eyes to how interconnected the school and the workplace really are," she continued. "They both exist for a single purpose: to serve their customers."
She continued, "In Information Age classrooms, students will move through the school day in a similar way their adult counterparts move through the workday. They will manage their time. They will have tools. They will have teammates. And they will take responsibility for a given task, leverage their skills, ferret out information needed to solve a problem, and work with classmates to get the job done."
She said moves toward school privatization, public-private choice and Whittle's Edison Project are stimulating change toward such a classroom, and such stimulus is a good thing. "In order to serve our customers, we need to embrace the second C of the Information Age: Change." And change isn't something that's done once, but a continual process.
"Site-based management, teacher empowerment, team modules for learning and risk taking -- hardly sounds like life in the Little Red Schoolhouse. It's not. It is life in the Information Age. If your school hasn't embarked on a course of change, I challenge you to lead the way." In that change, computers are enablers, not the change itself. "The feeling of empowerment a child experiences when she learns to use a tool on the computer is similar to the feeling of empowerment a child feels when she first learns to ride a bicycle. It's exhilarating!"
And it can happen every day, she concluded. "Let's commit ourselves to making computer tools a basic, integral and accessible part of the learning environment," she said. ""It's up to use to go back to our schools and be the change-makers. We all entered this profession to make a difference in the lives of our students. What I'm saying to you today is, that in order to do so, you have to also make a difference in your school."
"At our company, we continually improve," she said in an interview with Newsbytes before her talk. "It's just the way we have to be. And schools need that mentality."
Davidson is optimistic that technology is becoming part of America's debate on schools. "People are catching on. And we're inserting ourselves into the debate more and more." She cited Julie Saltpeter's "Kids & Computers," from Prentice-Hall's Sams Publishing unit, as being among the books moving the debate forward.
Like many other industry veterans, Davidson bristled at suggestions by Trip Hawkins that younger kids should not use computers. "There are powerful products for younger kids -- our Kidworks' and KidCad work with text. And when you work with text you need a keyboard." The proposed 3DO machines will lack keyboards for some time. "I'm not convinced people will want to learn in front of the TV anyway," she added.
Davidson also addressed the problem of high-tech obsolescence the fact that many schools have only old PCs on which her new software won't run. "It does make things difficult for parents who leave their old PCs to their kids. I could ship 10 CGA titles today, but dealers don't want them. We find people complaining that we aren't glitzy. I couldn't get the press or crowds here with CGA (graphics)." For schools, she suggested, "I understand educators want things to stay the same. But they should not think of technology as something you do once. It should be a permanent part of the budget.
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- Methods & Solutions Inc. of Tucson, Arizona, which does business as MindPlay, announced new Macintosh versions of most of its products. MindPlay focuses on learning games with a videogame-like feel. The announcement was made at the National Educational Computing Conference this week in Orlando.
Founder Judi Bliss started the company after her son, David refused to use the educational software she'd bought for him preferring videogames. Among the titles now available in Macintosh formats are Crozzwords, Bake & Taste, RoboMath Chemistry Tutor, Biology Tutor, Ace Reporter and Ace Detective Math Magic, and Easy Street.
The company also announced a new series called the General Science Tutor Series, a three-package, 18-disk set of software for junior and senior high school students in a variety of areas. The company has pricing for teacher editions, which are single PC licenses, lab packs, and networks. Pricing on PC and Macintosh versions are identical in most cases.
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- Remember those cardboard forms you completed for standardized tests with number two pencils? New technology allows a PC to do the job of the old "readers" for those cardboard forms, and allows a teacher to create a form themselves.
Bruce Fox, vice president of marketing for Scanning Concepts Inc., Duluth, Minnesota, explained to Newsbytes that three companies -- NCS, Scantron, and his company -- sell the machines which can scan the forms to grade the tests. The technology is called Optical Mark Recognition, or OMR. They sell the machines for very little money. Where they make their money is on forms the machines can only read forms the companies make, which can cost as much as 50 cents each.
Well, technology marches on, and now Scanning Concepts is out to break up the racket. The company's new program, Slugger, runs on any PC and lets you create a form, printed on a laser printer which any of the scanners will read. This means you can design a test or questionnaire the night before you give it, Fox explains without worrying about whether you can get delivery of forms. More important, you can photocopy the forms on any copier -- Fox told Newsbytes the error rate on those forms is about 2 in 3,000.
Most of his clients are the computer directors of schools quality improvement people in hospitals, and survey-makers. He adds the company is developing a prototype for a system which will let you do double-sided forms that can be read.
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- MECC, one of the largest software vendors to schools, had a surprisingly small booth at the National Educational Computing Conference, this week in Orlando. Tom Allen discussed the changing nature of the market.
This year, he explained, MECC made its big splash at the Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago, displaying home versions of its latest titles for the first time. Here, the company's emphasis was back on the schools with offers of site licenses on titles for schools and more flexible payment plans to schools. While most advanced computers, like Apple Computer Macintoshes are usually bought using Federal Title I money aimed at special education students, Allen said, that's slowly changing, with a broader mix of funding for computer hardware.
MECC is changing with the market, Allen continued, with its site license policy, which covers all versions of its products including the Mac, PC and Apple II. These are not annual licenses but lifetime purchases, he emphasized. "If I buy a district license, I own that product. Many large districts find an annual site license too restrictive. It's not conducive to long range planning."
The higher capacity of new computers has also changed the way schools buy software, Allen continued. "In the Mac and DOS world the purchasing criterion has changed. They're deciding to buy now on a product by product basis. There's more sophistication." The limited abilities of the Apple II forced many districts to demand a single, wide-ranging program from a single vendor.
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- Given this year's National Educational Computing Conference is taking place in Florida, a lot of attention is being paid to how this state is implementing technology in education. Florida's system is more centrally directed than many other states' programs, and its SchoolYear 2000 program is aimed at re-engineering the schools so technology will be useful.
Robert Branson of Florida State University in Tallahassee director of the school's Center for Educational Technology, led a discussion of the program at the NECC press room. The idea is to first re-engineer the learning process, then apply technology. "What are the basic processes that need attention, and how can they be re-engineered?" he asked. "The current model was designed in the early 1900s, when there were no accepted theories of management or science of learning, let alone technology for transmitting data. We're as good as we're going to get under that model."
"A learning-based system is different from a teaching-based system," he continued. "You're talking about tools in the hands of the learner, and a system built on that prime function." And the state is willing to listen to any good idea. "Regulations out of Tallahassee are falling like Kansas wheat. Restrictions have been reduced one after another. It's hard to think of something which could be thought of that couldn't be accepted. The state is encouraging the design of a new system," even with direct input from private industry.
Trends like CD-ROM, portable computing, and networks are all being applied, but more important is changing the process Branson continued. "Technology for the most part has been added on to schools. But that just automates chaos. You have to find an integral process technology can support. It won't be important until it's an integral part of education." And political discussions about breaking-up the public system, or funding private schools through vouchers, are stimulating this. "One reason people in education are willing to see alternatives is because they realize there will be competition. As that grows the public sector must respond to it. That's a reality. Our proper design of services will give us a competitive advantage, and provide equity for all students in the state."
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930629/Press Contact: SchoolYear 2000 Florida, Betty Castor - Commissioner of Education, 904-644-4720; FAX: 904-644-5803; Robert Branson: email, rbranson@cet.fsu.edu)
il, rbranson@cet.fsu.edu)
6/29/93
Florida Schoolyear 2000
GENERAL
Florida Schoolyear 2000
Creative Labs Intros Multiple Pr
Paul Allen Sole Investor In Mult
CA's Accpac Gets Indian Distribu
Olivetti Philos Family Of Notebo
Computer-Aided Design Software F
Asian Region R&D Spending Patter
Microsoft, Apple Push CD-ROM
Checking Via Television For Couc
PenRight! Offered With NEC's Ver
Microsoft Ships Visual C++ Pre-r
Singapore/India Joint PC Manuf'i
HYDERABAD, INDIA, 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- The little-over-a-year dormancy of its mainframe manufacturing facility seems to have spurred the public sector giant, Electronics Corporation of India Ltd. (ECIL), into action. Its search for newer alternatives to keep its machines functional, has culminated in a decision to manufacture PCs, in collaboration with Verness Tech, a Singapore-based PC manufacturer.
The two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to set up a joint venture with equal equity stakes of 50 percent each. The new enterprise will use ECIL's manufacturing facility at Hyderabad for producing the Verness's range of 286-, 386 and 486-based personal computers for the local market. "Local components will be minimal but there will be a considerable amount of value addition," claimed G.R. Pie, general manager corporate marketing, ECIL.
Though Verness will contribute both the design and the components for the PCs, ECIL will market them under its own brand name. The company hopes to launch the PC range within the next three months. The machines will be targeted at ECIL's traditional bulk buying customers in the government and corporate sectors.
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930629)
rate sectors.
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930629)
6/29/93
Singapore/India Joint PC Manuf'ing Venture
BUSINESS
India - Siemens To Foray Into Ru
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- Siemens will continue to invest in India despite its own slow rate of growth during the last two years and the political events in the recent months. This is a commitment and a long-term strategy for India, the chairman of Siemens AG, Germany, V. Pierer, said during a recent visit.
The company plans a major foray into rural telecom. It has participated in tenders floated by the Department of Telecommunications for microwave transmission equipment. In addition, the company also plans to harness solar energy in rural areas.
Pierer said if there was to be a turnaround of the Indian economy investments in infrastructure had to be beefed up. He felt that implementation of reforms required to be "speeded up." He also made out a case for lower taxes on the corporate sector. Pierer however, refused to make any statement on the controversy surrounding the validation tests of the main line exchange installed by Siemens in Calcutta (like all other switching systems this one too failed in the busy-hour call rate test). "All I can say is that the system installed in Calcutta meets the technical norms specified by DOT," he said.
Last year, Siemens has set up a software firm Siemens Information Systems Ltd. with more than 100 engineers. "This will go up to 1,000 in the next few years," he said. The German multinational is also planning to set up a software research and development center for its global public switching systems. Software developed at the center will be used for the company's global operations. In the area of transmission equipment, Siemens has already committed to invest Rs 100 crore (about $33 million) for manufacture of the equipment locally.
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930629)
pment locally.
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930629)
6/29/93
India - Siemens To Foray Into Rural Telecom
TELECOM
Fujitsu Creates Online Japan-US
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- Fujitsu has created a huge in-house database on US patents and inventions which can be accessed on Fujitsu's corporate LAN (local area network) throughout Japan.
Fujitsu purchased this database from the US Patent Agency. It contains 1,360,000 patents and inventions and is available through 7,400 personal computers, workstations and CAD (computer-aided design) systems at over 80 locations connected via the LAN. Through this system, researchers and engineers from Fujitsu, its affiliated firms, and laboratories can access the latest patent information from the US.
Fujitsu already has a 1,250,000-item patent-related database on Japanese products. Together with this database, a total of 2,610,000 patents can be searched.
Fujitsu has spent a total of 550 million yen ($5 million) to create this database on US patents. However, the firm estimates that it will be able to save about 100 million yen ($0.9 million) as a result of its existence because it can check before applying for a patent to see if it has been registered or not. Other Japanese electronics firms are also interested in this database. As a result, Fujitsu is thinking of selling this database in the near future.
Major firms such as Matsushita Electric and NEC are also creating similar corporate databases.
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- Dataquest Japan has announced that computer shipments dropped sharply in Japan in 1992. This reflects the serious slump in the industry. Although sales of large-scale computers went down, sales of personal computers went up slightly. So, this reflects the downsizing trend.
Dataquest Japan recently surveyed 200 computer hardware firms in Japan and found total shipment of computers in Japan for 1992 was worth 2.145 trillion yen ($19.5 billion), which was 15.8 percent lower than the previous year. This is the first big dip in Japan's computer history.
Shipment of mainframe computers was 31.7 percent of total computer shipments. Shipments were down 1.5 percent from the previous year. Mid-range office computers were also down by 1.4 percent.
In contrast, sales of workstations and personal computers went up 1.5 percent and 1.4 percent respectively. As a result the total ratio of workstations and personal computers was 37.1 percent of the total computer shipment.
Many US and Taiwanese personal computer makers released low-cost personal computers in Japan last year, and they are releasing more powerful low-cost PCs in Japan this year. These PCs run on the DOS/V system and support the Japanese language.
(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930629/Press Contact: Data Quest Japan, +81-3-5566-0411, Fax, +81-3-5566-0425)
81-3-5566-0411, Fax, +81-3-5566-0425)
6/29/93
Japan - Computer Sales Down In 1992
TRENDS
San Jose's Center For Software D
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- A non-profit software development center has been opened in San Jose California, on the edge of Silicon Valley.
Susan Hammer, Mayor of San Jose, formally opened the Center for Software Development at a ceremony attended by local officials and members of the software and computer industries.
Those attending the opening saw demonstrations of such computer technology as pen-based mobile computers, virtual reality and game animation and games.
According to the official press release, the center was created "to help software firms and individual developers bring better software to market more quickly." Originally formed by the city of San Jose Novell, and the Software Entrepreneurs Forum, it now involves a number of other computer, software and support companies.
In connection with the opening, Stayton Addison Jr., executive director, said: "The center opens at a critical juncture when new choices in technology promise software developers great opportunities but present significant challenges to them. We believe the center will help them meet those challenges. They can now test their software at the center on a wide variety of computer hardware and software. The center and its supporters have set up special capabilities for hard-to-find international systems and new pen-based mobile computers."
The center also houses the Software Industry Resource Center, a repository of business and technical information, including an extensive database of firms that help and support software companies: investors, lawyers, accounting firms and marketing and technical partners. Its International Lab helps developers adapt products for sale in other countries and markets.
Said Mayor Hammer, "The center is a unique partnership between our local government and private industry to fuel economic growth. We want to make sure that Silicon Valley remains the best location in the world for new and existing software companies. The center will provide a valuable resource to these firms, and we hope it will encourage them to locate in San Jose, particularly near its downtown site."
The Center cites a number of "early users" of its resources including Pixar and Future Labs, a Cupertino-based start-up which is set to introduce TalkShow, a desktop document conferencing program.
John Chua, president of Future Labs, said, "It's a challenge to find and test all these possibilities. In the past, we've had to travel as far away as Sacramento to find certain configurations. The Center set them up under one roof, saving a great deal of time for us. It really reinforces the city's commitment to supporting software companies like us."
Novell is reported to have been a major supporter of the Center. Said Jim Tolonen, senior vice president and chief financial officer at Novell. "From its inception, Novell has strongly supported the Center and believes it will help grow our industry by bringing the value of networking to users through the creation of more networked applications."
In addition to Novell, other major vendors involved in the center include IBM, AT&T, Microsoft, GO, Intel and Sun Microsystems.
The Center is located at Suite 200, 111 West St. John Street San Jose, California 95113. The telephone number is 408-289-8378.
(Ian Stokell/19930629/Press Contact: Skip Addison, 408-289-8378 Paul Franson, 408-453-5220, Center for Software Development)
on, 408-453-5220, Center for Software Development)
6/29/93
San Jose's Center For Software Development Opens
GENERAL
Dayna's TokenPrint Bridges Local
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- Hooking Apple Computer Macintoshes into Token Ring local area networks (LANs) in order to share printing resources is no fun. However, Dayna Communications thinks it has the answer with its new TokenPrint a LocalTalk to Token Ring bridge designed for connecting LocalTalk printers and other devices directly to Token Ring networks.
According to the company, TokenPrint will connect up to two LocalTalk devices to Token Ring, while TokenPrint Plus will connect up to four LocalTalk devices.
The company also says that, with the exception of routers, all types of LocalTalk devices are supported, including all brands of printers, network modems and Macintosh computers. The products are especially suited to connecting PowerBook and PowerBook Duo computers to Token Ring, says the company.
TokenPrint and TokenPrint Plus both have one DB-9 port for Type 1 Token Ring, one RJ-45 port for Type 3 Token Ring, and one mini-din 8 LocalTalk port.
The company claims that they are designed for "plug-and-play ease of use right out of the box, requiring no configuration or startup sequences."
Once a LocalTalk printer has been connected to a Token Ring network with TokenPrint, a Macintosh user gains access by selecting the printer in the Chooser. Macintosh computers connected to Token Ring through TokenPrint can access file servers and use existing SNA (Systems Network Architecture) gateways to access mainframe services.
In announcing the products, Brad Romney, Dayna president and chief executive officer, said: "A few years ago, there was no easy low-cost way to connect LocalTalk printers to Ethernet networks. We solved that problem in 1990 by developing EtherPrint and EtherPrint Plus. Today our EtherPrint technology has been carried over to solve the same problem for Token Ring users with the new TokenPrint line."
The company says that TokenPrint comes bundled with network management and security software, which provides password protection for both the TokenPrint product and the LocalTalk devices attached to it.
TokenPrint Administrator allows users to configure TokenPrint from any Macintosh. Its has four configuration options which allow users to name TokenPrint, place it in any AppleTalk Phase 2 network zone, assign a password for configuration security, and assign password protection to attached LocalTalk devices.
The password protection restricts TokenPrint configuration to anyone other than authorized personnel and it restricts access to attached devices. Access to password-protected LocalTalk devices is accomplished by installing Dayna's SecurIt control panel on each Macintosh, which lets users see any TokenPrint-attached LocalTalk device in any zone on the network.
TokenPrint and TokenPrint Plus are set for availability on July 15 for the suggested retail price of $699 and $899 respectively. They come with a lifetime warranty, free technical support, and a 24-hour repair/replacement policy on defective parts.
(Ian Stokell/19930629/Press Contact: A. Cory Maloy 801-269-7273, Dayna Communications Inc.)
A. Cory Maloy 801-269-7273, Dayna Communications Inc.)
6/29/93
Dayna's TokenPrint Bridges LocalTalk/Token Ring LANs
APPLE
Dell Opens Japanese Production,
l AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- Dell Computer Corporation says it has achieved full production capability at its new facility in Kawsaki, Japan, and is cutting prices in Japan on almost all of its products.
The company says the new 12,000-square-foot facility will serve as the center for all custom configuration, hardware and software integration, quality inspection, and distribution of Dell products sold in Japan. Katsumi Iizuka, Dell's manager in Japan, says the new facility, which began shipments in April, has enabled Dell to significantly reduce its delivery times for its full range of systems, and to deliver standard system configurations within three days.
Iizuka says demand for Dell products has been stronger than anticipated, resulting in longer lead times than planned. However, with the facility now in full production, that problem has been eliminated. "We now expect consistent prompt delivery of orders, thanks to our new production site."
Dell says Dell Japan is the fastest growing facility in the company's history, with revenue already reaching the goal set for the current fiscal year, which ends January 31, 1994. "Those who believed the Japanese customers would not embrace the concept of buying PCs directly by phone misjudged the market," according to Iizuka.
Dell spokesperson Roger Rydell told Newsbytes the price cuts for the Japanese market will range from nine to 23 percent. Asked why prices are being cut just five months after Dell entered the Japanese market, Rydell said it was to take advantage of a window of opportunity for market share acquisition. "The window isn't going to be around for very long, and those who take advantage of it are going to be the ones to come out ahead. Those (companies) that resist it are going to find themselves in deep trouble." He said the company has not set any goal for a specific percent of market penetration.
The price cut does not apply to the Dell Pentium server just introduced in the Japanese market, but does apply across the board on desktop systems. Dell recently suspended development and marketing of notebook computers, and none of those systems are being sold in Japan, according to Rydell.
(Jim Mallory/19930629/Press contact: Roger Rydell, Dell Computer Corporation, 512-728-4100; Reader contact: Dell Computer Corporation, 512-338-4400 or 800-289-3355, fax 512-794-4238)
ation, 512-338-4400 or 800-289-3355, fax 512-794-4238)
6/29/93
Dell Opens Japanese Production, Cuts Japanese Prices
BUSINESS
Apple Announces New LC Aimed At
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- Apple Computer has announced a Macintosh developed especially for the educational market at the National Educational Computing Conference held this week in Orlando, Florida. The new Macintosh LC 520 offers multimedia capability with a built-in compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) drive, stereo sound, and a color display in an all-in-one design.
The LC 520 offers a Motorola 68030 microprocessor running at 25 megahertz (MHz), a Sony Trinitron 14-inch color display in 640 by 480 with 16-bit image resolution and 768 kilobytes of video random access memory (VRAM), an internal Applecd 300i double speed CD-ROM drive, 5 megabytes (MB) of random access memory (RAM), an 80 MB hard disk drive, a 1.4 MB Superdrive floppy drive, front-panel contrast and volume controls, an integrated headphone jack, and an omnidirectional microphone.
The Superdrive can read, write, and format Macintosh, MS-DOS, OS/2 and Prodos disks. The computer also comes the System 7.1 operating system, which includes Closeview, Easy Access and visible-beep software especially for students with disabilities.
Like other computers in the LC family, Apple says the LC 520 offers built-in Appletalk networking, as well as serial and small computer systems interface (SCSI) ports for connection of peripheral devices such as scanners, cameras, and modems. The LC 520 also has two Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) ports for supporting a keyboard, mouse or other devices.
Apple also points out the LC 520 is expandable so users can add options such as NTSC video-out and video capture, Ethernet networking, and Apple IIe emulation cards so software that runs on Apple IIe systems can also be used on the LC 520. The LC 520 can also have its RAM expanded to 36 MB and a math coprocessor (FPU) for use in computer aided design or other math intensive applications can be added.
Energy Star compliant, the LC 520 automatically reduces power consumption to less than 30 watts when idle. Apple estimates the energy saving feature could cut by more than 50 percent the electricity used by the system. Users select through the screen control panel, the period of time that the computer can be inactive before the power-down feature starts.
Any qualified K-12 and Higher Education institution can get a Macintosh LC 520 for $1,509. The Apple Keyboard II is an additional $90.30; a math coprocessor is $65.00; an Apple Ethernet LC Card is $139.30; and the Apple IIe Emulation Card is $123.30 to qualified educational institutions.
Apple says it will offer the LC 520 in the US, Canada, and Japan. Available immediately, Apple is looking forward to getting into the back-to-school market for this fall.
Apple's Personal Interactive Electronics (PIE) division just announced it will distribute a new line of educational multimedia software developed by French company Arborescence. The titles are Peter's Alphabet Adventure, Peter's Number Adventure, and Peter's Magical Adventure.
Additional titles include Travelrama which takes players on a journey through the US and Wacky Jack's CD Game Show. In a deal with Kodak and Sony, Apple will distribute a title about the production of the magazine "Open" called "Open Wider" and PIE announced it plans to distribute titles offered by the Time Warner Interactive Group (TWIG) formerly Warner New Media, and Interoptica.
Apple has a catalog with descriptions of just under 600 CD-ROM titles, "The Apple Guide To CD-ROM Titles," and the company is boasting over 6,000 third-party software applications are available for the LC 520.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930628/Press Contact: Bill Keegan, Apple Computer, tel 408-974-5460, fax 408-967-5651; Public Contact 408-996-1010)
5460, fax 408-967-5651; Public Contact 408-996-1010)
6/28/93
Apple Announces New LC Aimed At Educational Market
APPLE
Canada's ROB 1000: Few Changes I
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- Telecommunications firms still figure prominently among Canada's 10 most profitable companies, according the Report on Business 1000 ranking just released by the Toronto-based national newspaper The Globe and Mail. There was only minor jockeying for position on the list among Canada's computer and communications firms this year.
Number one in this year's ranking as in last is BCE Inc., the holding company that owns Bell Canada and Northern Telecom Ltd. among other properties. BCE had a 1992 profit of C$1.39 billion up five percent from 1991. Its revenues of C$21.27 billion also made it the largest company by revenue.
BCE subsidiary Bell Canada is number two on the ROB list again this year, with a C$1.006-billion profit on revenues of C$7.904 billion. Northern Telecom came in fourth with a C$548.3-million profit on revenues of C$8.521 billion. In third was the Bank of Nova Scotia. Another BCE subsidiary, TransCanada Pipelines, was ranked ninth.
IBM Canada remains number five on the Report on Business's ranking by revenue of Canada's top 300 privately owned companies (in which category IBM Canada falls because it is wholly owned by IBM Corp. of Armonk, New York). It reported a profit of C$1 million on revenues of C$6.805 billion.
A ranking of technology companies, both public and private, is almost unchanged from last year. Northern Telecom and IBM are still first and second. Xerox Canada moved from ninth to eighth, Digital Equipment of Canada from tenth to ninth, and CAE Industries, a Montreal-based maker of computerized flight simulators, from eighth to tenth. The others on the technology list are makers of transportation equipment, engines, and aircraft components: ranking from third to seventh, Bombardier, General Electric Canada, Pratt & Whitney Canada, and Mitsubishi Canada.
(Grant Buckler/19930628/Public Contact: The Globe and Mail, 416-585 5406)
Contact: The Globe and Mail, 416-585 5406)
6/28/93
Canada's ROB 1000: Few Changes In High-Tech Firms
BUSINESS
D (
More On Apple LC520 Launch At Ed
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- Apple officially released its LC 520, a new Macintosh aimed at the education market, at the National Educational Computer Conference.
The LC 520 features a built-in CD-ROM drive, stereo sound and a color display with an all-in-one design, meaning it can be plugged into a schoolroom and used almost like a TV. Apple said it is targeting the LC 520 at the K-12 education market and timing the release of the product to that market. In the US the LC 520 will be available only to K-12 and higher education markets. Outside the US it will be offered only in Canada again for the education market, and in Japan, where the fact it takes little deskspace means, according to Apple, that it's suited to the multimedia market.
At the show, the company's K-12 division also announced a suite of new products and programs aimed at maintaining its lead in the market. Headlining the effort is the Personal LaserWriter 300, a new laser printer schools can buy for $569. Apple also announced a special hardware and software bundle aimed at preschoolers focused on older LCs with disk-based software, as well as training programs for preschool teachers and administrators. Apple's booth at NECC also showcases 15 new software packages.
Apple also offered proof of its market leadership. It showed a study from Field Research Corporation estimating about $5 billion was spent on the K-12 market in 1991, with Apple holding a 60% share of the installed base. Apple also sees a big growth market in CD-ROM, with a drive included in the LC 520. It showed numbers from Link Resources showing a 50 percent annual growth rate in in-school CD-ROMs, and said 60 percent of schools will have them in two years.
Cheryl Vedoe, vice president and general manager of the K-12 division, noted this is the first time Apple has introduced a new product at an education conference. She said Apple has seen an improvement in academic achievement over the last 10 years, but admitted it's not enough. "Our educators have a challenge that goes beyond educating," she added, "compensating for the family environment that's so important." She also noted that public expenditures, per pupil, are going up, but without much result. Vedoe said technology must be seen as a catalyst for education reform, turning students into knowledge builders, and teachers into facilitators.
To keep its lead in the market, Apple is pricing the new products aggressively. Schools can get a fully set-up LC 520, with 5 megabytes of memory, the CD-ROM, and an 80-megabyte hard drive for about $1,700 per unit. That's an institution price consumer prices will be higher. "Our focus has been to drive down the price point of color Macintoshes to meet the needs of the education market," said Vedoe, "to put as many computers in front of as many students and teachers as possible." The goal isn't to teach computer literacy, however, but to make PCs a pervasive tool on which teachers can base their whole curriculum.
Beyond the computers and lower prices, what is most evident from Apple's announcement is it wants to be known as an Integrated Learning Systems vendor, a single source for educational computing solutions to schools, taking over a market now dominated by Jostens Learning Systems. Jenny House, an Apple marketing officer, made a subtle dig at Josten's during her presentation by categorizing ILS as a "computer lab" market on which of course Apple isn't focusing. The use of technology in schools has barely scratched the market, Vedoe insisted, with students now getting their hands on computers only once a day or less. That's why Apple, which is otherwise troubled with doubts about its future, is aiming big-time at the K-12 market.
Apple is also aiming at a new learning market it calls the Learning Enterprise, or "schools without walls," House said. "We know a lot of schools are just getting into enterprise computing right now," she said, "while others are looking heavily at networks. We're providing models" so classrooms, teacher desks administrators, and homes can all be linked up, using education software tools, into "learning communities." To make that happen House added, Apple is also going to be active in politics supporting the America 2000 program as well as state and federal legislation to fund technology purchases.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930628/Press Contact: Bill Keegan, Apple Computer, 408-974-5460l; customer contact: 800-793-3382; FAX: 512-919-2992)
omer contact: 800-793-3382; FAX: 512-919-2992)
6/29/93
More On Apple LC520 Launch At Education Show
APPLE
Roundup - Stories Carried By Oth
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- Roundup is usually a brief look at some computer stories carried in other publications received here this past week but, because the bureau which compiles Roundup has been on vacation, this issue covers the past two weeks.
PC Magazine has begun expanded network coverage with the Network Edition dated June 19. The same issue looks at Pentium processor-based machines as both servers and desktop machines and in particular looks at how the new Peripheral Component Interconnect or PCI architecture being pushed by Intel will help get the most out of Pentium systems by putting the video graphics chip, network, SCSI, and other basic I/O functions on a separate bus rather than having the standard ISA, EISA, or MCA bus handle these and processor functions.
BYTE for July also focuses on the Pentium and says that most vendors have just added a daughterboard to carry the 64-bit Pentium in their old 486-systems rather than redesign the entire computer to accommodate the much more powerful chip's greater need for special I/O access. The ALR Evolution V-Q is the only machine cited in the article that actually puts the Pentium on the motherboard and that system, along with the NCR System 3360 are the only ones that feature completely redesigned systems. Older NCRs already used separate processor boards for their microprocessor components.
CommunicationsWeek for June 21 says that Hybrid switches from Hypercom will let network managers combine SNA and TCP/IP protocols over a single circuit.
Boardwatch Magazine for July looks at 322 St. Louis BBS systems and says that Hayes' new sysop price of only $179 for an external Optima 144 + Fax144 will cause a revolution in the way BBS operators look at high-speed 14,400 bps modems.
High-Tech Marketing News for June says that PC makers have been caught by surprise that new multimedia systems are going into homes, as might be expected from the large number of non business software titles. Unfortunately, most system builders had envisioned (and priced) multimedia systems for office users rather than the home market, according to the front page article and may miss the multimedia boat.
The June 21 Federal Computer Week says that Comdisco has won the five-year, $50 million interagency disaster recovery contract to supply backup systems and recovery services for IBM and DEC mainframes in various agencies.
Computerworld for the week of June 21 reports that airborne electronic mail and other wireless networking systems are gaining ground in their attempt to displace hard-wired networks. The recent Electronic Mail Association conference in Atlanta witnessed the first interoperability effort among radio-nets e-mail radio net implementations, and other milestone products.
Computerworld for June 14 says that Compaq will introduce a new line of large-scale servers for as little as $5,000 this fall. Included in the newly designed servers will be such mainframe like features as component monitoring, auto-power down procedures, utilization monitors for performance tuning, and support for up to four processors. Software will, according to the report, be upgraded by CD-ROM and all the new servers will include a CD-ROM drive.
Government Computer News dated June 21 says that the first orders are being placed under Desktop IV and that the first ZDS (Zenith Data Systems) Z-433D+ system offered is "a humdinger." The front page story also says that GTSI won't raise its prices even if the distributor adds 486-based systems to its offering on the new Desktop IV schedule.
(John McCormick/19930628/)
on the new Desktop IV schedule.
(John McCormick/19930628/)
6/29/93
Roundup - Stories Carried By Other Media Over Last Two Weeks
GENERAL
British Robot Invades US - NECC
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- At the National Educational Computing Conference in Orlando this week a British company is showing off a robot that has already made it by the thousands into British schoolrooms.
Roamer is a robot from Valiant Technology Ltd. of London England. Roamer looks like a volleyball someone cut in half. It can be programmed to move along a flat surface in a procedural and control language similar to Logo. It has buttons on its top and connectors which can be used to give it "arms" that do a variety of things.
Dan Catlin of Valiant said 33,000 have been sold in the UK for use in schools, and a few school boards, like one in Grand Rapids, MI, have taken to them here. The top is so plain it almost demands dressing-up. Various Roamers in the Valiant booth were masquerading as square-dancers, mailmen, and firemen. Sensors can be attached to help Roamer react to the environment, and with the addition of a control box, students can even add a waving wand. Plus, at $279, it's affordable.
The same company makes a more expensive robot, called the Turtle, with pens on its bottom that is programmable, in full-fledged Logo for true "turtle graphics."
"It's very simple," Catlin saId. "You switch it on, press a button and it goes. But it can challenge university students with thinking projects." By dressing it up and giving it things to do "it puts math into a real situation children can relate to."
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930628/Press Contact: Dan Catlin, Valiant 370 Old York Road, Wandsworth, London, SW18 1SP, England, +081 874-8747)
don, SW18 1SP, England, +081 874-8747)
6/29/93
British Robot Invades US - NECC Show
GENERAL
Tripping Along With Trip - NECC
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- Trip Hawkins turned out to be the most controversial guest to hit NECC in some time. He charmed the press, and most attendees, but many old-time exhibitors complained bitterly his speech was nothing but a sales pitch, without any attempt to disguise it. And then, in the atrium of the Marriott World Resort center, he held a press conference.
Basically, he suggested, all those school districts which are considering the purchase of technology this year should put their checkbooks away. "If I was serving grades K-7, I would not spend money on PCs right now. For younger children it's an inefficient way to spend money." About the best thing that widespread use of computers has done in business is, thanks to e-mail, force executives to learn to type.
"Technology has to be whipped into shape," he said. "PCs are too expensive and hard to use" for most schools." His own $700 boxes which combine RISC technology, a proprietary operating system and a multi-purpose CD drive, are something else again. "If 3DO is going to fail, someone will have to bring out something better." Hawkins continually impressed reporters with how simple the 3DO machines would be to use. "Teachers don't need training to use TVs or VCRs" and that's how simple 3DO will be.
While networking isn't an initial part of the business plan Hawkins insisted it's just a matter of time. "In the long run it's essential to be networked. Computers don't achieve their destiny unless they're networked. 3DO will be networkable" from the start. It's just that entertainment applications can quickly bring the product to the mass market, so entertainment applications will be the first to emerge. "For something to really succeed in changing society it has to reach a mass audience. Videogames and computers," despite big sales, "haven't done that. TVs and VCRs have. Computer technology has great potential because it engages the mind. But it will take 20-30 years for people not to think it's hype."
Hawkins also addressed the move by cable television companies to test interactive technologies. The big threat here is that TeleCommunications Inc., may bring Microsoft to Time Warner and force a standard for cable interactivity based on Microsoft Windows before 3DO can get going. "What cable companies should be interested in is standardization," Hawkins said. "It's important for cable companies to do some experimenting first, however. When you think about a company like Time Warner building a full service network, you don't want to make a mistake. What will emerge from Cablesoft," which many feel is Microsoft's wedge into dominating cable, "is a specification" that companies selling 3DO devices may meet. And the company that meets or exceeds them, at the lowest cost, will win out.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930628)
n out.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930628)
6/29/93
Tripping Along With Trip - NECC Show
GENERAL
Scholastic Online System -- NECC
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- Scholastic Inc. announced an online network in collaboration with America Online. The Scholastic Network, actually a special section of the larger service, has been in beta test with about 300 teachers for some months, General Manager John Lent told Newsbytes. The network will cost $16.95 per month, for which users can stay online for up to 5 hours, including time spent with the parent service.
Lent said that e-mail was the most popular use of the system during tests, although a lot of the beta testers wanted data that only Scholastic, the largest textbook publisher, can provide. That includes an online encyclopedia, databases of teaching materials, instant access to Scholastic magazines, curriculum guides and other educational materials. "It's the first network designed specifically for teachers and students," he said, "focused on interactivity in a coherent, managed environment." By managed, he insisted, he's not talking about a system like Prodigy, which takes down message bases when they get too controversial. During the beta test phase, Lent said, no problems requiring such moves occurred.
Lent admits he's excited and a little nervous pending the network's official September 1 launch. "We budgeted conservatively, and there are days when 10,000 users seems high and others when it seems like no problem."
Newsbytes asked Lent about the decision-making process leading to Scholastic's decision to work with AOL, which uses Stratus machines. We finally decided that we didn't want to run a system. We wanted to focus on interactivity and content. There's a lot about America Online that will be of interest to teachers. But we know classrooms and teachers."
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930629/Press Contact: Linda Lehrer Scholastic Inc., 212-505-3736)
a Lehrer Scholastic Inc., 212-505-3736)
6/29/93
Scholastic Online System -- NECC Show
TELECOM
Scholastic Online System -- NECC
Software Exec Outlines Education
Math Trek Aimed At Grade 7 To 9
NECC - Paramount's Caulo Says He
UK - Dataflex Design Bundles Win
PC Expo - WordPerfect, Novell, I
Australia - Jeeves Turns PC Into
Trio Signs WindSurfer Deal With
AMD Announces 486 Chips With Own
Cox Ties With Prodigy On News Ne
Editorial - Economic Summit Ends
Data General Unveils Powerful Mu
QuarkXprress 3.2 For Macintosh
India - Tandem In Alliance With
Technology Stocks Hit, But They'
More On Artisoft's Fault Toleran
Australia - Government IT Spendi
Fujitsu, Ricoh To Link Office Ma
National Education Computing Con
- ORLANDO, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- With 5,123 attendees, many of whom brought their children, this was the biggest National Educational Computing Conference yet. On the whole, those in attendance are excellent teachers, proud of their achievements, here to celebrate as much as learn. Instead of spending the evenings schmoozing in hospitality suites, these attendees went to special nights, paid-for in part by vendors, at local theme parks.
Still, there's an air of unreality about all this. At this show messaging systems sponsored by Apple and an "Internet Corner" with online access were popular attractions. Many were quick to admit that, back home, it's quite different. The US has one computer for each 16 students, grades K-12, according to Quality Education Data. And often that computer is an ancient Apple II or worse, locked into a "lab" students may be able to work with for one hour, or less, once a week. Except for a small number of pilot projects, sponsored by Apple, IBM's EduQuest, or other vendors, multimedia remains a dream for most teachers.
The fear is this won't change. Computers and networks are not really part of the national debate on education, despite some talk coming from the Clinton Administration. Vice President Al Gore cancelled his speech here two weeks ago, and the sponsors were frankly relieved to be done with the security headache. Instead, this remains a week to celebrate small-scale icons like Jan Davidson, who's been in educational computing since the 1980s, and to talk about individual achievements in panels that fill each day.
Sometimes, as in the press room, the frustration comes out. Some reporters admit they're sending their kids to private schools either because they're afraid for their safety in public schools or because public schools favor boys over girls, or because they think the public schools are no good. The public debate over public schools is driven by politicians and political causes either "public-private choice" on one side or "political correctness" on the other. Technology, which could scramble the mix by giving control of education to students, isn't even on the radar screen. Most here admit that. What it will take to put technology onto the school reform radar screen is the subject of much debate.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930629)
ct of much debate.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930629)
6/29/93
National Education Computing Conference Overview
GENERAL
PC Expo - Sales Of P-3s To Reach
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- Sales of "next generation" handheld computing and communicating devices will shoot up 53% annually to a total of $3.5 billion in 1998, says a new survey by Link Resources and International Data Corp. (IDC) announced today at PC Expo.
Communications will be the "killer function" for many users according to the study, which examined demand for a new market segment dubbed "P-3s" (Personal Productivity Partners).
The new P-3 category includes PDAs (personal digital assistants) personal information organizers, pen-based notepads, handheld multimedia or CD-ROM devices, and anticipated consumer-oriented products, researchers stated in releasing the results.
Some of the P-3s are personal communications devices used for multiple functions throughout the day, some will act as knowledge based assistants to skilled workers like nurses or auditors, and others will aim at improving the productivity of executives and entrepreneurs.
"There is excitement, uncertainty and doubt wrapped around the market for P-3 devices. The airwaves are awash with vendor evangelism about P-3s, but this study provides important user response to the adoption, usage, pricing, and future success of products in this embryonic marketplace," commented Bruce Stephen director of PC Hardware Research at IDC.
The report determined that data and voice communications and services are needed by over 80% of potential P-3 buyers. Further, P-3 products are dividing into two broad categories: extensions of desktop PCs and scaled-down systems that are optimized for mobile use and long battery life. Coordination of files and schedules, plus messaging, are mobile workers' primary applications.
Miniaturization of existing desktop or notebook components may be adequate for desktop extension applications, but not for scaled down devices, the researchers found. Where desktop extension users typically tend to generate data, mobile users are net consumers of data, from e-mail to voice and from handwriting to images.
The study also predicted that significant market growth will be delayed until vendors develop and effectively market systems that provide the mobile user with well-defined benefits. Success of the new devices will depend not only on their hardware features, but on their integration with communications networks and services, the researchers concluded.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930629/Press contact: Michael French, LINK Resources Corp., tel 212-627-1500)
Michael French, LINK Resources Corp., tel 212-627-1500)
6/29/93
PC Expo - Sales Of P-3s To Reach $3.5 Billion By '98
TRENDS
PC Expo - 1993 Data Preservation
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- On the first day of PC Expo, 3M launched the 1993 Data Preservation Awards, a program created in association with a dozen user groups to curb the estimated $4 billion in productivity losses suffered by US organizations each year from inadequate protection of PC-based data.
The new program will give tribute to individuals who have created outstanding PC data backup and protection policies for organizations, 3M officials said in making the announcement.
The program is an outgrowth of a 1992 Intelliquest study showing that about two-thirds of intensive users in US businesses are either unprotected by formal data safeguard policies or unaware of their existence.
Judging for the awards program will be conducted by a blue-ribbon nomination review board of journalists, corporate users, and user group leaders based on five criteria: originality, execution communication, motivation, and creative thinking.
Winners, their organizations, and their nominators will be honored at a ceremony at Fall Comdex. The Grand Prize winner will receive an engraved crystal trophy produced by Tiffany & Co., plus a travel package for two to New Orleans, the site of Preservation Hall. The package will include round trip airfare, $100 in spending money, and a four-night stay at the Hotel Inter-Continental New Orleans.
Cash awards will be presented to the Second Prize winner, as well as to the nominators of both the Grand Prize and Second Prize winners.
"Several major trends -- the rise of distributed information systems, the ballooning of personal computer storage capacities and expanded access to more sophisticated applications and greater quantities of information -- have increased both the value and vulnerability of personal computer-based data," explained Michael Stevens, business development director for 3M's Data Storage Tape Technology Division.
"Those people who have been savvy enough to link personal computer data backup and protection and their companies' overall business health -- whether administrative assistant or CIO -- merit formal recognition," he added.
In the study that spurred the awards program, IntelliQuest determined that significant data losses have already affected more than one of every four intensive PC users. In addition, roughly half of all business users expect to sustain a serious loss at one time or another.
Meanwhile, only 18 percent of businesses with fewer than 10 employees have instituted formal backup policies, and the rate is scarcely more than double this number for much larger organizations.
Just 40 percent of firms with more than 500 employees, and 44 percent of companies with LANs (local area networks) installed have formal backup policies in place, according to the survey.
Nomination forms for the new awards program can be obtained by calling 1-800-888-1889, extension 33, through some electronic bulletin boards and online services, and through several supporting user groups.
User groups participating in the awards program include the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG), the Berkeley Macintosh Users Group, the Boston Computer Society, Capital PC User Group Inc., the Chicago Computer Society, the New York MacUsers' Group, the New York Personal Computer Users Group, the North Orange County Computer Club, the Sacramento PC Users Group, the San Francisco PC Users Group, the Silicon Valley Computer Society, and Washington Apple Pi.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930629/Reader contact: tel 800-888-1889, ext 33; Press contacts: Kris W. Chvatal, Fleishman-Hillard Inc. for 3M Data Storage Products, tel 213-629-4974; Larry Teien, 3M Data Storage Products, tel 612-736-5961)
rry Teien, 3M Data Storage Products, tel 612-736-5961)
6/29/93
PC Expo - 1993 Data Preservation Awards Are Launched
GENERAL
PC Expo - 1993 Data Preservation
New Typefaces From Adobe - Wild
PC Expo - Low-Cost, High Res Sca
Japan - Dell Links With Orix, Cu
IBM, 6 Telecom Firms Sign Multim
IBM Creates PowerPC Division
IBM PC Company Keeps IBM At Top
Mercury Revamps Phone Prices In
Lotus, Borland Mix Quattro & Not
Dinosaur Fever Hits Compuserve
BSA Outlines Strategy, Goals
IBM Launches Microcontroller For
Kaleida Appoints Mike Braun Pres
Review of - All About Cows CD-RO
Newton Messagepad To Be For Sale
Colorado Jumbo Tape Backup Softw
Focus On India At Singapore Info
Japan - Game Firms Link With US
Hitachi Unveils Double-Speed CD-
CE Software Ships Power Pak For
British Telecom To Limit Premium
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- British Telecom (BT) has announced plans to block direct access to premium rate phone lines starting in July 1994. From that date onwards, customers will have to contact BT for a PIN (personal identification number) which will allow them access to the so-called adult lines from any phone in the UK, charging such calls to their account.
Although information is sparse as Newsbytes goes to press, there is a strong suggestion that the PIN code to be offered by BT is merely a special calling card number, which will access the BT charge card system by dialling 144. According to a BT spokesman, the PIN code system will work "all over the UK," charging calls back to the user's account.
The ban could cause problems for phone users wanting access to non adult services, Newsbytes notes. BT has no way of knowing what services are available on different numbers.
The revenue that BT will forego as a result of its restriction is huge. BT admits that its premium rate numbers attract around 100,000 calls a day, with an average of 45 pence per call spent. Newsbytes notes that the adult phone services account for around 12 percent of the UKP 200 million a year premium rate phone industry in the UK.
(Steve Gold/19930629)
rate phone industry in the UK.
(Steve Gold/19930629)
6/29/93
British Telecom To Limit Premium Rate Phone Line Access
TELECOM
British Government To Announce B
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- Kenneth Clarke, the newly appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer, will today announce full details of the British Government's sale of its remaining 22 percent stake in British Telecom.
The details will be of major interest to potential investors, mainly because the prospectus issued today will give precise details of company assets, plans for the future and its general trading position. Of most interest, however, will be the views of Oftel, the government-appointed regulatory body for telecoms, which is expected to detail its plans in the BT prospectus.
The British Government is pouring vast quantities of cash into its marketing campaign to encourage potential investors to register their interest in the BT3 sell-off early. It is now almost impossible to see an ad break on TV without one of the several lengthy adverts encouraging viewers to register early. The early registrations close on July 2, after which time new share buyers will not receive any bonus share allocations.
Registering for information with a share shop or the share information office gives British citizens the chance to take a discount of 10p a share on the second and third installments or to receive bonus shares on holdings kept until 1996.
(Steve Gold/19930629)
holdings kept until 1996.
(Steve Gold/19930629)
6/29/93
British Government To Announce BT Prospectus Today
TELECOM
UK - BT Opens Interconnect Charg
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- British Telecom has admitted defeat on its behind the scenes negotiations with third-party telephone companies wanting access to its local network into subscriber's houses and offices. To date, the negotiations have been secret and behind closed doors, but now BT wants to publish a table of rates for allowing local access to the competition.
The change is a direct response to a consultative set of documents issued earlier this year by Oftel, the government-sponsored office of telecoms regulation, which said that BT must let the telecoms industry know how much it costs to run its national network, and how much interconnects with third-party telecom companies actually cost.
BT will be publishing two sets of tariffs. Tariff A, Newsbytes understands, applies to interconnection services on BT's local network. Tariff B, meanwhile is for competitive national and international switching capacity, the so-called toll access.
BT is now throwing down the gauntlet with many of its competitors claiming that they should now commit to publishing prices later this year.
In its consultative document Oftel has requested that interconnection charges should be "at levels which are both efficient and sustainable so that no under- or over-recovery of BT's costs would generally result."
(Steve Gold/19930629)
erally result."
(Steve Gold/19930629)
6/29/93
UK - BT Opens Interconnect Charge Plans
TELECOM
Phiber Optik Trial To Start
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 29 (NB) -- The trial in federal court of Mark Abene, well known throughout the hacker community as "Phiber Optik," is scheduled to begin on July 6th in the Southern District of New York.
The trial, to be presided by Judge Louis Stanton, will take place in Courtroom 444 in the New York City's Federal Courthouse at Foley Square.
Abene was indicted on July 8 of last year along with John Lee Julio Fernandez, Eli Ladopoulos, and Paul Stira, on a variety of charges relating to computer intrusion and telecom fraud. In the interim, Lee, Fernandez, Ladopoulos, and Stira have pled guilty to lesser charges. Lee has been sentenced to a year and day in federal prison and Fernandez is reported to have become a witness for the government. Stira and Ladopoulos are scheduled to be sentenced on July 23.
Lawrence Schoenbach, attorney for Abene, told Newsbytes, "We are all looking forward to the trial and the litigation of the issues involved. This is a trial for the 21st Century and addresses the questions of how much the government can interfere with the search for knowledge and how far it can intrude into personal communication."
Schoenbach added that he expected the trial to take a few months.
Assistant United States Attorney Stephen Fishbein declined to comment on a case about to go to trial, telling Newsbytes, "We will be making our profound statements in court."
The trial is expected to provide the cornerstone for a book by Joshua Quittner and Michelle Slatalla, Newsday reporters who having been covering the case since the indictment. Quittner told Newsbytes that he is taking a leave of absence from his Newsday duties for the duration of the trial.
(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19930629)
& John F. McMullen/19930629)
6/29/93
Phiber Optik Trial To Start
HP Allies With Informix; Talks M
Canada's Long-Distance Rates Sti
National Education Computing Con
MatLab Software Ported From Unix
Puzzles, Pranks and Games For Wi
Pioneer Creates Multimedia Softw
MacTV Schedule for July 5-23
Apple Salary Cuts And Freezes, E
Media Vision Unveils Two Multime
Thailand Copyright Law
Kerridge Network Systems Unveils
UK - New Avanti! Internal PC Fax
UK - Elonex Intros VL Bus PC Ser
UK - BT Cuts Pricing On Internat
11th Annual PC Expo Opens In New
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- Upwards of 800 exhibitors and 85,000 attendees from all over the world are expected to converge on New York City this week for the 11th annual PC Expo.
The 1993 edition of Bruno Blenheim corporate-oriented computing show gets off the ground tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. with a keynote speech by Microsoft CEO Bill Gates on "New Technology for the Information Age."
Gates' address will be counterpointed on Wednesday at 11:15 a.m. with a plenary talk called "The IBM PC Company - On the Comeback Trail," to be given by Robert Corrigan, the company's president.
Meanwhile, the show floor doors will swing open Tuesday morning at 10:00 for three days' worth of product displays and demos. New exhibition areas established this year include the Windows NT Showcase and special pavilions for multimedia and mobile computing.
Over 300 companies will be announcing new products, ranging alphabetically from Abstract R&D to WordPerfect Corp. Also included on this list are the likes of IBM, Microsoft, Intel, Sony Borland, Sharp, and NEC.
The rollouts cover almost every conceivable aspect of the PC industry, starting with software for object-oriented applications development and moving on up to fax and scanning peripherals, a barrage of graphics and storage subsystems, a computer keyboard/electronic phone combo from Integrated Technology, and a series of "mobile multimedia PCs without limits" from Toshiba.
In addition, during each of nine 90-minute time slots within the three-day show, PC Expo will be providing six to ten conference seminars. The seminar topics are aimed at addressing the wide gamut of interests represented by corporate buyers and volume resellers, the expo's principal audience.
"Portables: Desktops of Tomorrow," "The Great Debate: P5, RISC and Alpha," "Client/Server Update: A Technical Review," "Mail-Enabling Applications," "Optimizing Windows," "Document Management and Retrieval," and "Modems 101" are just a few of the 77 selections.
Other offerings calculated to please the crowd include a special exhibit of electrically efficient Energy Star computer technology, a return engagement of the Association & User Group Pavilion, and the trade show debut of InterFilm, an interactive feature-length film previously shown in movie houses only.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930628/Reader contact: Bruno Blenheim, tel 800-829-3976 or 201-346-1400; Press contacts: Annie Scully, Bruno Blenheim, tel 201-346-1400, ext 145; Mark Haviland, Bruno Blenheim tel 201-346-1400, ext 152)
k Haviland, Bruno Blenheim tel 201-346-1400, ext 152)
6/28/93
11th Annual PC Expo Opens In New York City Tomorrow
Canada's Long-Distance Rates Sti
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- Most long-distance telephone rates in Canada have fallen over the past decade, but a call in Canada still costs on average about one and a half times as much as a call over the same distance in the United States, a Toronto telecommunications consultant reports.
Hoey Associates Telecommunications Consulting reports that long-haul rates in Canada have been about halved since 1983, while rates for short long-distance calls have remained about the same or even risen slightly.
For instance, a five-minute long-distance call between points eight miles apart still costs 70 cents, the same as in 1983. But a call over 1,675 miles is now C$2.35, down 56 percent from $5.35 in 1983. All figures are based on the rates of Bell Canada, the largest of the regional telephone companies, which serves Ontario and Quebec.
Eamon Hoey, president of Hoey Associates, said that his numbers are not adjusted for inflation. Thus the drop in the real cost of long distance calls is even greater than the numbers suggest.
The news for Canadians isn't as good, though, in Hoey's comparison of Canadian rates to those in the US. Although Canadian long distance calls over very short distances -- up to about 40 miles are cheaper than in the US., after that Canadian rates quickly rise above those south of the border.
Over all, Canadian rates are about 1.5 times those for a call over the same distance in the US. The greatest differences are in the distance range from about 225 to 3,000 miles, where Canadian rates are about 1.6 times American rates. As distances increase even more the ratio drops again, to 1.19 at 5,750 miles.
Hoey told Newsbytes that the direct-dial long-distance rates are one example of generally higher telecommunications costs in Canada that put Canadian businesses at a disadvantage in competing with US companies. "It's not so much what Canadians are paying as what they're being inhibited from doing," he said.
Few businesses set up call processing centers in Canada, for instance, because it is cheaper to put them in the United States.
Bell Canada took issue with Hoey on several points. Denise Sarazin a spokeswoman for Bell, pointed out that his figures reflect standard rates for direct-dialed calls, and do not take into account various discount plans available from Bell and the other Canadian phone companies. "Anyone who makes over $25 a month in calling can benefit from some package," she said.
And Sarazin pointed out a major reason why Canadian long-distance rates are higher -- long-distance charges subsidize local service much more in Canada than in the US. On average, she said, every minute of long-distance calling through Bell provides a 16-cent subsidy to keep local rates down. National long-distance competitor Unitel Communications subsidizes Canadian local service to the tune of six or seven cents a minute, she added, but in the United States the subsidy is only two to three cents per minute.
Sarazin added that Bell Canada is committed to long-distance rate parity with the United States by 1996, and believes it is "doing very well" at moving toward that goal.
x 416-696-5280; Denise Sarazin, Bell Canada, 613-781-3333)
6/28/93
Canada's Long-Distance Rates Still 1.5 Times Those Of US
TELECOM
Windows-Based Client-Server Data
WESTBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- Concentric Data Systems has unveiled a Windows-based client-server database reporting tool, which it claims is geared to end users as well as professionals.
The new R&R Report Writer for Windows SQL Edition offers client server database access to Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, Sybase SQL Server, NetWare SQL, Btrieve, and Xbase.
"SQL is a difficult concept and language for the average end user to understand. R&R fully exploits client-server technology to offer end users a tool that allows them to access and report on their client-server databases without having to rely on an MIS professional," explained Rob Hershfield, the company's product line manager.
For users who are unfamiliar with SQL syntax and terminology, the report writer will automatically generate SQL statements. For MIS professionals, the product provides the ability to write SQL statements directly.
The package also offers a range of layout and presentation features including line and box drawing, background shading, color printing support, and the ability to import graphics in 12 different formats.
R&R Report Writer for Windows SQL Edition is scheduled to ship next month, at a retail price of $395.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930628/Press contact: Marilyn Joly, Concentric Data Systems Inc., tel 800-325-9035, ext 141; Reader contact: Concentric Data Systems Inc., tel 800-325-9035)
contact: Concentric Data Systems Inc., tel 800-325-9035)
6/28/93
Windows-Based Client-Server Database Tool For End Users
Got A Second? There's A Leap Sec
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- If someone asks you to "wait a second" this week, you can accommodate them without missing any of your usual weekly activities because the government is giving you, free of charge, some extra time this week.
Do the workdays just seem to drag on forever? Well, if this Wednesday seems to be a bit more of a struggle to get through than usual, you can at least look forward to a full extra second of evening rest courtesy of the world's timekeepers at the US Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., and their counterparts in Boulder Colorado.
At precisely 23 hours, 59 minutes, 60 seconds Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC) or 7:59:60 p.m. EDT on June 30, 1993, one second will be inserted into the world's most accurate clocks because variations in the way the Earth turns have gotten it slightly out of sync with the super-accurate atomic clocks which the world's scientists now use to determine the "correct" time.
In the past, human beings relied on the rotation of the planet itself as the "standard" for time keeping and reset clocks to match the Earth's daily turning, but since the late 60s the US Naval Observatory has been relying on a computerized clock that counts the 9,192,631,792,458 vibrations that take place every second in a Cesium 133 atom.
By contrast, the Earth's rotation is only constant to about 1/1,000 second each day and therefore the Naval Observatory has inserted 18 leap seconds in the clock's time since 1972 in order to keep the clock perfectly synchronized with the Earth's rotation and thus with rising and setting times of stars.
The reason the Navy is responsible for timekeeping goes back to the traditional needs of the British and other navies which required precise timekeeping in order to help them determine the position of their ships at sea.
Today these positions are determined by using computerized global positioning systems which rely on satellite signals which are again related to precise timekeeping.
Although this change can be ignored by most people, computers used to measure or record many scientific events must be set to a precise time tick; anyone can actually have his or her clocks reset using the Naval Observatory's special electronic bulletin board system which is used just to co-ordinate computer clock times.
(John McCormick/19930628/Press Contact: Fred McGehan, NIST - Boulder Colorado, 303-497-3246)
act: Fred McGehan, NIST - Boulder Colorado, 303-497-3246)
6/28/93
Got A Second? There's A Leap Second Coming On Wednesday
Canadian Product Launch Update
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- This regular feature appearing every Monday or Tuesday, provides further details for the Canadian market on announcement by international companies that Newsbytes has already covered. This week: Banyan's ENS for NetWare Canon's BJ-230 ink-jet printer, and DellWare arrive in Canada.
Banyan Systems said that its ENS for NetWare enterprise network services software (Newsbytes, June 15) will be available in Canada as in the United States, in July. The company did not provide Canadian pricing.
Canon Canada said that the BJ-230 ink-jet printer (Newsbytes, June 1), which prints pages as large as 11 by 17 inches, is now available in Canada. The Canadian list price is $649.
Dell Computer Corporation's Canadian operation announced it has begun offering DellWare, a catalog-and-telephone operation selling hardware and software products from other vendors (Newsbytes, Oct. 7, 1992). Paul Rubin, vice-president of marketing at Dell Canada said there are some differences in the product selection offered in Canada, but the catalog is "about 95 percent" the same as in the US. The Canadian DellWare catalog is being mailed to about 50,000 Dell customers.
(Grant Buckler/19930628/Press Contact: Heather Bussey, The Communications Group for Banyan Canada, 416-696-9900; Ben Werbski, Canon Canada, 416-795-1111; Paul Rubin, Dell Canada 416-764-4200, fax 416-764-4209; Public Contact: Banyan Canada 416-855-2971, fax 416-855-2894)
416-855-2971, fax 416-855-2894)
6/28/93
Canadian Product Launch Update
GENERAL
Magazine For Multimedia Develope
ORINDA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- A newly announced trade publication called Morph's Outpost on the Digital Frontier is intended to give multimedia developers a magazine they can call their own.
"Multimedia developers are special people, and they need a special magazine," explained Craig LaGrow, publisher of Morph's Outpost. "As unconventional artists and technologists on the edge of a new and exciting technology, they need information that is technically interesting and practically useful. No fluff for these guys."
LaGrow, who most recently served a editor-in-chief of Multimedia World magazine, also co-founded Computer Language magazine, AI Expert Magazine, and the Software Development Conference.
The new effort has "written by developers, for developers" as its slogan. Morph's Outpost is targeted at long-time business, education and entertainment developers as well as the many programmers who are flocking to the field as the entertainment and advertising industries adopt interactive multimedia, and conventional software starts to handle multimedia data types.
Aimed at in-depth coverage of interactive multimedia tools and technologies, the magazine will consider the theory behind their design and offer step-by-step advice on how to create applications and titles for delivery on CD-ROM, kiosks, computer networks, cable TV, telephone ISDN, and direct satellite broadcast systems.
Morph's Outpost will be mailed to 25,000 multimedia developers each month, and distributed free of charge at major multimedia trade shows.
The one-year subscription price on the magazine is $39.95, and the single-issue copy price is $3-95. The one-time, black-and-white advertising page charge is $2,500. July 12 is the deadline for reserving ad space for the premier issue.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930628/Press contact: Doug Millison, Morph's Outpost on the Digital Frontier, tel 510-254-3145; Reader and advertiser contact: Craig LaGrow, Morph's Outpost, tel 510-254 3145)
act: Craig LaGrow, Morph's Outpost, tel 510-254 3145)
6/28/93
Magazine For Multimedia Developers: Morph's Outpost
GENERAL
3Com Plans To Cut Network Owners
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- One of the major concerns with corporate networking is the high cost of operations. Now 3Com has announced plans that it says are designed to help users simplify remote office internetworking and cut network ownership costs by up to 50 percent.
The plan involves software enhancements, along with additional modules and platforms for the company's NETBuilder internetworking product. The company claims that the plans reduce costs in network operations, changes in the initial acquisition of equipment, as well as the addition of new management and administration features.
According to the company, reduced costs can be obtained using full data compression across all major protocols, including IP (Internet Protocol), IPX (Internetwork Packet Exchange), DECnet Vines, OSI (Open Systems Interconnection), Appletalk and XNS.
The company says that compression lets users make use of lower-speed lines and helps prevent over-saturation of the line due to uneven traffic.
The company also says that its software-based ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) support reduces WAN (wide area network) costs by controlling connection uptime. It also claims that intelligent filtering leads to more efficient WAN traffic control and line usage.
The company's planned Scheduled Dial, set for availability in September 1993, "complements" boundary routing by centralizing router management and reducing WAN costs. The central router can assign or schedule times when remote sites or branch offices can bring up their connections to the network.
The company's Dial-On-Demand, which is due to become available for IP and IPX in February 1994, will allow users to initiate a connection when needed, and end the connection at a specified interval following transmission of the last packet.
Beginning in September 1993, 3Com plans to increase port density through new modules for the NETBuilder II backbone router. The company hopes to triple the number of WAN connections and double the LAN connections, by the end of the year.
According to 3Com, the company plans to, "leverage its own low cost, volume manufacturing capabilities to deliver new low-cost remote office internetworking systems by early 1994. By combining these lower cost platforms with the NETBuilder software enhancements, 3Com customers will substantially reduce their cost of ownership during the typical WAN life cycle."
Boundary routing extends the advantages of LAN (local area network) interconnection to a new class of users at remote sites, claims the company. Boundary routing for frame relay is set to become available in February 1994, while boundary routing for X.25 will become available in May 1994.
The company is also planning a feature called Configuration Management, to become available in September 1993, which will enable users to download software over the LAN for remote router configuration and changes. According to 3Com, by February 1994 the software will enable users to implement "complete global configuration changes from a single network management station."
Additionally, something called Hands-Off Management, set for availability in February 1994, will let users customers complete "hands-off" management, including software updates, configuration management, smart filters and automatic acquisition of network addresses. Once a remote router is installed, users will be able to manage it from the central site. There will be no need to touch the hardware at the remote site, except to add LAN or WAN segments says the company.
3Com's NETBuilder software -- version 6.1 -- includes compression ISDN services for disaster recovery, bandwidth-on-demand, smart filters, and Boundary Routing. The software is available to 3Com's installed base and new customers, the software ranges in price from $350 to $2,000 depending on hardware platform and features supported.
(Ian Stokell/19930628/Press Contact: Donna Stein, 408-764-5960 3Com Corp.)
tact: Donna Stein, 408-764-5960 3Com Corp.)
6/28/93
3Com Plans To Cut Network Ownership Costs
GENERAL
SEC Subpoenas Storagetek Records
LOUISVILLE, COLORADO, U.S.A, 1993 JUL 28 (NB) -- Storage Technology Corporation revealed on Friday that it has received a subpoena from the Denver Regional Office of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to produce certain documents in connection with the commission's order for a private investigation of possible violations of federal disclosure, reporting or insider trading requirements.
The company said that the request relates primarily to announcements and related disclosures concerning the status of its Iceberg product. Storagetek said it will comply fully with the request.
While the SEC is always tight-lipped about its investigations, the request presumably stems from the April 1992 class action suit filed by several Storagetek shareholders, charging that the company had released misleading information that caused the investors to lose money on their stock.
Iceberg, first introduced in 1991, is a half-million dollar fault tolerant disk drive array that stores mainframe computer data on up to 256 floppy disks. The same data is stored on several disks on the refrigerator-sized device to decrease the likelihood of data loss.
Iceberg has been delayed several times, with a resultant drop in Storagetek stock.
(Jim Mallory/19930628/Press contact: David Reid, Storagetek, 303 673-4815)
id Reid, Storagetek, 303 673-4815)
6/28/93
SEC Subpoenas Storagetek Records
GENERAL
Pioneer Focuses on Solutions
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- Pioneer has found a ready market in schools for its videodisc systems. These are analog disks, although they look like Long Playing CDs, and offer limited interactivity.
But Pioneer has succeeded in creating a large market for them, and some states have even allowed videodisks to be offered as a replacement for textbooks in some classes.
For this show, Pioneer's New Media Technologies unit said it will provide a total videodisc education solution for teachers in West Virginia. The system combines a LaserDisc player from Pioneer, a bar code reader, a Sharp Monitor, and bar code software.
Parts of each disk are coded, so a teacher can prepare a lesson by simply inputting bar coded numbers into the system as needed. Along with the systems, Pioneer is also offering teachers a two-day seminar on the technology.
Also, Pioneer said it will begin offering videodiscs to schools directly. The Encyclopedia of Animals and the ABC News Interactive Powers of the Government series will be among the first titles. Both have been successful in the school market.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930628/Press Contact: Pioneer New Media Technologies Inc., 201-327-6400; FAX: 201-327-9379)
1-327-6400; FAX: 201-327-9379)
6/28/93
Pioneer Focuses on Solutions
GENERAL
Schemers Push New Computer Langu
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- An outfit called Schemers is out to put the squeeze on Basic, the computer language most kids learn first. According to president Terry Kaufman, "The way that computer science is introduced to students in grade school and high school seriously jeopardizes the country's future as a competitor in the technology market-place."
Kaufman went on to claim that Basic is part of the problem, turning off kids to the idea of programming because their early efforts won't run.
Schemer's offering is Scheme, a language developed at MIT which places concept above syntax. The result is that students as young as 12 can learn such concepts as recursion. The company claims that ninth graders with less than 40 hours of classroom experience took the most difficult part of the computer science Advanced Placement exam, using Scheme rather than the required language, Pascal.
The unofficial results placed them in the top 20 percent. Schemer said that Scheme is widely used in Europe and Japan, and is rapidly displacing Pascal in introductory courses at colleges like UC Berkeley and MIT. But the company claims the AP exam's insistence on Pascal remains the problem, which Kaufman attacks bitterly. Kaufman thinks Logo should be taught in grade schools as a precursor to scheme. Kaufman was formerly with IBM.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- The continuing trend towards video applications within companies has led to increased demand on corporate networks. Now, as part of the company's cross-platform strategy, Starlight Networks has announced plans to port its StarWorks video networking software to Novell's market-leading NetWare network operating system.
Starlight claims that its server software will be made to operate on NetWare platforms and tie into StarWorks client software via a NetWare Loadable Module (NLM), which will allow customers to use a NetWare server as a dedicated video server, and also, in some applications, as a combination video and data server.
The current version of StarWorks, which is Unix based, is compatible with NetWare networked environments. Jim Long, president of Starlight Networks, said: "StarWorks was specifically designed to support multiple platforms."
Starlight claims that its overall cross-platform goal is to provide digital video networking that inter-operates across multiple client and server platforms. Client platforms include DOS, Windows, Macintosh and the Solaris strain of Unix. Server platforms include Unix and NetWare.
StarWorks was first released in December 1992, and consists of video application server software and video network interface software for desktop computers. The software element provides video storage management and video session and stream management functions.
According to the company, StarWorks manages the storage of streaming data in such a way as to allow simultaneous access by a large number of users to the same video, or multiple videos.
The company also claims that StarWorks desktop video network interface includes protocols that handle the requirements for streaming data while at the same time preserving compatibility with existing network protocols and operating systems.
StarWorks is claimed to work with all popular video formats desktop computers and networks.
StarWorks currently provides video networking services for up to a total network bandwidth of 25 megabits-per-second (Mbps). The company says that this could be 20 simultaneous Video for Windows or QuickTime users each at 1.2 Mbps, or six simultaneous users with motion JPEG at 4 Mbps, or any combination totaling 25 Mbps.
(Ian Stokell/19930628/Press Contact: Barbara A. Baker 415-967-2774, Starlight Networks)
arbara A. Baker 415-967-2774, Starlight Networks)
6/28/93
StarWorks Video Net Software For NetWare Debuts
GENERAL
Logitech Intros New OCR Software
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- The increased use of optical character recognition (OCR) software has been highlighted again with Logitech's introduction of a new package designed for the ScanMan family of Windows-based hand-held scanners.
The OmniPage Direct AnyFont OCR software uses Caere's AnyFont OCR recognition engine, AnyPage technology, and an OCR utility that, according to the company, allows users to scan and recognize text from within virtually all Windows applications.
The OCR software will be available in July. The company says that various upgrade plans are available for existing Logitech customers with CatchWord Pro, Perceive Personal, CatchWord DOS, or any ScanMan product.
Announcing the package, Patricia Smith, Logitech product manager said: "Our users are increasingly demanding reasonably priced yet highly accurate and complete image-and-text solutions for the hand held scanning environment.
According to Smith, OmniPage Direct AnyFont OCR Software for Logitech offers the power of Caere's recognition technology and a useful set of basic tools while leaving the "bells and whistles" such as spell- and grammar-checking, cutting-and-pasting, and other editing tasks -- to the destination applications. This makes for a product that's highly functional yet very easy to use."
According to the company, there are more than 70 pre-registered word processing, desktop publishing, and spreadsheet applications and the package immediately registers any additional Windows application for direct access. Also, AnyPage technology offers threshold grayscale scanning for optimal image contrast on colored or soiled backgrounds.
The software requires a 386-based or better IBM-compatible PC, 4 megabytes (MB) RAM with a 4MB swap file minimum - although 8MB RAM is recommended - DOS 3.1 operating system or above, Microsoft Windows 3.1 graphical user environment running in 386 enhanced mode, a Logitech or other Windows-compatible mouse, and a Logitech hand-held scanner.
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- Zenograhics has released SuperPrint 3.0, an upgrade of its package for speeding up Windows printing, along with ZScript, a 32-bit PostScript interpreter for Windows. The brand new ZScript is able to translate PostScript files from virtually any platform into Windows 3.1 format, the company claims.
SuperPrint 3.0, a utility available in desktop, professional and network versions, introduces SuperRIP (Raster Image Processor), a 32-bit software RIP designed to match the performance of a commercial RIP.
By controlling the processor directly, the new 32-bit software RIP provides a four-fold performance improvement over 8-bit Windows 3.1 drivers, officials with the company claimed. Another new feature in SuperPrint 3.0 is SuperFAX, a send-only management tool for CAS compatible fax boards.
In addition, SuperPrint continues to provide the SuperQueue and SuperText features of previous versions. SuperQueue is a re orderable print queue and spooler meant to be used in place of the slower Windows Print Manager.
SuperText, a font scaling tool, is aimed at supplementing Windows type management. The tool allows on-the-fly, simultaneous scaling of typeface outlines from four major foundries -- Adobe, Bitstream Intellifont and NimbusQ -- to either screen or printer.
The desktop version of SuperPrint 3.0, which supports most dot matrix, ink jet, color ink jet and laser printers, has a suggested retail price $149.99. The desktop version is also available bundled with ZScript, a product that carries a suggested retail price of $295. These two packages are being sold through computer superstores such as Egghead and distributors such as Ingram.
In addition, ZScript and all versions of SuperPrint 3.0, including the professional and network editions, can be purchased direct from Zenographics. Like the desktop version, the professional and network versions of SuperPrint can be used with ZScript.
Potential applications for ZScript include conversion of EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) artwork, special PostScript effects, such as CorelDraw's PostScript fill patterns, and Adobe Type 3 typefaces into Windows format.
Once translated, the files can be proofed in a viewing window and either copied to the Windows Clipboard, for import into other Windows applications, or printed via SuperPrint's 32-bit Windows drivers or other Windows printer drivers.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930628/Press contact: Steve Puntolillo Zenographics, tel 714-851-6352)
contact: Steve Puntolillo Zenographics, tel 714-851-6352)
6/28/93
Zenographics' Unveils SuperPrint 3.0/Win And ZScript/Win
Hitachi Ready To Ship IBM-Compat
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- Hitachi is preparing to muscle in on IBM's parallel computer technology, with the launch of one of its own parallel machines equipped with a RISC (reduced instruction set computing) chipset. The company claims that the machine will be faster than, but fully compatible with, IBM's parallel computing technology.
Interestingly, the machine will use Hewlett-Packard's increasingly popular PA-RISC technology, although, because of the duplication of RISC technology onto a single chipset, the power of the machine will be many times that that HP's PA-RISC-based workstations achieve. Hitachi claims, in fact, that the machine is in the same league as a supercomputer.
Because of the machine's "open approach" to its architecture Hitachi claims that it will run VOS-3 operating system software (VOS-3 is Hitachi's own o.s.), as well as IBM's parallel technology software. This makes the machine capable of running several thousand applications, despite it using a new technology.
Hitachi remains coy on the launch date of the new machine, although sources close to the company suggest an early '94 launch date. Pricing is also unknown, although Newsbytes' sources suggest a lower-than-IBM price tag.
IBM is not taking this lying down. Reports are filtering through that Big Blue is preparing to release a general purpose computer that is equipped with a maximum of 48 chips. This machine is rumored to be faster even than Hitachi's.
Hitachi Ready To Ship IBM-Compatible Parallel Computer
TRENDS
Digital World Twice As Big; Emph
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- Digital World was crowed, hectic, and noisy as thousands pushed their way into the world of digital, interactive, multimedia. "Content" was the buzzword of the show and tools for content development dominated the vendor presentations.
For a historically Macintosh-dominated show, IBM compatible PCs running Microsoft Windows were everywhere. Most of the presentations were offered on both platforms and some were offered only on the PC. It wasn't unusual to hear a demonstrator saying something like, "I don't usually work on the PC, so this might take me a minute."
In addition, the show appears to be branching out from just film into animation, virtual reality, and other forms of computer generated visual images. It wasn't unusual to see architectural renderings made into images you could navigate through via computer or even interactive holographic images for advertising and business presentations.
Apple demonstrated its personal digital assistant (PDA) Newton and a seminar session focused on PDA's. Donna Dubinsky of Palm Computing developers for the Zoomer PDA, was demonstrating the Casio Zoomer out in the hall to large crowds after the PDA seminar. Dubinsky told Newsbytes her company was unable to get a vendor booth at the Digital World conference.
Interactive television was still a hot topic and cable appears to be the dominant delivery channel for now. But in contrast to this year cable companies such as ICTV, hardware companies such as Kaleida and Apple, and software developers all had presentations showing what the consumer would see when using their interactive cable television interface. Apple was the only company who does not yet have a commitment from a hardware or delivery vendor (such as a cable provider) to use its interface, called EZTV. The company did say it was actively pursuing such support, however.
Artists are playing an increasing part of the multimedia world as evidenced at the show. Kaleida's striking presentation of sample applications created with its content development language Scriptx were developed by UCLA educated Art Director Lisa Lopuck. Lopuck said she used optical scanners and then a Silicon Graphics workstation to render the images, including the movement of the fish, then send the images out as bitmaps to the Macintosh environment for inclusion in the presentation.
Apple Computer and Media Vision both announced moves into becoming content providers. Apple Computer's Chairman told the conference Apple is selling compact disc read-only memory (CD- ROM) drives on which its content will play at cost and expects to sell over a $1 million in drives in the next year. Media Vision executives told Newsbytes the company fears it won't be able to keep up its growth without providing attractive content that will create further demand for its hardware. The company announced an agreement with Hyperbole to provide interactive multimedia films on CD-ROM, the first of which will be announced in September.
Hewlett-Packard was one of the few hardware vendors who said it planned to stay in hardware, and specifically in multimedia hardware. Multimedia educational content developer TMM told Newsbytes that there are an estimated 30 million CD-ROM drives on the market now and the peripheral is estimated to be selling at the rate of 1 million drives per month.
The hardware vendors were all at the show, but the emphasis on the hardware appeared to be slowing. The rapid strides on the speed and functionality of the hardware appear to be throwing emphasis on content. While C-Cube said the awaited video compression standard MPEG-2 is on the horizon, executives for the company said MPEG-2 would be used mostly for audio and not video when it is first released.
The compression standard MPEG-1 appears to be the one the video community is settling in with, although Creative Labs was making a lot of noise about the compression developed by Supermac called Cinepak. Creative Labs is the first to ship the compression utility with its Videospigot for Windows video capture board.
Seybold representative Beth Sadler told Newsbytes the show's overall attendance was twice as large as last year, with 1,000 to 1,100 in attendance. The Beverly Hilton is simply too small to accommodate the show any longer and Seybold has already made arrangements to hold next year's show at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930628/Press Contact: Beth Sadler, Seybold tel 310-457-8500, fax 310-457-8599)
dler, Seybold tel 310-457-8500, fax 310-457-8599)
6/28/93
Digital World Twice As Big; Emphasis On Content
TRENDS
Electronic Forms Growth Strong B
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- The electronic forms market will show a $2.2 billion increase over the next two years, but at individual installations, the transition from paper documents isn't coming all at once, says the head of a systems integration firm that specializes in the field.
"You rarely see a company that goes, `Okay, I guess we'll get rid of all our paper documents today,'" remarked Clinton Yourth president of Kinfonetics, speaking this week at the Hard Copy Consumables Conference in Boston.
In Kinfonetics' experience, most organizations follow a five-step phased implementation process, he explained. In the first phase the organization designs and prints forms centrally, and distributes these paper forms manually for filling out by hand.
In the second phase, the company designs electronic forms centrally and then distributes software disks containing these forms for output on to local printers. After being printed, the paper forms are again filled out by hand.
In the third stage, the central facility produces "intelligent" electronic forms, which can be modified and used without the use of programming language or complex macros. These forms are then distributed on disk to local offices, where they are filled in electronically and changed as needed.
In the fourth phase, electronic forms start to be distributed from a central database over a LAN (local area network). The fifth and final stage is marked by the attachment of the electronic documents to e-mail messages for quick and easy routing.
Also during the presentation, Yourth noted that the electronic forms and database industries are beginning to merge, as forms vendors continue to add additional RDBMS (relational database management systems) links to their software packages. Delrina, for example, recently added SQL and Informix interfaces to its forms software, he said.
Increasingly, the main factor setting electronic forms apart from database packages is the ability of the forms software to use e mail as a transport layer, he asserted. "But e-mail capabilities for databases are on the way," he pointed out.
The current growth of the forms and RDBMS markets are creating the need for "forms management" packages, which can work with products from multiple vendors, he stated. Currently, no such offering is on the market, according to Yourth. "But we're looking at developing a product like this," he disclosed.
(Jacqueline Emigh/Press contact: Martha Popoloski, BIS Strategic Decisions, tel 617-982-1724)
, BIS Strategic Decisions, tel 617-982-1724)
6/25/93
Electronic Forms Growth Strong But Gradual
TRENDS
Digital World - Virtualcinema
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Media Vision is moving into the software realm in addition to hardware with the announcement of its alliance with multimedia content developer Hyperbole Studios. Hyperbole will not only develop multimedia titles to be distributed by Media Vision but announced Virtualcinema, a software engine for development of interactive, three-dimensional films.
Hyperbole describes itself as focused on "the art of digital storytelling" and calls Virtualcinema the synthesis of the film and the novel. Virtualcinema combines close-ups of live actors with 360-degree perspectives of the environment and access to the internal thoughts and memories of the characters.
Greg Roach, artistic director and publisher for Hyperbole demonstrated the first unnamed title, a science-fiction movie which is slated to be available this September. Both the Macintosh and the IBM-compatible multimedia personal computer (MPC) platforms will be supported, the company said.
Roach said the title takes about 15 hours to complete and offers three layers of involvement. The first layer is like a video game with a 360-degree perspective, the second layer is one of social interaction with the characters, and the third layer is where the viewer is privy to the subconscious and emotive imagery of the thoughts and feelings of the characters.
The viewer is on a voyage of discovery about who they are in comparison to these virtual characters in the film. Roach said the title tries to mirror the way the human mind works especially through association. For example, a character says to the viewer, who is spoken to directly by the characters, "I want to talk to you," and other video images appear in windows to the side of when in the past someone important to the viewer's past said, "I want to talk to you."
Hyperbole boasts it has signed the motion picture industry's first interactive performance agreement through the Screen Actor's Guild. Hyperbole's contract with the 30 actors used in its first title has since been used by four other multimedia producers, the company said.
Media Vision's Allen Thygensen, senior director and general manager of multimedia publishing, told Newsbytes Media Vision sees a synergy between the hardware and the software and does not want to go the way of other peripheral companies. Thygensen said other peripheral companies have either died or stopped growing and Media Vision wants to continue to expand. "Content long term, is where the money is," Thygensen said. Stan Cornyn founder and president of Warner New Media (now Time Warner Interactive), and Min Yee, formerly vice president of Microsoft's multimedia division and publisher of Microsoft Press, joined Media Vision in April to head the multimedia publishing arm of the company.
The company has experienced phenomenal growth. In April, Media Vision announced revenues of $37 million, up 450 percent over its $6.6 million in revenues for the year prior.
Media Vision also announced its first graphics boards, the Pro Graphics series. The company says the new line of video graphics products is a result of its acquisition of graphics hardware company Pellucid. The first two products planned are the Pro Graphics 1024 and the Pro Graphics 1280, both of which will incorporate Media Vision's Captain Crunch video compression. Aimed at the Windows video market, the products use Media Vision's own custom-designed graphics chips, versions of which will be offered later this year to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
(Linda Rohrbough/19930625/Press Contact: Michael Terpin, The Terpin Group, tel 310-798-7875, fax 310-798-7825)
7875, fax 310-798-7825)
6/25/93
Digital World - Virtualcinema
TRENDS
Educational Conference -- Call F
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has issued its annual call for papers and participation in the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC). The 15th annual conference will be held in Boston, Massachusetts from July 13-15 this year, with the general theme of "Recreating the Revolution."
The invitation to participate asks that papers or proposals for project sessions, poster sessions or workshops be submitted to NECC'94, ISTE, 1787 Agate Street, Eugene, OR 97403-1923 (503-346 2834) and postmarked by October 1, 1993. Submissions will be acknowledged in writing and notification of acceptance will be mailed by March 1, 1994.
As examples of the scope of the conference, the call for participation listed a number of general interest areas, including:
[] The use of computer based-technologies at all academic levels and in all academic disciplines
[] New and emerging technologies for instruction and information management in educational settings
[] Integration of technology into the curriculum
[] Education via communications technology
[] Partnerships with business and industry
[] Computer education
[] University-level applications
[] Research and development activities in computer-based educational technology
[] Computer science at all levels
[] Artificial intelligence applications in educational training
[] Technology transfer
[] Technology and school improvement / restructuring
[] Technology and teacher education
[] Technology and arts
[] Topics related to the conference theme, Recreating the Revolution
Jan Hawkins, the co-chair for the Center for Children and Technology of Education Development Center and NECC'94 Program, told Newsbytes: "I think that the NECC conferences are really worthwhile for teachers and educators."
"They get hands-on experience with the programs and systems that educators are using. They don't see pat demonstrations by salespeople; there is a sense of real excitement in talking to people who are using technology to make a difference in the quality of education," she said.
"Net access has become a very big topic this year and I expect that it will also be a major topic of discussion at NECC'94," she added.
NECC'94 will be hosted by Lesley College, The Massachusetts Department of Education, Education Development Centers, The Boston Computer Society, Massachusetts Corporation for Educational Communications, Bolt Beranek and Newman, Massachusetts Computer Using Educators, Chapter 1 Computer Co-operative Center, and the EDCO Collaborative.
(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19930628/Press Contact: NECC'94 Office, 617-349-8965 (voice); 617-349-8968 (fax); Email over the Internet: NECC94@BBN.COM)
68 (fax); Email over the Internet: NECC94@BBN.COM)
6/28/93
Educational Conference -- Call For Participation
GENERAL
Lanworks Adds BootWarePlus TCP/I
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- Lanworks Technologies has added to its BootWarePlus line of central boot systems with BootWarePlus TCP/IP. Like the two existing versions, which support Novell Netware, Banyan Vines, Microsoft LAN Manager, and IBM's LAN Server, this new release redirects a client workstation's boot or startup sequence to the network.
According to the company, this gives the network administrator full control over data security, virus protection, and updating workstation drivers.
Ihor Petelycky, vice-president of marketing, said that, besides helping with network security, his company's software will make it easier for LAN administrators to change drivers or update software on the whole network at once. For instance, he said, the administrator can change one central AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS file on the server, rather than multiple copies on all client machines.
The software is also billed as an alternative to putting programmable read-only memory (PROM) chips in client workstations from which to boot, because it is more flexible.
The software is supplied with utilities to simplify maintenance of boot files.
Lanworks sells its software through distributors in about 40 countries, Petelycky said.
Available now, BootWarePlus TCP/IP has list prices of US$79 or C$89 for a one-station package and US$595 or C$695 for a 10-station package.
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- Teleadapt has unveiled its "Powerbook Portfolio" range of software for Apple Mac portable users. The family of products initially includes eight software communications solutions, printer and battery utilities, hardware gadgets and a guide to travelling with the Powerbook
Announcing the new range, Gordon Brown, Teleadapt's managing director, said: "Until now, the travelling Powerbook user has had to contact many different vendors to source a range of Powerbook accessories. Teleadapt provides Powerbook owners with a one-stop shop where they can buy several tools to aid them while travelling with their notebook computer."
The packages now available from Teleadapt are:
On the Road -- a UKP 79-95 connectivity package that allows Powerbook users away from base to set up their machine to print or fax a document as soon as it is attached to a printer or phone line.
Powerbook Tools -- a UKP 49-99 control panel utility that allows users to keep track of battery voltage. Two logs monitor the life of two batteries, which Teleadapt claims is essential where users have two batteries.
Powerswap -- a UKP 29-99 hardware unit that takes an ordinary nine volt battery and drives the Powerbook for a short period. This allows the battery on the Powerbook to be exchanged without shutting the machine down.
Powerbrick Extender -- a UKP 12-99 link that connects between the Powerbook "brick" (PSU) and the machine itself. This cabling system is far lighter and easier to carry around than the office Apple variant, Teleadapt claims.
Powerprint -- a UKP 135-00 software and cabling combination that allows a Powerbook to print to more than 1,000 different dot matrix inkjet and laser printers.
Powerbook, the digital nomad's guide -- a UKP 24-00 book on all aspects of travelling with the Powerbook.
Powerbook Lock -- a UKP 48-95 five foot security cable system that has been designed to securely attach the Mac portable to an immovable structure. The system is made of Air Force quality steel.
Battle Chess -- Just for fun. A UKP 49-99 games package that combines a chess logic system with 3D animations.
All of the new products are available ex-stock from Teleadapt.
(Steve Gold/19930625/Press & Public Contact: Teleadapt - Tel: 081 429-0479)
930625/Press & Public Contact: Teleadapt - Tel: 081 429-0479)
6/28/93
Teleadapt Announces Powerbook Portfolio For Mac Portables
APPLE
Teleadapt Announces Powerbook Po
IBM Country Now Second In Unempl
StarWorks Video Net Software For
British Telecom To Limit Premium
UK - Paknet Mobile Radio Data At
Ungermann-Bass Offers On-board S
Shany's AlertVIEW Supports NetWa
Apple Layoffs, Higher Than Expec
Massive Effort Restored Snow Whi
Advanced Micro Research Intros V
Sanyo Suffers 12.5-Billion Yen L
Computers Set To Control Tokyo C
Panasonic Notebook Upgraded To 4
ILM Demos Graphics Magic
Littelfuse Factory Earns ISO 900
Spectrum Intros Cellular Fax/Mod
Computerized Beeper Tracks Stole
Still No FTC Decision In Microso
Unipalm Announces Open Version O
CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND, 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- Unipalm has revealed that the next version of Mail-It (version 2.0) will be the first package to support open systems in electronic mail. The company claims that the software, which ships during the third quarter of this year supports the facility of sending e-mail from within applications and includes support for images and multimedia as a standard feature.
Most e-mail packages, the company claims, limit users to sending short text messages in ASCII. Mail-It, in comparison, allows users to attach files of any size or length, including graphics spreadsheets, audio, video and multimedia, to mail messages. In addition, the package allows users to send multiple messages within a single message; multi-font messages; and binary or application specific files to anyone on the network.
What's really interesting about the package is that it is the first e-mail package that fully supports the emerging Internet Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) system, as well as Microsoft's Simple and Extended Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI).
According to Peter Dawe, joint managing director of Unipalm, today's corporate e-mail users want a tool that enables them to send real information, just as they created it, around the world at the touch of a button from within their current application. "This is exactly why we're launch Mail-It v2.0," he said.
"When we launched Mail-It, we broke new ground in open systems e mail by supporting direct links between PC networks and Unix without the need for expensive and complex gateways, which are essential for proprietary PC e-mail system, such as Microsoft Mail or cc:Mail. With Mail-It 2.0, we're leading the way in introducing a mail product that can send and receive messages across the world regardless of their content," he added.
Mail-It 2.0 requires 1.5 megabytes (MB) of hard disk space, MS Windows 3.x, and Winsock compliant network, and a mail server that supports SMTP and POP services. The package costs UKP 450 for a five user pack, and UK 750 for a ten user pack. Site licences are available for larger users.
(Steve Gold/19930628/Press & Public Contact: Unipalm - Tel: 0223 420002; Fax: 0223-426868: E-mail on the Internet unipalm@unipalm.co.uk)
E-mail on the Internet unipalm@unipalm.co.uk)
6/28/93
Unipalm Announces Open Version Of Mail-It
MIS Offers Software Responsibili
FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- The MIS Training Institute has announced it is holding a nation-wide series of seminars, entitled: "Keeping Out Of Trouble With The Software Police".
The series, which kicks off in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on July 13 1993, aims to provide attendees with an understanding of the law regarding software use, duplication, sharing and copyright requirements.
The instructor for the series, Martin H. Green, is an attorney and a member of the Massachusetts Bar. Green represents small and medium sized companies in matters pertaining to computer technology, trade secrets, intellectual property and copyright law, and other related matters.
Sharon Friedman, MIS publications manager, told Newsbytes: "The point of the seminars is to arm people with the information that they need to be in compliance with the copyright laws. It has become a nightmare for some firms that have not been in compliance."
Friedman added that the Software Publishers Association (SPA) has become very active in looking for violators of late and that, aided by law enforcement and armed with warrants, has conducted audits on firms suspected of software piracy.
"Firms caught in violation of copyright law have been subject to fine and public embarrassment. These seminars are a real defense against such consequences. Participants at the conference are even give a SPA Audit Kit to perform in-house self-audits," she said.
The IS seminars are scheduled for Pittsburgh; Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio; San Diego, San Jose and Sacramento, California; New York City and Albany, New York; Princeton, New Jersey; and Houston and San Antonio, Texas. The cost of the day long program is $425.
(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19930628/Press Contact: Pam Bissett, MIS Training Institute, 508-879-7999 (voice); 508-872-1153 (fax))
te, 508-879-7999 (voice); 508-872-1153 (fax))
6/28/93
MIS Offers Software Responsibility Seminars
GENERAL
Tech Teachers Fight for Legislat
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- As thousands of teachers gather just beyond Walt Disney World for the annual National Education Computer Conference, they're being urged toward politics by one of their major trade groups.
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is pushing S. 1040, a bill introduced a month ago by Mississippi Republican Thad Cochran, New Mexico Democrat Jeff Bingaman, Iowa Democrat Tom Harkin and Massachusetts Democrat Edward Kennedy.
Dennis Bybee, associate executive officer for ISTE, told Newsbytes the bill would cost $18-30 billion over the next 8 years, but just $338 million in its first year. The bill would fund loans for computers and computer networks, especially in low-income areas support development of computerized curricula by consortia composed of private industry and education institutions, and pay for an expansion of the Internet needed to bring this resource to every teacher.
Bybee said that the ISTE has worked with every major school organization, as well as industry groups like the Telecommunications Industry Association, Software Publishers' Association, and hardware makers.
His claims for the bill are as hyperbolic as any politician's. "This bill will create a technologically-literate citizenry," he said. "If you have technology in the classroom people are technologically literate and internationally competitive." Without it, he warned we'll get "trickle-down technology" that won't do the job.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930628/Press Contact: Sen. Jeff Bingaman Roberta Heine, 202-224-1804)
Bingaman Roberta Heine, 202-224-1804)
6/28/93
Tech Teachers Fight for Legislation
GENERAL
IBM Country Now Second In Unempl
POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- Unemployment in Dutchess County, the Hudson Valley, New York, home of several major IBM manufacturing facilities, has reached its highest level in history. The jobless level now stands at 8.8 percent, a figure only surpassed in the state by New York City with a rate of 9.5 percent.
According to figures released by the New York State Department of Labor, the May 8.8 percent figure was a 25 percent-plus increase from the 6.1 percent figure of the previous May. In the same period overall unemployment in New York State fell to 7.6 percent from 8.1 percent in May 1992.
According to figures quoted in the Poughkeepsie Journal, the trends towards increasing unemployment is a marked change from the climate 5 years ago when IBM was expanding and the unemployment rate was around 2.5 percent. The elimination of 6,000 manufacturing and technical jobs this year at IBM's Dutchess plants has had a ripple effect as other area firms feel the pinch of the loss of the buying power of these employees.
The newspaper also points out that of the states 15 largest markets, only Dutchess and Westchester -- "both IBM employment strongholds registered declines."
(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19930628/Press Contact: NECC'94 Office, 617-349-8965 (voice); 617-349-8968 (fax); Email on the Internet - NECC94@BBN.COM)
49-8968 (fax); Email on the Internet - NECC94@BBN.COM)
6/28/93
IBM Country Now Second In Unemployment In NY State
GENERAL
Sociology Of Cyberspace Course D
FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- Peter Kollock instructor for UCLA's recently completed "Sociology of Cyberspace" course has told Newsbytes that the course "was not only a success it was one of the most gratifying experiences of my teaching career."
The course, the first known in the area, was taught by Kollock who is an assistant professor of sociology at UCLA, with the assistance of Marc Smith, a graduate student in the area. Structured as a seminar, the students included both graduates and undergraduates, from fields including sociology, biology, electrical engineering, library and information science, urban planning english, art, and communications.
The course utilized two required books: Cyberspace: First Steps edited by Michael Benedickt and The Whole Internet User's Guide & Catalog by Ed Krol. Additional readings related to the individual class sessions were also required. The syllabus for the course which Kollock told Newsbytes was adhered to, was:
Week 1 - A Sampler of Cyberspace & Driver's Guide Week 2 - Who speaks to Whom, and How? Week 3 - Frames of Interaction Week 4 - Order and Deviance Week 5 - Identity and Anonymity Week 6 - Electronic Community, Democracy and Collective Action Week 7 - Representations of Self: Gender; Class; Race Week 8 - Representations of Space and Meaning Week 9 - Power, Privacy, and Policy Week 10 - Flaming about the Future
The last class of the course was held on-line at the Massachusetts Institute's "MediaMoo" and was open to outsiders. Howard Rheingold author of Virtual Reality, Amy Bruckman and Wade Roush of MIT, and Pavel Curtis of Xerox PARC participated in this session.
Kollock told Newsbytes that the session was virtually "taped" and that interested persons can go to the MUD ("MultiUser Dungeon) by telnetting to it (purple-crayon.media.mit.edu 8888) and play the "tape" back.
Telnetting is a data network linking technique that mirrors online sessions over packet data networks (PDNs) such as Sprintnet and Tymnet. The advantage of telnetting is that the costs involved are very low, as a virtual channel for the data to be moved across the Internet is only open while the packets are in transit.
Kollock also told Newsbytes that the course will be offered next in 1995 after he returns from a year's sabbatical. In that time, he plans to co-author a book with Marc Smith on the sociological issues involved in cyberspace.
(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19930628/Press Contact: Peter Kollock, UCLA, 310-825-3914 (voice); Email on the Internet kollock@soc.sscnet.ucla.edu)
mail on the Internet kollock@soc.sscnet.ucla.edu)
6/28/93
Sociology Of Cyberspace Course Deemed A Success
GENERAL
NECC - Learning Company, Scott F
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- As computers and software becoming part of the learning mainstream, old-line publishers are linking up with the software makers. That's how Scott Foresman, one of the leading textbook publishers, explains what it calls a "joint partnership" with The Learning Co., makers of the "Reader Rabbit" series.
The two companies will team-up to sell three Learning Co. titles "The Children's Writing & Publishing Center," "The Writing Center," and "The Bilingual Writing Center." The titles will be sold to grades K-8 through ScottForesman starting this fall, in versions for the Macintosh, IBM PC and the Apple II. The programs are essentially desktop-publishing tools geared to kids, and allow them to create things they can bring home.
The Learning Co. also announced an update to The Children's Writing & Publishing Center, for PCs, with new support for LaserJet and DeskJet computers. Individual copies cost $99.95, a "lab pack"is available for $189.95, and you can get a site license for a school at $699. The company has also upgraded its "Math Rabbit" program which dates from the mid-80s.
ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- Control Data Systems has signed a letter of intent to acquire Antares Electronics, a Canadian systems integration company based in Ottawa.
CDS is a systems integrator focusing on business-specific problems primarily in the areas of manufacturing design, network communication, and database management.
Antares, meanwhile, is a privately held national systems integration company specializing in microcomputer-based networked business systems. The company was founded in 1985 and says it has annual revenues of about US$50 million.
Antares employs about 170 people and has sales offices in Ottawa Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton, and Vancouver. It markets its own network utilities as well as technologies from other companies. The company says its primary markets are in the fields of finance pharmaceuticals, and insurance.
Terms of the transaction are still being negotiated, and the deal is expected to be finalized in the third quarter. Newsbytes reported recently that Control Data Systems had completed the acquisition of Evernet Systems.
(Jim Mallory/19930628/Press contact: Charlotte Fransen, Control Data Systems, 612-482-4857; Jan Kaminski, Antares Electronics, 613-228 5216)
857; Jan Kaminski, Antares Electronics, 613-228 5216)
6/28/93
Control Data Systems To Acquire Antares Electronics
GENERAL
US West To Dump All Financial Bu
DENVER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- Denver-based telecommunications company US West says it will leave all of its financial services businesses and take a reserve of up to $100 million in its second quarter results.
The company has been plagued with problems recently with regards to its telephone service in rural areas, and faces a deadline set by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to shape up that service or let someone else try. Residents in outlying areas say it takes months, and sometimes even years, to get phone service.
Having earlier announced that it will sell US West Real Estate and US West Financial Services, the company now says it will also divest itself of Financial Security Assurance so it can focus on its core telecommunications business. It will account for the Capital Assets segment of its business as a discontinued operation and will establish an additional after-tax reserve of up to $100 million.
US West announced recently that it will spend more than $2.5 billion for just over 25 percent of Time Warner Entertainment to build part of the nation's electronic information "superhighway" being touted by the Clinton administration.
The alliance would deliver entertainment and information services to Time Warner's seven million cable television subscribers by 1988 and is the first time one of the seven so-called "Baby Bells" has made a major investment in a producer of movies and television programming.
It's also an example of former rival cable and telecommunications companies joining forces. Both have the potential through fiber optic cable and computer networks to deliver voice and data services to homes and businesses. Some analysts estimate interactive TV could be in as many as 40 million homes by the year 2002.
US West has pledged $10 billion to build its 14-state service area portion of the fiber optic superhighway, and says it will begin work on the system this summer in Omaha, Nebraska.
(Jim Mallory/19930628)
maha, Nebraska.
(Jim Mallory/19930628)
6/28/93
US West To Dump All Financial Businesses
BUSINESS
2 \ @
NECC - Hawkins Gives 3DO Pitch T
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- Trip Hawkins, chief executive of 3DO, gave his pitch to educators at the National Educational Computer Conference, and got an enthusiastic response.
Hawkins delivered a keynote speech at the grand ballroom of the Orlando Marriott Center hotel, before the conference's show floor opened. The speech itself was similar to one he's given at the Consumer Electronics Show and Software Publishers' Association except for a number of apologies he made about the large number of explosions shown in the demo tapes he brought, "but if you can blow things up you can do other things with the technology."
Hawkins talked a lot about his own education experience, about how his high school rejected his proposed valedictory address and about how few classes he attended. He also admitted that technology has not fulfilled the promises made by promoters 15 years ago.
Of course, that gives his 3DO a chance to fulfil those promises. The Interactive Multiplayer is a proposed standard, endorsed by MCA, Time Warner AT&T and Matsushita, among others, which combines a RISC processor, a CD-ROM drive, and peripherals into a $700 retail device aimed at the family room. "Unlike a home computer or videogame, it has 50 times the processing power of today's systems."
He pitched the technology as a replacement for newspapers and TV, as well as videogames and educational PCs. He also emphasized 3DO's place as a licensing company which will not produce products on its own, but noted that over 300 companies have signed licenses to create products around the system. .
Hawkins acknowledged "a distinct entertainment bias in the software being created. The education market will be a second stage market," he predicted, while information lags. Hawkins won his biggest hands when he attacked TV, calling it "education's biggest enemy."
He noted, "There's an inverse correlation between how much TV 12 year olds watch and their test scores. American kids predicted they'd be the best at science and math, but they were the worst. the solution is summed up by a Chinese proverb. I see and I forget. I hear and I remember. I do and I understand. That's why I call this the medium of doing. If you can get brains engaged, magical things will start to happen." Since the theme of this show is "The Magic of Technology," that went over well.
Hawkins continued: "Dr. Marian Diamond proved some years ago the best way to learn is through interaction. Mammals have an instinct to play because that lets them interact with their environment. Humans outsmarted themselves. We invented the book then the classroom, and it's a challenge to get back to interaction and play as our primary mobtive of learning."
He noted that Dr. John Dewey's early experiments in learning were all about doing, and described how he took students to a ranch to collect wool, let them try to make cloth out of wool and cotton then introduced the concept of the cotton to discuss both the industrial revolution and slavery. He also noted his own experience recalling a class on the Depression which drove kids to the library to learn their roles.
"Creating your own environment is tremendously motivating. You reach suspension of disbelief, the illusion of the medium that gets you into the story, faster than with anything else," he said.
Why has technology failed? He said that, while videogames are better for kids than TV, they're limited because software cartridges can cost $20 each to produce, and the size of production runs scared off the technologists.
PCs, meanwhile, just cost too much, and were aimed at an office market which could pay the price. He recalled the hype over CD-ROM where 7 years after their introduction Bill Gates of Microsoft bragged about 3 percent of PCs having the drives.
"To me that's a train wreck. It's a big, dumb storage technology which, if not hooked to the right horsepower, is like pulling an 18 wheel truck with a bicycle," he said.
Thus, 3DO. All Hawkins' canned demos drew a big hand. The question is when and whether teachers will support 3DO players in the same way they now espouse the Apple Macintosh.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930628)
le Macintosh.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930628)
6/28/93
NECC - Hawkins Gives 3DO Pitch To Educators
GENERAL
HP Allies With Informix; Talks M
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 28 (NB) -- Hewlett Packard has allied with Informix Software in the development of a research and development laboratory at Informix's Menlo Park headquarters.
The companies have also won a public contract to supply a client server Unix system to the City of Salt Lake. In addition, HP has also been talking multimedia at the Seybold Digital World conference.
The agreement between Informix and HP calls for the joint construction and staffing of a research and development laboratory due for completion this summer. According to the companies, the lab will maximize the overall speed and optimization of Informix products on HP9000 Series 800 business systems and servers.
Development projects will initially focus on the Informix-OnLine on line transaction processing database server. The companies maintain that other projects will include industry standard benchmark tests and joint development efforts on current and future releases of OnLine.
HP has also named Informix a channel partner in its Mainframe Alternative (MFA) program.
Announcing the plans, Richard W. Sevcik, general manager of HP's Systems and Servers Group, said: "Performance has always been a key focus of our relationship."
"This is clearly evidenced by more than 30 published benchmark tests of Informix database software on HP platforms. Our expanded efforts to develop, test and tune our products will ensure that our mutual customers continue to receive the highest possible levels of performance and reliability," he added.
The companies have also announced that the City of Salt Lake, Utah has begun implementation of a citywide client/server application based on Informix database software and Hewlett-Packard computers.
According to the companies, over the next two years, the City will downsize operations from two existing Unisys mainframes to the new system, which is based on Informix database products, including the Informix-OnLine database server and the Informix-4GL family of development tools running on three Unix-based HP 9000 Series 800 business servers and two HP 9000 Series 700 workstations.
Graphical access to the Informix database will be provided through front-end graphical development products from Powersoft.
According to the companies, the system will support city finance police, fire, public utility and airport operations. Six hundred users will be supported initially, which will likely increase to 900 users by the time the application is completed in July of 1995. The first implementation of the program automates the city's accounting and financial systems, and was developed by Bi-Tech Software.
In other HP news, hardware will be HP's focus in the multimedia market, according to Robert Frankenberg, vice president and general manager for the company's personal information products group speaking at the Seybold Digital World conference.
Frankenberg said that the company would just concentrate on marketing hardware in the interactive television market, rather than become a content provider.
The Reuters news wire quoted him as saying: "We're not going to do applications nor content. By choosing to only work on hardware we think we will complement the industry and bring real advantages to the industry.
The establishment of industry standards is considered key to the success of multimedia technologies. Standards would allow users to purchase software from a multitude of sources which could then be played on hardware from different vendors.
Frankenberg said that he expects the fierce competition among multimedia vendors to establish their products as industry standards to continue.
ESSEX, VERMONT, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- IBM Technology Products and Irvine Sensors Corporation have begun limited manufacturing of chip cubes, which cram more circuitry into the same amount of space on a circuit board by stacking memory or logic chips.
The companies opened the Cubing Process Development Center, a pilot manufacturing line, at an IBM plant here.
The cube package is based on Irvine Sensors' chip-stacking technology. IBM and Irvine signed a deal last June to work together to commercialize the idea.
Officials at the IBM plant said they plan to deliver the first chip cubes to Irvine later this year, and engineering samples to Irvine and to IBM customers early in 1994.
IBM will also use the chip cubes itself. While he could not name specific products in which they would be used, company spokesman Jeff Couture said the cube packages would have many uses. "Anywhere that you're plugging in modules and cards, which is just about any system, cubing has an application," he said.
The agreements between IBM and Irvine Sensors say the firms will join to commercialize chip-stacking technology and to develop cube products and the manufacturing technologies required to produce them in volume. IBM will also provide components and manufacturing services to Irvine Sensors.
Last December, the companies also signed a deal giving IBM access to Irvine's Memory Short Stack technology, a variation on the cubing idea, and providing for IBM to manufacture the stacks of memory chips for Irvine.
Irvine Sensors, of Costa Mesa, California, develops high-density packages of computer electronics and infrared devices meant for military and commercial systems.
(Grant Buckler/19930625/Press Contact: John Stuart, Irvine Sensors, 714-549-8211; Les Szabo, IBM, 802-769-2483; Jeff Couture, IBM, 802-769-3687)
M, 802-769-2483; Jeff Couture, IBM, 802-769-3687)
6/25/93
IBM, Irvine Sensors Open Pilot Chip Cubing Line
Study Says Canadian Single-User
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Sales of single-user computer systems in Canada recovered in 1992 despite economic gloom and tough competition in the computer market according to a recent study by International Data Corp. (Canada).
Shipments of single-user systems grew 13.3 percent to 904,500 units, IDC said. Aggressive cost-cutting meant revenues were up only two percent.
IDC Canada defines single-user systems as those typically used by one person, taking in not only personal computers but desktop workstations such as those made by Sun Microsystems Hewlett-Packard, and Digital Equipment. It excludes game machines like those built by Nintendo, as well as board-level computers.
Revenue figures refer to vendor revenue from sales of the computers and associated operating systems, not including peripherals such as printers.
A slow economic recovery in Canada has hurt computer sales, IDC reported. However, PC price wars have boosted demand, driving up unit shipments while lower prices partly cancelled out higher unit sales, resulting in revenue growth much lower than that in unit shipments.
IDC noted a particular growth in the home and hobby segment which it defines to include PCs sold for non-business use in the home. Unit sales grew 17.7 percent to 191,500 in 1992, a much healthier performance than in 1991, when unit sales grew only 1.2 percent.
George Bulat, an IDC Canada researcher, said his company had expected continued slow growth in the home and hobby PC market. IDC said lower prices, consumer distribution channels, and the advent of multimedia are boosting this segment. However, Bulat said, its growth will level off over the next five years.
The scientific and technical market is also healthy, with unit shipments up 22.7 percent to 52,400 in 1992. The falling cost of reduced instruction set computing (RISC) workstations and improvements in PC graphics will continue to spur demand, IDC said.
Over all, IDC Canada expects a compound annual growth rate of 3.4 percent in unit shipments through 1997. Interestingly, the researchers expect revenue growth to catch up with and even surpass unit growth in a few years, as today's older, low-priced systems fade from the market. IDC is predicting 3.9-percent compound annual growth in single-user systems revenues through 1997.
(Grant Buckler/19930625/Press Contact: George Bulat, IDC Canada 416-369-0033, fax 416-369-0419)
Study Says Canadian Single-User Systems Bounce Back
TRENDS
Central Point Acquires Alert! An
UXBRIDGE, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Central Point Software has announced that two new packages, Alert! and Snooper have been added to its range of software for the Apple Computer Macintosh, following their acquisition of Maxa Corporation.
Although details of the acquisition have not been revealed, the transaction is known to be an asset acquisition, with Brent Luckman founder and CEO of Max, being appointed general manager of Central Point's Mac operations.
Jim Horsburgh, Central Point's managing director of the company's northern and international regions, said that he considers the acquisition a major one for the firm's Mac business.
"We looked hard at the right partner to help us direct even greater focus on our family of Mac utilities. The Maxa products complement our own MacTools and Safe & Sound products, and together make a winning combination," he said.
Pricing on the two packages for the European market has yet to be confirmed. Alert! is a software diagnostics application, while Snooper is a hardware diagnostic that is pitched at both novice and experienced users of the Mac.
(Steve Gold/19930625/Press & Public Contact: Central Point Software Tel: 081-848-1414)
: Central Point Software Tel: 081-848-1414)
6/25/93
Central Point Acquires Alert! And Snooper
APPLE
Correction - Touchstone Software
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA, 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- In Newsbytes' story dated 23 June, entitled "Touchstone Offers Free Disk Check Program To DOS 6.0 Users" we inadvertently published the wrong numbers for the company.
The correct contact number for the company numbers is 714/969-7746. Our apologies for this error.
(Steve Gold/19930625/Press Contact: Touchstone Software, tel 800 531-0450 or 714-969-7746, fax 714-960-1886)
el 800 531-0450 or 714-969-7746, fax 714-960-1886)
6/25/93
Correction - Touchstone Software's Phone Numbers
CORRECTION
GENERAL
Companies Combine On Mobile Heal
PORTLAND, OREGON, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Two West Coast companies have teamed up to bring mobile computing to the home health care market.
Mountain View, California-based Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation has joined forces with PI Systems Corporation, headquartered in Portland, Oregon in a business alliance that calls for PI Systems to sell and distribute Sun SPARCstations bundled with PI's MobileWWare client/server software. Delivery is scheduled to begin next month.
PI Systems says the teaming is an ideal approach because it allows for integration of enterprise information systems with mobile workers in the fast-growing home healthcare market. PI's MobileWare Client software, running on an electronic clipboard, will communicate with the MobileWare Server software residing on a Sun SPARCstation. MobileWare Server's translation facility and Sun's network integration tools will combine to provide a smooth flow of data to and from the organization's primary data storage system.
PI's Vice President of Marketing Kermit Yensen says networking is a critical element of patient record transfer and distribution among the many healthcare facilities. "This partnership is the first step in ensuring that a home healthcare organization can protect its information systems investment." PI Director of Strategic Planning Shyam Jha says a system that combines networking wireless and pen-based computing will give health care practitioners in the field and in the clinic access to the critical information they need.
Ken Marks, Healthcare Industry manager for SMCC says his company is in the process of broadening not only its healthcare focus, but its attention to a new class of users - the mobile clinician. "At a time when healthcare is under cost reduction pressure, PI's mobile client/server solution, MobileWare combined with Sun's network computing products, will serve to improve productivity in the home healthcare industry."
(Jim Mallory/19930625/Press contact: Sarah Rollins, PI Systems 503-293-9585)
ss contact: Sarah Rollins, PI Systems 503-293-9585)
6/25/93
Companies Combine On Mobile Healthcare Networking
GENERAL
Motorola Launches Chip Ad Campai
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Motorola Corporation is going public with its campaign to convince the personal computer industry and PC users that its microprocessors are just as good or better than those of Intel Corporation, the company that's had the major share of the market until recently.
Motorola's aggressive new ad campaign is aimed at supporting its new RISC (reduced instruction set computing)-based PowerPC microprocessors. The company is saying in the ads that PowerPC chips are faster, smaller, and use less power than Intel's recently announced Pentium chip. Motorola is also touting the price difference, saying that at $450 PowerPC will be half the price of Intel's Pentium chip, which is expected to carry a $965 price tag. Both those prices can be expected to lower as their respective makers go into volume production.
Industry analysts are now trying to figure out what the future holds for Intel Corporation. After having a dominant hold on the personal computer microprocessor market for a number of years, it was threatened by several companies and lost at least one lawsuit when it attempted to keep potential competitors down with claims of patent infringement. One analyst told the British news service Reuters yesterday, "I think all of these new RISC processors do represent a long term threat that Intel is going to have to deal with."
Traders said yesterday that the ad campaign, which is scheduled to appear in business publications and computer magazines caused nervousness about Intel because it highlighted the possibility of a battle between microprocessors. That is good news for consumers, who usually benefit in the form of lower prices as a result of such competition.
Intel stock dropped 1-1/4 to 53-3/4 yesterday. Motorola gained 1-1/8. Both vendors are expected to be displaying their wares in New York City next week when the PC Expo trade show opens Tuesday for its four-day run at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Show organizers estimate the event could draw as many as 85,000 people to view the wares of about 800 vendors.
(Jim Mallory/19930625)
vendors.
(Jim Mallory/19930625)
6/25/93
Motorola Launches Chip Ad Campaign
Motorola Launches Chip Ad Campai
MIS Offers Software Responsibili
Schemers Push New Computer Langu
MindPlay Focuses On Macintosh
Japan Digital Equipment Moves In
Specialized Mobile Radio Net Set
NCD In Color X Terminal Deal Wit
UK - Olivetti Intros Windows Qua
Novell Acquires Network Full-Mot
Biggest Ever Card Crime In Taiwa
Ethernet RISC Module For Enterpr
GO & SunSelect In Pen Product De
Borland, Computerland Sponsor Wh
UK - New Windows Accelerator
Star Trek Next Generation On A G
Infocorp Says Microsoft To Spur
Review of - Sesame Street Learni
President Clinton Showcases High
Tektronix To Layoff 800
WILSONVILLE, OREGON, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Electronics producer Tektronix Inc says it plans to lay off about 800 employees over the next 12 -18 months in order to cut back unprofitable operations.
The company, which employs slightly less than 10,000 people said the job cuts are just part of the $150 million restructuring charge it's taking for the fourth quarter which ended May 29, 1993. Tektronix is reporting a loss of $482.1 million for the period compared to earnings of $6.2 million for the same period last year. Sales for this year's fourth quarter were reported up 14 percent at $353 million from the $311 million the company reported for the 1992 4Q. Orders were reported at $331 million, up from $295 million last year. Without the restructuring charge, Tektronix said shareholders would have earned $0.40 per share.
For the entire year, the company reported a $150 million loss, compared with earnings of $21 million, or $0.71 per share, for fiscal year 1992.
Tektronix said it has already cut about 1,500 jobs over the past 12 months and 4,200 in the last three years. It calls the latest restructuring "an acceleration" of its 1990 decision to leave unprofitable businesses, better utilize assets, and lower its cost structure. The company said the steps will help it focus resources on areas for profitable growth, such as color printing technologies for computers, digital compression of video signals, video signal networking, and video production.
"Through restructuring, we will accelerate needed changes designed to further improve the profitability and growth potential of our businesses," Chairman and CEO Jerome Meyer told reporters.
Meyer said the steps are aimed at enhancing the company's financial position and shareholder return in fiscal 1994 with the full benefit expected to be reflected in longer-term annual earnings improvement.
In July 1991 Tektronix introduced the first thermal wax color printer with a Postscript Level 2 interpreter. In December 1992 the company upgraded that line to add conventional laser paper printing capability.
The restructuring charges also include a $65 million pre-tax charge to further cut components operations by placing Tektronix' integrated and hybrid circuits operations into a wholly owned subsidiary named Tektronix Components Corporation, as well as the costs associated with selling other non-strategic businesses. The company is also seeking a strategic partner for the new unit and says it plans to place its Forest Grove printed circuit board facility in a separate operation, building that division's sales with a goal towards ultimately establishing it as an independent company.
Other charges include a $40 million pre-tax cost of consolidating excess physical assets, including land and buildings, as well as renovating some facilities. Most of the charge will cover the staff reductions at the Beaverton, Oregon plant, where 4,100 workers are employed.
The company displayed its wares earlier this week at the Color Hard Copy Conference, a two-day trade show held in Boston.
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- The national controversy over violence on television continues to echo through the halls of Congress. Today, TV Guide jumped into the battle with new technology it claims can end the controversy.
At ongoing hearings, Massachusetts Representative Democrat Edward Markey has proposed requiring television manufacturers to add a new chip that would allow parents to lock out broadcast programs with a high content of violence.
Today, as part of his hearings before the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, which Markey chairs TV Guide On Screen President Bruce Davis demonstrated his company's namesake product, an interactive electronic programming guide.
TV Guide on Screen includes a lock system allowing parents to voluntarily self-regulate programs children watch on a show-by-show basis, without restricting access to entire channels. The lock system feature relies upon MPAA ratings; other ratings information could be added to the same field.
Addressing the hearing topic, "TV Violence: Technology and Parental Empowerment," Davis testified that technologies such as TV Guide On Screen give parents the tools they need to obtain greater control over television programming entering the home while providing them with more information about available viewing options.
Davis believes that programming rights holders and producers should be free to create and distribute programming, and that new, electronic software-based controls, such as TV Guide On Screen, can enable parents to block out violence or other objectionable programming as well as to find and select what is good among the many options available.
In his remarks, Davis said, "We agree with (the subcommittee's) conclusion that government should not be the conscience of the American people and assume the role of censor in disapproving TV content it may consider too violent, but rather that the TV audience, especially parents, should be empowered to voluntarily protect themselves through a system of self-regulation using new tools made possible by advanced software technology."
Davis also testified that control over TV program selection is a right that must remain with the consumer, but that government can play an important role in supporting private sector initiatives to provide parents with appropriate tools that help them do the job.
"We hope that Congress will give guidance to the FCC that encourages the development of new tools, such as TV Guide On Screen's software solution, that help the long-term goals of this subcommittee to meet the needs of the American people," Davis said.
Davis cautioned against incorporating hardware-based, program access control technology inside TV sets, as Markey has proposed. He testified, "Such a remedy would be unnecessarily over-broad, inflexible and expensive."
Others who testified at the "Parental Empowerment" hearing included Ted Turner, president of Turner Broadcasting (CNN) Gary Shapiro, executive vice president, Electronics Industry Association; and Joseph Jackson of Protelcon.
Three public hearings are focusing on this issue. With today's, two have taken place and only one more is scheduled.
(Wendy Woods/19930625/Press Contact: Neale-May & Partners Gary Quackenbush or Matt Kresh, 415/328-5555)
Matt Kresh, 415/328-5555)
6/25/93
TV Guide On Capitol Hill
TRENDS
US Trade Deficit Worsens
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- The American Electronics Association reports that during the first quarter of this year, America's trade deficit worsened by almost $2.5 billion -- $2.5 billion more than the negative $492 million reported for the corresponding quarter of 1992.
The US/Japan electronics trade balance in the first 1993 quarter was a negative $5.8 million, or 19.0% more than the $4.9 billion reported for the first quarter of 1992.
The first-quarter-to-first-quarter comparison of US electronics trade with the European Community (EC) showed a 16.0% drop in the positive trade balance to $3.2 billion from $3.84 billion.
The combined 1993 first quarter US electronics deficit with Pacific Rim countries (other than Japan) was $3.6 billion, 9.0% less than the $3.95 billion reported for the first quarter of 1992.
"The first quarter 1993 electronics trade results demonstrate that our industry's problem of accessing Japanese technology markets is not improving," said Arnold N. Silverman, 1993 AEA chairman and chairman of ICOT Corp. and Oceania Health Care Systems Inc. "Much of the worsening of the US/world electronic trade deficit is due to the increase in the U.S./Japan deficit.
"By annualizing the first quarter US/Japan electronics trade results we can project a deficit in excess of $23 billion for all of 1993. This would be a record."
The American Electronics Association represents some 3,000 companies in technology communities throughout the country.
(Wendy Woods/19930625/Press Contact: American Electronics Association, John Hatch, 408/987-4294)
John Hatch, 408/987-4294)
6/25/93
US Trade Deficit Worsens
TRENDS
Editorial - Software Registratio
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Editorial by Paul Zucker. If you're like me, you probably don't get around to registering your software. For some it's not wanting to get on a mailing list, but for most of us it's just laziness. Software companies are wary about saying what their registration level is but it's commonly believed to be below 20 percent. And anyway why do we need to register?
By not sending in the cards we probably aren't reducing our rights, as in most countries, common law says goods must be of a saleable quality, so any major faults that show up within a reasonable time should be rectified by the distributor or manufacturer anyway. Of course, if there's a problem that's apparent when you open the package, the place you bought it from is obliged to replace it then and there. It's the problems that appear months later that require you to go back to the distributor.
But what if you don't even realize that the product has a fault (or that that annoying feature you've been complaining about is really a bug)? Wouldn't it be nice to have the company contact you and offer you a work-around, or perhaps even a new version?
I know it's a bit idealistic to expect that to happen very often but it does happen. But if they don't know who you are, don't waste too much time hanging around the mail box -- they probably won't write to you.
There are two things that are worth a lot to software companies now that direct selling is becoming such a popular way for manufacturers to get their products out the door. The first is a list of existing (happy?) users. The second is a list potential buyers of the product, such as people who already have a competitive product or suitable hardware or appropriate past buying patterns. The point, of course, is to sell more product. Direct mail companies obviously measure the success of those little packets of "special offers for YOU!" by how much they sell.
Software companies say they're being forced to sell more and more product to you directly because prices are dropping, and the profit margin they have to give dealers can often price them out of the market. Take the current price wars where the major manufacturers have a number of their leading products on special at up to 80 percent off, and more. Direct mail makes money or they wouldn't do it. It's also claimed to give better results than letting buyers go into a shop where they may get talked into something else.
And you won't be surprised to hear that YOU, as a past buyer of WobblyWord are a much more likely purchaser of WobblyDraw when the postman brings the invitation to jump on the bandwagon for just $49.95 or whatever the special price is this month.
It's because existing customers are a good target audience that software companies have learned to keep them happy. Hence the clubs and newsletters and little gifts you get when you register. In short, it's in your own interest to register your software. Direct mail never killed anyone (except the postman and a few trees) and it only takes a few seconds to scan the offers to see what you're missing out on.
And don't forget that things are constantly changing, so even if the product comes with a complete list of the extras you can utilize, such as telephone and BBS support systems, the marketplace is far from static so you might just miss out on some important news.
And one more point. When you get the super-duper offer in the mail, why not ask your friendly dealer if he can supply the product at the same price. It helps him keep the dollars coming in and it keeps your face familiar. Of course, if he can't even buy at that price, he still wants to know about the offer you got so he can give WobblyWare a piece of his mind right?
(Paul Zucker/19930625)
ece of his mind right?
(Paul Zucker/19930625)
6/25/93
Editorial - Software Registration - Why Bother?
EDITORIAL
Adobe Plans New Viewers, Multime
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Adobe is planning Power PC and Sun Solaris, HP, DEC, and SGI Unix versions of the viewing software for Acrobat, as well as a multimedia-capable second release of the entire Acrobat family of viewing and document creation products, Newsbytes has learned.
In a session at the Hard Copy Consumables Conference yesterday Gary Cosimini, manager of business developer for Adobe, noted that the Windows and Mac Adobe product suite was released about two weeks ago, and that DOS and Unix versions of the Acrobat viewers are slated to ship in the fourth quarter.
He also revealed that, in the future, the Acrobat Reader and Acrobat Exchange viewing software will become available in previously unannounced OS/2 and Power PC versions, and that Adobe will eventually add multimedia electronic mail capabilities to the Acrobat product suite.
Speaking with Newsbytes after the presentation, Cosimini said that the fourth quarter Unix release of the viewing software will be for Solaris. During 1994, Adobe will deliver versions of the viewer for HP, DEC, and SGI, and possibly for other Unix workstations as well, he added. Release dates for the Power PC and OS/2 viewers have yet to be set.
The second release of the Acrobat family will provide device independent color, along with multimedia e-mail capabilities Cosimini told Newsbytes. "But this won't come out until at least 1995," he commented.
In describing Acrobat to the audience in Boston, the business development manager explained that the family consists of two document creation products, Acrobat PDF Writer and Acrobat Distiller, in addition to the Acrobat Reader and Acrobat Exchange viewers.
Acrobat Reader lets users view, navigate and print documents formatted in PDF (Portable Document Format), the PostScript-based document language that is at the heart of Acrobat. The other viewer, Acrobat Exchange, adds the ability to delete documents import PDF files from outside applications, build hypertext links and modify documents in other ways, he said.
Acrobat Reader is being marketed to software developers for embedded use in applications, according to Cosimini. A special locked version, for publishers who wish to embed Reader in CD-ROM applications, will be released in the fourth quarter, he added.
Acrobat Exchange is being distributed to retailers and other resellers, for sale to end users at a price point of about $200 according to the Adobe executive.
Of the two document creation products, PDF Writer is a software driver that allows PostScript/PDF files to be generated directly from applications, Cosimini stated.
Acrobat Distiller, on the other hand, is aimed at applications that do not use a printer driver, creating their own EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) files instead. Most applications for DOS, Unix and mainframe computers falls into this group, he said. Distiller converts the EPS files into PDF files that can be read by the Acrobat viewing software.
"In the future, software vendors will write export filters for their products that say `save as PDF.' We're starting to see a little of that on the high end already," he remarked.
After the presentation, Cosimini told Newsbytes that, in the fourth quarter, Adobe will release a plug-in module that will provide Acrobat with full-text search capabilities based on a document retrieval engine licensed from Verity.
A second plug-in, to be shipped in the first half of 1994, will work with Acrobat to supply structured SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language) capabilities that are based on technology licensed from Avalanche, he said. First announced at Seybold Boston, the Verity and Avalanche licensing deals were reported in Newsbytes on April 14.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930625/Press contact: Martha Popoloski, BIS Strategic Decisions, tel 617-982-9500)
i, BIS Strategic Decisions, tel 617-982-9500)
6/25/93
Adobe Plans New Viewers, Multimedia Acrobat
GENERAL
First Look At Scriptx -- How Goo
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Kaleida a joint venture company formed by International Business Machines (IBM) and Apple Computer, wow'd audiences at the Digital World conference by demonstrating for the first time publicly two applications created with Scriptx. Scriptx is the cross-platform, multimedia development tool on which the company has been working for a year. The product is due to be released in early 1994.
In a live demonstration, introduced by company president and chief executive officer (CEO), Nat Goldhaber, two applications using multimedia were shown to enthusiastic applause from the Digital World audience. The applications treated photographic quality images as objects with attributes that transferred from one application to the next without modification. The first application was an educational program about exploration of the underwater canyon in Monterey Bay and the other was a used car guide entitled Auto Finder.
Both applications were demonstrated live from the same files on CD-ROM disc on both a Macintosh and an IBM compatible personal (PC) running Microsoft Windows. The demonstrators moved the CD ROM disc from one machine to the other and started the application from the same files on each machine, to enthusiastic applause from the audience.
In the Monterey Bay application the user is in an underwater "Rover" exploring the canyon. While exploring, a fish comes into view and swims back and forth in front of the user. In the demonstration, a field guide book was opened and using the mouse the fish was taken from the environment and placed on a page in the book. Once the fish was on the page, the book displayed reference information about the fish including its name and descriptive information. In this case the fish was the state fish of California. The pages of the field guide could be turned to reveal other fish already collected.
From another page, another fish was taken and placed on a dissection table. A round, magnifying glass object was used to scan the fish and when moved across the body of the fish using the mouse, it revealed the skeletal structure of the animal. The magnifying glass object was changed by selecting choices printed around the outside of the "glass" to a view of the organs. Moving the magnifying glass across the fish now revealed its brain, heart and other organs. A caliper was available to measure the organs and the brain of the fish was measured in inches just by moving the appropriate part of the caliper over the brain. However, the caliper only worked on the horizontal plane, so another tool was needed to measure vertically. A tape measure tool was brought in from a floppy disk directly into the application by switching to the operating system and starting the file from the disk.
Immediately, the tape measure worked in the environment with all the other tools and it was possible to measure the width of the fish. The audience responded with enthusiastic applause.
The Auto Finder had sound and images and allowed the user to select attributes of the desired automobile, such as year and price range. Once the attributes were selected, actual cars meeting those attributes were displayed. Then it was possible to compare the cars visually by resale value, trunk space, and so on.
The cars in which the user was interested could be selected and the locations of the cars were shown on a map with push pins representing each car. Clicking on the push pin brought up the information about the location and the owner of the car. The tape measure was brought into the map but it didn't know how to convert the map distance to a measure that made sense so it displayed the distance in picture elements (pixels). The demonstrators changed the code describing the tape measure so the correct number of pixels equaled a mile, and the tape measure immediately measured in miles.
All of the images, including the tools, were photographic quality, smoothly displayed in high resolution without any waiting or pauses. Kaleida said Scriptx is smart enough to query the hardware and adjust the display accordingly so the application has the best look possible in various environments.
For example, the map in the Auto Finder was displayed the way it would be on a television screen and some of the detail and color was removed and the text was made larger.
Kaleida said the information in each application could be changed without changing the application itself, so it would be possible to do a magazine or other changing publication by changing the data but using the same application. In addition Scriptx offers the Consumer Operating System (C/OS) for environments, such as set-top boxes for interactive television where a computer operating system isn't already present. Plans are to make Scriptx run without modification in other operating system environments, such as OS/2 and Unix.
Applications for developers to become official Scriptx developers are being accepted by Kaleida. Goldhaber said Kaleida plans to promote its developers by offering their names as references to companies which are looking for Scriptx applications to be written. Goldhaber said Kaleida plans to make money by licensing Scriptx for inclusion in hardware by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
Kaleida, Scientific Atlanta, and Motorola have already announced they will jointly develop Scriptx equipped set-top boxes for home delivery of interactive multimedia services via cable.
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- The Apple Computer booth was crowded at the Seybold show, but if you could fight your way through the crowd, it was possible to get in and see a demonstration of a live, working Newton personal digital assistant (PDA).
The Newton is designed to be trained to one person's handwriting and if it is used by someone else, can be set to "guest" mode. The demonstrator had the unit set to guest mode and was having some difficulty getting the unit to recognize his handwriting. But the Newton can be customized to printing or cursive handwriting and was pressure and speed sensitive as well.
The Newton displayed error messages several times and once locked up completely so it had to be turned over and the battery compartment opened so it could be reset. The handwriting recognition was also slow enough that long pauses were required between words for the Newton to recognize the handwriting.
However, the unit was smart enough to translate "lunch Bob Tuesday" to text and then place an appointment with the only Bob in the Rolodex on the calendar for next Tuesday at noon. In addition, when the demonstrator scribbled out a word or phrase the Newton offered a visual animation that made it look like the text or handwriting went up in smoke, like a magician making an object disappear. The size of the puffs of smoke displayed varied in size and location, so it wasn't the same each time. Also, a document that is deleted is wadded up and tossed in a trash can that appears on screen and that animation varies so it is not exactly the same each time either.
The Fodor's '94 Travel Manager was loaded on the Newton with just the city of Boston available. The demonstrator zoomed in on an area of the map, made an "X" and arrow pointing to the "X" and said that portion of the map or the whole map could be faxed to someone with your "X" and arrow appearing. It was important to delete markings made in various portions of the Newton, because if those markings weren't deleted, they were still there the next time you went into that application. In fact, the Newton still had several drawings that had been made even when it was turned over and reset.
It appeared at times that the demonstrator's own hand got in the way of his work with the screen of the Newton, since it was so small. But that was explained as partially because it was on a flat surface so it could be displayed to the crowd. In addition, the demonstrator said the unit can be customized for the best display at the angle at which the user likes to hold it.
The pen was light and flat instead of round. It fit in a sleeve on the side of the unit and the unit was running with power from an electrical supply instead of batteries.
The demonstrator would not allow users near the unit and it was not passed around the crowd for inspection. That was in contrast to the openness of the Palm Computing representatives who demonstrated the Casio Zoomer unit. It was shown to reporters at the end of a session on PDAs. Also, IBM demonstrators passed around their handheld device at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show (CES) when asked.
In addition, the demonstrator said not all Newtons will come with all features -- for example, not all the Newtons will have modems. But no further details were offered as to how the Newtons would be configured or what options would be available.
Five Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) cards for applications for the Newton have been announced. They are the Fodor's 94 Travel Manager, which offers interactive maps for directions, dining and lodging tips and prices, places to go, and things to do; the Fortune 500 Guide to American Business, with information on chief executive officers, sales, and profits of the top 500 businesses, and business forms with twelve templates ranging from personal finance to sales; Word Games, such as crossword puzzles cryptograms, and find-a-word games; and Mystery Games, with graphical rendering of the interactive crime scene with clues so you can figure out who committed the crime.
John Sculley boasted in his opening remarks at the beginning of the conference that Apple had only found one bug in the read only memory (ROM) of the Newton during testing. He maintained the unit was in the "golden master" stage, ready for production and is on-track for availability this summer.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930625/Press Contact: Tricia Chan, Apple Computer, tel 408-974-3886, fax 408-967-5651)
ple Computer, tel 408-974-3886, fax 408-967-5651)
6/25/93
Up Close And Personal -- A Sneak Peek At Newton
APPLE
PDA Market To Reach 3.5 Million
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- The PDA market will soar from 40,000 US unit shipments in 1993 to 3.5 million by 1995, pushing greater adoption of pen computing in the process officials of BIS Strategic Decision said yesterday at the company's Hard Copy Consumables Conference in Boston.
William F. Ablondi, vice president of BIS' Personal Computing Market Advisory Service, told an audience at the conference that the new figures represent a revision of a 1991 projection by BIS which predicted faster adoption of pen computing.
Inaccurate handwriting recognition and less than completely intuitive user interfaces have slowed the growth of pen computing he said. Even if a product achieves 99% accuracy in handwriting recognition, one of every 100 characters will still be inaccurate he pointed out. Furthermore, the gestures in pen software can take time for the user to learn.
A 1993 BIS study predicts that in contrast to the 3.5 million PDAs that will be shipped in 1999, only 1.3 million pen computers will be delivered that year, according to Ablondi. Back in 1991, BIS foresaw unit shipments of 4 million pen computers by 1999.
The ensuing two years have witnessed the announcements of such PDAs as Eo, the Apple Newton, and now, Zoomer, said Jon Hulak, industry analyst in BIS' Small Business/Home Office Market Advisory Service.
Ultimately, these devices will serve as portable "dataphones" and telephones, as well as personal organizers, "dynamic paper," forms automators, and PC satellites, he added.
PDAs will redefine the desktop PC as well as pen markets, Ablondi explained. The desktop PC will come to act as a "server" for pen computers and PDAs. Meanwhile, pen computers and PDAs will behave as electronic input devices for desktop PCs -- "electronic sketchpads" in the case of the pen computers.
At the moment, PDAs are still inhibited by awkward interfaces, poor distribution, and immature software infrastructures, Ablondi acknowledged. In the future, though, the PDA market will be spurred ahead by additional PIM (personal information management) software, smaller hardware, longer battery life, increased e-mail connectivity, integrated voice, and wireless communications.
For 1995, BIS is predicting US shipments of 378,000 for pen computers and 333,000 for PDAs. By 1997, the balance is expected to shift, with 665,000 shipments of pen computers and 1.4 million of PDAs.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930625/Press contact: Martha Popoloski, BIS Strategic Decisions, tel 617-982-9500)
IS Strategic Decisions, tel 617-982-9500)
6/25/93
PDA Market To Reach 3.5 Million By 1999
TRENDS
Hong Kong - Hospital Authority U
PC Expo - Windows Version Of Des
Newton Connection Kit -- Link Ne
World Library Wins Electronic Co
Aldus Ships New SuperPaint, Lowe
Australia's Commonwealth Bank Sw
PC Expo - Speech Interfaces For
Top 100 Software Firms Show 23%
Nokia Gets Behind Data Over Cell
McCaw Intros TDMA In Seattle
Chinese Sale Is Mitel's Largest
Software Customizes Checks On La
P-3 Market To Reach 5.2 Million
NTT In Multimedia Telecom Experi
Dell Predicts Big 2Qtr Loss
Sony's Minidisk -- The Japanese
Apple Canada To Lay Off 21
StrataCom Net Up 40 Percent
Blyth Shipping New Omnis
Cypress Semi Profits Up 47%
Flat-Panel Display Maker nVIEW S
Computers Track US Women's Open
Sun Signs Up Second VAR In India
Hongkong - GSM In Spotlight At C
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- The GSM standard for digital cellular telephone systems will be firmly in the spotlight at this month's Mobile Comms '93 convention from 30 June to 2 July at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre as a result of the participation of Nortel Matra Cellular.
Nortel Matra Cellular's Chief Executive Officer, Emile Gratton, is scheduled to deliver the keynote speech, "GSM, the Best Choice," in the opening session of the show. In addition, Tim Devine, the company's marketing manager, will lead a workshop entitled "Creating Value for Mobile Network Operators" on Day 2 of the three-day event.
Nortel Matra Cellular's GSM product line can be found at Northern Telecom's stand. Northern Telecom, a principal sponsor of Mobile Comms '93, will occupy one of the largest stands at the exhibition. Sharing the focus of the 60-sq-meter stand will be Northern Telecom's own Companion system, a CT2 standard wireless telephone communications system.
Nortel Matra Cellular, which is owned equally by Northern Telecom and Matra Communication, was set up in July 1992 as part of a wide-ranging strategic alliance between Northern Telecom and the French Matra Hachette Group. A major new force in mobile communications, the company offers a network infrastructure for GSM/PCN services.
Nortel Matra Cellular offers mobile switching centers mobile location registers, base station controllers, base transceiver stations and point-to-point microwave interconnect systems.
Companion is Northern Telecom's flagship product for wireless business communications, combining clear digital voice quality, industry standard CT-2 CAI (Common Air Interface) communications protocols, and the ability to make and receive calls in the field.
Hong Kong was one of the first countries in the Asia- Pacific region to adopt GSM. Now in its third year, Mobile Comms '93 is one of the largest international mobile communications shows in the Asia-Pacific region. It is being held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 30 June to 2 July 1993.
(Brett Cameron/19930624/Press Contact: Ming Li, Northern Telecom, Tel: 852-585 2725;HK time is GMT + 8)
g Li, Northern Telecom, Tel: 852-585 2725;HK time is GMT + 8)
6/25/93
Hongkong - GSM In Spotlight At Coming Mobile Comms Show '93
TELECOM
Hongkong - GSM In Spotlight At C
PC Revolutionizes Student Testin
Explosion In Home PCs Predicted
UK - Mercury Reveals Plans For G
Artisoft Announces Fault Toleran
Microsoft To Add Truespeech To W
New Visual Imaging Technology An
UK - Viglen Intros Color Noteboo
BellSouth To Offer Access To Net
Weights And Measures Conversion
NEC Rolls Out PC Servers, Some F
Irvine Sensors In Neural Net Sen
Analyst Sees Promise In IBM's AT
Sun Signs Second VAR In India
Newsday Publishes Online On The
Animated Software Teaches Money,
Ameritech Offers Schools Discoun
Lotus Reports Quarterly Results,
Video Software Developers Kit
NORCROSS, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Interated Systems has announced a video software developer's kit (SDK) that it says provides high quality video decompression at 30 frames per second (fps) with high quality video.
The company says POEM VideoBox is ideal for network archiving multimedia publishing, training, and other video applications. The SDK provides software-only video at extremely low bandwidths and includes C object libraries for integrating video decompression into DOS applications. Some sample programs with source code and sample video footage are also included.
According to Interated Systems co-founder and CEO, Dr. Michael Barnsley, POEM VideoBox outperforms Microsoft's Video for Windows and Apple's Quicktime for Windows in frame rate, data rate, and overall video quality. "POEM VideoBox runs at 30 frames per second (similar to TV-quality), compared to less than 15 fps for Video for Windows and Quicktime, and requires roughly one half the data rate."
The company said POEM VideoBox increases screen resolution by more than 56 percent over previous versions while also increasing video quality by using Fractal Transform, a technology discovered by Dr. Barnsley in 1987.
The SDK has a suggested retail price of $1,795 and is shipping now.
The SDK supports Sound Blaster and Sound Blaster Pro sound cards, and achieves 30 fps performance by using ISA-Bus 80486/50 megahertz computers. The company says frames are dropped dynamically on slower computers to maintain sound synchronization. The software is a decompression SDK with initial compression services provided by Interated Systems. During the introductory period, PEOM VideoBox purchasers can get 30 seconds of free compression services by sending the video footage to the company on a VCR tape that comes with the kit. A companion compressor product is scheduled to ship later this summer.
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Russian Prime Minister Victor Chernomyrdin has signed a government decree creating the new Center of Information Technology and Systems of Executive Power Bodies. The new state institution will be based on the Russian part of Moscow-based International Center of Informatics and Electronics.
The decree create a reserve data communications center connected with computer systems of the presidential and government bureaucracy and local executive bodies. New Centre will also research and develop various data and communications systems for the information infrastructure of Russian state agencies according to the decree.
The Center will be a state enterprise under the patronage of the Information Resources Agency, directly controlled by the Russian President. For 1993, it will have a budget of 750 million rubles (US750.000), but starting next year the Center should become self-financing. The Center will be a member of the International Center of Informatics and Electronics on the behalf of Russian Federation.
(Eugene Peskin & Kirill Tchashchin/19930625)
(Eugene Peskin & Kirill Tchashchin/19930625)
6/25/93
Russia Creates New Information Institution
Japan - NCR Japan Gets 5 LAN Dis
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- NCR Japan has signed an agreement with five firms concerning sales of its LAN (local area network)-related products: Ricoh, Otsuka Shokai Ungermann-bass, Macnica, and Networld.
The five firms will distribute NCR Japan's latest LAN products in Japan, including NCR Japan's radiowave LANs -- NCR Wave LAN and Wave Point. These products were released in April.
Wave LAN is a network interface card, which operates via radiowaves, and Wave Point is a bridge to interconnect radiowave LANs and cable LANs.
One of its new distributors, Ricoh, is already selling NCR Japan's computers and Star LAN. Otsuka Shokai has been selling NCR Japan's computers. The other three firms are on the NCR bandwagon for the first time, but they have experience in sales of network-related products. These five firms currently sell more than 50 percent of all the LAN boards that are sold into the Japanese market, making them now a strong ally of NCR.
Radiowave LANs are gradually gaining popularity in Japan since they save office space and cost less than their wire-based counterparts. NCR Japan's radiowave LAN products are already supplied to NEC on an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) basis. NCR Japan aims to ship 100,000 Wave LANs and 10,000 units of Wave Point within three years to get the top market share in this area.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- The US style computer superstore has never made it to Australia, despite a number of false alarms. But now a major Australian discount store has decided to open two full superstores, according to a report in PC Week.
Harvey Norman Discounts has sold computers for the last couple of years, but has never allocated more than a section of the floor to these "gadgets" that are surrounded by everything from air conditioners to barbecue furniture. Now it plans to open two stores dedicated entirely to computers, with more to follow. One is in Newcastle, a city two hours north of Sydney, and the second in Auburn, a Sydney suburb.
The Newcastle store has 1300 square meters of floor space and will hold between $4 and $5 million of stock. Each store will have 12 cash registers, parking for 150 cars, demonstration rooms and will trade seven days a week.
It is believed that US distributor Merisel is working closely with Harvey Norman on the project, and will operate comprehensive software upgrade facilities in each store. Merisel Australia said it was able to provide "a lot of direction" with its experience in the US with groups such as CompUSA. "We understand about stock management and systems requirements for superstores," said marketing manager, Graeme Lynch.
Harvey Norman built its name in selling leftover and obsolete stock alongside new product, and likewise started with clone PCs but now carries brand names such as IBM. The new stores are expected to have high turnover and may carry products not available through other Australian computer outlets.
(Paul Zucker/19930625)
computer outlets.
(Paul Zucker/19930625)
6/25/93
Australia - Discounter To Open Superstores
BUSINESS
Australia - Free Netware Service
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Novell has announced a sales promotion in which new and existing Netware 4.0 customers who register their software before October 31, 1993 will receive all the enhancements to the operating system, including all updates and revisions, at no charge until April 30, 1994.
The promotion is worldwide, via more than 15,000 Novell Platinum, Gold and Authorized resellers. The updates will be distributed via CD-ROM probably quarterly. It is the low cost of mass-produced CDs that makes the offer practical, and other software and operating systems manufacturers are expected to follow suit.
CD-ROM drives are becoming more commonplace on new systems, and some manufacturers now fit them to all stand-alone systems, even distributing manuals on the disc.
Novell NetWare 4.0 is available in Australia in five to 1000 user configurations. The price for five is AUS$2370 and for 100, AUS$81,590 (AUS$3 = US$2 at present).
Novell lists the following as some of the key features of version 4.0: NetWare Directory Services which gives a single view of the network and group resources; improved security, management and auditing capabilities; faster response and greater productivity; assorted new tools.
(Paul Zucker/19930625/Contact Novell Australia on phone +61-2-413 3077 or fax +61-2-413 3116)
n phone +61-2-413 3077 or fax +61-2-413 3116)
6/25/93
Australia - Free Netware Service For A Year
Australia - Compaq Faxback Info
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Compaq Australia has introduced a dial-up information service for its customers. Using a touchtone phone, users request information which is immediately delivered to a nominated fax machine.
While faxback services are not uncommon, there is some speculation in the Australian reseller community that Compaq's new PAQFax service may be the first step in developing a direct sales arm. First time PAQFax users are first to enter their fax and phone numbers, and an instruction page and a document list are sent to them. They can then ring back with specific requests.
At present there are documents on 11 product ranges, from the Contura to SCO Unix to the PageMarq printer range. These are then divided into technical specifications, product summaries and price lists. In addition there are lists of authorized resellers (by region) and periodical announcements.
The dial-in service is not on a toll-free line, but Compaq picks up the bill for delivering the documents. The service is available on 61-2-911 1982. And if you feel inclined to try it, list 4404 will tell you where you can buy Compaq PCs in Papua New Guinea and Fiji.
Compaq has recently opened its new distribution warehouse in the Sydney suburb of Lane Cove, near the sales and support center. As in most countries Compaq is selling much more stock than it had budgeted for a couple of years ago, due mainly to a large reduction in price. The new Australian distribution center is three times as large as the old one and incorporates both manual and automatic stock picking systems.
(Paul Zucker/19930625)
cking systems.
(Paul Zucker/19930625)
6/25/93
Australia - Compaq Faxback Info Service
TELECOM
Australia - Compaq Faxback Info
Charles Barkley & Bubsy Bobcat G
PC Expo - ProtoGen+ Visual Dev S
Microsoft Chinese Windows 3.1
IBM Shows Off Continuous Speech
Synoptics' User Group Sets Up UK
Moscow City Phone Company To Be
AGT Forms Alliances With Equipme
Third British Telecom Share Sale
Correction - AIN And BellSouth
Novell Intros NMS Software Devel
Silicon Graphics Intros Workstat
Comdex/Canada: Print Server, Net
SaskTel To Raise Local Telecom R
Artisoft Ships New T-Runner Conc
Mercury Slashes Call Charges To
Media Vision Intros New Audio Ch
Comm Software Sends, Receives Da
Nationwide Paging Network Gets F
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Mobile Telecommunications Technologies Corp., known as MTel, won the right to build its Nationwide Wireless Network from the Federal Communications Commission.
The decision was expected. MTel fit every definition laid down by former FCC chairman Al Sikes for winning the spectrum under the "pioneer's preference" rules. That is, the company put its own money into proving a technology which may or may not be commercially viable.
The decision gives MTel 50 kilohertz of spectrum around the 930 megahertz band, which is relatively close to MTel's existing SkyTel paging frequency at 931.9375 megahertz. But this frequency band is much wider, and while the paging network is one-way, the NWN will be two-way. Mtel will bounce messages off a network of 3,000 antennas in major cities, just as with its existing paging network, aimed at laptop computers and other mobile units, with paging technology again used to return acknowledgements of receipt. Once final licenses are granted, MTel thinks it can get service into the top 300 US markets by 1995.
To make all this happen, of course, MTel also needs devices to send and receive messages over the network, and create acknowledgements. It needs to have chip sets manufactured, and hopes many will be in the PCMCIA "PC Card" format, so they'll be light and easy to use. A pilot system, constructed in Dallas last year, used Motorola equipment.
Early on, MTel estimated the cost of building its NWN at $100 million, and $6 million of that has already come in through venture funding from investment firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers. More recently, the company has admitted that a total of $150 million may be needed.
MTel had filed its first petition for the NWN in November, 1991 and won its experimental license six months later. The company submitted detailed data on its technology trial a year ago, and won a tentative "pioneer's preference" a month later. Motorola joined MTel in developing equipment for the pilot system in December. After field trials at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, the demonstration system was built in Dallas during May.
In other FCC action, the agency said sports teams are not moving from broadcasting to cable as quickly as some feared, in a tentative conclusion to a study mandated by the 1992 cable act. Migration has been fastest among some baseball teams, like the New York Yankees, and among some college football conferences which have tied-up rights in regional cable nets that preclude local broadcast. Final recommendations are due in one year.
The FCC also adopted new rules under the cable act banning operators from owning both a cable system and multi-channel distribution system in the same market, to prevent monopolies and proposed that no more than 40 percent of any operator's programming be offered by companies in which it has a financial interest. Those rules become final after a comment period.
Finally, the FCC proposed only minor changes to price caps governing AT&T long distance rates, a ruling that also has to go through a comment period. AT&T's comment is that the caps are "outmoded" because competition is keeping prices low enough.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930625/Press Contact: David Allan, for MTel 212-614-5163,; FCC Press, 202-632-5050)
MTel 212-614-5163,; FCC Press, 202-632-5050)
6/25/93
Nationwide Paging Network Gets FCC Go-Ahead
TELECOM
New Names Floated For FCC Posts
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- The Clinton Administration is floating two names to take the empty positions on the Federal Communications Commission.
Early in the Administration, Senate staffer Antoinette Cook was expected to win the post of chairman, but she withdrew from consideration after five months of having her name dangled in the press and undergoing criticism for a 1989 radio deal. The new name being floated is Reed Hunt, a prep school classmate of Vice President Gore and law school classmate of President Clinton who served on the President's transition team. He's seen as pro-regulation, and thus might have trouble with major industry players like AT&T, as well as Republicans generally. If nominated and he's no closer to nomination than Ms. Cook was -- he would replace interim chairman James Quello, first appointed in 1974 by President Nixon to a Democratic seat.
Like other regulatory agencies, no more than three members of the FCC can be from the President's party. Thus his second reported nominee, Regina Keeney, is a Republican. Ms. Keeney is a counsel to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, the same committee served by Ms. Cook. Like Ms. Cook, she helped pass the 1992 Cable Reregulation Act, over a veto by then President Bush.
While early reaction to both nominations is positive, both will now go through the same kind of public scrutiny which eventually derailed Ms. Cook, Judge Kimba Wood and Judge Stephen Breyer none of whom was nominated after having their names floated in the press.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930625)
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930625)
6/25/93
New Names Floated For FCC Posts
New Names Floated For FCC Posts
PDA Market To Reach 3.5 Million
Tech Teachers Fight for Legislat
FaxWorks Pro 3.0
Former Restaurant Exec Named Rad
Primera Printer Gets Dye Sublima
Global Village Intros Low Cost M
Second Round Apple Price Cuts On
IBM Commits To ATM
COMDEX/Canada Features Multimedi
Intel Donates CPU For Low-Cost R
UK - US Robotics Offers V.Fast U
Hillary Should Let Al Gore Come
MFS Greatly Expands New Jersey N
TI Software Speeds Semiconductor
Comdex/Canada - Canadian Busines
Northern Telecom Expects 1993 Lo
AutoCAD Release 12 For Mac
AT&T Shuffles Executives, Posts
Australia - Apple Tops PC Reliab
Sanctuary Woods Acquires Mind F/
International Telecom Update
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Better prospects for passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement are helping boost investment prospects throughout Latin America.
Stock markets throughout the region are on the rise again, led as always by telecom stocks. Argentine stocks were helped by analysts' boosting of Telecom Argentina, one of the nation's two phone companies, as earnings estimates were raised. Telefonica the second local company, also rose. Shares in Telebras, Brazil's state-owned company, also rose, as did Mexico's Telmex. Hopes are even rising in Peru and Columbia, laggards because of violent anti-government movements.
In Europe, restructuring caused new hopes. Italy's STET, like Telebras partly state-owned, rose based on hopes that tariffs will be re-worked, and the company reorganized for complete sale to the private sector. The plan is that Italy's three phone companies will be merged into one, which can then be sold off. Ericsson of Sweden is also gaining on new contracts. It opened a joint venture in China's Guangdong province to sell its AXE switches, and signed a new contract for the switches with the Hungarian Telecommunications Company, known as HTC.
In the Philippines, however, fall-out from Cable & Wireless' withdrawal from the market continues. Digitel, of which C&W owned 40 percent before it refused to help upgrade Luzon's networks until it could build an international teleport, continues to draw fire. Digitel wants President Fidel Ramos to blacklist C&W from further Philippine investments, saying its backing out of the Luzon deal violated contracts. C&W calls the charge unfounded but generally the company is doing quite well, with profits up over 40 percent based on results from its Hong Kong Telecom and Mercury units.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930625/Press Contact: Ericsson Kathy Egan 212/685-4030)
csson Kathy Egan 212/685-4030)
6/25/93
International Telecom Update
TELECOM
AT&T Brings Up NYMEX After-Hours
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Futures' trading now goes on after 5 PM at the New York Mercantile Exchange thanks to a new system brought online by AT&T.
AT&T said its Access system mimics the "open outcry" process on the NYMEX trading floor, with workstations providing "fair play and equal access" so that simultaneously entered orders are received within milliseconds of each other, regardless of where they're entered.
The new system, which must link all major financial capitals combines a number of AT&T units. NCR workstations are used for entering the orders. AT&T Paradyne data communications gear is used to send orders and confirmations on their way. NCR servers are used for trade order entry and trade matching, and the servers being used are of the "fault tolerant" variety, with duplicates of all parts running. AT&T Accunet data service is used both for delivery of data and for security, to prevent unauthorized access to the system.
The new system will operate Monday through Thursday evenings between the close of the main trading floor at 5 PM and its reopening at 8 AM. Contracts offered electronically include crude oil, heating oil, unleaded gasoline futures and options and platinum futures. Sunday evening trading sessions start at 7 PM, and there is no trading Friday or Saturday night.
The question some analysts ask, of course, is if the electronic system mimics the floor system so well, why have a floor system? The NYMEX continues to insist it's necessary, but electronic systems like this and the Globex market are expected to continue to press on margins and traders' jobs in the future.
From: Apple Computer Inc., 20525 Mariani Ave., Cupertino CA 95014.
Price: The PowerBook 145 is listed at $1,649 with 4MB RAM and a 40MB hard drive, and $1,899 with 4MB RAM and an 80MB hard drive. However, prospective buyers should always shop around for the best deal.
PUMA Rating: 3.8 (on a scale of 1 to 4, 4 being highest)
Reviewed for Newsbytes by: Ian Stokell 06/25/93
Summary: Excellent entry-level Mac notebook computer, although the screen became a little uncomfortable to use after hours at a time.
======
REVIEW
======
Let's put the cards on the table. I used the PowerBook 145 as a main system for three months, between three and four hours a day. While it's a good notebook if your main application is a word processor, the screen gets wearing after a while, and although the trackball is the best positioned and easiest to use I've ever seen, it's still faster to use a mouse on the mousepad.
The system is powered by a 25 megahertz (MHz) Motorola 68030 microprocessor. It comes with four megabytes (MB) of RAM which is expandable to 8MB. Apart from the six built-in ports for peripherals (see below), there are also internal slots for a modem and RAM. It measures 2.25-inches by 11.25-inches by 9.3-inches and weighs 6.8 pounds.
The 4MB of RAM comes as 2MB on the logic board and 2MB on a RAM expansion card that fits into the memory card slot. The system can be expanded up to 8MB by replacing the 2MB expansion card with either a 4MB or a 6MB RAM expansion card.
Let's get one uncharacteristic problem out of the way first. I got really ticked off the first week, when for no reason, the hinged door at the back which covers the ports decided to drop open. The plastic catch that held the door in place had broken off. Ever after, I was fighting to keep the door closed when in use. In the end I had to resort to a piece of tape! Not something you expect to happen when you pay $1,500 for a computer. Having said that though, the system is well put together otherwise, and I've never had that problem with other Apple products I've reviewed.
The big attraction of the PowerBook, apart from the fact that it weighs about 200 pounds less than the original Mac Portable, is the great integrated trackball. It is well placed and easy to use under the keyboard in the front-middle of the system. There is enough space either side of the trackball to rest the hands, which makes for very comfortable typing. There are two buttons - one sitting directly above the trackball, and one about an inch below. Both respond well and quickly. The trackball measures 30 millimeters in diameter.
On the left side of the PowerBook is a cover that slides back to reveal the battery. On the right side is the floppy disk drive. At the back is a single in-socket for the power lead and a door that flips open to reveal the on-off button and a number of ports. The ports feature: an Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) port for keyboard mouse, and other devices using a low-speed, synchronous serial bus; two RS-422 serial ports for LocalTalk networking, such as printers and modems; one HDI-30 SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface) port for hard disks, scanners and CD-ROM drives; one sound output port for external audio amplifier; and one sound-in port.
The company's claims that the NiCad 2.5 Ah battery provides between two to three hours of usage before recharging is accurate. I found recharging was necessary closer to three hours rather than two. When power begins to run out a message appears onscreen warning the user of the situation and the screen then dims slightly.
Eventually, after using the 145 for hours at a time, I decided to attach a desktop keyboard and mouse to the unit whenever I got to a desk, and even took one with me on the road, because I found it a lot faster to cut-and-paste using that one rather than the built-in keyboard and trackball. The system's own is perfectly adequate for extensive word processing functions, such as cut-and-paste, but I just couldn't get up to the same speed. The built-in keyboard was pleasant to use though, and came with a standard Macintosh layout.
And then there's that backlit Supertwist, 640 by 400 pixel screen. I found it fine to work with for reasonably long stretches at a time for hours at a time really - when I was on the road. But when I got home I couldn't wait to fire up the old SE/30, just to give my eyes a rest! However, having said that, I didn't find it any worse to use than low-end PC-based screens I have used in the past. And at 10-inches diagonal, the screen is larger than many notebook displays, which is a considerable boost, and even larger than the all-in-one compact desktops that Apple offers.
All in all, the PowerBook 145 is a nice notebook. I wouldn't recommend it for long hours though, or as a main system. But for word processing or odd jobs on the road, it's a good way of ensuring a Mac as a traveling companion.
======
PUMA RATING
======
PERFORMANCE: 3.50. The system is the low-end of the PowerBook range, which explains the screen. I do not like it when door catches break off for no reason. Other than that, this is an excellent notebook.
USEFULNESS: 3.75. Once you've used a PowerBook, especially if you're on the road a lot, you'll wonder how you even did without it.
MANUAL: 4.0. Documentation is very good. The "Macintosh User Guide," for the PowerBook is especially helpful.
AVAILABILITY: 4.0 There are thousands of Apple dealers.
(Ian Stokell/19930622)
usands of Apple dealers.
(Ian Stokell/19930622)
6/25/93
Review of Apple Macintosh PowerBook 145, notebook
APPLE
REVIEW
Ericsson Forms Joint Telecoms Ve
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 1993 JUN 24 (NB) -- Ericsson has revealed that it has formed a new joint venture company with Guangdong Public Telecoms Board (GPTB) and Guangdong Machimpex. The new company has the express brief of handling the delivery and installation of Ericsson's telecoms equipment deliveries in China.
Ericsson is the major shareholder in the new company, which is known as the Guangdong Ericsson Engineering Company (GEEC). For the next two years, the company will remain largely dormant, while facilities in China are built up and the contracts for the supply of exchange equipment are formalized.
According to Ericsson, the establishments of the new company is a major step in the development of the company's trading links with the Republic of China. It will also serve as a springboard for the company's activities in other countries of the region, officials said.
(Steve Gold/19930624)
egion, officials said.
(Steve Gold/19930624)
6/24/93
Ericsson Forms Joint Telecoms Venture In China
TELECOM
Ericsson Forms Joint Telecoms Ve
AT&T Brings Up NYMEX After-Hours
Editorial - Software Registratio
Magazine For Multimedia Develope
Pioneer Focuses on Solutions
Japan - HDTV Laser Disk Software
Japanese Telecom Firms Form Over
UK Town Goes High-Tech In A Big
Correction - Restoring Snow Whit
IBM Adds New RS/6000, AIX Versio
Review of - Time Treks, Game For
Russia - Ural Factory Produces C
Adda Has Titling Bundle, Mac Vid
Digital Mobile Phones Come Under
Hayes Intros European Sysop Prog
Wordperfect Data/Fax Communicati
UK - Thomas Cook Uses GEIS To Ch
Microsoft Consulting Group Expan
Spectrum Licenses Cellular Data
Supermac Earns Up Again, Allianc
Apple Talks About Newton Message
Japan - NTT Subsidiary To Offer
Gateway 2000 Adds To Product Lin
UK - Mercury Communications Sign
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 JUN 24 (NB) -- Mercury Communications claims that it is busily signing up around 1,000 new subscribers to its residential 2300 "indirect" telephone network. This is a substantial boost on last year's figures and means that Mercury has around 500,000 subscribers to its service -- twice what it was this time last year.
Mercury attributes its success to the fact that the areas which have access to the Mercury network from BT have increased from 70 to 90 percent of the UK in a little over 18 months. It's now possible for most of the UK's BT subscribers to access Mercury for their trunk and international calls, saving up to 40 percent on BT-switched calls in the process.
According to Newsbytes' calculations, this places Mercury as having more than 10 percent of the UK's telecoms market-place, compared with 8.4 percent just a year ago.
(Steve Gold/19930624/Press & Public Contact: Mercury Communications Tel: 071-528-2000)
UK - Mercury Communications Signing 1,000 Users A Day
TELECOM
IBM's Fireworks Define Multimedi
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 24 (NB) -- At the Digital World conference, Bob Carberry, president of IBM's multimedia business unit, Fireworks Partners defined the term multimedia by who uses it and how, and gave examples of the use of the technology in different situations.
Fireworks did an informal survey at the trade show COMDEX asking, "What is multimedia?" While most people didn't have an answer, one of the most telling descriptions came from a gentleman who said, "I picture a bunch of video monitors flashing, and people thinking they're learning something."
The first example was NBC desktop news, an interactive customizable news service that is expected to cost consumers $15 to $200 per month. Another example showed multimedia in an office environment, but instead of videos of office workers using multimedia, Fireworks had animated human figures that were stiff and artificial performing the actions. One viewer commented that the office workers reminded him of black actor Eddie Murphy, who does a comedy routing where he acts like a white man. The animations did get across the idea of how office workers might use multimedia and touch screen computers to send and receive video conversations, and transmit information.
Fireworks also showed how an office worker at an airport might use a hand-held cellular computer/telephone to work and make calls without video. The phone had a touch screen and a voice only cellular connection.
One of the most interesting displays was one of how airlines are now placing local area networks in planes. The networks connect liquid crystal display (LCD) screens in the back of each of as many as 270 seats, so each passenger can have access to the network. The system offers flight and plane location information, airport maps and city information, a cellular link to the ground, and games that are interactive with the other passengers. Carberry said airlines like the idea because, while fliers only pay three dollars to use the system, studies show they eat less when playing games and so will cost the airline less.
Carberry, like an earlier demonstration by Apple, also showed a virtual mall application of multimedia. But in this case the animated character is a teenager who goes to the mall with two virtual friends, who shop with him.
The digital server technology planned for Blockbuster video stores was also demonstrated. A user can view rock videos and hear music from an in-store kiosk, can order the compact disc (CD), and the CD will be produced on demand for pick up by the customer on the way out of the store. This reduces inventory and shelf space, Carberry said. A rock group called "Snow Hat" was featured in the demonstration. Snow Hat, as it turns out is a Russian rock group and Carberry said it was the only one for which Fireworks Partners could get the intellectual property rights.
The CD on demand technology came out of an agreement with Soundsational, a small company with which Fireworks formed an alliance. Carberry said he sees Fireworks' role as one of bringing alliances and adding value to the joint ventures, and not just one of a venture capital firm.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930624/Press Contact: Bob Carberry Fireworks Partners, tel 914-766-3300)
reworks Partners, tel 914-766-3300)
6/24/93
IBM's Fireworks Define Multimedia
Kaleida, 3DO, Apple Offer MM Dev
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 24 (NB) Developers will have no shortage of multimedia application development toolkits if the announcements made by major companies at the Digital World are any indication. Kaleida 3DO, and Apple have all announced developer kits for each one's environment.
Kaleida President and Chief Executive Officer Nat Goldhaber announced the Scriptx Developer Kit and says the company will begin accepting applications for entry into its developer program. Scriptx is described by Kaleida as a platform independent environment for multimedia that the company hopes to have released on hardware platforms by the end of 1994.
Developers can sign up for The Kaleida Developer Program at either the "Vanguard" or "Associate" level. Vanguard members receive both Alpha and Beta ScriptX Software Development Kits along with four days of training and four days of consulting at no additional charge. They will also have the opportunity to attend Kaleida's title building workshops. Associate members receive Beta ScriptX Software Developer Kits and access to training and consulting on a fee basis. Applications from interested developers are due October 1, 1993. Goldhaber also mentioned that the company is planning a referral program so those who are looking for Scriptx application developers can make contacts through Kaleida.
Apple announced the Apple Media Tool for development of an applications for the Newton personal digital assistant (PDA) without programming. The applications are developed by connecting icons that represent functions. For programmers Apple is offering the Apple Media Tool Programming Environment which offers the ability to use the object-oriented tools as well as a traditional programming language approach. Apple claims code developed in the Apple Media Tool Programming Environment is portable between Macintosh and IBM-compatible personal computers (PCs) running Microsoft Windows and offers access to toolboxes in both environments through a C language interface.
3DO Company announced the 3DO Authoring Toolkit for developing software for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer due out this fall under the Panasonic brand name. The 3DO Authoring Toolkit consists of title creation software tools including two dimensional animation and imaging, three dimensional modeling video and file translation tools, as well as Macromedia's Director, Macromodel, and Three-D. The company claims the toolkit will be important for those without programming experience as well as for the 311 licensed software companies who have committed to title development for the 3DO player.
The toolkit will be especially useful for the estimated 75,000 Macromedia Director users on the Macintosh computer platform who are already familiar with the Macromedia environment, 3DO added.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 24 (NB) -- Visual Cybernetics Corporation (VCC) says it will begin shipping in July a new version of its electronic mail and messaging product.
VCC President and CEO Joseph DiMauro says eNotes version 2.0 is greatly improved over its predecessor, but still retains the intuitive ease of use and stick-on note look and feel. New features include groupware functionality, drag and drop operations, remote capabilities, folders, a spell checker, context searching, and support for MHS and DDE. Users with suitably equipped personal computers can also add sound and voice recordings to their written notes using eNote's support for multimedia, and the program also supports pen computing.
eNote uses a floating control panel and drag and drop to perform its functions. The user writes the message to an individual or group, then drags it over the icon that represents the addressees and clicks the mouse button to send the mail. At the receiving PC the message pops up on-screen over whatever application is running. eNotes can also be received and saved in folders for later retrieval.
VCC says eNotes does not require a dedicated file server, and can be installed on a network PC in just a few minutes. The built-in MHS support allows eNotes to interface with other electronic mail packages.
The company says it plans to add several new features by the end of this year, including teleconferencing with real-time voice communication, messaging to alphanumeric pagers, and support for mobile wireless data transfer. Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) and realtime videoconferencing products are expected to ship in early 1994.
VCC Executive Vice President Mujahid Bashir told Newsbytes eNotes is available in five, 20, 50, and 100-user packs, with pricing of $399, $999, $1999, and $3199 respectively. Bashir said the company is offering the five-user pack for $249 on an introductory basis.
CC 800-743-8645 or 212-564-7791, fax 212-564-7499)
6/24/93
Visual Cybernetics Intros eNotes 2.0 for Windows
Visual Cybernetics Intros eNotes
Nationwide Paging Network Gets F
US Trade Deficit Worsens
Educational Conference -- Call F
Sociology Of Cyberspace Course D
NECC - Hawkins Gives 3DO Pitch T
More On Apple LC520 Launch At Ed
PC Expo - IBM Intros Pen For OS/
Will The Real NEC Ribbon Please
Editorial - Clinton's FCC
Borland Will Ship Quattro Despit
Moscow - Phone Rates Up Again
PCMCIA Gallery
Wall Data Support of Novell's Ap
Review of - AutoWorks
Philips Head Steps Down, Starts
900 Operator Changes Name
Novell Leads Challenge To Fed En
Multimedia Group Formed In Europ
UK - Olivetti Intros Cost-Effect
Serial Port Products For SPARC
Hyundai Set To Invade India
Callers Left Holding Empty Bag I
More On Sony MiniDisc Data Stand
Acer Licenses ChipUp CPU Upgrade
Spinnaker's PFS:PowerAlbum Track
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 24 (NB) -- If you're tired of trying to find the graphic image you want among a tangle of eight-character DOS file names scattered among several directories, the people at Spinnaker Software think they have something you'll like.
Spinnaker's PFS:PowerAlbum is software for Microsoft Windows that is meant to keep track of graphics files. It creates an on-screen "album" of thumbnail images, organized into categories that do not have to correspond to the file formats used or the directories in which the actual files are stored. It also lets you assign keywords to your images to aid in searching.
PFS:PowerAlbum leaves the graphics files in their original directories, but creates small thumbnail representations, which users can view on-screen or print out at 48 per page with file names.
Keywords can be assigned to images and then used for searching later. Users can choose any keywords they find meaningful, said Dan Chmielewski, a spokesman for Spinnaker.
Users can select an entire directory of files to be catalogued automatically, though they must assign keywords to each file manually, Chmielewski said.
Having found an image, you can cut and paste it from PFS:PowerAlbum into another application such as a graphics or desktop publishing program, he added.
The software works with the TIF, PCX, BMP, WMF, CGM, and DRW file formats at present, Chmielewski said. More may be added in future. PFS:PowerAlbum also comes with 1,000 full-color WMF images, organized into 15 categories and with keywords assigned.
The software is available now at a list price of $59.95. Spinnaker is also offering it in a bundle with Calendar Creator Plus for Windows, Chmielewski said.
(Grant Buckler/19930624/Press Contact: Dan Chmielewski, Spinnaker Software, 617-494-1200 ext. 458)
Spinnaker Software, 617-494-1200 ext. 458)
6/24/93
Spinnaker's PFS:PowerAlbum Tracks Images
VTech Offers Five-Year Limited W
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUN 24 (NB) -- Warranties on personal computer products are getting longer. The latest development is a move by VTech Computer Systems to offer a five-year limited warranty on VTech Laser computers sold in Canada.
Although VTech computers are made in Hong Kong and sold in a number of countries, the new warranty applies only in Canada at the moment, said company spokesman David Ward.
VTech also is not guaranteeing all parts of its PCs for a full five years. The monitor, keyboard, hard drive, tape drive, and mouse remain subject only to VTech's existing two-year warranty. Some components that are supplied to VTech by other manufacturers, such as compact-disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) drives, have only one-year warranties, Ward said.
The added three years of factory service also don't apply to notebook models, the company said.
"More than ever," Ward said, "people are concerned about the longevity of their computer purchases." Responding to some other vendors' move to a three-year warranty, he said, VTech decided to go a step farther and try to boost sales in the traditionally slow summer months.
The warranty applies to all VTech Laser PCs bought in Canada after June 1 of this year, the company said.
(Grant Buckler/19930624/Press Contact: David Ward, VTech Computer Systems, 416-477-2818, fax 416-477-6787; Public Contact: VTech 800-465-2737)
x 416-477-6787; Public Contact: VTech 800-465-2737)
6/24/93
VTech Offers Five-Year Limited Warranty In Canada
VTech Offers Five-Year Limited W
Video Software Developers Kit
Electronic Forms Growth Strong B
British Robot Invades US - NECC
Japan - Computer Sales Down In 1
PC Expo - Gates Promises NT By J
IBM Canada Outsources, Creates N
AST Opens Office In Shanghai
Colorado Company Intros PCMCIA-b
Recycle Your Laser Printer Toner
UK - Hewlett-Packard Laserjet 4M
Kawasaki Steel, Wireless Access
Intel Income Up 167 Percent, Emp
Review of - Kid Works 2, For Mac
Defense Contractor Applies Exper
Antiquated Computer Blamed For P
Software Toolworks In Bundling D
NCD Intros Large-Screen Color X
Exabyte 2Qtr Income, Earnings Do
Dialog Moves Toward Natural Lang
FTC Ends Intel Probe
Library of Congress Standardizes
Motorola Codex Periphery Routing
Apple Posts Major Loss
3rd Quarter Revenues Up 79 Perce
Federal Users Rate PCs
Editorial - Home Shopping Net Me
Satellite Technology Decontrolle
PictureTel Offers Desktop, Group
Visa Intros Anti-Fraud Card Tech
First Interactive Media Festival
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 24 (NB) -- The first Interactive Media Festival, designed to find and define the best in interactive multimedia, was announced at the Digital World conference to be held a year from now in conjunction with the next Digital World conference. The Festival is being created by Cunningham Communications and Seybold Seminars with support from the American Film Institute and is being sponsored by Motorola.
A worldwide search for interactive multimedia works will begin this summer by a seventy-five person international delegation. Twenty-five works will be selected for the final judging next year and a separate nine-member jury will judge the entries. It was decided the works should be viewed in person and no categories will be used for the judging.
A gallery exhibit of the works will be open to the public May 4 through 6, 1994 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, where the next Digital World conference will be held. Chris Galvin senior executive vice president and assistant chief operating officer of Motorola said, "The Interactive Media Festival will focus on what people can do with this new form of expression and the ways it will change our lives."
(Linda Rohrbough/19930624/Press Contact: Leslie Kesselring Cunningham Communications, tel 408-764-0736; Public contact: 800-573-1212)
ations, tel 408-764-0736; Public contact: 800-573-1212)
6/24/93
First Interactive Media Festival Slated For Next Year
GENERAL
First Interactive Media Festival
Study Says Canadian Single-User
Central Point Acquires Alert! An
Adobe Plans New Viewers, Multime
3Com Plans To Cut Network Owners
Micrografx Ships Picture Publish
SPA Confirms Software Sales
PC Expo - WordPerfect For DOS 6.
Everex Loses Out In Latest Deskt
Trimble Supplying AMSC Dishes
Adobe Systems Splits Stock
ATI Supports Display Power Manag
Japan - Chip Market Recovering?
Australian Software Products To
5th Generation Computer Assn Lin
Media Vision 2Q Revenues Up 250%
Russian US$1 Billion Telecom Pro
IBM Offers Print On Demand Servi
Apple Distributing CD-ROM Titles
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 24 (NB) -- Apple has entered several compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) publishing deals with Sony, Kodak, Time Warner, and Interoptica. Most of the new titles are educational and to promote the distribution of CD-ROM drives on which the new titles can be played, Apple has dropped the pricing of its CD ROM drives to "its cost," according to Apple Chairman John Sculley.
Apple, in conjunction with Sony and Kodak, has announced a CD ROM title about how "Open" magazine was made and is intended as an educational title for book publishers, advertisers, and universities. The CD-ROM, titled "Open Wider," is interactive and offers the viewer sound, animation, video, and still photos.
The New York-based multimedia design company Imergy created the title and ninety-nine magazine editors, writers, designers, and photographers worked on the project for a week in New York City. Participants included staff from Time, Newsweek, National Geographic, Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, Travel & Leisure all of which helped on this one-time effort. The photos for Open Wider where first stored on Kodak Photo CD, then accessed and incorporated into CD-ROM, entirely on Macintosh computers.
Apple's Personal Interactive Electronics (PIE) division announced it has a publishing agreement with Canter Technology to distribute CD-ROM titles from Time Warner's Interactive Group and Interoptica. Publishing is important to PIE, company representatives said, and five new titles will be offered.
Three of the five new titles, "Peter's Alphabet Adventure," "Peter's Number Adventure," and "Peter's Magical Adventure," are educational titles developed by the French company Arborescence. The two other titles are "Wacky Jack's CD Game Show" and "Travelrama."
Apple Chairman John Sculley said Apple plans to ship over $1 million in CD-ROM drives in 1993. To get the drives out there Sculley revealed the company is selling the drives at cost.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930624/Press Contact: Tricia Chan, Apple Computer, tel 408-974-3886, fax 408-967-5651)
pple Computer, tel 408-974-3886, fax 408-967-5651)
6/24/93
Apple Distributing CD-ROM Titles, Selling Drives At Cost
APPLE
India - Autodesk Sets Up 100 Tra
BOMBAY, INDIA, 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Autodesk, the PC CAD leader has appointed Datapro Information Technology as its authorized training center in the country. The company will be setting up 100 ATCs in the country over two years, Autodesk's country manager Bobby Srinivasan claimed.
After the success of Autocad, Autodesk is launching Autodesk 3D Studio, a multimedia product, in the country. The setting up of the ATCs is part of the company's "penetrative strategy for demand creation of its products," Srinivasan said. The ATC program is highly subsidized and directly controlled by Autodesk. Presently, it has 20 ATCs which are being restructured and strengthened.
One of the aims of the ATC is to create awareness for using legal software among users.
ATCs will also develop special programs for the handicapped to enable them to be competitive in the job market. The centers will also get into consultancy in systems integration. A placement service to find jobs for those trained at the ATCs is also being planned.
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930625)
o being planned.
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930625)
6/25/93
India - Autodesk Sets Up 100 Training Centers
GENERAL
Hong Kong - Hospital Authority U
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Hong Kong's Hospital Authority is to automate patient billing at all former government hospitals by the end of September, using advanced client/server technology from Sybase. The new system will increase efficiency and cater for growth without increasing overhead.
A key segment of the Hospital Authority's Integrated Patient Administration System (IPAS), the new Patient Billing/Revenue Collection System has been implemented at eight of the 16 hospitals so far. It is the first application to fully reflect the Authority's commitment to open, distributed computing and runs on PC and Unix server networks at the hospital level, with links to an IBM mainframe at the Authority's data center.
"We are pleased with the results of our decision to move to an open integrated client/server system," said John Tse, the Hospital Authority's head of information systems. "Not only can we solve the current project (on-line patient billing) but we can now easily plan to integrate other systems into the hospitals using the existing networks, hardware, and software. The long-term benefits are enormous."
"With the blueprint in place, we are confident of the smooth completion of this project. In particular, the use of Sybase to provide prototypes to our users ensured acceptability of the final product at an early stage." said Mr Tse. "Our experience in this application of client/server technology will be very useful in guiding similar projects we have in the pipeline."
Sybase Client/Server Architecture was selected as the foundation for the Authority's client/server systems in October 1991. HCL Leung & Associates Ltd, the exclusive Sybase distributor in Hong Kong supplied the Authority with SYBASE SQL Server, a relational database management system, together with APT Workbench, a 4GL programming environment, to develop forms-based client applications.
The Authority is also using the Sybase Open Gateway to CICS to integrate its mainframe database into the client/server environment.
"Sybase has met our need to link the PCs, Unix (systems) and mainframe in a client/server model," said Mr Tse. "The Sybase products enable the application programmer to focus on logical database design and the end-user interface by making the software interface between our different DBMSs on different hardware platforms transparent."
The billing application is split between client software, comprising the user interface and display logic, and the Sybase SQL Server running transaction logic, data access and integrity control. By splitting the application in this manner the server can support a number of different client front-ends.
"This is a very good example of the flexibility of the Sybase Client/Server Architecture," said Gary Leung, managing director of HCL Leung & Associates. "As new systems are developed, the end-user interface can be selected from any number of products, without any impact on the server.
"Other applications, using a Windows front-end or tools such as Lotus will be able to connect to the database without any change to the Sybase system or extra networking. This gives great flexibility to the Hospital Authority as it continues to build an integrated hospital information system."
The Sybase Open Gateway to CICS is a key element in IPAS since it provides a means of exchanging data with the Authority's existing mainframe-based Admissions, Discharge and Transfer System.
Using the gateway, data can be transferred on-line for real-time database updates, or transferred in the current batch mode, with downloads to the hospitals every five minutes to ensure data consistency. The gateway also enables the Unix system at each hospital to request only data with local relevance, cutting down on network traffic.
(Brett Cameron/19930624/Press Contact: Laura Duggan (HCL Leung),Tel: 852-576 2878;HK time is GMT + 8)
Leung),Tel: 852-576 2878;HK time is GMT + 8)
6/25/93
Hong Kong - Hospital Authority Uses Sybase
Quello Settling-In at FCC
Got A Second? There's A Leap Sec
October is Computer Learning Mon
Microsoft Adds Visual Basic To E
Passport Designs Intros Multimed
Chemical Plant Package To India
Digital Signature Verification D
Sprint Adds New International Ca
Cellular One Helping Flood Victi
Digi Offers New ISDN Board For P
Japanese Adobe Type Manager 3.5J
Storagetek 2Q Earnings Down, Ice
InterVoice In Large Voice Mail S
Lotus Restructures Educational L
India - Paperless Exam System
Cincinnati Bell Telephone Bonds
Honeywell, AT&T Control Homes Re
Motorola Flex Paging Protocol
BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 24 (NB) -- Aiming to increase the number of customers a paging service can have, and the amount of information each customer can send, Motorola has announced FLEX, a paging protocol that can move data at up to 6,400 bits/second on the tiny slices of spectrum used by pagers. Products implementing FLEX could be available this year.
FLEX operates at 1,600, 3,200 and 6,400 bits per second Motorola noted, compared with the 1,200 bits/second used by current paging systems. That means it can handle over 600,000 numeric pagers per paging channel at typical US call rates. FLEX is also compatible with the majority of the paging systems worldwide, and can mix easily with existing protocols. Motorola said FLEX also provides more data integrity, meaning missed messages can be flagged if the intended recipient wanders out of range.
To help make FLEX a real standard, Motorola signed licenses with Glenayre and NEC to implement it. The deal with NEC is a cross-license of patents, allowing NEC to provide FLEX paging when it establishes its own paging service company in the US NEC also sells pagers which use the new European Standard protocol, the European Radio Messages System or ERMES system.
FLEX can handles tones, ASCII text, hexadecimal code, numbers numbers and letters or unformatted binary data streams, in any mix and unlimited lengths. Long messages are automatically segmented into packets up to 220 bytes, avoiding delays of subsequent messages.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930624/Press Contact: Dan Blanton, Motorola 407/364-2895; fax 407/364-2028)
407/364-2895; fax 407/364-2028)
6/24/93
Motorola Flex Paging Protocol
TELECOM
Motorola Flex Paging Protocol
UK - Mercury Communications Sign
Canadian Product Launch Update
BoCoEx Index
India - Sonata's Network Guru So
Northern Telecom Expects Loss, S
Supermac - More About Cinepak Vi
Supermac Video Editing/Authoring
McLean, VA Company Markets Russi
Group Tackles Unix Data Manageme
UK - Mercury Launches Digital In
Crosscomm And Tricom Team Up To
Insurance Industry Embraces High
Citizen Halts Notebook Supply To
IBM & Stac In Int'l Marketing De
Campus Computer Resellers To Mee
CA To Port Unicenter To UnixWare
Compaq 2Qtr Income Triples
Motorola Gets OEM Chips From Mit
Apple Executives Accused of Insi
CORRECTION - Mac IIfx Accelerato
US West To Sell FastComm Frame R
STERLING, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 24 (NB) -- FastComm Communications said US West agreed to resell its frame relay network access devices.
Frame relay is a technology that allows data to move at speeds from 56,000 bits/second up to 1.544 million bits/second by placing it in "frames" which are retransmitted later in case of errors. In slower X.25 networks, by contrast, each bloc of data is checked for errors and re-transmitted if necessary before another block moves. Frame relay is considered a primary technology for linking local area networks over large distances since the routers many companies have to link LANs on a campus can also link to frame relay services.
According to Joe Noel of Dataquest, WilTel was the frame relay market leader in 1992, and WilTel has been the most aggressive provider in cooperation with regional Bell companies like US West, testing their services in conjunction with its offerings so that companies can buy local and long distance frame relay as a package.
Frame relay access devices, called FRADs by FastComm, can handle any number of data protocols, including the TCP/IP networks known as the Internet. The US West frame relay network carries a permanent virtual circuit from each FastComm FRAD to a central site, where they're combined on a so-called T-1 trunk line moving at 1.544 million bits/second. The FRADs can also be used in SNA networks linking to IBM mainframes.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930624/Press Contact: FastComm. William Flanagan, 703/318-4362)
: FastComm. William Flanagan, 703/318-4362)
6/24/93
US West To Sell FastComm Frame Relay Gear
TELECOM
TIA Moves Toward Approving CDMA
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 24 (NB) -- Qualcomm claimed that members of the Telecommunications Industry Association, or TIA, indicated strong support for its version of the Code Division Multiple Access, or CDMA, digital cellular technology. That increases the likelihood that Qualcomm's CDMA will be made an industry standard.
The re-balloting, which started May 18, followed reports that InterDigital Communications claimed Qualcomm's technology might infringe on its Broadband CDMA patents. The two companies are now in court over that issue. According to Qualcomm, the results of the re-balloting were 23 votes in favor of issuing its standard, four votes against and one abstention. The results go to the group's Technical Standards Subcommittee, which will review the proposal and could give final approval for publication of the standard within three weeks. If the committee approves, the CDMA standard, known as IS-95, could be issued as early as August, Qualcomm said.
(Dana Blankenhorn/19930624/Press Contact: Qualcomm, Thomas Crawford, 619/597-5715)
m, Thomas Crawford, 619/597-5715)
6/24/93
TIA Moves Toward Approving CDMA
TELECOM
TIA Moves Toward Approving CDMA
Multimedia PC For $999 - Beethov
Review of Apple Macintosh PowerB
NECC - Learning Company, Scott F
Apple Canada Coy On Layoff Rumor
Worldwide Launch of Statistical
Intel To Add 750 Jobs
Phiber Optik Pleads Guilty
IBM's Job-Cutting Plan Works Bet
Japan - Software Reads Japanese
First COMDEX/Canada Opens In Tor
UK - KPMG Fraud Barometer Finger
America Online Passes 300,000 Ma
Legent Computer Stock Plunges
Sprint Russia To Develop Russian
SCO & Progress Software In Strat
Motorola & Orion Team Up On Emul
LA Fingerprint Sys Saves County
Oracle Adds Alpha AXP Support To
Desktop Data Offers NewsEdge For
NMC Vision Upgrade Launched In A
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, JUN 24 1993 -- ITS Asia Pacific and UK-based Network Managers Ltd have announced the launch of Version 3.0 of the NMC Vision range of independent network management software throughout Asia Pacific region.
The two companies have signed a partnership agreement under which ITS one of Asia's leading systems integrators and data communications suppliers, will provide both sales and support for Network Managers network management systems.
Version 3.0 adds enhanced graphics, faster database access, and support for both Novell environments using IPX and X.25 environments to the product range. In addition to using Microsoft Windows 3.1 Sun Microsystems Sun OS and IBM RS 6000 platforms, the launch of Version 3.0 will see the addition of Sun Microsystems' Solaris platform and Microsoft NT.
The architecture and modules available are standard across the product range and provide a protocol independent system to the complex task of managing heterogeneous data networks.
"Networks are already very complex and the situation is only getting worse," said Karl Feilder, Network Manager's international sales and marketing manager and one of the co-founders of the company. "Most users now realize that network management is not an optional part of the network but rather the backbone of the network."
Network Managers began in 1987 as a subsidiary of California-based OSI technology leader Retix Inc. In 1990 it became an independent company dedicated solely to providing independent network management software.
Since then the company has signed OEM agreements with 26 leading hardware manufacturers in the data communications industry and has an installed base of almost 1,000 network management systems.
Today, the NMC Vision range manages devices from more than 55 different vendors' hardware products, using 11 different protocols and running on three different platforms, the company claims.
"We think that ITS, with regional offices throughout the region including China, is uniquely suited to providing our customers with superior service and support in the complex area of network management," said Mr Fielder.
ITS' efforts throughout the region are bolstered by its relationship with parent company SITA, which enables it to tap into the world's largest communications network. The SITA network links the computer systems of every major airline throughout the world.
"Controlling and managing networks has been one of ITS' specialties during the past 15 years," said Wayne Merrick, director of business development with ITS Asia Pacific. "We have a lot of experience in network management and have found Network Managers' NMC Vision to be superior in all respects."
(Brett Cameron/19930624/Press Contact: Wayne Merrick (ITS),Tel: +852 831 0506;HK time is GMT + 8)
el: +852 831 0506;HK time is GMT + 8)
6/24/93
NMC Vision Upgrade Launched In Asia
GENERAL
NMC Vision Upgrade Launched In A
Companies Combine On Mobile Heal
Digital World - Virtualcinema
Canada's ROB 1000: Few Changes I
Roundup - Stories Carried By Oth
Logo Foundation Publishes New Ne
Russian Firms Test Their PCs In
Interface Group To Launch New Me
No Excuses For Poor Spelling In
Australian Database Helps In Che
NetManage Intros New Internet Ac
SunSoft Motif Toolkit For Solari
Problem Solving Software From UT
Sharp's Newton Demo Shut Down Af
Egghead's First Software Develop
ISSAQUAH, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 24 (NB) -- Software retailer Egghead Software announced this week it will introduce its first software package developed in-house later this month.
The company said the new program, Egghead Express, will be unveiled at the PC Expo trade show at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City next week. The show runs June 29 through July 1. Pricing has not been announced yet.
Egghead Express, which runs under Microsoft Windows, allows users to send and manage orders, receive product information, and maintain 24-hour electronic access to Egghead Software. The company says the software will allow users to streamline ordering, selection and delivery while cutting administrative costs and increasing efficiency. It's designed for use by corporate and government customers.
Egghead President and Chief Executive Officer Timothy Turnpaugh says the company is constantly looking for ways to serve its customers better. "Egghead Express...adds significant power to our suite of services for our corporate and government customers."
Earlier this month Egghead reported earnings of $2.2 million, or $0.13 per share, for its fourth quarter. That was a drop of 47 percent from the same period one year ago, when the company reported earnings of $4.2 million, or $0.24 per share. Eghead officials attributed the poor results to price wars, restructuring charges related to the reorganization of its corporate and government sales group, and investments in new stores, systems and services to support future growth.
Egghead operates 205 retail outlets, and reported sales of $195.6 million for the most recent quarter. That was an increase over the $155 million for last year but the company had 23 fewer stores then, and the period had one less week.
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 24 (NB) -- Four distinguished motion picture directors, described as "digitally hip," formed an informal panel at the Digital World conference to discuss digital technology, how it is affecting filmmaking and the future of the medium.
They were Mike Backes, involved in the production of the new hit "Jurassic Park;" James Cameron director of two "Terminator" movies; John Badham director of "Short Circuit" and "Blue Thunder;" and Gale Hurd, producer of the first two "Terminator" movies.
Mike Backes started the discussion by asserting the best thing about digital technology is it forces a lot of preproduction preparation work. "You cannot have too much prep," he added noting two and a half years of prep work went into Jurassic Park. The general agreement was that the opportunity for computers to allow the directors and producers of films to lay out a three-dimensional space and walk around in it is also productive. In addition, word processing was mentioned as one of the best tools in aiding how films are written.
Cameron maintains stop-motion animation has gone the way of the slide rule, and will probably not be used widely anymore. Both producers hired Industrial Light and Magic to perform the effects in the films. Cameron said when he originally wrote "Terminator," he intended for the plot lines of both movies to be in the first film, but was unable to get the morphing technology right for the second "terminator" character and so had to shelve the idea for several years. Cameron said he first experimented with creating a photorealistic subject by computer in a feature film in the Abyss, but Terminator was a much larger risk because the entire plot line is based on being able to make the technology work. In T2, Cameron was able to go forward with the technology and create a villain around the concept of digital morphing techniques and did it in a twelve-month production cycle.
John Badham applauded the use of the technology in T2 and said "If you don't make a good, organic use of the technology then you're wasting your time. If you just try to do the technology you end up with something like TRON (where a kid gets stuck in a video game) which is not as satisfying an experience."
Gale Hurd expressed concern that the most important aspect of narrative films, story telling, could get lost in technology. She mentioned lots of people come to her and say, "I have this great concept," and that's all it is -- a concept.
On the downside, the group talked about the expense of equipment and the trouble they have getting studio executives to invest in computer technology. The other problems had to do with incompatibility between hardware platforms and between various software products. Hurd mentioned she has a program for scheduling and budgeting that will run on her IBM-compatible 386-based personal computer (PC) but will not run on her 486 based PC.
As for the future, Cameron insisted that soon he'll be able to do anything he can conceive of. Backes said the problem he thinks computers can solve is the complaint that movies are getting "smaller." "Batman has a very claustrophobic feel to it and that's because it's so expensive to build elaborate sets." Building the sets inside computers is the next step, according to Backes, who joked that "gladiator" movies might come back when that happens.
The directors agreed that every filmmaker's dream is to get rid of the actors, but they all doubt if computer technology will allow that to happen. Actors might be able to energize or drive a synthetic character using computers, such as is done now with Waldo devices that connect to the actor and imitate the movements on a animated character or mechanical device. But pulling actors out of old movies with computer animation and manipulating them via computer is something this group thinks the public will never see. Backes said, "I keep hearing Ted Turner wants to put Elvis in 'Gone With The Wind,' but it won't happen."
The biggest complaint the group had about the computer technology is the tools are not easy enough to use. While good technology and good computer code were acknowledged to be an art form, it has to be something that can be used and not an end in itself. "You don't go to an art gallery to look at paintings painted by paint brush designers," Backes stressed.
ybold Seminars, tel 310-457-8500, fax 310-457-8599)
6/24/93
Jurassic Park, T2 Directors Talk About Technology
TRENDS
Jurassic Park, T2 Directors Talk
Apple Distributing CD-ROM Titles
Russia Creates New Information I
International Telecom Update
Control Data Systems To Acquire
US West To Dump All Financial Bu
News, Corporate Info CDs From Ne
Japanese Game Software Maker Pla
HiSign - Signature Verification
AT&T Aims To Deflate 800-Collect
Syquest & Macromedia Offer ClipM
Graphical Workstations From SGI,
Southern Bell Faces Anti-Trust L
UK- Low Cost PC-Based E-Mail
Australia - Computers In Educati
GTSI Counters ZDS 486 Desktop IV
NCR Opens Windows NT Global Supp
Correction - Newton Messagepad F
The Enabled Computer - ABLEDATA
VTEL Reports Increased Net Loss
Dataware Technology Goes Public
Cray Computer Loses $11 Million
Multimedia PC For $999 - Beethov
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 24 (NB) -- Wearnes Technology has unveiled Beethoven MPC-1, a fully configured multimedia PC with a TV screen hookup, an internal CD-ROM drive and a sound board, speakers and software, available at a price of only $999.
The new PC provides an VGA-to-NTSC converter, known as the Beethoven Home Video Option, that lets the user play a full VGA image on a standard TV screen. The converter offers S-Video and composite output, according to officials.
"The Home Video option is designed for the person who would rather fly a flight simulator through a 25- or 40-inch TV screen than (through) the 14-inch screen of a computer monitor," commented Richard Hsiao, company president.
All components in the system have been optimized to run multimedia applications as well as standard computer operations without loss of power, Hsaio said.
Other features include an internal LMSI CD-ROM drive from Philips audio passthrough, a 16-bit sound board, Labtec speakers, and a variety of bundled multimedia software.
In its initial shipment, the PC provides a 386SX 33 MHz processor 4 MB of RAM, a hard disk of up to 100 MB, two serial ports and one parallel port, a keyboard and mouse, and a 3.5-inch floppy drive.
The company expects to ship similarly equipped 486-based models in August, at pricing of $1,295 for a 486SX, 25 MHz system and $1,595 for a 486DX 40 MHz system.
The CD-ROM drive that is built into the system complies with Kodak's PhotoCD single-session standard, and is also compatible with DOS, Windows, Windows NT, and NetWare, the company stated.
The drive will play audio, data and game CDs, as well. Other capabilities include 32K cache memory, average access time of 375 milliseconds, and a sustained data transfer rate of 153.6 KB per second.
The PC's audio passthrough feature allows standard audio CDs to be played in the background while standard applications run in the foreground.
The Beethoven sound board that accompanies the product is compatible with Sound Blaster, AdLib and Thunderboard. The card provides an on-board MIDI port, plus a joy stick port with an output amplifier of four watts.
In addition, the board is optionally upgradable for digital 16-bit sound, SCSI connectivity, and MIDI, with 128 recorded samples of musical instruments.
Software bundled with the new PC includes Windows 3.1, DOS 6.0, DOS Command Line Player, Band-in-a-Box, Voyetra's MIDI Sequence Plus Junior, Wearne's Beethoven's Mixer, and Animation's MSC MusicRack along with SelectWare CD, a software demo test drive package.
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930624/Press contact: Chad Hill or Len Fernandes, Hill Communications for Wearnes, tel 510-945-7910; Reader contact: Wearnes Technology, tel 408-456-8838)
earnes Technology, tel 408-456-8838)
6/24/93
Multimedia PC For $999 - Beethoven
Fundamental Flaws In ATM Securit
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 JUN 24 (NB) -- Newsbytes has been tracking a civil case through the British courts for the last year and can now reveal a lot of what is going on with the case. If you ever have or ever will use a plastic card in an automated teller machine (ATM) you should read this news item, since it has far-reaching international consequences for the legal issues surrounding the usage of these cash machines.
The past few years have seen a number of customers of banks and other financial institutions in the UK report "ghost" withdrawals from their plastic card-accessible accounts, usually through an ATM. A ghost withdrawal is defined in colloquial bank parlance as a debit transaction that appears on an ATM cardholder's statement, but for which no cash was withdrawn.
Although these cases have been well publicized by the media, the financial institutions concerned have claimed -- as one -- that their machines are infallible. In many cases, accusing fingers have been pointed, and even prosecutions started, against members of the cardholder's family, work colleagues, and friends.
Several UK cardholders, fed up with bank's stonewalling approach to their problem, joined forces last year to take out collective legal action against the banks and building societies, not only to get their money back, but to compensate them for the distress caused.
In the British legal system, the cost of litigation normally far exceeds the costs involved. This is why ghost withdrawal customers have not taken legal action against the banks in the 20 years or so that ATMs have been in common usage. Last year, a barrister Alistair Kelman, applied what he terms an innovative legal procedure that gets around this problem.
Dennis Whalley, a solicitor with J Keith Park & Co, a Liverpool based solicitor, obtained legal aid for a group action initially on behalf of seven people who had disputes with their financial institutions over ghost ATM withdrawals.
This action was against several banks, including Barclays, Lloyds Midland, and the TSB, as well as the Nationwide Building Society. The Abbey National and Halifax Building Societies (which have parallels with S&L's in the US) are to be brought into the case at a later stage, Newsbytes understands, as is National Westminster and several other UK banks.
At the hearing, Dennis Whalley swore a massive 150-page affidavit setting out known instances of fraud and error, which make astonishing reading.
One woman was convicted by a court of withdrawing money without permission from her disabled father's bank account. Six months later, the bank admitted that another customer had "inadvertently" been allocated her father's account number, hence the apparent ghost withdrawal.
Another incident revolved around a customer's ghost withdrawal from an account, where the TSB suggested that the customer's 80-year-old mother may have withdrawn the amount. When the customer produced the bank's sealed "advice of PIN" envelope, they went quiet.
Another cardholder was told that three disputed withdrawals totalling UKP 150 must have been made by him. He too was able to produce a sealed PIN advice envelope from his bank.
All four banks tried to destroy the group action by requiring each claim to be heard separately. Before Judge Hicks, the judge in the High Court, Barrister Kelman defeated these applications. He also indicated that all of the plaintiffs who have suffered from ghost withdrawals will be claiming damages for the distress they suffered under UK Data Protection legislation, the claims for which could be far higher than the money withdrawn, Newsbytes understands.
A further 27 plaintiffs are to be joined to the action with a further 1,000 already on the books of the Liverpool solicitors. Newsbytes understands that the plaintiffs are considering making a promotional video to attract more people to the case.
The British banks have now issued a code of practice on plastic card use to their customers. Among other "clarifications," this limits the customer's liabilities in the event of a card or its PIN being compromised or stolen, provided the customer has not acted illegally.
Newsbytes notes that, in the British banking ombudsman's report for last year, a total of 879 ATM-related complaints were handled by the ombudsman's office. 346 of these were investigated and around 65 percent were ruled in the bank's favor.
This week saw the case come to a head, with Judge John Hicks giving the customers leave to take a combined action for UKP 20,000 against their financial institutions for losses relating to ghost withdrawals.
What's interesting about Judge Hicks' clearance is that he rejected the banks' request that each claim should be heard individually. This introduces the possibility of other cardholders joining in the action.
According to media reports on the case, a further 30 customers are likely to join the case as a result of this clearance.
In court, Judge Hicks said that there is "no reason why the present plaintiffs should not use any means properly open to them to make known the existence of this litigation and the possibility of applying to join it."
Newsbytes notes that no formal defence has yet been filed by the banks.
Barrister Kelman, meanwhile, told Newsbytes that the case has far reaching consequences for the banks, since it will eventually force the banks -- unless they admit defeat before the end of the case to admit in court that their ATM systems are fallible. To admit that this is the case could open the floodgates to all manner of allegations relating to ATM card usage.
The banks have admitted, however, that the terms and conditions relating to card usage are only applicable for use with a legitimate card and PIN.
Reports suggest that, if a PIN from a legitimate ATM card is "lifted" from one of the three tracks on an ATM card, and then re-recorded onto another ATM card, then the PIN from the first card can be used with the second card.
If true, then this would seriously undermine the banks' claims that their ATM systems are secure against fraud and ghost withdrawals.
So what does Kelman think about the ghost withdrawals case as a whole? "It's very interesting from both a legal and a technical viewpoint. There's no doubt that the banks have a lot to lose, but the case will take some time to go through the courts entirely," he told Newsbytes.
(Steve Gold/19930624)
tirely," he told Newsbytes.
(Steve Gold/19930624)
6/24/93
Fundamental Flaws In ATM Security Revealed In Court
TRENDS
Fundamental Flaws In ATM Securit
Australia - Discounter To Open S
ECHO To Have Full Internet Conne
Smart Cards Make New Stab At Deb
Wordperfect Ships Interim Works
IBM Will Launch Ambra Subsidiary
Touchdown Math For Macintosh --
Microsoft Five-game Arcade Pack
UK - British Telecom Beefs Up It
Electric Sports Cars/Vans In Los
Electronics Associations Disappo
Low-Priced, Retail Software With
SunExpress Opens Distribution Ce
IBM Europe Shuffles Managers
Microsoft To Host Usability Prof
Borland Intros Paradox SQL Link
AT&T Hikes Long Distance Charges
KGB, CIA To Share Intelligence T
Conner Posts 2Qtr Losses
Novel Released As ShareWare On T
Mitel Names New Chairman, Report
Euro-Telecoms Group Accused Of V
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1993 JUN 24 (NB) -- The Computer and Business Equipment Manufacturers' Association (CBEMA), a US-based organization, has taken the unusual step of accusing the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) of violating European Commission (EC) anti-competition laws. The group has filed a formal complaint with the EC as a result.
The ETSI is a standards group based in Brussels that works on technical standards that are usually turned into formal EC legislation. CBEMA claims that, because its members could not agree on new licensing requirements, they faced expulsion from ETSI.
The issue at stake was the ETSI requirements that CBEMA members should allow ETSI to use their technology in future ETSI directives and standards. CBEMA claims that this is the equivalent of handing ETSI a "blank check" on its member's technologies.
"Not only will companies no longer be able to contribute to European telecommunications standards development, but their access to the European market will be jeapordized," CBEMA said in a prepared statement.
CBEMA notes that its complaint with the EC is filed under Articles 85 and 86 of the Treaty of Rome covering restrictive trade practices and abuse of a dominant market position.
So what does CBEMA want? According to the statement, it does not want its members expelled from ETSI, nor does it want its members' abilities to contribute to European standards development. ETSI has not made any formal reply to the CBEMA complaint.
(Steve Gold/19930624)
formal reply to the CBEMA complaint.
(Steve Gold/19930624)
6/24/93
Euro-Telecoms Group Accused Of Violating EC Competition Laws
Euro-Telecoms Group Accused Of V
Japan - NCR Japan Gets 5 LAN Dis
Up Close And Personal -- A Sneak
PC Expo - Sales Of P-3s To Reach
Links To Notes, Databases In Imp
Microsoft Announces Publisher 2.
PC Expo - Ultimedia Tools, Wider
India Technology Briefs
Atari, IBM Team Up On Video Game
Nokia Gets Tandy Shares of Cellu
OzOrder Helps Apple Supply Its C
More Computer-related Products T
Omron Does X-Windows
Seikosha Intros Speedjet 300 Ink
Cellular Phone Cancer Worries Wi
SynOptics Posts Record Revenue F
Scitex In Class Action Suit
Macintosh System Management Util
Meiko Scientific Wins Lawrence L
Motorola Sees Semiconductor Sale
IBM Closes Acquisition of CGI In
Windows-Based Client-Server Data
Digital World Twice As Big; Emph
Easel Expands Enfin Family
Japan - Proposed Digital VCR Sta
PC Expo - IBM Unveils PC DOS 6.1
Networks '93 Show Opens In UK
Bull Of France Wields Job Axe On
Hong Kong Training Council Picks
Russia - New National Online Ser
Japan Business Almanac Published
ALR Shipping First Pentium PCs S
Bell Company Update
ISO 9000 Quality Program Impleme
SyQuest To Participate In EDS Go
3M Data Backup/Protection Awards
Open Sesame! Intelligent Agent F
Comdex/Canada - ZyXel Intros Cel
UK - Elonex Posts Record 1992/93
Digital Vision Drops Computereye
NEC PC-VAN Links With SprintNet,
MCI Opens National TeleRelay Cen
1,500 Developers Interested In N
India - Radio Paging Is DOT's Ne
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 JUN 24 (NB) -- Coming as it does in the wake of the cellular scandal (in which the Department of Telecom was taken to the courts by the companies that missed out and its selection was considered "arbitrary, irrational, and even whimsical"), the bids for radio paging tenders may prove to be another headache for India's Department of Telecommunications (DOT).
The licence fee, quoted by 17 bidders for 27 cities, range from a low of around Rs 2 lakh to over Rs 10 crore (around $6700 to $3.3 million), for a three-year period.
As the industry pundits see it, if the licence fee amounts are accepted at face value, it may be difficult for the major players in the telecom sector to stay in the race, even if they score high on other parameters.
According to the tender documents, the smaller companies have quoted the highest, while the bigger companies are somewhere in between the lowest and highest bids. For example, for Bombay city, BPL (a tie-up with Sanyo of Japan and a market presence in almost all segments of consumer electronics) has quoted Rs 7.5 lakh (around $25000) while the highest bid is by Efsjoy Telecom, over Rs 10 crore (around $3.3 million).
If DoT rejects the highest bids on the grounds of lack of experience, it may find itself embroiled in a legal battle. While the debate of the what and how of the parameters of selection may continue to rage, it is interesting to look at the economies of scale of providing such a service.
Is it feasible to pay a fee of over Rs 10 crore (around $3.3 million) in three years to DoT. DoT has made it clear that there will be at least four operators per city and no company will get more than 10 cities. DoT has also fixed the rates to be charged from subscribers. Companies have to charge Rs 1,500 per (around $50) month, per subscriber.
Sources say that an operator can hope to get around 40,000 subscribers in three years. This means maximum revenue that can be earned in this period will be Rs 13 crore (around $4.3 million). "How can you think that the operators will give nearly 70 percent of their total earnings as licence fee to DoT?" wondered an industry insider. For the investment too is quite huge. Companies will have to have huge establishments for running these services.
The only answer seems to be that the operators are willing to take a loss, initially, to get selected. But this means that from the fourth year, they will ask DoT to reduce the licence fee. So even if revenue is the only consideration, the question remains if DoT will really gain in the long run.
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930624)
the long run.
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930624)
6/24/93
India - Radio Paging Is DOT's New Headache
TELECOM
India - Radio Paging Is DOT's Ne
Intergraph Workstations Made In
Unipalm Announces Open Version O
Apple Announces New LC Aimed At
India - Siemens To Foray Into Ru
San Jose's Center For Software D
Database Link For Pagemaker 5.0
Microsoft Awarded $12.5 Million
ATI 14,400-bps Fax Modem Fits PC
Ask Group Intros New Version Of
Grand Jury Indicts Two Companies
Japan - Casio's TV Remote Contro
Dolch Intros Scalable, Customiza
Dell Targets K-12 Market
DEC Shortens Customs Delays
Lotus Intros cc:Mail Link To UUC
UK - BT Enhances Telemedicine Te
UK - Energis Looks For US Partne
Intergraph Workstations Made In
BOMBAY, INDIA, 1993 JUN 24 (NB) -- To strengthen its hold in the computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) market, the Bombay-based Rolta India Ltd., is all set to introduce a new set of Intergraph workstations and servers. The systems are being manufactured at the company's new facility in Bombay set up in technical collaboration with Intergraph of the USA.
The Roltastation 7700, 7750, 6730 and Roltaserver 8400 are expected to be available from the next month, informed J.K. Das, Rolta's director, marketing.
The Roltastation 7700 will come with single and dual 19 and 27-inch monitors. Also incorporated into these workstations is the EDGE II Plus color graphics system. The 7750 workstations are equipped with the CT II graphics system which processes 830,000 2D vectors and 60,000 3D vectors per second. The recently launched 3 megapixel 21 inch monitor is also an option with the 7750 workstations. The 6730 series is configured for entry-level 2D/3D applications.
The company has also formalized a pact with Magellan Corporation of the US for distribution of the microprocessor-based global positioning system (GPS) in India. The systems, priced between Rs 5-10 lakh ($16,000-$32,000), depending on the configuration are used for determining locations in terms of latitudes and longitudes. These can be of use to survey conductors, aircraft fishing crawlers, and security operations.
For facilitating communications with Rolta International Corp, its subsidiary in Alabama and Intergraph, Rolta has recently established a 64 kbps datacom link at its head office in Bombay.
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930624)
n Bombay.
(C.T. Mahabharat/19930624)
6/24/93
Intergraph Workstations Made In Bombay
NEC Shifting Game Machine Produc
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUN 24 (NB) -- NEC Home Electronics, a wholly owned subsidiary of NEC, plans to shift manufacturing of its game machines to overseas plants. This is part of the firm's restructuring plan to fight an industry slump as well as the surging Japanese yen.
NEC Home Electronics is currently scouting sites for the new plant and while Southeast Asian countries, such as Taiwan and Thailand figure prominently, Thailand is said to hold favor. That is because Thailand is already the location of an NEC subsidiary. NEC expects to have chosen the site, and have actual production of games underway by the end of this year.
Production isn't expected to be hard to ramp up since NEC supplies most of the parts to its plants -- workers just have to assemble them. Gradually, NEC Home Electronics expects to shift all production to these overseas plants.
To start, the plant will produce a CD-ROM-based game machine called the PC-Engine which competes in Japan with Nintendo's Super Famicom and Sega's Mega Drive.
(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930624/Press Contact: NEC Home Electronics, +81-3-3454-5111, Fax, +81-3-5232-6161)
tronics, +81-3-3454-5111, Fax, +81-3-5232-6161)
6/24/93
NEC Shifting Game Machine Production Overseas
BUSINESS
NEC Shifting Game Machine Produc
US West To Sell FastComm Frame R
Australia - Free Netware Service
PCTV Schedule For July, 1993
Indian Scientists Improve Satell
Japanese Posts &Telecom Ministry
Radio Shack 486-based Multimedia
Wang Loses Big Patent Fight
Comdex/Canada - Suites, Not Spre
UK - Andest Cuts Modem Pricing
Indonesian Electricity Authority
Digital Cellular Standard Approv
Shared Whiteboard App For Window
Borland Earns Up - Sales, Expens
SoftImage, Discreet Logic Battle
TDK Supplying Mini-Disks To Koni
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUN 24 (NB) -- TDK has expanded its market for Mini-Disks by shipping supplies to Konica, a company which previously has not sold them.
TDK will supply blank Mini-Disks to Konica on an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) basis. The blank Mini-Disks will be sold under Konica's brand name. Actual shipment is expected to begin at the end of this year. A total of 50,000 to 60,000 units will be shipped to Konica per month.
TDK is currently making 100,000 Mini-Disks monthly at its Chikuma plant in Nagano, Japan. The firm has been adding new production lines at this plant, spending 2 billion yen ($18 million). With these new lines, the firm expects to raise the production rate to 500,000 units per month by this fall. Then, it will supply part of these disks to Konica.
The relationship between TDK and Konica was established when TDK began supplying videotapes and floppy disks to Konica on an OEM basis. Also, TDK started to supply 3.5-inch optical disks to Konica this past April. The supply of Mini-Disks further deepens their relationship.
The original Mini-Disk technology was developed by Sony and it competes with the budding DCC (digital compact cassette) technology, which was jointly developed by Matsushita Electric and the Netherlands' Philips. Interestingly Konica has no plans to sell DCC (digital compact cassette) tapes at present.
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 24 (NB) -- Microsoft has announced a multimedia edition of its Golf For Windows that takes advantage of multimedia effects such as video, customizable sound, and interactive help.
Anthony Garcia, manager of the entertainment product unit at Microsoft, says the new software is a great example of how multimedia technology can make entertainment products for the PC more compelling. "We are excited to add the multimedia dimension to Golf and expect that users who are new to PC simulations will find this game easy to use and engaging. Also, it's more fun!" according to Garcia.
Golf for Windows, Multimedia Edition is a cooperative effort between Microsoft and Access Software, the company that developed Access Links The Challenge of Golf for DOS-based computers.
Just like the pros entered in a real life tournament, Golf for Windows players can take a complete course tour of the Torrey Pines golf course before they play in order to plan their strategy.
As the player arrives at each hole, he or she can call up a quick video "flyby" of the hole that resembles the overview you see at a televised game. The program offers a Tip button that the user can click on before taking a shot that runs a video showing a golf pro offering advice on how to play that particular hole. For more detailed instruction, the user can select an online video demonstration on swinging and aiming, and your own computerized swing is user-controlled to add realism to the game.
The wags at Microsoft have also added some interesting sound effects capabilities that are user-selectable. You might choose Egyptian music when the ball is hit into a sand trap, or a fanfare when it lands near the pin. Serious players can select traditional background course sounds like the wind blowing, while less serious players can choose exotic bird calls or wildlife noises. You can choose a male or female voice for the commentator, and personal computers equipped with a microphone can even add their own audio comments.
Microsoft has announced several new entertainment offerings recently. Newsbytes reported recently a new version of Microsoft flight Simulator, said by Microsoft to be the best selling PC entertainment title of all time. The company also announced new scenery packs for Flight Simulator that let the electronic aviator fly over and land at New York and Paris. For less earth-bound gamers the software giant announced Space Simulator an off-world version of Flight Simulator.
The multimedia edition of Golf for Windows is scheduled to ship in early August 1993, and will have a $64.95 price tag. System requirements include a multimedia personal computer or a PC with a multimedia upgrade kit. You will need a PC with at least a 386SX running at 16 megahertz, MS-DOS CD-ROM extensions 2.2 or higher, a VGA or better monitor, Windows 3.1 or higher, 4 megabytes (MB) of system memory, 5MB of available disk space, a CD-ROM drive with faster than one-second access and 150 kilobytes-per-second transfer rate, an audio board, speakers or headphones and a mouse.
(Jim Mallory/19930624/Press contact: Julie Larkin, Microsoft Corporation, 206-882-8080; Reader contact: Microsoft Corporation 206-882-8080 or 800-426-9400)
rosoft Corporation 206-882-8080 or 800-426-9400)
6/24/93
Microsoft Golf For Windows, Multimedia Version
Seybold - Apple's 1st Demo EZ TV
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JUN 24 (NB) -- Apple Computer Chairman John Sculley demonstrated publicly for the first time Apple's interface for interactive television, EZ TV. While the interface had a stylish, crisp look and feel, Apple had no announcements as to how television providers might actually use the interface.
Like Modular Windows from Microsoft, EZ TV offers larger icons that can be seen from a distance on a television screen and is controlled via a remote control. For users who like to view several channels at once, the interface allowed 12 channels to be displayed with the main viewing channel in the center and the other channels running in real time in boxes spaced around the outside. For pay-per-view movies, the interface had icons for a preview, information about the movie, and an icon of a ticket. A click on the ticket icon starts an animation in which the ticket tears in half and the user is informed as to how long it will be until the movie starts.
Sculley said Apple has expanded its concept of the virtual educational environment demonstrated last year to include virtual malls and virtual shopping. In the virtual mall, users can "move" from place to place by simply moving the arrow in the window in the direction that they want to move. The experience is much like viewing the environment through a video camera. Sculley took users into a hat shop, clicked on a hat on the wall, and the hat was displayed. The hat could also be rotated to different viewing angles. In the case of a bill fold, a click on the remote started a video explanation of the features by a store clerk. As each item was purchased, EZ TV kept a running total of the amount spent.
The Company Store, Apple's consumer outlet in Cupertino, was also part of the demonstration. Sculley went in the virtual store over to a new Duo Docking Macintosh with the new split keyboard and started up a video in which the features of the unit were demonstrated. He purchased the unit, which was retail priced at over $4,300. Sculley commented on how expensive it was.
When asked why no public announcements of deals with interactive television providers have been made along with the EZ TV announcement, Sculley did an about-face. Historically, Apple has talked about new products and services a year or more before they're announced and has been criticized for going for "mind share," but this time Sculley said Apple wants to focus on products instead of making long term announcements.
Rumors are rampant that Apple Computer is in talks with American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T) possibly for the purchase of Apple. However, Sculley would neither confirm nor deny the rumors, but he did hint at an inclination toward partnerships with telephone companies. When asked if he favored cable delivered systems for EZ TV, Sculley said telephone companies should not be dropped for consideration as a delivery channel. "Even though we haven't seen the higher bandwidths yet, don't count out the telephone companies," Sculley asserted.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930624/Press Contact: Frank O'Mahony, Apple Computer, tel 408-974-5420, fax 408-967-5651)
ony, Apple Computer, tel 408-974-5420, fax 408-967-5651)
6/24/93
Seybold - Apple's 1st Demo EZ TV Interactive Interface
APPLE
Seybold - Sculley's Live Demo Of
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JUN 24 (NB) -- Apple Computer Chairman John Sculley, who last week stepped down as the company's chief executive officer (CEO), demonstrated the company's Newton personal digital assistant (PDA) at the Seybold Digital World conference in Beverly Hills.
Sculley first asserted the Newton is on track for delivery and emphasized the product is not behind schedule for shipment this summer. He said the read-only-memory (ROM) in the unit had only one bug and the product is in the "golden master" stage meaning it is ready for manufacture.
In the short demonstration, the already announced features of the Newton were demonstrated, including translation of handwriting to text and the ability to look up a name in the unit's address book and place the correct address on a letter. The letter contained a graphic which the Newton centered on the page and the letter could also be translated from the narrow page format on the Newton to a full page format. A page preview of the document could also be viewed. Once the letter was completed, it could also be faxed by connecting the Newton to a telephone outlet.
Sculley said the Newton would have a few surprises for users and one was an animation of paper wadded up and tossed into an on-screen trash basket when a document is discarded.
Since Newton has no moving parts, Sculley said it could be used in other applications such as in automobiles. Also, the newly announced Apple Media Kit was demonstrated for application development for the Newton. In one specific example, an Apple employee showed an application that allowed him to measure his blood pressure, which he said was "probably a little high these days." The application was developed with the Apple Media Tool the evening before, using a Powerbook on the plane in-route to the conference.
Newly introduced, the Apple Media Tool allows development of an application without programming by connecting icons that represent functions. For programmers, Apple is offering the Apple Media Tool Programming Environment which offers the ability to use the object-oriented tools as well as a traditional programming language approach. Apple claims code developed in the Apple Media Tool Programming Environment is portable between Macintosh and IBM-compatible personal computers (PCs) running Microsoft Windows and offers access to toolboxes in both environments through a C language interface.
Turmoil at Apple these days has sparked public interest. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) John Sculley told various publications he suggested IBM buy Apple when interviewed by the search committee looking for a new chairman for IBM. Shortly afterward, Sculley announced he was stepping down as CEO to be replaced by Michael Spindler former chief operating officer (COO). Apple has announced investors can expect lower earnings compared to last year when it releases its financial statement next month and rumors are rampant that the company will lay off 2,000 employees soon. In addition, there have been hints of talks that American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T) could buy Apple, but neither company will confirm the report.
Sculley said during his talk at the Seybold conference that he stepped down at Apple because he loves high technology and hasn't had time to fully explore the field as CEO. His new responsibilities are to look for new technology opportunities for Apple.
(Linda Rohrbough/19930624/Press Contact: Tricia Chan, Apple tel 408-974-3886, fax 408-967-5651)
Apple tel 408-974-3886, fax 408-967-5651)
6/24/93
Seybold - Sculley's Live Demo Of Newton
APPLE
Seybold - Sculley's Live Demo Of
IBM's Fireworks Define Multimedi
IBM, Irvine Sensors Open Pilot C
Phiber Optik Trial To Start
Dell Opens Japanese Production,
PC Expo - Personal Navigators De
PC Expo - For EDP Professionals,
HP, Lotus In E-Mail Development
Australia - Microsoft Cuts Prici
FCC Offers Suggestions On Saving
Interactive Network Wins Case Ag
Vodafone Adds GSM Roaming Agreem
VLSI Posts Profitable 2Qtr
PC Retail Sales Predicted To Jum
CD-ROM Lending For Libraries Off
Printers Should Meet Real World
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 24 (NB) -- When printing products are under development, users' needs for compatibility performance and quality should come first, stated Randy Troast manager of Color Testing Products for Genoa Technology, at the Color Hard Copy Conference in Boston this week.
Printers rarely hit the market until compatibility problems are ironed out, but vendors' ideas of performance and quality are often far removed from users' "real world" experiences, he elaborated.
Troast's employer, Genoa, supplies a range of printer and Group III fax testing products and services. Major magazines like Byte InfoWorld, and MacWorld are among the customers for the testing products.
"Compatibility is just assumed. Vendors don't get any points for it," commented the testing specialist. Awareness that printers will be rated by computer magazines, and the practice of demonstrating the products at trade shows, help spur the vendors toward compatibility.
Companies also try hard to offer performance and quality, indicated Troast. Frequently, though, the measurements they use are overly objective.
"What do users really expect?" he asked. "If we're talking about a one-page document, the printing can't be fast enough. If it's a two- or three-page document, users want to see the first page right away. They're willing to wait a few moments for the rest."
For documents of five pages and up, users are more or less resigned to waiting quite a while, he added. "We've found that they usually walk away from their computers. They say to themselves, 'I hope it's done by the time I return from getting coffee,'" he commented.
According to Troast, traditional performance criteria -- measured in pages per minute (PPM) for monochrome printers and minutes per page (MPP) for color hard copy -- assess the time it takes from "pressing print" to successfully output the first page and last page.
Manufacturers also evaluate the time required to "return to application" (RTA), and in the instance of Windows applications the time it takes to close the print manager ("Print Manager close," or PMC).
Beyond these measurements, though, users are interested in regaining "unburdened" control of the application, he asserted. "RTA means I can get back to work. Regaining unburdened control means I can get back to `useful work,'" he explained.
Performance tests should also be more tightly geared to "real world" computer hardware, operating environments, and applications said Troast.
"Performance tests calculated with `bleeding edge' hardware -- 486 and faster -- don't represent the typical user," he remarked. When downloaded fonts, lines, shapes and patterns fills, or imported graphics are added to a document, any application will lose printing speed. Windows-based applications are still particularly prone to slowdowns, he said.
Manufacturers also need to make changes in how they evaluate print quality and color quality, he urged. Traditional objective measurements of print quality -- edge definition, registration accuracy, dot size and shape, and halftoning/dithering options have their place, but subjective assessments are more significant. "Somehow you have to answer the question of whether the results are pleasing to the eye," he pointed out.
Criteria for assessing color quality should be application specific, Troast recommended. "How can `good enough' color be measured?" he inquired. "For business graphics, it's simple. If I want orange, do I get orange? Or red with yellow polka dots? For graphic arts, the results need to be good enough to be used as the basis for creative decision-making."
(Jacqueline Emigh/19930624/19930624/Press contact: Martha Popoloski, BIS Strategic Research, tel 617-262-9600)
BIS Strategic Research, tel 617-262-9600)
6/24/93
Printers Should Meet Real World Needs
GENERAL
Printers Should Meet Real World
Correction - Touchstone Software
11th Annual PC Expo Opens In New
Hitachi Ready To Ship IBM-Compat
Tripping Along With Trip - NECC
AT&T Phone Centers Now Display E
Nationwide Cellular Phone Net De
Moscow - DEC Sells To The Govern
Review of - Collage Complete Ver
Telesat Mobile Emerges From Bank
Court Says MCI Must Publish All
FCC Gets Money To Enforce Cable
New Tandy Chief Probably Won't M
Catalog-On-A-Disk
Lightning Offers Complete 486-66
Toshiba Mobile Multimedia PCs
Comdex/Canada - Sun/Bell Develop
Sybase Multimedia Database
Control Data Shipping Mail*Hub F
Smithsonian Starts Significant S
Australian Computer Contractors
Great Plains Software Gets Estim
IBM Sales Force Shuffle Coming,
Comdex/Canada - Big Crowds, But
Rasterops Price Cuts On Mac Digi
SRI Report On Security In Cybers
MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 24 (NB) -- SRI International has completed a year-long study of the state of security within the public and private communications networks throughout the United States and other countries, and concludes that security-wise, cellular phones are in the worst shape.
The study determined that vulnerability to unauthorized access varies from one type of communications system to another. It said that public switched telephone networks (PSTNs) are the least vulnerable; packet data networks (PDNs) are somewhat more vulnerable than the PSTN; the Internet is relatively insecure; and the cellular phone system is the most vulnerable of all.
The study said, "The main vulnerabilities in most communications networks involve procedural, administrative, and human weaknesses, rather than purely technical vulnerabilities of network management, control systems, and hardware, and software. There are technical vulnerabilities -- poor system design and specific flaws in software -- but they are mainly exploitable because of the above problems."
The study reports that "malicious attackers on most networks and networked systems cannot be completely prevented, now or in the future," and that "there is some evidence that the newest generation of hackers may be more motivated by personal gain than the traditional ethic of sheer curiosity."
SRI offers six recommendations to tighten security with special emphasis on defenses against "social engineering" (the ability of hackers to convince employees through subterfuge to provide security data to them) and on the promotion of ethical values through training in school and throughout the workplace.
The study will continue through 1993 and offers anonymity to any hackers and other interested parties who wish to participate. While specifics of the entire study are proprietary to SRI the summary report will be provided to interested parties.
Donn Parker, SRI senior consultant, told Newsbytes, "The study shows us that there is a new breed of malicious hacker -- one who violates the hacker ethic by (doing) illegal things for financial gain rather than for the enjoyment of learning. We feel that education is an important deterrent to such criminal activities by the young and we are asking communications companies to work with us in developing an indication program for use in schools. Such a program will educate young people in the seriousness of such actions and the possible legal consequences."
(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/Press Contact: Stuart Hauser SRI International, 415-859-5755 (voice); 415-3154 (fax); stuart_hauser@qm.sri.com (e-mail)/19930624)
art_hauser@qm.sri.com (e-mail)/19930624)
6/24/93
SRI Report On Security In Cyberspace
GENERAL
Quello Settling-In at FCC
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 JUN 24 (NB) -- James Quello has been interim head of the Federal Communications Commission for five months, and may be in for a long stint.
Quello, first appointed to the commission in 1974 by Richard Nixon, is the kind of man who can still walk through the National Association of Broadcasters' press room, carrying a copy of his next speech, without causing a stir. Anyone can approach him, and any reporter can call him. Beyond being protective of the interests of radio, the business he came up in, Quello is mainly known for being good at sniffing the political winds and moving accordingly. To some, that makes him the perfect Clinton appointee.
After some hesitation, Quello's antennae appear to have come up with a renewed emphasis on breaking the walls between telephony and cable. Before the agency's regular meeting, scheduled for today, he indicated that the problems he's found in enforcing the new cable act may prompt a move to let telephone companies into the business, creating competition that would do away with it. That means he'd support a bill by Democrat Rick Boucher of Virginia, and Ohio Republican Michael Oxley, that would let phone companies offer cable television services in their home territories, but prevent them from buying cable systems in those areas.
Quello is also anxious to move ahead on auctioning 200 megahertz of spectrum for new microwave-based cellular services, called Personal Communication Networks, or PCN. A 200 megahertz piece of spectrum sounds like a lot, but it's no more than what's held by a single FM radio station. He told a reporter recently he'd support moves to hold out some FM licenses for broadcasting data if the proposal were made.
Where Quello's antennae don't tell him to move, he doesn't move and so he's postponing a decision on whether over-the-air home shopping channels must be carried on local cable systems. Most cable systems have their own shopping channels. Most of the channels are affiliates of Home Shopping Network, and if cable nets are forced to carry them, HSN will be getting free what it used to pay for. Weighing politically on the other side is that most of the over-the-air shopping channels are minority-owned.
Spinnaker To Market Green Thumb's LandDesigner Software
1,632 Take IBM Japan's Voluntary Retirement
IBM Commits To ATM
McAfee Half-Price Site License Deal Offered
Borland Intros Paradox SQL Link For IBM's DDCS/2
NEC Rolls Out PC Servers, Some For Deskside Use
Software Customizes Checks On Laser Printer
Vendors Accept JPEG Format For Windows Images/Sound
IBM & Stac In Int'l Marketing Deal For Stacker
Digi Offers New ISDN Board For PC
Custom Exercise Video Program On CD-ROM
Dell UK Ships Pentium Chip-Based Systems, Upgrades
NCR Opens Windows NT Global Support Center
IBM Adds New RS/6000, AIX Version, Storage
Analyst Sees Promise In IBM's ATM Move
Comdex/Canada: Print Server, Net Hub From Protec
Review of - All About Cows CD-ROM
Great Plains Software Gets Estimating Link
UK - Elonex Intros VL Bus PC Series
Panasonic Notebook Upgraded To 486 CPU; Dual Batteries
IBM Sales Force Shuffle Coming, Report Says
Colorado Jumbo Tape Backup Software For Windows
Datasonics' Music Master Upgrade
Comdex/Canada - Canadian Business Controller
Australia - Microsoft Cuts Pricing
Windows NT To Own World By 2000, Maples Tells Aussie Crowd
IBM Will Launch Ambra Subsidiary In US By Fall
PC Expo - WordPerfect, Novell, IBM Implement OpenDoc
FaxWorks Pro 3.0
Review of - Collage Complete Ver. 1.0
ZDS's New Desktop Systems
IBM Offers Print On Demand Service
Image Machines Adds MAPI Support To Windows E-Mail
Wordperfect Data/Fax Communications Software
Blyth Shipping New Omnis
Fujitsu Halts IBM Software Purchases
UK - New Windows Accelerator
Microsoft Ships Visual C++ Pre-release
IBM Technology Offers PCMCIA Products To OEMs
IBM's CD Showcase Is New Angle On Distribution
NTT Data In Talks With IBM
CE Software Ships Power Pak For Windows
Australia - Apple Tops PC Reliability Poll
Microtest Debuts Innovative CD-ROM Networking
Shared Whiteboard App For Windows
Review of - Sesame Street Learning Library, Vol 1 & 2
Problem Solving Software From UTS
Gateway 2000 Adds To Product Line
Media Vision Intros New Audio Chipsets
Acer Licenses ChipUp CPU Upgrade Technology To Intel
Review of - Spanish Assistant Bi-Directional Translator
ThinkPad Supply - Forget 700C, Expect To Wait For 720C
Australia's Commonwealth Bank Switches To Windows NT
IBM PC Company Keeps IBM At Top Of Market
Microsoft To Add Truespeech To Windows
Microsoft Five-game Arcade Pack
UK - Viglen Intros Color Notebook
UK - Olivetti Intros Windows Quaderno Sub-Notebook
UK- Low Cost PC-Based E-Mail
AMD Announces 486 Chips With Own Microcode
Trio Signs WindSurfer Deal With IBM
Australia - Jeeves Turns PC Into Home Security System
ATI Supports Display Power Management
Wordperfect Presentations Supports Roland Audio Card
Japan DEC, YHP Release DOS/V PCs
ALR Shipping First Pentium PCs Starting Under $2,500
IBM's Job-Cutting Plan Works Better Than Expected
Olivetti Philos Family Of Notebooks
Toshiba Mobile Multimedia PCs
Australia - Toshiba Drops Prices Again
Review of - AutoWorks
Dell Targets K-12 Market
Radio Shack 486-based Multimedia PC
Japan - Software Reads Japanese Text Aloud
telecom
Ericsson Forms Joint Telecoms Venture In China
TIA Moves Toward Approving CDMA
US West To Sell FastComm Frame Relay Gear
UK - Mercury Communications Signing 1,000 Users A Day
Quello Settling-In at FCC
India - Radio Paging Is DOT's New Headache
Motorola Flex Paging Protocol
Australia - Compaq Faxback Info Service
AT&T Brings Up NYMEX After-Hours Market
International Telecom Update
Hongkong - GSM In Spotlight At Coming Mobile Comms Show '93
Nationwide Paging Network Gets FCC Go-Ahead
Canada's Long-Distance Rates Still 1.5 Times Those Of US
UK - BT Opens Interconnect Charge Plans
Fujitsu Creates Online Japan-US Patent Database
India - Siemens To Foray Into Rural Telecom
British Telecom To Limit Premium Rate Phone Line Access
British Government To Announce BT Prospectus Today
Scholastic Online System -- NECC Show
Northern Telecom Expects Loss, Stern Leaves
UK - Paknet Mobile Radio Data At Networks '93
UK - Mercury Reveals Plans For Global Managed Data Service
IBM, 6 Telecom Firms Sign Multimedia Pact
International Telecom Update
US Robotics Announces PCMCIA Modems
US West Cell Phone - PC Link
Bell Canada Poised To Launch Portable Phone Numbers
Bell Company Update
Vodafone Adds GSM Roaming Agreements Across Europe
OzOrder Helps Apple Supply Its Customers In Australia
Kerridge Network Systems Unveils PC ISDN Card
Ghana Telecom Due For Upgrade
McCaw Intros TDMA In Seattle
America Online Passes 300,000 Mark
Airfone Flies Farther
900 Operator Changes Name
UK - US Robotics Offers V.Fast Upgrade Voucher
Cellular One Helping Flood Victims
Comdex/Canada - ZyXel Intros Cellular Modem
SaskTel To Raise Local Telecom Rates
Sprint Adds New International Calling Plan
Hongkong Telecom Completes Digital Conversion
AT&T Announces TrueVoice
MFS Greatly Expands New Jersey Network
International Telecom Update
NTT In Multimedia Telecom Experiments
UK - Energis Looks For US Partner
InterDigital Adds New Patents to CDMA Suit
Japan - Intec Beefs Up VAN
Interactive Network Wins Case Against NTN
UK - Andest Cuts Modem Pricing
Editorial - Home Shopping Net Mergers
AT&T Hikes Long Distance Charges; Blames 800 Portability
Mercury Slashes Call Charges To Meet BT
Digital Cellular Standard Approved by TIA
Digital Mobile Phones Come Under Fire
Cellular Phone Cancer Worries Will Not Go Away
AT&T Aims To Deflate 800-Collect
AT&T Phone Centers Now Display EO
Editorial - Clinton's FCC
Nationwide Cellular Phone Net Debuts
Japanese Telecom Firms Form Overseas Alliances
UK - Dataflex Design Bundles Winfax Lite With Modems
Moscow - Phone Rates Up Again
Northern Telecom Scores In Poland
UK - New Avanti! Internal PC Fax Modem
PictureTel Offers Desktop, Group Videoconferencing
Japan's NTT To Cut 6,000 Operators
Hayes Intros European Sysop Program
Mitel Names New Chairman, Reports Quarterly Profit
Northern Telecom Expects 1993 Loss, Job Cuts
Spectrum Intros Cellular Fax/Modem For NEC Phones
UK - BT Enhances Telemedicine Technology
InterVoice In Large Voice Mail System Sale
UK - BT Cuts Pricing On International ISDN Calls
InterVoice Sells Voice Response Apps Support To MCI
StrataCom Net Up 40 Percent
Ameritech Offers Schools Discounted ISDN
MCI Opens National TeleRelay Center For Deaf
Spectrum Licenses Cellular Data Technology
Cincinnati Bell Telephone Bonds Downgraded
Honeywell, AT&T Control Homes Remotely
PacTel Cellular and US West Preview CDMA Service
Russian US$1 Billion Telecom Project
AT&T Shuffles Executives, Posts Quarterly Results
VTEL Reports Increased Net Loss
NetManage Intros New Internet Access Tools
Japan - NTT Subsidiary To Offer Stock To Public
NEC PC-VAN Links With SprintNet, British Telecom
Hayes Supports V.Fast Modem Technology
President Clinton Showcases High-Tech Wireless Apps
Satellite Technology Decontrolled For Export
Comm Software Sends, Receives Data Simultaneously
Specialized Mobile Radio Net Set For The US Southeast
International Telecom Update
Mercury Revamps Phone Prices In Response To BT
Moscow City Phone Company To Be Privatized
ATI 14,400-bps Fax Modem Fits PCMCIA Slot
Trimble Supplying AMSC Dishes
UK - British Telecom Beefs Up Its ISDN-2 Services
FCC Offers Suggestions On Saving Money
UK - Mercury Launches Digital In-Flight Phone Services
Cox Ties With Prodigy On News Network
Russia - New National Online Service Being Developed
Rochester Tel Builds Long Distance Business
Dinosaur Fever Hits Compuserve
Third British Telecom Share Sale Underway
Japanese Posts &Telecom Ministry Plans Major LAN
Nokia Gets Tandy Shares of Cellular Factories
BellSouth To Offer Access To Network
Company Formed To Develop Digital And Voice Cellular
KDD Expands Int'l LAN Service
Court Says MCI Must Publish All Rates
Correction - AIN And BellSouth
International Telecom Update
Nokia Gets Behind Data Over Cellular
Chinese Sale Is Mitel's Largest Ever
Next-Generation Cordless Phone To Be Tested
trends
Jurassic Park, T2 Directors Talk About Technology
Fundamental Flaws In ATM Security Revealed In Court
Lincoln Mint Aims Home Shopping At Japan
PDA Market To Reach 3.5 Million By 1999
First Look At Scriptx -- How Good Is It?
Digital World - Virtualcinema
Study Says Canadian Single-User Systems Bounce Back
Electronic Forms Growth Strong But Gradual
TV Guide On Capitol Hill
US Trade Deficit Worsens
Hitachi Ready To Ship IBM-Compatible Parallel Computer
Digital World Twice As Big; Emphasis On Content
PC Revolutionizes Student Testing
Japan - Computer Sales Down In 1992
PC Expo - Sales Of P-3s To Reach $3.5 Billion By '98
Explosion In Home PCs Predicted By 1999
Japan - Proposed Digital VCR Standard Soon
PC Expo - For EDP Professionals, Earnings Depend On Areas
PC Expo - Personal Navigators Debut
PC Expo - Show Daily Produced Right Before Your Eyes
Silicon Graphics Intros Workstation/Video Camera Combo
Asian Region R&D Spending Patterns Revealed
Media Vision Unveils Two Multimedia Upgrade Systems
P-3 Market To Reach 5.2 Million Units By 1998
COMDEX/Canada Features Multimedia Keynote
UK - KPMG Fraud Barometer Fingers Managers
Defense Contractor Applies Expertise To Sega Games
French Visa Smart Card Network Crashes
Correction - Restoring Snow White To Theater Quality
Japan - Chip Market Recovering?
UK - Olivetti Intros Cost-Effective Bubblejet Printer
Comdex/Canada - Suites, Not Spreadsheets, Central In Future
Industry Carnage Not Over, McNealy Tells COMDEX/Canada
East-West Sending PCs To Sarajevo
ILM Demos Graphics Magic
Checking Via Television For Couch Potatoes
PC Retail Sales Predicted To Jump By 1996
Sony's Minidisk -- The Japanese Perspective
Smart Cards Make New Stab At Debit Market
Indian Scientists Improve Satellite Imaging
World Library Wins Electronic Copyright Suit
How Much Technology Is In Schools? - Education Conference
More On Sony MiniDisc Data Standard
Newsday Publishes Online On The Internet
CD-ROM Lending For Libraries Offered By Compton's
IBM Japan Develops High Capacity 2.5-Inch Disk Drive
UK - Thomas Cook Uses GEIS To Check On Fraud
Visa Intros Anti-Fraud Card Technology
India - Paperless Exam System
Hitachi Unveils Double-Speed CD-ROM Technology
Computerized Beeper Tracks Stolen Cars
Infocorp Says Microsoft To Spur Pentium/PowerPC Rivalry
McLean, VA Company Markets Russian Patents
Japan - Casio's TV Remote Control Wrist Watch
Electric Sports Cars/Vans In Los Angeles
Insurance Industry Embraces High Speed Printing
Top 100 Software Firms Show 23% Growth
UK Town Goes High-Tech In A Big Way
Lotus, Borland Mix Quattro & Notes Despite Suit
Lightning Offers Complete 486-66 System For $1,395
Massive Effort Restored Snow White To Theater Quality
ISO 9000 Quality Program Implementation Up In US
Catalog-On-A-Disk
Intergraph Workstations Made In Bombay
Easel Expands Enfin Family
Advanced Micro Research Intros VGA-8 Host Adapter
Omron Does X-Windows
Sybase Multimedia Database
Lotus Intros cc:Mail Link To UUCP 2.0
Dialog Commits To Sun Equipment
Comdex/Canada - Sun/Bell Develop Multi-Screen System
SCO Chair Dies
CA To Port Unicenter To UnixWare
Control Data Shipping Mail*Hub For SPARC
Serial Port Products For SPARC
SunSoft Motif Toolkit For Solaris 2.2
Oracle Adds Alpha AXP Support To Oracle7
Graphical Workstations From SGI, Sun
New Visual Imaging Technology Announced By Sun
Group Tackles Unix Data Management Interfaces
Data General Unveils Powerful Multiprocessor Servers
other
Newsbyte reports are copyright 1991, 1992, 1993 by Newsbytes News Network.
Republication of any portion is strictly prohibited without prior authorization.
subjects
setDisplay (
buttonUp
buttonUp
setDisplay
apple
Apple
business
Business
General
General
telecom
Telecom
trends
Trends
other
Other
proto
oselectedTextLines
goTitle
(x = keyEnter);
tonUp
keyUp
buttonUp
leaveField
buttonUp
'o,CgoTitle
keyUp
buttonUp
leaveField
Seybold - Sculley's Live Demo Of Newton
Apple Distributing CD-ROM Titles, Selling Drives At Cost
Seybold - Apple's 1st Demo EZ TV Interactive Interface
Up Close And Personal -- A Sneak Peek At Newton
Central Point Acquires Alert! And Snooper
Review of Apple Macintosh PowerBook 145, notebook
Teleadapt Announces Powerbook Portfolio For Mac Portables
Apple Announces New LC Aimed At Educational Market
MindPlay Focuses On Macintosh
More On Apple LC520 Launch At Education Show
Apple Canada Coy On Layoff Rumors
Dayna's TokenPrint Bridges LocalTalk/Token Ring LANs
Newton Connection Kit -- Link Newton To PCs
Second Round Apple Price Cuts On Quadra, Server, Powerbook
No Excuses For Poor Spelling In Russia On The Mac
Microsoft, Apple Push CD-ROM
Open Sesame! Intelligent Agent For Mac Makes Debut
QuarkXprress 3.2 For Macintosh
Kaleida Appoints Mike Braun President
Review of - Time Treks, Game For Macintosh
Apple Canada To Lay Off 21
Japanese Adobe Type Manager 3.5J
Apple Australia Celebrates Half-Millionth Mac Sale
Animated Software Teaches Money, Time, Languages
Indonesian Electricity Authority Adopts Australian O.S.
Newton Messagepad To Be For Sale At Macworld Boston
Wordperfect Ships Interim Works For Mac Release
Aldus Ships New SuperPaint, Lowers Price
Adda Has Titling Bundle, Mac Video Converter
Digital Vision Drops Computereyes Price
AutoCAD Release 12 For Mac
Correction - Newton Messagepad For Sale At Macworld
Mac IIfx Accelerator
Paint Effects For Adobe Photoshop
Macintosh System Management Utility
Rasterops Price Cuts On Mac Digital Video Products
Desktop Data Offers NewsEdge For Mac
Apple Talks About Newton Messagepad Launch
Apple Executives Accused of Insider Trading
CORRECTION - Mac IIfx Accelerator
1,500 Developers Interested In Newton Toolkit
Sharp's Newton Demo Shut Down After Message From Apple
Apple Layoffs, Higher Than Expected
Touchdown Math For Macintosh -- NECC Conference
Passport Designs Intros Multimedia Production Tool
Supermac Video Editing/Authoring Bundle
MacTV Schedule for July 5-23
Weights And Measures Conversion Software For Mac
Review of - Kid Works 2, For Mac & DOS
Japan Business Almanac Published On CD-ROM
Apple Salary Cuts And Freezes, Earnings Awaited
crocontroller For Merchant Market
Spinnaker To Market Green Thumb's LandDesigner Software
1,632 Take IBM Japan's Voluntary Retirement
IBM Commits To ATM
McAfee Half-Price Site License Deal Offered
Borland Intros Paradox SQL Link For IBM's DDCS/2
NEC Rolls Out PC Servers, Some For Deskside Use
Software Customizes Checks On Laser Printer
Vendors Accept JPEG Format For Windows Images/Sound
IBM & Stac In Int'l Marketing Deal For Stacker
Digi Offers New ISDN Board For PC
Custom Exercise Video Program On CD-ROM
Dell UK Ships Pentium Chip-Based Systems, Upgrades
NCR Opens Windows NT Global Support Center
IBM Adds New RS/6000, AIX Version, Storage
Analyst Sees Promise In IBM's ATM Move
Comdex/Canada: Print Server, Net Hub From Protec
Review of - All About Cows CD-ROM
Great Plains Software Gets Estimating Link
UK - Elonex Intros VL Bus PC Series
Panasonic Notebook Upgraded To 486 CPU; Dual Batteries
IBM Sales Force Shuffle Coming, Report Says
Colorado Jumbo Tape Backup Software For Windows
Datasonics' Music Master Upgrade
Comdex/Canada - Canadian Business Controller
Australia - Microsoft Cuts Pricing
Windows NT To Own World By 2000, Maples Tells Aussie Crowd
IBM Will Launch Ambra Subsidiary In US By Fall
PC Expo - WordPerfect, Novell, IBM Implement OpenDoc
FaxWorks Pro 3.0
Review of - Collage Complete Ver. 1.0
ZDS's New Desktop Systems
IBM Offers Print On Demand Service
Image Machines Adds MAPI Support To Windows E-Mail
Wordperfect Data/Fax Communications Software
Blyth Shipping New Omnis
Fujitsu Halts IBM Software Purchases
UK - New Windows Accelerator
Microsoft Ships Visual C++ Pre-release
IBM Technology Offers PCMCIA Products To OEMs
IBM's CD Showcase Is New Angle On Distribution
NTT Data In Talks With IBM
CE Software Ships Power Pak For Windows
Australia - Apple Tops PC Reliability Poll
Microtest Debuts Innovative CD-ROM Networking
Shared Whiteboard App For Windows
Review of - Sesame Street Learning Library, Vol 1 & 2
Problem Solving Software From UTS
Gateway 2000 Adds To Product Line
Media Vision Intros New Audio Chipsets
Acer Licenses ChipUp CPU Upgrade Technology To Intel
Review of - Spanish Assistant Bi-Directional Translator
ThinkPad Supply - Forget 700C, Expect To Wait For 720C
Australia's Commonwealth Bank Switches To Windows NT
IBM PC Company Keeps IBM At Top Of Market
Microsoft To Add Truespeech To Windows
Microsoft Five-game Arcade Pack
UK - Viglen Intros Color Notebook
UK - Olivetti Intros Windows Quaderno Sub-Notebook
UK- Low Cost PC-Based E-Mail
AMD Announces 486 Chips With Own Microcode
Trio Signs WindSurfer Deal With IBM
Australia - Jeeves Turns PC Into Home Security System
ATI Supports Display Power Management
Wordperfect Presentations Supports Roland Audio Card
Japan DEC, YHP Release DOS/V PCs
ALR Shipping First Pentium PCs Starting Under $2,500
IBM's Job-Cutting Plan Works Better Than Expected
Olivetti Philos Family Of Notebooks
Toshiba Mobile Multimedia PCs
Australia - Toshiba Drops Prices Again
Review of - AutoWorks
Dell Targets K-12 Market
Radio Shack 486-based Multimedia PC
Japan - Software Reads Japanese Text Aloud
NAUTILUS is pleased to provide the following
industry reports from the Newsbytes News Network..o
Subjects are listed on the left (Apple, Business, etc.). Click a subject button to display a list of Newsbytes for that subject. Click on any item in the list to go to that story.
newsbytes
Seybold - Apple's 1st Demo EZ TV
SRI Report On Security In Cybers
India - Autodesk Sets Up 100 Tra
SEC Subpoenas Storagetek Records
Financial Software Vendors Embra
ZDS's New Desktop Systems
Wordperfect Presentations Suppor
Company Formed To Develop Digita
Nintendo Delays Release Of CD-RO
Sun Opens Training Center In Sib
Next-Generation Cordless Phone T
Toshiba/NatSemi/Motorola In Join
Ghana Telecom Due For Upgrade
Japan - Intec Beefs Up VAN
Industry Carnage Not Over, McNea
Fujitsu Halts IBM Software Purch
Apple Australia Celebrates Half-
Northern Telecom Scores In Polan
FCC May Decide Microsoft Case Th
Brazil's Giant Computer Trade Sh
IBM Japan Develops High Capacity
IBM's CD Showcase Is New Angle O
restoreDisplay
goTitle x
saveDisplay
default
setDisplay whichOne
4currSubject
"proto"
selectedTextLines
4currScroll,
, currTitle
setfields whichWay
whichway
"apple"
"business"
"general"
"govt"
"ibm"
"telecom"
"trends"
"unix"
"other"
terPage
setDisplay
saveDisplay
goTitle
restoreDisplay
enterPage
setfields
enterPage
restoreDisplay
goTitle
saveDisplay
default
setDisplay
proto
proto
proto
proto
saveDisplay
currSubject
whichOne
saveDisplay
proto
proto
currScroll
currSubject
currTitle
restoreDisplay
proto
proto
proto
proto
currScroll
currSubject
currTitle
setfields
whichway
whichway
apple
business
general
telecom
trends
other
proto
whichWay
Lincoln Mint Aims Home Shopping
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUN 24 (NB) -- California-based cable TV program producer Lincoln Mint Network has linked up with Spring Arrow of Japan to launch a home shopping network in the Japanese market. They will use satellites and cable TVs for the broadcast and reception of the network.
Lincoln Mint Network Japan, as it will be called, will established in Tokyo within a couple of months. According to a spokesman from Spring Arrow, Lincoln Mint is currently developing a home shopping program for American cable TV in which customer payments will be processed through a special device with a modem. This service is slated to start by the end of this year.
The Japanese joint venture will get these programs via space satellite and will transmit them to subscribers equipped with the modem devices through cable TV real-time. There are no plans to charge customers for usage of the modem device which will be connected to their TV set.
The new firm will be capitalized with $12 million, and an additional $20 million will start the business in Japan. A Spring Arrow spokesman tells Newsbytes that the firm is seeking another partner to join the Japanese venture. A cable TV firm or a department store in Japan are likely candidates. But first the new firm must clear the Japanese government's red tape hurdles in order to set up this new business.
Lincoln Mint has reportedly gained rights to broadcast on General Electric Americom Communications space satellite transponders. Lincoln Mint also has a studio in Hollywood California.
(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930623/Press Contact: Spring Arrow, +81-3-5956-8051, Fax, +81-3-5952-1951)
ow, +81-3-5956-8051, Fax, +81-3-5952-1951)
6/24/93
Lincoln Mint Aims Home Shopping At Japan
TRENDS
Lincoln Mint Aims Home Shopping
Microsoft Golf For Windows, Mult
Spinnaker's PFS:PowerAlbum Track
Tektronix To Layoff 800
Lanworks Adds BootWarePlus TCP/I
Logitech Intros New OCR Software
Zenographics' Unveils SuperPrint
Dayna's TokenPrint Bridges Local
Sega & W-Industries In Virtual R
PC Expo - Hewlett-Packard's Rock
Hong Kong - Computer Associates
US Robotics Announces PCMCIA Mod
KDD Expands Int'l LAN Service
ThinkPad Supply - Forget 700C, E
Microsoft News Roundup
US Marshals Make Biggest Counter
Softbank CD-ROM Marketing Firm O
Australia - Toshiba Drops Prices
Dell UK Ships Pentium Chip-Based
Lotus Offers Universal Vouchers
Mohawk Data Sciences Changes Nam
Platinum Software Acquires FRx
Mac IIfx Accelerator
IBM Technology Offers PCMCIA Pro
Datasonics' Music Master Upgrade
Hayes Supports V.Fast Modem Tech
Microtest Debuts Innovative CD-R
Review of - Spanish Assistant Bi
IBM Closes Acquisition of CGI In
ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 24 (NB) -- IBM's bid for French software and services company CGI Informatique has succeeded. IBM will take over 98.11 percent of CGI's stock today in exchange for convertible bonds from IBM France.
The former CGI shareholders who agreed to exchange their stock for the IBM France bonds will be able to trade them in for IBM stock any time in the next five years, IBM spokesman Jon Iwata said.
Other financial details of the transaction were not available. IBM announced plans to buy CGI on April 6.
Iwata said CGI will keep its present name and operate as a subsidiary of IBM France. The company's employees can expect to keep their present jobs, he added.
IBM officials said buying CGI gives the firm an experienced subsidiary in many countries and regions where CGI is established. Also, they said, IBM's worldwide marketing and services companies will be able to offer customers CGI's software and related services.
CGI's primary businesses are in computer-aided software engineering (CASE), application software, custom application development, consulting, and real-time control systems. In the year ending August 1992, CGI had revenue of about $350 million some two thirds of that generated in France. The company also operates in other countries including the United States, Germany Italy, the United Kingdom, and Spain.
(Grant Buckler/19930623/Press Contact: Jon Iwata, IBM 914-765-6630)
(.txt)