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/V148

Text File | 1991-07-30 | 55KB | 1,205 lines

[***][3/25/86][***]
APPLE'S BIG WEEK:
At a time when most computer companies are in hibernation, Apple
Computer expects its Winter '86 quarter to produce earnings
"substantially higher than expected."  That translates to earnings
of about $32 million, three times higher than in the same
quarter last year.  Stockholders, said John Sculley in a prepared
statement, can expect to see Apple stock up 50 cents per share
this quarter.  Wall Street reacted to Thursday's (3/20) statement
by sending the price of Apple stock up $2.87 to $29.37.  The fact
is, Apple has sold LESS computers this quarter--8% less--compared
to the Christmas season.  But its belt-tightening moves under the
command of Sculley account for its higher profit margins.  How
long will this rosy picture last?  Probably not long, say analysts,
who believe the good news is the result of short-term moves.

CONTACT:  Bob Saltmarsh, APPLE, 20525 Mariani Ave., Cupertino, CA
          95014  408/996-1010

[***][3/25/86][***]
CUTTING UP THE APPLE PIE:
According to sources close to Apple, the company sold about
23,000 Macintosh Plus computers and 9,000 512K Macs during
February.  Sales of Apple IIe and IIc computers have been
steadily slowing, meanwhile, producing the first time in which
more Macintoshes than IIs are being sold.

[***][3/25/86][***]
NO MORE MACS:                    *EXCLUSIVE*
Sears Business Systems Centers and Apple have stopped doing
business together.  Sears has been selling Macintoshes through
its 103 outlets since 1984 when the machine was introduced.
The contract termination was called "a mutual decision" by
the two parties.  Current stock should be depleted around April.
Why is this happening?  Neither side is saying, but analysts
suggest Sears wants to concentrate on its line of IBM and IBM-
compatible systems.  Analyst Tim Bajarin of Creative Strategies
adds, "It won't significantly impact Apple.  Our survey shows
Sears wasn't moving many Macs."

CONTACT:  MINDY KOLOFF, SEARS, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 312-875-8322

          BARBARA KRAUSE, APPLE  408-973-3719

[***][3/25/86][***]
THE BRIDGE THAT WOULDN'T BE BUILT:
Finally, provided all goes well, Apple II owners will be able
to run IBM programs.  Campbell, Califorkia-based The Engineering
Department Inc. is designing a peripheral board which will
translate input between Apple hardware and IBM software.  The
time-consuming job won't be finished until late this year.

CONTACT:  PETER QUINN, EXEC. VP, THE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT, INC.
          271 Hacienda, Campbell, Ca.  408/446-1444

[***][3/25/86][***]
HONG KONG II CLONE COMING:
For the first time, an Apple II clone from the Far East has been
given preliminary approval for importation to the U.S.  "InfoWorld"
reports US Customs officials "did not find any difficulties"
with copyrights held by Apple following a Portland embargo on
400 of the machines.  The Laser 128, which is already being sold
by Central Point Software of Portland is available for $395 mail-order.
It runs Apple IIe and IIc software has a 65C02 microprocessor,
128K ram, one built-in 5 1/4" disk drive, and an external
expansion slot.  Video Technology of Elk Grove Village, Illinois,
plans to retail the 128 in stores for $479.  Apple claims to be
"still reviewing" the machine's legality.  The Customs Department
expects to make a final ruling in the next few weeks.

CONTACT:  VIDEO TECHNOLOGY INC., 2633 Greenleaf, Elk Grove Village,
          Illinois 60007  312/640-1776

[***][3/25/86][***]
PAGEMAKER TO WRITE ANOTHER CHAPTER:
Paul Brainerd, president of Aldus Corporation, says an MS-DOS
version of the best-selling "Pagemaker" software for the Mac
will be out this year.  "Apple's advantage (with the LaserWriter)
won't last forever because the IBM PC is getting some of those
same elements," he says, adding that while a Macintosh version
of the desktop publishing program is popular with small to
medium-sized businesses, an MS-DOS version will enable his
software to penetrate large corporations where IBM is a
standard.  Meanwhile, version 1.2 of Pagemaker is scheduled
for shipment this month; owners of the current version will
get an update free of charge.

One other Aldus note--we give them the poster-of-the-week
award for a beautiful, 4-page fold-out in silver and aqua
which announces their new address.  It reached NEWSBYTES
Central this week.  And YES it was designed using a Mac,
Pagemaker, LaserWriter and Thunderscan.

CONTACT:  ALDUS CORPORATION, 411 First Avenue So., Suite
          200, Seattle, Washington 98104  206/622-5500

[***][3/25/86][***]
IBM PRICE CUT IMMINENT:
Any minute now, the price of PC XTs and ATs will drop 20%,
according to PC WEEK.  A NEWSBYTES reader, himself, saw a
Computerland memo several weeks ago which told franchisees
to get rid of as many of the units as possible due to an
impending new product line introduction and price reduction.

[***][3/25/86][***]
ONLINE AND OFFLINE:
Viewtron bit the dust last week (see NEWSBYTES-SOUTHEAST and
NEWSBYTES-NORTHEAST).  And it happened so fast that the window
must have shut on somebody's fingers.  Two cases in point:
NEWSBYTES Central received a flyer advertising "free peeks"
at the system every day....thousands of these went out all
over the country as the company launched a last-ditch effort
to get customers.  Secondly, at least one computer club--
the Central Kentucky Computer Society--got "stiffed" on a deal
to provide club members with free Viewtron kits at their
March 17 meeting.  Oh well.

Online, however, is a new competitor to NEWSBYTES called
"Computergram", according to Technologic's "Computer Letter"
newsletter.  We have not seen it yet, but it's supposedly
another attempt at the defunct  "Computer Industry Daily".
MCI mail is running it in a marketing test.

[***][3/25/86][***]
IN BRIEF--

HERCULES COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY of Berkeley is expanding its
lawsuit against mail order distributors of color-card clones
to include Wholesale Outlet of Albany, N.Y. This brings to 3
the number of distributors Hercules charges with copyright
infringement and unfair competition.

MOUNTAIN COMPUTER INC. of Scotts Valley has broken the
megabyte on a card barrier by offering a 30-meg drive card
for IBM-type systems.  Priced at $1,449, it's expected to
be shipped next month.

The "San Francisco Chronicle" reports Apple is going to open
a day-care center for its employees' children later this
year.  Says the short, "Befitting a young-at-heart company
that would provide child care, Apple still does not have
a retirement program for employees."

THE COMPUTER SHOW, a local television program devoted to--
you guessed it--computers, has been signed on by the Financial
News Network for national distribution to all FNN affiliates.
The Computer Show is the first, nationally syndicated,
advertiser-supported computer TV show at this writing.
Contact:  OCEAN COMMUNICATIONS, SAN JOSE, CA. 408/923-3917

COMMODORE will unveil "The Transformer", the long-awaited
software package which enables the Amiga to run IBM programs,
at the Northern California Amiga Faire April 4-5 at the
St. Clair Hilton in San Jose.  Will it work?  We'll letcha
know.

Armchair golfers may want to hear that ACTIVISION has
shipped volume one of "Championship Golf--the Great Courses
of the World".  Volume one is Pebble Beach.  "This IS
Pebble Beach, all the way down to varying breezes blowing
off the ocean," says Activision's Ken Coleman.  It runs
on the IBM PC, PCjr or Tandy 1000.

ELXSI, the maker of multiprocessor and parallel processor
computers in San Jose, has laid off 30 people--a huge
chunk of staff for the small company.  President Peter
Appleton Jones blames the layoff on an overly-large
inventory.

HEWLETT PACKARD has announced a corporate site-licensing program
giving customes up to 75% savings on widespread use of HP-
distributed software for its micros.  Contact:  Mary Danehower,
408/865-6478.

BORLAND has announced an update of "SideKick" for the Macintosh
from version 1.0 to version 1.1.  The upgrade can be purchased
directly from Borland for $19.95.

[***][3/25/86][***]
THE GIFT FOR THOSE WHO HAVE EVERYTHING:
American Standard, the bathroom fixture people, have come up
with a computerized, remote-control whirlpool bath dubbed
"The ultimate bathing experience".  Owners can pre-set the
time and temperature for the tub to fill or can even call
up the tub via the phone.  Also, a remote control device
activates up to five small appliances.  But wait--there's
more!  The tub comes equipped with a TV and intercom
which enables observation of security cameras around the
house, 24-carat-gold-plated handles, even underwater "mood"
lighting in "six designer shades".  American Standard
has even thought up a way to prevent you from electrocuting
yourself with all these gadgets nearby, by placing them
far enough from the tub, and making the remote gadget
waterproof.  Sold?  Now see if there's $25,500 in your
checkbook...

[***][3/25/86][***]
AND FINALLY
PR king Regis McKenna's new business cards simply state, "Regis
McKenna, himself."  The cards were such a hit around the
Palo Alto offices of Regis McKenna, Inc. that Regis gave
a version to his president which read, "Paul Dali, not
himself."  (They were jokes, of course.)  This silliness
caught the attention of "San Jose Mercury News" columnist
Mary Fallon, who suggests cards for two other Silicon
Valley notables:

        STEVE JOBS, BY HIMSELF

And for Daisy Systems' CEO, whose company has in some eyes
been pushing up daisies as of late,

        ARYEH FINEGOLD, BESIDE HIMSELF



[***][3/25/86][***]
BIG SADNESS AT INTERGRAPH            *EXCLUSIVE*
The stock price of Intergraph Inc., the Huntsville, AL-based CAD-
CAM vendor, was falling last week while the rest of Wall Street
was rising to new highs. By midweek Intergraph was selling near
$31 per share, down from a 52-week high of $40.

This is what Intergraph PR man David Joffrion has told analysts.
First, "We had a reorganization of our sales force.  They used
to sell across-the-board, now they're limited to specific
applications." Second,  "Orders for the first quarter will be a
little soft." Intergraph elves made a merry Christmas with a
record 1985 (sales reached $526 million, profits exceeded $67
million) but left the cupboard bare. There was normal seasonal
softness, too.  Finally Nancy Meadlock, wife of founder Jim
Meadlock and an Intergraph board member, has lung cancer.  She'll
undergo an operation in Houston, TX in a few weeks. The prognosis is
uncertain. Jim is with her.  Prayers are requested.  What does
this have to do with the stock price?  Despite its size, all
Intergraph senior VPs still report directly to Jim Meadlock, and
the company has no outside board members.

If mom's ill, and pop's with her, analysts figure, who's minding
the store? At a $500 million company, they'll find someone.
NEWSBYTES sends its prayers and best wishes to the Meadlocks.

CONTACT: David Joffrion, Intergraph, One Madison Industrial Park,
         Huntsville, AL 35807 [phone]

[***][3/25/86][***]
TI'S NEW MINIS
Texas Instruments unveiled its new line of Business System
1000 minicomputers at a VAR conference held in Dallas' Infomart
Tuesday.  The 1500 can support up to 128 terminals and 4 billion
bytes of address space, with the main unit able to sit under a
table. It runs a version of AT&T UNIX System V enhanced by TI for
multi-processing and commercial applications. TI also licensed
COBOL System V from Micro Focus for the machines.

Enhancements for the 1000 series are also available for multi-
user configurations of TI's Business-Pro system, an IBM PC AT
compatible, the company announced. Among them: a 140 megabyte
disk drive, a new video display terminal, the new COBOL, and a
conversion utility set for transferring existing files to XENIX.

If you want to access all this power from a dingy motel room, you
can with the TI Silent 700 TravelMate DT, a lap-top portable. It
comes with a User Interface Module, (UIM), a disk cartridge which
can be customized by TI VARs for order entry, weekly sales call
reports and other paperwork, to be completed by responding to
prompts on a 16-line LCD screen.

CONTACT: Texas Instruments Data Systems Group, P.O. Box 809063,
         H-849, Dallas, TX 75380, 1-800-527-3500

[***][3/25/86][***]
GREETING CARDS ON DISK
A year ago Thoughtware Inc., Coconut Grove, FL, sent some floppy
disk-based greeting cards to corporate customers as a publicity
gimmick. They liked it so much the company put out a Christmas
card-on-a-disk priced at $9.95.

An incredible 400,000 copies of the "jingle disk" were sold. So
Thoughtware has started a new subsidiary called Hi Tech
Expressions to market disk-based greetings. Hank Kaplan, the
marketing vp who came up with the idea, runs the new operation.
Product names are from the tradition of "Knoware" and include
HeartWare, a line of Valentines, and CardWare, a more general
card line, at $9.95. Also PartyWare, a design kit for making your
own cards, and WareWithAll, a set of card-making supplies, at
$14.95 each.

CONTACT: Hank Kaplan, Hi-Tech Expressions, 2699 S. Bayshore
         Drive, Coconut Grove, FL 33133 [phone]

[***][3/25/86][***]
MICRO MART SAGA CONTINUES
In this week's episode, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports
that employees are attempting to buy the 20-store chain in order
to force out founder-president Richard Korski and win back the
IBM authorization lost a month ago. Micro Mart spokesman John Day
says there are two offers on the table, with one including a
present employee, and that Micro Mart will be working through the
weekend on them. They'd better work fast--Micro Mart sales are
drying up faster than a Houston snowstorm, and are already back
at levels of over a year ago.

CONTACT: John Day, 3355 Northeast Expressway, Suite 134, Atlanta,
         GA 30341 [phone]

[***][3/25/86][***]
DCA SOLD TO CANADIANS (No, not IRMA's folks)
Document Conversion Services Inc., formed last year to transfer
documents between different word processing formats, has been
sold to Principal NeoTech, Toronto, Canada. Under its new name,
Principal Systems Inc., the company will roll out its own
document conversion system at Interface '86 next week. The new
product is a plug-in board for the IBM PC.

CONTACT: Terrell Redd, PSI, 4025 Wetherburn Way, Norcross, GA
         30092 [phone]

[***][3/25/86][***]
HOW TO GET INTO THE IBM PC BUSINESS (Buy your way in)
Software Atlanta Ltd., a local Epson and AT&T dealer, has bought
its way into the IBM and Apple marketplace by purchasing 51% of
the Harbinger Store in Perimeter Mall. Harbinger became an
authorized IBM dealer 18 months ago to sell "The Promise", a home
banking and shopping package. Harbinger has recently moved to
sell an updated version of its banking program through large
(unnamed) banks. Software Atlanta's Kelly Wong says that, thanks
to Harbinger, his corporate salesmen can now sell IBM and Apple
machines, although his two Software Atlanta storefront outlets
can't.

CONTACT: Kelly Wong, Software Atlanta Ltd., 3380 Henderson Mill
         Road, Atlanta, GA 30345 [phone]

[***][3/25/86][***]
BILL ZIFF WON'T LIKE THIS
Perfect Computer Supplies, a small supplies distributor, is using
the "PC" magazine logo, with its own name in tiny print at the
bottom, to advertise its services. The logo can be found in the
March issue of Atlanta CompuGram.

CONTACT: Scott Rowe, Perfect Computer Supplies Inc. P.O. Box
         48197, Atlanta, GA 30362 [phone]

[***][3/25/86][***]
BANK SELLS STAKE IN TRANSACTION SERVICES FIRM
First Railroad & Banking Co. of Georgia has agreed to sell its
57% stake in First Financial Management Corp., which handles
financial transactions for banks, to a consortium of investment
bankers. The new owners, who paid $70 million, are Robinson-
Humphrey Co. Inc., Atlanta (a unit of Shearson-American Express),
J.C. Bradford Inc. of Nashville, TN, and Fox-Pitt, Kelton, a
London-based specialist in acquiring bank related properties.
Once the firm is divorced from the bank, it will no longer be
regulated by the Federal Reserve, as it is now.

CONTACT: Patrick H. Thomas, FFMC, 3 Corporate Square, Atlanta, GA
         30329 [phone].

[***][3/25/86][***]
SPEAKING OF ONLINE SERVICES, A CORRECTION
Bank South was reported last week to have sold its interest in
BuyPass the System, a small transaction processor. In fact, they
still own 4%. Two Canadian firms purchased 60% of the company by
buying newly-authorized stock.

CONTACT: Bo Spalding, Bank South, P.O. Box 5092, Atlanta, GA
         30302 [phone]

[***][3/25/86][***]
MSR WINS ENABLE CONTRACT
Micro Support Research announced that The Software Group,
developers of the integrated package "Enable", has selected MSR
to provide user training and support in the Southeast. The
Software Group will retain its 1-800 support number for the rest
of y'all.

CONTACT: MSR, 3355 Northeast Expressway, Suite 150, Atlanta, GA
         30341 [phone]

[***][3/25/86][***]
ARE YOU READY FOR SPRING COMDEX? (Quadram is)
Quadram announced it has signed Barbara Mandrell for a concert at
the Fox Theater April 29. The show, an annual event, is for
Quadcustomers and Quadfriends. Another Quadram tradition, the
religious-oriented "Quality of Life" breakfast, will also go
forward the morning before Ms. Mandrell's appearance. This year's
guest speaker is former astronaut Wally Schiarra.

CONTACT: Jane Bator, CAM Group, 4351 Shackleford Road, Norcross,
         GA 30093 [phone]



[***][3/25/86][***]
$680 MILLION CITIDOLLARS BID FOR QUOTRON
Quotron Systems of Marina del Rey, one of the largest providers
of computerized stockmarket data in the world, is the target of
a $680-million takeover bid by New York-based Citicorp.  The
giant holding company, parent of Citibank, will offer Quotron
stockholders $19 per share for their interest in the firm.
Citicorp already is involved in several joint ventures in
videotext, software and computerized investment information
services, and sees Quotron as part of its strategy to develop
computerized delivery of financial services.

Quotron management wasn't returning calls from reporters last
week, but Citicorp spokesmen were eager to say the takeover was
intended to be "friendly."  So far, Quotron hasn't responded to
the bid, but indications are that it is taking the offer very
seriously.  A Citicorp-Quotron merger would help both firms
compete in the increasingly competitive financial-information
market against alliances like the one recently formed between
Merrill Lynch and IBM.  Other players in the stock data-delivery
game include American Express and AT&T.

One interesting sidebar is the possibility of "unfair
competitive advantage" in Citicorp being responsible for
delivering stock-trade data to brokers and exchanges across the
country.  An example would be if Citicorp-Quotron had access to
trading information from other banks and financial services
firms, then immediately reacted to it in the market.  "I don't
know if it's a severe problem, but it's a potential problem,"
Quotron CEO Milton Mohr was quoted as saying.  Apparently, this
issue was the reason Quotron broke off a previous round of
negotiations with Citicorp last fall.

Quotron stock reached the $18.75-per-share range on news of the
bid last week, rising over $2.50.  Citicorp's stock also rose
about $1 per share.  The merger must be approved by the
Securities and Exchange Commission before being finalized.

CONTACT:  Quotron Systems, 5454 Beethoven St., Los Angeles, CA
          [phone]

[***][3/25/86][***]
PATHFINDER LOST IN L.A.
Here's a small correction to our previous report that Pathfinder
Computer is the third largest retail chain in the Los Angeles
metro area.  Make that "was."  This week, Pathfinder announced
it is closing all 10 local stores after suffering a $4 million
loss in 1985.  A spokesman for the firm said it would
concentrate solely on business clients and leave retailing to
others.  Also announced was the layoff of 20 sales employees
this week alone, reducing the local workforce to 65.
Pathfinder's marketing director, Peter Werner, refused to
project the company's financial position for this year, saying,
"We'd love to break even."

CONTACT:  Pathfinder Computer Centers, 21036 Victory Blvd.,
          Woodland Hills, CA

[***][3/25/86][***]
GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS
Here are this week's ups and downs for local firms:

>>>  Helionetics Inc. is looking at a $14 million fourth-quarter
     loss due to write-offs from discontinued operations.  The
     Irvine-based high-tech development firm said it was trying
     to avoid the dreaded Chapter 11 "if at all possible."

>>>  AST Research predicts its sales will climb 10 percent in
     the company's third quarter compared with last year.  Don't
     bet against it.

>>>  Printronix of Irvine says it lost some more money in its
     third quarter, about $848,000 from operations alone.
     Overall, the troubled printer maker said good-bye to about
     $1.2 million for the three months.

[***][3/25/86][***]
IS DESIGNING AN IBM COMPATIBLE A RIGHT-BRAIN ACTIVITY?
Betty Edwards of Santa Monica is into mind control for computer
designers.  In fact, she's built a business out of "balancing
the brains" of employees for IBM and many other high-tech fisms.
An art teacher by training, Edwards is in demand to show
equipment designers how to use artistic perception in technical
problem solving.  In her view, engineers are often so extremely
logical and analytical that they're "left-brain dominant," much
more so than the rest of society.  This unbalanced orientation,
according to Edwards, is the reason some computer designers seem
to be out of touch with society, and the reason they sometimes
can't put their projects into a marketing perspective.  Edwards
is the author of "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain,"
published in 1979.

[***][3/25/86][***]
BEACHBITS

>>>  Cetec Corp. of El Monte is busily repurchasing shares of
     its own stock.  The latest buy-back was 100,000 shares.
     Since January, the total reclaimed stands at 218,000.

>>>  Western Digital Corp. of Irvine has filed a registration
     statement offering $35 million in convertible subordinated
     debentures due in 2011.  Now *there's* confidence for you!

>>>  Ashton-Tate of Torrance has named Robert Carr to the
     position of chief scientist.  He replaces Wayne Ratliff.

[***][3/25/86][***]
QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"We're trading in the high cost per foot of tiny retail sites in
Los Angeles for fewer, larger, less expensive mega-centers which
will be places for salespeople to plan their outbound
activities."

     -- Peter Werner of Pathfinder Computer, explaining why the
        chain decided to close its stores.


[***][3/25/86][***]
DOING THE SPLITS:
Even though high-tech stocks have generally been taking a beating
during the current stock market boom, it was a very good week for
stockholders of some Northeast-based high-tech companies. Last
Monday, Digital Equipment Corporation announced a 2-for-1 stock
split that will be distributed to stockholders on May 9. DEC's last
stock split was in 1976, when they split 3-for-1. DEC stock has
been climbing steadily over the past few months, and has spent
the last few weeks in the 160's -- well above IBM stock. One of
the happiest groups after the announcements was the tens of
thousands of DEC employees who are part of DEC's employee stock
purchase plan.

Meanwhile, Nynex -- the Northeast's Bell Operating Company and
parent of New York Telephone and New England Telephone -- split
its stock 2-for-1 on Thursday. The split will be paid on May 1 as
a 100% dividend to stockholders. The stock, which has doubled
since its introduction in November of 1983, ended the week near
117.

[***][3/25/86][***]
BYE BYE VIEWTRON:
After nearly a five-year "test" and losses of some $50 million,
Knight-Ridder Newspapers announced this week that they'll be
closing down their Viewtron videotext service in the Boston area.
It's the latest in a series of similar shutdowns. Three weeks
ago, Times-Mirror Corporation shut down a similar service in Los
Angeles, citing a loss of over $20 million. Analysts say that
Viewtron's demise is based on several factors including a
softening of the home computer market and competition from more-
well-known services like The Source. They also cited the fact
that Knight-Ridder waited almost five years before making the
service available on personal computers. Viewtron users had been
required to rent a special terminal for $50/month, on top of
connection charges.

[***][3/25/86][***]
(KIND-OF) PUBLIC ACCESS GOVERNMENT:
The affluent New York City suburb of Westchester County, NY has
started a first-in-the- country effort at videotext public access
of government services. But it's far from a large program. The
system currently consists of a single terminal at the county
courthouse in White Plains, NY connected to the county's
mainframe computer. Currently, users can only call up a list of
available county services. The county expects to place at least
five more terminals in public buildings by the end of the year.
But the bureaucrats still get VERY nervous about allowing access
through telephone lines to residents with their own personal
computers. A spokesperson says nothing of the sort is planned. As
reported recently in NEWSBYTES, the state of New Hampshire is
considering legislation that would allow personal computers
owners to peruse supposedly-public government records. However,
the proposed law is given a near-zero chance of passing.

[***][3/25/86][***]
HELLO PICTEL?
PicTel Corporation demonstrated its desktop videophone prototype
this week in Boston. As reported several months ago in NEWSBYTES,
the system uses standard telephone lines to send a full-color
full-motion image. The demonstration was a conversation between
PicTel's Peabody, MA office and a company customer in Princeton,
NJ. The system uses a codec (coder/decoder) that's essentially a
video modem. It uses special software that takes the video data
at 90 million bits per second and compresses it down to 56,000
bits per second. Part of the compression scheme is proprietary
software that only sends data on parts of the picture that are
changing or moving. The company's "basic" corporate videophone
system will include five terminals (12-inch color monitor, 5-inch
B&W monitor, and camera), cabling to connect the system together
in a building, and the codec. It'll cost about $150,000.

CONTACT:  PicTel Corporation, Peabody, MA 617-535-7700

[***][3/25/86][***]
LITTLE COMPUTER LOST:
Last December, ITT Commercial Finance Corporation seized the
assets of a chain of six Boston-area Computerland stores, forcing
the chain to close its doors. But that's not the end of the
story. Among all the equipment seized was a large amount of
customer equipment which was being repaired. Though ITT returned
all marked equipment to its rightful owners, it still has some
two dozen pieces of repaired equipment that wasn't marked with
customer names. Though ITT has run advertisements in major Boston
area newspapers, they still haven't been able to locate the
owners of the equipment. An ITT spokesperson says they plan to
hang on to the equipment for a reasonable length of time while
they continue to attempt to locate the owners.

Meanwhile, the intense competition in computer retail sales has
claimed another casualty. A two-store independent chain based in
the western Massachusetts city of Springfield has closed its
doors. Though small, Northeast Computer Centers was one of the
oldest computer chains in the state.

[***][3/25/86][***]
ANOTHER FOUNDER QUITS:
Like the Steve Jobs situation, an increasingly-common occurrence
in corporate America is the tension that often develops between
driven entrepreneurs and the corporation people that come in to
run the business as it grows. The latest founder to bite the dust
is Phillipe Villers, who started artificial vision system maker
Automatix in 1980. The 50-year-old Villers resigned as chairman
of the Billerica, MA-based company this past week, citing
differences over management styles. Neither Villers nor company
spokespeople would elucidate what the differences were. Villers
remains as the company's largest stockholder, and will devote his
time to his latest new venture, Cognition of Billerica, Ma.
Automatix lost $5.5 million last year.

[***][3/25/86][***]
VDT SESSION:
What many people see as the increasing abuse of workers whose
primary duty is entering data into computers has prompted an
all-day session in Boston April 5th. "(V)ery (D)ifferent (T)imes"
is sponsored by the Committee on New Office Technology, and will
feature 14 different seminars on coping with VDT use and abuse.
Sessions include preventing stress, the health aspects of VDT's,
and how to cope with increasingly-common management monitoring of
keystrokes. The keynote speaker is a regional administrator of
the U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau. The $7 registration
fee includes lunch and child care.

CONTACT: Committee on New Office Technology, 617-524-4318

[***][3/25/86][***]
MAC MUSIC:
"The Celtic Macintosh," the first album ever produced entirely on
a personal computer, has been released. The 40-minute cassette
was produced using a variety of electronic musical instruments
under the control of a Mac running Southworth Music Systems'
"Total Music" MIDI hardware/software system. The album was
created by Paul Lehrman, a Cambridge, MA-based "musician/writer/
engineer/software designer/consultant" whose musical experience
includes playing in rock, folk, and jazz ensembles, and
engineering for such diverse clients as the Boston Pops and Pete
Seeger. The Celtic Macintosh consists of both traditional and
contemporary Irish and Scottish jigs. It's available for $10
postpaid (no credit cards or CODs).

CONTACT:  Paul Lehrman, 31 Maple Ave. #31, Cambridge, MA 02139

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE "TOTAL MUSIC" HARDWARE/SOFTWARE SYSTEM,
CONTACT:
          Southworth Music Systems, Box 275, RD #1, Harvard, MA
          01451

[***][3/25/86][***]
THE BEAT GOES ON:
Despite the stalled U.S. Space Shuttle program and ongoing
investigation, planning for future missions continues to go on.
California-based Lockheed Space Operations Company (the major
shuttle contractor) has awarded a $1.6 million dollar contract to
Apollo Computer of Chelmsford, MA. It's only the first phase of a
$5 million contract under which Apollo will supply Lockheed with
their DOMAIN engineering workstations. The Apollo systems will be
used for Computer Aided Design of new shuttle components.

[***][3/25/86][***]
REALLY SELF-PUBLISHING:
Though the prices of laser printers and page-design software have
been rapidly coming down, it's still too expensive for many
individuals and companies. Although many owners of laser printers
do offer design and printing services, a Keene, NH entrepreneur
is taking it one step further. Richard Newman has opened
Diversified Design, a first-in-the-northeast "design-it-yourself"
center where individuals can come in to design and laser print
their own documents for $15 an hour. The center has several
MacIntoshes networked to an Apple Laserprinter, and uses Aldus
Pagemaker software. Newman also plans to offer courses in
document design. For those who want professional assistance, the
Diversified Design staff will work with you for $25 an hour.
Newman says there are only three other comparable services
available in the country.

CONTACT:  Judith Groves, Diversified Design, 372 West Street,
          Keene, NH 03431, 603-357-4838.

[***][3/25/86][***]
NORTHEAST SNOWBITS:

-- New Hampshire-based Centronics is expected to finally enter
the laser printer market shortly. Sources close to the company
say Centronics will announce an under $3000 laser printer at the
firm's annual meeting in May. It's expected to be based on a
Sharp printer engine.

-- Framingham, MA-based Alloy Computer Products, which has been
very successful with its line of hard disk drives and other
peripherals, is branching out. They've just opened a subsidiary
in Australia, adding to one already in Europe.

-- Troubled GCA Corporation, maker of semiconductor production
equipment, has once again revised its expected loss for 1985. The
Bedford, MA-based company now says it expects a loss of $146
million, up from a previous estimate of $110 million. Final
results will be reported in April.



[***][3/25/86][***]
CANON TURNS TO IBM??
Nikkei Sangyo Daily reported (3/19) that Canon(Tokyo) will
start marketing IBM PC compatible machines with Japanese
features in Japan.  If this is true, it is big news since
no firms have released such products (the IBM PC itself is
not popular here since it does not support Kanji features).
A Canon spokesman, however, denied this report.  He told
NEWSBYTES-JAPAN, "Personal computer architectures of Canon
should be integrated. And the potential architecture for Canon
is IBM PC."  However, the spokesman flatly stated that Canon
has "no intention of marketing the PC compatibles in the domestic
market."  Humm... These remarks are certainly confusing.

Canon has currently been putting an all-out effort into the
distribution of Apple computers here.  So it isn't likely that
Canon will resort to a PC-line, as far as the domestic market
is concerned. Then what did the spokesman imply?  Perhaps he
meant that Canon will stop marketing the company's non-IBM
compatible micro "AS-300" in Japan.  Instead, Canon may beef
up the sales of IBM PC compatibles in the overseas market.
We'll see.

CONTACT: CANON, Tokyo, 03-348-2121

[***][3/25/86][***]
AT&T SEEKS TIES WITH FUJITSU:
According to a published report, AT&T has proposed to invest
in Fujitsu of Japan.  AT&T wants to purchase about 10 to
20% of Fujitsu's stock, says the report.  But Fujitsu says, "It
is just a private level of talk, and AT&T has not yet  publicly
proposed its plan."

AT&T has previously set up a venture business with RICOH, and
signed a sales contract with Toshiba.  AT&T's tie-up with
Fujitsu could provide AT&T with more influence than it currently
has in the world computer market.

CONTACT: Fujitsu, Tokyo, 03-216-3211 (PR. Dept.)

[***][3/25/86][***]
FUJITSU BUYS OUT ISD:
Fujitsu Imaging Systems of America, a subsidiary of Fujitsu in
the U.S., announced (3/18) that it has signed a contract to
purchase Image System Division(ISD) of Burroughs.  As the
facsimile division of Burroughs, ISD put out a total sales
volume of US$50 million in fiscal 1985.  The total purchase
cost of ISD with 350 employees is said to be approx. US$20
million.

[***][3/25/86][***]
TELESTAR GROWS TO VIDEOTEX:
TeleStar, one of the major telecom networks for personal
computers in Japan, will provide videotex features in the end
of April.  With the proprietary software, the users can receive
pictorial data.  Also, with an image scanner, the users can
send pictorial data to the host system.  TeleStar's videotex
system has been based on the so-called "asynchronous binary and
character data transmission control protocol," which is developed
by TeleStar. Under this new system, pictorial data is condensed
and expanded easily so that most of the  micros can handle those
data.

TeleStar has been expanding its services and providing
various up-to-date information both in Japanese and English.
The number of subscribers has reached 6,000.  The English manual
is now available.

CONTACT: TeleStar, Inc., Tokyo
         Katsuro Miyakoda, 03-379-0571 in Japanese
         Masayuki Miyazawa, 03-320-1884 in English (BCN458)

[***][3/25/86][***]
HACKER IN THE BANK:
News broke (3/17) that US$50,000 has been illegally with-
drawn from the seven customers' accounts of Fukuoka Bank
using the bank's Automatic Cash Transaction Machines between
July and December '85.  The police suspected a computer
engineer who used to maintain the bank's cash transaction
machines.  After the investigation, the police say they found that
the suspected computer engineer made fake bank-books with
magnetic tapes for passwords.  He somehow found the customers'
passwords and withdrew the cash.  A similar case happened
in Osaka five years ago, and the suspect was arrested.  At that
time, $100,000 was illegally withdrawn.  Watch out for your
account!

[***][3/25/86][***]
SUPER-DICTIONARY FOR 5TH GENERATION COMPUTER:
Eight major Japanese computer manufacturers including Fujitsu,
NEC, Toshiba, Hitachi, Matsushita and Sharp will jointly
establish  R & D Center to develop a powerful electronic
dictionary for MITI's (Ministry of International Trade and
Industry) 5th generation computer on April 20.  This new R & D
Center plans to develop four kinds of dictionaries for various
terms and concepts.  Believe it or not, the whole dictionary is
said to have a one-million vocabulary.  These dictionaries will
certainly contribute to the development of the high-quality
language translation system for MITI's computer project.
According to a report, the R & D Center is expected to spend
over US$110 million in seven years. Wow!

CONTACT: The Institute for New Generation Computer Technology
         Tokyo, 03-456-2511

[***][3/25/86][***]
<<< SUKIYAKI BYTES >>>

MULTI-FEATURE TERMINAL FROM TOSHIBA -- Toshiba will release a
multi-purpose terminal system, which can be used as a personal
computer, a TV and a videotex terminal, in May.  This  system
has been developed based on a Toshiba's workstation "J-5030".
The resolution of the display is said to be 960 x 700 dots.

AMD'S 256K DRAM SALES IN JAPAN -- Advanced Micro Devices Japan
(AMD), a subsidiary of the U.S. manufacturer, will start
marketing its 256K DRAMs in Japan.  AMD's DRAM is said to have
an extremely fast accessing time.  The price is expected to be
US$17.

PHILIPS SETS UP NEW VENTURE -- Shinnittetsu Steel Corp. and
Nippon Chemicon Corp. have agreed with Philips to create a new
venture business in Japan.  The new company will produce various
electronic parts made of ceramics, such as condensers and
censors.

NEC's VAN COMPUTER TO GE -- According to a report, NEC has
delivered its large-scale general purpose computer "ACOS-1000"
to General Electric through Honeywell Corp. in the U.S.  The
total sales volume is reported be to US$66 million for 12
systems.

UNIX FOR HITACHI -- Hitachi (Tokyo) has ordered Interactive
Systems Corp. in the U.S. to write in UNIX for Hitachi's large-
scale M-series computers.  The system will be used for software
development and scientific calculations.



[***][3/25/86][***]
THE PIONEERING SPIRIT:
Last Monday saw the sudden death of one of Europe's computer
pioneers.  Heinz Nixdorf, who founded Nixdorf Computers some
32 years ago, died on Monday of a heart attack.  He was 60
years old.  Attending the Hanover show in West Germany,
Nixdorf founded his now world famous hi-tech company after
leaving the Remington Rand Corp. in 1952.  The industry has
suffered a loss which it will be difficult to replace.  This
week's NEWSBYTES UK is dedicated to the man who helped push
European computers worldwide.

[***][3/25/86][***]
BIG BLUE PRICE CUTS ON WAY:
This week's "PC Business World" has an interesting story on
IBM's pricing policy for the PC series.  Jane Lawrence of
the industry weekly reckons, "IBM... wants to slash 40%
off the products over the next year."  Graham Mills,
marketing manager of UK dealer Computeraid, is quoted as
expecting a bargain sale of PCs similar to that we saw when
the PC portable was bargain-binned out recently.  "It (the
sale) will help move IBM boxes and knock the clone
suppliers," he said.  Lawrence sticks her neck on the line
and cites sources inside IBM as saying, "an initial 25% drop
would 'not be excessive' with IBM wanting an 80:20 AT to PC
ratio in 1986."  Local IBM dealers in NEWSBYTES UK's home
town take a different view.  They've been told to cut down
on their PC stocks, ready for a possible PC II launch!  Over
to you IBM rumourmongers!

Contact: PC Business World, Suite 106, 16/16a Baldwins
         Gardens, London EC1B 1LA. Tel: London [phone].

[***][3/25/86][***]
AMSTRAD-A-GO-GO:
This weekend sees the Amstrad user show being held in
Manchester. NEWSBYTES UK was there, and was pleasantly
surprised at the wealth of software available at *sensible*
prices for this amazingly cheap complete disc-based system.
How about Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy for just $25?
(And that's a ported version from the Infocom packages
we've all come to know and love.  As mentioned last week, US
readers will shortly sample the delights of the ultra-cheap
all-in-one Amstrad wordprocessor, but here in the UK, where
the product range is well established, with sales in excess
of 100,000 (and counting), the talk is of an ultra cheap
IBM PC clone coming out under the Amstrad banner.  This
week's "Popular Computing Weekly" (a UK computer mag), reckons
there'll be two versions, one with "at least one 5.25 inch
disc unit, the second with a hard disc included."  Inside
word on the prices of the machines - with colour monitors -
is 700 and 900 pounds respectively.  NEWSBYTES UK predicted
prices about 200 below these levels, but that was without
colour monitors. (Well, that's my story anyway!).

[***][3/25/86][***]
FAR EASTERN PC CLONE SUPPLY TO DRY UP?
CompuServe's "Behind the Screens" online magazine (rivals in
the field of online news) ran an interesting story last week
about how the Korean PC clone supply to the West could dry
up as the regime there experiences problems that will allegedly
make the Marcos problems pale into insignificance.  An
interesting possibility, but hasn't CompuServe heard of the
Taiwanese PC clone manufacturers?  (dig-dig).

[***][3/25/86][***]
AMIGA PRICE CUT DUE?
Hot news just in from the CompuServe Commodore (S)pecial
(I)nterest (G)roup is that several people "in the know" say
that, as from April 6th, the price of the Commodore Amiga
A1000 in the US will drop to $795.  The only proviso to this
deal is that a monitor must be purchased with the package,
which pushes the price to $1,200, but that's still a heck of
a lot cheaper than $1,800.  Watch out Tramiel!

[***][3/25/86][***]
SINCLAIR PORTABLE BLUES:
Sir Clive Sinclair's much touted "Pandora" portable looks
like it won't be coming out until 1987.  NEWSBYTES UK's
suspicions this past few weeks have been confirmed by a
Sinclair spokesperson quote in last week's "Popular Computing
Weekly".  The un-named Sinclair persona said, "Some early
production models may be available this year. We will be
trying out these models in a number of defined market areas,
but the machine will be launched in 1987."  Whilst the
machine itself is finished, NEWSBYTES UK has discovered that
Sinclair is still musing over what, if any, storage system
will be used with the 399 pound ($560) portable.  Initially,
Sinclair was known to favour battery-backed RAM, as found on
the likes of the Tandy Model 100/200 portables, but since
CP/M is a possible for the Z80-based machine, a disc option
looks on the cards.  Talking of cards, Sinclair is also
rumoured to be looking at CMOS RAM cards, the so-called
"smart card" technology, and that's *official* - I mean, if
Sinclair won't actually deny they're developing smart cards,
thy *must* be, mustn't hey?

Contact: Sinclair Research, Camberley, Surrey, United
         Kingdom. Tel Camberley [phone].

[***][3/25/86][***]
"HACKERS" TRIAL DATE SET:
The trial of Steve Gold (gulp, that's me folks!) and Robert
Schifreen, both alleged to have broken into the UK's Prestel
viewdata system, has now been fixed for April 14th at the
Southwark Crown Court in London.  Other than this comment,
this journalist is saying little on the subject, but rest
assured, you'll read all about what happens here, on
NEWSBYTES UK.

[***][3/25/86][***]
SWEDES DATA PROTECTION WORRIES:
Following on from the awful murder of Olaf Palme, the
Swedish prime minister, the country's data protection laws,
until Palme's death, thought to be some of the most
effective in Europe, are coming under fire.  Last week saw
the start of a meeting in Stockholm of Sweden's top data
protection experts.  Swedish newspapers report that the
investigation of Palme's death is doubly difficult, since
any Swedish citizen has the right to read data on anyone
else.  Put bluntly, anyone could have had access to
government data on Palme - his home address, marital status
etc. - in short, all the information a potential murderder
needs to obtain a "profile" of his intended victim.  The
motive for killing Palme is unknown, but any Swedish citizen
could have meticulously planned the murder using official
publicly accessible records!


[***][3/25/86][***]
VIRGINIA HIGH TECH CHIEF QUITS
The board of directors of Virginia's Center for Innovative
Technology has eased out the president of the organization
amid charges that the center does not know what its mission is.
After 15 months in office, Robert Pry resigned the $100,000-per-
year post under pressure, citing an "undercurrent of concern"
about the center's future. The organization was a major
initiative of former Virginia Governor Charles Robb. It was
opened in 1984, with headquarters near Dulles International
Airport in the Washington suburbs, and a pot of $32 million in
state funds. Its aim is to coordinate research between high-tech
industries in the state and the state's universities.

But Pry was a low-key, secretive administrator, who drew
criticism from northern Virginia officials for being
uncommunicative and not clear about the mission of the state-
private institution. Pry, a retired vice chairman of Gould Inc.,
an Illinois electronics company, refused to discuss his
resignation with the press. Pry "does not take calls from the
press," said a spokesman.

[***][3/25/86][***]
GOULD GOBBLES PSC INC.
Speaking of Gould, the Rolling Meadows. Ill., firm has acquired
PSC Inc., of Fairfax, Va. The Virginia computer and electronics
systems engineering firm employs more than 150 engineers and
scientists. PSC will be integrated in Gould's defense systems
section, Gould said. The terms of the deal were not revealed.

[***][3/25/86][***]
HIGH TECH NEWSPAPER TO DEBUT
"Washington Technology", a bi-weekly newspaper written for and
about the growing high tech industry in the Nation's Capital,
will begin publication April 3. According to publisher Esther
Smith, there are more than 1100 technology-related companies in
the metropolitan Washington area, with over 110,000 employees,
supported by more than 28 institutions of higher education
offering degrees in technology-related fields. In addition,
there are important government research centers and scientific
laboratories.

The paper will `e "controlled circulation," meaning that it will
be free to the kinds of folks that would impress advertisers with
their income and education levels. Peons can purchase the paper
for a $25 annual subscription. Smith was a founding editor of
both "The Business Review of Washington," an independent weekly,
and "Washington Business Journal," a Scripps-Howard paper.

CONTACT: Washington Technology, 1953 Gallows Road, Vienna, Va.,
         22180. 703-848-2800

[***][3/25/86][***]
AT&T OFFERS SKYNET
In a filing with the Federal Communications Commission last week,
AT&T proposed its first domestic Ku-band satellite offering--the
Skynet star network service for multipoint digital data and video
communications. AT&T said the service would be available to
customers on April 17.

The Ku-band network would allow a retailer with about 500
locations (read carefully, Computerland) to send sales campaign
information or pricing changes to all its stores and, in return,
receive sales records or inventory depletion information. That
sort of two-way data operation, says AT&T, would run about $350
to $400 per month per location. That figure includes design,
management and maintenance of the network, transponder capacity,
and earth stations for a seven-year term. The higher frequency Ku
-band allows smaller earth stations than those in C-band
transmissions that are the bread-and-butter of AT&T's satellite
network business. Ku-band frequencies range from 11.7 to 14.5
gigahertz, while C-band frequencies range from 4 to 6 gigahertz,
according to AT&T.

[***][3/25/86][***]
SINGER SEWS UP ALLEN
Singer Co. of Stamford, Conn., has agreed to buy Allen Corp. of
America, an Alexandria, Va., defense contractor, for $20 million.
Allen's main line of business is training and simulation
programs, including computer-based instruction and videodisc
instruction. The acquisition is Singer's second this year in
aerospace electronics.

CONTACT: Allen Corp. of America, 801 North Fairfax St., Alexandria
         VA, 22314, 703-838-0044

[***][3/25/86][***]
FAIRCHILD PLANS INSOUTH MOVE
Fairchild Industries Inc. says it will move its Insouth
Microsystems unit from Auburn, Ala., to Maryland. Insouth designs
and makes components used in avionics and telecommunications
equipment for its parent division, Fairchild Communications and
Electronics Co. of Germantown, Md. Only about 12 of 50 Insouth
employees will make the move to Maryland. The rest will be laid
off.

CONTACT: Fairchild Communications and Electronics, 20301 Century
         Blvd., Germantown MD, 20874, 301-428-6000.

[***][3/25/86][***]
CBEMA BACKS PACKWOOD TAX PLAN
The Computer and Business Equipment Manufacturers Association
likes the tax reform proposal authored by Sen. Robert Packwood
(R-Ore.), chairman of the finance committee. CBEMA vice president
Ted Heydinger says the Packwood proposal calls for a permanent
incremental research and development credit, puts computers and
telecommunications equipment in a three-year depreciation
category, and treats foreign income between than a House-passed
tax plan. CBEMA's only problem with the Packwood approach is a
minimum tax proposal that would include half of worldwide
profits. "The result could be very bad for multi-national
companies," says Heydinger.

CONTACT: CBEMA, 311 First St. NW, Washington DC, 20001, 202-737-
         8888

[***][3/25/86][***]
WASHINGTON COMPUTER BUSINESS INDEX.
The computer index has climbed nicely to 217.3, compared to last
week's 188.46. "Washington Business," the weekly tabloid published
by "The Washington Post," carried 11.3 pages of computer display
ads for the March 17 issue. Non-computer display ads totaled
19.8, down a page from the prior week.

[***][3/25/86][***]
POWERBYTES

 $$$ Zenith Data Systems has picked Advanced Systems Inc. of Chicago
to provide at least 75,000 computer-based training packages as
part of the $242 million Air Force contract announced earlier
this month.

 $$$ The National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder,
Colo., has ordered a Cray X-MP/48 supercomputer, replacing the
Cray-1 that has been running in the center since 1983. The center
also houses the second Cray-1 ever produced, which has been
running since 1977. The new Cray will cost $22 million. A
consortium of 55 universities operates the center under  contract
to the National Science Foundation.

 $$$ Ron Haan, a Florida and Washington software entrepreneur, has
bought "Washington Dossier" magazine. The 11-year-old magazine
covers the lifestyles of the rich, powerful, and famous in
Powertown. The sale was for about $5 million an Dossier has a
circulation of 40,000.


[***][3/25/86][***]
CRAY FOR U. OF TORONTO:
Months of debate have ended with the University Of
Toronto's decision to purchase a $13-million (CDN) used
supercomputer (formerly owned by NASA), with the help of a
$10-million gift from the Ontario Government.  Opponents of
the project have been arguing that the Cray X-MP2/4
computer would be more of a financial burden than a boon to
the school, but supporters of the plan hold that enough
income can be generated by sales of timesharing, to pay for
the machine's operating costs by its third year of use.

The University Of Toronto was awarded the gift over a
proposal by a consortium of The University Of Guelph and
MacMaster University, in Hamilton, Ontario.  Annual costs
to run the super number-cruncher can amount to $2.6-
million, giving rise to such comments as "[it's] a great
big glamourous toy for a very few people," and "a shaky
computer initiative...implies considerable financial risk
and thus threatens other university priorities," from
dissenting members of the committee deciding whether or not
to accept the provincial grant.  Proponents of the scheme
countered by pointing out that a similar supercomputer at
the University Of Calgary (Alberta) is handily generating
revenue, and attracting "top-flight, world class
researchers."  They added that the U Of T already has a
list of 60 researchers willing to invest in time on the
Cray once it is up and running.

[***][3/25/86][***]
R&D FOR THE JET SET:
Nepean, Ontario's Computing Devices Co. has committed a
$920,000 (CDN) research project into jet engine thrust.
The technology will be developed in co-operation with NASA
in the U.S., for in-flight thrust measurement as part of
the U.S. Air Force's X-29A swept-wing aircraft test
program.  It's hoped the project will also lead to
development and production of engine thrust-trimming and
health-monitoring systems for F-18 and Canadian CF-18
fighter planes.  Computing Devices has received $460,000
funding under Canada's Defence Industry Productivity
Program.

[***][3/25/86][***]
JOURNALISM ONLINE:
The Centre For Mass Media Studies--at the University Of
Western Ontario, in London, Ont.--announces its Canadian
Journalism Data Base, operated through database purveyor QL
Systems Ltd., of Kingston, Ontario.  The new online service
will include a bibliography of materials on journalism,
research papers, press council decisions, a professional
directory, timely media news, and a job bank. (Sounds a lot
like the CPA's PN right here on The Source...hmmm...)

[***][3/25/86][***]
JOINING FORCES FOR PROFIT:
FRI Information Services Ltd. (Montreal, Quebec) and Ceti
Data Corp. (Toronto, Ontario), suppliers of investment data
and software have announced their amalgamation.  The new
FRI Information Services Ltd. under this change of
ownership will consider further mergers or acquisitions,
with an eye towards broader penetration of the export
market.

[***][3/25/86][***]
HEALTH NETWORK GATEWAY:
An electronic network has been introduced by the Canadian
Hospital Association, and Telecom Canada.  "InfoHealth"
will enable professionals in the health care community to
send electronic mail, search for medical information in
online databases, and hold conferences (much like The
Source's PARTI).  The network will be available through the
gateway of Telecom Canada's iNET 2000 service.

CONTACT: iNET 2000, 1-800-361-3050 (in Canada)