Newsbytes - Internationa…ews 1983 May to 1994 June/Newsbytes - International Computing Industry News 1994 Edition - May 1983 - June 1994 - Wayzata Technologies (5045) (1994).iso/mac/Text/Mac Text/1986/V137

Text File | 1991-09-30 | 43KB | 902 lines

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ATARI ABOUT-FACE:
Despite denials throughout December that it would sell its STs in
mass merchandise outlets, Atari has announced that it is indeed
eyeing such chains as K Mart and Sears as retailers for the 520ST.
Michael Katz, executive VP of sales and marketing, says several
chains will be courted during the Consumer Electronics Show in
Las Vegas starting January 9.  NEWSBYTES reported in the 12/17/85
issue that, "the new ST will most likely be given the same price
position as the current 520ST".  We referred to the 1-meg 1040ST.
And sure enough, that very tactic will help assuage the anger
of small retailers whose cash cow has been the ST.  Atari plans
to put the 512ST up for sale at $399 in big chains and the 1040ST
will go to the faithful little guys, who will be able to charge
$999 for the basic 1-meg unit, due out next month. Meanwhile,
Atari claims to have sold 100,000 STs at this writing.

[***][1/7/86][***]
APPLE VS. JOBS, ROUND 2:
Santa Clara County's Superior Court has set March 3 as the date
for the first hearing on whether Apple has a right to slap an
injunction on Steve Jobs' new company Next, Inc.  But don't
look for a lot of press to come out of the hearing.  All court
documents are to be sealed because they contain trade secrets.
Meanwhile, both sides confirm that talks are still underway to
settle out of court Apple's allegations that Jobs stole trade
secrets and recruited key personnel while still at the helm of
Apple.

Another being sued by Apple is Richard Page, and a local paper
reports that Apple is going to have a tough time making
technology theft charges stick on him.  Says the report in the
SF Examiner, "Page's new system (a next generation computer)
had been cancelled by president John Sculley, and Page had told
his bosses he was leaving unless they gave him a new project."

Altogether 10 former Apple employees are now working with Jobs.
CORRECTION:  Andy Hertzfeld is not among them, at least not yet.
Sources say Jobs is interested in selling All his Apple stock
eventually; Jobs sold 1 million more shares this past week.

[***][1/7/86][***]
APPLE IMPRESSES FORBES:
Forbes Magazine chose Apple Computer and Price Co. as the top two
most profitable publicly-held firms in the U.S.  Apple, said
Forbes, produced a 63.8% return on equity in a five-year average
and 12.9% during 1985.  That tells a lot.

[***][1/7/86][***]
ONE MORE QUICK NOTE:
Japan High Tech Review reports that Apple and Tokyo Electric are
working on a $500 laser printer for 1986 introduction.

[***][1/7/86][***]
FRED GIBBONS INJURED:
Software Publishing's president Fred Gibbons has been left
partially paralyzed after a skiing accident Christmas Eve at
Squaw Valley.  A published report says the accident was "serious"
and Gibbons "has lost most of his motor control on his left
side."  No further information or a prognosis is available.
While his treatment continues, Jenelle Bedke, VP and GM has
taken over his post.

[***][1/7/86][***]
PROJECT VICTORIA DETAILS:
Finally, Pacific Bell is releasing infromation on a closely guarded
technology which will convert a single phone line into seven
simultaneous communication channels.  According to Tom Edrington,
the company's executive director of technology assessment and
planning, one channel can run any speed between 9600 and 300 baud,
while four others will accommodate speeds from 1200 bps to 50 bps.
The other two channels handle voice communication over standard
twisted-pair wiring or fiber optic cable.  The heart of the
system is a multiplexer which replaces a modem, and connects
to any microcomputer via the RS232C port.  The field tests have
already started in Danville, California.  Once all the bugs
are worked out of the system, it will be offered commercially.
Project Victoria (named after Edrington's daughter) has the
potential of allowing a single home's line to connect to
a variety of services, not the least of which are emergency
alarm transports, electronic information libraries, home
banking, meter reading, cable TV, home shopping and telecommuting.

[***][1/7/86][***]
TRADE 'N SAVE:
Hoping to take a bite out of Apple's lead in schools, Tandy will
offer schools a $200 credit and a 20% discount off the price of
Tandy 1000's if they trade in an Apple II family computer.  Schools
will get a $100 rebate and 20% discount for trade-ins of PCjrs,
Commodores, Ataris or Texas Instruments machines.  More than 100,000
teachers nationwide are receiving this info via a mass-mailing.
What's the advantage to this trade in?  Tandy is throwing in a
Trackstar Apple II Emulation Board, which will enable the machine
to run both Apple's DOS 3.3 and MS DOS applications.  Info can
be had at any Radio Shack Computer Center, and the deal applies
ONLY to schools.  Recent surveys show Apple way ahead in the
educational market; IBM is a distant second; Tandy lags way
behind.

[***][1/7/86][***]
ONCE THE MIND IS SET...
Mindset is back, undaunted by the failure of its first computer,
Mindset I, with a Mindset II.  The Sunnyvale, Ca. company has
priced the machine at $3,495 and aims it at animators and video
producers.  The formerly bankrupt company calls this vertical
market "steadier" than the mass market at which it shot its
first hardware.

[***][1/7/86][***]
VIDEO CONFERENCING ON A MAC:
Stewart Alsop, in his current issue of "PC Letter" raves about
a new piece of Mac software called VCO (Video Conferencing Online).
Currently in use on GEnie and Delphi, VCO presents a screen
display showing a little face icon talking, its words appear
in a cartoon "balloon" next to it.  Above and below this data
line are listings of others online and icons representing
functions.  Depending on who's talking in a conference, the
icon or "face file" literally walks across the screen to the
center line where it speaks.  Online, you can customize your
face to look happy, sad, angry, etc.  Further, those receiving the
messages can "hear" them read via a Macintosh speech generation
program.  Says Alsop, "This program is so unique that it has
confirmed for me that there is more unique (about Apple graphics)
than in desktop publishing."

CONTACT:  BILL LOUDEN, GENERAL MANAGER, GENIE 301-340-4572
          STEWART ALSOP, PC LETTER, 415-363-8080

[***][1/7/86][***]
IN BRIEF--

SUN MICROSYSTEMS has announced a $65 million deal with SCHLUMBERGER
LTD. in which the high tech conglomerate will be able to buy
volume discounts of Sun workstations.

ACTIVISION has lost a suit to MAGNAVOX and SANDERS ASSOCIATES,
which charged the company with patent infringement on 11 of
Activision's video games sold between 1980 and 1984.  A second
trial will be needed to determine damages.  Meanwhile Activision,
which plans to appeal, claims the outcome will not affect
the company adversely.

"The Works", a 13-in-1 collection of Apple programs on a single
disk from FIRST STAR SOFTWARE of New York City, has won the
"Productivity Program of the Year" award by "Computer Entertainer"
newsweekly.

ALDUS CORPORATION has just issued an update to "Pagemaker" which
enables the Macintosh and LaserWriter to produce tabloid-size
pages.  Release 1.1 of "Pagemaker" costs $495 and also increases
the system's ability to produce clearer MacPaint graphics on
the LaserWriter.

ELECTRONIC ARTS of San Mateo, Ca. will be the exclusive distributor
for MaxiSoft, maker of "MaxiComm" and "MaxiDesk" for the Amiga.

[***][1/7/86][***]
AND FINALLY,
Kevin Jenkins, president of Hercules Technology of Berkeley, claims
its clone-smasher doll is a smashing success.  The first day
response was 400 callers for the superhero doll designed to
personify Hercules' battle against cheap immitations of its Color
Card.  2,000 free Rambo-esque dolls have been shipped and
another 8,000 "reinforcements" are being mobilized.  Call 800-
532-0600 to get one, if there are any left.



[***][1/7/86][***]
IS IT A LAY-OFF? A VACATION? NO...IT'S SUPER-FURLOUGH!
Hayes Microcomputer Products Inc. says 200 plant workers were
furloughed over the Christmas holidays. A local TV station
(WSB Channel 2, if you must know) had goofed and reported the
furloughs as a lay-off: Newsbytes Atlanta reported last week we
didn't know what it was.

Hayes employs 800 people, and for at least part of the furlough
they were ALL out, as drives by the headquarters parking lot and
continued phone calls on December 27 proved. (Next time, guys,
leave the answering machine on!) Spokesperson Jane Glasberg said
the plant workers got 6 days pay for their 10 days off, and could
get the other 4 days pay by foregoing other benefits. Hayes also
refused (for the first time in years) to participate in the Inc.
100 survey by revealing financial figures, indicating trouble may
be ahead for the modem kings. "I can't tell how they're doing,"
said analyst Eric Arnum of International Resource Development,
adding that the furlough doesn't seem unusual.

[***][1/7/86][***]
QUAD-UPGRADES FOR DATAVUE...(Prices start at $225)
Quadram announced an upgrade program for its 13-pound Datavue 25,
made by Sortec of Tokyo, Japan. The program will continue through
the end of March.

The Datavue 25 went through a lot of changes in 1985, with new
features, including a backlit screen and expansion up to 1.3
megabytes, being announced at Fall Comdex '85 in Las Vegas. The
upgrades will let owners of 1985 Datavues get the benefits of all
the new features. zProduct manager Sharon Cupett said a Datavue
with 128K of memory installed can be boosted to 1.3 megabytes for
$625, and the back-lit screen can be added starting in March for
$225. The 1986 Datavue, dubbed "Phase Two", includes such things
as RGB and composite ports, an 8087 co-processor slot, six
different screen palettes, and better IBM PC compatibility, as
well as more memory in that 13-pound package.

FOR MORE INFORMATION call Jane Bator or Peter Baron, the CAM
Group, [phone]

[***][1/7/86][***]
THE DEFIANT ONES...(Paradyne cut off from new U.S. contracts)
Paradyne Corp. of Ft. Largo, FL, the data networks company which
was indicted December 12, has been suspended from new U.S.
Government contracts. Paradyne got about 10% of its $290 million
in 1984 revenues from federal contracts.  Seven present or
former Paradyne officers, including chairman Robert Wiggins, face
criminal charges of fixing a 1981 contract with the Social
Security Administration (SSA) and bribing an official there. (The
SSA official disappeared before he could go to trial.) If
Paradyne is convicted, the suspension will become a permanent
debarment from federal work.

When Paradyne won the $84 million SSA contract in 1981, it had
trailing-year revenues of $78 million.  The U.S. has been
suspicious since 1982 that Paradyne faked a demonstration of
its planned data communications system, and put DEC components in
Paradyne boxes.  An two-year investigation by the Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC) drew heavy fire from the Wall Street
Journal, which called it harassment.

Paradyne has denied the charges all along, claiming it followed
the letter of the contract process and the contract itself.
Nevertheless, new chief operating officer Jerry Kendall said the
company will emphasize OEM sales of its modems and multiplexors
in 1986. He said the company has already succeeded in selling
large numbers of modems to Bell operating companies here and
Nippon Telephone & Telegraph in Japan.

[***][1/7/86][***]
THE CASHLESS SOCIETY IS COMING ON...(NDC Profits Up)
National Data Corp., Atlanta, reports its profits will jump 40%
for the quarter ended in November, 1985, (to about $2.7 million)
against figures achieved a year ago. (Gross quarterly revenues a
year ago were $34.9 million.)

The news here is why. Credit card authorizations are up 35% over
a year ago, said chairman L.C. "Whit" Whitney, meaning more and
more people are playing with plastic (which can be easily traced)
vs.  cash (which cannot). NDC's computer systems for pharmacies
and its deposit-by-phone system for small businesses are also
doing better, he said.  NDC gained fame in the 1970s through its
handling of "operators standing by" to take orders on 800 numbers
from TV offers.  (Remember Slim Whitman and the famous Ginzu
knives?)

[***][1/7/86][***]
MIRROR REVIEWED...(Klone or Kludge?)  *OPINION*
On Friday the Crosstalk-clone, Mirror, arrived. We opened it
immediately, anxious to see whether this was indeed a klone or a
kludge.

Turns out to be some of both. The paperback manual (bound like
Sidekick, but thick like DOS) is complete yet cryptic. It tells
you to copy Mirror onto a disk with DOS using copy a:*.* b:,
yet our 360K disks, with DOS, couldn't hold it all. Mirror itself
takes up 142K, help files another 84K, against Crosstalk's
68K. What this means is if you don't have a hard disk, you have
to either do without online help, or without such things as
script files, which make Crosstalk so neat. (Or you might drop
Mirror's "Password" file, which keeps other users from using your
passwords and script files.)

How about those things which Mirror has but Crosstalk doesn't?
Mirror includes a WordStar-like word processor, using old
favorites like QC to find the end of the file and kq to save
and quit. The terminal emulators seem to work, but they are not
going to put PerSoft's SmarTerm out of business -- they're no
better than Crosstalk's own.  At $49.95, Mirror could be a buy if
you know how to use Crosstalk XVI, which costs $195.  However,
Microstuf is due to release Crosstalk Mark IV Real Soon Now,
adding such things as synchronous support and (we're told) an
improved status screen (the one part of Crosstalk Mirror admits
to copying.) My best guess is that Microstuf won't miss the
customers SoftKlone will get, and that if the company keeps
doing its job (bringing out updates and improvements, answering
the phones, etc.) it should beat Mirror in the marketplace. But
I've been wrong before.

[***][1/7/86][***]
PEACHBITS

SINCE WE DON'T HAVE A TEXAS BUREAU (YET)...DAC Software announced
DAC Easy Payroll, a $49.95 personnel/payroll management system.
FOR MORE INFORMATION call Susan Morrow at [phone].


DOCUMENT CONVERSION ASSOCIATES INC. is a new Norcross firm
in the business of converting documents between various disk
and data formats using a machine from Keyword Office Technologies
Ltd., Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Prices start at $30 per disk.
FOR MORE INFORMATION call Marvin Gaines at [phone].


QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"A lot of high-tech companies shut down for the holidays and
called it a year."
                         ---Eric Arnum, analyst
                         International Resource Development


[***][1/7/86][***]
IMPORTERS DOING MANUAL LABOR           *** E X C L U S I V E ***
It had to happen.  A recent visit by NEWSBYTES to one San
Fernando Valley computer importer turned up a bookcase full of
professionally printed and bound software manuals.  Titles from
Ashton-Tate, MicroPro, Lotus, and Microsoft were represented.
There was only one problem...they were all pirated copies,
printed in Taiwan.  Asked if the importer also sold copied
software to go along with his copied manuals, he responded, "Why
should I?  Everybody who wants a copy of the software already
has it.  I'm just selling the manuals."  Interestingly, even the
copyright-notice pages of the original documentation were
reproduced on the copied versions.

[***][1/7/86][***]
GOOD TIMES FADE FROM COMPUTER MEMORIES
Computer Memories of Chatsworth, once the sole supplier of hard-
disk drives to IBM for the PC-AT, announced last week that it
will be getting out of the data-storage business.  Following the
lead of Tandon, Computer Memories chairman Irwin Rubin said the
company will sell its brand-new Singapore manufacturing plant
and will change direction with a new product line...which might
not be computer related.  Also announced was the resignation of
company president Gary Streuter, who quit after about six months
on the job.

"I've known about Streuter's leaving for more than three
months," said Rubin.  "We decided this would be an appropriate
time for him to go."  Rubin said he will assume the title of
president, a position he held before Streuter was hired.  Also
recorded was the resignation of Abraham Brand, co-founder of
Computer Memories.  He will be giving up his position as a
company director and corporate secretary.

In closing, the firm announced that another 60 employees will
have to find work elsewhere, bringing employment down to just
130 at the Chatsworth production facility.  Industry analysts
have been saying for some time that the survival of Computer
Memories was doubtful after IBM refused to renew contracts which
represented 80 percent of the firm's annual sales.

[***][1/7/86][***]
MORE FUN THAN HAILING A CAB AT COMDEX
"Buy, Sell, or Trade -- Every Imaginable Computer Product...."
That's the way the L.A. Computer Swap at the L.A. County
Fairgrounds is being hyped.  Set for Saturday, January 25, from
10 a.m. to 5 p.m., "Corner Booths" are going for $250, and
consist of two eight-foot tables, a chair, three complementary
admission tickets (a $15 value!) and electrical power.  Perhaps
the best advice in the show announcement is for first-time
exhibitors:  "A floormat or piece of carpeting and comfortable
shoes will make your day nicer."  No word on who the corporate
exhibitors will be, but driving time to the western end of the
San Fernando Valley (Tandon Country) from the L.A. County
Fairgrounds in Pomona is only about 40 minutes.

CONTACT:  COMPUTER SWAP, INC.
          (800) 252-SWAP

[***][1/7/86][***]
MARK THOSE CALENDARS
The entry deadline for the 1985 Computer Press Awards is fast
approaching.  The competition is open to writers of magazine and
newspaper articles, newsletters, manuals and books on computers
or about the computer industry.  The deadline for entries is
January 31, 1986.  Awards will be given out at COMDEX Spring in
Atlanta for meritorious writing and for the outstanding computer
publications of 1985.  The contest is sponsored by the Computer
Press Association and Citizen America Corp. of Santa Monica.

CONTACT:  COMPUTER PRESS AWARDS
          COMPUTER PRESS ASSOCIATION
          P.O. BOX 49229
          LOS ANGELES, CA 90049
          SOURCE ID: CPA026


[***][1/7/86][***]
COMMODORE ABANDONS UK MANUFACTURING BASE:
Big news this week in what is usually a quiet post-Christmas
industry here in the UK.  Commodore International is
to cease manufacturing at its factory in Corby, Northampton-
shire and thus makeS 250 employees redundant.  A statement
from Thomas Rattigan, the newly appointed president of
Commodore International, issued last Wednesday says:

"As part of the worldwide drive to improve competitiveness,
manufacturing at Commodore's Corby plant is to cease, with
the loss of 250 jobs.  Corby will continue to house
Commodore UK's slimmed down marketing, distribution and
service support operations.  Commodore's major priority is
to meet the competitive challenge of the next two to three
years and to do this the company is going to be increasingly
dependent upon fewer and higher technology plants.  Corby,
being essentially an assembly plant, does not easily fit
into this strategy.  Commodore UK will continue to be based
in Corby, retaining both its service facility and its sales
and marketing operation on the current site."

80% of the 250 redundancies will be on the production side
of things, but about fifty office and support staff will
also be made redundant, including Paul Welsh, a (nearly)
famous one time marketing boss at Commodore.  Nick Bessey,
General Manager of Commodore UK, said of the company
statement, "We regret the impact of the decision on those
workers at Corby who will lose their jobs.  But we have been
forced to recognise that difficult decisions have to be
taken in this aggressively competitive market place."

Although the changes at Commodore appear dramatic (they are
extremely severe in terms of the company's representation in
the UK), the effects will, the company claims, "hardly be
felt by the end consumer."  Machines previously made in the
UK will now be manufactured in the company's highly
automated plants in West Germany, the Far East, and the US.
To date, the Corby plant had been concentrating on
manufacture of the 128 and Commodore 64.  Having said this,
however, the company's marketing strategy may be altered.
Chris Kayday, previously marketing manager, moves up a step
on the ladder to become sales and marketing director and
will now be in charge of the day-to-day running of Commodore
UK.  The company's hopes now rest on the impending launch of
the Amiga in the UK.

** Sources close to Atari UK inform me that the company has
just perfected the 'bouncing ball' screen and sound routine
that Commodore dealers use to demonstrate the capabilities
of the Amiga to potential purchasers.  Looks like Commodore
is in for a rough ride!

[***][1/7/86][***]
TROUBLED APRICOT HITS OUT AT 'BOX SHIFTERS':
Troubled ex-golden firm, Apricot has announced that all
its products will be sold in the UK via independent
dealers rather than the usual high street multiples who have
handled most of the low-end Apricot product to date.  The
move is intended to help the company become a "major force
in the networking market," according to Brian Androlia,
Apricot's UK managing director.  Apricot's main competitors
in the networking market, which the firm hopes to penetrate
this year, are DEC, Wang and ICL.  Apricot seems to be moving
out of the low end of the market - witness the demise of the
F1 range and the awful LCD portable currently being
bargain-binned by Dixons (one of those high street multiples
the firm want to muscle out).  Apricot had a secret meeting
in November of last year with its major dealers in which
this new policy was thrashed out.  Roger Foster, Apricot's
chairman, said just before Christmas that, "Most dealers are
happy with our plans, although some have faded along the
way."  In the future, Apricot, says Foster, will become a
higher than average discounter with its dealers instead of a
below average one.  A nice philosphy Mr. Foster, but who pays
for the extra margins - US, the punters that's who!

** Apricot reckons that its new 'anti-boxshifters' policy
will trim the number of specialist and authorised Apricot
dealers in the UK to 130 this year.  To support the
remaining dealers, Apricot plans to keep "an ongoing
presence in the national media", whatever that means.

[***][1/7/86][***]
IBM AGENTS HOLD OUT...
Hoskyns and CMG are amongst the many UK outlets that have
failed to meet the end-of-year deadline imposed on them by
IBM to drop either their IBM Agency Agreements or Authorised
PC Dealer status.  The restriction on holding both types of
agreement was made after IBM changed its agency arrangements
way back in 1984, raising the interesting problem that the
company would not approve a single outlet as both an agent
and a dealer.  An IBM spokesman said at that time that
outlets with both types of agreement were required to opt
one way or the other by 31 December 1985.  While declining
to name names, IBM said that negotiations were continuing
with "a few" outlets and that the changes would do little to
alter the structure of its third party outlets which
currently number about 400 dealers and 100 agents here in
the UK.  A straw poll amongst agent/dealers affected
indicates that the majority are still in the discussion
stages with IBM.  Looks like another deadline slipped by
guys.

[***][1/7/86][***]
 ...WHILST IBM RESTRUCTURES ITS MARKETING:
Staying with the big blue theme, IBM has restructured its UK
marketing operations into three geographical areas, bringing
into one sales channel the company's existing Information
Systems Marketing (ISM) and Information Systems Account
Marketing (ISAM) organisations.  Each of the new regions
will create the post of regional general manager, who will
be responsible for one of the regions: London and the South
East of England, The South of England and the Midlands, and
The North of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

IBM say that each regional unit will have support, marketing
and other staff functions thus making them "semi-autonomous
units" with "substantial delegated powers for business
decisions."  The other two units in the company's sales
strategy, Business Development, responsible for such things
as robotics and telecommunications, and the recently-formed
Information Systems Distribution Marketing, remain
unaffected by the moves.  The setup mirrors the organisation
that affected the US last October and effectively ends the
distinction made in 1981 between IBM's major account
customers and the rest of the rabble.  IBM UK's chief
executive designate, Tony Cleaver, describes the changes as
the "latest step in the long-term organisational strategy
for geographic alignment."  Seasoned industry watchers this
side of the Atlantic see the reorganisation as part of a
strategy to reduce sales costs - calculated by one recent
report to run as high as $250 a call - while shifting
marketing emphasis towards third party distribution.  With
the IBM PC, XT and AT coming under strong price pressure
here in the UK, that theory holds water.  NEWSBYTES UK could
purchase most of the IBM range in 100 per cent clone form at
little over 50% of the normal UK prices being charged by IBM
- That's quite a difference.

[***][1/7/86][***]
EAST MEETS WEST...IN ITALY:
The Italian firm of Olivetti, famous for its typewriters
and lately, computing equipment, and a last minute takeover
of Acorn computers, which produces the BBC Model B, one the
UK's most popular computers, has teamed up with Seiko of
Japan to form a joint venture to produce liquid crystal
displays.  Located in Italy, the new firm, called 'Tecdis'
will draw on both company's know-how and research findings to
produce the ultimate in liquid crystal technology.  Peering
down at my Tandy Model 100, trying to make out the LCD
screen, I think the market needs such technology!

[***][1/7/86][***]
CHEAPIE RENTAL DEALS:
Remember the Amstrad PCW8256 that NEWSBYTES UK has been
raving about in recent months?  Sagesoft in London has
stepped on the bandwagon and offers a rental deal for the
400 pound combo.  The firm  is offering a rental deal on the
Amstrad machine packaged with its own 'all-in' business
software and the Sage database at a cost of 10.75 Pounds
($15) per week.  The move is being viewed with interest by
several of the UK's leading lease/rent outfits as it offers
a considerable saving on existing 1,000 pound-plus business
combinations which firms have to pay highly to rent.
Initially, the scheme is being piloted by Sagesoft in the
Southeast of England, but will be extended to the rest of
the UK if successful.  No doubt a few firms in North America
will be interested too - Sears Roebuck, as reported
previously in NEWSBYTES UK, is to import 50,000 units a
month into the US starting next month (February).


[***][1/7/86][***]
PARLEZ-VOUS COCKNEY, EH?
A Canadian software package which teaches French grammar
will be marketed by Britain's National Centre For Computer-
Assisted Language Learning.  British schools will use the
program, designed for students at the grade 5 level, and
royalties will be shared between Canadian researchers
and the British centre.  A previous agreement sold U.S.
rights to the educational program to Gessler Publishing Co.
(NY), which has to date marketed 40 of the program's 62 discs.
Versions of the program run on the BBC microcomputer used in
most british schools, and on the Commodore PET; versions
for the IBM PC and Commodore 64 are under development by
programmers at The University Of Guelph, The University Of
Calgary, Huron College (London, Ont.), and other institutions.

[***][1/7/86][***]
NOVATEL CELLULAR SALE:
The Carphone Group of British companies has placed a new $6.5-
million (CDN) order with Calgary, Alberta's Novatel
Communications Ltd. for mobile cellular telephones.  This
brings to $20-million the total value of orders signed by
Novatel from the Carphone Group in fiscal year 1985.

[***][1/7/86][***]
INFOMART/GT DEAL:
Videotex developer and operator Infomart Inc., of Toronto, has
signed a contract with General Telephone of Tampa, FL to offer
Teleguide commercial public access videotex systems in
several Florida cities.  The contract's value was not disclosed.
Infomart is a unit of Southam Inc., and General Telephone is
a subsidiary of Stamford CT's GTE Corp.

[***][1/7/86][***]
BIG BLUE SUES:
IBM Canada Ltd. (Markham, Ont.) has filed suit in the
Federal Court Of Canada against divers persons and companies
in Montreal and Ottawa operating under the names "Microcom,"
and "R&R Software."  The suit alleges that unauthorised copies
of IBM software are being made and distributed by these
individuals and companies, and that infringement of trade
marks and copyrights exists.  The company seeks pre-trial
injunctions to prevent marketing of either software or
documentation.  A hearing is expected shortly.

[***][1/7/86][***]
CONTROL DATA PULLS UP ITS SOX:
Control Data Canada Ltd., Mississauga, Ontario, is cutting
overhead by consolidation of branch offices and by the
introduction of more automation to its manufacturing. Facing
restructuring similar to its U.S. parent's, CDC espouses
like social goals as well, which help to foster its "good will"
image and boost sales.  "In a sense," says Canadian president
Dudley Allan, "Control Data Canada is a mirror image of the
U.S. operation," and all basic strategies come from
the parent.  Canadian profit was up slightly in 1985, by
$11-million.  Job-creation programs are at the heart of CDC's
policy, such as the ambitious Canadian Centre For Technology,
which allows bright highschool students a four-week residence
at one of six Canadian universities.  In the area of manufacture,
production of some CD hardware--models 180, 810, and 830 of
the Cyber super minicomputer--has been consolidated into one
plant in Canada, and robotics use has been increased.

[***][1/7/86][***]
TELECOM CANADA CONSOLIDATES VOICE/DATA:
The National Network Operations Centre is an effort by Telecom
Canada to merge its data and voice control support, in an
overall attempt at telecommunications integration in this
country.  More than $24-billion (CDN) is invested in the
participating networks, and this figure increases by $2-billion
annually.  The NNOC mounts 24-hour surveillance of the
more than 180 million kilometres of cable, microwave,
fibre optics and satellite links which make up the nationwide
grid.  "Because of the ability to computerise network
data in real-time, we can also provide better historical
analysis of [it] to spot trends so that telephone company
executives can better manage their networks," says
Trennick Martin, NNOC operations manager.  "We mainly
play the role of Big Brother."  NNOC also solves technical
problems and compiles analyses of trends and traffic patterns
along networks, including Dataroute for industrial/business
use, and Datapac for individuals, both of which are marketed
nationally by Telecom Canada.



[***][1/7/86][***]
AUGURIES OF THE FUTURE
Knowing that prediction is the darkest of arts, here is a
forecast of what the 1986 will bring from Washington for the
microcomputer industry. By this time next year, one trusts, this
column will have been relegated to the electronic bottom of the
bird cage, where second-guessing will be impossible.

[***][1/7/86][***]
SALES SLUMPS IN D.C.
The federal government, one of the hottest markets during the
recent slump in the microcomputer market, will see some recession
of its own this year. The culprit will be Draconian cost cutting
as federal agencies try to reduce the mammoth federal deficit.
Word is already leaking -- pouring is a better word -- from the
White House about the coming austerity. Shell-shocked agency
administrators will be lucky to escape 1986 with their agencies
intact, let alone with any discretionary bucks.

Fortunately for purveyors of the micromachines, main frame
vendors will be hit hardest. The more zeros on the end of the
spending integer, the greater the target for cuts. Some agencies
will try to buy off lower-level managers who had their hopes set
on new mainframe systems with cheaper micros, probably pushing
networks schemes.

But all in all, it looks very glum indeed in Powertown for 1986.
Stay tuned as this story develops.

[***][1/7/86][***]
IN CONGRESS, 99=0
Don't look for much interest in matters micro from the second
session of the 99th Congress. The first session ended with the
solons flailing around on tax and spending issues, devoting
little substantive attention to such subjects as copyright law
and software piracy, foreign high tech competition, the federal
role in R&D, and the like. Look for more of the same.

[***][1/7/86][***]
AND CHANGE ON THE HUSTINGS
Two House members who have been important on high tech issues are
eyeing higher office. Both Rep. Charlie Rose (D-N.C.) and Rep. Ed
Zschau (R-Calif.) are considering Senate races. Rose, chairman of
the House office systems subcommittee, is looking at the
Democratic nomination in a race to replace Republican John East,
who is stepping down. Zschau, who represents a Silicon Valley
district and is a former computer industry executive, is thinking
about trying for the GOP nomination to take on Democratic Sen.
Alan Cranston.

Rose has been key in making House office allowances more generous
so members can buy the latest in computer technology. He has
taken a laissez faire and eclectic approach to office systems,
letting members buy almost anything they want in they way of
software and hardware. His own office has made heavy use of Apple
MacIntoshes.

As a result of Rose's advocacy of small computer systems, the
House is on the forefront of microcomputer technology. The Senate
has a bad case of MIS syndrome, including a central systems
office that dictates what gear Senators can use in their offices.
According to Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), a computer buff who
often can be found plinking away on his Radio Shack Model 100 on
the Senate subway, "The House is quantum leaps ahead of us in the
Senate in computerizing individual offices."

That could change in 1986, as Sen. Charles McC. Mathias (R-Md.)
is retiring. Mathias has been chairman of the Senate
Administration Committee, which has purview over such things as
office accounts. Chances are Mathias will be succeeded by a
younger legislator who may be more interested in bringing the
staid Senate into step with 20th Century technology.

[***][1/7/86][***]
HOW DO YOU SPELL RELIEF? J.A.P.A.N.
The softening dollar has already made domestic chip makers happy,
as Japanese chip manufacturers in early December announced price
increases. NEC Corp. upped its prices 20 percent, in response to
an 18 percent fall in the value of the dollar. Look for those
price increases to continue in 1986 as the dollar slides a bit
more, say U.S. trade officials. What's good news for U.S.
chipmakers, however, isn't good for users, who may face higher
prices as a result of the lessening competition from Japan.

[***][1/7/86][***]
DIVISION IN THE RANKS
While the Semiconductor Industry Association, the chipmakers'
trade group, is waging bureaucratic war against Japan, charging
that chips are being dumped in the U.S. at below the cost of
manufacturing, some of the group's largest members are staying
out of the fray. According to Michael Schrage of The Washington
Post, IBM, Digital Equipment Corp. and Hewlett-Packard are
staying aloof from the SIA complaint because they are heavy
purchasers of foreign chips. They fear that levies, fines or tariffs
that might flow from the SIA complaint could raise the price of
U.S. computer gear that competes with Japanese and European
equipment.

[***][1/7/86][***]
POWERBITS

 $$$ A team of George Mason University professors surveyed 462
managers and professionals in the Washington area. Eleven
percent were rated "computer anxious," meaning they avoid
computers. Another 3 percent were "cyberphobic," suffering from
feelings of panic and terror, with heart palpitations, breathing
difficulties, dizziness, and trembling.

 $$$ A Frederick, Md., software firm has accused two former
employees of stealing company trade secrets. Ohis Inc., which
makes occupational health management software, says the two
former employees, a former vice president of research and
development and his wife, copied masters of working software and
returned copies with deliberate bugs. The bugs showed up when the
company tried to demonstrate the software to clients.

 $$$ The Justice Department says it won't force the major
airlines to sell their computer reservation systems. About 80
percent of all travel agents use either United Airlines' Apollo
or American's Sabre reservation systems. Competitors complained
that the systems give United and American an unfair competitive
advantage. Justice said it found no evidence of that.

 $$$ The government has suspended Paradyne Corp. from receiving
further federal contracts. The Florida-based company is entangled
in a $115 million fraud case involving computer systems sold to
the Social Security Administration. The company said the
debarrment could hit about five percent of its revenue. The
company reported $290 million in gross revenues for 1984.

 $$$ The Congressional Office of Technology Assessment says that a
coming decline in college-age population probably won't cause a
shortage of scientists and engineers. OTA says "population trends
do not have as great an impact on the supply of scientists and
engineers as do individual careers choices and market forces."


[***][1/14/86][***]
TOSHIBA LINKED WITH NTT:
NTT (Japan's Telegraph and Telephone Corp.) has signed with
Toshiba to jointly develop the most advanced digital PBX,
according to a published report. Both companies are said to have
already started developing the product. The new product is
expected to be completed by the end of 1986 for its release in
1987. Next to NEC and Fujitsu, Toshiba is the third company to
tie up with NTT for PBX business. With this agreement, Toshiba
will enjoy NTT's advanced technologies.

Meanwhile, Toshiba has previously agreed with AT&T and ITT to
produce their large-scale communication devices.

[***][1/14/86][***]
NON-VON NEUMANN MICRO FROM SHARP:
According to the industry sources, Sharp has been developing
a non-von Neumann type of "Super Personal Computer." Sharp's
world's first personal computer with a parallel processing feature
will be completed by the end of next year (1987).
NEWSBYTES-JAPAN has unfortunately failed to pull out further
details on this fascinating product. So far, no news reporters
have been successful in drawing further information. Sharp's
guard on this super personal computer has been very firm. So,
all we can do now is wait and see.

[***][1/14/86][***]
HARC TO BUY NEC'S SUPERCOMPUTER:
"Houston Area Research Center (HARC)", a U.S. high-tech research
organization, has decided to purchase NEC's supercomputer "SX-2",
reported the Nikkei Sangyo Daily on Jan. 10. The report says that
IBM and Cray have also participated in this bid. As NEWSBYTES-
JAPAN reported on Dec. 31, SX-2 had registered its processing
speed of 1.3 giga flops. The industry sources have been pleased
to know that Japanese technologies are again reognized in the
international arena.  However, government sources have been
less enthusiastic about it since the issue might rekindle the
Japan-U.S. trade imbalance.

Meanwhile, Matsushita Electric plans to develop a supercomputer
with a processing speed of 50 to 60 giga flops, in cooperation
with Kyoto University. It will be completed in a few years, a
report says.

[***][1/14/86][***]
SOFTWARE-COPYRIGHT VIOLATION CRACK DOWN:
Japan's game software makers including Konami, Hudson, Carry-Lab
and Koei sued a software renter "SOFMAP" for copyright violation
at Tokyo District Court on Jan. 9. According to their charge,
SOFMAP has rented the makers' game programs to its customers
without permission. Software piracy here has not been as rampant
as in the East Asian countries such as Hong Kong or Singapore.
With Japan's software copyright protection law, which went into
effect on Jan. 1, software piracy is expected to dwindle or be
pushed further behind the curtain.

[***][1/14/86][***]
ELECTRONIC WHITE-BOARD:
Sharp Manufacturing Company of America (SMCA), a U.S. branch of
Sharp, will start the production of the Electronic White-board at
its Tennessee factory this October. The Electronic White-board
consists of a special white-board and some markers or pens. It
is capable of producing an exact but a reduced-sized Xerox-like
copy of whatever is written on the large, standing board. It
has been gaining popularity in Japan.

CONTACT:  Sharp Manufacturing Company of America
          Plaza Boulevard
          Memphis, TN 38193
          Phone: [phone]

[***][1/14/86][***]
HIGH-TECH MARRIAGES:
There were two major "international marriages" this past week.
First came Canon and HP. Canon (Tokyo) has decided to sign a
business agreement with Hewlett-Packard (CA). With this
agreement, Canon sells HP's minicomputers in Japan.  Also, both
companies plan to jointly develop HP's minicomputer operating
systems for the Japanese market.

Meanwhile, Oki Electric (Tokyo) and Northern Telecom (Canada)
have signed a business agreement concerning the sales of tele-
communication devices. Oki has already established its 100%-
subsidiary dubbed "Oki Telecom" in Tokyo to market Northern
Telecom's PBX "SL-1."

[***][1/14/86][***]
<<< SUKIYAKI BYTES >>>

MATSUSHITA'S POCKET TV -- Matsushita announced an April release
of a pocket-size color LCD-TV on 1/9. The TV with a 3-inch screen
will cost US$299. Pocket-size TVs have already been
released from SONY, Epson, and CASIO.

VIDEOTEX ON MICROS -- NTT has been planning to interconnect its
CAPTAIN videotex network and NTT's personal computer tele-
communication network, which is still in an experimental
operation.  As a result, personal computer users will be able to
access the videotex with a communication adapter based on the
protocol recommended by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunica-
tions. Further details have not been decided yet.

UNIVAC'S NEW BUSINESS -- UNIVAC Japan will start a new business
involving a so-called "intelligent building" this month. The
company plans to deal with the system designing, installation,
and maintenance of various OA and data communication equipment
for corporate buildings.

MITSUBISHI EYES A US$15-BIL GAIN -- Mitsubishi revealed (1/11) a
5-year plan to boost its sales volume by beefing up its high-tech
division. The company expects to gain US$15 billion by the end of
1990, a report says.