Newsbytes - International Computing Industry News 1983 May to 1994 June

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[***][3/11/86][***] APPLE VS. THE CHURCH Apple Computer has apparently been cheated out of half a million dollars in a scandal which has rocked the Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco and a local retailer, Computer Connection. Apple attorneys contend the church's Catholic School Purchasing Division received 1500 Apple computers at the school discount rate. Only 400 went to schools--the 900 others were kept by the dealer in charge of implementing the school contract, Computer Connection, whereupon Computer Connection resold the machines to an East Coast outfit at a handsome profit. Of this alledged black market reselling, Computer Connection's attorney Ephraim Margolin, contends, "Nobody did anything improper." Says church spokesman Rev. Miles Riley, "We're painfully aware of it and are trying to resolve it. We want to pay back what is owed and make amends." Apple, meanwhile, is cooperating with the San Francisco district attorney's office as its investigation continues. Apple has suspended its contract with Computer Connection, which was formerly Apple's largest West Coast dealer. CONTACT: Apple Computer, 408-973-3719 Computer Connection, 214 California St., San Francisco, Ca. 415-781-0200 [***][3/11/86][***] HACKER STING NETS 7: A Fremont, Ca. police officer, posing under pseudonyms Dr. Bob, Captain Hacker, and The Revenger, has spent 4 months as sysop of a computer bulletin board devoted to trafficking of stolen credit card numbers, passwords for long distance services, and computer merchandise. Callers to the popular board, however, were unaware that it was based in the Fremont police station and that Sergeant Daniel Pasquale was operating a sting. On Wednesday, March 5, seven teenagers, ranging in age from 15 to 19 years in age, were arrested and at least $12,000 in computer equipment was confiscated. The boys face mostly misdemeanor charges but conviction would mean fines and possibly the loss of their computers. Phoenix Fortress, as the board was called, eventually featured not only stolen passwords and credit numbers, but info on defrauding automatic teller machines, even which local liquor stores would sell to minors and who was dealing drugs. CONTACT: SGT. PASQUALE, FREMONT P.D., 415-790-6800 [***][3/11/86][***] MORROW SKATES ON THIN ICE: The events at Morrow Designs are changing quickly, but here's the basic summary of last week's events at this troubled portable computer maker. Barry Berghorn, president of Morrow Designs, Inc., resigned Friday, March 7. News of the surprising departure of Berghorn was kept hidden from the press at a Palo Alto, Ca. news luncheon (3/4) where company officers, including Berghorn himself, introduced the newest portable computer in the company's line--the Pivot XT. "Things will be very different (at Morrow) since we didn't win the IRS bid. I don't care to struggle any longer," said Berghorn, confirming a tip NEWSBYTES received after the press luncheon. Meanwhile, the new computer, designed by Howard Fullmer, Morrow's director of engineering, is a hard disk-based version of the Pivot II, but also has a more impressive, almost CRT-quality, back-lit LCD display. It is soundly IBM-compatible, weighs 14 1/2 pounds, will retail for a base price of $3,115, and according to Berghorn, "will be shipped in 90 days." And finally, Morrow has reduced the price of the original Pivot II PC portable, effective March 15, to $1,875 from $2,375--a 21-24% cut in price. We'll be closely following the outcome of meetings scheduled this weekend between George Morrow and his associates. Any news on this company will appear here first. CONTACT: MORROW DESIGNS, 600 McCormick, San Leandro, Ca. 94577 415/430-1970 [***][3/11/86][***] MICROSOFT'S CD ROM CONFERENCE: It was a smashing success by most accounts, attracted well over 1,000 participants, far more than Microsoft anticipated. The software, hardware and peripherals developers who attended the First Int'l Conference for CD ROM discussed standards and the medium's potential, but made no decisions or pacts. Alliances and standards will "come over the next six months," said Tom Lopez, Microsoft's new director of CD ROM. The medium has already been embraced by universities and libraries, who account for most of the 11,300 CD ROM players sold, according to Edward Rothchild, consultant. Discussions at the conference in Seattle also were about incorporating pictures with text, designing atlases on disk, and CD ROM with interactive video. All in all, the "Woodstock of CD ROM" was just the beginning of what's to come with this promising technology. One other note: Gary Kildall, who was a keynote speaker, has changed the name of his company in Pacific Grove, Ca. from Activenture to KnowledgeSet Corporation. The reason--complaints from Activision, which said the names were too similar. [***][3/11/86][***] PATRON STEVE: Steve Wozniak gave $2 million to the Technology Center of Silicon Valley last week, the biggest donation to date for the proposed museum/resource center slated to be built in San Jose in '87. Wozniak appeared with Mayor Tom McEnery at a news conference to announce $4.5 million altogether has been raised for the Center with $35 million to go. Wozniak previously donated $800,000 to a proposed Childrens' Discovery Museum, the most recent of a string of generous donations to non-profit cultural organizations. As for this one, Wozniak said, "I'm glad to be a part of this great project," adding that he has a lot of resources from which to draw. Speaking of drawing resources, Steve Jobs hit the Apple tap again, selling 1.3 million more shares between January 2 and 16, netting him $29.5 million. He has 2.2 million Apple shares left. [***][3/11/86][***] STOCK SELL-OUTS: Sun Microsystems and Teknowledge Inc. both reaped big rewards from public stock sales recently. Sun netted $64 million in its first offering. Teknowledge, a software company specializing in AI applications, got $24 million. One of the reasons for tiny Teknowledge's success is its quiet track record--the firm has sold its software to 200 firms for use in oil, banking, aerospace, automotive and other industries. [***][3/11/86][***] EATING WORDS: "PC Week" magazine had a public apology on its cover this week (3/4), saying its stories about IBM winning the IRS portables bid "were unfounded." "The erroneous news reports in this newspaper stemmed from reporting errors and a reliance on sources who, while they knew certain aspects of the contract, were not privy to the central facts and instead speculated about them." The articles in question were written by magazine staffers--none specifically named--who also did not name their sources. "PC Week" is the only publication to make a formal apology to readers concerning the widely- reported fiction of IBM's win. (See George Morrow's editorial--Option11--for a discussion of this phenomenon.) [***][3/11/86][***] IN BRIEF-- INTEL and ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES have raised the price of their EPROM chips by 25%, claiming they can take this action due to the falling value of the dollar, increasing demand, and reduced manufacturing capacity. Speaking of Intel, Bruce LeBoss, executive VP of REGIS MCKENNA, INC. has left to become an officer at Intel. The move means less money for McKenna's firm; LeBoss is expected to establish Intel's own in-house PR office. DAISY SYSTEMS of Mountain View, Ca. has been sued by a group of investors who charge federal securities law violations against the workstation-maker. The class action suit claims Daisy officers "were issuing false positive statements" while selling off their own shares between October '84 and February '85. (See last week's NEWSBYTES-SILICON VALLEY for more on this troubled company.) 13 more corporations have joined the CORPORATION FOR OPEN SYSTEMS. They are Kodak, DuPont, Bechtel, Hughes, Boeing, ITT, Sytek, Texas Instruments, Data General, Excelan, Concurrent Computer Corp., Touch Distrib. Systems and S.E.L. Computer Systems, a division of Gould. Now 37 companies are seeking to establish communications standards between computers. CONTACT: Pam Morgan, Regis McKenna 415-494-2030 BORLAND INTERNATIONAL has announced that it will ship "Turbo Prolog" in April. Says the press release, "The system will outperform other existing Prolog Language tools by factors up to 10,000, with performance comparable to prototypes for the Japanese 5th generation computers." Hoo boy! And it will only cost $99.95!? [***][3/11/86][***] AND FINALLY.. More sex software...this from Phoenix Psychological Institute of Los Gatos, Ca. Out in the next six months, the unnamed program will supposedly tell couples what's wrong with their sex lives. Answer 40 questions and you get graphs showing your performance against that of thousands of other couples across the country interviewed by the Institute. However if you can't wait for the program to hit the market, you can send for the list of 40 questions, answer them, send them back along with a check for $44.95, and you'll get a computerized analysis. CONTACT: Arthur Foster, Phoenix Psychological Institute 248 Blossom Hill Road, Los Gatos, Ca. 408-354-6122 ----- [***][3/11/86][***] IBM's Press Monopoly by George Morrow I've been watching IBM manipulate the PC marketplace for three or four years now and I thought I'd seen everything--that is until this January. Just for openers, we had front page stories in "The New York Times", "PC Week", and "InfoWorld". And these weren't just the usual opening salvo of product rumors. Oh no! They had all the trappings of hard facts--of how IBM had won the IRS contract hands-down and that was that! It was amazing! The impression left by these stories was that all issues regarding the IRS laptop portable computer bid had been put to bed and that IBM had it in the bag. No maybes or almosts-- oh no. Well, these stories had a predictable effect on those of us who have to make ends meet by selling portable computers; sales stopped!!! Now anybody in this business knows that it's tough enough competing with IBM or any of the big guys. But I can tell you that it's nigh near impossible to compete against IBM when the press is in there helping them slug away at the poor little independent. Let's see how it's done. Product Rumors -------------- This is a tactic IBM executes with such skill that even though you know it's coming, you know it's going to hit you, it's almost awe-inspiring to watch. To be able to make a few different prototypes of a product, show them to various people who will talk to reporters, and then have a whole market come to a full stop is a marvelously efficient way to compete. It's instructive to note, though, that there's a deadly ingredient necessary to make this tactic work--enough newspapers and reporters willing to make fiction appear as fact. But it's worse--and it's also sad; those reporters who don't believe, those who won't be led around by their noses, stand mute when IBM runs this famous number. They've been pulling this phantom product trick for something like 20 years now and you'd think it'd be getting just a little old. You'd hope by this time the really good reporters--and there's a lot of them--would stand up and shout, "Enough!" I keep hoping this will happen but I'm not sure I can go on hoping as hard as I want. The Press--the Third Estate--needs to guard more than just our civil liberties; they should be guarding our free marketplace as well. But in this area, I don't think they're doing their job when it comes to IBM. That's how I see it. --George Morrow [***][3/11/86][***] MICRO MART SAGA CONTINUES Micro Mart, the Norcross, GA-based chain whose IBM authorization was lifted for selling into the gray market last month, continues to have big cash-flow trouble. Thursday, it was offering creditors 65 cents on the dollar for its receivables (payable through the end of 1986), while promising to make future purchases for cash. A Micro Mart spokesman also said the company was trying to reduce its credit line exposure; National Bank of Georgia is reportedly its lead bank. If negotiations break down (and they were still going Friday), 3 creditors could take the chain into Chapter 11, or Micro Mart could seek bankruptcy protection on its own. CONTACT: RICHARD KORSKI, PRESIDENT, MICRO MART, 3159 CAMPUS DRIVE, NORCROSS, GA 30071 (404)441-0730 [***][3/11/86][***] COMPUTER RETAILING -- 1986 *Exclusive* Thursday, we visited Crazy Bob's Computer Warehouse, a small office in a faded industrial park off Peachtree Industrial Blvd., northeast of Atlanta. Bob truly sells computers and software like stereos, with tall piles of shrink-wrapped packages at prices 40- 60% off list, all clearly marked. Bob is an authorized AT&T re- seller, with system prices under $2,000. (AT&T's strategy of high list prices but its demands that merchandise move at some price makes the marriage with Bob a happy one.) There I met an old friend. We'd first met in 1982 when she had a hot mini and mainframe database selling at $10,000 per pop. A year later, she was peddling it on micros at $1,000. Last year she sold the software company to a micro-mainframe vendor and vowed to stay on. Now she's sifting Bob's for a good $500 printer. "A friend and I are putting together hardware and software systems as a vertical package for beauty shops," she says proudly. By buying at Bob's, she cuts carrying costs and carries on as a Value Added Reseller (VAR), in a niche hardly big enough to notice. Where does that leave conventional computer stores, she asks. They can't get at her niche--it's too small. And they can't challenge her prices; her trips to Bob represents most of her overhead. Later I talked to general manager Al Ritter. (Bob Barnetts is the name partner.) He said Bob's is now a 5-store chain (Atlanta, Raleigh, NC Columbia, SC, Charleston, SC, and Jacksonville, FL) with a 6th outlet opening in Orlando next month. Before starting Bob's in late 1983 the two had been partners in a mortgage business and a used-car lot, among other ventures. Al and Bob have been selling the AT&T machines a year now, offering a 1-year warrantee (the factory offers 3 months). "We've had several VARs come through the door lately who said they'd previously been buying from Micro Mart," Al said. "We give you the best deal, no frills." CONTACT: Bob's Computer Warehouse, 3790 Green Industrial Way, Atlanta, GA 30341, (404)451-2030 [***][3/11/86][***] ENTREPRENEURS ANONYMOUS? Are you driven by a need to start small, high-risk, fast growth companies? If you have under 300 employees, there's at last help for your problems. The Technology Executive Roundtable, formed in January, holds confidential sessions monthly aimed at increasing growth and survival rates. But they only want hard-core cases: founders, chief executives, chief operating officers and active board members only. Lindsey Hopkins, associate director of the Advanced Technology Development Center, says the Atlanta program is one of only three in the country--the others are in Boston and Santa Clara, CA. (lots of troubled high-tech business addicts there, too). Like the other roundtables, this one is sponsored in part by Digital Equipment Corp. (DEC). Meetings are held the first Tuesday of each month. CONTACT: BEN HILL, ATDC, GEORGIA TECH, ATLANTA, GA 30332 (404)894-3575 [***][3/11/86][***] TAKE MY DATABASE, PLEASE!...(Software maker tests lower prices) Quant Systems of Charleston, SC, is one of many micro software companies these days that doesn't know how to price the product. Their Statistician program has been on the market 7 years at $350, but they're currently making a random sampling at lower prices. (Our letter offers the same package for $69.95.) The program works on Kaypros using CP/M, Altos machines running Xenix, and the IBM PC, too. Features include a database manager, multiple regression analysis, data transformations, time series analysis, random sample generation, x-y plots, and more. CONTACT: JAMES HAWKES, QUANT SYSTEMS, BOX 628, CHARLESTON, SC, 29402 (803)571-2825 [***][3/11/86][***] YEAH, BUT WHY?...(New Quadram monitor shortsighted?) Quadram has rolled out a $795 EGA-compatible monitor to go along with the QuadEGA+ board it's been selling. This doesn't surprise, until you realize Quadram parent Intelligent Systems Corp. also owns Princeton Graphics Systems, the leading player in monitors, and that any Quadchrome monitor capacity conflicts with, and reduces profits for, the PGS monitor line. (Oh, well.) The Quadchrome EGA monitor ships in April. CONTACT: MICHAEL STAMPS, QUADRAM, ONE QUAD WAY, NORCROSS, GA 30093 (404)923-6666 [***][3/11/86][***] PECAN BRIEFS...DSC...Digital Devices...MSR YOU THINK YOU GOT TROUBLES? DSC Communications Corp., Dallas, lost $45.2 million on revenues of $77 million for the quarter ended December 31. The company wrote off $50 million in its auto- dialer and switching business. CONTACT: DSC at 1000 Coit Road, Plano, TX 75075 (214)519-3000 DIGITAL DEVICES INC. introduced buffered interfaces for Atari 400s, 800s, XLs and XE home computers. The U-PRINT line also serves Commodore 64 and Apple lines. Prices run from $50-70 at retail. CONTACT: DDI at 430 10th St., Sute N205, Atlanta, GA 30318 (404)872-4430 MSR CORP. announced it has added Crosstalk to the list of products supported by its Magic Answer eXtractor (MAX) computer. MAX is an IBM System 36 programmed to answer support questions: MSR operators check the computer to answer phoned-in questions from users at $100 per PC. (Yes, Keith, this means they could support Mirror, too.) CONTACT: MSR at 3355 NE Expressway, Suite 150, Atlanta, GA 30341 (404)452-7676 [***][3/11/86][***] COMDEX JAPAN '86 -- A DULL SHOW: Comdex in Japan, held in Tokyo between 3/3 and 3/6, was dull as ever. One of the main problems of the show this time was the absence of major Japanese and the U.S. manufacturers. IBM, AT&T, Apple, Fujitsu, Hitachi and Sharp--none of them have exhibited this time. The only exception was NEC, which has displayed mainly peripheral equipment for its micros such as floppy disk drives. As a result, the total number of exhibitors was decreased from 220 corpotates last year to 159 this year. The total number of visitors is also expected to decrease drastically this time. Lots of exhibitors have displayed their LAN and CD-ROM. Taiwan's micro manufacturers such as First International Computer and Multitech Industrial Corp. have shown off their low-price IBM PC (around US$750) and AT compatible machines. Japan's RICOH and Matsushita Trading have also exhibited their PC compatibles. The unexpected cancellation of Steve Jobs' keynote address was a double blow to the Interface Group, who has organized this show. Just before he left Japan, Jobs met the Japanese press and told that "for the next wave of innovation, it's going to require a much more powerful computer than the current generation.. may be 10 times more powerful. Yes, and very intensive graphics. This is what I'm working on now... And I think that this can be accomplished in the next 24 months." We'll see. FOR IBM PC COMPATIBLES, CONTACT: 1) FIRST INTERNATIONAL COMPUTER -- 201 TUNG HWA N.ROAD TAIPEI, TAIWAN, R.O.C. TELEX: 23056 CHARLENE 2) MULTITECH INDUSTRIAL -- 02-551-1101 (TAIWAN), or 408-773- 8400 (CA, U.S.A.) 3) RICOH -- 03-479-3111 (TOKYO, JAPAN) 4) MATSUSHITA TRADING -- 06-282-5111 (OSAKA, JAPAN) [***][3/11/86][***] THE SOURCE WOOS NEC? Japan's Industrial Daily (3/4) reported that the Source and NEC have been talking about a future business agreement concerning a personal computer network in Japan. Regrettably, NEWSBYTES-JAPAN couldn't confirm this report. NEC's spokesman denied the report, but said, "NEC has been interested in using parts of the information in the Source." Perhaps, the Source wants to tie up with NEC in order to vie with the CompuServe- Fujitsu group in Japan. In fact, it is very important for the Source to find a more reliable partner in this country in the future. We'll see how the things develop. [***][3/11/86][***] CANON TO SELL MORE APPLE: According to a published report, Canon (Tokyo) has decided to market Apple computers through its 1,000 OA-dealer shops across the nation in May. With this marketing tactic, Canon expects to increase the sales of Apple computers three-fold from the current 200-300 sets/month to over 1,000 sets/month. The major emphasis of the company's sales will be placed on a Japanese version of Macintosh "DynaMac", which consists of a 512K Mac with Kanji ROM and the Japanese software. Canon acquired a Japanese dealership of Apple computers in spring 1984. So far, Apple computers have had a hard time competing with Japanese computers here. So Canon may be crossing its fingers this time. Meanwhile, Apple Japan is expected to release a Japanese version of Mac Plus this summer. We hope things will get better for both partners in the near future. CONTACT: CANON, Tokyo, 03-455-9111 [***][3/11/86][***] KEEPING UP WITH YEN'S APPRECIATION: Lots of computer renters here recently received requests from their Japanese corporate-customers to import the IBM-3090 and 4381 directly from the U.S. Apparently, those customers did not want to purchase IBM computers from IBM Japan. Guess why. According to Nikkei Computer magazine (3/3), IBM Japan has been selling their computers at list prices based on the old yen rate of 259-280 yen to the dollar. The current yen rate against the U.S. dollar is only around 180 yen! So let's say.. if you buy the 3090 model 200 from IBM Japan, you should pay 1.39 billion yen (US$6.95 mil). Meanwhile, if you've had it imported, you'll pay less than 0.9 billion yen (US$4.5 mil) including the handling and the shipping charge. Wow! CONTACT: IBM Japan, Tokyo, 03-586-1111 [***][3/11/86][***] <<< SUKIYAKI BYTES >>> SUPER-FAST COMPUTER -- FLOATING POINT SYSTEMS (Tokyo) has developed a supercomputer with the processing speed of 187 FLOPS. This Supercomputer dubbed "FPS-364/MAX" can be used for scientific calculations. It will be released at US$575 million in April. CONTACT: FLOATING POINT SYSTEMS 3-4-30 Shibakoen, Minato-ku, Tokyo Phone: 03-436-6321 INTEL JAPAN'S 1M EPROM -- Intel Japan has started shipping its samples of 1M Erasable and Programmable ROM called "27000 series". There are three kinds of samples: 27210 has an access time of 150 nano-sec, while 27010 and 27011 have 200 nano-sec, a report says. CONTACT: Intel Japan, Tsukuba, 0297-47-8511 FUJITSU's MICROS GO TO SCHOOL -- University of Tokyo has decided to install 500 sets of Fujitsu's 16-bit micro "FM16BETA" on its campus. Those micros will be used for CAD education in class. CONTACT: Fujitsu, Tokyo, 03-216-3211 (PR. Dept.) SONY's CD-ROM BUSINESS IN THE U.S. -- DADC (a subsidiary of SONY America) and KnowledgeSet Corp.(a subsidiary of Digital Research Inc.) have agreed to cooperate with each other on the CD-ROM's database service. Both companies provide the service to put the customer's database or other information in CD-ROMs. CONTACT: SONY Corp. of America, Sony Drive, Park Ridge, NJ 07656, U.S.A. Phone: 201-930-1000 OKI VIEWS TO RECOVER IN FISCAL '86 -- Oki Electric recently revealed its plan to increase the company's sales volume of communication equipment by 33% in fiscal '86. The main sales target of Oki's products includes large-scale switcing devices, digital PBXs, push-button phones, modems, automobile phones, etc. YET ANOTHER TOKYO SHOW -- "Communication Tokyo '86" will be held from 4/2 - 4/5 at Harumi Exhibition Site in Tokyo. Major Japanese and overseas computer manufacturers, including AT&T and IBM, will exhibit at this show. The total number of exhibitors is 138, says a spokesman. HI TECH BOOK CORNER -- Tokyo-based marketing resecrch firm Fuji Corporation has just published an English version of "Future of the Japanese Electronics Industry (pp.538)"; the original version (Japanese) was published by the Japan Electronics Industry Promotion Organization. Enclose a check for US$500 (which covers airmail fee) to: CONTACT: Fuji Corp., Attn: Mr. Nakadate, Han-ei No.2 Bldg., 1-10-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160, Japan Phone: 03-350-8701 QUOTE OF THE WEEK -- Larry Taub says in his latest article in FLUX(vol.2,No.4) that "In the long run, Japan bashing will serve Japan much more than it does the U.S. It will accelerate America's fall from its economic position because it will 'force' Japan, China, Taiwan, and North and South Korea to move toward creating a Far East Common Market, which cannot help but replace the U.S. as the top world economic power." Humm... (FLUX has been published in English four times a year in Tokyo at US$2.5) CONTACT: "FLUX", c/o Harp Corp., 2-11-22 Umezato, Suginami-ku, Tokyo 166, Japan Phone: 03-313-4572 [***][3/11/86][***] ZENITH WINS AIR FORCE TOO: In all the hullabaloo about last week's award of the IRS laptop contract to Zenith, an announcement of equal or greater importance was virtually ignored. While the press was talking up the $22 million contract to the IRS, the Air Force Computer Acquisition Center at Hanscom Field in Bedford, MA announced that Zenith's AT-compatible Z-200 has been officially named as the preferred single-user computer for the Air Force, Navy, and Marines. As in the IRS case, Zenith beat out several much larger companies, including IBM and AT&T. Under the terms of the contract, Zenith will supply 90,000 (!!!) Z-200s over the next three years. That'll amount to an extra quarter-BILLION dollars to Zenith's coffers. [***][3/11/86][***] CLONE WARS: Now that "plain vanilla" PC clones are widely available, the next clone battle is rapidly developing in the AT compatible world. Though AT clones have been available for quite a while, the battle lines of the "bigger boys" are quickly being drawn (not to mention Zenith's tying up of the military market). Leading Edge Products (as reported in NEWSBYTES Northeast 2/25) will be shipping their "Model MH" within the next few weeks. Sources tell us that Leading Edge is making a concerted effort to vastly expand their network of dealers. Dealers seem to have mixed reaction to the company's aggressive marketing. On the one hand, some current non-Leading-Edge dealers are afraid that the market will be over-saturated. However, many dealers have been attracted by Leading Edge's generous margins. The PC clone Model D has been extremely successful, and unlike many computers, it isn't widely discounted. (A Model D that retails for $1495 costs dealers about $900.) Meanwhile, sources report that NEC Information Systems will introduce an AT clone in the near future. NEC's Advanced Personal Computer IV will come with a high resolution (800 by 560) monitor and graphics board. Like Leading Edge, NEC is reportedly approaching many new dealers about carrying the machine. The APC is expected to retail for 10% to 15% less than a comparably- equipped IBM AT. CONTACTS: Leading Edge Hardware Products, 225 Turnpike Road, Canton, MA 02021, 800-343-6833 NEC Information Systems, 1414 Massachusetts Ave., Boxborough, MA 01719, 617-264-8000 [***][3/11/86][***] SPEAKING OF SPEED: An AT (or clone) not fast enough for you? Even the recently- introduced IBM RT not fast enough for you? Well, a Quincy, MA company has the solution. Command Technologies has introduced a co-processor board for ATs which they claim will make it run 30% faster than the RT. The board uses either the 32332 or 80186 processor, and requires (naturally) special software to make it run. That kind of power doesn't come cheap -- the board will set you back about $14,000. CONTACT: Command Technologies, One Monarch Drive, Quincy, MA 02171, 617-472-7900 [***][3/11/86][***] WANG LAPTOP? Needless to say, there have been many rumors lately about laptop computers. (What IBM laptop?) The latest rumor is that Wang will soon be introducing a powerful laptop with numerous standard features including a battery-operated hard disk and extensive communications capabilities. An inside source at the company told NEWSBYTES that the machine will be relatively high-priced and aimed at current Wang customers who want to complement their capabilities. Official Wang sources had no comment. The company, which skirted financial disaster last year, is doing much better after virtually abandoning the competitive retail market. Meanwhile, Wang has signed an agreement with Cambridge, MA-based Discworks under which the newly-formed company will develop and sell videodisk-based interactive training packages for Wang Systems. The Wang Interactive Learning System is one of the most ambitious training systems around, with a working VS computer system tied directly into the videodisk system so that lessons can be worked on directly on the computer keyboard and screen. Discworks is a company formed by two former Wang employees who helped develop the system at Wang. CONTACTS: Wang Laboratories, One Industrial Avenue, Lowell, MA 01851, 617-459-5000 Arlene Duelfer, Discworks, 18 Ellery St., Cambridge, MA 617-491-7731 [***][3/11/86][***] COMPUTER KIDS: Project Headlight is underway near Boston. No, it's not a supersecret military development project. Headlight is a five- year project that's studying how children use computers. Partially funded by IBM, the project is being run by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at the Hennigan School in Jamaica Plain, where 200 students are involved. Seymour Pappert, the inventor of LOGO, and the acknowledged guru of computers in education, is in charge of Headlight, which is also being filmed and documented by educators from Sweden and Japan. Pappert, who's an avid booster of computers in schools, will use the data from the study to design personal computer systems for schools that "integrate computers into the thought process." [***][3/11/86][***] MASS MICRO CENTER READY: Workmen are putting the finishing touches on the Massachusetts Microelectronics Center, which will be opening its doors in just a few weeks. Located about 20 miles west of Boston in Westborough, the $48 million complex is funded by the state, Boston-area colleges and universities, and numerous high-tech companies. The center will provide semiconductor design and fabrication training to graduate students from Boston-area schools and engineers from the hundreds of high-tech industries that dot the area. Three former prison buildings on the 36-acre site have been completely refurbished. In June, ground will be broken for a new chip fabrication plant. The center will concentrate on designing and building custom computer chips. It's the Northeast's attempt to compete with a $43 million dollar center which opened two years ago in North Carolina's Research Triangle Park. A spokesperson says the biggest surprise was how easy it was to get ten colleges, numerous independent companies, and state government to cooperate in the project. [***][3/11/86][***] SPEAKING OF COLLEGES: Remember the days when colleges and universities stood aloofly apart from private industry? Well, economic realities have changed all that. In an effort to get those lucrative research grants from large companies, Boston University has taken a unique step and set up a office for academic/corporate relations. The aim of the office will be to establish long-term exchanges between BU and industry. Meanwhile, Fitchburg (MA) State College has become the first New England school to set up a campus-wide local network using optical fibers. Using an AT&T Local-Area Network, the fiber-optic network connects 120 PCs and three mainframes. [***][3/11/86][***] COMPUTERIZED BOULEZ: High technology met highbrow music in New York City this past week, during the New York Philharmonic's "Boulez is Back Festival." Pierre Boulez conducted the orchestra from 1971 to 1977, when he left for his Paris home to experiment with "new musical materials." The performance Wednesday at the Columbia University gymnasium (yes, gymnasium) proved how new his music is. The performance of Boulez's "Respons" (no "e") required 30 musicians, 15 technicians, and 21 tons of electronic equipment. A network of two dozen speakers were placed on the ceiling of the gym, and a custom minicomputer system took the sounds from the musicians, modified it in various ways, and played it back while the musicians continued to play. Reviews were mixed, especially among listeners used to the more conventional classical repertoire. [***][3/11/86][***] CAROUSEL OF SOFTWARE: Softlogic Solutions, a Manchester, NH-based software company, continues to come out with inexpensive utility programs that do rather amazing (and useful) things. Their latest, announced this week, is Software Carousel. The $49.95 packages for PCs is a virtual memory manager that lets you load up to ten applications concurrently and call them up at the flick of a hot key. Though we haven't seen the program yet, the company claims that even the largest programs (like Lotus) can be loaded and run. Depending on the maximum amount of RAM in your system, Carousel uses some disk storage as "disk RAM" for less-frequently-used applications. CONTACT: Softlogic Solutions, 530 Chestnut St., Manchester, NH 03101, 603-627-9900 [***][3/11/86][***] IN THE ATARI CORNER... As mentioned in last week's NEWSBYTES UK, the Atari show opened on Friday at the Novatel Hotel Hammersmith, London. As expected, the 1040 ST F and 520 ST M were both launched at the show. The 1040 ST is broadly similar to the existing US model which has a megabyte of RAM, a double sided double density 3.5 inch disc drive, 95 key keyboard and comes with GEM (TOS) in ROM, Neochrome (a paint package), VT52 terminal software, Basic and LOGO. As with the US models, a choice of monitor will dictate the price: colour at 999 pounds ($1,400) or monochrome at 799 pounds ($1,120). Speaking at the launch, Sam (son of Jack) Tramiel said, "This is the first time a computer manufacturer is offering a megabyte of memory for less than a pound a Kilobyte." Further down the price scale we find the TV version of the ST, the 520 ST M, at 399 pounds ($560) which does not include the drive unit. Slightly above this, at 499 pounds, is the 520 ST FM model which does include a drive. Tramiel said that the ST FM unit will not be available immediately, as will be the case of the 1040 and the 520 ST M, but buyers will only be kept waiting a "few months." The existing 520 ST with monitor and drive will almost certainly be discontinued, as, at 700 pounds, it doesn't quite fit into the new pricing structure for the ST. For those who already own an ST, a software-based CP/M emulator for the ST will be available in the shops by the end of the month at around the 40 pounds ($56) mark. Tramiel confirmed that the company are working on an IBM emulation add-on for the ST, based around an 8088 CPU with 512K of RAM. The unit will run MS-DOS and GW Basic and (says Sam) be compatible with 90% of existing IBM software. Don't run to order yet though, as the product won't be in the shops for another six months...sigh. Despite pre-publicity, Atari's 20Mb hard disc did not stage an appearance at the show. Tramiel said that it should appear in the UK towards the end of April, although with Atari's current calendar delays, don't hold your breath [***][3/11/86][***] ...AND IN THE COMMODORE CORNER: In the immediate wake of the Amiga's Eurolaunch in West Germany this week, (as reported in last week's NEWSBYTES UK), comes confirmed rumours of the Amiga 2, which will comprise a 68020 cpu, hard disc and expanded memory, and set you back somewhere in the region of $2,500. Codenamed "Ranger", the Amiga 2 will be fast - thanks to the 68020 at its heart - and capable of supporting a multiuser environment with ease. The net effect of the Ranger, due out this August, will be to crack the price of the existing Amiga 1 down to the $1,000 mark (Euro configuration of twin drives and 512K memory). At that price, the Amiga becomes a viable competitor to the ST, although with the add-ons that Jack Tramiel has promised later this year for his baby (co-processor, Unix etc), it looks like a game of 68000 leapfrog is due! [***][3/11/86][***] LOOK MA - NO MONEY! In keeping with the no-money age, spawned by the original (and genuine) American Express card, British Telecom has come up with the ultimate way to make phone calls without money or cards, etc. A trial in the South West of England allows existing phone customers to make calls from any payphone callbox by keying in their ID and password via the keypad and then dialling away. AT&T in the US have been experimenting with a similar system based around the standard phone credit card, but the BT system allows virtually any payphone to be used. Sort of a call now, die later (when you get the bill) system. Security on the system is none too hot, however, as the ID is really a customer's phone number, and the password a four digit number. How long before the system gets cracked I wonder? [***][3/11/86][***] IBM GETS THE BRUSH-OFF: Whilst IBM got snubbed in the US last week with Zenith snapping up the IRS's laptop contract, the UK corporate PC buyer has been moving away from Big Blue. As mentioned previously in NEWSBYTES UK, clone PCs have been strolling into users' offices for as low as 500 pounds ($700) and, with a true blue IBM PC costing twice that, it's no surprise that the businessman votes with his wallet. Users' increasing interest in cheap boxes is underlined this week as the IBM PC User group in the UK is offering a PC clone from Comcen to its members. The overall position is summed up by Jeff Roberts, head of end-user services with the IBM Computer Users Association. "Clones are now competing on price and I'm sure they're going to take off. Large companies are becoming cost-conscious and simply can't ignore the fact that there are cheaper things around." As if to put the seal of corporate approval on these words, London supplier Computoprocessing is in the final stages of selling 1,000 PC clones to one of the UK's biggest companies. Computoprocessing MD Clive Lambert - "They (the big company involved) see IBM as a rip-off." Any comments IBM? [***][3/11/86][***] PRINCE OF THE PORTABLES: With Zenith scooping the pool in the US the portable PC looks set to become legitimate, which will almost certainly open the floodgates for new announcements and launches in the coming months. Hiding amongst the first imitators to leap on the portable wagon started by Zenith is a portable PC with 256K RAM, single 5.25 inch floppy drive and all the usual ports, with an unusual trade price of 395 pounds ($560). Looking like a slightly oversize Apple IIc, the "Prince" from Inter-Orient Microcomputers requires an external power supply and monitor, but Pindi Chowdhury, IMC's finance director says he hopes to be selling a backlit LCD and battery pack for the unit "real soon now". An AT version is also on the cards at a trade price of 550 pounds, which is going some for any PC, let alone a portable! IMC are aiming the machine at two distinct markets - the travelling businessman (with his Compaq maybe?) and the home user, who will be catered for in September, when the firm will have a home version with battery pack and TV output, all in for 399 pounds!! Contact: See Next Story [***][3/11/86][***] HAND CRANKING THE SYSTEM: You'll have noticed the distinct lack of a contact address for the the IBM portable cheapie story above. This is due to NEWSBYTES UK's local exchange installing high speed directory enquiry computers in place of the old-fashioned microfilm units. "Great," I hear you say...until they crash, which is what they've been doing these past few days-- which means no enquiry service. Damn these computers! Pass me my Abacus please... mutter. [***][3/11/86][***] BILLS, BILLS AND MORE BILLS: Ever had one of those months when all the bills seem to come at once (nods of agreement from the other side of the screen)? If so, you should move to Reading, a town to the west of London where none of the residents have had phone bills since July of last year! British Telecom has spent 200 million pounds ($380m) on installing the first of its new superbilling centres for the region but unfortunately (for BT that is), not one single bill has been produced! The delays due to system bugs and glitches has caused nearly a million bills not to go out and has lost BT 53 million pounds to date. Strangely, the whole matter has only come to light since a small number of Reading subscribers actually *complained* to Oftel, the government appointed Telecoms watchdog, they hadn't had a bill. Jeez, they should be so lucky! [***][3/11/86][***] MBI ACQUIRES MICRO-SOUTH Math Box Inc. of Rockville, Md., has acquired Micro-South Corp, of Charlotte, N.C. MBI is the largest East Coast chain of retail computer stores. With Micro-South's 11 stores, MBI will now have 36 computer outlets between Boston and Atlanta. Micro-South operates in North Carolina and South Carolina and had $21 million in sales last year. MBI's total sales exceeded $100 million last year. CONTACT: Math Box Inc., 1201 Seven Locks Road, Rockville MD, 20852, 301-984-8922. [***][3/11/86][***] SPERRY LAUNCHES PILOT Sperry Corp. of Blue Bell, Pa., is selling a version of Pilot, a major language in the field of computer-aided instruction. The language, Sperry PC/PILOT, will run on MS-DOS and PC-DOS machines with 256 K of RAM and one floppy disk drive. The price is $135 for a single copy, and site licenses are available for $550. The Sperry Pilot dialect features animated sprite graphics, 16 high-resolution colors when using a mouse pointing device, videodisc interface, and quick picture loading from disk. CONTACT: Sperry Public Relations, Bell Bell, Pa., 215-542-2240 [***][3/11/86][***] COMMERCE TO TELECOM The U.S. Commerce Department will participate in the Telecom '87 exhibition and forum in Geneva in October. Commerce will also encourage U.S. telecommunications suppliers and manufacturers to exhibit at the show. "U.S. firms' participation will reinforce America's position as a leader in high technology and a global supplier of telecommunications equipment and services," said H.P. Goldfield, assistant secretary for trade development. The U.S. Telecommunications Suppliers Association and the Electronics Industry Association are the official USA pavilion organizers. They will recruit U.S. exhibitors, supervise contractors and manage the U.S. delegation. The show is sponsored by the International Telecommunications Union. The ITU expects the show will draw more than 200,000 visitors and exhibitors. CONTACT: Lisa Kjaer or Terry Rettig, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Room 1001A, Washington DC, 20230, 202-377-4466. [***][3/11/86][***] LABOR STATS ON DISK The U.S. Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics is offering much of its key labor and economic data on diskette. Now on the market are three monthly BLS series, three quarterly series, and four annual series. Available on a monthly basis are labor force, employment and unemployment from the "Current Population Survey", and the producer price indexes. Quarterly series include the employment cost index, the national productivity indexes, and the U.S. import and export price indexes. Available annually are industry productivity data, economic projections to 1995, foreign labor statistics, and occupations injury and illness data. Coming soon, says BLS, are other series, including the crucial Consumer Price Index. The diskettes are available in single copies ($35 each) or by subscription. CONTACT: BLS, Room 2029, 441 G St NW, Washington DC, 20212, 202- 523-1090. [***][3/11/86][***] STSC MANAGERS BUY THE COMPANY The management of STSC Inc., of Rockville, Md., a software company specializing in APL-related products, has bought the company from parent Continental Telecom of Atlanta. Contel acquired the company in 1982. STSC was founded in 1969 as a supplier of time-sharing services, but has concentrated on packaged software since 1983. The company has 150 employees in Rockville and New York. No price was given for the acquisition. CONTACT: Laurie Russell, STSC, 301-984-5428. [***][3/11/86][***] CCI DOWN TO 'CCC' Standard & Poor's, the New York bond rating agency, has knocked the convertible, subordinated debt rating of Computer Consoles Inc. down to "CCC" from "B-". The action affect $80 million in rated debt. S&P also took CCI off it's CreditWatch list, a form of financial purgatory, where the company has been languishing since early December. The raters say CCI faces a mature market for its main line of business, fault-tolerant computers sold to the Bell operating companies. CCI has such a firm grip on the Bells that there has long been street scuttlebut that AT&T might make a move to buy the company. CCI has been trying to diversify into office automation, but with some difficulty, says S&P. CCI's major office automation successes have been with the federal government. CCI lost $41.9 million in 1985. S&P says that "profitability is expected to remain under pressure as the company competes in a market populated by much larger, entrenched office automation vendors. While substantial cost-cutting measures have been taken, the balance sheet has weakened significantly. Debt to total capital was a high 87 percent at December 31., with extremely limited debt capacity." [***][3/11/86][***] IVERSON ON A ROLL Buoyed by record earnings, Iverson Technology Corp. of McLean, Va., plans to open a research and development laboratory. Iverson specializes in turning computers and peripherals into the low radio frequency signature Tempest devices the military craves. The company has leased 5,000 square feet across from its headquarters for the new Tempest lab. The company hopes the new lab will allow it to win bigger government contracts, and stop farming out R&D work to outside firms. The company is booming. Net earnings for the fourth quarter of last year were a record $565,573, or 23 cents per share, on revenues of $5.3 million, also a record. "We enjoyed a fine sales year, especially with the personal computer line," said George Blincoe, vice president for finance. For the year, Iverson took in $17.2 million, and earned $1.8 million (90 cents per share), versus $6.2 million in revenues and $608,000 in earnings (35 cents per share) in 1984. The company is headed by Donald Iverson, an erstwhile IBM and General Electric Corp. executive who realized sooner than most that the Tempest standard would be a gold standard. [***][3/11/86][***] WASHINGTON COMPUTER BUSINESS INDEX If there is a slump in the microcomputer business, it isn't showing up in the advertising in "Washington Business," the weekly tabloid published by "The Washington Post." The Washington Computer Business Index has surged to 251, after hitting 212.5 last week. That represents 13.05 pages of computer display ads in the business paper, which has become a major advertising outlet for computer products in Powertown. Non- computer display ads hit 22.5 pages, compared to 21.5 last week. The index is based on the advertising in the January 6 issue, which totaled 5.2 pages of computer ads. [***][3/11/86][***] GEAC STUMBLES IN 1985: Markham, Ontario's Geac Computer Corp. Ltd. has posted a loss in the last two quarters of 1985, after eight consecutive years of profit and compound annual profit growth of 68% between 1979 and 1984. The maker of mainframe computer systems primarily for libraries and retail banking, Geac is being met at every turn by industry giant IBM, and is losing, partly because of its vulnerability in relying on a few big-ticket contracts. Two recent large bank failures in Canada were a big blow (a Big Blue?) to Geac, which had one bank as a customer and held letters of intent with the other. A merger of two large trust companies also lost Geac a large maintenance contract. This "combination of unanticipated events," according to a Geac interim report, saw losses of $1.2- million in 1985's second quarter alone. The key for a recovery, says Toronto economic analyst Thomas Law, "is how quickly [Geac] can get installations in place," specifically in the domestic market; Geac is well-placed in Europe, and last year got the contract to automate the library of the Vatican, but IBM's aggressive tactics are eroding Geac's expansion dreams. Geac particularly needs to win some big-banking installations in the US, but "it just hasn't been able to do that," said Mr. Law. "It's a big decision for a [systems manager] to go with anything but IBM." [***][3/11/86][***] I DON'T THINK WE'RE IN KANSAS ANY MORE, TOTO: Trigon Technologies Inc., of Toronto, is placing its faith in the Emerald City wizards to "fine tune" its fortunes in the aggressive office automation market. Emerald City in this case is Trigon's own software subsidiary, and is the focus of a company-wide restructuring. Referring to the development of long-delayed software, Trigon's new prexy Jerry Sumpton said recently: "That's all we do now." Development of the programs needed to run Trigon's office automation systems has been held up for nearly five years, partly because of executive shuffles and defections, allied to a lack of capital, spiralling R&D costs, and inherent design problems. To date, $5.5-million (CDN) has been spent on the system, known as "Emerald One"--$1- million over budget. Originally designed as an exclusively UNIX-based (AT&T) system, Emerald One now will be offered in MS-DOS (IBM) versions as well, to cover a broader customer base. "Corporate America is not jumping on the [UNIX] bandwagon in the way it did with personal computers," says Mr. Sumpton, acknowledging his company's need to deal with two major and directly competing operating systems. Emerald One is currently in the beta- test stage, and shipments are due to begin in April (two years behind original proposals). [***][3/11/86][***] WARGAMES MADE MORE REALISTIC: A computerised sensor device which simulates the effects of such weapons as mortar or artillery shells and bombs may help the armies of three countries conduct more realistic wargame manoeuvres. Developed by Richmond, B.C.'s General Cybernetics Group, the device weighs just over a kilogram, and is linked to a central computer which can record the effect on a hit soldier--from minor injury to a "kill". Laser devices have long been used to simulate direct fire (such as from a rifle), but accurate monitoring of bomb blasts or shelling has been a problem; now this system can "better prepare [a] soldier for...real battle through the most realistic experience possible." Demonstrations of General Cybernetics' simulators will be held for the Canadian Forces in April in New Brunswick, and in May for British troops on the Rhine, Germany, according to company president Tom Hobbs. He added that the US Army has also expressed interest in his product. [***][3/11/86][***] iNET 2000 SUBSCRIPTIONS RETAILED: Telecom canada's iNET 2000 system, which allows users to access many different online databases from a central network is now selling subscriptions in Eaton's department stores nationwide. iNET offers access to more than 1,300 databases, electronic mail services, and data conferencing networks from standard terminals, personal computers, or word processors. [***][3/11/86][***] VIDEOTEX SPANS THE PACIFIC: Genesys Group Inc. (Ottawa, Ontario) has reached an agreement with Japan's Toshiba Corp. to develop and market the former's GVS videotex software in Japan. The programs will be part of a value-added package for Toshiba's DP series of minicomputers and superminicomputers, and will be written to support Japanese (Kenji) characters for both NAPLPS and ASCII protocols. [***][3/11/86][***] COMPUTER BUYERS FILE $1.1 BILLION SUIT AGAINST ITT Claiming that the giant ITT Corp. defrauded them, 150 buyers of a computerized typesetting system have sued ITT for $1.1 billion (with a "b"). The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, accuses ITT of selling computer terminals, software and peripherals to customers, knowing that the company never intended to allow continued access to the phototypesetting output devices needed to make the systems work. The average customer mentioned in the suit paid $12,000 for the computer composition equipment and was charged 22 percent interest for financing through ITT. The plaintiffs claim ITT rendered their equipment useless by closing authorized dealerships where the unique output devices were located. Users claim that the company guaranteed at least two years worth of access to the machines. Instead, the firm discontinued the program within seven months and closed the dealerships, according to the suit. Worse yet, ITT refused to refinance the obsolete computers at lower interest rates or to consider refunds. Mike Hughes, ITT's spokesman in New York, refused comment on the lawsuit, saying the firm's lawyers had yet to see a copy of it. [***][3/11/86][***] GATEWAY OFFERS TO REFUND SOFTWARE COST The kaput Los Angeles Times-sponsored Gateway videotex service is offering to refund the purchase price of special software used to access the system. Users who bought Personality II+ or other Gateway software can get a full refund by mailing the diskettes to the address below, along with proof of purchase. But, the company warns, if you owe Gateway any connect-time fees, part or all of the refund will be withheld to pay the bill. CONTACT: Gateway Customer Service, 3089 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, CA 92704 (714) 540-2733 [***][3/11/86][***] PROFIT GODS FROWN ON OLYMPUS Olympus Educational Software of San Diego has reported a $73,415 loss for the company's third quarter. Olympus president Ben Lowery said sales were a mere $20,449 for the three months. The firm employs seven full-time and 12 part-time employees and markets mathematical software under contract with Data Soft of Tokyo. CONTACT: Olympus Educational Software, 1660 Hotel Circle No., San Diego, CA (619) 296-8555 [***][3/11/86][***] TANDON APPEALS TO A HIGHER AUTHORITY Tandon Corp. is petitioning the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn the International Trade Commission ruling in favor of Mitsubishi Electric. "We believe the ITC ruling is in error," a Tandon spokesman said, referring to Mitsubishi's successful defense of Tandon's diskette-drive patent- infringement lawsuit. CONTACT: Tandon Corp., 20320 Prairie, Chatsworth, CA 91311 (818) 993-6644 [***][3/11/86][***] PERIODICALLY INTERESTING >>> The Journal of Financial Computing has changed its name to The Journal of Corporate Computing. The new moniker is on the cover of the March/April issue. This makes it the third name change for the Santa Monica-based magazine in three years. It used to be called The Journal of Financial Software. Advertisers, better make this change to your media schedule in pencil. CONTACT: The Journal of Corporate Computing, 2811 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 640, Santa Monica, CA 90403 (213) 829-7385 >>> MicroPublishing's new venture, MicroPublishing Report, is practicing what it preaches. The Redondo Beach-based newsletter on the desktop publishing industry is composed on a microcomputer, designed and laid-out using page- planning software, and is "typeset" using a laser printer. About the only thing publisher Jim Cavuoto DOESN'T do electronically is punch the button on the printing press. "We believe in using the technology we report on," says Cavuoto. Refreshing, isn't it? CONTACT: MicroPublishing Report, 2004 Curtis Ave. #A, Redondo Beach, CA 90270 (213) 376-5724 >>> April 1 is coming up again, and Computer Language magazine is ready. Publisher Carl Landau, who once offered advertisers the opportunity to "Buy an Ad, Get a Cat," has reportedly pulled out the rest of the stops for this gag April Fools' issue. The April edition features a Playboy- like centerfold for dedicated programmers, a "new product" section called Prostitution Alley (which proves once and for all that reviews are not influenced by advertising), and a new promotion. What's the new promotion? This time it's: "Buy an Ad, Get a Brother-in-Law." CONTACT: Computer Language, 131 Townsend St., San Francisco, CA 94107 (415) 957-9353 [***][3/11/86][***] QUICK, HIDE THE TENT This week's Press Release of the Week award goes to Kaypro Corp. The Solana Beach computer maker announced in the release's first sentence that the company had been selected for membership in the prestigious Association of Better Computer Dealers. The second sentence went like this: "To qualify (for membership), computer dealers and manufacturers must be recognized in the industry for the highest levels of professional competence." We conclude that Kaypro missed Computer Language's deadline for the April issue and settled for the direct-mail attempt at seasonal humor instead. Contact: Kaypro Corp., 533 Stevens Ave., Solana Beach, CA 92075 (619) 481-4300 ABCD, O'Hare Plaza, 5725 E. River Rd., Chicago, IL 60631 [***][3/11/86][***] ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE Which chains have the most computer stores in Los Angeles County? As expected, Radio Shack wins the contest with 263 local outlets, compared to second-place finisher Computerland with a mere 33 stores. Rounding out the top five, Pathfinder Computer Centers posted a three-store gain to finish the year with 10, while both Entre Computer Centers and IBM Product Centers were up to eight each. The Los Angeles Business Journal, which publishes the annual tally, also reports that last year Radio Shack opened 81 new outlets in the metro area alone. [***][3/11/86][***] NEW ZEBRA MODEL EVOLVES General Automation Inc. of Anaheim has announced that a new high-end Zebra computer will be introduced at the upcoming International Spectrum trade show in Las Vegas. According to GAI chairman Leonard Mackenzie, the new minicomputer can support 128 terminals and will offer increased processing capacity. CONTACT: General Automation Inc., 1045 S. East St., Anaheim, CA (714) 778-4800 [***][3/11/86][***] DRAMBUIE AND DRANO The official COMDEX/Winter "Preview" tabloid arrived last week (the show yawns into L.A. on April Fools' Day). Three entire pages of the 16-page promo piece are about expensive local restaurants suggested by The Interface Group. Some include L'Orangerie, La Scala and Rex il Ristorante. The description of Rex il Ristorante is: "Rex's reputation is known far and wide, but so are their prices, so don't forget your wallet." Dinners at Rex's usually run in the $100-per-person range. No recommendations are made in the section about local watering holes, however. Of course, The Interface Group does have a point. If the exhibitors discover some of the downtown pubs, there won't be ANYBODY at the show! [***][3/11/86][***] THE LITTLE BROWN BOOK When buying a used car, you consult the Kelley Blue Book to help set the fair market value. Now, you can use the Brown Book when buying new and used computers. Fred Brown publishes his directory of suggested prices through The Microcomputer Exchange in Santa Barbara. In fact, you'd better have a copy in your back pocket from April 5th through the 13th. That's when Brown himself will be managing one of the biggest sales of computer goodies to ever take place, as he unloads thousands of unsold inventory items from regional Computerland stores in a giant Santa Ana warehouse sale. Brown estimates that he will make a cool million dollars on his commissions from the event. CONTACT: The Microcomputer Exchange, 2613 DeLavina, Santa Barbara, CA (805) 682-1021 [***][3/11/86][***] DOWN TO THE SEA IN CHIPS American sailing pride, wounded by Australia's winning of the America's Cup, is getting a high-tech boost, thanks to McDonnell Douglas Manufacturing Industry Systems Co. The Eagle, designed for the Newport Harbor Yacht Club, is being analyzed with a McDonnell Douglas-donated Unigraphics II CAD/CAM system in hopes of refining a unique keel design. Chief designer of the Eagle, Johan Valentijn, says he is able to made improvements "20 times faster than before" with the software. "We can visualize the design better, perform more calculations and try different approaches--and for the first time develop three-dimensional shapes on the computer," he says. McDonnell Douglas got involved, said company spokesman Richard Rothfuss, "because we want to provide the finest boat designer with the latest technology and enhance our chance to win back the America's Cup from the Australians." The Challenger Series, a set of preliminary races, is scheduled for October off Fremantle, Australia. The America's Cup finals begin on January 31, 1987. CONTACT: Newport Harbor Yacht Club, 720 W. Bay Ave., Balboa, CA (714) 673-7730 [***][3/11/86][***] BEACHBITS >>> Tandon can dish it out, but can it take it? That point may be decided in court, now that Tandon Corp. has been sued by Sanders & Associates and Billings Corp. for patent infringement on its double-sided diskette drives. This is the same technology that Tandon has sued Teac, Sony and Mitsubishi about. Details of the surprising new lawsuit were not available at press time. >>> AST Research of Irvine is buying Camintonn Corp. of Santa Ana for an undisclosed amount. Camintonn is a competitor in the add-on board business. >>> Nicoa Corp. of Los Angeles says it has agreed to buy two local high-tech firms, but refuses to say which ones! All the software and film manufacturing firm WILL say is that it intends to pay $4 million for a telecommunications company and $2.56 million for a smaller military-products firm. >>> Computer Sciences Corp. of El Segundo has won two military contracts worth over $241 million. The larger agreement was to provide a local online-communications network for the U.S. Air Force and is worth $186.4 million. The other contract is for computer support and software conversion for the Army Information Systems Engineering Command. >>> Tandon Corp. has struck a new alliance with Hyundai Electronics Industries Co., Ltd., to manufacture and market diskette drives and hard disk drives in Korea. >>> Computer Memories of Chatsworth has furloughed another 49 employees. Maybe our math is wrong, but a rough tally here at Newsbytes-L.A. shows that CMI has fired about 75 people more than were ever employed there. >>> Citizen America Corp. of Santa Monica has won the "Excellence in Design" award given by the Japanese Ministry of Trade and Industry. The citation was for the company's line of dot-matrix printers. [***][3/11/86][***] QUOTE OF THE WEEK "What's technology? Why, it's science that makes money. That definition is so easy, yet almost no one outside the aerospace industry uses it." -- Peter Cannon, v.p. and chief scientist at Rockwell International Corp.