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/1988/nb880119.239

Text File | 1991-08-18 | 62KB | 1,337 lines

[***][1/19/88][***]
APPLE/DEC FORM STRATEGIC ALLIANCE
SAN FRANCISCO (NB) -- On the opening day of MacWorld Expo, Apple
and Digital Equipment Corporation laid to rest rumors of an
impending alliance by announcing they were true.  Apple and DEC
plan a joint development effort to integrate Macintoshes and the
AppleTalk network with VAX and DECnet/OSI networks.  Expected
from the alliance is a consistent set of application programming
interfaces for developers to write distributed applications and
exchange documents.

DEC has the second largest installed base of machines next to IBM,
and its contract with Apple, whose Macintosh sales are exploding,
creates the biggest threat to IBM's dominance of the computer market
in its history.  Apple gains new prestige in the corporate market
where the Macintosh is finally gaining acceptance.  And DEC, which
unsuccessfully launched into the small system market with a
machine called the Rainbow several years ago,  can finally offer a
personal computer to its customers.

Analysts suggest the partnership will result in a cross-marketing
agreement between the firms and DEC may order as many as one
million Macintoshes the first year.

[***][1/19/88][***]
THREE NEW LASER PRINTERS FROM APPLE
SAN FRANCISCO (NB) -- Apple has replaced its LaserWriter
line with three new models, ranging from an entry-level model
at $2,800 to a high performance, expandable model at $6,600.
Apple has also proclaimed that all the printers can be upgraded
to either the next highest, or highest performance LaserWriter.
The Canon LBP-SX second-generation printing engine, said to
produce darker blacks, higher reliability, and longer life span,
drives all three models.

The low-end LaserWriter IISC, designed to be used alone with
an individual Macintosh, has 1 megabyte of RAM, uses the
Motorola 68000 chip, and utilizes the QuickDraw routine, which
addresses the Macintosh screen, to print a page.  It is not
a Postscript printer.  However, it comes with several standard
fonts:  Courier, Helvetica, Symbol, and Times, in point sizes of
9 through 24.

The sample document provided by Apple is remarkable in its
definition and clarity and to the naked eye, is virtually
indistinguishable from the output of the previous LaserWriter
models.

The LaserWriter IINT (the "N" refers to networking) is a Postscript
printer, priced at $4,600, has 1 megabyte of ROM and 2
megabytes of RAM,  comes with 35 standard typefaces, and can
share input on a network.

The high-end LaserWriter IINTX is the first laser printer to run
on the Motorola 68020, the brains of the Macintosh II, and is
aimed at the high-volume shop.  It has all that the IINT has plus
three expansion slots for the addition of ROM, RAM (up to 12
megabytes) and SCSI hard drives.  It also includes built-in HP
LaserJet emulation.

Apple promises to continue to support current owners of LaserWriter
and LaserWriter Plus printers.

All three models are expected to be in retail stores by February.

[***][1/19/88][***]
APPLE ALSO UNVEILS MIDI INTERFACE, SHIPS APPLESHARE PC
SAN FRANCISCO, Ca. (NB) -- Macintoshes can now share data with
PCs on an Appleshare network with Appleshare PC, which Apple
is finally shipping.  In a demonstration for reporters, Appleshare
PC listed a PC's directory as documents and folder icons on screen
while the PC scrolled a printed list of the Macintosh's files. Data
entered into Lotus 1-2-3 was consequently read by Excel on the
Macintosh via the new software.  The product also allows the
PC to print to an Apple LaserWriter on the network.   The price
of Appleshare PC is set at $149.

Apple rounded out its day of product introductions by unveiling
the Apple MIDI Interface for the Apple IIGS and Macintosh.
It connects to a serial port on the computer and in turn can be
connected to MIDI instruments.  The computer can become
a sophisticated control or playback device to correct mistakes
and experiment with different sounds and arrangements.
The price is set at $99 and the product is available now.

[***][1/19/88][***]
ASHTON-TATE/MICROSOFT TEAM UP TO BEAT IBM
REDMOND, Wa. (NB) -- Microsoft and Ashton-Tate have announced
plans to jointly market a software product which promises to
compete, in the area of networking, with IBM's coming Extended
Edition of OS/2.  Microsoft and Ashton-Tate will jointly market
SQL Server, based on technology licensed from Sybase of
Berkeley, Ca.  The product will allow networked PCs to share
data and perform calculations previously reserved to minicomputers
and mainframes, a task IBM has also proclaimed will be possible
with Extended Edition of OS/2.  While neither company has
announced a release date for the software, they have said it
will be available in the second half of this year.

The move is strategic for Ashton-Tate, whose dBase family of
products has been in need of an upgrade in order to facilitate
the demands of a network.

[***][1/19/88][***]
APPLE GETS HIGH RANKING FOR EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY, SALES
CUPERTINO, Ca. (NB) -- Apple employees earn more for their
company, per person, that any other computer company in
America, according to the latest survey by Ward's Business
Directory, a Belmont, California-based industry intelligence
service.  The figures average out to $339,600 per Apple employee
in fiscal 1987, way ahead of the number two firm in employee
productivity, Commodore International, with $296,400 per
worker.  The number three down to number 10 firms were,
respectively, Compaq, Cray Research, Tandem, Amdahl, IBM,
Intergraph, Prime Computer, and Control Data.

Apple's human resource manager explains the Apple lead by
pointing to the Apple computers on everyone's desks.  This
"has resulted in productivity improvements and in less
people needed to do the work we do,"  said Jim Schmidt
to a reporter.

[***][1/19/88][***]
ADOBE TOP SOFTWARE STOCK PERFORMER IN '87
PALO ALTO, Ca. (NB) -- Adobe Systems stock was the top earner
in 1987, according to a ranking just published by "Softletter,"
a software industry newsletter published by Jeffrey Tarter in
Cambridge, Ma.  Adobe started the year at $12.75 per share
and ended at $29.50, a 131% yield for investors.  Second in
line was Microsoft with a 124% yield.  Following in declining
order were Lotus, Autodesk, Micropro, Samna, Innovative,
Software Publishing, Ashton-Tate.

Activision, Aldus, and Springboard were the only three in the
survey which lost money for its investors.  Aldus, which started
at $20/share for an initial offering in June, ended the year at
$17.50, a drop of 12.5%.  But Springboard really disappointed
investors, losing 56% of its $7.75 price over the course of the
year.

CONTACT:  SOFTLETTER, 617/868-0157
[***][1/19/88][***]
LAWYERS TEAM UP TO FIGHT SOFTWARE PIRACY
LOS ANGELES (NB) -- The Center for Computer Law is sponsoring a
major get-together in China for computer and high tech law specialists
from the U.S., Canada, and Europe.  The unprecedented gathering, coming
at a time when the issue of software piracy in Hong Kong is in the
public eye, is designed to exchange information on the baffling and
confusing computer copyright laws in China, Japan, and Hong Kong.
Scheduled for April 6 through 26 and hosted by the Citizen Ambassador
Program of  People to People International,  and China itself, the
event will involve meetings with Chinese, Hong Kong, and Japanese
legal experts and will provide an opportunity for the barristers to
observe foreign legal systems in action.  Topics to be covered
include intellectual property protection, technology transfer, and
commercial law.

CONTACT:  Mike Scott, Scott & Roxborough, 213/820-5643

[***][1/19/88][***]
IN BRIEF --

DIGITAL RESEARCH, Monterey, Ca., has announced a new support plan
for buyers of all its retail products.  For the first 90 days, users
receive free, unlimited telephone support.  After 90 days a 12-
month, extended support plan can be purchased for $95.    Information
can be obtained by calling 800/443-4200.

INTEL CORPORATION, Santa Clara, Ca. says revenue boomed 61% in
its most recent quarter to $1.91 billion compared to a year earlier.
It's no secret that the 80386 chip has been the firm's cash
cow, 700,000 units were shipped by year's end, but the firm also
credits strong sales of its cache controller for some of the
revenue increase.   Net income was $95.5 million.

PETER NORTON, micro wiz and author of the Norton Utilities, is
donating $300,000 to the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary
Art, according to a published report.  The three year pledge is
said to be aimed at "non-conventional Los Angeles-area artists,
museums, and galleries," according to the Associated Press.

TRIDENT MICROSYSTEMS, Santa Clara, Ca., has announced a VGA
chip compatible with the older IBM PC/XT/AT standards as well
as the new PS/2 micro-channel protocols.  They are priced
at $45 each to OEMs and add-in board manufacturers.


[***][1/19/88][***]
THE POLITICAL PC: COMPUTER CONFERENCING AND A DATABASE
ATLANTA (NB) -- While most media attention is focused on presidential
candidates' attempts to reach journalists and voters via
satellite feeds and recorded videotapes, a computer revolution is
taking place behind the scenes. NEWSBYTES has learned that Albert
Gore, Paul Simon, and Gary Hart are all using computer
conferencing systems to spread their messages and organize their
schedules. Gore and Simon are using the services of Metasystems
Design, an Arlington, VA-based specialist in computer
conferencing which sells the Caucus II conferencing software
package. The Hart campaign is going further, not only using
computer conferencing but putting its press releases online over
the NWI computer network. Fred Dutton, a longtime leader in the
online movement, has helped the Hart campaign go online.

All the presidential campaigns, meanwhile, are hooked on a
database, specifically the Presidential Campaign Hotline of
McLean, VA. The PCH produces a daily briefing on IBM XT clones
summarizing all printed stories on the campaign, adding daily
200-word statements from each campaign. The results are then
available for download every day, starting at 10 AM, over Dialcom
and the "C" word (CompuServe). Once reports enter the system,
they become searchable by keyword, so if a reporter wants to see
everything written about the Michigan Republican caucuses he (or
she) can now find it quickly.  It's a powerful drug for political
junkies, and it's priced like one -- $350 per month. (Fees are
lower for media who feed the PCH information and tax-exempt
corporations.)

What next? Doug Bailey of PCH says he's already starting to
collect data on Senate races. You can expect a Senate Campaign
Hotline Real Soon Now.

CONTACT: Doug Bailey, PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN HOTLINE,
[phone]

[***][1/19/88][***]
TANDY CLAIMS ALL ITS NEW MAC-PEOPLE ARE WORKING ON DESKMATE
FORT WORTH, TX (NB) -- Maybe it's true, as Ed Juge of Tandy
claims, that all the people Tandy ran ads to hire last year with
Macintosh programming expertise are working on enhancements to
Tandy's Personal DeskMate program, which runs under DOS. Maybe
they're not working on a cheap Macintosh clone. Maybe no one
ever will, and Apple will ride alone forever. (And maybe pigs
have wings.) But somewhere, this year, a Macintosh clone market
will emerge from the mists, and the resulting legal war will
greatly impact the IBM market.

Also at Tandy, there's still no sign of recession. December
brought sales of $606.8 million, up 7% over a year earlier, 6% in
the U.S.

[***][1/19/88][***]
MAC ADD-ON MARKET IS WHERE THE START-UP ACTION IS
ATLANTA (NB) -- Interviews with makers of Macintosh add-ins prove
what should be obvious. The Apple Mac is creating more new companies
in more out of the way places than anything since the IBM PC built
high-tech industries in Atlanta, Dallas, and the Denver area in the
early 1980s. Now the entrepreneurial fever is in Wilmington, North
Carolina, where Dove Computer makes memory boards for Macintoshs
old and new, and in Austin, Texas, which boasts 3 new add-in
hardware outfits alone. Both places are just pale reflections of
Silicon Valley, where the Apple orchard was fruiting around
MacWorld last week. (Moral: Two operating systems are one more
than most towns can take.)

[***][1/19/88][***]
TOSHIBA LAPTOP MARKET ROBUST ENOUGH FOR ADD-ONS
EDEN PRAIRIE, MN (NB) -- Remember last year's flap over a Toshiba
subsidiary selling vital submarine technology to the Soviets?
Remember congressmen (and women) posing on Capitol Hill, bashing
radios marked "Toshiba" with sledgehammers?  Well, forget it. Not
only are Toshiba portables once again selling like CD players to
American corporations, but they're spurring creation of a new
add-in market. This comes from one of the participants in that
market, Tom Kieffer of Connect Computer Co. Tom makes the Won
Under, a 3/4 inch high interface box which mounts on the bottom
of any Toshiba portable and lets you plug in a standard IBM AT
card, often a LAN interface. Kieffer says that, for a while,
large companies such as Rockwell, which owned Toshibas, were hiding
them. "But I haven't seen that recently."

CONTACT: Tom Kieffer, CONNECT COMPUTER, [phone]

[***][1/19/88][***]
PECAN GOLDEN CHIPS

COMPUTER PRODUCTS, Pompano Beach, FL, wants to sell the process
systems business of its measurement and control division.
The company faces a $7-8 million write-off once the business is
sold.

DCA, Alpharetta, said it earned $9.6 million on sales of $54.8
million for the quarter ending December 31, up from earnings of
$8.7 million and sales of $46.1 million a year ago.

SCIENTIFIC SYSTEMS SERVICES, Melbourne, FL, agreed to be acquired
by ComputerTask Group Inc., Buffalo, NY, for $10.5 million

[***][1/19/88][***]
PECAN CHIPS

ALGORITHMIC IMPLEMENTATIONS, Atlanta, introduced a RAM resident
program called ZoomText which acts as a text magnifier and costs
$495. It's for the visually impaired.

ATHENA DIGITAL, Athens, GA, introduces a video BIOS which lets
Hercules monochrome adapters emulate IBM's old CGA standard.

BELLSOUTH, Atlanta, looks headed to dominance in the niche
business of running telecom systems for convention halls. Last
week their Systems Technology subsidiary won a 10-year deal at
New York's new Javits Center, which opened in 1986. And remember
how we all used to fear the RBOCs would use their operating
company monopolies to subsidize their unregulated subsidiaries?

SOUTHERN BELL, a BellSouth operating company, announced it will
help the Systems sub by running fiber-optic cable at Atlanta's
World Congress Center, for the Democratic Convention in July.
Major hotels and other news sites will also be wired, a total of
712 miles of cable and 9,000 lines.

COMPUTONE SYSTEMS, Norcross, GA, began shipping IntelliPort PS/8,
an 8-port multiuser board for the IBM's PS/2 50, 60 and 80 which
runs under Unix, Xenix, and other multiuser operating systems.

DATA LINK RESEARCH SERVICES, Golden, CO,  added lessons on
Pagemaker to its line of Video Professor tape library. New stuff
for dBase III Plus and Wordstar users were also announced.

DIGIBOARD INC., St. Louis Park, MN, began shipping its Openender
line of products, which make the PS/2 a multiuser system.

GEORGIA TECH, Atlanta, said its "Skitter" robot will do
construction work faster on the Moon because it uses 3 legs
rather than wheels.

MICRO DESIGN INTERNATIONAL, Winter Park, FL, added a 16-bit SCSI
adapter to its optical WORM drives, speeding data access rates to
90 kilobytes per second. List price is $10,000.

THE NATIONAL BULLETIN BOARD NEWSLETTER, Boerne, TX, will be a bi-
monthly newsletter and directory of the BBS movement.

NEC HOME ELECTRONICS, Wood Dale, IL, is doubling the size of its
McDonough, GA production plant, and will employ 1,000 there by
the end of 1988. The plant makes TVs and laptop computers.

QUADRAM, Norcross, GA, cut the price of its Quad386XT accelerator
card $200, to $995. That's with 1 megabyte of memory.

RICE UNIVERSITY, Houston, said its studies prove novices learn
Lotus 1-2-3 faster when they use the HAL natural language
interface. (The rest of you are beyond hope.)

SAMNA, Atlanta, was sued by a former marketing man, Carl Sgro,
for $750,000. Sgro charged Samna with wrongful termination,
commissions due, and the failure to tender a stock option.

SAS INSTITUTE INC., Cary, NC, put its data management and
statistical management SAS System onto PCs for the first time,
with prices starting at $500. The product had been out on minis
and mainframes.

UNISYS, Detroit, shipped its 1,000th 1100/90 mainframe and said
it's sold $3 billion worth of the boxes since its April, 1984
introduction. The company also announced enhancements for its
LINC II and InfoExec programs on the Series A mainframe.

U.S. WEST, Englewood, CO, vowed to press on with its research
program despite a December 3 ruling by Judge Harold Greene that
it can't use the results. The firm will spend $50 million on 450
people. (How they'll be motivated NEWSBYTES can't say.)

[***][1/19/88][***]
QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Claris. Bold. Big. Brawny. Now with the great taste of fish."

                                --Claris software ad
                                  "The Wall Street Journal"

[***][1/19/88][***]
AND FINALLY...AP SAYS THE ONLINE WORLD IS JUST AN EXPERIMENT
You may remember a NEWSBYTES story from January 5 about the
Associated Press taking its state wires off CompuServe, without
explanation. After many calls from other reporters, including us,
they finally issued a statement on the matter January 8. Here it
is: "The AP began providing state news to CompuServe as an
experiment about 5 years ago. We notified CompuServe a year ago
that this experiment would end at the end of 1987, and it did. At
this point we are studying whether and how we might market this
information in the future." (An answer which is bold, big, brawny
and does indeed have the great taste of fish.)


[***][1/19/88][***]
CANADA REMOTE SCRAPS ONTARIO COMPUTER EXCHANGE
TORONTO (NB) -- Canada Remote Systems Inc. is dropping the
Ontario Computer Exchange after three months of "trying to figure
out how to integrate the OCE into our operations," the hardware
and software dealer and bulletin board operator said in its
latest membership newsletter.

The exchange, which was affiliated with the Boston Computer
Exchange, "requires considerable effort in tracking down used
equipment," president Jud Newell wrote.  "It also appears to need
a much harder sell than we're prepared to give.  Canada Remote
has never been noted for the hard sell-pushy type of operation,
and we're not about to start now."

CONTACT: CANADA REMOTE SYSTEMS, Suite 311, 4198 Dundas St. W.,
         Toronto, Ont. M8X 1Y6, [phone]

[***][1/19/88][***]
ANNOUNCEMENT ON CROWNTEK SALE POSSIBLE BY EARLY FEBRUARY
MARKHAM, Ont. (NB) -- "There are a number of things about to come
together" in the sale of Crowntek Inc., and parts of the sell-off
might be announced by early February, according company President
Ed Cannon.  However, although Cannon said some deals have reached
the handshake stage, he would not reveal who will be buying the
parts of the diversified high-technology company.

Crowntek started as a computer service bureau under the name
Datacrown Inc. and moved into software development and sales as
well as microcomputer retailing. Its parent company, Crownx Inc.
of Toronto, has decided to concentrate on its nursing homes and
financial services business.

Cannon said Crowntek will be sold in several pieces, with "a
minimum of six" major deals involved.  Several smaller deals are
planned for minor parts of the company.  He said the first of
these would be completed January 31 "in a perfect world" but more
realistically might take until mid-February.

Cannon said Crowntek won't necessarily make any announcements
until the entire divestiture is complete, but added that it is
also possible the buyers will "want to tell the world."

CONTACT: CROWNTEK INC., 3000 Steeles Ave. E., Markham, Ont.
         L3R 4T9, [phone]

[***][1/19/88][***]
COPYRIGHT LAW MIGHT MAKE MANY USERS TECHNICALLY PIRATES
OTTAWA (NB) -- Canada's proposed new copyright protection for
software might put a lot of personal computer users on the wrong
side of the law.

The new law, due to go before the House of Commons in the next
few weeks for third reading and final debate, specifies that the
licensee of a software package may not make more than one copy of
that software, for his or her own use, without the vendor's
permission.  That means if you make two backups, or if you copy
the software to your hard disk and then back up the entire
contents of the hard disk, you are technically breaking the law.

Originally the proposals would have allowed a "reasonable number"
of backup copies.  Michel Hetu, a spokesman for the federal
Department of Communications, which helped draft the proposals,
said the wording was changed because some software companies
wanted a limit on backup copies specified.  And Graeme Hughes,
president of the Information Technology Association of Canada in
Toronto, said that while his organization didn't ask for the one-
copy limit, it generally agreed with the legislation.

Careful computer users shouldn't panic, however.  Toronto lawyer
Daivd Latner, of the firm Gordon, Traub and Rotenberg, said
nobody is likely to prosecute a user for making legitimate backup
copies.

[***][1/19/88][***]
COGNOS PLANS BIG YEAR FOR PRODUCT RELEASES
OTTAWA (NB) -- Software developer Cognos Inc. is preparing for
"the largest ever roll-out of major products in our history," the
company said in its 1987 annual report.

New products planned for 1988 include a full version of Cognos'
Powerhouse application development system for the IBM Personal
Computer AT and compatibles, as well as new versions of the
software for Digital Equipment Corp. and Data General Corp. minis
and Powerhouse Architect, an automated documentation system to
work with Powerhouse on Hewlett-Packard Co. minicomputers.

Cognos also said it plans once again to invest 14 per cent of its
revenues in research and development in 1988.  As previously
reported in NEWSBYTES CANADA, Cognos had net income of C$5.03
million on C$68.43 million in revenues in fiscal 1987, ended Feb.
28, 1987.

CONTACT: COGNOS INC., 3755 Riverside Dr., Ottawa, Ont. K1G 3N3
         [phone]

[***][1/19/88][***]
COMPANY OFFERS THIRD-PARTY SERVICE FOR COMPUTERS
MISSISSAUGA, Ont. (NB) -- A group of former employees of Hewlett-
Packard (Canada) Inc. employees has established a new third-party
computer service company.  Datanix Technology Inc. will service
personal computers, minicomputers and peripherals from Hewlett-
Packard and a number of other vendors.  The company says it will
offer flexible, personalized service contracts and is set up so
that a customer deals with one individual all the time.  Datanix
also says it will maintain an extensive parts inventory.

CONTACT: DATANIX TECHNOLOGY INC., 1080 Tristar Dr., Unit 8,
         Mississauga, Ont. L5T 1P1, [phone]

[***][1/19/88][***]
FINANCIAL BITS
-- ACCUGRAPH CORP., Toronto-based maker of computer-aided design
software, has reported another quarterly loss.  Accugraph lost
C$776,000 in the quarter ended November 30, on C$5.2 million in
revenues.  That's much better than the corresponding period in
1986, when Accugraph lost C$7.75 million on C$5.9 million in
revenues.

-- CAROLIAN SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL INC., Toronto, reported a
C$554,000 profit in the six months ended Dec. 31, compared with a
C$17,000 loss in the second half of 1986.  Revenues were C$1.9
million, up from C$1.5 million.  Carolian is a software
developer.

-- SHL SYSTEMHOUSE LTD., Ottawa, made a profit of C$5.5 million
in the quarter ended Nov. 30, up from C$4.3 million in the year-
earlier quarter.  Revenue rose to C$46 million from C$33.8
million.

[***][1/19/88][***]
CANADIAN COMPUTER STOCKS HAVEN'T RECOVERED
TORONTO (NB) -- If you were an optimistic investor after the
stock market crash of October 19, and you bought a basket of
Canadian high-tech stocks at bargain-basement prices, you are not
rich yet.  In fact, unless you picked very well, you're poorer
now than you were three months ago.

NEWSBYTES CANADA checked the prices of 18 computer-related stocks
on the Toronto Stock Exchange at closing on Friday, Oct. 16, at
closing on Black Monday, and again at closing on January 15.  Not
one of those stocks -- which range from small Canadian-owned
firms such as BMB Compuscience and Accugraph Corp. to Bell Canada
Enterprises, Xerox Canada and IBM -- has climbed back to its pre-
crash price.  On average, the 18 stocks dropped 13.14 per cent on
October 19, and they're now 22.87 per cent below pre-crash
prices.

Communications-related companies have rallied almost to pre-crash
prices (Bell Canada Enterprises closed Jan. 15 at C$36.50, having
closed Oct. 16, 1987, at C$36.75), while computer companies have
continued dropping.  One exception is Develcon Electronics, the
troubled Saskatoon communications equipment maker, which dropped
only 10 cents on the day of the crash and has since fallen two
dollars more to C$1.70.  The other is IBM, which closed Oct. 19
at C$148 and is now up to C$150.

The Toronto Stock Exchange's High Technology Index (which
contains companies from industries other than computers and
communications too) has held steady at about 776.

[***][1/19/88][***]
BITS, EH?
-- CANADA SYSTEMS GROUP LTD., the Mississauga, Ont., service
bureau, has announced an unusual sort of deal in which a
Burlington, Ont., company will put its own computers in CSG's
computing centre.  CSG will provide operational support to Norex
Leasing Inc. under a facilities management agreement.  The
computers will be linked to Norex's Burlington headquarters
through a T1 high-speed data line.

-- BEDFORD SOFTWARE LTD., of Vancouver, has released Version 3.21
of its Integrated Accounting software.  The new version includes
1988 tax tables for all Canadian provinces, updated Workers'
Compensation Board wage bases, and the ability to print T4 forms
for Canadian income tax in the current format.  Suggested retail
price is C$249.

-- SOFTSEL COMPUTER PRODUCTS INC. CANADA, based in Concord, Ont.,
is the new Canadian distributor for Princeton Graphics Systems of
Princeton, N.J.  Softsel will carry Princeton's entire product
line, which includes monitors, scanners and other PC peripherals.

-- SEQUENT COMPUTER SYSTEMS (CANADA) LTD., Toronto, has sold two
of its Balance systems to the University of Guelph in Guelph,
Ont.  They will be used by the university's Library Science
department and the affiliated Ontario Veterinary College.



[***][1/19/88][***]
NEUROCOMPUTER ROBOTS DEBUT IN MAY
TOKYO (NB) -- Fujitsu will show off its thinking robots, based on
its recently developed breakthrough neurocomputer technology.
(See last week's NEWSBYTES-JAPAN for the technology).  According
to Fujitsu's President Yamamoto, the company has applied the
technology to special robots.  Multiple numbers of the neuro-
computer robots are programmed to chase and grab a robot, which
is programmed to escape.  In the course of chasing, the robots
cooperate with other robots. Cooperation is an unprecedented
feature for current computers.  They also learn and make
complicated decisions during the activity.  The president added
that each robot will uniquely develop its own personality.  This
demonstration will be held in Tokyo this May.

CONTACT: Fujitsu, 1-6-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100

[***][1/19/88][***]
32-BIT TRON CHIP IS DEVELOPED BY GMICRO GROUP
TOKYO (NB) -- Hitachi has developed a 32-bit TRON chip in
cooperation with its GMICRO development teams of Fujitsu and
Mitsubishi.  Hitachi's GMICRO 200 chip will be shipped for
engineering workstations in the second quarter of this year.
Fujitsu and Mitsubishi will also manufacture the chip, getting
the license from Hitachi.  Other lines of the GMICRO chip family
are currently being developed by Fujitsu and Mitsubishi.  Fujitsu is
working on the GMICRO 300 for minicomputers, while Mitsubishi is
working on the GMICRO 100 for personal computers.  The GMICRO 300
will be shipped by the end of this year, the GMICRO 100 will debut
in early 1989.

Meanwhile, Matsushita, Toshiba, and Oki Electronics are
developing 32-bit TRON MPUs.  Major American makers,
such as IBM and Motorola, are also involved in the TRON project.
Motorola is expected to cooperate with Toshiba since the two
companies have set up a joint chip venture in Japan.

CONTACT: Hitachi, 1-5-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100

[***][1/19/88][***]
IBM JAPAN WILL HAVE A BIG RESHUFFLE IN MARCH: RUMOR MILL
TOKYO (NB) -- IBM Japan will make a large-scale relocation of
personnel, including its President Takeo Shiina, in March, according
to a NEWSBYTES.  Although a rumor about the retirement of IBM Japan's
president is heard almost every spring, this time it's different.
One of the hints to support such rumor is that IBM Japan did not do
its annual personnel relocation this January.  Thus the company might
be preparing for a major shift in March.  Why in March?  That's the
time when Vice Executive President Corkran, a former president of
IBM Canada, will end his term to go back to Canada.  President
Shiina is 59 this year, so the rumor might be correct, but nothing
is confirmed.

[***][1/19/88][***]
SONY WANTS SECOND SOURCE FOR NEC'S 32-BIT MPUs
TOKYO (NB) -- Sony has started talking with NEC about getting a
second-source license for NEC's 32-bit V-series microprocessing
units, the V60 and the V70.  If all goes well, Sony is expected
to produce the top-of-line chips at its recently acquired IC
plant, which was owned by Fairchild Japan.  So far, NEC has
bestowed the 32-bit chips' second source license on only Zilog
(U.S.A.).  Regarding its 16-bit V-series chips, NEC has given a
second source license to several inside and outside computer makers,
including Sony and Sharp.

CONTACT: Sony, 4-10-18 Takanawa, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108

[***][1/19/88][***]
SONY ENTERS 2-INCH FDD ERA
TOKYO (NB) -- Sony has developed a 2-inch floppy disk drive for
NEC's best-selling personal computer, the PC-9801 family.  Sony's
PDD 150 has a 1 megabyte memory and a data read/write speed of
14.3 megabit per second, which is almost equivalent to that of hard
disk drives.  The PDD 150 is measured at 42mm x 79mm x 135mm and
weighs 490g.  It will be released at 54,800 yen or $428 on
January 21.

[***][1/19/88][***]
KDD STARTS 2,400bps DATA TRANSMISSION SERVICE ON VENUS-P
TOKYO (NB) -- Japan's international telecom giant KDD will start
a 2,400 bps data transmission service for its international
packet data switching network, Venus-P, in May.  Also, KDD lowered
the access charges for Venus-P by 10% in the beginning of this
month.  KDD must do this in order to shake off its rival
VAN dealers, which entered the business following the deregulation
of the international VAN (value added network) service in Japan
last fall.  Apparently, the winners are the users.  They are quite
happy about the situation, since they can access the Source or
CompuServe cheaper.

CONTACT: KDD, 1-8-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100

[***][1/19/88][***]
FUJI XEROX TIES UP WITH SUN MICRO SYSTEMS
TOKYO (NB) -- Fuji Xerox and California-based major workstation
maker Sun Micro Systems have signed a broad business agreement
which includes joint development of computer central processing
units and operating systems.  To start, Fuji Xerox will
adapt Sun's processor called Scaleable Processor Architecture
Computer (SPARC) to its workstation.  With SPARC, Fuji Xerox
expects to make the performance of its machine more than ten times
faster.  Meanwhile, Fuji Xerox and Sun will jointly develop a new
operating system with powerful network features.  The new
operating system will be based on the SUN OS, Sun's version of
Unix operating system.  Both firms will add SUN OS with Fuji
Xerox's communication protocol, and Xerox Network systems (XNS).

CONTACT: Fuji Xerox, International Sanno Bldg., 3-3-5 Akasaka,
         Minato-ku, Tokyo 107

[***][1/19/88][***]
PROSIDE SETS UP FRANCHISE SHOPS FOR NEC & IBM-COMPATIBLE COMPUTERS
TOKYO (NB) -- The Japanese personal computer venture Proside
will set up franchise shops for selling compatible computers,
including its double-compatible computer the VS2, Seiko-Epson's
NEC-compatible PCs, and imported IBM-compatible PCs.  Also, the
nationwide franchise shop Proland will carry DIY kits for
compatible computers and over 200 kinds of software.  The main
products of the franchise will be legal PC compatible-ROM BIOS,
and Proside's ambitious double-compatible personal computer, the
VS2, which runs programs for the IBM PC and the NEC PC-9801.
Proland is planning to bundle the hardware and software as
complete systems.  In this way, the company will try to
succeed in the newly-budding compatible computer business in
Japan.

CONTACT: Proside, Tanaka Bldg. 4F, 4-7-3 Soto-kanda, Chiyoda-ku,
         Tokyo 101   Phone: [phone]

[***][1/19/88][***]
<<< SUSHI BYTES >>>

IBM JAPAN TO BEEF UP CHIP'S PRODUCTION -- IBM Japan will expand
its semiconductor plant in Yasu in Japan, reports the NIKKAN
KOGYO newspaper.  This time, the company will mainly manufacture
an extra 1 megabit dynamic RAM at the plant.  Currently, IBM
Japan has been getting a supply of the chips from Toshiba and
Hitachi.  The report of the chip production increase has prompted
speculation that IBM's new PCs have been selling well.

CHINA GETS DOWN TO PC EXPORTS -- China is getting ready to export
personal computers to the world market in a big way.  According to a
published report, the Chinese Computer Development Corp. (CCDC)
exported about 1,100 units of its IBM PC/AT-compatible PC, the
Great-Wall 286, during September and November of 1987. The number
is small but the company has gained major customers in the U.S.,
Singapore, Hong Kong, and Australia.  CCDC will export more PCs this
year.

NTT REPLACES ITS PRESIDENT -- President Shinto of NTT (Tokyo) has
announced he will retire this June, due to his advanced age of
77.  Vice President Yamaguchi is expected to assume the
president's post of this giant telecom firm.


[***][1/19/88][***]
LASER PRINTER BREAKS BARRIER - PRINTS AT 600 DPI
DREIEICH, GERMANY (NB) -- AM International, the well-known
international company that specializes in publishing systems,
has announced the availability of the VT-600, a laser printer
that offers 600 dots per inch resolution.

"We hope to offer greater resolution than before at a greater
price than before," a company spokesman said. The VT-600 comes
with 6MB of RAM and 20MB hard disk which is used to store the
many fonts used by the printer.

The system interfaces with the AppleTalk network as well as
with a parallel and a serial port. Priced at DM 40000 (about
$20000), it is expected to attack the higher-end market for
laser printers.


[***][1/19/88][***]
ATARI TO ANNOUNCE UNIX BUT HAS NO PLANS FOR UNIX IN EUROPE
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (NB) -- The rumor mill says that Atari will
officially announce a UNIX package in Europe at Hanover Fair
in March.

It is generally felt that 68010-based 2MB and 4MB STs are ideal
for UNIX applications. The only drawback is the fact that these
systems do not have a memory management unit designed to make a
multiuser systems run more safely by offering memory
protection (as does UNIX on the AT); consequently the STs are
not expected to run the UNIX V operating system.  NEWSBYTES has
learned that the UNIX system chosen by Atari is Whitesmiths'
IDRIS, a UNIX look-alike system designed to offer all the UNIX
functions and support up to 5 users.

[***][1/19/88][***]
OSI SUPPORT EASIER- ROCKWELL ANNOUNCES CHIPS FOR ISO
PUTEAUX, FRANCE (NB) -- Rockwell, the US chip manufacturer
(also maker of space shuttles), has announced that manufacturers
can offer products for the OSI (Open Systems Interconnect -
the other world's SNA) based on its two new products, the
R8069 and the R8071.

Both of these products offer communications capabilities; the first
one supports the physical layer and the second one the link layer.
"The introduction of the R8069 and the R8071 marks a major step
towards making ISDN a reality worldwide. With these advanced products,
manufacturers will be able to easily create a new generation of cost-
effective telecommunications equipment," said Dr. Gilbert Amelio,
president of the semiconductor division.

Both these products are designed to enhance and facilitate the
process of creating equipment designed to interface with ISDN
(International Standard Digital Network) networks.


[***][1/19/88][***]
EC CALLS FOR NEPTUNE PROGRAM - EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE NEEDED
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (NB) -- The European Community is looking at
starting an educational software program called NEPTUNE (New
European Programme for Technology Utilization in Education).
(Don't you love these acronyms?)

The European parliament held a session in 1987 on software
for education which produced three comments. First, that
there is a shortage of good educational software in Europe;
second, that the EC should try to concentrate on
standardizing educational software, and third, that the EC
should set aside resources for such action in its yearly
budget.

The EC, in response, said that there are two areas covered by
this request -- teacher training and development, and diffusion of
educational software. Teacher training should be facilitated
by a university level summer school in Glasgow, UK, in July
which will concentrate on the planning and impetus provision
for educational software. Second, seminars for experts,  and joint
development and models for educational software will be drawn
up and shared by all the member states. As far as the budget
is concerned, "the budget for educational software comes from
the general education budget," said an EC spokesman when
asked about the source of the funding.


[***][1/19/88][***]
EUROPEAN INVESTMENT BANK LENDS MONEY FOR ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY
LUXEMBOURG, LUXEMBOURG (NB) -- The European Investment Bank
(EIB) is lending 14 million ECUS (about $15 million) to
Salzgitter Elektrokik for the creation of a factory which will
produce microelectronic components in Kiel, North Germany.

Salzgitter, which is one of the world's leading producers of
equipment designed to detect faults in cables, hopes
to use the factory to produce hybrid integrated circuits and
surface mount techniques. The project, which should create 600
jobs, is set to be operational by 1995.


[***][1/19/88][***]
THE EC TAKES PART IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CONFERENCE
TOKYO, JAPAN (NB) -- The European Community took part through
its UNICE (Union of Industres of the European Community) in a
world conference on intellectual property rights.

UNICE, as well as its partners, the IPC of the US and KEINDAREN
of Japan, agreed that all patents held by any member should
hold valid for at least twenty years.

They failed to agree on a common method to copyright computer
software. There is a lot of concern on South Korea's, India's,
Hong Kong's, and Taiwan's copy methods, which appear to steal
other people's work and then sell it as their own.

In Uruguay last October, there was an agreement on a new
round of talks, the so-called Uruguay Round by the GATT, which
is supposed to formulate international regulations on free
trade. Gatt signatories have, however, failed to reach a
consensus on the issue of intellectual property. "We have not
been able to get anywhere in this matter," said the GATT
negotiator of the EC.


[***][1/19/88][***]
GREATEST GAME IN TOWN - HOOKS BY THE MINUTE  **MINI-REVIEW**
PARIS, FRANCE (NB) -- Starflight, what I consider to be the
greatest game ever developed by Electronic Arts for PCs and
compatibles, gets you hooked immediately. Starflight is an
amazing simulation of a universe that contains 270 star
systems, a total of about 800 planets, each one with
different characteristics and facilities, plus six different alien
beings and real-time landing and takeoff sequences. All this comes
thanks to an advanced fractal generator, which takes a certain
sequence and creates a planet that can be completely
explored by the landing vehicle of the spaceship.

Similar to the TV program "Star Trek," the software offers graphics, a
"transporter" and phaser weapons. Developed by Binary Systems
(Greg Johnson, Alec Kercso, Bob Gonsalves, T.C.Lee and
Rod McConell) in three years, it represents the height of
game programming for today's PCs.

The program offers real-time graphics animation -- when you
orbit a planet, it rotates, and is displayed in 16 colors, which
of course reduces the horizontal resolution. It would be nice,
with the ATs that are now available, to deliver a newer
version that offers real EGA support.

The program, available non-copy protected (with a
security decoder, nevertheless) challenges the player to achieving
the goal of complete exploration of the universe, interchange of all
alien life and the location of "ARTH," our own earth. Or as the
jacket puts it, "Boldly go where no game has gone before!"



[***][1/19/88][***]
FCC THUMBS NOSE AT GREENE, APPROVES INFORMATION SERVICES
WASHINGTON (NB) -- The Federal Communications Commission has told
Pacific Telesis Group and Bell Atlantic that they can offer
voice-message services currently banned by federal Judge Harold
Greene. The 3-0 vote by the FCC was accompanied by a written
swipe at Greene by FCC Chairman Dennis Patrick. "Until the
prohibition is removed, the average consumer likely will remain
unable to enjoy the full range of benefits of the information
age," Patrick said. The FCC said Pactel may offer a computerized
system for recording, sending and storing voice message. The
agency cleared Bell Atlantic to provide dial-up services such as
current sports reports. But the Bell regional operating companies
will have to get Greene's approval before they can launch the
services. Greene has accused the FCC of trying to incite the Baby
Bells into disobeying his orders. More fireworks are likely.

[***][1/19/88][***]
LOTUS UPGRADES SYMPHONY, JAZZ
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (NB) -- Lotus Development Corp. has unveiled
Symphony 2.0, a new version of its integrated software package
for IBM PCs and clones. At the same time, Lotus said it would
ship Modern Jazz this quarter. Modern Jazz is a new version of
its disappointing Jazz spreadsheet and integrated software for
the Apple Macintosh computer. Symphony (not copy protected) will
feature an enhanced word processor, a text outliner, spelling
checker, a file locking utility, and VT-100 terminal emulation.
Available in February, Symphony 2.0 will cost $695 retail.
Upgrades range from $95 to $150. For more information, call 1-
800-TRADEUP.

Modern Jazz will be priced at $395 and Lotus will communicate
with registered Jazz users by mail on upgrades at $95. The new
Jazz will read Jazz 1.0 files and 1-2-3 files. A key feature of
Modern Jazz is an English-like command language with a library of
macros for automated and customized applications. The program
runs on the Mac Plus, SE, and II. It needs one megabyte of RAM,
two 800K drives or a hard drive. Lotus still plans to introduce a
version of its best-selling 1-2-3 for the Macintosh line sometime
this year, but so far that product is vaporware.

[***][1/19/88][***]
BIG BOARD REINS IN PROGRAM TRADING
NEW YORK (NB) -- With the stock market in continuing turmoil, the
New York Stock Exchange has put temporary controls on computer-
directed trading. The restrictions will be in effect for a week
as a test. A presidential commission blamed computer trading by a
few large institutional investors for the October 19 stock market
crash, when the Dow Jones industrial average fell 508 points.
Under the new plan, if the Dow moves 75 points or more in a
single day, then all member firms will stop using the NYSE
SuperDot system to execute program trades during that day.
SuperDot is an automated order system that allows traders to buy
and sell hundreds of stocks as part of a trading strategy called
index arbitrage. After the week-long trial, the Big Board's board
of directors will consider extending the controls.

In the meantime, Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), chairman of a
House telecommunications subcommittee, is locked in a battle
with the Securities and Exchange Commission over release of a
secret SEC study of program trading. The SEC wants Markey to keep
the study confidential in order to protect the agency's sources.
The study examines stock market trading on January 23, 1987, when
stock prices gyrated wildly. It continues information provided to
the SEC by the NYSE and by at least one major investment firms.
Markey is considering releasing the study on the grounds that
disclosure would serve the public interest.

[***][1/19/88][***]
FCC APPROVES COMPUTER-CONTROLLED RAILROADS
WASHINGTON (NB) -- The Federal Communications Commission has
given the green light to a nationwide computerized system to
control railroad train traffic. The agency says the system could
have prevented last year's Conrail-Amtrak collision in Maryland
that killed 16, injured 175, and caused more than $40 million in
losses. Acting on a request from the Association of American
Railroads, the railroad industry's Washington trade group, the
FCC set aside six radio channels for the Advanced Train Control
System, which will monitor trains nationwide and take control of
their throttles and brakes in an emergency. The system will be
the biggest land mobile communication system in the world,
according to the AAR. Already under development, it is expected
to take 10 years to finish.

[***][1/19/88][***]
DATA GENERAL MOVES INTO DESKTOP PUBLISHING
WESTBORO, Mass. (NB) -- Data General Corp. has inked a marketing
agreement with Xerox Corp. that will put DG into desktop
publishing. Data General will bundle Xerox's Ventura Publisher
1.1 with its hardware in a line of products it will market at CEO
Desk Top Composer. The product will be aimed at the corporate
market. Data General said it will offer three packages: a work
station package selling for $6,460; a peripherals package for
$3,090; and a software only package at $1,640. The company also
unveiled a new version of its CEO office automation software,
which works with the desktop publishing software.

[***][1/19/88][***]
ARROW ELECTRONICS TO CARRY SHARP LAPTOPS
MELVILLE, N.Y. (NB) -- Arrow Electronics Inc., the second
largest distributor of electronic components and computer
products in North America, will distribute Sharp Electronics
Corp.'s laptop computers. Arrow's initial order was for more than
$1.5 million worth of equipment, according to Sharp. "Arrow is a
strong addition to our distribution chain because they expand our
reach to VARs, high-end computer dealers and OEMs," says Bill
Robinson, Sharp's systems division general manager. Sharp's
laptop is one of only a few that have EPROM capability. According
to Robinson, Arrow has the capability to support the EPROMs,
which are proving popular with real estate, insurance, and other
companies with outside sales forces. The EPROM puts an
application program on a chip, and frees up the disk drive for
data storage only.

[***][1/19/88][***]
RICOH RAISES LASER PRICES
WEST CALDWELL, N.J. (NB) -- Ricoh Corp. says the rising value of
the Japanese yen versus the dollar has forced it to increase the
price of its PC Laser 6000 printer by $100, effective February 1.
The new suggested retail price for the printer will be $2,495.
Ricoh Corp. is the U.S. subsidiary of Ricoh Company Ltd. of
Tokyo, a $4 billion diversified high-technology company. Ricoh
Corp. is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary in the U.S.

[***][1/19/88][***]
DISPLAY POSTSCRIPT FOR DIGITAL
MAYNARD, Mass. (NB) -- Digital Equipment Corp. has agreed to a
deal with Adobe Systems Inc. that will couple Adobe's Display
Postscript with Digital's Windows software. Display Postscript
will give the user the same control over screen graphics that
Postscript gives laser printers. It will also permit full
integration of the display and the printer. The contract is the
first major sale of Display Postscript for Adobe. Adobe is saying
at the MacWorld Expo that it will also be included in
Steve Job's mythic Next computer. So far, however, that's just more
vapor hardware.

Also on the DEC front, the company reported booming second-
quarter earnings of $329.5 million ($2.48 per share), on $2.7
billion in sales. Earnings were up 22 percent over the second
quarter of 1987, and sales were up 23 percent. Among the hot
sellers were Digital's MicroVAX and VAXstation systems. The
company expects to begin volume shipments of the MicroVAX 3,000
and VAXstation 3,000 during the second half of the year.

[***][1/19/88][***]
AT&T MAKES CHINA SALE, SENDS OUT EXTRA CREDIT CARDS IN EAST
NEW YORK (NB) -- Xinhua, China's state-run news agency, has
signed up for a news editing and processing system from AT&T in a
deal worth about $3 million. According to Richard Evans, chief of
AT&T international sales, it's the largest single data system
sale by AT&T in China. The system will feature state-of-the-art
computer display and editing equipment and customized software.It
will allow Xinhua to work in the six languages in which it sends
news around the world: English, Chinese, Russian, French, Arabic,
and Spanish.

AT&T computers in Piscataway, N.J., ran amok recently, sending
out nearly 100,000 unwanted credit cards to customers in the mid-
Atlantic region. People who ordered one card were send 11,
and people who ordered two got 22. A red-faced AT&T has sent out
apologies to the affected customers. It turns out AT&T computer
technicians loaded a list into the computers and forgot to take
it back off the computer for 10 days. Each day, the computer
dutifully mailed out a card to the people on the list, some 7,000
customers of Bell Atlantic who had ordered the cards last year
but never received them.

[***][1/19/88][***]
PRIME UPS THE ANTE FOR COMPUTERVISION
NATICK, Mass. (NB) -- Prime Computer Inc. has raised its hostile
takeover bid for Computervision Inc. to $15 per share. Prime
earlier offered $13.50 per share for the stock, in an attempt to
become the second largest player in the CAD/CAM market. But Prime
said $15 per share was its final tender offer for the
Computervision shares. Computervision has indicated it is looking
for another company to rescue it from Prime by making an offer
for Computervision. This is known as the "white knight" strategy
in the mergers and acquisitions business. Prime upped its offer
after Computervision rang up better than expected earnings in the
fourth quarter. Earnings doubled to $8 million, or 28 cents per
share.
[***][1/19/88][***]
POLAROID UNVEILS DIGITAL PHOTO ID CARDS
NEW YORK (NB) -- Polaroid Corp. has announced a new digital
system for instant photo identification cards. Polaroid unveiled
the new system, which also electronically stores portraits,
signatures, and data, at the National Security Exposition. With
the new system, updated ID cards can be made without the need to
take new portraits. Currently, says Polaroid, 29 states use
Polaroid ID systems for drivers licenses. Polaroid says the
system will be priced between $12,000 and $17,000.

[***][1/19/88][***]
NEWS NIBBLES FROM AROUND THE REGION

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP. of Rye Brook, N.Y., will
increase its cooperation with outside vendors in a effort to push
the company's mid-range computers. Until 1979, IBM sold only
through its own sales force, but the company has increasingly
been working with third-party vendors such as value-added
resellers and systems integrators. The computers involved in the
new sales program at the System 36 and 38, the 9370, 4381, and RT
PC.

MARTIN MARIETTA CORP.'s systems division of Bethesda, Md., has
won a $3 million, five-year contract to develop a "paperless"
administrative support system for Walter Reed Army Medical
Center. The system will have a central computing facility and 400
workstations.

UNISYS CORP. of Blue Bell, Pa., is introducing an on-line,
real-time financial management and accounting system based on the
LINC fourth-generation language. Unisys also said it expects
"solid" earnings growth in 1988 and revealed that orders for its
products have picked up everywhere but with the federal
government.

FRANKLIN COMPUTER CORP. of Pennsauken, N.J., once on the
financial ropes after losing a copyright fight with Apple
Computer, is back in the black. The reason is the Spelling Act, a
hand-held spelling checker and dictionary that has been selling like
hotcakes. Franklin executives told the Associated Press that
since the Spelling Ace went on the market in December 1986, the
company has added 30 employees.

NORTH ATLANTIC INDUSTRIES INC. of Hauppauge, N.Y., says it wants
to sell its data storage products division. No buyers have yet
surfaced. The division makes computer storage tapes.

[***][1/19/88][***]
APPLE SHOWS NEW RANGE OF LASER PRINTERS - LASERWRITER II
Hemel Hempstead, Herts (NB) -- In a not altogether unexpected
move, Apple has unveiled the Laserwriter II family of desktop laser
printers.  Pricing on the new series ranges from #1,995
to #4,495.

Three models comprise the new series - the IINTX, the IINT and
the IISC.  The machines replace the existing Laserwriter and
Laserwriter Plus models and offer improved print quality as well
as faster output, increased storage and expansion capabilities.

All three printers in the Laserwriter II series centre around a
printer engine capable of 300 dots per inch and 8 pages per
minute.  The engine has a 300,000 page rated life span - triple
that of the first Laserwriter series - and a 25 per cent
increased toner cartridge life.

CONTACT:  Apple UK, Eastman Way, Hemel Hempstead,
          Hertfordshire HP2 7HQ.
          Tel: [phone].

[***][1/19/88][***]
MINI OFFICE PROFESSIONAL PACKAGE DEBUTS
Macclesfield, Cheshire (NB) -- Originally sold as a budget-priced
introduction to serious business software, Mini Office II has
consistently topped the software charts in the UK.  Now an
upgraded version for the IBM PC (and close compatibles) will be
launched on 28 January.

Mini Office Professional will retail for #49-95 and include five
integrated modules - word processor, spell checker, data manager,
spreadsheet and communications.

Such is the prestige and reputation of the Mini Office II series,
which has gained numerous software awards in the past year, that
heavy advance sales were reported - even when the product was in
the sampling stages.

"People started buying on reputation alone," said Mike Meakin,
joint MD of Database Software.  "They won't be disappointed,
we've reached a pinnacle with Mini Office Professional," he
added.

CONTACT: DATABASE SOFTWARE, Europa House, Adlington Park,
         Adlington, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 5NP.
         Tel: [phone].

[***][1/19/88][***]
VICTOR LAUNCHES COMPLETE NEW RANGE
High Wycombe, Bucks (NB) -- Victor Technologies took time out
last week to unveil its 1988 product range, which includes 8086,
80826, 80386 PCs, a portable 80286 machine and the company's
answer to the Tandon removable hard disk, the Victor Add-Pak.

Starting at just over #1,000 is the VPC IIC, a compact 8086-based
PC with three expansion slots and CGA/Hercules graphics.  Further
up are three 80286 machines: the V286C, a 10MHz PC with
20MB hard disk and EGA graphics, the V286A with removable Add-Pak
hard disk, and the V286S file server with 70 to 230Mb of hard disk
and 8 expansion slots.  Pricing on the V286 series runs from
#1,499 through to #3,399

Closely grouped with these machines is the Victor 286P laptop.
Running at 12MHz and complete with gas plasma screen and 30Mb
hard disk, the 80286-based machine prices in at a reasonable
#2,499.

Topping the range is the V386, an 80386-based PC with 2Mb of Ram,
130Mb hard disk, and an optional Add-Pak removable hard disk.
Pricing starts at #3,999 rising to #5,499.

Not content with unveiling a new range of PCs, Victor also
unveiled a whole family of 80 and 136 column printers.  Prices
start at #395 for the 168cps P2200, and rise to #1,999 liquid
crystal shutter printer, capable of 8 pages a minute.  Whew!

CONTACT: VICTOR TECHNOLOGIES, Unit 1, Valley Centre, Gordon Road,
         High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP13 6EQ.
         Tel: [phone].

[***][1/19/88][***]
ROMTEC SURVEY REVEALS UK OFFICE EQUIPMENT MARKET
Maidenhead, Berkshire (NB) -- The face of computer retailing is
changing fast, according to computer survey firm Romtec.  In the
sixth edition of its #695 annual directory and analysis of office
equipment dealers and distributors, Romtec reveals that:

* 1 in 2 dealers sell Amstrad kit (compared with 1 in 7
  last year.

* Out of 1800 outlets surveyed, 111 companies were new, whilst 74
  had baled out for various reasons (usually bankruptcy etc).

* 11 out of the UK's 68 counties accounted for 47.8 per cent of
  computer dealer outlets (London tops the list with a whopping
  15.6 per cent).

* More and more office equipment dealers are moving out of
  stationery and traditional office sales and are now selling
  computers and printers.

Perhaps the most interesting set of statistics is that of
dealer/brand links.  55.8 per cent of outlets now stock Amstrad
kit.  Olivetti holds second position with 29.5 per cent.  Next
come IBM with 12.8 per cent, Apricot with 9.4 per cent, Tandon
with 5.8 per cent, Compaq with 5.1 per cent, and Apple with 4.5
per cent.

Apart from the dramatic rise in the number of Amstrad dealers in
the UK, the only other major change was in the number of Tandon
dealers.  Nine months ago 2.5 per cent of office equipment
suppliers sold Tandon PCs.  Today, that figure is 13.6 per cent,
pushing Tandon up into fifth place in the league tables.

CONTACT: ROMTEC PLC, Hattori House, Vanwall Road, Maidenhead,
         Berkshire SL6 4UW.                  Tel: [phone].

[***][1/19/88][***]
TANDY UK - NAME CHANGE AND ADVERTISING BLITZ
Bloxwich, Walsall (NB) -- In the wake of a name change from Tandy
UK to InterTAN, the US equivalent of Radio Shack has launched a
massive advertising campaign with the aim of hitting the big time
in the UK.

Starting with a two month blitz at key billboard sites around the
UK, the campaign moves into publications targeting the typical
business equipment buyer with the theme "Number one in the US,
now in the UK."

Richard Rosser, computer marketing manager for InterTAN UK, sees
the campaign as a keynote for 1988 sales.  "Within the next six
months you'll be come very familiar with our number one
campaign," he said.  "Within 18 months, we hope the slogan will
change to "Number one in the US and in the UK," he added.

* InterTAN currently operates 226 stores, along with 183
  authorized dealers in the UK.  Company plans call for the
  opening of 30 new stores this year and a target of 400 stores
  by the mid-1990's.

CONTACT: INTERTAN UK, Leamore Lane, Bloxwich, Walsall, WS2 7PS.
         Tel: [phone].
[***][1/19/88][***]
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
+ BRITBYTES - Bytes of news from around the UK... +
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

ADVANCED MEMORY SYSTEMS of Warrington will unveil the Microscan
personal optical scanner at the WHICH COMPUTER? SHOW this week.
The #249 unit has a 105mm scanning head and half-tone capability
(compared to a 64mm head and B&W only capabilities on its nearest
rival).  The scanner comes bundled with a PC half-card interface.

COMPWARE of Crewe has released MEGA-TOOLBOX and EXPERT SYSTEM
SHELL for the Sinclair QL.  Mega-Toolbox costs #29-95, whilst
Expert System Shell retails for #49-95.

INMAC of Bracknell has released PC EASY NET, a low-cost
networking solution based on RS232 port interconnections.  The
system costs #130 per node and can cope with cabling runs of up
to 1,200 feet with a top data speed of 115 kilobaud.

KUMA COMPUTERS of Pangbourne has release K-MAX, a Risc-chip add-
on for the Atari ST.  The #695 unit interfaces with the ST under
TOS (Tramiel Operating System) and includes an Inmos T414
microprocessor and 256K of Ram as standard.  Perfect if you can't
afford an Abaq computer!

The MICROLINK Email company has teamed up with PACE MICRO
TECHNOLOGY of Bradford to market a range of modem packages for
BBC and PC users.  The high-end package consists of a badged
version of the successful Pace Linnet V22 modem, along with
serial cable and communications and word processing software.  At
#169 for a high-speed BT-approved Hayes-compatible modem, the
bundles represent a good buy.

MICROPROSE has lost its battle against MICROPRO in the use of its
name reports POPULAR COMPUTING WEEKLY.  From June of this year,
the company must cease using the name Microprose on its software.
Interestingly, the US law suit applies only to the US.  It
remains to be seen whether Micropro UK will take similar action
against Microprose in the UK, or whether Microprose will change
its name in the UK as well.

MIRACLE TECHNOLOGY of Ipswich is now shipping its MODEM MAXIMISER
add-on for Hayes-compatible modems.  The #225 speed-buffered unit
features proprietary M-Pad and X-Modem error correction and a 16K
printer buffer as standard.  A real-time data-encryption option
is available for #99 extra.

BMX SIMULATOR and PAPERBOY have been voted top games of the year
at the Software Industry Awards.  Best arcade game went to
Archanoid, whilst Gunship from Microprose was voted the best
simulation and strategy game of 1987.

RAVEN COMPUTERS of Bradford has signed a deal to distribute FOX &
GELLER's dBase and Clipper utility programs.  First packages over
from US-based Fox & Geller are Quickentry - a high-speed data
entry add-in, Quickreport - a report generator, Quickcode Plus -
an applications generator and dGraph - a graphics presentation
system.

[***][1/19/88][***]
*** QUOTE OF THE WEEK ***

"Are they on the same planet as us?"

  -- Writer/Entertainer Guy Kewney, writing in Personal Computer
     World about Apple's pricing on the Macintosh range.


*** APOLOGY: Due to circumstances beyond our control, NEWSBYTES
UK is unable to bring you details of Dataperfect and Wordperfect
Office, as promised last week.  We'll have a rundown on these new
products in next week's bumper issue, which also covers the Which
Computer? Show in Birmingham.
====