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/V144

Text File | 1991-07-26 | 67KB | 1,462 lines

[***][2/25/86][***]
NEW APPLE IIs OUT THE DOOR--ALMOST:
Apple's third party software developers have received documentation
manuals--but not the hardware--for the next generation of Apple II
machines, according to informed NEWSBYTES sources.  The computer
prototype, which has been code-named Gumby and Rambo (Courtland
and Milwalkee too, according to INFOWORLD), will not be shipped
for several more months, however, and is not expected to be
released to the public until 1987.  There is also talk that there
are actual TWO new generations of the II, one aimed at the K-12
market, the other "for the rest of us."  Both machines are
expected to be based on Western Design's 16-bit 65C816
microprocessor.

[***][2/25/86][***]
APPLE BAILS OUT RETAILER:
In Apple's most surprising move of '86 to date, the company has
spent $11 million to purchase bank obligations of Computercraft,
a chain which has heavy traffic of Apple products in its 58
nationwide stores.  Computercraft, which has had trouble paying
back its bills to Apple and everyone else (in 1985, the chain
faced bankruptcy due to non-compliance with virtually ALL its
credit agreements), will consequently stay in business, thanks
to this extraordinary gift.  An Apple spokeswoman says Apple
Computer is not going to do this on a regular basis, but that
this is a special case.  Meanwhile, the incident has sent a
wave of concern among other authorized Apple dealer chains,
whose revenues may not be as bad as Computercraft's, but whose
books show more red than black.

CONTACT:  APPLE COMPUTER, 408-973-3719

          COMPUTERCRAFT, HOUSTON, TEXAS  713-977-8419

[***][2/25/86][***]
COMPUTERLAND GOES BIG TIME:
Nine people have been named to a new National Accounts Sales
Team at Computerland.  Their job is to beat a path to Fortune
1000 companies, sell them computer gear, and give the sales
slips to local dealers for delivery.  Both the team members
and the dealers will share a commission.

CONTACT:  COMPUTERLAND CORPORATION, 30800 Santana, Hayward,
          Ca.  415/ 487-5000

[***][2/25/86][***]
FIRST FAKE MACS SURFACE:
They look like Macintosh parts, they bear the Macintosh name,
they're Macintoshes, right?  Sort of.  In a Union City, California
shop, police grabbed boxes of Macintosh components that they
say were to be used to assemble "black market" Macs.  There
seems to be no dispute that Apple MADE the parts originally, but
Apple claims to have discarded the parts as "rejects" due to defects.
How they ended up in the Union City shop is another matter.
Police reports do not indicate there were any arrests--only
the equipment seizure.

Don't look for this to be an open-and-shut book case for
prosecution.  Previously, Apple has won counterfeit suits because
the machines and parts were illegally duplicated.  In this case,
the parts were Apple's own.  Apple's attorney, Jeffrey Blatt,
believes it will take a good year before the courts reach a
decision.

CONTACT:  JEFFREY BLATT, Attorney, BLAKELY, SOKOLOFF, TAYLOR
          and ZAFMAN, 1245 OAKMEAD PARKWAY, SUNNYVALE, CA.
          408-720-8598

[***][2/25/86][***]
REGIS MAKES MORE DEALS ON THE PHONE:
Repeated "personal" phone calls to Regis McKenna haven't been
returned to NEWSBYTES (ironic--he appears in Pacific Bell's
ads touting his frequent use of the phone) and now we know
why.  Regis just became a partner in the San Francisco venture
capital firm of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a company
responsible for backing Lotus, Tandem, Quantum and Compaq,
among others, since 1972.  While McKenna will remain head
of his Palo Alto marketing firm, Regis McKenna, Inc., he
will spend time at KPC&B, "looking at the evolution of new
technology" and being "interested in how to maintain the
entrepreneurial growth of new technology in America."

CONTACT:  REGIS MCKENNA, INC., 1800 Embarcadero Road,
          PALO ALTO, CA. 94303  415/494-2030

[***][2/25/86][***]
SPEAKING OF PR PEOPLE:
Steve Jobs has fired Andrea Cunningham, who for the last 6
months has handled his public relations.  No reason was
given for his dismissal of her agency, but Cunningham says
Jobs "just decided to take all the PR inhouse" at his
company Next, Inc.  Cunningham is a former employee of
Regis McKenna, by the way.  Meanwhile, Next, Inc.'s
front-man for Steve Jobs will be Dan'l Lewin.

CONTACT:  CUNNINGHAM COMMUNICATION, 1971 Landings Drive,
          Mountain View, Ca. 94043  415/962-8914

          DAN'L LEWIN, NEXT INC., 3475 Deer Creek Road,
          Palo Alto, Ca. 415/424-9090

[***][2/25/86][***]
HP'S EARNINGS DOWN; VECTRA TRADE-IN:
Hewlett Packard is offering a $1,000 rebate on a Vectra PC if
you trade in an IBM PC, XT, Compaq Portable or Compaq Deskpro.
There's also a $700 rebate for any CPU with a monitor, two
drives, at least 128K RAM, and video card configuration.
The $1,000 rebate brings the cost of a Vectra to $1,875 at
most HP dealers.  The basic Vectra has 256K of RAM, is
PC/AT compatible with a 30% faster clock speed than at AT,
and comes with DOS, PC Kit and Video Card.  The offer takes
effect March 1 and runs through June 30.

CONTACT:  (for name of dealer) 800-FOR-HPPC

Meanwhile, HP's profit dropped 6% in its most recent quarter
although sales revenue was up 4%.  HP president John Young,
says the drop is due to the falling value of the dollar against
overseas currency and increasing promotion and R&D.

CONTACT:  BARBARA KOMMER, PR, HEWLETT PACKARD, 3000 Hanover
          Street, Palo Alto, Ca. 94304  415/857-1501

[***][2/25/86][***]
0.5 A LONG WAY OFF...
Apricot, A.C.T. of Britain's American subsidiary, said last
year it wanted only 0.5% of the U.S. computer market.  So far,
no good.  Consequently, the company, which sells a computer
line that's only partially IBM compatible, has shifted most
of its promotion to very verticle markets:  hair salons,
video rental stores, and soon, truck rental firms, and
clubs.  As Jan Lewis, analyst with Palo Alto Research Group
commented, "We laugh at things like hair salons, but
there are a lot of them out there."  Apricot has at least
stayed small during its stay in the states; the firm has 25
employees, who must be smelling a lot of shampoo.

CONTACT:  PAT MEIER, PR, APRICOT, INC., 47173 Benicia St.,
          Fremont, Ca. 94538   415/659-8500

[***][2/25/86][***]
HERCULES FLEXES MUSCLES:
Hercules Computer Technology has filed suit against two computer
mail-order distributors:  PC Network of Chicago and The Diversified
Group of Hawthorne, Ca.  Hercules says PC Network is packaging
exact copies of the Hercules Graphics Card manual and Hercules
software with competing graphics cards it sells; The Diversified
Group is said to be including Hercules software with graphics
cards it distributes.  Hercules wants $100,000 from each company
in its copyright infringement and unfair competition suit.

Hercules, under the command of Kevin Jenkins, is building
sort of record for legal prosecution.  It's hunted down and
stopped a Santa Clara retailer from selling imported "clones"
of the Hercules color card and is working with authorities
in Taiwan to stop the flow of clones to the U.S.

CONTACT:  KEVIN JENKINS, HERCULES COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY,
          2550 Ninth Street, Berkeley, Ca. 94710
          415/540-6000

[***][2/25/86][***]
AT&T PORTABLE DUE:
The "San Jose Business Journal" reports a closely-held Campbell,
Ca. company, Chisholm, has designed a portable computer that
AT&T will market soon though Olivetti.  Expected to be
introduced next month, the machine, including software, will
retail for about $2,500, according to the paper.  Chisholm
refuses to confirm the report, which adds the machine weighs
12 pounds, has 256K, several applications in ROM, and is
IBM-compatible.

[***][2/25/86][***]
BRIEFS--

SEATTLE PROSECUTORS have charged an 18-year old Kirkland,
Washington man with breaking into the computers of Microsoft
Corporation and three other companies.  Michael Wilkerson
was apparently so good at his crime, say prosecutors, that
he was able to issue payroll checks, set up phony accounts,
and change passwords.

CORVUS SYSTEMS of San Jose has sold its Onyx line of computers
to MEGALOGIC INC. of San Jose.

TANDON CORPORATION of Chatsworth, Ca. is suing ATARI INC.,
the arm of Atari still owned by Warner Communications, not
Jack Tramiel, over alledged failure to pay for design work on
the Atari 1450 XLD, which was never shipped.  Tandon wants
$645,000, the amount it says Atari owes it.

DIALOG INFORMATION SERVICES of Palo Alto is working on
technology to transmit pictures through its online database,
as well as text, according to PC WEEK.  According to Fred
Zappert of Dialog, one of the first applications to be
transmitted will be trademarks.

[***][2/25/86][***]
PUBLISHING NOTES:
Stewart Alsop has been named West Coast Editor of PC MAGAZINE
but will continue to publish his own "PC Letter".  He is
also authoring a column for PC MAGAZINE which appears in the
current issue.

PC World Communications, which just purchased DESKTOP
PUBLISHING, plans to make the magazine "amazingly beautiful--
people will find it hard to believe that it's created and
produced entirely on personal computers," says publisher
David Bunnell.

[***][2/25/86][***]
PROGRAMMERS TO PAY MORE:
California officials are eyeing a proposal to make independent
computer programmers pay far more taxes than they do now.
Current regulations allow programmers to classify themselves
as self-employed; the new regulations would make them employees
of the companies to which they sell their work, provided they
are required to report to the job for a specific number of
hours and use specific equipment.

Computer companies have been hiring programmers as independent
contractors to save money; they pay them a lump sum and don't
have to pay taxes or benefits on them.  The contractors, in
turn, pay lower taxes than employees.

Defending the current system however, is the Software
Services Association, headed by David Hicks.  He's spearheading
an effort against the new regulations, drawn up by the Ca.
Employment Development Department.  To add your voice to
his efforts, send mail to the Office of Administrative Law,
Sacramento, Ca.  by March 4, the date the new regulations will
be considered.

CONTACT:  EDWIN SULLIVAN, DEPUTY EMPLOYMENT DEVELOPMENT DIR.
          EMPLOYMENT DEVELOPMENT DEPT., SACRAMENTO, CA.
          916-445-8008

          SOFTWARE SERVICES ASSOCIATION (phone number will
          be available pending interest)



[***][2/25/86][***]
NEWSBYTES COMES TO TEXAS
With this issue, your correspondent adds his former home state of
Texas to our coverage. He has offered to take Barsotti's
armadillo to lunch on Ranch Road 12. (If you don't understand
that, you're from out-of-state.) Happy sesquicentennial, y'all.

[***][2/25/86][***]
MICRO MART LOSES IBM DEALER AUTHORIZATION
IBM has pulled its products off the shelves of its largest
Southeast dealer, Micro Mart, for selling into the gray market.
Micro Mart, based in Norcross, GA, with 21 stores from New
Orleans to Washington, DC, is privately-held and estimated 1985
sales at $123 million. It did 35% of its business in IBM products
last year, yet earned its IBM authorization just 14 months ago.
(The company was started in 1982 as a mail order house.) IBM will
not comment, but Micro Mart apparently was depending on a 40%
discount earned selling over 402 machines a month, rather than
accepting the 33% discount earned through smaller orders.

Micro Mart's fall from IBM grace could be the beginning of the
end for them or the beginning of a new challenge for IBM.  "Micro
Mart has the blue shackles taken off their legs," said J.B.
Deters, president of Peachtree Technologies Inc.. Peachtree has
supplied packaged hard drives and modems to Micro Mart, and
Deters worked at Micro Mart when it was negotiating its IBM
authorization in 1984. He echoes the arguments of Micro Mart
boosters that IBM authorization forced it to add layers of
bureaucracy and cost to its products.  Without IBM, president
Richard Korski told the press, Micro Mart is now free to attack
Big Blue's corporate accounts with lower prices and its own
service reputation. The firm still stocks AT&T and Compaq. It
could also add a cheap PC compatible from Korea or Japan.

Former Micro Mart salesmen are telling a different story. Dozens
of them were laid off a week before IBM took its marque away.
Senior vice president Mike Carfley also quit when IBM left.  At
least one fired salesman is telling reporters horror stories
about the company, claiming  no competent people are left minding
the store. Whether Micro Mart is a champion of the little guy or
a pariah will be decided in the next few months, by computer
buyers.

CONTACT:  RICHARD KORSKI, PRESIDENT, MICRO MART, 3159 CAMPUS
          DRIVE, NORCROSS, GA 30071 [phone]

[***][2/25/86][***]
TANDY BEAT--AWARDS AND PHONE CALLS
Consumers Digest (no relation to Consumer Reports or Consumers
Union) has named Tandy/Radio Shack to its Consumers Digest Hall
of Fame for "marketing its line of technologically advanced
Tandy computers at competitive prices, while maintaining one of
the most extensive dealer/service networks in the country." 35
companies were honored.

So what's this their marketing people are doing? Tandy is
desperate to sell something, because they've been calling all
over the country, even to groups who had been refused discounts
in the past, seeking mailing lists for a "special offer". Tandy
won't say what they're so hot to sell. Newsbytes Southeast's guess is
it's the Tandy 600, a lap-top portable announced last year.
Buyers have found the 600 to be too heavy, and too inflexible.
Some claim they can't find any cases big enough to hold the
things.

CONTACT: FRAN MCGEHEE, TANDY, 1800 TANDY CENTER, FT. WORTH, TX
         76102 [phone]

[***][2/25/86][***]
NEW, FASTER, MORE COMPAQ MACHINES
The Compaq Portable II, announced Thursday, weighs 23.6 to 26.2
pounds (depending on the model you get) and it's faster than a
speeding IBM PC AT.  It's based on the Intel 80286, running at 6
or 8 Mhz (take your choice on a keystroke) and will run XT and PC
software as well as the AT stuff. The machines are already at
dealers' showrooms and better yet, prices on the older 8086-based
models, the Compaq Portable and Compaq Plus, have been cut 20%.
The one-drive model 8086-based Compaq Portable, however, was cut
out of the line.  Compaq is now fighting for #2 spot in the micro
hardware wars with Tandy and AT&T.

CONTACT: JEFF STIVES, COMPAQ, 27555 FM 149, HOUSTON, TX 77070
         [phone]

[***][2/25/86][***]
GEORGIA JUNK CALL BILL GUTTED
Rep. Cathey Steinberg's (D-Atlanta) bill to ban computerized
junk phone calls was gutted by a State Senate Committee Thursday.
A substitute rammed through the Senate Governmental Operations
Committee by its chairman, Sen. Culver Kidd, (D-Milledgeville)
would allow the calls from 9 AM to 9 PM, Monday through Saturday,
so long as the calls disclose their purpose in 20 seconds and the
computers don't call every number in an area in order.  Sen. Kidd
said he acted after one Atlanta company claimed it would lay off
400 employees if Steinberg's bill passed. Those who don't like
the substitute might consider having their computers call Sen.
Kidd at home, keeping the line busy 12 hours each day
but identifying the purpose of the call in 20 seconds, of course.
Ha ha, just kidding, Senator.

CONTACT:  SEN. CULVER KIDD  AT [phone]

[***][2/25/86][***]
GEORGIA WINS JAPANESE COMPACT DISC PLANT
Denon America Inc., a subsidiary of Nippon Columbia Co. Ltd.,
announced Thursday it will build a $30 million compact disc plant
on 30 acres of land at Madison, GA, one hour east of Atlanta
along Interstate 20. The plant will employ 200 and will make 12
million CDs a year. Takami Shobochi, chairman of Nippon Columbia,
said his company supplies CDs to RCA's Arista and A&M records,
adding he expects the discs to out-sell records by 1988.

The plant could still become somewhat Americanized. RCA had
planned to make the plant a joint-venture before their recent
merger with General Electric. Mr. Shobochi said their investment
would still be welcomed later on.

CONTACT: JOHN TOON AT GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE
         [phone]

[***][2/25/86][***]
PROBLEMS AT STB?...(Or at IBM)       *Exclusive*
Rumors were flying here about problems with EGA cards from STB
Systems Inc., Richardson, TX. We talked to Bruce Hugel, Quality
Manager with STB, who confirmed one board had come back. "We've
only had one return, with several thousand shipped," he said. STB
quickly changed the board's artwork so it won't happen again.

Hugel added the following. "Admittedly we've found some bugs, but
we've also found those bugs and others in the IBM EGA.  Some of
what are coming back as bugs are just like the IBM -- what's
being reported as a bug was our fixing something the IBM BIOS did
wrong." He gave an example.  "Microsoft Word looked for the IBM
trademark on BIOS. We had to write a statement, 'This is not an
IBM trademark,' and put it in our code. The biggest complaint
we've gotten is incompatibility with color graphics software.
That's something inherent in the IBM design.  The software for
EGA isn't the same as the CGA -- Flight Simulator needed a
special version for the EGA because its CGA version didn't work."

        CONTACT: BRUCE HUGEL, QUALITY MANAGER, STB SYSTEMS INC.,
        601 North Glenville, Suite 125 Richardson, TX
        [phone]

[***][2/25/86][***]
BELLSOUTH REACHES OUT TO TOUCH NEW VENTURES
BellSouth Corp. dealt itself deeper into cellular phones with a
$100 million deal signed February 11 with Mobile Communications
Corp. of America. BellSouth will acquire 50% of MCCA's cellular
subsidiary and 15% of the parent under the agreement.

BellSouth also won a 10-year contract with the Georgia World
Congress Center to handle telecommunications services for trade
show exhibitors in Atlanta. "On the opening day of a show, an
exhibitor will be able to request and receive same day telephone
service," said GWCC executive director Dan Graveline.

CONTACT: LARRY SHEALY, BELLSOUTH ENTERPRISES INC., 675 WEST
         PEACHTREE ST., NE, ATLANTA, GA 30375 [phone]

[***][2/25/86][***]
UNDER THE SPREADING HIGH-TECH TREE, I SOLD YOU AND YOU SOLD ME
Texas Instruments sends us a release from Vermont Microsystems
Inc., Winooski, VT, stating the VM had tested TI's CAD software
with its own Professional Graphics Kit and found it good. The kit
includes a monitor, graphics processor, video cable set, MS-DOS
driver, diagnostics disk and manuals.

CONTACT: TED JERNIGAN, TEXAS INSTRUMENTS, P.O. BOX 2909, AUSTIN,
         TX, 78769 [phone]

[***][2/25/86][***]
IS THE BBS MOVEMENT DEAD?...(Not by a long shot)
The Organization of Atlanta SYSOPS publishes a monthly list of
existing bulletin boards in the Atlanta direct-dial area. The
latest list, published in January, shows (get this) 127 active
systems. Not bad for a city of 2 million.

CONTACT: TOM BRADY, DECIBLE RCP/M-MBBS [phone]



[***][2/25/86][***]
MULTIMATE MOVES
Ashton-Tate has decided to give walking papers to 70 MultiMate
employees in New England and will move all production,
distribution and marketing of MultiMate products to its
headquarters in Torrance.  The 70, representing 35 percent of
the division's employees, will be laid off over the next six
months.  Some MultiMate operations are expected to continue at
the East Hartford, Conn., plant.  Also, MultiMate president
Wilton Jones will leave the company in March.

CONTACT:  ASHTON-TATE, 20101 HAMILTON, TORRANCE, CA 90502
          [phone]

[***][2/25/86][***]
WINNAH! WINNAH!
GTECH of Providence, R.I., won't be the only computer company to
benefit from that $121 million contract for California Lottery
terminals.  Mistix, a computerized reservations-service firm in
San Diego, plans to merge with GTECH.  The San Diego firm
recently signed a five-year deal with the state to provide
computerized reservations for all of California's campsites.  In
addition, Mistix is currently negotiating to buy Teleseat from
the San Diego Padres baseball team.

[***][2/25/86][***]
JUMP BALL
"I wanted to have the assurance that we will have the right
advertising in the future."  With those words, Apple chairman
John Sculley tossed the $50 million Big Red advertising account
into the air and stepped back to watch Chiat/Day of Los Angeles
and BBDO of New York battle for the business.  According to
"Adweek" magazine, Sculley said the agency review process would
take "roughly 60 days."  BBDO is said to have the height
advantage, being preferred by Sculley himself, but Chiat/Day has
the on-court experience with Apple.  "We want a clear vision
where we're taking Apple, and we want to be sure our products
get the best advertising," said Sculley.  Apparently, a key
player is former Chiat/Day creative director Steve Hayden,
creator of the landmark "1984" campaign.  He recently went back
to work for Chiat/Day "in an undetermined capacity."  The other
team stands behind Philippe Michel, BBDO's Paris office creative
supervisor.  "Michel, like Hayden, is a top creative talent,"
says Sculley.  Las Vegas sports books are not offering odds on
the outcome, but handicappers here at NEWSBYTES-L.A. are giving
BBDO a seven-to-five edge against the home team.

CONTACT:  CHIAT/DAY, 517 S. OLIVE, LOS ANGELES, CA 90013
          [phone]

[***][2/25/86][***]
GATEWAY'S RUSTY NAILS                  *** E X C L U S I V E ***
The Los Angeles Times-sponsored Gateway videotex service may
need to replace a key hinge, the NAPLPS software necessary to
access the service.  A Canadian firm, Microstar, calls the
bundled videotex software Personality+II, and users are
reporting that it has a few neurotic characteristics.  For
example, the software is copy protected and will not run without
a key disk in the "A:" drive of an IBM-PC.  Gateway subscribers
find that, when using PC-DOS versions 3.0 and above, the disk
refuses to boot the communications program.  The only solution
is to do a "dir" listing of the file containing the copy
protection codes, then immediately try to execute the program.

It works about half of the time.  "We chose Microstar because
they already had the product on the shelf," said a Gateway
spokesman.  "We don't claim any responsibility for anything
except the Gateway service itself."  Speaking of service,
Gateway has found ways to charge subscribers for any number of
"extras," including Telenet access (an extra $.07/minute during
the day, $.02/minute at night), Electronic Mail ($.20 per
message, *in addition to* the regular connect-time rates), and
even charges to replace the defective Personality+II software
($5.00 per diskette).  Expecting complaints, Gateway is the only
service we've heard of that prints the address and phone number
of the California Department of Consumer Affairs in its
documentation.

CONTACT:  GATEWAY VIDEOTEX, P.O. BOX 25979, SANTA ANA, CA 92799
          [phone]

[***][2/25/86][***]
COMPUTER MEMORIES ON THE MAT AGAIN
Chatsworth-based Computer Memories reports that it lost another
$21.3 million in its third quarter, ended December 31, despite
an 11% increase in revenue.  The troubled company attributed
$16.1 million to inventory, property and equipment write-downs.
Another $6 million went to Milpitas-based Quantum, as part of a
patent infringement settlement.

CONTACT:  COMPUTER MEMORIES, 9216 EATON AVE., CHATSWORTH, CA 91311
          [phone]

[***][2/25/86][***]
WYLE LABS PROFIT DOWN
El Segundo-based Wyle Laboratories said it expects to see 1985
net income down to just $1.5 million, compared to $9.3 million
the year before.  The computer-component and systems-
manufacturing firm said the drop was due to a write-off of costs
associated with the anticipated sale of two manufacturing
operations.

CONTACT:  WYLE LABORATORIES, 128 MARYLAND, EL SEGUNDO, CA 90245
          [phone]

[***][2/25/86][***]
DISKETTES GONE, PERFECTDATA BREAKS EVEN
PerfectData of Chatsworth posted a very narrow profit in its
third quarter, ended December 31.  How narrow?  The firm's
accounting department said it was in the black only to the tune
of $4,000 for the three months.  Considering that the company
had losses of $656,000 at this time a year ago, that's not as
bad as it sounds.  PerfectData has abandoned the diskette
manufacturing game in favor of its basic business, maintenance
equipment and aftermarket computer supplies.  "I'm glad to get
out of the floppy business," said president C. Paul Davis.
"It's scary."

[***][2/25/86][***]
THE WAVE
Local semiconductor companies have been helped by a recent "wave
of good press," says Richard Farrer, vice president of planning
at International Rectifier.  The El Segundo-based chip maker
said its stock jumped 30 percent last week.  "There's more
optimism toward semiconductors," says Farrer, who predicts that
a current surge in orders should make 1986 a big improvement
over the disasterous 1985.  "We're seeing a tremendous amount of
advanced activity and expect to zoom ahead."

CONTACT:  INTERNATIONAL RECTIFIER, 233 KANSAS, EL SEGUNDO, CA 90245
          [phone]

[***][2/25/86][***]
DUSTING OFF
Do you occasionally take a swipe at your computer equipment with
a dust rag?  No, no, no!  Mary Bozanic, founder of Advanced
Computer Supply, says you're doing it all wrong.  The Santa
Monica firm specializes in keeping computer rooms spotless, and
recommends using special, chemically treated cloths that
"absorb" the dirt particles.  Bozanic should know.  Her company
handles post-emergency cleanups and is helping protect large
Southland computer installations from floods, fires and
earthquakes.  Dusting, she says, just moves the motes of dust
around to where they can be whisked into diskette drives by
computer cooling fans.  "NEVER dust," she says.  Wait until my
wife reads this....

CONTACT:  ADVANCED COMPUTER SUPPLY, 1627 STANFORD,
          SANTA MONICA, CA 90403   [phone]

[***][2/25/86][***]
ONE-STOP STOPPED
Less than a year ago, three groups of investors were all
considering Los Angeles as a desirable site for a high-tech
computer mart.  Since then, one has quit the effort in disgust,
another has postponed plans indefinitely, and the third now
favors a scaled-down project.  "The concept is about five years
too early," says Trudy Drypolcher of Bay West Development Co. of
San Francisco.  Bay West has lost $25 million on the San
Francisco Datamart project, and had plans for a similar project
locally.  Developer Trammell Crow still believes L.A. will be
ripe for one of his Infomarts, but not right yet.  "Los Angeles
is part of our long-term strategy," says spokeswoman Nancy
Keene.  In other words:  Don't call us, we'll call you.
Finally, High Technology Distributing Co. of Van Nuys is
searching for a tech-mart site somewhere in the San Fernando
Valley.  Company president Perry Solomon says he wants to cut 20
percent off his original idea, a 100,000 square-foot building.
"I'd rather be in a smaller, more realistic business than in a
large business that's out of control the way this industry was
18 months ago," he says.

[***][2/25/86][***]
BEACHBITS

->  Triconex Corp. of Irvine says it cut its workforce by 16
    employees last week.  Triconex makes controls for automated
    factory equipment.  The company is left with just 37
    employees.

->  Tandon has hired yet another old IBMer, Joseph Sarubbi.  He
    was named senior vice president of manufacturing operations,
    a new position.  Sarubbi was with Big Blue for 33 years,
    recently acting as the manager of operations for the Entry
    Systems division, the people behind the IBM-PC.




[***][2/25/86][***]
4M DRAMS FROM NEC AND TOSHIBA:
NEC and Toshiba, respectively, announced (2/17) that they have
successfully developed 4M DRAMs. NEC's NMOS-type 4M DRAM has
approximately 9.2 million elements on a 6.2mm x 16mm chip.
Meanwhile, Toshiba has developed two kinds of CMOS 4M DRAM --
a 4M-word x 1-bit and a 1M-word x 4-bit DRAM. Those 4M DRAMs
were introduced at ISSCC (International Solid-State Circuits
Conference) in Anaheim, CA, on Feb. 19.

CONTACT: NEC at 03-454-1111, and Toshiba at 03-457-4511 (Tokyo)


Meanwhile, Matsushita Electric has developed a 1M DRAM for
videotex.  This new DRAM "MN4700" performs high speed input/
output of signals at 30 nano-seconds, and it is used for TVs
and VCRs. The samples of MN4700 is expected to be sold at
US$100 in May.

Contact: Matsushita Electric at 03-437-1121 (Tokyo)

[***][2/25/86][***]
NEC'S 32-BIT MPU:
NEC will start marketing the samples of its original 32-bit
MPU "V60" in May. V60, with a processing speed of 3.5 MIPS,
emulates the commands of other V-series MPUs such as V20(8-bit),
V30(16-bit), V40(8-bit) and V50(16-bit).  The price of sample
V60 is expected to be around US$500.  NEC also plans to release
the upper version of 32-bit V-series "V70," which has a
processing speed of 6.0 MIPS, by the end of this year, a report
says.

CONTACT: NEC, Kawasaki-shi (Japan), V-series Dept.
         044-533-1111 ext.491

Meanwhile, Toshiba has developed a 32-bit pictorial-data
processor.  According to a report, its processing time is 50
nano-seconds.

[***][2/25/86][***]
JAPANESE LOTUS 1-2-3 UPDATE:
Mr. Charles J. Digate, the visiting vice president of Lotus Co.,
has told the Japanese press that the Japanese version of Lotus
1-2-3 will be released around this summer.  This version is
designed for NEC PC-9801 and IBM 5550, and will be priced at
US$500 - $600.  Also, Mr. Digate has mentioned that Lotus Japan,
which was established in Tokyo last September, plans to increase
the number of its personnel by a factor of three.  Will Lotus
bloom in Japan?  We'll see.

CONTACT: Lotus Development Corp., Jack Plimpton, International Sales
         03-358-6820 (Tokyo)

[***][2/25/86][***]
CARNEGIE MELLON WANTS HELP FROM JAPAN:
According to a published report, Carnegie Mellon University's
president Richard Cyert, who is currently visiting Japan, has
mentioned that Carnegie M. University is thinking of cooperating
with Japanese computer industries especially  in the fields of
AI and machine translation. President Cyert has suggested that
about 250 researchers from both Japan and the U.S. may be
involved in these projects in the future. Meanwhile, Carnegie
Mellon's educational LAN, which is being developed with IBM's
assistance,  will be completed around this September. Carnegie
Mellon has been planning to jointly design an educational program
for this LAN with Steven Jobs' Next Inc., the president says.

[***][2/25/86][***]
WORKSTATION FOR SIGMA PROJECT:
The new trial workstation for "SIGMA PROJECT," the MITI's
nation-wide network project to increase software productivity,
is expected to be completed in September. The workstation dubbed
"SIGMA WS" has a 32-bit CPU, 4M memory, an 80M 5" hard disk,
a magnetic tape and a bit map display with 1,000 x 1,000
resolution.  The machine's processing speed is said to be over
1MIPS. The operating system, based on AT&T's UNIX system v2.2,
includes the features of the Berkeley version's UNIX 4.2BSD
and the Japanese language.  The price of this trial system will
be under US$15,000.  Moreover, it will be lowered to
$5,000 or less by 1989, the committee's spokesman says.
(MITI: the Ministry of International Trade and Industry)

CONTACT: SIGMA System Development Committee
         03-255-0421 (Akihabara, Tokyo)

[***][2/25/86][***]
PARALLEL PROCESSORS DUE:
Mitsubishi Electric will tart marketing "PSI," a by-product of
the 5th generation computer project "ICOT (Institute for New
Generation Computer Technology)" around May. Meanwhile, NEC has
also been planning to market the company's 5th generation
computer "CHI" (pronounced as "kai"). According to a published
report, CHI has a memory four times as large as PSI, and
moreover it runs programs five times faster than PSI.

CONTACT: Mitsubishi Electric, Tokyo  -  03-218-2816
         NEC, Tokyo  -  03-454-1111

[***][2/25/86][***]
<<< SUKIYAKI BYTES >>>

IBM INTRODUCES NEW MODELS -- IBM Japan introduced (2/19) its
new models of medium and large-scale general purpose computers.
These are IBM 4381 Models 11, 12, 13 and 14.  Also, entry models
"150" and "190" have been introduced as new members of IBM 3090
family.  IBM Japan will start shipping these new models around
April.

CONTACT: IBM Japan, 03-586-1111

HITACHI'S SUPER-FAST LOGIC CIRCUIT -- Hitachi has developed
a 4-bit x 4-bit parallel circuit using Josephson logic circuit.
This new circuit is said to have achieved the world-fastest
processing speed of 210 pico-seconds. Believe it or not, one
pico-second is one trillionth of a second. Wow!  The circuit
will be used as a switching device for a next generation
supercomputer.

CONTACT: HITACHI, Tokyo, 03-258-2057 (PR. Dept.)

1M SRAM -- Toshiba announced (2/20) that it has developed a
console-type 1M static RAM (SRAM) with the access time of 62
nano-seconds.  This SRAM has the same memory cell structure
as that of DRAM.  It will be shipped in a year, a spokesman says.
Meanwhile, NEC has come up with a 256K static RAM of which
standard access time is as fast as 25 nano-sec!


JAPANESE RAMIS II -- Intelligent Systems (Tokyo), a joint venture
of Mitsui Bussan Trading Corp. and Martin Marietta Corp.
(U.S.A.), has developed a kanji version of "RAMIS II."  RAMIS II
is a supporting tool for developing application programs for
general purpose computers, originally developed by Martin
Marietta Corp. Japanese RAMIS II is expected to be released in
April.

CONTACT: Intelligent Systems, 2-1-2 Hirakawa-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
         03-239-2650


DATABANK -- Nine major Japanese enterprises including Mitsubishi
Shoji Trading Co., Daiwa Securities Co., and Japan LCA will
launch a databank company dubbed "VentureLink" in Tokyo on 3/1
in order to provide information about various technologies and
businesses. This new company will also tie up with Venture
Magazine Co. (U.S.A.) to start providing VM's databases in Japan,
a report says.

CONTACT: Mitsubishi Trading Co., Tokyo
         03-210-2171 (PR Dept.)


TOSHIBA'S OPTICAL DISK DRIVE -- Toshiba has started shipping
samples of a 5" write-in type optical disk drive with 800MB
memory. The list price of this new optical disk drive "WM-M050"
is US$7,500.

CONTACT: Toshiba, Tokyo, 03-457-4511


RECEDING IC EXPORT -- The Japanese Ministry of Finance reported
on 2/17 that the total volume of Japan's IC export in 1985 was
US$2.9 billion, or a 25.2% decrease compared with last year.
The total export volume to the U.S. was US$ 1.15 billion, or a
38.3% decrease.


LAWSUIT GOES ON -- Tandon does not like ITC's decision to have
ruled that Mitsubishi did not infringe Tandon's FDD copyright.
So Tandon appealed to the Federal Court this time. We'll see
how Mitsubishi reacts.



[***][2/25/86][***]
INFOCOM ACQUIRED:
You are in a maze of twisty passages, all leading to.......
California. Several weeks ago, a spokesperson for Infocom, the
Cambridge, MA-based marketer of Zork and The Hitchhikers Guide to
the Galaxy, told NEWSBYTES that the company was "definitely not"
for sale. Well Guess what? This week, game maker Activision of
Mountain View, CA acquired Infocom for a $7.5 million dollar
stock swap. Infocom's recent foray into the business software
field with their "Cornerstone" database manager drained resources
from the company, forcing the layoff over the past six months of
65 of the company's 110 employees. Infocom was founded in 1979 by
a ten-person group from MIT's Computer Science Lab. Activision
spokesperson Brooke Battles says Infocom will remain in
Massachusetts, and they have "no intention of fooling around"
with Infocom." She also said that Infocom is "taking another
look" at Cornerstone, which recently went to $99 from $495; but
that the final decision on the future of the product will remain
with them.

CONTACTS: Activision, PO Box 7286, Mountain View, CA 94039
          415-960-0410

          Infocom, 55 Wheeler St., Cambridge, MA 02138
          617-492-1031

[***][2/25/86][***]
ASHTON-TATE CHOPS MULTIMATE:
(corresponding story in NEWSBYTES-LOS ANGELES)
California-based Ashton-Tate, which recently finalized its
acquisition of Connecticut-based Multimate International,
announced this week that over the next six months, they'll be
cutting Multimate's staff from 196 to 70 people. This
"consolidation" move will eliminate redundant positions at
Multimate. Strangely enough, over the past few weeks Multimate
has been running large help-wanted ads in the BOSTON GLOBE,
though resumes are supposed to be sent to Ashton-Tate.

CONTACTS: Multimate International, 52 Oakland Ave., East
          Hartford, CT 06108, 203-522-2116

          Ashton-Tate, 20101 Hamilton Ave., Torrance, CA
          90502, 213-329-8000

[***][2/25/86][***]
LOTUS BUYS STOCK:
Lotus Development said this week that it'll be buying back some
10% of its common stock -- about 1,650,000 shares. A Lotus
spokesperson said the company has about $90 million in cash, and
needed to invest it. Stock analysts see the move as an attempt by
Lotus to boost the value of its stock, which has sold on the over
the counter market at a relatively low value for the size (and
success) of the company. As soon as Lotus announced the move,
their stock jumped some two points to 24-1/4, and continued a
slow climb through the week.

CONTACT:  Lotus Development, 55 Cambridge Parkway, Cambridge, MA
          02142, 617-577-8500

[***][2/25/86][***]
LEADING EDGE DEBUTS AT CLONE:
Canton, MA-based Leading Edge, whose low-cost Korean-built "Model
D" PC clone has been a huge success, will start shipping an AT
clone by the end of this month. The basic "Model MH" will retail
for $2495, and will include a 1.2-meg drive and monitor. A 20-meg
version of the MH will also be available. Like the much-more-
expensive Compaq 286, the MH will run nearly a third faster than
the IBM AT. The MH is manufactured in Japan by Mitsubishi, who
made the original Leading Edge Model M. Both Leading Edge and
Mitsubishi are still awaiting trial on countersuits over that
situation.

CONTACT:  Leading Edge Hardware Products, 225 Turnpike Road,
          Canton, MA 02021, 800-343-6833

[***][2/25/86][***]
FIRST SOFTWARE THINKS AGAIN:
It was a marriage made in heaven for hard-pressed computer
stores. Last November, Lawrence MA-based First Software, one of
the largest wholesale software distributors in the country,
announced something called a "Corporate Access Program," under
which the distributor would directly ship software to corporate
accounts as well as do the billing, with the profits going to the
dealer. For dealers, it sounded too good to be true--and it was.
Major companies such as Lotus and Ashton-Tate objected to the
plan, claiming that it violated distributor agreements. First
software has gone back to a less aggressive program with little
fanfare, with dealers now doing the shipping. Some industry
analysts say Lotus and others were nervous about the First
Software's program becoming a sort of site-license plan because
of volume discounts, something from which many large software
developers have shied away.

CONTACT:  First Software, 17-21 Ballard Way, Lawrence, MA 01845
          617-689-0077

[***][2/25/86][***]
CANDID COMMENTS FROM IBM PRESIDENT:
IBM President and CEO John Akers, speaking two weeks ago at a
Harvard University School of Government forum, defended IBM's
business in South Africa, saying that IBM's "bedrock principle is
participation." Akers said IBM wants to contribute to change, but
acknowledged that the company's 1965 winning bid to run South
Africa's passbook system was "a mistake." Akers also said that
working mothers have led to the downfall of the family. According
to Akers, "We're raising children that do not have an education
and do not have the involvement of the mother in growing up and
becoming a useful citizen."

Meanwhile, a Boston investment firm specializing in "socially
responsible" investments has highly recommended Digital Equipment
Corporation. Franklin Research and Development Corporation says
DEC "has a social vision that sets it apart from its peers."  The
firm touts DEC for staying out of South Africa, says sales to the
military represent only .08% of its sales, and the company also
gives 2.4 of its revenues to charitable organizations

[***][2/25/86][***]
WANNA BET?
Talk about vertical markets! Providence, RI-based GTech
Corporation this past week inked agreements with both New York
state and California to run those states' computerized numbers
games. The agreements make GTech the largest computer lottery
company in the world -- they now run the computer systems of
lotteries in seven states, Canada, and Australia and have 60% of
the world-wide market. The five-year-old company has 800
employees and had sales of $54 million last year. Their
proprietary gaming terminals and software run with Concurrent
Computer Corporation mainframe computers. A spokesperson says the
magnitude of California's game has created a programming
challenge for the company's programmers; computer for that system
will need to handle some 400,000 bets PER MINUTE.

CONTACT:  Don McCauley, GTech, 101 Dier St., Providence, RI
          02905, 401-273-7700

[***][2/25/86][***]
APOLLO INTRODUCTION:
Chelmsford, MA-based Apollo Computer introduced a new series of
engineering workstations this past week. Prices for the low-end
series 3000 start at $9900, and a mid-range series goes from
$30,000-$80,000. The products, priced about 25% less than
Apollo's prior series, are the company's bid to stay on top of
the potentially-lucrative engineering market. Heavy competition
from California-based Sun Microsystems, as well as from IBM and
DEC, caused the meteoric rise of Apollo to fall last year, with
the resultant layoff of 300 people.

Meanwhile, when Apollo founder and chairman J. WIlliam Poduska
left the company last year to form yet another new workstation
company, Apollo hailed the move as the beginning of a new
alliance and new era. Now, Apollo has announced that they're
turned down an initial opportunity to invest in Poduska's
company. So far, the only agreement the two companies have
reached is that Poduska can recruit up to six Apollo employees
during the next three years.

CONTACT:  Apollo Computer, 330 Billerica Rd., Chelmsford, MA
          01824, 617-256-6600

[***][2/25/86][***]
COMPUTER DEVICES RISES AGAIN:
Another company is coming out of Chapter 11. Computer Devices,
which went bankrupt in 1983, has had its reorganization plan
approved by a Massachusetts court. The company, which for many
years was successful selling a portable terminal/printer to
specialized users, went down when it introduced a non-compatible
portable computer back in 1982, at the same time the Osborne I
was a booming success. The computer never caught on, forcing the
company to go Chapter 11. Though Computer Devices will soon be
coming out, a spokesperson told NEWSBYTES that they'll be
concentrating on sales of their portable terminal, and have "no
intention" of re-introducing their computer.

CONTACT:  Computer Devices, Inc., 749 Middlesex Turnpike, Nutting
          Lake, MA 01865, 617-663-4980.

[***][2/25/86][***]
BREAKING THE SPEED LIMIT:
It was only a matter of time before some clever engineer figured
out how to circumvent IBM's 6 MHz "speed limit" in its AT
computer. ROMs released last year have a check routine that put a
crimp in the business of high-speed crystal kit makers. But NJ-
based Ariel says it has a solution. Their XCELX is a hardware
board that replaces the IBM crystal and switches to high speed
after the speed-check routines are finished. XCELX retails for
$79.95. The only potential problem is that the company says some
of the IBM-supplied 80286 microprocessors won't work correctly at
the higher speed. For $299.95, they'll sell you a new chip
guaranteed to run at 10 MHz.

CONTACT:  Ariel Corp., PO Box 866, Flemington, NJ 08822,
          201-788-9002

[***][2/25/86][***]
THE DAISY MATRIX:
Can't decide between a daisy-wheel printer or a dot-matrix
printer? Worry no longer! Brother has introduced a combination
printer that's BOTH. The Twinwriter prints with its daisy wheel
at 36 cps and at 140 cps in dot matrix. Still can't decide which
one to use? You can even mix daisy wheel and dot matrix printing
on the same page. The Twinwriter retails for $1295. A tractor
feed or cut sheet feeder are extra.

CONTACT:  Brother International Corp., 8 Corporate Place,
          Piscataway, NJ 08854, 201-981-0300


[***][2/25/86][***]
SINCLAIR CHANGES APPROACH:
Now that Newsbytes UK has had a chance of a hands-on with
Sir Clive Sinclair's new 128K version of the Spectrum micro
(see last weeks edition), which is really quite nice, the
dust has started to settle on the publicity machine that
surrounded the machine's launch.  Speaking at the launch of
the machine, Bill Jeffrey CEO of Sinclair Research, said
that the company has spent a lot of time listening to what
their customers - home and business users alike - actually
want.  Jeffrey says that, as a result of this, his company
has become 'consumer-led', as opposed to technology-led'.
Since that announcement, Sir Clive Sinclair has himself said
that the company has repaid almost 10 million pounds ($14m)
in debts, which still oea~ves the same amount again to be
repaid - a situation markedly better than when the group was
on the brink of disaster!  The final payments, said Sir
Clive, are due for discussion at the end of March.  Since
the company has just announced 'firm' orders with a retail
value of 8 million pounds for the new Spectrum 128, the
future is beginning to look a bit brighter for the
entrepenuerial Sir Clive.  Brush the dust off those
rose-tinted spectacles!

Contact: Sinclair Research Ltd., Camberley, United Kingdom.
         Tel: UK: 0276-685-311    US: 011-44-276-685-311

[***][2/25/86][***]
ANYONE WANNA BUY AN AMIGA?
With rumours flying about the state of Commodore
International's financial health, which is, the pundits say,
due for a shakeout at the end of this month, with the
creditors ready to pull the plug, it comes as no surprise
that one anonymous industry source claims an approach by
Commodore with a view to selling off - lock, stock and
barrel - the rights to the Amiga series.  This astionishing
revelation has come from a company with severe financial
problems themselves (see previous story), so perhaps it
isn't too surprising to note that Sinclair Research turned
down the offer - their kitty is empty!  Even so, staff at
Commodore's UK facilities are very anxious indeed.  If your
job were on the line, wouldn't you be too?

** Commodore UK are being asked for 2 million pounds ($2.8m)
by the the UK goverment for a grant given to them on
condition that they fulfil a five year plan of production.
Since the plant closed last year, the Department of Trade
and Industry have cried foul and asked for a refund... ever
so nicely...

[***][2/25/86][***]
FIRST EVER DEDICATED ATARI SHOW:
London will be the host for the first ever dedicated Atari
show next month, organised by Manchester based Database
Publications, who publish several magazines including 'Atari
User' here in the UK.  Jack Tramiel, the man himself, will
jet in especially for the show which, according to Rob
Harding, Atari  UK's Sales and Marketing Director, will be
the perfect launching pad for some "exciting new
developments".  Inside sources to Atari UK say that visitors
to the show will see, for the first time in the UK, an Atari
ST hooked up to a CD-ROM player, and (wonders will never
cease), an Atari brand hard disc for the ST.  Newsbytes UK
will believe it when we see it!

Contact: Database Publications Ltd., Europa House, 68
         Chester Road, Hazel Grove,  Stockport, SK7 5NY, United
         Kingdom.
         Tel: UK: 061-456-8383   US: 011-44-61-456-8383

[***][2/25/86][***]
PSSST! WANNA BUY A USED (FRENCH) CAR?
Whilst the UK's colour Prestel viewdata system struggles
with its 60,000 user base, the word from our French cousins
is that an interactive used car database has been added to
the Intelmatique videotext service.  The service, which
underwent localised tests last summer, is to go national in
France later this month.  According to Jean Denarier, the
coordinator of the APEX project, the service handled 5,000
enquiries in its first month of operation and is readying
itself to handle enquiries in the hundred's of thousands per
month.  Using a gateway service, the APEX system allows
French subscribers to selectively scan the car listings with
details of car make, model, year, price, mileage and
geographical location, and also display the sellers name,
address, phone and mailbox number.  Intelmatique subscribers
- who currently number two million - can browse the APEX
service for free, but if you're selling, it'll cost you
around 10 dollars to advertise their car for a three week
period.  Since the French vidoetex system offers
homebanking, online loans, and car insurance, APEX will,
says Denarier, soon offer the ability to actually transact
the complete sale of a car online, with both seller and
buyer 'logging-on' at the same time.  Can The Source compete
we ask ourselves...

[***][2/25/86][***]
BLASTING OFF TO PROFIT:
The European Space Agency, jostling with NASA for a share of
the lucrative satellite launching pie, successfully launched
the latest Ariane space rocket late last Friday (UK time).
Two satellites were launched in the 16th space shot by the
Euro-consortium.  One was a Swedish scientific probe, the
other French 'observation' satellite.  The French 'Spot 1 '
satellite comes into direct competition with the US Landsat
satellite series, and will no doubt give the US industry
quite a a headache whilst it struggles to come to terms with
the shuttle tragedy's aftermath.

Contact:  European Space Agency, Esrin, Via Galileo Galilei, 00044
          Frascati, Italy, Tel [phone]. Telex 610637.

[***][2/25/86][***]
KEEPING INFORMED ON THE MOVE:
Whilst you're on the move in that executive mobile of yours,
why not logon to your favourite database and keep informed?
West German hi-tech manufacturer Blaupunkt has realised this
unrequited executive need and brought out a portable unit
comprising keyboard, screen and video recorder that fits
between the front seats of an average automobile.  The snag
is the price - 1,700 pounds - but since when has an
executive on a fat expense account stopped to worry about
the price?

[***][2/25/86][***]
WHEN IS A PROGRAMMER NOT A PROGRAMMER?:
The answer, it seems, is when he or she works for British
Telecom.  Currently, BT is holding top secret discussions
with the National Communications Union to rejig most of
their clerical staff into programmers.  Now if that sounds
like getting programmers on the cheap, it's exactly what the
NCU thinks.  Sounds like BT could be in for a bit of
industrial action this year!

[***][2/25/86][***]
DIALLING UP WILL NEVER BE THE SAME:
For the thousands of UK Prestel subscribers who regularly
dial up using their simple modems, life looks set to change.
British Telecom quietly announced this week that the
existing Prestel access network is to be phased out.
Currently the dedicated network offers local call access to
around 98 per cent of the UK.  The replacement 'Vasscomm'
service will use the UK's packet switched network - PSS - to
access the service.  The use of the packet network will, BT
claim, make it possible for Prestel users to easily
establish links with other packet switched hosts like The
Source for example!

Contact: British Telecom National Networks, Customer Service
         Group, G070Lutyens House, 1-6 Finsbury Circus, London, EC2M
         7LY, United Kingdom.
         Tel: UK: 01-920-0661   US: 011-44-1-920-0661
         Telex (UK) 883040

[***][2/25/86][***]
MEANWHILE IN CANADA...
The British Government (Gawd bless 'em) have finally dotted
their 'i's and crossed their 't's, and given assent to the
proposal that British Telecom buy a controlling interest in
the Canadian Mitel Corporation.  The deal will give BT an
important foothold in the *very* competitive North American
market, and BT have lost no time in saying they intend to
sweep in 'aggressively' to the US and Canada.  Quite how
they'll do such a feat worthy of superman beats us here at
Newsbytes UK.  Mitel has consistently lost money over the
past few years and now hold a mere 10 per cent of the
telephone switchboard market in North America (Source: AP
news).  BT will buy a 51 per cent interest in Mitel which
will cost them Canadian $320m (US $230m).  Now all that's
left is for Investment Canada to approve the deal.  Over to
you Reid...


[***][2/25/86][***]
CHIP TALKS UNDERWAY
What are described as "technical talks" began in Washington last
week between U.S. negotiators and Japanese government officials
over opening Japan to greater market penetration by U.S.
semiconductors. The formal U.S. position is expected to be
presented to the Japanese in Tokyo early next month by Deputy
U.S. Trade Representative Michael Smith and Commerce
Undersecretary Bruce Smart. Smith's boss, Trade Representative
Clayton Yeutter, told a House committee he's looking for a speedy
settlement of the dispute. The International Trade Commission has
already ruled in a petition filed by the Semiconductor Industry
Association, with Administration backing, that Japan is dumping
chips in the U.S. Unless the Japanese agree to a voluntary
settlement including easier access to the Japanese market, say
Administration sources, then the White House may impose
countervailing import duties on the 64K bit RAM chips from Japan.

[***][2/25/86][***]
IRS TESTS COMPUTERIZED FILINGS
The first Americans to file their tax returns by computer have
started getting refunds from the Internal Revenue Service. IRS
Commissioner Roscoe Egger told reporters last week that the
agency has received 3,000 tax returns over wire so far from
Phoenix, Cincinnati, and Raleigh-Durham, where the taxmen are
testing computerized filing. Egger said he expects to see 60,000
electronic returns during the test. Taxpayers in the test can use
one of six firms which workup the returns on their computers and
then zip them off to the IRS computers. Egger says he hopes that
universal filing by home computers will be available by 1995.
Egger said he may expand the test to 10 cities next year, because
computerized filing appears to save the agency time and dollars
and reduce errors.

[***][2/25/86][***]
CULLINET SETTLES WITH U.S.
Cullinet Software Inc. has settled a dispute with Uncle Sam by
agreeing to pay the government $615,000. Cullinet, based in
Westwood, Mass., didn't concede the allegations by the U.S.
General Services Administration, but agreed to make the payment
to end the matter. GSA alleged that Cullinet didn't disclose
corporate discounts it was making between 1980 and 1984. that
violated its contract terms with the U.S., which called for the
lowest commercial price, said GSA.

[***][2/25/86][***]
HIGH TECH TOXICS
"Communities investing in high tech development may be on a
collision course with toxics poisoning," warns a 470-page study
titled "High Tech and Toxics: A Guide to Local Communities."
Manufacturing semiconductors, computers, scientific instruments,
and communications gear generates large amounts of solvents,
acids, bases, metals, and gases, all toxic, the study says.
"The problem is not that high tech pollution is worse than any
other chemical-intensive industry's pollution," explains author
Susan Sherry. "What is particularly dangerous is the common
perception that these industries are clean, light, and risk-
free."

Sherry works for California's Empire Health Planning Center. She
led a team of more than a dozen environmental health scientists,
chemical engineers, physicians, policy analysts and researchers
on a two-year project to produce the study for the Conference on
Alternative State and Local Policies in Washington. The study is
available for $19.95 to individuals and governments, $39.95 to
businesses.

CONTACT: CONFERENCE ON ALTERNATIVE STATE AND LOCAL POLICIES, 202-
         387-6030.

[***][2/25/86][***]
THE HIGH TECH LOBBY HEADS EAST
Some 160 high tech executives are headed to Washington this week
for the American Electronics Association's annual Capital Caucus
on Feb. 26. Their chief complaint will be the eroding U.S. share of
the world electronics products and services market. "Their
ability to compete internationally is being severely impaired by
adverse foreign trading rules and regulations, and by aspects of
domestic legislation which have anti-competitive results," said
AEA President J. Richard Iverson.

The delegates to the annual lobbying bash will hear from U.S.
Trade Representative Clayton Yeutter and Rep. Ed Zschau (R-
Calif.), chairman of the House high tech caucus. Zschau is also a
lame duck, who is giving up his House seat for a run at the
Republican nomination to take on Sen. Alan Cranston in the fall.

[***][2/25/86][***]
IBM BALKS ON SHARING DOCUMENTS
The Navy's attempt to untangle problems in the sonar and fire
control system for a new generation of attack submarines has run
into a roadblock erected by IBM, according to "Defense Week"
magazine. The Navy wants Big Blue to share documents on its
submarine advanced combat system, or SUBACS, to an RCA-GE team
brought in to straighten out problems with the fire control
system for the SSN-21 Seawolf class of sub.

But the magazine reports that IBM has refused to allow members
from the RCA-GE team into its Federal Systems Division offices in
suburban Gaithersburg, Md., where the fire control systems are
being developed. "It's going to be a messy situation," predicts
one source familiar with the dispute.

[***][2/25/86][***]
GTE TRIAL DELAYED
The trial of three GTE and former GTE federal marketing
executives, charged with obtaining Navy budget documents
illegally, has been put on hold. Prosecutors are challenging a
ruling by U.S. District Court Judge James Cacheris that the
classified 1984 Navy budget papers be made public during the
trial. Cacheris ruled that once a document is in evidence, it is
open to the public.

Justice Department prosecutors have asked the Fourth Circuit Court
of Appeals in Richmond, Va., to overturn the ruling. They want
the documents to be available only to the courts, lawyers, and
the jury. The government says the GTE officials used the
documents to help in bidding for government high tech contracts.
The businessmen say they did nothing more than is routinely done in
Washington, where classified documents circulate nearly as widely
as the daily newspapers.

[***][2/25/86][***]
MCI OFFERS BULLETIN BOARDS
MCI Mail will set up bulletin boards for users, with all the
typical characteristics: the ability to post information for all
users, or to limit who can read the postings. For $25 per month,
says MCI, customers can maintain up to 10 boards. Editing and
viewing an MCI bulletin board costs 30 cents per minute. There
will be a charge of 25 cents per day for each 1,000 characters
posted to the board, and a cent per day charge for each 1,000
characters stored past five days. MCI Mail customer services has
an "Owner's Guide for MCI Mail Bulletin Boards" and a "User's Guide
for MCI Mail Bulletin Boards" available.

CONTACT: MCI Mail customer services, 800-624-2255. Write MCI
         Mail, 2000 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC, 20036.

[***][2/25/86][***]
WASHINGTON COMPUTER BUSINESS INDEX
The Washington Computer Business Index stands at 175. The
February 17 (Washington's Birthday) issue of "Washington
Business" contained 9.1 pages of computer display ads. Non-
computer display ads totaled 15.65 pages.

[***][2/25/86][***]
POWERBITS

 $$$ The U.S. Department of Energy's San Francisco operations
office has awarded SofTech Inc. a $3.1 million contract for
administrative control and project management software. The award
carries a $2.4 million, two-year renewal option. SofTech, of
Waltham, Mass., has done a lot of programming in Ada, the
standard programming language of the Defense Department.

CONTACT: Jerri De Krief, SofTech Inc., 617-890-6900

 $$$ The Maryland Port Administration in Baltimore is planning a
new computer system to allow the Customs Service to release
cargo for import while the ship is still at sea. The state
awarded Arthur Andersen and Co. a $4.9 million contract in
January to develop the system. It is expected to be operational
by October 1.

 $$$ Eaton Corp.'s data systems services division has lined up a
$17.8 million fixed price contract to provide onsite, on-call
computer maintenance at the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center.
The contract includes options for two more years.


[***][2/25/86][***]
MITEL SALE OK'D BY BRITS:     *EXCLUSIVE*
At press time (Friday Feb. 21), Mitel Corp. of Kanata,
Ontario announced that the British government had approved
the purchase of 51% of its shares by British Telecom PLC.
The sale is still subject to Canadian regulatory review,
and will involve restrictions to which both sides previously
agreed regarding the use of Mitel equipment and British-produced
hardware.  For Mitel the sale will mean a much-needed
influx of capital, and a certain bolstering of its stock
market position, which plummeted a month ago when
negotiations were stalled.  NEWSBYTES * CANADA will provide
full details next week.

[***][2/25/86][***]
RADIO SHACK'S FIRST CANUCK CONTRACT:
United Steelworkers Of America and Radio Shack workers at
the company's only Canadian plant in Barrie, Ontario (100
km north of Toronto) have signed a 15-month deal after
nearly two years of negotiations and strikes.  The pact
means wage increases of 4 per cent immediately, and a
further 1.5 per cent in November; average wages at Radio
Shack's warehouse and distribution centre are now about $8
per hour (CDN).  Union members did not vote on the
settlement, which was ratified by the union executive.
Frank Berry, staff representative, said ratification was
requested by the local's bargaining committee, and
acknowledged that the union did not have much choice but to
agree to the company's terms, as further disputes would
have put the local's existence in jeopardy.

[***][2/25/86][***]
COMMODORE/COMTERM CONFLAGRATION:
Montreal-based Comterm Inc. has filed suit in the Supreme
Court of Ontario against Commodore International Ltd. and
affiliates for $18-million (CDN) in damages.  Comterm
alleges that Commodore has breached a royalty agreement
between the two companies on sales of the IBM-compatible PC-
10 and PC-20 microcomputers.  Commodore claims an action
against them by IBM alleging copyright infringement was the
reason for curtailing the royalties to Comterm; royalties
are now placed in an escrow fund.  Comterm contends that
the apparent action by IBM against Commodore ought not
affect the deal between itself and Commodore.  Comterm is
also seeking an injunction against further sales of the PC-
10 and PC-20, designed by a predecessor company of Comterm.

The damage claim includes loss of royalty payments,
totalling $800,000 as of Nov. 15/85, as well as "increased
expenses, loss of administrative time [and] damages to
reputation."

[***][2/25/86][***]
ENVIRONMENTAL DATABASE AVAILABLE:
QL Systems Ltd., of Kingston, Ontario, suppliers of legal
databases to the province's lawyers and courts, has added
an environmental database to its services.  The information
has been collected from federal and provincial governments,
universities, and industrial sources.
[***][2/25/86][***]
CAREFUL WITH THAT AXE, EUGENE:
Dyonix Greentree Technologies Inc. (Nepean, Ontario) is
developing software into which architectural drawings can
be entered and from which the program will estimate the
quantity of lumber, in various sizes, that will be needed
to construct a house.  The package is aimed at building
contractors and lumber merchants.

[***][2/25/86][***]
CULTURE ONLINE:
"Artnet," a messaging system and database of cultural
information, has gone public.  Subscribers can post
notices, converse with other users, access cultural events
listings or gallery information, and use electronic mail.
Subscription fees have been waived until March 1/86, after
which a registration fee will be charged.   Artnet is
online 24 hours a day, and can be accessed by microcomputer
and modem at: [phone].

CONTACT: CULTURAL SOFTWARE, 658 QUEEN STREET WEST
         TORONTO, ONTARIO  M6J 1E5

[***][2/25/86][***]
PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE OUI OR NO?
A bilingual word processing package providing a vertical
split screen with side-by-side English and French is
offered by Pelada Informatica Inc., of Nepean, Ontario.
"Communique 2.0" allows users to switch between English and
French commands and prompts.  Other features include
encryption, and a utility to convert other popular word-
processing files to the system's format.  "Liason" is also
offered as a bilingual electronic mail package which can be
integrated with Communique; both run on IBM PCs and
compatibles.

CONTACT: PELADA INFORMATICA INC., 179 COLONNADE ROAD
         NEPEAN, ONTARIO  K2E 7J4

[***][2/25/86][***]
AUTO CHIP WOES--CAVEAT EMPTOR:
Jump-starting your late-model car--the one with the cute
talking computer and fancy dashboard displays--on cold
winter mornings can cause voltage surges sufficient to fry
the chips and leave you with a repair bill in excess of
$1,000.  The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) suggests
putting on your car's headlights and heater before
connecting booster cables; this way, some power is drawn
from the engine.  Documented cases of chip damage from jump
starts are rare, but the CAA is "extremely worried about
it."  Owners of such vehicles are cautioned never to use a
24-volt system on a 12-volt car (most tow trucks use 24-
volts), and to make sure when receiving a boost from
another car, to be sure the ignition key is in the off
position.  Some General Motors cars have a voltage-
regulator to protect the onboard computer, and BMW issues a
service bulletin warning owners to disconnect the
computer's fuse before boosting.  Service manager Jurgen
Horenburg refers to the BMW chip, which displays distance
travelled and fuel consumed, as "a gizmo which costs $1,200
to replace."