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/V172

Text File | 1991-08-11 | 58KB | 1,266 lines

[***][9/30/86][***]
IBM NO-SHOW AT PC FAIRE
SAN FRANCISCO, Ca. The 4th annual Personal Computer Faire,
held September 25-27 at San Francisco's Brooks Hall, is the
smallest ever, drawing a low turnout of both fairgoers and
exhibitors.  Conspicuously absent was IBM, the stimulus for
the PC Faire and the entire PC industry; this is the first
year IBM has decided not to exhibit at this event.  In fact,
the only major hardware companies represented on the floor
were Zenith and NEC.  The only recognizable names in softwaredom
were Borland and Adam Osborne's Paperback Software.  "It's bloody
small," Jerry Pournelle, columnist in BYTE magazine was heard
to remark.  The only real attractions were some of the seminars,
and bargains in PC clones--bargains like an AT compatible 640k
system with CPU, disk drive and cards for $1,495.  A half dozen
small Silicon Valley companies, most named with only initials,
and who were "assembling" the computers here but buying the parts
in Taiwan, were offering cheap clones....One company, admitting it
was dealing in "gray market" products, was selling actual IBMs
at rock bottom prices.  You know what they say, "When the cat's
away....." The question is, can the PC Faire last much longer?

[***][9/30/86][***]
HEWLETT PACKARD'S MISCALCULATION
PALO ALTO, Ca. The Series 3000 930 business model minicomputer
won't be shipped until mid-1987, not late 1986.  While most
of us weren't planning to buy one of these $300,000 RISC-based
machines anyway, we can appreciate the dramatic response of
Wall Street.  HP stock plunged 10% and many analysts are saying
companies such as DEC and IBM will get an even bigger foothold
in the market for these machines than HP can afford.  HP
says the delay in shipments of the 930 are due to additional
tuning requirements associated with the machine's input/output
software.  HP is indeed "risc-ing" its future on what it's
calling its Precision Architecture, having invested $250 million
to redesign all its computers for RISC or reduced instruction
set computing which is designed to make computers run faster
and more efficiently.

[***][9/30/86][***]
INTEL WINS NEC CHIP COPYRIGHT BATTLE
SANTA CLARA, Ca.  Intel Corporation is celebrating a victory over
Japanese rival NEC.  A federal judge has ruled that microcode
is software, therefore under the protection of US copyright laws.
The battle began 2 years ago when Intel charged NEC with copying
its 8086 and 8088 chips.  NEC not only denied the charge, but
countersued, claiming that microcode was actually hardware,
and as such could only be protected by a patent.  The judge
must still decide if NEC did indeed infringe on Intel's
copyright, but the initial ruling is significant in Silicon
Valley.  It encourages development of new semiconductors,
manufacturers no longer need to fear their inventions will be
without legal protection against piracy.

[***][9/30/86][***]
APPLE/3COM PART WAYS
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Ca.  3Com Corporation has decided to sell its
file server for the Macintosh, the 3Server3, on its own.  At
the firm's shareholders meeting September 24, 3Com's chairman
Robert Metcalf announced that his firm has cancelled a deal
with Apple in which Apple would have sold the file server
under the Apple label.  Metcalf says 3Com will make more money
by selling the file server on its own.  The end to this
contract could mean a loss of "several million dollars" according
to a published report.  Metcalf denies Apple has any plans
to manufacture a competing product.  Meanwhile, 3Com's 3Server3
has been reduced in price even before it hits the market.  Due
October 1, the file server will cost $5,995, not $7,495.

[***][9/30/86][***]
APPLE/NORTHERN TELECOM JOIN WAYS
SAN DIEGO, Ca.  At the Telecommunications Association Show, Apple
Computer and Northern Telecom officials jointly announced
hardware and software designed to provide high speed communications
over ordinary phone lines between Macintoshes and other computers
using NT's Meridian SL-1 integrated services network.  The
technology will enable Macintoshes to exchange data up to 18
times faster--19,200 baud--than standard telephone modem speeds
currently allow, as well as exchange files and data with IBM,
DEC and HP computers.  No release date or price was put on the
products.

CONTACT:  Marianne Lettieri, APPLE COMPUTER, 408/973-3883
          Paul Morrison, NORTHERN TELECOM, 408/988-5550

[***][9/30/86][***]
APPLE PUSHES GEAR INTO FORTUNE 1000 FIRMS
CUPERTINO, Ca.  Apple has initiated a program to provide its
Macintosh Plus computers, Laserwriter printers and various
software packages on extended loan to Fortune 1,000 companies.
The free use of the equipment is designed to give Apple a
foothold into businesses still reluctant to switch from their
IBM standards.  Sandra Sakaguchi, coordinator of the program,
says, "These evaluation products can be used to ensure Apple
is on a corporation's approved vendor list."

[***][9/30/86][***]
ACTIVISION AN ACTIVE BUY SAYS NEWSLETTER
SAN FRANCISCO, Ca. The "California Technology Stock Letter" has
issued a strong "buy" recommendation for Activision shares after
they had been for a considerable time on "hold."  The reason
is Activision's products for the new Apple IIGS.  "Activision
introduced Paintworks Plus and Writer's Choice 'elite'....We
expect Paintworks Plus to be a standard application on the IIGS"
much as MacPaint and MacWrite were in the early days of the
Macintosh.

CONTACT:  CA. TECH STOCK LETTER, 415/982-0125

[***][9/30/86][***]
WYSE INTRODUCES NEW XT COMPATIBLE
SAN JOSE, Ca.  Wyse Technology has created a PC/XT compatible
machine with two clock speeds, one of which is twice as fast as
a conventional IBM PC.  Expected to be sold through Businessland
stores, the WYSEpc+ offers 9.54 MHz and 4.77 MHz modes, 256k
expandable to 640, etc.  The low end, single drive version is
expected to retail for $1,265 while the top of the line version,
configured with a 20 megabyte hard drive is $1,995.

CONTACT: Thomas Stites, WYSE TECHNOLOGY, 408/433-1000

[***][9/30/86][***]
IN BRIEF --

SAN RAFAEL, Ca. MICROPRO is taking MICROPROSE to court, charging
the smaller software company with violation of its trademark.
The suit claims the two names are so similar as to cause
confusion.  MicroPro's attorney claims negotiations which went on
for over a year failed to reach an out of court settlement with
the Maryland-based firm.

MENLO PARK, Ca. INFOWORLD magazine is about to change again.  The
weekly will become a controlled circulation publication, available
free to qualified industry trade people, as rival publications
such as PC WEEK are now.

LOS ANGELES, Ca. SECURITY PACIFIC BANK has chosen NCR CORPORATION
computers and financial workstations for its "Branch of the Future"
project.  Over the next four years, the bank will equip its 600
branches with NCR automation systems using PCs, interactive video
disks, and data communications technologes. CONTACT: R.B. Farkas,
NCR, Dayton, OH, 513/445-2078

DALY CITY, Ca. Steven Matthew David, 47, has been sentenced to
three years probation, fined $10,000 and ordered to do 500 hours
of community service.  The owner of the now defunct Computer
Connection store in San Francisco pleaded no contest to felony
charges of grand theft after reselling Apple computers he got
at a discount through the Catholic Archiocese of S.F.

OAKLAND, Ca. THE DOLE FOUNDATION, established by Senator Robert
Dole, has awarded $50,000 to United Cerebral Palsy of
Alameda-Contra Costa Counties for its Computer Access Project.
The project is teaching job skills to job seekers with moderate
to severe cerebral palsy.  CONTACT: Kathleen Martin, C.A.P.,
415/832-7430



[***][9/30/86][***]
GEORGIA RESTRICTS JUNK CALLS
The battle between government and business over computerized junk
phone calls is on again. The state Public Service Commission
voted to ban the calls from 9 PM to 9 AM, as well as all day
Sunday. It also banned sequential dialing, in which computers are
programmed to dial numbers in sequence, and it required that any
company employing the devices get a permit from the PSC. In
addition, messages must identify the calling party by name and
phone number, no calls are allowed to emergency services like
hospitals and fire departments, as well as unpublished telephone
numbers, callers must use equipment that disconnects 10 seconds
after hanging up, and any firm violating the rules will be
disconnected by the PSC. Spokesman Jon Grant said there was
support among commissioners for a complete ban, but the state
attorney general's office had advised them that would be
unconstitutional.

CONTACT: Jon Grant, GEORGIA PSC, 244 Washington St. SW, Atlanta,
         GA 30334 [phone]

[***][9/30/86][***]
THE ATLANTA HIGH-TECH TOUR
NEWSBYTES SOUTH joined 25 reporters at this year's 2-day tour of
Atlanta high-tech. The biggest splash, however, was made by a man
who wasn't there, PC World Communications chairman David Bunnell.
He sent a nasty letter saying he would not attend in protest of
Georgia's "barbaric" sodomy laws, which can put married couples
committing oral sex into the slammer for 20 years yet were upheld
by the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year.  (Nevertheless, an
LA-based correspondent for "PC World" did make the tour.)

There was also some real news. Microstuf, Roswell, GA, said their
long-awaited Crosstalk Mark IV should finally ship in the next 30
days. Adding 3270 emulation caused the delay, we were told.  Gary
Robertson director, sales and marketing for The Software Link,
Atlanta, said his $10 million company's PC-MOS 386, a multi-user,
multi-tasking, DOS-compatible operating system based loosely on
TSL's MultiLink and LANLink products, is still on target for
demonstration at the Fall Comdex in Las Vegas. Volume shipments
could begin as early as next February.

CONTACT: Pam Alexander, THE SOFTWARE LINK, 8601 Dunwoody Place,
         Suite 632, Atlanta, GA 30338 [phone]

[***][9/30/86][***]
FOUR NEW PRODUCTS DEBUT AT GEORGIA ATDC
During the high-tech tour, the Georgia Advanced Technology
Development Center hatched five new products from four different
companies. In brief:

        *Professional Training Systems announced an interactive
videodisk (LP-sized platters) system called Pro-Vision 50, and
an editing system for training courseware or electronic catalog
applications. It's already being used to train people to
recognize child abuse and to advertise Georgia products. (John B.
Hayes, president, [phone])

        *National Artificial Intelligence Lab Inc. announced an
AI-based data encryption system called FailSafe, using its NAIL
expert system creation tool. (James Williamson, [phone])

        *Applied Software Technology announced a new version of
its AutoSE AutoCAD text editor, and said it has an agreement to
market GT STRUDL, a solids-modeling program developed by Georgia
Tech research. (Julia Choate, [phone])

        *Scholar Chips Software announced PCemas, a school
administration package for PC ATs and compatibles. (Bernard
Jeffcutt, president, [phone])

[***][9/30/86][***]
A TALK WITH THE NEW GEORGIA TECHNOLOGY CZAR  *EXCLUSIVE*
Richard "Dick" Meyer has to balance the needs of a successful
Georgia Tech program with the demands of a state eager for the
gravy. He put his NEC 9810 aside to talk to our Tandy Model
100 for a few minutes. A new business plan is just about
complete, he said, and the new ATDC will be 60% services for
entrepreneurs, 40% technology venture services. "The first are
directed to start-ups, the second to bring new high-tech industry
to Georgia." The group will be choosing new incubator companies
for a broader coverage of technologies, with less computer
hardware or software. Aerospace, telecommunications, and
biotechnology are the new targets. Geographic dispersion will be
taking place -- Ed Roberts' Datablocks Inc. in far-off Dublin, GA
is being invited to join ATDC, and would be served by a field
office. Industry funding will be heavily sought: the ATDC until
now has mostly run on state funds.

CONCLUSION: In contrast to the late Jerry Birchfield, the ATDC
entrepreneur, Dick Meyer hopes to be the ATDC diplomat.

CONTACT: Don Plummer, ATDC, 430 Tenth St., Atlanta, GA 30309
         [phone]

[***][9/30/86][***]
MEANWHILE, AUSTIN NEEDS NEW CZAR AS INMAN WALKS TO DALLAS
Austin's Microelectronics & Computer Technology Corp. a research
consortium with 21 major sponsors, is looking for a new head.
Current director Bobby Inman Wednesday agreed to head Westmark
Inc., a new Dallas-based defense industry holding company,
starting in January.  Mason Best Co., a merchant banking firm, is
the biggest holder of Westmark, a private company, and the board
is filled with heavy hitters like Xerox chairman David T.
Kearns, former transportation secretary Drew Lewis, former
defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and former Democratic party
head Bob Strauss.  Westmark spokesman Ted Ingersoll told AP the
company was founded this month and would function as a holding
company of defense-related electronics firms.

CONTACT: MCC, [phone]

[***][9/30/86][***]
HIGH-TECH MORALITY PLAY: HBO & CO. FIGHTS FOR ITS LIFE
HBO & Co. was a software company that had it all, namely a
thriving niche in hospital management software. Then it got
ambitious, hiring a new boss from outside and diversifying. He
was gone in a year, and now the company is fighting a tankful of
hostile sharks. Its board rejected a bid from a Virginia-based
investment firm, Andover Group, to buy it for $15 per share, and
now Oppenheimer & Co., New York, has told the SEC it wants HBO
sold. Both Oppenheimer and Andover own 5.1% of the company's
stock, which closed last Thursday at $12.87 per share. HBO & Co.
also spent most of last week as one of the NASDAQ 10 most-active
issues.

CONTACT: Austin Kearney, HBO & Co. 301 N. Perimeter Center, NE,
         Atlanta, GA 30346 [phone]

[***][9/30/86][***]
PECAN BYTES

HAYES MICROCOMPUTER PRODUCTS, Norcross, GA, rolled out a new
internal modem for the Apple II series and a version of its
Smartcom communications software, timed with the release of the
new Apple IIGS.  (Sharon O'Brien, [phone])

WHITE CRANE SYSTEMS, Norcross, GA, introduced Brooklyn Bridge, a
$130 software package which lets users port software from their
desktop computers to compatible laptops. It comes with a serial
cable (Charles Gordon, [phone])

[***][9/30/86][***]
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Glen E. Robinson, chairman of E-Tech Inc., and a co-founder of
Scientific-Atlanta Inc., Atlanta's first big technology company,
spoke against an relying only on computers and communications
technology at the high-tech tour.

"Let's not put all our eggs in one basket. Let's diversify our
technology businesses."




[***][9/30/86][***]
LOTUS ENTERS LASERDISK MARKET
The 1-2-3 mavens of Cambridge, MA gave CD-ROMS a big push this
week with their introduction of "One Source," a system of
financial databases and analysis software. One Source users will
get a subscription to a CD-ROM financial database that'll be
updated weekly. The system includes a CD-ROM player and "Lotus
Financial," an extension to 1-2-3 that will access data from the
CD-ROM without the user having to leave the spreadsheet.

The main function of One Source seems to be to allow "power
user" bean counters to do serious analysis of financial results
with a system that'll let them access data in seconds off a
CD-ROM, instead of wasting their very valuable time having to
get the data off an electronic database. But unless you have
very deep pockets, don't plan on rushing down to your local
computer store to buy One Source; it costs between $11,000 and
$27,000 a year -- depending on which databases you subscribe to.
One Source seems to be another example of Lotus' headlong rush
away from individual users to that ever-lucrative "Fortune 1000"
market.

And in a related move that's designed to give CD-ROM's a bigger
kick start, Microsoft this week announced extensions to MS-DOS
that allow it to read data from the disks. Using the extensions,
MS-DOS sees a CD-ROM as just another disk (that it can only read
from.)

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

[***][9/30/86][***]
PHILLIPINE PRESIDENT VISITS BOSTON HI-TECH
Under the tightest security Boston's ever seen, Phillipine
president Corazon Aquino visited the Boston area this past week,
where she lived (in Newton) several years ago with her
then-exiled husband. She left Newton and returned to the
Phillipines when her husband was assassinated on his return.
Between speeches at Boston University (where she received an
honorary degree), and a visit to her former home, president
Aquino stopped at Lotus Development. Although the national
wirephotos show her smiling heartily while sitting next to a
1-2-3 package, there was a serious reason for her visit. Besides
the Lotus folks, representatives from several other computer
companies including DEC were present for preliminary discussion
on how computers can be used to rebuild the shattered election
system in the Phillipines.

[***][9/30/86][***]
IBM BOLSTERS SALES STAFF
Big Blue announced this week that they intend to push some
2000-3000 management employees out the door. No, it's NOT a
layoff. Instead, the employees will be transferred from their
cushy desk jobs out into the field as salespeople. Always a
marketing-driven company, IBM's move is seen as an aggressive
way to bolster their presence in numerous markets, and also make
more employees more productive. Between the transfers and new
hires, IBM's sales force will jump from 23,000 to 28,000 by the
end of next year. And since many of the transfers will require
physical moves for the employees, it once again seems that the
IBM acronym actually stands for "I've Been Moved."

CONTACT:  IBM, Old Orchard Road, Armonk, NY 10504, 914-765-9600

[***][9/30/86][***]
ROCK-BOTTOM 1-2-3 CLONE ON THE WAY
The hot market combination of 1-2-3 clones and lower-and-lower
priced software may hit a new high (er... low) if Ontio Computer
Products Corporation does what it claims it's going to do. The
start-up, based in Cambridge, MA (Lotus' home base), says it'll
introduce "Ontio 259" next month, a 1-2-3 compatible spreadsheet
that'll retail for $29.95. (Yes, you read that price correctly.)
A company spokesperson says that although the user interface
will be different from 1-2-3 (it'll have pop-up menus), it'll be
completely compatible with Lotus .WKS files. The company also
claims that Ontio 259 will have several advanced graphics
features. Ontio president Julian Lange was formerly the
president of Software Arts, the people who developed VisiCalc.
Two other officers are also former Software Arts people. Is
Lotus sweating? Time will tell.

CONTACT:  Ontio Computer Products Corporation, Cambridge, MA
          617-661-0259

[***][9/30/86][***]
MASSACHUSETTS/SOFTWARE CAPITAL?
Is Massachusetts the "Software Capital of the Country?" Though
some other areas -- notably the west coast -- might disagree,
that's the theme of a $160,000 ad and brochure campaign that'll
be running throughout the country by the end of the year. The
Bay State is kicking in half of the money, with the rest coming
from the 150-member Massachusetts Software Council. Dan
Bricklin, the VisiCalc co-creator who now owns Software Garden,
said that the campaign is designed to stress that software
development in Massachusetts goes back 40 years. (Early computer
work was done at MIT during World War II.) Bricklin added that
Massachusetts is the only place in the world where there's a
"second generation of software people."

[***][9/30/86][***]
MORE COMPUTER SHOWS HIT THE DUST
Needham, MA-based mega-computer-show organizers The Interface
Group has cancelled the series of Computer and Business
Equipment Showcases. Between 15 and 25 of the Showcases have
been held throughout the country over the past three years; but
only 9 were held this year, and the remaining four have been
cancelled. Some 30 employees -- about 10% of Interface's staff
-- were axed along with the Showcases. Interface Group president
Sheldon Adelson said the Expos were money-losing events. But he
stressed that The Interface Group is far from abandoning
computer shows. The company has added three additional Computer
Faires to the 1987 schedule. Regarding the upcoming Fall COMDEX,
the company's (and the industry's) largest show, Adelson said
pre-registration is running 5% to 10% ahead of last year. Some
industry analysts are saying that Fall COMDEX may be largest
show yet and signal that long-predicted "resurgence" for the
computer industry.

CONTACT:  The Interface Group, 300 First Ave., Needham, MA 02194,
          617-449-6600

[***][9/30/86][***]
TV COMPUTER ADS WAY DOWN
Noticed fewer computer product advertisements on television
lately? You're not imagining things. A survey of computer
industry spending for the tube shows that expenditures this year
are down a whopping 55% -- from $77.1 million last year to $34.8
million this year. The report, from Larchmont, NY-based
Communications Trends, says IBM, Apple, Wang, and AT&T, made the
heaviest cuts in their television budgets; and Compaq decided to
pull out of television completely. Despite the computer
industry's moves, overall spending for television is up 7.2%
this year -- to $10.1 billion.

[***][9/30/86][***]
COMPUTER TEST DRIVE
Ford Motor Company is trying hard to wrest the yuppie market
away from Volvo's, Saab's, and BMW's with the introduction of
the German-made Merkur XR4Ti. And what better way to get the
yuppies than right where they live -- in front of their
computers. Ford is offering the "Merkur XR4Ti Disk Drive Test
Drive," a graphics-filled demonstration of the features and
benefits of the Merkur. After your test drive, you can even
print out a window sticker. But hold onto your computer chairs,
Merkur prices start at $16,361; and all those added extras can
bring the bottom line way up fast. Merkurs will be sold by
"selected" Lincoln-Mercury Dealers. The disk, by the way, is
FREE. (For a real laugh, read the huge disclaimer on the back of
the disk sleeve.)

CONTACT:  Merkur Electronic Marketing Services, PO Box 486,
          Detroit, MI 48025

[***][9/30/86][***]
A NEW TWIST ON COMPUTER BOOKKEEPING
Software products based on old-and-tested non-computer products
are becoming more and more common. And the latest wrinkle comes
from Amherst, NH-based Great American Software, developers of
the highly-regarded One-Write Plus series of accounting
products. The company's "Dome Accounting by Computer" package is
based on (you guessed it) the ubiquitous Dome Simplified
Bookkeeping Record Books. Great American developed the program
in association with Dome publishing of Warwick, RI, which last
year sold over a million copies of its manual system books. The
program faithfully follows the Dome system, but includes such
additional niceties as automatic updating of related files and
pop-up accessories.  Dome Accounting by Computer runs on the IBM
PC and clones, Commodore 64, Apple II series, and Tandy
computers. All packages retail for $39.95.

CONTACT:  Great American Software, Box 910, Amherst, NH 03031,
          800-525-5015

[***][9/30/86][***]
BRITISH PUBLISHER LOOKING FOR AMERICAN TYPESETTERS
Though it's not strictly a northeast story, NEWSBYTES NORTHEAST
had a visit this past week from Tom Graves, managing director of
The Anvil Group, based in Somerset, England. Tom was making his
first trip to the states and showing off his company's "TypeFit"
software throughout New England. A product that's been sold for
several years in the U.K., TypeFit is a typesetter "front end"
that allows WordStar files to be interfaced directly to a
typesetting machine, without the necessity (and extense) of
adding the numerous special codes that are always necessary for
translation purposes. The program is chock full of features that
both writers and typesetting people can love.

Although writers can easily use TypeFit to painlessly prepare
files for typesetting, the typesetter must have the program as
well. Several hundred typesetters in the U.K. are using TypeFit,
and Graves is actively looking for U.S-based typesetters to get
the ball rolling in "the states." A "shareware" version of
TypeFit is available for downloading if you're a user of BIX
(BYTE Information Exchange). The exact U.S. price for the full
package hasn't yet been set, but it'll be in the vicinity of
$500.

CONTACT:  Tom Graves, The Anvil Group, 19 West End, Street,
          Somerset, England BA16 OLQ, (0458) 45359/47007

[***][9/30/86][***]
NORTHEAST BITS

-- Maybe there's not as much gold in cable television as many
believe. Burlington, MA-based M/A-Com, the leading producer of
scrambling/unscrambling equipment for cable TV, has sold its
cable/home communications line lock, stock, and barrel to
General Instrument Corporation. GIC paid $220 million for it
all. A M/A-Com spokesperson says they sold the cable business as
a key part of their "restructuring plan."

-- Korea-based Samsung, and Cambridge, MA-based distributor
MicroDirect (which distributes Samsung's AT-clone in the U.S.)
have been arguing over Samsung's decision last month to cancel
MicroDirect's exclusive U.S. distribution contract. Now
MicroDirect has filed for arbitration of the disagreement in
South Korea, under which a three-member panel will decide who's
right.

[***][9/30/86][***]
NEC TO RAISE OUTPUT OF PC-9801
According to a published report, NEC will soon increase pro-
duction of its 16-bit micro "PC-9801" by 20 to 30 percent.  With
this increase, 30,000 units of PC-9801 will be produced every
month.  This decision was made due to the popularity of the
9801VM2 (a V30 MPU version) and 9801UV2 (a 3.5" FDD version),
says a report.

The PC-9801 series has certainly been the most popular 16-bit
micro in Japan.  However, NEC's decision to raise the output
came at a slightly odd time when the computer industry is in a
slump.  In fact, Hitachi's decision to cut the salary of its
executives by five percent shocked the industry last
week.  Some analysts predict that NEC will lower the price of
PC-9801 later, in order to saturate the 16-bit market with the
9801.  As a result, NEC will be able to secure the 9801's number
one position in the 16-bit micro market in Japan.  It gives us
a strong impression that PC-9801 will grow just like the Japanese
counterpart of the IBM PC here in the very near future.  We'll
see.

CONTACT: NEC, 1-4-28 Mita, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108
         (03-451-2974 PR. Dept.)

[***][9/30/86][***]
TOSHIBA'S LAPTOP SALES IN JAPAN
Toshiba has decided to market IBM PC compatible machines in
Japan, since the company has been quite successful in the sales
of its machines overseas.  It is expected that Toshiba may adapt
its laptop computers "T-3100" and "T-1100" for the Japanese
market, and start marketing them early next year. The details
have not been reported yet.

Meanwhile, as the popularity of Toshiba's T-3100 and T-1100 gets
higher, the technical and marketing challenge by the so-called
NICS (Newly Industrializing Countries in Asia) has been becoming
intense in the U.S. market.  The manufacturers in those countries
have gradually been producing more economical and high-quality
products.  So, the competition may get tough for the Japanese as
well as the U.S. manufacturers.

CONTACT: Toshiba, 1-1-1 Shibaura, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105
         (03-457-4511 PR. Dept.)

[***][9/30/86][***]
POWERFUL 32-BIT MPU FROM MOTOROLA
Motorola Japan has announced a MC68030, an upper version of
MC68020.  This new MPU has the features of 68020 and its
peripheral IC  "68851."  The CMOS-type 68030 can handle 450 to
700 instructions per second, and it allows a parallel data-bus
input.  The report says it is almost twice as powerful as its
predecessor.  Motorola Japan plans to release its samples next
July, and start producing it in mass in October.  The price will
be around US$387.

CONTACT: Motorola Japan, No.32 Kowa Bldg., 5-2-32 Minami-Azabu,
         Minato-ku, Tokyo 106                 (03-440-3311)

[***][9/30/86][***]
TOKEN RING NETWORK FROM IBM JAPAN
IBM Japan announced (9/25) an integrated network system based on
its Token Ring Network. This new network uses a SNA architecture.
It is somewhat surprising to hear that hardware of different
manufacturers can be used under IBM's software "NETVIEW/PC."  It
seems IBM Japan has started pushing SNA, instead of OSI.  Has IBM
changed its policy?  Humm...

Meanwhile, IBM Japan celebrated a debut of "the 3090-400," the
most upper version of the 3090 series, on September 24. The lucky
customer was Mitsubishi Bank in Tokyo.   A 1Mbit 3090-400 has
been manufacturered at IBM Japan's Nosu plant (Shiga pref.) in
western Japan.

CONTACT: IBM Japan, 3-2-12 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106
         (03-586-1111)

[***][9/30/86][***]
INTERNATIONAL TELECOM SERVICE
KDD (Japan's International Telegraph and Telephone Corp.)
established (9/25) "Teleserve Corp." to provide various inter-
national telecommunication services, such as an interpreter
service on a telephone, a telex and a message-translation
service.  The language interpretation service can be provided
for seven languages, including English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish,
French, German, Russian, and Japanese.  The charge will be
approximately US$55 for 15 minutes.  Teleserve will start its
business in November.

CONTACT: KDD, 1-8-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100
         (03-347-6934 PR. Dept.)

[***][9/30/86][***]
<<< SUSHI BYTES >>>

TANDY'S LAPTOP -- Tandy Japan has released a new version of its
laptop computer "Tandy 102."  It has a 24K RAM, a 40x8-line
display, a built-in modem, and a telecommunication program. The
machine weighs only 1.36 kg, and costs US$632 in Japan.

MITSUBISHI'S CAI SYSTEM -- Mitsubishi Electric has developed a
powerful CAI tool for its 16-bit personal computer, Multi16.
The "MULTI-CAL" tool allows the novice users to make teaching
materials even without a knowledge of programming, says a report.

SOFTWARE SHOW '86 -- Various programs for personal computers to
large-scale general purpose computers will be held at Sun-Shine
City (Ikebukuro) in Tokyo on 10/2 and 10/3.  The seminars on the
pertinent subject will also be held.

ELECTRONICS SHOW AND DATASHOW -- Another show, for electronics
devices and parts, will be held at Harumi Exhibition Site in
Tokyo on 10/2 to 10/7.  Believe it or not, 628 exhibitors will
participate in this show.  Meanwhile, computer fans and business
people have been waiting for new micros at this year's DataShow
(10/28 - 10/31) at Harumi.  You may see NEC's new laptop, I hope.

2MB 3.5" DISK DRIVES -- Citizen, a noted watch maker in Tokyo,
has developed two types of a 2MB 3.5" disk drive.  They are
the front-loading type "ORDC-00A" (US$387) and the top-loading
type "OMDT-20A/30A" (US$323).  Both disks will be exhibited at
Electronics Show in Tokyo.

TOSHIBA'S 1MB DRAM -- According to a published report, Toshiba
will start producing a 1Mbit DRAM in West Germany by the end of
the year.  Toshiba's plant in West Germany is expected to become
the company's strategic base for marketing a 1Mbit DRAM in
Europe.  Toshiba already  started a mass production of a 1Mbit
DRAM in Japan in late 1985.

AT&T AND JAPAN ENS -- AT&T officially agreed to join Japan ENS
in the data telecommunication business in Japan.  JENS will
provide a data transmission service and information processing
service, etc., starting in March 1987.  JENS was originally
created by 18 Japanese firms, including Fujitsu, Hitachi, KDD,
and Sony.

MERRILL LYNCH TO JOIN A C.ITOH GROUP -- A report says Merrill
Lynch (U.S.A.) has been sounding out C.Itoh to participate in
the planned multi-venture telecom firm in Tokyo.  Currently,
C.Itoh, Toyota, GM (U.S.A.), C&W (U.K.), and Daiichi-Kangyo Bank,
have been preparing to start a large-scale international telecom
business such as telephone, facsimile, and high-speed data
transmission.  The new firm will compete with the Mitsui-
Mitsubishi-Matsushita Group.


[***][9/30/86][***]
GEM TO ADD MODEMS
In a surprise announcement this week, Digital Research's UK
office has affirmed its intention to release a series of Gem
products for PC and PC compatibles.

First on up will be Gem-Comm, a licenced version of AM
technology's Vicom telecommunications package. Pricing will
be around the 100 pounds ($150) mark, but this excludes the
Gem system discs which most users will have anyway -
otherwise Gem itself will set you back around 50 pounds
($75) extra.  Vicom is best known (and extremely popular)
running on the Macintosh, and is, according to AM's Brian
Morris, "selling as fast as we can ship it through the
doors."

Paul Bailey, European vice-president of Digital Research is
quoted in this weeks "PC Business World" as saying that
"Gem-Comm is slightly more complicated than you would expect
a normal Gem package to be, but it is a very good package."

"Gem-Comm is the first of a number of new launches over the
next few months to fill the gaps in the Gem family," adds
Bailey. "Among the new launches will be a database and
spreadsheet.  Around 50 per cent of these new products will
be licenced from third parties."

Although NEWSBYTES UK is still awaiting a first release of
Gem-Comm from AM Technology, amongst those who've had their
first hands-on with the new program is Barry Ruberry of Pace
Micro Technology (See next story) who said to NEWSBYTES UK:

"You know me - I'm a technical person and highly
commercially-minded, but when it comes to computer
communications I want something that's nice and easy to use.
Vicom on the PC (Gem-Comm) is superb... it works!"  Coming
from Barry that's accolade enough.

Contact: Microsoft Corporation, 16011 NE 36th Way,
         Box 97017, Redmond, WA 98073-9717.
         Tel: [phone].

[***][9/30/86][***]
HAYES COMPATABILITY PRICE PLUMMET
To be released "any day now" is a new V21/V23 Hayes
compatible stand alone modem for just `139-95 ($210).

The Linnet, a fully implemented auto-answer, auto-dial
speed-buffered modem is the latest modem from Bradford-based
Pace Micro Technology whose Barry Ruberry, NEWSBYTES UK
spoke to earlier this week.  Prior to the Linnet being
announced, the only other comparable *approved* Hayes modem
available in the UK was Miracle Technology's WS4000 at
149-95 pounds (`$225).  Does Barry see the latest Pace
product as starting off a price war in the Hayes modem
stakes?

"No. Like Miracle we're not into the cut-throat modem market
that we're seeing in the lower reaches of the market.  We
won't cut quality for the sake of price.  That doesn't mean
we're not working towards cutting our prices whilst still
retaining the quality of course," he grinned.

The Linnet has just achieved PTT approval in Holland with
approval pending in the UK and several other European
countries.  "Just as soon as the Linnet gets UK PTT
approval, we'll be selling them over here," said Barry.

Contact: Pace Micro Technology, Allerton Road, Bradford,
         West Yorkshire, BD15 7AG. Tel: [phone].

[***][9/30/86][***]
MSDOS 5.0 IN THE PIPELINE
Microsoft has quietly let slip details of MSDOS 5 and
Windows 2 in some of its brochures to lure away potential
Unix users.  Version 5, subtitled protected MSDOS, or
Advanced MSDOS 1, will run on 386 and 286 products, offering
an upgrade path for 286 manufacturers.

Like Version 4, the new version will offer full
multi-tasking and address up to 16Mb on the 386 or 1Mb on
the 286.  The majority of the kernel of Microsoft Windows
will be moved onto Version 5, leaving just the GDI window
management layer left, now able to do dynamic linking.

Dynamic linking is Microsoft's latest offering where data
from one application (eg spreadsheets) can be directly
ported across to another (eg CAD-CAM systems) with no data
loss or program changes.

Contact: Microsoft Corporation, 16011 NE 36th Way,
         Box 97017, Redmond, WA 98073-9717.
         Tel: [phone].

[***][9/30/86][***]
EUROPE WAITS FOR APPLE IIGS
In a move that has angered UK Apple enthusiasts, Apple UK
has announced that whilst the recently launched IIGS rolls
onto US dealer shelves in the next few weeks, the UK will
have to wait for quantity shipments of the machine until at
least the new year.

Quoted in "Microscope" this week, Apple UK's marketing
manager Steve Johnson says: "Our first target is obviously
the existing Apple II user base."

Meanwhile, "Microscope's" Max Hotopf says that his paper has
received information that at least two versions of MS-DOS
for the IIGS are in the pipeline.  "Apple has definitely
developed an MS-DOS for the machine," the paper says.  The
official MS-DOS has been developed "in cooperation with
Pheonix Technologies of Norwood, Massachusetts."

Contact: Sonja Eiarsvo/Mary Ainsworth, Apple Computer UK,
         Eastman Way, Hemel Hempstead, Herts., HP2 7HQ.
         Tel: [phone].

[***][9/30/86][***]
ARE YOU IN TOUCH?  BT SAYS NOT
After publishing a survey of the habits of 320 British
executives, British Telecom says it makes worrying reading
for the average businessman or woman.  BT concludes that,
not only does s/he work too hard, travel too much and is not
contactable for long periods of time, but also it's about
time the average executive should have a radiopager -
hopefully one of theirs.

BT has a range of five pagers available in the UK, ranging
from a simple beeper unit right through to a direct or
bureau input 90 character 'Message Master Plus,' complete
with built-in alarm clock - useful for those boring
executive meetings no doubt.

BT reckons that the average executive needs to be contacted
at least two out every ten times they're out of the office.
Despite this, even in today's high tech era, 82 per cent
have no direct direct communications link.  Of those that
do, 9 per cent have a radiopager, 7 per cent have a car
'phone and 2 per cent have mobile 'phone.

"Damn the expense," I hear you say.  BT have an answer to
the financial people out there.  Via some very convincing
costings, they reckon that an executive on 15,000 pounds a
year ($22,500) needs only to be out of touch with his/her
office for a total of three days a year, and a radiopager
becomes financially viable.  This argument seems to have
convinced the population of Hong Kong where a huge 4.5 per
cent of the local populace have a pager, compared to 1.8 per
cent in Japan, 1.4 per cent in North America, and a mere
0.35 per cent in the UK.

NEWSBYTES UK has a pager.  Now we're trying to work out who
the other subscriber is!

Contact: British Telecom Radiopaging, Jefferson House,
         4-8 Maple Street, London W1P 5GQ.
         Tel: [phone].

[***][9/30/86][***]
HI-TECH HITS THE SINGLES BARS
Final news this week comes from "Computer News" which
reports that the infamous 'singles bars' will soon be
infiltrated with dating cards.

Quoting a report from Connecticut market researchers,
International Resource Development, the paper says that "by
1990, singles bars around the world will be equipped with
computerised card readers to assist their customers to meet
compatible companions."

"The cards will give a whole new meaning to the term
'personal computer'," the paper adds.  Generally speaking
NEWSBYTES UK wonders what's up with the old "Hi there,
what's a good-looking guy/gal/computer doing in place like
this?" but there's technology for you.

Contact: Computer News, 9 Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8UT,
         Tel: [phone].

[***][9/30/86][***]
DIARY DATES
-----------

The Electronic Publishing & Print Show,
September 30th - October 2nd,
The Wembley Conference Centre, London,

Contact: Pam Howard, Online International,
         Pinner Green House, Pinner, Middlesex, HA5 2AE.
         Tel: [phone].
         Telex 923498    Fax [phone].


The Dec User Show,
October 14th - 16th at the Barbican Centre, London.

Contact: Isabel Lea, EMAP International Exhibitions,
         34 Farringdon Lane, London EC1R 1EQ.
         Tel: [phone].

[***][9/30/86][***]

Financial Times Business Information Seminar,
October 24th at ASLIB, London,
Fee: 80 pounds ($120)

Contact: Janet Matthew Information Services,
         45/47 Halfway Street, Sidcup, Kent, DA15 8LH.
         Tel: [phone].
 ==
[***][9/30/86][***]
BIG BLUE ANNOUNCES BIG TRANSFERS
NEW YORK -- International Business Machines Corp. plans to
transfer nearly 3,000 headquarters staff into its U.S. sales
force. The reorganization is designed to eliminate "duplication
of services," the company said. It comes on the heels of IBM's
announcement of an early retirement program, and is part of a
major company-wide cost-cutting campaign. The move takes
employees out of the headquarters office and puts them in
revenue-producing positions, lowering IBM's overhead. The company
is also moving about 1,000 employees who now handle software
problems to the 200 nationwide sales branches as installers or
systems engineers for new installations.

[***][9/30/86][***]
APPLE TARGETS FEDERAL MARKET
WASHINGTON -- After years of ignoring Uncle Sam as a computer
market, Apple Computer is now making a move on the lucrative
federal business. After bypassing the largest computer buyer in
the world, Apple this month opened a new federal sales office in
Vienna, Va., and plans to add a federal "briefing center" in
Reston, Va., in October. The center will allow Apple to make its
pitch to federal executives in a favorable, high-tech
environment. Ron Olkiewicz, Apple's new federal operations
manager, told the WASHINGTON POST that "it's never too late;
there's no such thing, in my estimation, as a closed window of
opportunity in the federal government."

But others disagree. "They're good people, excellent people,"
says Avner Parnes, head of MBI Business Systems, a major
microcomputer retailer to Uncle Sam. "But I think they missed
the opportunity to be a strong player in the government." The
major barrier facing Apple in Washington? MS-DOS. The PC
operating system has such a strong position that the only way
Apple can hope to compete is with machines that can run MS-DOS,
say most observers of the federal marketplace.

CONTACT: Apple Computer, Vienna, VA, 703-264-5100

[***][9/30/86][***]
LOTUS GOES LASER
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Lotus Development Corp. announced last week
that it will begin offering customers huge amounts of financial
data on compact, read-only laser disks. The product will be
called Source One, and will allow recall of 20 years of price
information about stocks. The cost will vary from $11,000 to
$27,000 per year. Lotus says it will mail weekly updated disks
to subscribers, and users can also access the Lotus data base by
phone. The data will automatically load into a 1-2-3 spreadsheet.
The announcement continues the Lotus drive to become the major
player in computerized financial information. Lotus says it will
beta test the new service this year and should be in full swing
next year.

CONTACT: Lotus Development Corp., Cambridge, MA, 617-577-8500.

[***][9/30/86][***]
CHIP MAKERS ALLEGE THE JAPAN PACT ISN'T WORKING
WASHINGTON -- The Semiconductor Industries Association last week
told the Commerce Department that the Japanese have already
started violating the month-old antidumping agreement with the
U.S. SIA said it told federal officials that it suspected one
Japanese EPROM maker of violating the fair market value figures
in the bilateral agreement. The silicon industry trade group
refused to name the possible offender. George Scalise, an
Advanced Micro Devices executive who serves as an officer in the
trade group, downplayed the dumping allegation, saying it proves
that the agreement can work. But industry analysts were surprised
that a complaint could be filed so soon after the agreement was
inked. A Dataquest analyst said he was surprised "that a company
would blatantly quote prices below the assigned fair market
value."

[***][9/30/86][***]
FORMER COMMERCE OFFICIAL DEFENDS CHIP PACT
Clyde Prestowitz, who helped negotiate the Japanese chip pact at
the Commerce Department, defended it in an op ed piece in THE
WALL STREET JOURNAL last week. The JOURNAL has attacked the
agreement as protectionist and anti-consumer. "The agreement is
not an act of protection," Prestowitz argued. "It is an attempt
to deal with the present effects of Japan's initial distortion of
free-market forces. It may not be elegant, but until American
trade law is changed to handle problems caused by targeting
better, it is the best solution available." Prestowitz recently
joined the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington.

[***][9/30/86][***]
VIRGINIA INVESTORS FAIL TO ACQUIRE ATLANTA COMPUTER FIRM
RESTON, Va. -- The Andover Group, a Reston, Va., firm, failed to
acquire HBO & Co. of Atlanta last week. HBO is one of the
nation's largest suppliers of hospital computers. The Andover
Group is controlled by two former executives of Compucare Inc., a
Reston firm in the hospital data processing business. Baxter
Travenol Laboratories last year bought Compucare for $75 million.
Andover proposed that it and HBO senior management take over the
Atlanta firm in a leveraged buyout valued at $330 million.
Andover previously disclosed that it has acquired a 5 percent
holding in HBO and might mount a takeover attempt. HBO reported
$189 million in revenue in 1985, but showed a $5.5 million lost
for the first six months of this year, compared to a $12 million
profit for the same period last year. The HBO responded to the
Andover offer by saying it has "no interest in engaging in any
discussions."

[***][9/30/86][***]
GCA WALLOWING IN THE RED
ANDOVER, Mass. -- GCA Corp. last week asked for an extension of
the September 30 deadline for showing its creditors that it is
moving toward solvency. The firm designs semiconductors and makes
industrial robots. GCA was to have shown a net worth of $50,000
by the end of the month, but is still running in the red. The
company owes $100 million to four banks and is in default on some
interest payments. Could Chapter 11 be looming over the horizon?

[***][9/30/86][***]
WANG WINS OUT OF COURT
LOWELL, Mass. -- Wang Laboratories Inc. last week announced an
out-of-court settlement of a suit against a California company
that allegedly infringed on Wang's patents on its Distributed
Data Processing System. Wang filed the suit last May against
Wespercorp Inc. The company made a printer controller that
allowed Wang WPS, OIS, and VS systems to run third-party
printers. Wespercorp will stop manufacturing and marketing the
DLP-4400 controller throughout the world. The company also agreed
to give Wang a lump sum payment for past infringement, but both
parties agreed to transfer the controller technology to Wang in
lieu of cash.

[***][9/30/86][***]
BAY STATE MICRO CENTER OPENS
WESTBORO, Mass. -- The Massachusetts Microelectronics Center
opened in Westboro last week with some light political sparring
between Gov. Michael Dukakis and Republican challenger George
Kariotis. "The old joke says when Greek meets Greek, they start a
restaurant," Dukakis said. "In this case we worked together building a
microelectronics center." Kariotis was economic affairs
secretary under Gov. Edward J. King when the center was planned.
The center opened with a demonstration of how a design for a chip
by a student at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst will
be sent to the center, and eventually converted into an actual
chip at the integrated circuit fabricating facility. The center
is affiliated with nine universities.

[***][9/30/86][***]
HOME BANKING A BUST IN D.C.
WASHINGTON -- Three years ago, Madison National Bank in
Washington began an experiment in home banking, letting customers
bank from their living rooms with a Commodore 64 computer and
modem. So far, the service has lured only 2,000 customers. Last
month, Madison began offering a similar service to businesses,
and about 20 have signed up. Madison charges $8 to $15 per month
for the home service, and the business fee is $20 per month.
Madison says it takes in $200,000 a year on the service, but has
been unable to interest other banks in its technology. Madison's
operation is a joint venture with Intermetrics Inc., a Cambridge,
Mass., computer firm. Madison has 80.5 per cent of the business,
and Intermetrics 19.5. The two companies had hoped that home
banking would catch on and they would be in a position to sell
their technology to other banks across the country. That hasn't
happened. "People ask us whether we're on the leading edge of
bleeding edge of banking technology," Madison President Norman
Hecht told WASHINGTON BUSINESS.

CONTACT: Madison National Bank, Washington DC, 202-452-5500.
         Intermetrics Inc., Cambridge MA, 617-661-1840.

[***][9/30/86][***]
NIBBLES FROM THE EAST

   BUFFALO, N.Y. -- American Telephone & Telegraph Co. will
donate $1 million in computer equipment to the State University of New
York at Buffalo. The equipment will go to the school's engineering
and applied sciences program. The gear includes several super
minis, 40 work stations and a fiber-optic based network.

   NEW YORK -- UNIXEXPO, the trade show for UNIXphiles, will be
at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center Oct. 20-22. The show is
run by National Exposition Co. Fees range from $10 for entrance
to the exhibits to more than $600 for a full set of tutorial
sessions and computer lab.

   BOSTON -- Zoom Telephonics Inc. is now offering its
Zoom/Modem, which incorporates the company's demon dialing
technique, at 2400 bits per second. The most advanced internal
2400 bps Zoom sells for $349. The modem is Hayes compatible.

   WASHINGTON -- The fourth annual Defense and Computer Graphics
show will run Oct. 27-30 at the Washington Convention Center.
There is free admission to the exhibits and conference fees from
$295 to $445.

   WASHINGTON -- The joint National Office Automation Conference
and Federal Office Automation Conference will be running Oct. 14-
17 at the Washington Convention Center. The fee for those who
want to attend both conferences is $495.

   CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Massachusetts Institute of Technology has
won a $20 million Navy contract for robotics research, running to
1991.

   MANASSAS, Va. -- IBM's federal systems division has picked up
a $61 million Navy contract for long lead-time work on the
AN/UYS advanced signal processors. A portion of the work is
funded by the government of Spain under the foreign military
sales program.


[***][9/30/86][***]
JOB BANK GOES ONLINE THIS WEEK
Worknet, a bulletin board system listing job opportunities, is
scheduled to begin operation this week.  Based in Ottawa and
accessible by the Canadian Datapac packet-switching network and
in the U.S. through Telenet and Tymnet, Worknet will contain
employment ads which can be selected using various search
criteria such as location, amount of experience needed, salary
level and type of work.

Worknet Employment Exchange Inc. has set the bulletin board up
using an IBM PC AT, company spokesman David Lembe told NEWSBYTES
CANADA.  He said companies seeking to fill jobs will pay C$50 per
screen to advertise on Worknet.  Worknet will be particularly
suited to recruiting technical and engineering people, Lembe
said, since they are used to working with computers and therefore
are more likely to use a bulletin board service.  There is no
cost to people looking for jobs on Worknet, and it can be reached
at Datapac address 20400637.

CONTACT: David Lembe, WORKNET EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGE INC., 301
         Moodie Dr., Suite 418, Nepean, ON K2H 9C4,
         [phone], Envoy: WORKNET

[***][9/30/86][***]
TORONTO FIRM UNVEILS PARALLEL PROCESSING SYSTEM
Syntronics Manufacturing Inc. has announced the commercial launch
of the General Development Tool (GDT), a high-speed,
microprogrammable parallel processing computer.  Syntronics has
installed six of the systems over the last two years before
making the system commercially available, but has now launched a
marketing plan to spread the technology worldwide through sub-
licensing arrangements with various hardware manufacturers and
distributors.

The GDT uses a variant of the Unix operating system, called
Synix, which runs concurrently on a number of auxiliary
processors.  Synix was developed by Syntronics under a Unix
license from AT&T.  The General Development Tool is manufactured
and assembled entirely in Canada.

CONTACT: Mark Burnstein, SYNTRONICS MANUFACTURING INC.,
         80 Bloor St. W., Suite 1100, Toronto ON M5S 2V1,
         [phone], Telex 06-218080/SYNGROUP

[***][9/30/86][***]
HOUSE-BRAND PC FOR COMPUTERLAND CANADA RUMORED
ComputerLand Canada, the chain of some 100 stores owned by
Computer Innovations Distribution Inc. of Mississauga, Ont., is
expected to be selling a house-brand PC by the end of the year.
Following the lead of ComputerLand in the U.S., the Canadian
operation is expected to put its own label on a personal
computer.  Don Chapman, vice-president of marketing for Computer
Innovations, said this machine might be the same unit sold in the
U.S. or it might be made by a third-party -- and quite possibly
Canadian -- manufacturer.  The company is "evaluating all
alternatives," he said.

The Toronto-based newsletter DP MARKET FACTS says IBM Canada Ltd.
is reportedly not happy about Computerland's plans and has been
offering the distributor a better deal on IBM PCs in exchange for
dropping plans for a ComputerLand-brand micro.

CONTACT: COMPUTER INNOVATIONS DISTRIBUTION INC., 3415 American
         Dr., Mississauga, ON L4V 1T4, [phone]

[***][9/30/86][***]
MORE PRESCRIPTIONS FOR HIGH-TECH SUCCESS
Canadian high-tech bigwigs gathered at Toronto's posh King Edward
Hotel last week to talk about the sorry state of Canadian
technology industries.  In conjunction with the Canadian High
Technology Show, they held an all-day conference to discuss the
problems and recommend solutions.  Among the suggestions:

-- Canada should put more of an emphasis on technology in the
schools;

-- There should be more tax incentives for investment in
technology research and development, and the definition of R&D
should include marketing research;

-- The Canadian government should pay more attention to
technology, should develop a closer linkage between the Minister
of Industry and the Minister nf State for Science and Technology,
and should involve the Prime Minister directly in technology
program planning; and

-- The country as a whole should develop a "culture of change,"
favoring technological innovation and entrepreneurial activity.

The whole exercise was spearheaded by the Canadian Advanced
Technology Association (CATA), a group of mostly Canadian-owned
high technology companies, and by the organizers of Canadian
High-Technology Week.

CONTACT: Roy Woodbridge, CANADIAN ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY
         ASSOCIATION, 803-275 Slater St., Ottawa, ON
         K1P 5H9, [phone]

[***][9/30/86][***]
SHOW HEADLINES HIGH TECHNOLOGY WEEK
The Canadian High Technology Show, held last week at Toronto's
Exhibition Place, attracted about 400 exhibitors.  Most were
vendors of electronic components and robots, with little of the
computer industry in evidence.  The show was held in conjunction
with the Canadian Electronics Packaging, Production and Design
Exhibition and the National Technology Conference, and was
officially opened by Frank Oberle, federal Minister of State for
Science and Technology.

[***][9/30/86][***]
OTTAWA WON'T BET ON A SURE THING
If a Canadian inventor has a great new idea that's sure to turn
into a marketable product, the federal government doesn't want to
hear about it.  Under tax incentive regulations that were quietly
revised recently, there must be a "technological uncertainty"
involved in research and development work if it is to qualify for
investment tax credits.

The move has not met with the approval of Canadian high-
technology companies, which feel that it gives Revenue Canada a
way of disallowing tax credits for virtually any promising R&D
project.  "We asked the government to clarify the rules," Michael
Brown, president of Ventures West Technologies of Vancouver, said
at a panel discussion last week.  "Unfortunately, we got it."

[***][9/30/86][***]
ELECTRONIC YELLOW PAGES COMING IN NEW YEAR
The Yellow Pages will be going on line in parts of Canada early
in 1987.  Tele-Direct (Publications) Inc., a subsidiary of Bell
Canada Enterprises Inc., plans to launch the electronic directory
of businesses with technical support from Novatron Information
Corp. of Halifax.  Bell Canada operates most of the telephone
systems in Ontario and Quebec, the two largest Canadian
provinces.  Novatron has experience in operating on-line database
services, primarily for the oil industry.

CONTACT: BELL CANADA ENTERPRISES INC., P.O. Box 321, Tour de
         la Bourse, Montreal, Que. H4Z 1G8, [phone]

[***][9/30/86][***]
BITS, EH?
-- The delays in putting robots to work in Canadian industry are
not because of union pressure, but rather because of a lack of
qualified people to run the automated equipment and because of
difficulty in coming up with cost justification for installing
them.  This is one of the key findings of a survey to be released
soon by the Ontario Centre for Advanced Manufacturing.

-- Geac Computer Corp. of Markham, Ont., has signed an agreement
in principle to buy Citicorp Information's computing services,
software support and maintenance operations for the credit union
industry, based in Michigan.  The terms of the agreement haven't
been disclosed.

-- Northern Telecom Canada Ltd. of Mississauga, Ont., will supply
C$4 million worth of!telecommunications equipment for the 1988
Winter Olympics in Calgary.

-- The Control Data Institute's facility in Vancouver will run
special seminars for employees of Expo '86 to help them find jobs
when the exposition winds down in October.

-- International Verifact Inc. of Toronto will supply C$2 million
worth of credit card verification terminals to American Express
Canada Inc.