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/1989/nb890606.310

Text File | 1991-10-02 | 142KB | 3,416 lines

(ADVANCE)(APPLE)(SFO)(00001)

MACINTOSH TO IBM CONVERTER SHIPPED
BURBANK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUNE 5 (NB) -- The first versions of
a software package which quickly converts Macintosh applications to run on
MS-DOS and OS/2 systems will go out the door today. Bawamba
Software says its Multiplatform Compatibility Package [MCP] will
allow a developer change C or Pascal source code from a
Macintosh program to MS-DOS or OS/2 source code in weeks instead of
the months required for a complete rewrite.

Originally conceived as a method by which Macintosh applications
could retain their "look and feel" on IBMs and compatibles, the
MCP now converts the Macintosh interface to the Open Look interface
promoted by Sun Microsystems and AT&T. Pull-down windows are
replaced by pop-up windows, a menu bar is replaced by a vertical
main menu which pops up when the mouse button is pressed, windows
are dragged from their frames, as well as resized from all four
corners.

Bawamba's Steve Greenfield says prospective developers were
worried that his firm would "get blasted by Apple's legal department"
if the look and feel of a Macintosh application were ported
over to the IBM. So MCP now redesigns a Macintosh product to
conform to Open Look, instead.

Screenplay Systems, which shares facilities with Bawamba, will be
the first company using MCP to port a Mac product to the IBM environment.
Its Movie Magic Scheduling/Breakdown software, previously available
only as a Macintosh product, will have the Open Look interface and
will run on MS-DOS and OS/2 machines. It is due to be shipped this
week. The next incarnation of Screenplay Systems' Macintosh version
of the product will also have the Open Look interface, basically
because it requires the company only to publish one manual.

Bawamba is currently developing a Macintosh-to-Unix port, which will
also sport the Open Look-style interface.

(Wendy Woods/19890602/Press Contact: Kate Wohlman, MCP, 818-843-1MCP)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00002)

ADOBE BUYS PHOTOSHOP TECHNOLOGY
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUN 2 (NB) -- Adobe Systems
has purchased the Macintosh image editing software program PhotoShop
but is not disclosing specific details, including product
availability and pricing, at this time.

(Wendy Woods/19890603/Press Contact: LaVon Collins, 415-961-4400)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00003)

WIZARD NOW TALKS TO MACINTOSH
BOTHELL, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1989 JUN 3 (NB) -- Travelling Software
has created a way for Sharp's popular Wizard hand-held organizer
and Macintosh computers to exchange data. Wizard Link Mac, $150,
comes with cables and a Macintosh diskette which includes programs
for data transfer. With the software, users can create Microsoft
Excel spreadsheet files from Wizard data, and convert Wizard
data to HyperCard files. Conversely, data can be transferred from
the Mac to the Wizard's address, schedule, phone list, memo, or
other functions. The software reads and writes SDF [standard
delimited format] files for database compatibility.

(Wendy Woods/19890602/Press Contact: Hy Siegel, Winston & Winston,
817-332-5222)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00004)

MACS 50% FASTER WITH UTILITY
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUN 3 (NB) -- A new utility claims
to make the Macintosh 50 percent faster without the use of a math
coprocessor chip or accelerator board. Bravo Technologies has
developed a math speed-up utility called SPAMM, short for "system
program for accelerated Macintosh Mathematics," which sells for
$79.

Installed as an INIT/cdev, SPAMM is said to be great for such
applications as computer-aided design, statistics, graphics, or databases
that require heavy use of math.

In tests performed by MacWorld magazine, the SE performed 46.85 to 80.75
percent faster on various mathematical calculations when SPAMM
was installed.

(Wendy Woods/19890603/Press Contact: 415-941-8552)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00005)

APPLE HOSTS A/E/C/ SHOW IN ANAHEIM
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUNE 1 (NB) -- During the 10th
annual A/E/C Show for the design and construction industry, Apple
Computer will have 40 third party developers on display in a
9,200 square foot exhibit area known as the Apple Exposition
Center.

The developers will join Apple in demonstrating computer-aided
solutions for architects, engineers, contractors, facility
managers, surveyors, mapping professionals and developers among
others. Apple's presence will be felt throughout the show. At
the company's booth there will be an extensive display of
Macintosh technology. Hypercard will be in information kiosks
located in the media room and on the show floor. Apple is also
providing an array of conference speakers.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890601/Press Contact: Brooke Cohan, Apple
Computer, 408-974-3019)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SYD)(00006)

LAPTOP AND MAC SOFTWARE AWARDED
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 JUN 1 (NB) -- Your Computer magazine
announced top honors in its PC and Software of the Year awards
and laptop PCs and highly graphical Macintosh software got top
honors. The winning PC was the 80386 Toshiba 5200 which has two
expansion slots and a high resolution plasma screen. Some reviewers
call it a portable office rather than a portable PC.

The winning software was Wingz from Informix. This is a
leading-edge application generator with a spreadsheet interface.
It initially suffered from delays in release but now is winning
acclaim throughout the world. It not only gives the functionality
of products like Microsoft's Excel, but also has Hypercard
features which allow it to be used for complete, stand-alone
applications with menus, buttons and help or tutorial screens and
boxes.

Runners up included the Compaq SLT portable, the Toshiba 1600
laptop, Corel draw graphics software and the Apple IIcx. Judges
said that they were tempted to announce no hardware awards this
year because the rules say that the winner must be a significant
advance over what has existed before. That doesn't just mean a
new case or options list but a new functionality or concept. The
Toshiba squeaked through because it combines so many desired
features in one product -- one judge admitted that the Compaq SLT
almost pipped it at the post.

Jake Kennedy, editor of the leading Australian monthly magazine,
said that the rules had been changed this year. Previously the
judges only looked at products released in the previous calendar
year, but due to the speed of the industry they now looked at the
12 months immediately prior to the judging. He quipped that one
day magazines might be judging products based on press releases
and delivery promises, so that the awards might be made more
than a year before the products even made it to market.

(Paul Zucker/19890603/Contact: Jake Kennedy ph 61-2-6936620)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00001)

SYMANTEC TO GO PUBLIC
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUN 3 (NB) -- Symantec Corporation
hopes to offer shares of its common stock for public sale, following
its filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company
seeks an initial selling price of between $9.50 and $11.50 per share
which should net the firm nearly $10 million.

Symantec, for whom 30-percent of its revenues are derived from
the IBM program Q&A, seeks the money for general corporate purposes.

The underwriters are Robertson, Stephens & Company, and Donaldson, Lufkin
& Jenrette Securities. Some 1.57 million shares will be offered.
A preliminary prospectus relating to the shares can be had by calling
Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette at 212-425-6722.

(Wendy Woods/19890603/Press Contact: Robert Dykes, 408-253-9600)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00002)

DRAMS TO BECOME COMMODITIES
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989, JUNE 1 (NB) -- DRAMS
may be the next major commodities market, trading futures just
like pork bellies and soybeans.

The Pacific Stock Exchange is seeking approval to trade futures
on DRAMs [dynamic random access memory chips]. According to the
Pacific Stock Exchange, the idea has been under consideration for
a year and they expect approval so that trading can begin in
early 1990.

DRAM prices have been up and down in recent months. For a while
a worldwide shortage of the chips created a steep price rise and
a rise in DRAM thefts.

Trading in DRAM futures may not be universal. Texas Instruments,
the largest U.S. DRAM maker and a worldwide force in the DRAM
market says it won't sell its chips on the futures market. The
company plans to work with its customers to solve the DRAM supply
and price problem.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890602)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00003)

COMPAQ TO EXPAND IN SCOTLAND
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- Houston-based Compaq
Computer Corp. has announced plans for a $37.5 million expansion
of its manufacturing and office operations in Erskine, Scotland.
This will be the second expansion of that facility since it was
opened in 1987.

The expansion will allow increased production of desktop and
portable computers. The work force is expected to double to a
total of 1000 workers within the next three years. Newly
appointed president of Compaq's Europe and International
Division, Eckhard Pfeiffer noted that this expansion has been
prompted by increased demand for Compaq personal computers in the
international marketplace.

Plans for expansion of Compaq's European Headquarters in Munich,
West Germany are pending.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890601/Press Contact: Bob Beach, Compaq
Computer Corporation, 713-374-1560)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00004)

AST STOCK CLIMBS 17%
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUNE 1 (NB) -- The stock of AST
Research climbed in unusually heavy trading late this week.
Analysts have attributed this sudden jump to what is called a
"squeeze" on short sellers [traders who bet the price of stock
will fall].

AST has been popular with short sellers recently and the
investment community is generally optimistic about the outlook
for the company. Many analysts expect AST to turn a profit in
the quarter ending June 30 after reporting losses in the last two
quarters.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890602/Press Contact: Joel Don, AST Research,
714-756-4942)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00005)

MICROSEMI TO SLIM BUSINESS PROFILE
SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A.,1989 JUNE 1 (NB) -- Microsemi
Corp., makers of discrete semiconductors, has announced that it
will sell off a number of recently acquired divisions and
concentrate on building the company's core business.

Two years ago, Microsemi embarked on the acquisition trail buying
dozens of troubled electronics companies in the hopes of turning
them around. Bringing the acquired companies into the black will
take longer than Microsemi expected and losses in these divisions
have hurt Microsemi's overall earnings.

Four to eight divisions are up for sale though the company has
declined to identify those that are available.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890602)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00006)

MAI PUTS MORE BEEF IN PRIME OFFER
TUSTIN, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUNE 1 (NB) -- MAI Basic Four
has amended the terms of its tender offer for shares of common
stock in Prime Computer. The amended offer has a deadline of
June 14, the date scheduled for Prime's annual stockholders
meeting at which MAI had previously promised a proxy fight.

In an interview with Newsbytes, MAI president Bill Patton
explained that under the new terms, a wholly-owned subsidiary of
MAI is offering to purchase all the outstanding shares of Prime
for $19.50 per share in cash. Patton indicated that MAI has firm
commitments to provide all necessary funds to consummate the
offer, refinance certain existing indebtedness, and provide
working capital for a combines Prime and MAI.

Patton also told Newsbytes that any Prime shares not acquired in
the offer or subsequent purchases would be acquired pursuant to a
merger of a wholly-owned MAI subsidiary into Prime.

The amended offer is subject to various conditions including a
merger agreement being executed between MAI and Prime. A slate
of nominees designated by MAI will seek election as directors at
the June 14th Prime stockholders meeting. If elected, these
nominees intend to see to it that an appropriate merger agreement
is executed as soon as possible. At the time of such a merger,
substantially all of MAI's assets will be transferred to Prime.

Patton's comment to Newsbytes on the current offer: "We have been
asked 'where's the beef' and with this amended offer, I think we
have supplied it."

(Janet Endrijonas/19890601/Press Contact: Peter Rosenthal/Howard
J. Rubenstein Assoc., 212-489-6900)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00007)

DELPHI LOSS LESS IN FOURTH QUARTER
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUNE 1 (NB) -- Delphi
Information Systems, Inc. has announced that despite increased
fourth quarter revenues, the company incurred a loss for both the
quarter and the year.

The fourth quarter net loss of $994,000 [$.24 per share] compares
with a net loss of $796,000 [$.20 per share] for the same period
in fiscal 1988. For the fiscal year ended March 31, revenues
gained 9.4 percent over the previous year.

According to company president, Richard Janssen, the CIGNA
marketing agreement the company entered has had a positive effect
on revenues. He further explained that initial sales under the
five year plan with CIGNA were for smaller systems so sales
prices were considerably lower than forecast. Revenues also fell
below expectations because Delphi encountered some competitive
and operational difficulties in implementing the early phases of
the CIGNA agreement.

Delphi's management believes the actions it is taking will return
Delphi to profitability in the second half of 1990.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890602/Press Contact: Richard R. Janssen,
Delphi Information Systems, Inc., 818-706-8989)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BOS)(00008)

IBM ELECTS JACK KUEHLER PRESIDENT
ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- IBM has named
Jack D. Kuehler, formerly vice chairman of the board, president of
IBM. Kuehler was been a member of the board of directors since
January 1986, and has corporate executive responsibility for IBM
United States and for corporate manufacturing staff and systems and
programming staff. He joined the company as an associated engineer
in 1958.

Kuehler holds a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering and an M.S.
degree in electrical engineering from Santa Clara University.

(Jon Pepper/19890602/Press Contact: Peter Judice, IBM, 914-765-6666)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BOS)(00009)

RISE TECHNOLOGY, COLONIAL DATA MERGE
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A. 1989 JUN 1 (NB) -- RISE Technology
and Colonial Data Technologies Corp. have signed an agreement for RISE
to acquire Colonial. RISE develops and markets computer-aided
publishing products for picture-intensive applications.

RISE is filing preliminary proxy materials with the SEC this week,
and hopes to convene a special meeting of shareholders in order to
seek approval for the transaction in late July.

(Jon Pepper/19890602/Press Contact: Robert Schiller, RISE, 617-547-
7272)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BOS)(00010)

GTE ORDERS $10 MILLION HP PCS
STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 31 (NB) -- GTE has
signed a one-year, $10 million contract with Hewlett-Packard to buy
the full line of HP Vectra computers. GTE will re-package the
computers for resale as part of the company's program to offer a full
complement of microcomputer and local area network products to its
communications industry customers. The PC will also be used
internally by GTE for general office and commercial applications.
Shipments are slated to begin in the second quarter of this year.

GTE expects to buy products from the entire line of Vectra
computers, which includes 286 and 386 and 8086 based desktop
computers, and a 286 based portable computer.

(Jon Pepper/19890602/Press Contact: Carla Stites, GTE, 214-718-4952)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BOS)(00011)

IBM INVESTS IN COMPUTER TASK GROUP
BETHESDA, MARYLAND, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 31 (NB) -- IBM plans to
acquire more than 15 percent of Computer Task Group for $21
million through newly issued preferred stock, along with options
to increase equity to 19.9 percent of the Buffalo-based professional
services firm.

The two companies plan to work closely in the future to deliver
software-based applications and services to customers.
Computer Task Group is a leading provider of professional services
to commercial customers, with offices in 71 cities through the U.S.,
Canada, and the United Kingdom. Employees have software
development skills in areas including industrial automation,
communications systems, complex commercial systems, and systems
integrations. IBM provided approximately five percent of the companies
revenues, which totaled $218 in 1988.

(Jon Pepper/19890602/Press Contact: Thad Madden, Jr., IBM, 301-493-
1191)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BOS)(00012)

KOREAN FIRM BUYS LEADING EDGE
CANTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- Leading
Edge Products, which has been under a storm of controversy that led
to a Chapter 11 filing, has signed a contract that will lead to the
purchase of the company by Daewoo Telecom. The purchase is
contingent upon bankruptcy court confirmation.

The contract will assure the survival of the Leading Edge nameplate
and provides for delivery of products and repayment of any monies
owed by Leading Edge to its dealers. The reorganization plans allows
that Leading Edge Products Inc. will be discharged from bankruptcy
upon the approval of the contract by creditors and confirmation by
Chief Judge James N. Gabriel of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Boston.

Daewoo Telecom, based in Korea, manufactures the Leading Edge
Products for the U.S.-based sales and distribution company that bears
the Leading Edge name.

Founded by Michael Shane in 1980, Leading Edge sold almost $500
million of Daewoo computers in the last 3 1/2 years, before filing for
reorganization on February 10, 1989.

(Jon Pepper/19890602/Press Contact: John Sullivan, Leading Edge,
617-828-8150)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(ATL)(00013)

CONTROL DATA BUYS TIME BY SELLING SCHOOLS
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 31 (NB) -- Control Data
Corp., which recently closed its ETA Systems supercomputer
operation, streamlined its CYBER mainframe business and cut its
corporate staff, has gotten a bank waiver extended until JUN 30
so it can keep negotiating a $20 million increase in its credit
limit, to $50 million. The money is needed to help with the
closings and provide working capital, and the company hopes to
have it paid back, as well as have other borrowings reduced, by
the end of the year.

The company also announced it's reached an agreement to sell its
Control Data Institutes and Institute for Advanced Technology to
Human Capital Corp., an Edina, Minn. company set up for the
purpose. Human Capital will pay cash for the schools, which were
the centerpiece of founder William Norris' drive to offer social
responsibility at a profit. That drive foundered in the early
1980s as profits fell.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890602/Press Contact: Nancy Foltz, Control
Data Corp., 612-853-5229)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(ATL)(00014)

HARRIS BUYS 3M OUT OF FAX BUSINESS
MELBOURNE, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 26 (NB) -- Harris Corp. has
exercised its option to buy 3M's half-interest in the Harris/3M
Document Products company, for about $190 million. The two
companies formed their joint venture in January, 1986, marrying
3M's distribution network for paper and other supplies to the
remnants of Harris' Lanier sales and service subsidiary.

Harris in the past has had great difficulty making profits from
commercial accounts, earning most of its income from government
contracting, first for NASA and then the military. The Harris/3M
company, by contrast, prospered under former Lanier president Wes
Cantrell, earning $30.8 million in the year ending last June on
revenues of $674.5 million. The company will be renamed after a
short transition period.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890602/Press Contact: Peter Carney, Harris
Corp., 407-727-9272)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(ATL)(00015)

STORAGE TECH BUYS ASPEN
LOUISVILLE, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- Storage
Technology, a mainframe tape system company which was in Chapter
11 bankruptcy earlier this decade after it tried to become a
computer maker, completed the acquisition of Aspen Peripherals
Corp., which makes IBM-compatible tape cartridge subsystems. The
deal was made for stock, and will be accounted for as a pooling
of interests.

Aspen's makes 18-track tape drives for minicomputer systems
which are sold by other companies in what's called the OEM or
original equipment manufacturing market.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890602/Press Contact: Carl R. Vertuca Jr.,
Storage Technology, 303-673-5200)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(ATL)(00016)

HAYES BUYS JT FAX LINE FROM QUADRAM
NORCROSS, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUN 1 (NB) -- The sale of the JT
Fax line by Quadram was expected, but the buyer was a surprise.
Hayes Microcomputer Products Inc., best known for its modems,
bought the fax card line from Quadram for an undisclosed sum June
1.

The sale involves the rights to all fax products and tradenames,
including the JT Fax trademark and intellectual property in
connection with the JT Fax brand and private labeled PC facsimile
products. Quadram and its international affiliate, InterQuadram,
will continue to manufacture, distribute and support Quadram JT
Fax products under licenses from Hayes, for varying time periods
according to specific product and country. Quadram's Norcross-
based manufacturing facility is maintaining JT Fax production at
full capacity. Hayes also hired the JT Fax development and
engineering team, effective June 1. Asher head Jan Ozer will also
move to Hayes.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890602/Press Contact: Bonnie Herron of
Intelligent Systems, 404-381-2900)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00017)

CRAY GETS JAPANESE BOOST
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 MAY 25 (NB) -- Two Japanese leading electronics
firms will assist world supercomputer giant Cray Research
to expand in the Japanese market. Toshiba, one of the nominees, will
support sales and Fujitsu, the other nominee, will provide technical
assistance for Cray Research. Cray Chairman John A. Rollwagen
has visited Japan and requested the assistance of both companies,
the Nihon Kogyo newspaper reported.

Cray was assisted by Toshiba when it supplied a supercomputer to
Agency of Industrial Science and Technology, an organization of the
Ministry of International Trade and Industry. Toshiba, however,
will offer its strong sales channels for this new enterprise.
Toshiba, which does not make supercomputers of its own, will benefit
from this arrangement by having its terminals and other networking
systems bundled with Cray's supercomputers.

Fujitsu, meanwhile, will assist Cray in the development of faster
machines by incorporating its knowledge of advanced gallium arsenide
integrated circuit technology.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19890601)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00018)

COMPUTER SALES UP 17% IN JAPAN
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 JUNE 1 (NB) -- Japan's major computer companies
have released statements of accounts for fiscal 1988. Their total
domestic sales for 1988 increased by 17.2 percent and exports by
8.5 percent compared to last year. However, they expect that the
growth of their sales for fiscal 1989 will slow, due to the
decrease in sales of large general-purpose computers in Japan and
their increasing production overseas.

RANK  COMPANY     GROSS SALES        RATE OF INCREASE
----  ---------   -----------------  ------------------
1    Fujitsu    US$9.74 billion         14.6 percent
2    IBM Japan     8.19                 12.0
3    NEC           8.08                 13.0
4    Hitachi       6.60                 14.9
5    Toshiba       2.97                 13.0
6    Nippon Unisys 1.82                 57.7
7    Oki           1.62                 23.0
8    Mitsubishi    1.33                 16.0
--------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL              40.12                15.4%

(Ken Takahashi/19890601)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00019)

JAPANESE CHIP INVESTMENT HIGHER
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 MAY 27 (NB)-- Major Japanese chip makers
have revealed their plan for investing in semiconductor facilities
for fiscal 1989. The total investment of the six makers is
418 billion yen or $3 billion, which is a 9.3 percent increase
over last year.

Toshiba, which dominated the one-megabit dynamic random access
memory [DRAM] market, will invest 90 billion yen or $640 million,
the same amount as last year. The investment will go mainly for its
four-megabit DRAM factory in Oita.

NEC, Hitachi, Fujitsu, and Mitsubishi Electric are planning to invest
over 80 billion yen or $570 million respectively. NEC has decided to
establish the newest line for four-megabit DRAM production in
Hiroshima, and the latter three makers are also planning to
strengthen their foothold to mass-produce four-megabit DRAM chips.
Oki Electric Industries will invest a little less than last year.

(Ken Takahashi/19890601)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00020)

FUJITSU PROFIT UP 76%
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 MAY 29 (NB) -- Japan's computer giant Fujitsu
has announced total sales for 1988 reached an amazing two
trillion and 4,604 million yen or $14.3 billion, thanks to
increasing sales of computer systems, communication, and
electronics devices. And the firm's profit in fiscal 1988 has
reached 106 billion and 375 million yen or $760 million, which is
a staggaring 76 percent increase over last year.

Furthermore, Fujitsu expects profit of 129 billion yen or $857
million and total sales of 2,150 billion yen or $15.4 billion
for fiscal 1989.

(Ken Takahashi/19890601)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00021)

NIXDORF LOSES DM148 MILLION
FRANKFURT, WEST GERMANY, 1989 JUN 02 (NB) -- Nixdorf, the once
high-flying West German computer company, has announced increased
losses of DM148 million in the first quarter of this year. The
figures contrast with a DM60 million loss for the last financial
year as a whole.

The company blames higher chip prices and stiff competition, plus
an increase in staff costs, as the reason for the first quarter
losses. Although Nixdorf expects to report even more red ink
during its second financial quarter of 1989, it has pledged to
report an operating profit for the second half of the year.

(Steve Gold/19890602)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00022)

SEIKO TO BUILD IN EUROPE
FRANKFURT, WEST GERMANY, 1989 JUN 02 (NB) -- Seiko, the Japanese
technology company, has announced plans to set up a manufacturing
facility within the European Community [EC]. The plant - which
will to be sited near Munich, West Germany - is being set up to
avoid tariff barriers to non-EC-produced goods after the 1992
'closed market' is introduced in Europe.

Although European Commission officials stress that 1992 will not
be a closed market, many non-EC firms are taking a pessimistic
view and setting production facilities within EC boundaries. In
addition to its new Munich facility, Seiko has also hinted at
plans to set up a similar production facility in London, England.

(Peter Vekinis/19890602)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00023)

GEAC SELLS SERVICE OPERATIONS
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 MAY 29 (NB) -- Geac Computer Corp.
has agreed in principle to sell its computer service bureau
operations to Co-operators Data Services, a Mississauga, Ontario,
service bureau. The deal, expected to close June 30, provides for
Co-operators to market Geac's financial services software in
Canada. Geac, which has come through financial difficulties in
the past two years, sells computer systems and software for the
financial services and library markets. Co-operators is a
nationwide service bureau whose major market is the financial
services and insurance business.

(Grant Buckler/19890601/Press Contact: Hermien Pluimers, Co-
operators Data Services, 416-858-7298; Steve Sadler, Geac, 416-
475-0525)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00024)

AISI PLANS PARTNERSHIP
VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1989 JUN 2 (NB) -- Home-
automation firm AISI Research and MPR Ltd., the research and
development arm of British Columbia Telephone, have agreed in
principle to a partnership. The two companies would work together
to develop and market telecommunications products based on CEBus,
the Electronics Industries Association home-automation standard.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago June 3-6 and at
Pacific Bell's Texpo show in San Francisco June 7-9, AISI is scheduled
to demonstrate a remote telephone interface developed by AISI and
MPR. The interface is designed as a gateway to the home
automation network, allowing appliances to be controlled from a
remote telephone using touch-tone or voice commands.

AISI is active in the home automation market and is listed on the
Vancouver Stock Exchange. It has offices in Victoria and
Vancouver, British Columbia and in San Ramon, California. MPR,
formerly Microtel Pacific Research, is a part of the B.C.
Telephone group, which is controlled by GTE.

(Grant Buckler/19890602/Press Contact: Carla Ballerini or Charla
Morgan, AISI, 604-382-4663)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00025)

MERIDIAN TECHNOLOGIES REVENUE UP
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 MAY 29 (NB) -- The revenues of
Meridian Technologies Inc. of Toronto rose 49 percent in the
fiscal year ended March 31, from C$51.9 million to C$77.2
million. Net income grew to C$4.3 million from C$3.7 million.
Meridian Technologies makes computer hardware and software for
education. Through its subsidiary Canadian Educational
Microprocessor [CEM Corp.], Meridian makes the Icon educational
microcomputer which Unisys sells.

(Grant Buckler/19890530/Press Contact: Meridian Technologies,
416-922-2050)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00026)

BEDFORD PLANS SPECIAL DIVIDEND
BURNABY, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- Directors
of Bedford Software, which recently sold the bulk of its
operations to Computer Associates, expect the sale to result in a
special dividend of at least C$1.70 per share. The exact amount
of the special dividend will be set after the sale closes. That
is scheduled to happen early in July. Computer Associates bought
Bedford's accounting software operations for C$15.65 million in
cash plus assumption of certain liabilities. Bedford will take a
new name and work on developing an online information system
called Suzy.

(Grant Buckler/19890530/Press Contact: Terry McDonald, Bedford
Software, 604-294-2394)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00027)

STM WINS EUROPEAN CONTRACTS
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 MAY 29 (NB) -- STM Systems, a
subsidiary of International Semi-Tech Microelectronics, has won
contracts in Milan and Madrid. STM will provide software to
automate the flow of orders between members of the Madrid Stock
Exchange. The company will also provide a system to automate
trading of inter-bank deposits between Italy's 1,200 banks.

(Grant Buckler/19890530/Press Contact: Ray Lancashire, STM
Systems, 416-979-3900)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00028)

DMR BUYS DUTCH CONSULTANCY
MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, 1989 JUN 1 (NB) -- Canadian information
technology consulting firm DMR Group has bought Consulting
Associates Holding BV of The Netherlands. The Dutch firm, which
also has offices in Switzerland and West Germany, will work with
DMR's offices in Belgium and the United Kingdom. The rapidly
growing consulting firm also handed its United States operations
more autonomy, appointing A. Ronald McCulloch as president of DMR
U.S.

(Grant Buckler/19890602/Press Contact: DMR, 514-866-3301)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SIN)(00029)

SINGAPORE SOFTWARE SUCCESS STORY
SINGAPORE, S.E. ASIA, 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- Singapore software house
IPACS Computer Services (S) Pte. Ltd. has become a leader in the
freight-forwarding industry here and is expecting record sales of
S$5.5 million [US$2.9 million], an increase of S$1.4 million [US$0.8
million] over last year.

Its wide range of software for freight forwarders has assured it of
the bulk of the business here, defeating multinational companies such
as Nixdorf, NEC and Hewlett Packard. Its clients include German
company Birkart and Japanese corporation Mitsui Soko.

The Industry Division Director of Singapore's National Computer Board
[NCB], Mr Yeo Khee Leng, who singled out IPACS as an exemplary
software house, said, "IPACS is very focused. It has found its niche
and is doing well. Other local software houses should take its lead
and find a specialized area where they have a competitive edge."

So, while some other exhibitors who participated at the recent Asia
Pacific Freight 2 exhibition are crying out their woes at the lack of
response received, S.L. Wong, managing director of IPACS, is one
exhibitor with little to complain about.

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890531/Press Contact: IPACS
Computer Services, Ph:[65] 775.2388)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SIN)(00030)

SSA CHOOSES SINGAPORE DISTRIBUTOR
SINGAPORE, SE ASIA, 1989 MAY 31 (NB) -- American company System
Software Association [SSA] has appointed Comat Services Pte. Ltd., a
local IBM Systems Remarketer company, as its distributor in Singapore.

It will sell and support SSA's fully-integrated manufacturing and
financial business enterprise management system.

(Michael Worsley & S. Roowi/19890531/Press Contact: Comat Service,
Ph:732.7811)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(KUL)(00031)

U.S. CULLINET IN MALAYSIA
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, 1989 MAY 25 (NB) -- Massachussets-based
Cullinet Software Systems [CSS] officially opened its Malaysian office
in Kuala Lumpur last week.

Set up in the 1968, Cullinet began to support and market material
systems in the early '80s. It now offers and provides applications on
mainframe and minis as well personal computers.

Keith Rickman, the regional director of banking, will head Cullinet
Software Systems Sdn Bhd, the Malaysian subsidiary. He said that at
present, the Kuala Lumpur office is committed to market the whole
banking system available from Cullinet.

Lui Sim Hua, Cullinet's director of Asian operations, said that the
aims of setting up the office were to provide better services to
customers and to develop and tap local talents in the IT industry. He
said that this move also showed that Cullinet is committed to grow
with the IT industry not only in Malaysia but also the Asia-Pacific
region.

"I believe that there is a tremendous growth potential in the local IT
industry," said Mr Lui. "And we hope that our entry will further
enhance the local software industry."

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890530)


(EXCLUSIVE)(BUSINESS)(KUL)(00032)

PHILIPS PCS IN MALAYSIA
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, 1989 MAY 25 (NB) -- United System has been
appointed by Philips [M] Sdn Bhd as dealer for Philips' full range of
personal computers, making Alpha Computers Sdn Bhd no longer sole
master dealer in the product.

Newsbytes has that the company will have exclusive master
dealership rights for the Malaysian states of Perlis, Kedah, Penang,
Perak, Kelantan, Trengganu and Pahang. It will also work closely with
Philip's computer-trained personnel stationed at all its 13 nationwide
branches.

United System, set up five years ago, provides services, supports and
maintenance of microcomputer systems.

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890530)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(KUL)(00033)

IDC APPOINTS MALAYSIAN REP
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, 1989 MAY 25 (NB) -- A leading information
technology [IT] firm, U.S.-based International Data Corporation [IDC],
which offers market research, analysis and consulting services, will
be representated in Malaysia by a company being set up by
Ridzuan Abdullah, the former marketing manager of Hewlett-Packard
Sales [M] Sdn. Bhd.

The company, to be called IDC Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. and based in Kuala
Lumpur, will begin operations next week with Mr. Abdullah as its
managing director.

The services to be offered include market survey reports for computer
vendors, comprehensive information on IT for computer users, and
consulting and custom research.

Abdullah said he will get comprehensive support from the entire IDC
organisation and that IDC Malaysia will be the first and only company
in Malaysia to specialise in carrying out market research and analysis
in IT.

Len Rust, IDC's vice-president of the Asia-Pacific region, admitted
that IDC Malaysia will have some problems gathering data in the early
stages, but Abdullah said that IDC Malaysia plans to work closely
with the Association of the Computer Industry, Malaysia [Pikom], the
local government, users and vendors.

(Michael Worsley & S. Roowi/19890601)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SIN)(00034)

HAYES NAMES SINGAPORE DISTRIBUTOR
SINGAPORE, S.E. ASIA, 1989 MAY 31 (NB) -- One of the world's leading
manufacturer of modems, Hayes Microcomputer Products, has appointed
Imageering Micro Distributors Pte. Ltd. of Singapore as its
distributor for Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore.

According to an Imageering spokesman, stocks of the range of modems to
be sold here will be arriving soon. These modems, ranging from 1200 to
9600 baud, will be in the price range of S$699 [US$385] to S$2,599
[US$1,450].

The spokesman also said that the number of dealers for Hayes here will
be increased from 8 to 12.

In addition to the appointment by Hayes, Imageering has also become a
distributor for Fox Software database products.

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890531/Press Contact: Imaginineering,
Ph:[65] 278.8686)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SIN)(00035)

SINGAPORE DEC GETS NEW MD
SINGAPORE, S.E. ASIA, 1989 MAY 27 (NB) -- Digital Equipment
Corporation has appointed Eric Lawrence, who has been in the
information technology industry for more than two decades, managing
director of its Singapore subsidiary.

Lawrence will manage the sales, marketing and services operations
as well as oversee the DEC Far East Regional Competence Centre for
Networks and Office Information Systems here.

(Michael Worsley & S. Roowi/19890530)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00001)

COMMODORE SHOW IN LONDON
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1989 JUN 02 (NB) -- Last weekend saw the
Commodore Computer Show taking place in London. The three-day
event used to be called the PET show, but since Commodore has
launched at least half a dozen computers since the Personal
Electronic Transactor [PET] first appeared, the Commodore
Computer Show seems more appropriate.

The move away from Commodore 64 and towards Amiga applications is
now almost complete. All the exciting products on show last week
ranged from state-of-the-art expensive hardware, through to
super-low priced products amongst the market stalls.
Whilst nothing new was actually launched at the show it was the
first chance for many Commodore machine owners to catch a
glimpse, and possibly get a hands-on experience, of many new
products.

Commodore U.K. seems to be keen to make the public aware of its
logo. The company had a range of designer goodies on offer to the
public at the show, ranging from an Amiga coffee mug to a
Commodore track suit. Budget-conscious Amiga enthusiasts were
buying Commodore key rings, whilst indulgent parents bought their
kids a Commodore teddy bear.

(Simon Rockman & Steve Gold/19890602)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00002)

POWER COMPUTING: NEW AMIGA SOFTWARE
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1989 JUN 02 (NB) -- Power Computing, the
Bedford-based Amiga specialists, announced at the Commodore Show
that it has secured U.K. distribution rights for the GVP-68030 add-in
board for the Amiga 2000.

The GVP-68030 microprocessor card speeds up a standard Amiga 2000
by as much as 1,500 percent using a 25Mhz 68030 microprocessor.
Ken Browning of Power Computing is planning to get even better
performance by using 32Mhz crystals and faster chips. This is
made possible owing to cards' asynchronous bus design which
allows the Amiga custom chips to continue running at the standard
rate of 7.14MHz.

New on the software front from Power Computing was Video Magic, a
video presentation program for the Amiga. This product, as yet
unpriced, is aimed at a growing niche market in which the Amiga
excels.

(Simon Rockman & Steve Gold/19890502/Press Contact: Ken Browning,
Power Computing - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00003)

FREE DISKS FROM U.K. AMIGA MAGAZINE
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1989 JUN 02 (NB) -- Amiga Computing, which
claims to the be the foremost Amiga magazine in the U.K., has
announced plans to give away free disks each month.

The disks, which will be tagged to the cover of the monthly
publication starting in August, will push the price of
the magazine up slightly, although annual subscriptions are
currently being offered at the old rate of UKP25-00, before
rising to UKP29-95, effective July.

(Simon Rockman & Steve Gold/19890602/Press & Public Contact:
Database Publications - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00004)

MICRO ANVIKA'S AMIGA HARD DISKS
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1989 JUN 02 (NB) -- Micro Anvika, one of the
U.K.'s leading Amiga retailers, showed off several hard disk
systems for the Amiga at the Commodore Computer Show last
weekend.

One of the most interesting is the ASAP Amidrive, a 40MB unit
that has a claimed data transfer speed of 8MB/second. The
British-produced drive will go on sale shortly at UKP400, which
Micro Anvika claim is the lowest price per megabyte for an Amiga
hard disk system.

Micro Anvika also showed the ASAP range of low cost Genlock
systems for the Amiga, with prices starting at UKP100 for the
Amiga A500 machine. Also previewed at the Commodore Computer Show
was ASAP's new Aminet serial network uses the Amiga A500's or
A2000's serial port or with ASAP's Amiox multiple serial/parallel
port card for the Amiga machine.

(Simon Rockman & Steve Gold/19890602/Press & Public Contact:
Micro Anvika - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00005)

NO DELIVERY SET FOR AMIGA 590 HDD
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1989 JUN 02 (NB) -- Commodore failed to come up
with anything new at the show, but the company put on a brave
face by showing a number of Amiga applications on continuous
demonstration.

The Amiga A590 hard drive [HD] has been seen at a number of shows
before, although this was its first appearance at a public show
in England. Commodore is still cagey over U.K. delivery dates for
the Amiga A500 HD add-on, despite quoting a second-
quarter shipment date when the 20MB/2MB memory add-on was first
announced at the Which Computer? Show last February.

Sources close to Commodore U.K. suggest that initial quantities
of the unit will ship from next month onwards, although U.K.
pricing has yet to be confirmed. Newsbytes' sources also suggest
that the A590 unit will now price in at UKP795.

(Simon Rockman & Steve Gold/19890602/Press & Public Contact:
Commodore Business Machines - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00006)

AMIGA TYPESETTER SHOWN
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1989 JUN 02 (NB) -- The Text Formatting Company
demonstrated Amiga-TeX, a version of Donald Knuth's typesetting
program for the Amiga, at the Commodore Computer Show last
weekend. The program runs at its best on a multitasking
operating system, and is thus ideally suited to the Amiga.

As demonstrated, the package produced exceptional results on even
quite ordinary printers. With IFF graphics to follow, the package,
company officers expect, will become a major force in Amiga
typesetting.

(Simon Rockman & Steve Gold/19890602/Press & Public Contact: The
Text Formatting Company - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00007)

AMIGA U.K. PROGRAMMERS CONFERENCE
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND, 1989 JUN 02 (NB) -- The Amiga Developers
Advisory Board and Commodore Amiga Technical Support [UK] have
announced an Amiga Programmer's Conference for next month. The
two-day event will be held on the weekend of the 16/17 July at
Nottingham University.

According to a release from the organisers, the conference is
aimed at people interested in programming the Amiga in languages
such as C or assembler, or who just want to find out about the
machine. Day one will be introductory in nature, while day two
is for more advanced users.

Speakers are the event are drawn from experienced Amiga software
houses, including Rahman Haleem of CATS [UK], Jez San of Argonaut
Software, Gordon Shields of ASAP, Dave Parkinson of Ariadne,
Simon Tranmer of Precision and many others. U.S. guests include
Gail Wellington of Commodore International and Carolyn Sheppner
of CATS [USA] fame.

Places are reported to be limited, with a conference fee of UKP75
[plus 15 per cent value added tax] which includes meals and
University Halls of Residence.

(Steve Gold/19890602/Press & Public Contact: ADAB Conference
Booking, Queensway Business Centre, Brigg Road, Scunthorpe DN16
3RT - Tel: [phone])


(EXCLUSIVE)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00008)

ATARI ST LAPTOP NEWS
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 MAY 26 (NB) -- Several Japanese computer
magazines are claiming that a laptop version of the Atari ST
computer with a Japanese language feature will debut in Japan
this June, with a mock-up photograph. However, Newsbytes was
told by Atari's Japanese sales agent, Naniwa Gakki, that there was
no truth to the reports.

What is true, he said, is that the outside of a basic Atari ST laptop
has been designed, but the inside specifications are still
under consideration.  He says the specifications, such as the disk
drive capacity, memory, etc., will be decided within the next month.
It is certain that 4-megabyte memory chips will be inside
the new ST machines.

The price, he said, will exceed 200,000 yen or $1,400 -- far higher than
the price of the desktop version, available here for 160,000 yen.
Though Atari aims to ship the units this fall, do not expect a Japanese
language version, Newsbytes was told.

(Ken Takahashi/19890601)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00009)

DISTRIBUTED IMAGE SYSTEMS INTROS HI-RES ADD-ON
SIMI VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- Distributed
Image Systems, Inc. has introduced the HRD-2000 hi-resolution
add-on display system for Pagemaker and Ventura that supports
150-dpi resolution. With the HRD-2000, users can preview
documents in a "what you see is what you get mode."

Using the system's full length add-in boards, software and a 19-
inch monitor, it is possible to view type as small as four point.
The system displays a 2048 by 1650 pixel image.

Two versions are available. With the two card version, users can
open a window to another DOS application in addition to all the
other system features.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890601/Press Contact: Distributed Image
Systems, Inc., 805-584-0688)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(000010)

EXPERTELLIGENCE INTROS FREE CHOICE FOR CLOS
SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUNE 1 (NB) --
ExperTelligence, a pioneer in the field of object-oriented
programming on the Macintosh [Exper Common LISP] has announced a
new standard, the Common LISP Object System [CLOS].

According to company executive vice president, Dr. John Forge,
many companies need CLOS but don't want to buy another compiler
in order to use it. ExperTelligence, together with Procyon
Research Ltd.[UK], has solved the problem. Customers who already
own Exper Common LISP and buy CLOS between June 1 and August 31
will receive free the Procyon Common LISP language necessary to
run CLOS.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890602/Press Contact: Bernadette Bagley,
ExperTelligence, 805-967-1797)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00011)

REP. MARKEY AT N.Y. HDTV CONFERENCE
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 31 (NB) -- Representative Edward
Markey [D/Massachusetts-7th District] will be a special guest speaker
at the first annual HDTV Conference. Markey will address a general
session just prior to the afternoon seminars on the last day of the
conference, which runs form May 31 to June 2.

The conference will take place in the New York Marriott Marquis,
and will focus on all aspects of HDTV. There will be seminars,
speakers, and over 350 attenders from 21 states and 6 countries are
expected. The conference will be an annual event each year on the
East Coast, with other HDTV conferences planned for California in
November and an international version in England in September.

(Jon Pepper/19890602/Press Contact: Marilyn Reed, Meckler
Conference Management, 800-635-5537)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00012)

TOP 50 SYSTEMS INTEGRATORS RANKED
MANHASSET, NEW YORK, U.S.A. 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- According
to a Computer Systems News supplement published Tuesday, IBM is
the leading systems integrator with almost a fifth of the market. IBM
has approximately $1.2 billion in systems integration revenues,
according to CSN, or nearly twice as much business as number-two
EDS, which had revenues of about $630 million.

The next eight leading integrators were Computer Sciences, Andersen
Consulting, Boeing Computer, Digital Equipment Corp., McDonnell
Douglas, Unisys, Grumman, and TRW.

Last year the top ten companies accounted for almost two-thirds, or
about $3.8 billion of the estimated $5.9 billion domestic systems
integration market, according to the survey. CSN defines systems
integration as a service that blends various computer and
communications technologies to solve an organization's complex
information processing needs.

(Jon Pepper/19890602/Press Contact: Alan Alper, CSN, 516-562-5928)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00013)

HI-RES CAD FROM IMAGRAPH
CHELMSFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 JUN 1 (NB) - Imagrah Corp.,
a leading supplier of high-resolution computer-aided design, or CAD
products, has introduced faster and less expensive versions of its
popular TI-1210 graphics display boards.

The announcement included a reduced list price of $2,995 for the
1280 by 1024 16-color board, and an accelerated viewport feature called
IMAVIEW. Also introduced were a 30-50 percent faster AutoCAD
redraw speed, and a VGA pass-through option. The products will be
displayed for the fist time at the A/E/C Systems '89 show in
Anaheim, Calif., June 6-8.

Prices for products include $3,295 for the TI-1210 4-bit board with the
VGA pass-through option, $4,195 for the 8-bit board, or $4,495 for the
8-bit board with the VGA pass-through. The IMAZOOM display
driver for AutoCAD lists for $195.

(Jon Pepper/19890602/Press Contact: Kurt Dossin, Imagraph, 617-
938-5480)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00014)

SHARP SHOWS NEW TECHNOLOGY AT CES
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 JUN 1 (NB) -- Sharp Electronics
will be showing new technology at the Summer Consumer Electronics
Show in Chicago, June 3-6. On display will be an LCD Projection
System, that offers improved picture quality in a 30 pound portable
unit.

The system offers large screen viewing ranging from 25 -100 diagonal
inches, but with the space of a traditional projection TV. Also on
display will be a 4-inch LCD/TV VCR combination, the latest in
Sharp' personal video product category. The unit will feature a 4-inch
color LCD monitor and a VHS VCR, plus a new laptop computer and
new add-ons for its Wizard hand-held organizer.

Sharp will also display component appliances, or compo-goods,
including a rice cooker, toaster oven, and a coffee maker. The
appliances resemble an audio component system and are designed to
be placed side-by-side.

(Jon Pepper/19890602/Press Contact: Killeen Russell, Dorf & Stanton,
212-420-8100)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00015)

FREE CD-ROM CONSUMER PUBLICATION
MCLEAN, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUNE 1 -- Linda Helgerson, a widely
recognized authority on CD-ROM and long-time publisher of a
technical newsletter in the field, has recently started publishing a
monthly magazine covering CD-ROM.

With the January demise of CD-ROM Review, the industry was
left without a consumer-oriented publication and CD-ROM EndUser
is intended to fill that need.

The premier issue of CD-ROM EndUser is 58 pages long, two-
color, and contains reviews, columns, features and a puzzle page.

Subscriptions to the advertising-supported magazine are
free, but non-U.S. residents are requested to pay first class
postage. Further information and a subscription form can be
obtained by writing to DDRI, 6609 Rosecroft Place, Falls Church,
Va. 22043-1828, or by phoning 703-241-2131.

As Ms. Helgerson told Newsbytes "CD-ROM EndUser is for
buyers and users of CD-ROM and related formats, both
applications and services. It covers all markets, library,
medical, law and education, and is a very horizontal
publication." CD-ROM EndUser is published on a monthly basis and
contains material suited to both beginners and more experienced
users.

(John McCormick/19890602/ Press Contact: Linda Helgerson 703-237-
0682).


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(ATL)(00016)

SW FLORIDA WATER MAPS NOW ON DISK
BOULDER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- The Southwest
Florida Water Management District has put all its resource maps
onto computer disks through Smartscan, a Boulder, Colorado
company. The contour maps, covering about 600 square miles, are
now in an intelligent digital file with 2-inch contours, spot
elevations, and associated elevation values accurate to within
0.004" of the source maps.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890602/Press Contact: Rebecca J. Culp,
Smartscan, 303-443-7226)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00017)

JAPAN'S HEWLETT PACKARD MAKING NEC 9801 PERIPHERALS
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 MAY 26 (NB) -- Yokogawa Hewlett Packard has
announced its enrollment in the NEC peripheral market with
introduction of its color ink jet printer, HP PaintJet HP3630A.

The company's PaintJet has been a big hit in the U.S., especially
among users of Lotus Freelance, a business graphics program.
Now that the Japanese version of the Lotus product for NEC's
de facto standard PC, the 9800 series, has been introduced, Yokogawa
Hewlett Packard sees this as a good opportunity to sell into this
market with its color printer.

The price of the HP PaintJet is 256,000 yen or $1,765 and the
company expects 5,000 to be sold this year.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19890601)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00018)

HITACHI'S HIGH-TECH SOFTWARE CENTER
KAWASAKI, JAPAN 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- Hitachi is renaming its
Omori Software Factory in Shinagawa, Tokyo to Information System
Factory and is moving it to a newly constructed intelligent building,
Hitachi System Plaza, in Kawasaki, Kanagawa on June 1. Three quarters
of the total 138,000 square meter floor will be occupied with 6,000
system engineers.

Hitachi's new building is bigger than IBM Japan's in Hakozaki, Tokyo.
Hitachi has invested 6 billion yen or $41.38 million, without rental
charge, for the facility, which is equipped with 67 mainframes, super
and minicomputers with multi-media terminals for data communication
and electronic mail exchange. Hitachi is planning a further
investment of 30 billion yen or $207 million for the new building.

The company has automated facilities for software production as
well as offices full of laser printers to keep the place quiet.

Currently, the profit margin of Hitachi's software business amounts
to 15 percent, but the company projects this to increase to 40 percent
within a few years.

Meanwhile, Mitsubishi Electric has also announced construction of
a software design center in its Kamakura plant which is expected
to be completed next March.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19890601)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00019)

$19.95 HAND-HELD VIDEO GAME COMING
KOBE, JAPAN, 1989 MAY 26 (NB) -- Konami Industries has
announced that it will enter the hand-held video game market
in the U.S. and Canada this June with six hand-held liquid
crystal display video games. They include Double Dribble, Top Gun,
C, Gradius, Skate or Die, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, each
very reasonably priced at $19.95. Konami expects to sell two million units
in the U.S. and Canada during the first year.

Konami will assemble and produce the units in China, and
plans to release them in Europe and Japan this fall.

Moreover, Konami will sell software for Nintendo's Game Boy
in Japan this August. Called Motocross Maniacs, the game software
is a bike race game in which one must reach a goal within the allowed
time. Also, the software has a communication function which allows
two players to compete with each other on the bike race game
by connecting two Game Boy gadgets. The company expects its
new bike courses to be attractive to video game players.

The firm has not decided on pricing, nor whether to release
Motocross Maniacs in the U.S. and Europe. That decision will be made
after the company sees how the product does in Japan.

(Ken Takahashi/19890601/Press Contact: Konami Industries Inc.,
078-303-1234)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00020)

HELP FOR Z88 PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND, 1989 JUN 02 (NB) -- Wordmongers, the
Cambridge Computer Z88 laptop software specialist, is offering a
program development system for Z88 users interesting in
developing programs for the laptop computer.

The company is offering its facilities to users who have written
programs, preferably written in Basic with a Procedure-
programming style.

(Steve Gold/19890602/Press & Public Contact: Tony Kay,
Wordmongers Limited - Tel: [phone]; Email on Dialcom [Telecom
Gold] 84:WOT001)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BRU)(00021)

TANDON PCA BEST-SELLER IN WEST GERMANY
MUNICH, WEST GERMANY, 1989 JUN 02 (NB) -- Readers of Chip
Magazine, the prestigious West Germany computer publication, have
selected the Tandon PCA series as the best-seller in the latest
edition. The PCA, which held number two slot last month, has
zoomed from number one to nothing and back over the past eight
months.

Following the PCA is the budget-priced Commodore PC10, the Compaq
Deskpro 286 and the IBM PC/XT 286 which IBM has been selling at
large discounts. IBM is reported to have a large warehouse of
XT/286 systems. Next comes the IBM PS/2 model 30, the Amstrad PC-
1640, the Schneider Tower AT, and the Commodore Amiga 2000, with
the Atari holding ninth and tenth places with its Mega ST and PC-
3 series.

Newsbytes notes that the Apple Macintosh is missing from the business
top ten lists. One dealer Newsbytes spoke to said that this was
probably due to the Macintosh being too expensive in Europe. The dealer
concerned, who remains anonymous, said that XT/286 systems were
the preferred option to the Macintosh by many West Germany users.

On the home computer front, Chip Magazine readers voted the
Commodore Amiga A500 into number one slot, with the perennial C-
64 dropping - for the first time - into second place. Third place
is held by the Atari 1040 ST.

In a related story, Newsbytes Atari sources suggest that rumoured
plans to shelve the Atari 1040 ST in favour of a one megabyte-equipped
Mega ST have now been shelved until at least the fourth quarter
of 1989. Atari sources suggest that the company has a number of
other new products - most notably the Stacey laptop - scheduled
for third quarter launch this year.

(Peter Vekinis & Steve Gold/19890602)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BRU)(00022)

ALDUS FOUNDER IN BRUSSELS
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1989 JUN 02 (NB) -- Paul Brainerd, the
president of Aldus Corporation - also known as the 'Thomas Edison
of Desktop Publishing' - has been invited to Brussels by
Positronica, the company's local distributors.

Brainerd, who founded Aldus Corporation in 1984, will appear at
the Royal Windsor Hotel, Rue Duquesnoy 5, in Brussels, at 10 am on
8 June, 1989.

(Peter Vekinis/19890602)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SIN)(00023)

FREIGHT CONFERENCE DISAPPOINTS
SINGAPORE , S.E. ASIA, 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- The Asia Pacific Freight 2
Exhibition held here from May 23 to 25 appeared to have had more than
its fair share of exhibitors' woes!

The exhibition, expected to have drawn regional freight forwarders, is
described as having received poor response, even from local freight
forwarders. Moans that they did not get the response they expected
came from many exhibitors, including Hans Erkens, director of Air
Cargo Market Development of Canada, and another exhibitor from Munich,
West Germany.

It was not a total loss, though, for there were some who were happy
with the turnout. Local software firm IPACS Computer Services was
pleased with the number of serious enquiries it received, and is
anticipating record sales for this year.

Freddie Lee, business development manager of Nixdorf Computer, said
that they did not expect to conclude immediate sales but saw the
exhibition as an excellent opportunity to meet those in the freight
industry and make them aware of the services the German company had to
offer.

The event was organized by the Singapore Freight Forwarders
Association in conjunction with the U.K.-based World Trade Promotions
[WTP], whose event director, Ms Tricia Neill, said that top-level
officials from more than 25 countries, who participated as speakers or
exhibitors, had visited the exhibition. She also said that WTP had
taken all the necessary steps before the event to make it known to the
relevant industry.

Newsbytes understands that a similar exhibition held in Hong Kong was
also poorly attended, whilst those held in Miami, Florida and
Birmingham, England were able to achieve much bigger turnouts. Perhaps
its a feature of the region, suggested one delegate. "Asian Freight
Forwarders and their customers seem to prefer to deal on a one-to-one
basis," he said.

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890531/Press Contact: Singapore
Freight Forwarders Association, Ph:223.4862)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SIN)(00024)

GERMAN TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE IN SINGAPORE
SINGAPORE, S.E. ASIA, 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- A conference on German
technologies is being held jointly by German Technology Transfer
[Singapore] Pte Ltd and Siemens Engineering & Services Pte Ltd here
between July 3 and 5.

The topics covered will involve robotics and industrial
automation. The cost is US$650 for one group of conferences,
or US$800 for both. For further information contact Zahabar Ali,
Parkinson & Ali Management Services, Ph:[65] 225.5786.

(Michael Worsley & S. Roowi/19890531)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SIN)(00025)

PROGRAM FOR DESIGNING A HIGH TECH BOAT
SINGAPORE, S.E. ASIA, 1989 MAY 31 (NB) -- Singapore firm Maritime
Ventures has announced that it has developed a boat with a unique
"Duology" Hull Form, an unconventional boat hull design which could
give extraordinary features to marine propulsion.

Michael Poh, engineering manager, claims that the "Dualogy"
design allows higher speeds with a surprisingly lower fuel
consumption. Its wider deck space increases its passenger-capacity.
He claims that the design has extensive applications and can be
adapted for vessels ranging from pleasure boats, containers, ferries,
supply and all kinds of commercial vessels.

They are presently developing a computer package that can allow their
designs to be quickly converted to the different applications. Design
and technical details are obtainable from Maritime Ventures at Raffles
City P.O. Box 1103, Singapore 9117.

(Michael Worsley/19890601/Press Contact: Michael Poh, Maritime
Ventures, Ph: [65] 754.0602)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(KUL)(00026)

MALAYSIA MONITORS TROUBLE VIA COMPUTER
JOHORE, MALAYSIA, 1989 MAY 25 (NB) -- The Johore Port Authority [LPJ],
has launched a computer system that will monitor dangerous cargo
passing through its hands in a bid to improve safety during
emergencies.  The Safety Measure's System [SMS] maintains a complete
profile of all dangerous cargo handled by LPJ and other ports in the
world in its databank, according to Mohamed Azman Mohamed Aris,
LPJ's assistant general manager of finance and personnel.

"The system is able to maintain the historical records of vessels that
come into the port to load or unload dangerous cargo. This allows the
port authority to monitor statistics for future use," he said.

The SMS runs on the Alpha Micro AM2000 computer system which is also
being used as an office automation computer, linking up about 30 PCs
in use at the port.

(Michael Worsley & S. Roowi/19890602)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SIN)(00027)

SINGAPORE BANKS SHARE ATMS
SINGAPORE, S.E. ASIA, 1989 MAY 16 (NB) -- One of the last of the local
Singaporean major banks, Tat Lee Bank, plans to join the nationwide
shared automated teller machine [ATM] network and the point-of-sale
terminal network.

Goh Tjoei Kok, the group chairman, said in the bank's annual report
that the move is "part of our continuing efforts to upgrade customer
service." The bank reported a rise of 14.8 percent in its total loan
and advances last year and a profit of S$12.1 million [US$6.6
million], an increase of 34 percent or S$3.1 million from 1987.

On computerization, Goh said that the newly-acquired Tandem
computer system will take over the processing of all retail banking
applications by 1990 from its present supplier Associated Data
Processing Pte Ltd.

The bank's Singapore branches will also be equipped with NCR's newest
terminal system.

(Michael Worsley & S. Roowi/19890530/Press Contact:Tat Lee Bank,
Ph:[65-533.9292)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SIN)(00028)

COMPUTERS BOOST SINGAPORE GARMENT INDUSTRY
SINGAPORE, S.E. ASIA, 1989 MAY 26 (NB) -- Singapore's garment industry
is expected to increase production by 15 to 20 percent with the
introduction of a new computerized conveyor system.

The system, developed jointly by the Automation Application Centre
[AAC], U.S. consultant Kurt Salmon Associates and Wing Tai Garment
Manufacturing [WTGM] at a cost of S$430,000 [US$235,000], will be
tested by WTGM in July or August. Funding for the system was borne by
the Economic Development Board [EDB] at 50 percent, the Trade
Development Board [TDB] 40 percent and WTGM the rest.

Cheng Wai Keung, WTGM's managing director and president of the
Textile and Garment Manufacturers Association, said that the system
would provide up-to-date information about work currently in progress
and that which is already completed.

The system could save the industry about 2,000 seamstresses and so is
timely for the present tight labour market.

James Ling, director of AAC, said that the system would eventually
be exported.

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890530/Press Contact:
Application Automation Centre, Ph:[65] 779.7311)


(EXCLUSIVE)(GOVT)(BOS)(00001)

PATENT PIONEER OPPOSES LOOK AND FEEL SUITS
HACKENSACK, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1989 JUNE 1 -- Martin A. Goetz,
holder of the first U.S. patent on software, in an exclusive interview
with Newsbytes, says that he supports any software patent which
has the intention of protecting a process rather than a general concept.

Explaining further, he said that his two patents, one of
which was for a specific file sorting method and the other for
the process used in the very successful AutoFlo flow charting
software, were both concerned with specific processes, and not
the general concept of sorting or flow charting.

He said that obtaining the first patent was easy and inexpensive because,
"It just snuck by the Patent Office which had no special policy on
software at that time. For the next few years [until the definitive
Supreme Court decision in 1982] whether you got a software patent or
not depended on who the Commissioner was; some were in favor of
software patents and others blocked them."

Commenting on the "look and feel" type of patents or copyrights such as
those held by Lotus, Mr. Goetz said, "I am vehemently opposed to actions
aimed at protecting mere externals such as screen appearance, or
languages such as Ashton-Tate's dBASE language."

Mr. Goetz said that while he doesn't think that his patent
on a method of flow charting had a direct impact on AutoFlo's
estimated $20-30 million in sales [there was no patent
infringement litigation], the granting of a patent did lend a
certain credibility and stature to the product.

Now chief executive of systems software and consulting company Syllogy,
Mr. Goetz was involved in the unbundling of computer hardware and
software in the 70s, which led to the current software industry
trend in which software is developed and marketed separately from
machines.

In this regard, he emphasized, "Once software became a
separate business and people were investing money in it as a
business, it became necessary to have a way to protect the
investment using patents."

(John McCormick/19890602)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(ATL)(00002)

NSA CONTROLLING GOVERNMENT INFO
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1989 MAY 23 (NB) -- Information Industry
Association Vice President Ken Allen has told Congress the
National Security Agency is trying to take control over U.S.
information, in violation of the Computer Security Act of 1987.

Allen said the NSA has much more money than the National
Institute of Standards and Technology, formerly the National
Bureau of Standards, and is using ambiguities in the law to seize
power. While the act gives the NIST control over security at the
government's civilian computers, Allen said, a recent memo issued
by the two agencies gave the NSA control over "sensitive but
unclassified" data, which could mean give the super-secret NSA
control over anything.

The Act was passed by Congress in the wake of a secret memo from
Admiral John Poindexter, then National Security advisor, which
could have put both civilian and military information under the
NSA's control, and disrupted the free flow of information vital
to science and industry. The NSA, which maintains U.S. classified
data, has signed agreements with the NIST, formerly the National
Bureau of Standards, including some language from that memo which
might keep secret unclassified data.

"We expressed grave concerns that it was loosely worded, and it could
undercut the intent of Congress," Allen told Newsbytes. "It is quite
possible the Poindexter Memorandum could re-emerge in a new context."

The IIA will have its annual meeting September 10-14 in New York,
at which time it will plot strategy. The IIA was instrumental in
getting the 1987 act passed.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890602/Press Contact: Ken Allen, IIA, 202-
639-8260)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(BOS)(00003)

INFO ON JAPANESE CHIPS & SUPERCOMPUTERS
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1989 MAY 15 -- A set of English-language
reports on Japanese technology advances is available from the National
Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Rd., Springfield, Va.
 22161. Basic Research in Superconductor, Ceramic and Semiconductor
Sciences at Selected Japanese Laboratories, based on a series of visits
to Japanese laboratories by Dr. Robert Gottshall [DOE] during 1988,
is available for $28.95, request PB89-172464.

Japanese Technical Literature Bulletin is a monthly English-
language newsletter covering Japanese R&D and federal programs
intended to improve U.S. access to Japanese technical
information. The newsletter is available at no charge by writing
to Rm. 4833, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, D.C.
20230.

(John McCormick/19890602)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(BOS)(00004)

SUPERCOMPUTER CENTER FUNDING SET
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1989 MAY 15 -- Renewing a five-year grant
for fiscal year 1990 through 1995, the National Science Foundation
has approved funding for Supercomputer Centers at Cornell U., the U. of
Illinois Urbana/Champaign, the U. Pittsburgh-Carnegie Mellon U.,
and U.C. San Diego.

The John von Neumann Center near Princeton, N.J., uses the
recently discontinued Control Data ETA supercomputers and funding
for this center will be considered in August.

The new grants will be upped from $10 million per center to
$14 million, allowing the centers to expand training and upgrade
equipment.

A wide variety of research activities are supported at the
centers in all branches of physical and biological sciences, as
well as mathematics, social sciences and economics.

(John McCormick/19890602/ Press Contacts: Cornell Center -
Director, David Caughey, 607-255-8686; U. Ill. Center - Director,
Larry Smarr, 217-244-0074; U. Pittsburgh & Carnegie Mellon U.
Center - Co-Directors, Michael Levine and Ralph Roberts - 412-
268-4960; U.C. San Diego Center - Director, Sidney Karin, 619-
534-5000; John van Neumann Center - Director, Doyle Knight,
609-520-2000; NSF, Cheryl Dybas, 202-357-9498)

(John McCormick/19890602)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(TYO)(00005)

AAA'S SECURED FACILITY IN JAPAN
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 MAY 26 (NB) -- Two neutral arbitrators
of the American Arbitration Association have announced in Tokyo
that they will open and establish a secured facility in Japan this
summer. The facility provides Fujitsu a reasonable opportunity to
develop and maintain IBM-compatible operating system software.

IBM is required to deliver to the secured facility licensed manuals
and source code requested by Fujitsu. The arbitrators have
determined that though Fujitsu staff can refer to the materials in
the secured facility, they are not allowed to directly develop
IBM-compatible operating system software. This determination
prevents duplication of IBM's technology and copyright
infringement.

In order to access IBM programs released prior to and during the
first year of the secured facility regime, Fujitsu will have to
pay IBM between $25.671 million to $51.342 million depending on
the extent to which Fujitsu seeks to examine particular IBM
programming material inside the secured facility.

(Ken Takahashi/19890601/Press Contact: Anne Strianese, 212-614-4232,
or Karen Arena, 212-614-4224, both of Burson-Marsteller, for the
American Arbitration Association)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(TYO)(00006)

JAPAN'S TOUGHER INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
TOKYO, JAPAN 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- As of April 1, the new fiscal
year for most Japanese electronics companies, a new approach to
intellectual property accompanied the new spreadsheets.
Following the initiatives taken by Hitachi last August and Mitsubishi
in February, Matsushita and Sharp have organized specific divisions
to manage intellectual properties to prevent expected legal
friction with the U.S. and Europe.

Sanyo claims it is not ready to organize a separate division but says
intellectual property rights will become a part of its current
patent center operation.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19890601)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00007)

EUROPEANS SEEK ALLIES AGAINST JAPAN
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA, 1989 JUNE 1 (NB) -- Australia has been
invited to join European high tech development projects aimed at
stemming the dominance of Japan in setting new standards. The
Dutch minister of economic affairs carried the invitation to the
Australian Government last week. One example he gave was the
upcoming fight over standards for high definition TV [HDTV]. He
said that business would become much more internationalized in
the future and that Europe intended to lead much of the research
and development.

Meanwhile, planning for the 'futureopolis' city is progressing.
The plan is for a high tech city to be developed in Australia by
both Japan and Australia. The city would be built from the ground
up, incorporating the latest in technological advances for
living, working, learning and relaxing. A large proportion of the
population would be Japanese people and Japanese companies taking
advantage of the space, climate and raw resources that Australia
has to offer.

(Paul Zucker/19890603)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SIN)(00008)

INDIA PONDERS RESERVATION SYSTEMS
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1989 MAY 26 (NB) -- India is confused
over which common computerized reservation system [CRS] to use for the
benefit of travellers. The question that plagues it is whether it is
possible to unite all its existing systems into one.

Indian Airlines [IA], Air India [AI], Vayudoot [V] and the Travel
Agents Association of India [TAAI] all seem unwilling to cooperate
towards developing a common CRS, each preferring to 'do their own
thing.'

The main domestic carrier IA has agreed to help automate its
domestic travel agents but has imposed what the agents consider
a prohibitively high fee.

AI has begun to automate up to 65 agents with its own single-access
system.

IA's subsidiary Vayudoot has struck a deal with a private software
house to launch a nationwide travel information and reservation system
called Touristnet.

TAAI has developed a back-office system called Trac that appears to be
able to do anything but make a booking.

This state of affairs appear to be a far cry from the ready acceptance
of the ABACUS CRS, developed jointly by Singapore Airlines, Malaysian
Airlines, Philippines Airline, Cathay Pacific of Hong Kong and China
Airlines of Taiwan.

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890530)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00001)

BORLAND SHIPS REFLEX 2.0
SCOTTS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUN 1 (NB) -- The latest version
of Reflex, a database management tool, is now shipping, and Borland
claims it's the first business product to incorporate object-
oriented technology. For the user, this means more efficient
use of computer memory and data integrity, according to Borland's
chairman, Philippe Kahn. The price is $250 but a trial version
is available for $10 by calling 800-426-7526.

Reflex 2.0, which now works in full color on EGA or VGA
systems, offers several features not found in competing products,
including multiple views, "hot-linked" windows, interactive
crosstabs, and built-in high-quality graphics. It will also
read files from Reflex 1.0.

Database size is no longer constrained by the machine's memory.
Reflex now automatically pages files between disk and memory,
allowing them to be as large as 32 megabytes with as many as
65,000 records. And in case you leave the program without saving
your work, the program will do it for you.

(Wendy Woods/19890603/Press Contact: Marguerite Padovani, 408-
439-1622)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(OOOO2)

BLUE CHIP'S NEW 386ES & WARRANTIES
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1989 JUNE 3 (NB) - Blue Chip
International is announcing a series of 386-based computers known
as Precision 386. The company is also introducing a compact
laser printer suitable for both home office and corporate
environments.

The six models in the Precision 386 Series can handle any type of
application including complex engineering design programs,
workstation networks and Unix. The Blue Chip Compact Laser
Printer features three built-in emulations, Hewlett-Packard Laser
Jet Plus/Laser Jet Series II, Diablo 360 and Epson FX 80. The
printer is compatible with virtually every software program
available.

In a related announcement, Blue Chip is continuing to support
home-based business and small business by offering the industry's
most extensive warranty program that covers parts and labor for a
two year period. Blue Chip president, John Rossi, told Newsbytes:
"Reliability, not bells and whistles, is the critical factor in
buying decisions made by small operations that depend heavily on
their computers. By offering this 2 year warranty, Blue Chip is
telling customers that our company stands behind the reliability
of our products."

(Endrijonas/19890602/Press Contact: Alan Penchansky, Geltzer &
Company, 212-575-1976)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00003)

AST SHIPS 33-MHZ COMPUTER
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 26 (NB) -- AST Research has
begun shipping its Premium 386/33 computer that was announced
during Spring Comdex in April.

The new system offers powerful computational capabilities and
optimum compatibility with ISA [Industry Standard Architecture]
or AT class computers. The system is designed to handle more
complex applications such as CAD [computer-aided design],
numerical analysis, 3-D animation and queries of large data base
files. Premier 386/33 is also suitable for use as a server in a
local area network or multiuser environment.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890601/Press Contact: Joel C. Don, AST
Research, 714-756-4942)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00004)

SPINNAKER'S HYPERCARD FOR PCS
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- Spinnaker
Software is readying a WIndows-based product that will allow PC
users access to stacks created for Apple's HyperCard environment.
This makes it the first product that actually allows PC users to work
with HyperCard stacks.

Other products, like Brightbill-Roberts & Co.'s HyperPad provide
HyperCard-like functions in a text-based environment. The Spinnaker
program, code-named Wildcard, will actually allow PC users to work
with the huge amount of HyperCard stacks that are now out.

According to sources, the program, which is expected to be available
for around $100 early this fall, runs 40 times faster than Apple's
HyperCard. Also, the program is compiled and not interpreted, so
that applications created with it can be invoked without running
WildCard.

If WildCard works well, it promises to open up a whole new world
to PC users, who so far have seen HyperCard as one area of the Mac
they haven't been able to duplicate with high-powered PCs.

(Jon Pepper/19890602)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00005)

COMTECH'S DBASE FILE RECOVERY
PITTSFORD, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 JUN 1 -- Paul Heiser, author of
Salvaging Damaged dBASE Files, and dSALVAGE, a file recovery utility
program, says his newest dBASE/Clipper data file recovery system,
dSALVAGE Professional, is available.

The dSALVAGE Professional program is intended for both
novice and experienced users and will aid in recovering damaged
dBASE, Clipper, FoxBASE+, dBXL, and all other DBF files. The
program is sold with Westlake Data's DiskMinder sector editor and
a copy of Paul Heiser's book for $199.95.

dSALVAGE's ability to recover data from CHK files and insert
them in the proper location plus its cross-linked file recovery,
as well as header, record, byte stream and HEX editors, make this
a powerful dBASE file tool.

(John McCormick/19890602/ Press Contact: Taeko Nikaido 716-586-
3365)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00006)

IBM OFFERS NEW SUPERCOMPUTERS
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- IBM has
introduced three new supercomputing systems extensions for its
top-of-the-line IBM ES/30 family of computers.

The new systems use IBM's Supercomputing Systems Extensions
[SCSE], to boost the speed and processing power in numerically
intensive applications for scientific and engineering customers.
Included in the new announcement are IBM Parallel Input/Output
Access Method, which enables uses to read and write files across
multiple direct access storage devices for increased processing power,
and IBM High Speed Channel [HSC], which can transfer data at rates
up to 800-million bits a second. These new extensions are designed to
support the over 300 customers worldwide who are using the IBM
ES/30 family of products, according to an IBM spokesman. The
Supercomputing Systems Extensions were developed by IBM's Data
Systems Division laboratory in Kingston, N.Y. Prices will be available
in about 60 days, and installation will begin no later than the fourth
quarter of this year, according to IBM.

(Jon Pepper/19890602/Press Contact: Andy Russell, IBM, 914-642-
5463)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00007)

NEW WAVE FOR AX
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- Yokogawa Hewlett Packard and
Canon have reached an agreement to jointly rewrite the Developer's
Kit for Hewlett Packard's NewWave environment for AX personal
computers, and will sell them in Japan.

NewWave builds on the architecture of Microsoft Windows to provide
an advanced workstation applications environment. NewWave offers
new levels of capabilities and ease of use to the end-user and
is said to significantly reduce the effort required by the application
developer to deliver advanced programs.

The Developer Kit will allow software vendors to develop
applications for AX, or Japanese IBM-compatible personal computers.
Users will need dedicated software to run the applications. Though the
dedicated software for the English version is priced at $195, the
Japanese price has not been decided. The environment is also
considered a memory hog -- users will require more than
three megabytes of main memory and a 20 to 40-megabyte hard disk
drive to run the NewWave environment, a spokesman of Yokogawa
Hewlett Packard says.

Both firms will ship the Japanese version of the Developer Kit
next spring, and are hoping to promote NewWave to other AX
machine makers.

(Ken Takahashi/19890601/Press Contact: Yokogawa Hewlett Packard,
03-345-7338)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00008)

MULTI-OS AX MACHINES DEBUT
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 JUNE 1 (NB) -- Daido-Nippon has released
three AX personal computers which run three IBM operating systems:
MS-DOS, Xenix, and OS/2.

Both the desktop TCS-8000AX and its floor-stand brother, TCS-8600AX,
come with a 25MHz 80386 central processing unit [CPU], a two-megabyte
main memory expandable to 16-megabytes, and a 40-megabyte hard
drive unit. And the desktop TCS-7700AX, the low-end model, is
attached with a 16MHz 80286 CPU, a one-megabyte main memory
expandable to eight-megabytes, and a 40-megabyte hard drive unit.
They are priced at 770,000 yen [$5,300], 820,000 yen [$5,650],
and 480,000 yen [$3,300] respectively.

Meanwhile, Daido-Nippon has released a 14-inch color monitor
CM-1472 and a multi-scan display CM-1495G for NEC's PC-9800 and
8800 series personal computers. They are priced at 84,800 yen or
$580, and 120,000 yen or $830.

(Ken Takahashi/19890601)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00009)

MICROSOFT WOOS AUSTRALIAN EDUCATORS
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 JUNE 1 (NB) -- Microsoft Australia has
introduced low cost software for schools in the form of its
Edpacks and Ednetpacks. A ten users pack of integrated package
Works costs AUS$400 while the retail price for one user is $295.
Other products available include Word, Excel, Quick C,
QuickBasic, and Powerpoint.

Edpacks, which are for stand-alone machines, include 10 sets of
disks and one set of manuals. Ednetpacks are for networks and
have one set of disks, one set of manuals and 10 user licenses.

(Paul Zucker/19890603)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00010)

LOTUS BOMBARDS AUSTRALIAN MEDIA
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 JUNE 2 (NB) -- You couldn't be blamed if
you think that Lotus is trying to re-establish its prominence of
name in Australia. TV, radio and print ads are all bombarding
technical and general audiences with messages of the power and
market acceptability of Lotus - especially 1-2-3.

One color press ad covers two tabloid pages. The message is that
the world's top 50 companies all use 1-2-3. It's a little bit
like the old 'nobody ever got fired for...' message. Observers
feel that either Lotus is preparing users for the availability of
release 3, or they're trying to hold the market during yet
another delay in release.

(Paul Zucker/19890603)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BRU)(00011)

FIRST CD-ROM LAPTOP ANNOUNCED
MUNICH, WEST GERMANY, 1989 JUN 02 (NB) -- The world's first
laptop to sport a CD-ROM drive has been announced in West
Germany. The Lotos machine centres around an 80286 microprocessor
running into one megabyte of memory. Data storage is via a 3.5-inch floppy
and a 20MB hard disk, in addition to the 600MB disks used by the
CD-ROM unit.

The laptop which has an EGA graphics standard screen, making it
appear similar to the best-selling Toshiba 3100. Unlike the
Toshiba 3100, however, the Lotos machine is battery-powered, and
retails for DM11,990 [$6,500]. A screen backlight, single serial
and parallel ports, plus a mouse, are all standard options on the
machine.

NOTE: Lotos has no connection with Lotus Development Corporation,
the software house responsible for 1-2-3, Framework and other
best-selling packages.

(Peter Vekinis/19890602)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00012)

SIMULATED PATIENTS TRAIN DOCTORS
HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA, 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- Patient
Simulator II, an educational program from startup Knowledge House
Publishing, will train doctors using patients simulated by a
computer. The Canadian company, which has been researching and
developing the product since 1984, has announced plans to sell it
through the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Dr. Bernard
Schelew, president and chief executive of Knowledge House, told
Newsbytes his company is also negotiating with two major medical
publishers in the United States, and with two U.S. medical bodies
comparable to the College of Family Physicians here. Knowledge
House expects to have "at least two different sales distribution
networks" in the United States, he said.

The package will be sold to practicing physicians for $99 per
patient simulation. At present eleven simulated patients are
available. Dr. Schelew said several more will be offered within a
few months. The software currently runs on IBM Personal Computers
and compatibles. A version for Apple's Macintosh can be expected
before the end of this year, Dr. Schelew said.

Knowledge House has at least two other products in the
development stages, both medically oriented simulation programs.
The company is also considering offering for sale the simulation
authoring system it created to help develop these products.

(Grant Buckler/19890602/Press Contact: Dr. Bernard Schelew,
Knowledge House Publishing, 902-455-1962)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00013)

GETC UPDATES FILE SHUTTLE
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1989 MAY 31 (NB) -- GetC
Software has announced Release 4.1 of File Shuttle, its program
for transferring files between personal computers running MS-DOS.
GetC said the program can now transfer files at speeds of up to
three megabytes per minute on 80386-based PCs. GetC has also
added the ability to transfer hidden files, selective transfer of
files to the same directory on the receiving computer from the
sending computer's file window, and slow-motion macro execution
to aid in debugging.

Like previous versions, File Shuttle 4.1 can change its user
interface from English to French to German at the touch of a key.
The software sells for C$139.95.

(Grant Buckler/19890602/Press Contact: Art Bayne, GetC Software,
604-684-3230)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SIN)(00014)

FINANCE PACKAGE FROM SINGAPORE FIRM
SINGAPORE, S.E. ASIA, 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- System Access Pte. Ltd.
[SAP], a local software house, is going to launch its first product at
Banque Asia'89 exhibition and conference being held here next week.

The product, Symbols, is an integrated modular software system that
can run on a wide range of systems, from IBM personal computers to the
largest mainframes. It also caters to a diverse range of banking
activities including securities trading, foreign exchange dealings,
financial futures trading, loan administrations, and merchant
banks, which to date sometimes had to forego the use of
technology because available foreign software packages are too large
to be cost-effective.

SAP received a S$70,000 [US$38,000] grant from Singapore's Economic
Development Board [EDB] under its Product Develoment Assistance Scheme
to develop Symbols.

Sales of Symbols have reached about S$200,000 [US$110,000] in the four
months this year since its completion. Five locally-based foreign and
off-shore banks have already accepted Symbols, and they expect
sales to reach S$500,000 [US$275,000] for the rest of the year.

SAP has got an in-priciple agreement with the Trade and Development
Board [TDB] for financial assistance under the Market
Development Assistance Scheme and it is presently attending trade
exhibitions overseas to establish an international market.

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890601/Press Contact:Mr Su, System
Acces P/L, Ph:[65] 222.9855)


(NEWS)(IBM)(KUL)(00015)

IBM MALAYSIA HOLDS SEMINAR
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, 1989 MAY 27 (NB) -- An IBM At Work Exhibition
and Seminar was held by Mesiniaga Sdn Bhd, the sole agent for IBM
computers in Malaysia from May 24 to 26. The functions were held to
promote IBM's mid-range products and business solution, and to
introduce new technologies to the local business sector.

In an earlier press briefing to announce the event, K.B. Low,
general manager of IBM World Trade Corporation, spoke of IBM's present
and future plans in the country.

He said it would continue with its efforts to educate the local
business community on information technology [IT], and help them
identify computer solutions for their needs. It will also introduce
new software and products.

He said that the IT industry in Malaysia offered a wide opportunity
for growth, although it was very competitive. However, IBM had the
added advantage of offering a more competitive customer service
facility that is much lower than the industry's average of between 10
and 12 percent of the cost of a system. He quoted IBM maintenance cost
to be less than 10 percent.

Low said that IBM's business partners, formerly known as system
remarketers, who formed part of the IBM support system, were also
added factors working in IBM's favour. IBM presently has 10 business
partners chosen for their knowledge of systems application and
development and the IT market, together with their strong financial
backing.

(Michael Worsley & S. Roowi/19890530)


(EXCLUSIVE)(APPLE)(SFO)(00001)

WRIST-WATCH PAGER NETWORK COMING
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUNE 3 (NB) -- The bulky
pocket pager could become obsolete when the wristwatch pager
arrives this fall. Seiko will sell a $199 wristwatch pager -- dubbed
a receptor wristwatch by the firm behind the technology, AT&E
Corporation. The item and its accompanying pager network,
spanning 52 U.S. metropolitan areas, promises to further
miniaturize communications and provide the most convenient paging
format available to date.

AT&E Corporation is backed by $36 million in private equity
placement, and headed by individuals who are no rookies in the
communications world: former U.S. Sprint President Charles Skibo,
MCI's 15th employee and designer of its fiber optic network,
Tom Leming, and Rick Henderson, also a former high-ranking
executive of U.S. Sprint.

Spokesman Robert Kaltenback tells Newsbytes that the wristwatch
has a miniaturized FM radio receiver as well as CMOS logic
chips onboard. The antenna hidden in the wristband and the
face is capable of displaying two lines of eight characters
as well as the time and date. Messages are transmitted over FM radio
subcarriers leased from radio stations. A caller dials up
a local number to enter and transmit the message -- either a number,
two or three word message such as "Call Home," or a "Code 1"
or other-numbered message known only to designated parties.

The paging network has been successfully tested in the Portland
and Seattle areas, and FM radio stations are being signed up to
carry it in 52 other metropolitan areas. A customer may sign
up for as little as $8 a month for basic service in one area,
and for an additional fee can be paged in any other or all other
cities at once.

"Within two or three years the cost of the watch will come
down to less than $75," said Kaltenback.

As for the launch, due late this year or early next, a big
advertising campaign is planned. "When we open up markets, it
won't be quietly."

(Wendy Woods/19890603/Press Contact: Robert Kaltenback, AT&E,
415-433-0430)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00002)

16 MEGABIT-PER-SECOND LAN ON PHONE WIRE
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 31 (NB) -- Ungermann-Bass has
announced a 16 million bit per second Token Ring network using
ordinary phone wires called unshielded twisted pair wiring. The
product will be compatible with British Telecom's Open System
Cabling Architecture, AT&T's Premises Distribution System and
Southern New England Telecommunications's Systems' Premises
Transport Services, among other specifications, as well as IBM's
unshielded twisted pair specification. The products will ship
next year as part of UBI's Access/One platform, a system which
encloses all network hardware and software in a single wiring
closet.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890602/Press Contact: Ellen Downing,
Ungermann-Bass, 408-562-7645)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00003)

GEIS SIGNS CHEMICAL BANK FOR EDI
ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- GE Information
Services signed Chemical Bank of New York to its Electronic Data
Interchange network, EDI Express. EDI lets companies exchange
invoices and other financial documents by computer, with the
network translating between the different formats. Chemical is
the 4,000th company to be signed to GEIS' EDI network.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890602/Press Contact: Steve Haracznak, GEIS,
301-340-4494)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00004)

MEMOREX SEEKS REMEMBRANCE FOR NETWORKS
TULSA, OKLAHOMA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- Memorex Telex will
combine its expertise in IBM 3270 terminal emulation and
compatibility with Token Ring, Arcnet, and Ethernet standards in
its bid to become a major player in the local area network
marketplace, managers said. The company, put together by New York
financier Eli Jacobs, and technically based in a Caribbean tax
haven, claimed in its press briefing that the number of 3270 LAN
applications will grow rapidly over the next few years.

Alfred Mockett, president for U.S. sales and service, said his primary
product will be an 1174 network controller which can support up
to 96 users, connect to four host machines, co-exist with two Token
Ring networks at once, and offer support with 3270 displays and up to
32 ASCII terminals with windowing. Mockett said the company will
sell both Novell software and its own service package, called
TeamWorks, which will include consulting before installation and
system upgrades later on.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890602/Press Contact: Julie Gentz, Memorex
Telex 918-624-4101)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00005)

CELLULAR PACKET NETWORK COMING
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1989 MAY 31 (NB) -- RAM Broadcasting's
American Mobile Data Communications subsidiary has won FCC
approval to build a cellular packet network which will offer data
services like those offered by Telenet and Tymnet to computers
which aren't attached to phone lines. The company ordered $55
million in equipment from Ericsson of Sweden as the first stage
of its $200 million investment, which should be installed by
1992.

An Ericsson spokesman told Newsbytes News Service that the equipment
"consists of switches and equipment similar to cellular radio
equipment." The network, called Mobitex, will transmit data using
digital packet-switching radio technology, and allow
computer-aided dispatch systems, databases and other software to
be accessed from hand-held or car-mounted data terminals. Using
the system, ambulances could send patient data and receive
instructions, police cars could send suspect descriptions and
receive orders, or salesmen could send sales data and receive
tips.

A Mobitex network is already under construction in Canada by
Cantel Inc., Canada's national non-wireline cellular service
provider. AMDC and Cantel are considering a cooperative
arrangement that could lead to an integrated mobile data network
covering both the United States and Canada.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890602/Press Contact: Kathy Egan,Ericsson,
212/685-4030)


(EXCLUSIVE)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00006)

GATEWAY MARKETING TESTS DISAPPOINT
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 JUN 2 (NB) -- It's too early
to tell whether the Bell company information gateways being
tested by regional phone companies will succeed, but early
returns aren't all promising. Reactions to test mailings from
Bell Atlantic and NYNEX, the latter a 4.1 piece drop in local
phone bills, proved disappointing. Traffic hasn't jumped on
either system.

Hope McKey of Bell Atlantic explained that company has two tests
underway -- a consumer gateway in Washington, and a small
business gateway in Philadelphia. Marketing and some services are
different in each case. Both opened January 24, and Delaware
customers were added to the Philadelphia trial in April. At last
count there were 20 active services in Washington, 30 in
Philadelphia, and 60 new services, including electronic mail,
were being added this month. But direct mail response so far, she
said, "has not been as positive as we'd hoped to see." The
company is now rethinking its marketing strategy. "I don't think
we'll be advertising for a while."

In the NYNEX case, director of gateway development Dr. Ellen
Powley told Newsbytes a Vermont test has gone quite well, but
putting 4,1 million announcements for the service in New Yorkers'
phone bills hasn't resulted in a rush of traffic. The company is
now trying direct mail and newspaper advertisements. The Info-
Look gateway offers ASCII-based services, like CompuServe, and
negotiations are continuing to offer Minitel's teletel standard,
according to the Minitel Services Co., White Plains, New York,
which is pushing the standard.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890602)


(EXCLUSIVE)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00007)

INET SAYS GATEWAY SUCCESS SLOW
CHANTILLY, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUN 2 (NB) -- Both the iNet2000
gateway in Canada and the somewhat-related iNet of America
gateway in Virginia are making slow, steady progress toward
market acceptance, mainly by concentrating on work-related users.

Telecom Canada's iNet 2000, introduced in 1985 and connected to
the Datapac public data network, has about 30,000 users, said
product manager Rob Huband, despite a recently-approved price
increase. He credits success to a marketing plan targeting
specific industry groups. Lawyers have been especially active,
through the Canadian Bar Association.

The software, which is being marketed by a separate company,
will appear soon in Australia and Hong Kong, while negotiations
continue to bring iNet to the U.S.

In the U.S., iNet of America scored a major coup early this year
when it won the contract to run ABANet, formerly on Dialcom.
ABANet present has about 15,000 members, and Director David
Weinberg says he's getting dozens of new applications each week.
Still, Barry Wilson, vice president of business development with
iNet of America, told Newsbytes "I'm a bit of a pessimist about
the massive build up. The applications just aren't there to drive
it. I'm very optimistic, however, about the penetration on the
professional side."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890602)


(EXCLUSIVE)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00008)

BELLSOUTH ROLLS OUT GATEWAY
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUN 2 (NB) -- BellSouth's TUG
Gateway should roll out the first phase of its marketing program
this month. John Gunter, vice president, information services at
BellSouth, told Newsbytes his gateway will concentrate on local
services after a successful trial with about 1,000 users. "The
national vendors bring a certain type of content to the gateway,
but the local flavor of the providers is important," said. Among
the local information providers on TUG are the Atlanta Journal-
Constitution, which is the daily newspaper; the Fulton County
Daily Report, a legal weekly; Piedmont Hospital; and the Academy
Theater.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890602)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00009)

AT&T AVERTS STRIKE
MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 29 (NB) -- AT&T averted a
strike by signing an innovative contract with workers which gives
them a 14.5 percent raise over three years, most of it up-front, help with
child care, and longer leaves for new parents. In exchange, the
CWA and IBEW agreed to a "preferred provider" plan, under which
employees will go to doctors who agree to hold down costs.

The deal, which was made a full day after a strike deadline set by
the unions, should keep long-distance lines humming across the
U.S. for the next three years. AT&T spokesmen said the preferred
provider plan will save them money on health costs, a major goal
in the talks. Union spokesmen said they hadn't given up major
benefits and won what amounts to an 8.5 percent signing bonus for their
members to compensate for past inflation.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890602)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00010)

AMERITECH OPENS AUDIO GATEWAY
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1989 JUN 1 (NB) -- Ameritech has
begun pushing an audiotex gateway in Chicago under a subsidiary
called Ameritech Audiotex Services. AAS will act as a space
broker, offering lines on the 900 exchange. Gene Dunne of
Ameritech Services told Newsbytes AAS will be the first of many
subsidiaries offering the company's voice gateway interface
throughout the Midwest.

Due to restrictions imposed by Judge Harold Greene, Ameritech must
set up separate gateways in each local calling region, or LATA. As
long as that restriction remains in place, it will hobble the company's
attempts to compete with companies like NovTel of Nevada or Bellatrix
of New Jersey, which offer one-stop shopping on nationwide 900 lines.

However, Dunne notes that the Ameritech product does have
advantages. It can take hundreds of calls at once, so a lottery
could easily handle crushes of calls needing the winning number.
It also includes Automatic Number Identification, which can help
marketers identify who's calling them and use that information in
databases. The system can also bill for multiple programs on a
single call.

Dunne predicts many local groups will be interested in the
gateway. "I know there is a lot of information that's national,
but there's a lot of information that's regional or city wide,
and the service we have is the best way to get to that market."
He adds Ameritech will be offering its technology to other
gateway providers once the FCC approves its pricing.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890602)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00011)

BELL CANADA CALLS ALEX GATEWAY A SUCCESS
MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, 1989 MAY 19 (NB) -- Bell Canada has
given out over 14,000 terminals or software packages for its Alex
trial in Montreal, and in mid-May was signing up nearly 2,000 new
users per week. Alex, which runs under NAPLPS, the same protocol
used by Prodigy, has five different cost structures, with most users
paying 15 or 30 cents per minute. Terminals cost C$7.95 per
month, with the first two months free. The first minute is free
on all services to encourage browsing.

Often-used files include news from Agences France Presse, a
numerology service, chat lines, and a service called ASQ, which
includes lists of doctors who can help with sexual dysfunction. The
most popular shopping services are a birthday shopping service and
Canadian Tire, an auto parts distributor. "It's considered a success," Ruth
Foster of Bell Canada said. Total calls through May 14 were 687,562,
with 82,465 in one week. The average call lasted 6.8 minutes.
Alex now has 69 service providers and 264 different services.

A decision is expected late this month on connecting Alex with
Prodigy, the IBM-Sears joint venture which also uses NAPLPS. One
stumbling block is that Alex offers both ASCII and NAPLPS
terminals, while Prodigy delivers NAPLPS only.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890602)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00012)

GENERAL ELECTRIC TO UPGRADE INTERNAL NET
SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 28 (NB) -- General
Electric has completed negotiations to install a massive private
digital network, furnished by AT&T, France Telecom and British
Telecom. The network will let all GE employees worldwide contact
one another with 7-digit phone numbers, and allow for live
videoconferences. The contract runs 5 years. It will use the AT&T
transatlantic fibre optic cable [TAT-8] which was completed last
December.

(Dana Blankenhorn & Peter Vekinis/19890602/Press contact: Francois
Blanty, AT&T Brussels, Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00013)

CROSSTALK CONFIRMS NEW MARK IV DETAILS
ROSWELL, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 28 (NB) -- Crosstalk
Communications confirmed that the next version of its Crosstalk
Mark IV communications program will include elements of its older
Crosstalk XVI program. The company is reluctant to talk about
products before they ship, having been badly burned after it
announced Mark IV in 1985 and, due to a number of distractions,
shipped it two years later.

However, spokesman Stan Hayes did confirm details in the story,
which first appeared in "PC Week," praising editors there for
doing "some investigative journalism." Hayes talked to Newsbytes
from San Francisco, where he was showing a prerelease version of
Crosstalk for Windows to editors.

When the new Version 2.0 of Crosstalk Mark IV ships, later this
year, users will get a choice of four ways of working with the
program -- from command lines, a Crosstalk XVI help screen, the
menu-oriented Mark IV interface, and an interface which looks
like a phone book. "The big deal for us is people are starting to
look at Mark IV as an operating environment," Hayes added.
Reviews of the company's CASL script-writing language have been
highly favorable. "It looks like what people want is
programmability in their software, and a polite interface."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890602/Press Contact: Stan Hayes, Crosstalk,
404-448-3688)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00014)

CANON'S NAVI TO BECOME ISDN TERMINAL
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- Canon is developing
technology to connect its multi functional terminal NAVI to an
integrated services digital network or ISDN, with the help of
NTT.

NAVI performs as a telephone, personal computer, word
processor, and facsimile Therefore, Canon expects the terminal
will be a natural as ISDN equipment, which requires large
communication capacity to send and receive multiple media such as
voice, image, and data. NAVI uses ordinary telephone lines to
exchange data with other NAVI machines. However, NTT's ISDN service
does not accept the current NAVI communication interface and Canon
will have to develop ISDN interface technology by the end of the
year.

(Ken Takahashi/19890601)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00015)

DISCOUNTED PHONE BILLS FOR DEAF
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, 1989 JUN 02 (NB) -- British Telecom [BT] has
announced a phone bill discount scheme for hearing-impaired users
of the telephone. The scheme is being supported by British
Telecom, in conjunction with the British government, which has
granted the Royal National Institute for the Deaf [RNID]
UKP75,000 grant for the project.

The scheme will allow users specified levels of discount for
phone usage - up to a quarterly maximum of UKP160 - provided
users at least nine years old and be able to provide proof of
severe hearing disability, as well as own an approved text phone.

According to the RNID, the scheme aims to encourage users of
text-based phones, which allow use computer-style keyboards
rather than spoken word to communicate, to use their machines
more frequently. The rebate system is, says the RNID, a
recognition of the fact that textphone systems are more expensive
to use than communicating using the spoken word.

(Steve Gold/19890602/Press & Public Contact: The Text Users Help
Scheme, RNID, 30 Broad Street, Manchester M6 5BY)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00016)

CONSORTIUM TO MAKE TELECOM FLY
MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- Air passengers
and flight crews will have the same telecommunication facilities
as their earth-bound counterparts, if a new business venture flies.

Teleglobe Canada, OTC Ltd. of Australia, France Telecom and the
Societe internationale de telecommunications aeronautiques [SITA] have
formed a consortium to offer voice and data communications from
aircraft. The four partners plan to offer on-board voice and data
communications facilities to airlines around the world, using
satellites.

Airlines will use satellite communications for flight plans, weather
reports, route and destination changes, passenger information and
automatic position reporting, Teleglobe Canada said. The consortium
would also allow airlines to offer their passengers telephone,
facsimile and data communications services during flights.

SITA is an international cooperative organization of which 330
airlines are members. It will help define customer needs and will
market the services to its members. The participation of three
telecommunications carriers in Europe, Australia and North
America will give the consortium global coverage.

(Grant Buckler/19890601/Press Contact: Jacques-Alain Lavallee,
Teleglobe Canada, 514-289-7490)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SIN)(00017)

TOLL-FREE CALLS IN SINGAPORE
SINGAPORE, S.E. ASIA, 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- For a small investment,
local and overseas companies with Singapore subsidiaries can enjoy the
benefits of the international toll-free telephone service that
Singapore Telecom [ST] is now offering.

With this facility, companies here can arrange for their overseas
clients and agents to call them direct to the Singapore office for
enquiries, orders or re-orders free-of-charge, on assigned numbers.

ST claims that the service improves a company's international exposure
as well as sharpens its overall competitive edge, and that many
companies in Singapore have already contracted for this service to
support their clients in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and the U.S.

A company wishing to use this service has to pay a S$1000 deposit, a
one-time connection fee of S$400 and stamp duty of S$12 regardless of
the number of contracting countries to be covered, a quarterly rental
of S$600 per country, plus the normal quarterly rental of S$60 for a
separate telephone line for each country selected. All incoming calls
received are then charged at the standard telephone rates applicable
for reverse charge calls between the calling country and Singapore at
that time and day of the week. Depending on the country concerned, the
calling party either pays nothing for the call, or just the normal
local call fee.

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890602/Contact:Singapore Telecoms,
Ph:[65] 733.3351)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SIN)(00018)

INDONESIA IMPROVING TELECOMMUNICATIONS
JAKARTA, INDONESIA, 1989 JUNE 1 (NB) -- The Indonesian Government,
aware that its telephone shortage is causing communication problems,
plans to set up another 1.4 million telephone lines throughout its
entire nation of 13,000 islands. At present it has a total of 950,000
telephone lines for 175 million people spread out in a vast territory
stretching from Sabang in North Sumatra to Merauke in Irian Jaya,
making one of the lowest densities of telephones per head of
population in the region.

The project comes under REPELITA V, Jakarta's latest five-year
development plan. The government's efforts for improving the country's
telecom system is headed by PT Industri Telecomunikasi Indonesia [PT
Inti], a company which started operations in 1974 and is based in
Bandung, on the island of Java.

PT Inti's executive director told Indonesia Magazine, a bi-monthly
publication based in Jakarta, that his company would be setting up
150,000 units of the telephone lines this year. This would be followed
by 250,000 units a year for the next five years, bringing the total
number of telephone lines to 2.35 million when REPELITA V
officially ends in 1994.

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890602)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SIN)(00019)

OPTICAL NETWORK TO LINK ASIAN COUNTRIES
SINGAPORE, S.E. ASIA, 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- Singapore Telecom [ST],
together with the telecommunication authorities of Brunei, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand, will spend S$550 million to build
an optical fibre submarine cable network.

The network, which will link the six Asian countries to countries in
Europe, has attracted keen interest from international
telecommunication companies.

Senior representatives from about 50 of the world's largest
telecommunication organizations, including AT&T, Cable & Wireles
[Hong Kong], British Telecommunication International, France Telecom
and International Telecom Japan attended a meeting at ST headquarters
yesterday as potential investors.

The objective of the three-day meeting, opened yesterday by Wong
Hung Khim, ST's president and chief executive officer, is to reveal
details of the project and to attract investors.

Wong said submarine link will be a vital part of the global
optical fibre submarine cable network. It will benefit all Asian
countries, which are closely linked with the dynamic growth of the
Pacific region. One way is that its high speed capability will allow
it to carry television and video conference signals presently only
possible via satellite.

Wong also disclosed that ST and France Telecom are presently
conducting a feasibility study for such a link in the Indian Ocean
region. This will link Southeast Asia with Europe.

The first three segments of the Asian network linking Brunei,
Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines are scheduled to be completed
by the end of 1991.

(Michael Worsley & S. Roowi/19890531/Press Contact: Derek Tan,
Singapore Telecoms, Ph:[65] 734.3344)


(EXCLUSIVE)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00001)

ROBOTS TO SERVE PRISONERS
PLEASANTON, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUNE 3 (NB) -- Prisoners at
the Santa Rita Jail will be served food, laundry, and other supplies
by computer-controlled service vehicles in an ambitious new
scheme to stem violence and increase security. The California
facility, a high-tech prison with one million square feet of space,
is slated to be the first installation of an enormous network of
robotic service vehicles when it opens July 1 to an estimated
population of 3,000 inmates.

The Automatic Guided Vehicle System [AGVS], designed by Bechtel and
implemented by Apogee Robotics of Fort Collins, Colorado, consists of
11,000 feet of guide path, a controlling computer system, and 19
automated power units that carry piggyback any of 163 stainless steel
carts laden with supplies. The Apogee vehicles are meant to withstand
vandalism, with special locks, and can come to a stop when they
detect objects or persons in their path. The total cost of the
AGVS was some six and a half million dollars.

"In the past we had problems moving large numbers of prisoners
to the central hall -- up to 400 at a time were in one big
hall," Sergeant Jim Knutsen, public information officer tells
Newsbytes. "We have tried to do away with that system, which has
led to riots or other problems."

Now inmates will stay in small groups right in their own housing
unit and will not routinely have to leave to participate in a
large, crowded environment such as a mess hall, since even recreational
facilities have been built into the individual housing units
in the new $174 million jail.

James Jones, Apogee president says, "We believe the AGV system
will be an important component of future jail construction and
operating decisions." However, the real test of the system will
come when the facility is actually packed with inmates -- in July.

(Wendy Woods/19890603/Press Contact: Sgt. Knutsen 415-272-6909 or
Apogee Systems, 303-221-1122)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00002)

ATARI'S HAND-HELD COLOR VIDEO GAME
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1989 JUNE 3 (NB) -- Atari has unveiled
the world's first hand-held color video game player about the size
of a video cassette at the Consumer Electronics Show [CES] and
promises to have it ready for delivery to dealer shelves in August.

The Atari Portable Color Entertainment System is the latest attempt
to unseat the reigning king of video games, Nintendo, a task which
dozens of firms are trying to do, as evidenced at this year's CES.

Comprised of a 3.5-inch color liquid crystal display screen, four channel
sound, an eight-way joypad, two fire buttons and five function buttons,
and a 16 MHz system clock, its games are on credit card-sized game
cards that slip into the unit.

It's powered by six "AA" batteries, an AC adapter or a cigarette
lighter adapter. The on-screen image can be rotated 180
degrees and, in an unique software implementation, can also provide
a "first person" view to all players when two or more players use it
simultaneously.

Newsbytes' Janet Endrijonas, at CES, reports that the LCD screen, with
160 by 102 pixels, capable of displaying some 1400 colors, is truly
impressive in the numerous working models -- not prototypes --
that Atari had at the news conference. Sam Tramiel, Atari chief
executive officer, hosted the news conference, and bragged that the
unit is "made in America -- except for the LCD," which is made in
Japan by a company he would only name as "Japan, Inc." He added that
Atari expects to ship 100,000 units by year's end and "millions" in
the 1990s.

Software development is being carried out through Epyx, Inc., which also
designed the technology behind the unit, and while six games will
be initially available, there should be three more by year's end, each
costing between $23 and $35 each.

(Wendy Woods/19890603/Press Contact: Ron Stringari, Atari, 408-
745-2000 or Andy Marken, Marken Communications, 408-738-1115)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00003)

PYRAMID AIDS VENUS PROBE
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- When the
Magellan satellite scans the murky surface of Venus, it will be
sending its data to earth to be analyzed by two Model 9835
Pyramid systems. Pyramid Technology Corporation has won a
contract with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California,
to install two of the Unix, three-processor systems with an
option on a third. They will be used in processing telemetry data from
the Magellan Mission.

The satellite, recently launched into space by the shuttle Atlantis,
will scan the surface of Venus, producing images with five times
the resolution of previous attempts.

The Jet Propulsion laboratory chose the Pyramid system due to its
ability to process and channel large amounts of data very quickly.
The Pyramid symmetric multiprocessor, RISC-based architecture
and mainframe-class I/O subsystem met that requirement.

(Wendy Woods/19890603/Press Contact: Doug Free, Pyramid, 415-
965-7200)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00004)

NINTENDO DEMOS U-FORCE AT CHICAGO EXPO
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1989 JUNE 2 (NB) -- At the Summer
Consumer Electronics Show [CES], Nintendo demonstrated
a new video game technology from Broderbund that creates an
invisible 3-D field that transforms body movement into on-screen
play action.

There are no wires or other connections between the player's body
and the game. The U-Force is designed to be used with the
Nintendo Entertainment System. The company will have young
experts taking the U-Force challenge in order to demonstrate the
product during CES.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890602/Press Contact: Mark Smotroff, Ketchum
Public Relations, 415-984-6120)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00005)

MOTOROLA INTROS NEW BI-CMOS LOGIC FAMILY
PHOENIX, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- Motorola has
introduced a Bi-CMOS logic family, becoming an alternate source
for Toshiba Bi-CMOS products.

At the moment, the devices being marketed by Motorola are
Toshiba-designed. There is a possibility that Motorola and
Toshiba will enter into joint development of Bi-CMOS products.

Motorola Bi-CMOS combines high speed advanced bi-polar technology
with the low power consumption of CMOS. Bi-CMOS logic is
expected to be increasingly used in computers, workstations,
communications systems and industrial products.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890601/Press Contact: Jeff Gorin, Motorola,
Inc., 602-952-3854)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00006)

TV THAT WATCHES YOU
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 31 (NB) -- Nielsen Media
Research has commissioned the development of a spy-eye
camera-computer that will be able to identify members of a family
and determine whether or not they are watching the TV set.

The current Nielson People Meters require a button to be pushed to
indicate which show is being watched. The passive People Meters
would use the Smart Sensing technology, an artificial-intelligence
approach in which a computer would be taught to identify the faces
of every family member. A combination camera-computer the size of
a VCR would sit on the TV set, identify family members, and monitor
his or her activity.

The company regards this as "the next logical step" in measuring TV
audiences and is not expected to be widely used for at least a year.
Neilsen says the sophisticated technology was created to appease
networks which were concerned about the accuracy of its ratings
data.

(Jon Pepper/19890602)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00007)

FASTEST 1-MEG DRAM
KYOTO, JAPAN, 1989 MAY 27 (NB) -- Researchers at IBM Japan's Tokyo
Basic Research Center and IBM's Watson Research Center have jointly
developed the world's fastest one-megabit dynamic random access
memory [DRAM] chip at IBM's Yasu manufacturing plant.

The experimental one-megabit DRAM is based on a new complementary
metal-oxide-semiconductor [CMOS] process. Two layers of
polycrystalline silicon or small silicon crystals joined together
and two layers of metal were used for the chip's wiring. This
composition allows the chip to operate two to three times faster
than the current generation of one-megabit chips, retrieving a unit,
or bit, of information in just 22 billionths of a second. Moreover,
P-channel MOS access transistor allows the new chip to reduce
noise and pick up small signals.

IBM expects that the high-speed one-meg DRAM chip heralds the advent
of very fast main memory in supercomputers, personal computers, and
engineering workstations. Thus, Big Blue is in a hurry to launch
the product for practical use.

(Ken Takahashi/19890601)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(ATL)(00008)

NEURAL CHIP TO SHIP THIS MONTH
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1989 JUN 2 (NB) -- Micro Devices of
Orlando expects to ship a revolutionary new, pattern-recognizing
neural chip this month, after it is presented to the IEEE conference on
neural networks in Washington, July 18.

General Manager Paul Basehore told Newsbytes he doesn't expect
products using the chip to ship until next year. But he asserted the chip,
as it is, has remarkable capabilities in pattern recognition. "Even with a
low resolution frame grabber," being shipped in a $250 add-in board for
the IBM XT with the chip, "it can identify people.," either their faces
or fingerprints. The software which drives the device is simple
and menu driven. The heart of the chip, Basehore said, is a
variable ranking threshold, a single 16-bit register from which
pattern comparisons can be done in a single clock cycle.

Conventional chips would have to draw images consecutively, then
go through a comparison process in software. The Micro Devices
chip also uses very little power, since it's designed with
Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor -- CMOS for short --
technology. That's the same technology used to make low-power
chips for laptop computers.

"We have had much more interest than expected this early on," he
added. "Quite a few companies have called, asking about volume
pricing."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890602/Press Contact: Paul Bashore, Micro
Devices, 407-299-0211)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00009)

HITACHI'S MASSIVE 4M DRAM OUTPUT
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 MAY 26 (NB) -- Seeking to quickly become
the world's leading semiconductor maker, Hitachi has announced
plans to increase four megabit dynamic random access [DRAM] chip
production to up to 800,000 units per month by the end of the year.

Hitachi now makes 30,000 units of four-megabit DRAM
chips per month, and will increase production gradually to 200,000 units
by September and by another 200,000 to 400,000 units by the end of the
year. The chip will be produced in its two local plants, at Kofu
plant in Yamanashi and at Naka plant in Ibaragi.

Meanwhile, one of the other leading DRAM chip makers, Toshiba, is
scheduling an output of one million units in the same period. The
market share battle between three players, Hitachi, Toshiba and NEC,
shows the same "dead heat" as the early stage of one-megabit
DRAM production. Toshiba is generally believed to have won, at
least in terms of volume production.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19890601)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00010)

COLOR LCD FAULTS OVERCOME
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 MAY 26 (NB) -- NEC has unveiled a test model of
a newly-structured 12-inch color liquid crystal display for TV sets
which is said to be a significant leap forward in the technology.

The current color LCD with thin film transistor [TFT] has a major
problem -- it frequently short-circuits due to a structural fault
related to the distance between pixel pad and pattern, which is
only 10 microns. NEC now claims to have completely isolated the TFT
with dielectric film between pixel pad and pattern.

The new LCD, with a 0.3 micron-thick amorphous silicon TFT, has
one-tenth the frequency of defects as its older sibling. This more
reliable LCD is expected to reduce the cost of mass production
and is also expected to usher in large size LCDs, up to 40-inches
in size, for televisions that can be hung on the wall like paintings.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19890601)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BRU)(00011)

INTEL'S 860 CHIP A PRECURSOR TO N-11?
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUN 10 (NB) -- Unix World
Magazine reports that Intel's i860 chip, the new so-called
'mainframe on a chip,' is a precursor to the N-11, a secret chip
supposed to be a full microprocessor, which the 860 is not.

The i860 chip has been seen by many industry observers as a
graphics coprocessor, and has been dismissed as a half-hearted
attempt to lure users away from the Motorola 88000 and the SPARC
chip, as used in Sun computers.

According to the magazine, even Motorola's Wayne Sennett, vice
president of the company's computer systems division, expressed
surprise over Intel's marketing techniques. "The thing that
surprises me is how could anyone offer it [the i860] as a
mainstream chip," he said.

According to Newsbytes research, the N-11, the successor to the
N-10 [the code name for the i860], has been hit by delays due to
its complex architecture.

(Peter Vekinis/19890602)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(KUL)(00012)

MALAYSIAN COMPUTER MARKET WORTH HALF BILLION $U.S.
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, 1989 MAY 18 (NB) -- A research group, Compass
Hoby Ltd [CHL], has placed Malaysia's information technology [IT]
market at more than M$1.3 billion [US$0.5 billion] this year.

Citing a report prepared by Compass' Paul Dowling, Peter Britnell
says the market for the local software industry alone is expected
to be worth about M$152 million [US$60.6 million] this year.

At the same time, the market for computer hardware, excluding
microcomputers, should be worth about MS500 million [US$199 million].
In micros, it should be worth in excess of M$119 million [US$47
million].

He estimated the word processor market at around M$9 million [US$3.5
million] and peripherals a total of M$213 million [US$85 million].
Dowling further broke up the peripheral market into terminals,
M$109 million, printers M$60 million and other peripherals,
M$43 million.

The market for bureau services is estimated at M$52 million and other
services including maintenance and communications M$223 million.

When questioned on the accuracy of the report, Britnell replied
that the company had conducted similar surveys using similar
questionnaires in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and Indonesia.

"Our results have been quite representative of the market conditions
in these countries," said Britnell. "In Singapore we tested our
results against those derived by the National Computer Board and we
were fairly representative."

According to Britnell, the growth rate of Malaysia's IT industry is
estimated at 16.4 percent.

(Michael Worsley & S. Roowi/19890530)


(EXCLUSIVE)(UNIX)(SFO)(00009)

PIXAR LAYOFF
SAN RAFAEL, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUN 3 (NB) -- Pixar, maker
of the Pixar II Image Computer and developer of Renderman 3-D
software, has laid off up to 25 percent of its staff in a major
reorganization. While the company would not give exact figures
for the layoff, Lisa MacKenzie, marketing communications manager
tells Newsbytes that Pixar's sales organization has been
consolidated from 11 to four groups due to the fact that "the
market for image computing is not growing fast enough."

Even though the image computer has been purchased by universities
and research sites, employed for such diverse tasks as
terrain rendering, weather prediction, and the visualization of
the human body, demand for the highly specialized, $29,500 machine has
been growing too slowly to support a huge staff, says MacKenzie.
She had no comment on a report in the San Francisco Examiner that key
hardware design engineers had also been laid off.

The company's Renderman 3-D modelling software, however, is
performing well in the market, having been adopted by Audodesk
for use with its computer-aided design packages. MacKenzie says
more image computing products, both software and hardware,
are in development, and that orders continue to come in daily
for the Pixar II computer.

(Wendy Woods/19890603/Press Contact: MacKenzie, 415-258-4297)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00002)

SUN EXPECTS LOSS, IS BEHIND SCHEDULE
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUN 3 (NB) -- Sun Microsystems
has stunned the investment community by announcing its fourth
quarter performance will be "significantly below" the like
quarter a year ago and the company could experience a slight
loss. Revenues, say company officers, could fall below the $497
million level of the third quarter, ending March 30, 1989. If
true, this would be the first loss in seven years for the firm, a
darling of Wall Street.

Saying the results should only last a single quarter, the Unix
workstation maker blames the lower revenues on the conversion to
a new management information system which slowed production
early in the quarter. In addition, the introduction of five major
new products in April, of which some 8,000 have been shipped
already, took a great deal of company resources, according to Sun,
and there is an "insufficient supply of certain components."

Also, according to the report, "new product manufacturing delays
have resulted from continued strong sales of Sun's traditional
products, causing unexpected production demands."

(Wendy Woods/19890603)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00003)

AUGUST UNIFORUM IN BOSTON
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUN 5 (NB) -- Unix enthusiasts
will bake in Boston along with the beans. UniForum has slated its
trade show there for August 22, 23, and 24 at the Hynes Convention
Center. The conference will feature 20 half and full-day
tutorial sessions and provide exhibits by major national vendors
and start-ups selling Unix products and services.

The keynote speakers include DEC's Donald McInnis, vice president,
Lewis Morrow, vice president, Open Software Foundation, and Lawrence
Dooling, president Unix Software Operation.

For a brochure and additional information call 800-323-5115 or
408-986-8840.

(Wendy Woods/19890602/Press Contact: Ed Palmer, 408-986-8840)


(ADVANCE)(UNIX)(SFO)(00004)

SOFTPC PORTED TO OPUS WORKSTATIONS
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUN 12 (NB) -- Insignia Solutions
has announced that its Soft PC, an MS-DOS emulation product, has
been ported over to the Opus Personal Mainframe where it can run
both Unix and MS-DOS applications on the same screen.

"With SoftPC, our customers can run any MS-DOS program within
the Unix environment. Further, because Unix is multitasking,
a Personal Mainframe user may simultaneously run multiple DOS
programs either on the system console or on a dumb terminal,"
boasts Tom Lacey, Opus Systems marketing manager.

SoftPC is currently available for a number of platforms,
including the Macintosh II and SE, Sun 3, Motorola Delta
series, Hewlett-Packard 9000 series, DEC VAX, and products from
Tektronix, Intergraph and Silicon Graphics.

(Wendy Woods/19890603/Press Contact: Chad Hill, Hill
Communications, 415-945-7910)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00005)

PRIME INTROS LOW-END UNIX SYSTEM
NATICK, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- Prime
Computer has announced the availability of the Prime EXL MBX, a
new, entry-level member of its PRIME EXL family of Unix-based
systems.

Using the Intel 386 architecture, the Prime EXL MBX is a two to ten
user, multitasking supermicrocomputer for small workgroups, with
prices starting at $8,200. The functionality of the unit is similar to the
Prime EXL 320 and EXL 325 systems, with simultaneous access to
applications and communications software using either Unix, DOS, or
Pick operating systems.

The Prime EXL MBX uses Prime's implementation of AT&T's
System V.3.1 operating system, and is binary-compatible with the
EXL 320 and 325 systems. While a fully configured system will cost
$30,845, a typical configuration will include the Intel 386, the Prime
Unix operating system, a PT250 terminal, 2MB of memory, a 1.2MB
floppy drive, 94MB of hard disk storage, a 60MB streaming tape
back-up, and 8 asynchronous lines for $10,450.

(Jon Pepper/19890602/Press Contact: Carla Roudabush, Prime, 508-
655-8000)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00006)

UNISYS PRODUCES PCS IN NEW JERSEY
BLUE BELL, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A. 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- Unisys
announced that it is now assembling its entry level Personal
Workstation2 [PW2] Series 300 PCs in a manufacturing facility in
Flemington, N.J.

The decision to manufacture the PCs was part of an overall plan to
increase its in-house design and manufacturing capabilities across its
open systems product line, the company said.

The line includes the Series 300, 500, and 800 PCs, Unix systems, and
BTOS/CTOS workstations. Unisys purchases the Series 300 computers
under an original equipment manufacturing, or OEM contract, that gives
Unisys manufacturing rights to the product.

(Jon Pepper/19890602/Press Contact: Steven L. Lubetkin, Unisys, 215-
542-2240)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TYO)(00007)

MARUBENI ASSISTS COGENT IN ASIA
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- One of the leading players
in Fuyo group and the fourth largest general trader in Japan, Marubeni
Corp., has announced that it has supplied three units of U.S.-based
Cogent Research's parallel processing computer, XLNT, to two
semiconductor makers.

Cogent and Marubeni have agreed to distribute Cogent's desktop-type
parallel processing supercomputer to the Asian market, including
Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

As a parallel processing computer, the XTM series is expandable
with 2 to 1900 units of Inmos T800 reduced instruction set computer
or RISC chip. The personal computer-like cube measures 35 by 45 by 11
centimeters and has 16 slots to insert CPU boards, each with
two units of T800 RISC CPU. The machine runs on the Unix XTN OS
operating system.

Marubeni has supplied the computer with 30 separate CPUs which have
a maximum processing speed of 150 million instructions per second or
MIPS and 50 million floating point operations per second or FLOPS.
The price of the machine is 40 million yen or $275,862.

Marubeni claims to be receiving inquiries for a model with a
whopping 300 processors and is currently exploring the market --
universities and research centers -- for such a supercomputer.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19890601/Press Contact: Marubeni Corp., 03-282-2368)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TYO)(00008)

TOSHIBA'S SUN-COMPATIBLE WORKSTATIONS
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 MAY 31 (NB) -- Toshiba has announced that
it will receive technologies from Mountain View, California-based
Sun Microsystems to develop Sun-compatible small-size engineering
workstations. The technologies include the Unix-based Sun operating
system and its reduced set instruction set or RISC-type microprocessor
SPARC.

Toshiba will adopt the Open Look interface for its workstations, an
interface which was jointly developed by AT&T and Sun Microsystems.
Toshiba plans to release desktop versions next spring and after that,
develop a laptop version.

Toshiba is the second company to manufacture Sun-compatible
engineering workstations, following Colorado-based Solborne
Computer, a subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industries. Toshiba is
no stranger to Sun, having sold 3,300 units of engineering workstations
from Sun on an original equipment manufacturing basis.

(Ken Takahashi/19890601)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SYD)(00009)

UNIX NOT PORTABLE, CLAIMS CONSULTANT
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 MAY 30 (NB) -- Speaking in Sydney last
week, computer industry consultant Brian Clegg spoke about
operating systems and put more than a few noses out of joint.
"Even though there has been a lot of publicity about Unix being
an open system, it's not a truly portable operating system . In
order to move Unix to different machines you have to make changes
to the system. This is not so with either Pick or DOS."

He the said that Pick also beat Unix with a much larger
users-base. "It is favored by small development houses who look
for price to performance. From day one it was a multiuser,
commercial system, unlike Unix which started up as an operating
system used in the educational and scientific area. My aim is for
Pick and Unix to work side-by-side so that you can log onto Pick
from Unix -- that platform doesn't exist yet but it should. We
need true integration!"

(Paul Zucker/19890603)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LON)(00010)

APRICOT WITH FIRST 80486-BASED MACHINES
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, 1989 JUNE 02 (NB) -- Apricot Computers has
launched the first series of computers based around the Intel
80486 microprocessor. The machines -- code-named the Titan series --
are known as the VX FT-server series of integrated network and
Unix servers.

The Apricot VX series centres around two microprocessors, the
25MHz 80386 chip and the 25MHz 80486 chip. The 80486-based VX FT-
server series provides 15 million instructions per second [MIPS]
of processing power. The 80386-based machines will ship in
August, while the 80486-based machines will ship in September.

The VX series splits neatly into two families - the VX 400
network servers and the VX 800 Unix host systems. Each family has
four models, the Model 10, 30, 40 and 90, each with differing
hard disk, and tape back-up configurations. A 1,200MB digital
audio tape [DAT] data system, plus 1.44MB 3.5 inch floppy drive
is fitted as standard on all machines.

The entry-level Model 400/10, for example, has a 25MHz 80386
microprocessor with 4MB of random access memory [RAM], a 117MB
hard disk, and 80MB tape streamer. The 400/10 prices in at a
hefty UKP 8,995, whilst the top of the range 400/90, with 25MHz
80486 microprocessor, 1047MB hard disk, and 150MB tape streamer,
costs UKP 16,995.

Slightly higher product specifications are on the VX 800 series,
which range in price from UKP 10,995 for the Model 10 to UKP
21,995 for the Model 90. RAM configurations range from 8 to 16MB
on the VX 800 series.

The new Apricot machines have been welcomed by several third
party companies, all of whom are developing systems software for
the VX series. Companies in this category include Microsoft,
Novell, Oracle, Sybase and The Santa Cruz Operation.

(Steve Gold/19890602/Press Contact: Jes Dorrell, Apricot
Computers - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TOR)(00011)

AT&T CANADA SIGNS VAR DEAL
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 JUN 1 (NB) -- AT&T Canada has
signed Heron Technology as a value-added reseller to the health
care and construction markets in Ontario, Canada. Both companies
have their headquarters in Markham, Ontario. Heron will be an
exclusive VAR for health care customers in Ontario, and a non-
exclusive VAR for construction and job costing applications.
Heron will sell a management information system designed for
hospitals by the Canadian Hospital Association, on AT&T Unix
systems.

(Grant Buckler/19890601/Press Contact: Dianne Bernez, AT&T
Canada, 416-499-9400)