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/nb891106

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(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00001)

MICROTV NOW DUE OUT IN DECEMBER}
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 3 (NB) -- MicroTV, a product
that can display a live television signal in a window on an Apple
Macintosh II screen, will not be ready to ship until at least late
November, early December according Aaps Corporation's vice president
for sales and marketing, Tim Leary.

Displayed at MacWorld in Boston in August, MicroTV is an add-on
board and software that enables a person with a Macintosh II and a
13-inch monitor to display a live television signal or video in
black-and-white while using another software program. MicroTV can
handle video and VHF television.

Tim Leary tells Newsbytes that he "doesn't know where an October
ship date came from" which was widely publicized, but that shipments
should begin late this month. Leary says the delay isn't caused by
technical problems, but by a choice of packaging and the completion of
documentation.

MicroTV is also capable of making a digitized images in up to 128
shades of gray from a frame of the television signal or video, saving
it and pasting it into another software program.

The regular Macintosh II product displays the video or TV signal in
one small window in a portion of the screen. Aaps Video Professional --
a slightly more advanced card due to debut in January or February --
will retail for $595 and will display a TV or video image four times
larger than that of MicroTV's "Sony Watchman" sized image. This
second product would be useful for desktop publishing professionals and
others who need the nearly full-screen display of real-time video. In
both products, the windows can be moved, but not resized.

A version for the Macintosh SE and SE/30, which will not be able to
display live television images but will be able to capture video images
for editing and pasting, is in the works, according to Leary, but no
price or ship date has been offered.

The MicroTV line will not have a product capable of displaying a
television or video signal in color for 18 months.

Aaps Corporation is being financed by entrepreneur Nolan Bushnell
who is also the company's chairman.

(Wendy Woods/19891103/Press Contact: Tim Leary, Aaps Corp.,
415- 961-4033)


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

SIX-SLOT MAC DUE IN EARLY '90, SAYS MACWEEK}
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 3 (NB) -- Apple is
preparing to roll out a six-slot Macintosh workstation called the IIxi
early in 1990, according to Macweek magazine.

The trade weekly says the computer, code-named "F-19," will be
based on a 50 MHz 68030 processor, "probably braked to 33
MHz to guarantee compatibility with timing-dependent applications
and peripherals. Still, the machine is said to be 30 to 100 percent
faster than the current top-of-the-line, the IIci.

The machine will be aimed at the high-end computer-aided design
market. The announcement should coincide with the release of the
new System 7.0 software, still slated for an April, 1990 roll-out.

(Wendy Woods/19891103)


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

MAC COLOR ADVANCED BY SUPERMAC}
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 3 (NB) -- SuperMac
has introduced two boards for the Macintosh II family which make color
images virtually flicker-free when displayed on Supermac's new
1024 by 768 pixel monitors at 72 dots-per-inch. The images appear
flicker-free due to the high refresh rate of 75Hz.

Supermac's Spectrum/24 Series III card, $4,499, includes the
Supermac Graphics Accelerator, which is said to improve the performance
of Apple 32-bit QuickDraw commands up to 20 times.

Like the 24-bit version, the 8-bit version -- the Spectrum
8/Series III card, $1,899 -- displays 1024 by 768 pixels and 256 colors
or shades of gray at 72 dots-per-inch. It does not include the
graphics accelerator.

Both cards will ship this month and come with software which allows
users to magnify graphic details up to 200 percent, as well as create
a "virtual desktop," or an image as large as 8-square feet.

(Wendy Woods/19891103/Press Contact: Betsy Wahlquist, Supermac,
408-773-4470)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(BRU)(00004)

BLYTH CHANGES EUROPEAN PRICING OF OMNIS DATABASE}
SUFFOLK, UNITED KINGDOM, 1989 OCT 24 (NB) -- Omnis Database, the
successful PC and Mac database package, will now cost BF 14,950
for version 3, and BF 49,500 for version 5, the company has
announced.

Omnis, which was launched as a stand-alone Pascal application
package in 1983, has under gone many revisions and changes over
the years, the latest of which resulted in the unveiling of Omnis
Quartz, which runs under the Microsoft Windows environment.

(Peter Vekinis/19891103)


(EXCLUSIVE)(APPLE)(SYD)(00005)

SYMANTEC TO PORT POPULAR IBM SOFTWARE TO MAC}
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 NOV 3 (NB) -- Currently on a visit
to Australia, Symantec's chief, Gordon Eubanks, has revealed to
Newsbytes that his company will launch Macintosh versions of two
popular programs early next year. The packages are
Timeline project management software and Q&A, the
word processor/database. Both packages are generally rated highly
in their class and have been consistent best-sellers for
Symantec. Q&A is particularly popular with writers and
other 'words and ideas' people.

(Paul Zucker/19891103)


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

DISK DRIVE MAKER PRIAM HITS SKIDS}
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 3 (NB) -- Priam Corporation
has filed for protection against creditors after an attempt to restructure
and revitalize sales has failed. The disk drive maker has cut 204
more jobs worldwide, about 35 percent of its workforce, and has
bagged research into a 760-megabyte disk drive.

The company, which has filed for Chapter 11 protection under the Federal
Bankruptcy Code, will concentrate on returning to viability and will
continue work on only one project -- a 400 megabyte 3.5-inch drive
code-named SHRIKE, which is near completion. The customer for the
drive is Japan's giant Matsushita Communications.

Priam was established in 1978 to make drives for the minicomputer
industry. The last profitable year for the firm was 1984.

(Wendy Woods/19891103)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00002)

SARATOGA SEMI FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY}
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 3 (NB) -- A maker of
SRAM (static random access memory) chips created with the
BiCMOS (complimentary metal oxide semiconductor) technique has
sought refuge under Chapter 11 of federal bankruptcy laws.

Saratoga Semiconductor has reportedly listed $7.4 million in
liabilities and $3 million in assets and 130 people have been laid
off.

Two recent problems apparently spelled disaster for the former
rising star among chipmakers, which once supplied Compaq.
The change of its production line from Cupertino to Sunnyvale
reportedly cost orders as customers scrambled to retest the
reliability of the chips from Saratoga Semi, and the sale of the
original plant to Maxim Integrated Products of Sunnyvale fell
apart.

(Wendy Woods/19891103)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00003)

MEDIAGENIC REVENUES UP, BUT TAKES $1.9 MILLION LOSS}
MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 31 (NB) -- Mediagenic
has reported a loss of $1.9 million as part of its divestiture of
the TenpointO division. The firm says it made $16.8 million in
revenues for its second fiscal quarter, which is a 30 percent
increase over this time last year.

Mediagenic, which changed its name from Activision last year,
has chosen to concentrate solely on games and computer entertainment
products, where 85 percent of its revenue was generated during the
past year.

(Wendy Woods/19891103)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(00004)

INTELLICORP REPORTS RESULTS FOR QUARTER}
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 24 (NB)-- IntelliCorp
reported a net profit of $393,000 or $.05 per share for the
first quarter ending September 30, 1989. This is down from a
net profit of $411,000 or $.06 a share for the first quarter of
1988 and compares to the company's profit of $394,000 or $.05 a
share in the third quarter of 1989.

First quarter 1989 revenues were $5,803,000, an 8 percent increase over
$5,370,000 for the first quarter of 1988. IntelliCorp makes
advanced applications, development and delivery systems software
based on artificial intelligence technology.

(Don S. Johnson/19891103)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(ATL)(00005)

CRAY RESEARCH HAS SWEETHEART DEAL WITH SPIN-OFF}
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 1 (NB) --In its
filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Cray Research
said it will withdraw its $100 million in financing to the Cray
Computer spin-off if founder Seymour Cray leaves or scraps
his project-design plans, the Cray-3.

The strings attached to the investment make Cray Computer a riskier
deal, but have boosted the price of Cray Research stock. Cray Research
will ship an upgraded model in its existing supercomputer line, the Cray-
90, next year, and is facing increasing pressure from Hitachi, NEC,
Fujitsu, and IBM, which has invested in former Cray designer
Steve Chen's Supercomputer Systems start-up.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19891107/Press Contact: Jim Ottinger, Capella
Systems, 404-552-9910)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(ATL)(00006)

NBI RESTRUCTURES AGAIN}
BOULDER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 1 (NB) -- NBI, once a
major player in the days of dedicated word processors, has
restructured yet again in an attempt to stay in the race.

President Stephen G. Jerritts said the company will stop making
networked computer systems and become a software and services
company.  "The foundation of NBI's new direction is Legend, a
Windows-based word processor, document management applications
and our customer service and support business," he said.

As part of its repositioning, NBI will cut 167 field sales
employees and 266 headquarter personnel.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19891107/Press Contact: Harry Pforzheimer, NBI,
303-938-2619)


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

COMPAQ EXPECTS LOWER EARNINGS IN 4TH QUARTER}
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 02 (NB) --  Compaq has
announced that it expects fourth quarter earnings per share will
fall below current expectations and below the earnings per share
in the fourth quarter of 1988.

According to Compaq president, Rod Canion, October sales were
about 10 percent below expectations. Canion has indicated that
he does expect to see sales growth of 15 to 20 percent over last
year in the fourth quarter. He added that because the company
has a tightly controlled financial environment, overall
performance should be consistent with the company's long-range
goals of 8 to 10 percent after-tax profit.

Canion attributed the lower sales to a slow growth rate in the
American market, limited availability of new products in the
quarter and continued uncertainty surrounding the availability of
fully functional 486 chips. He did sound an optimistic note on
the company's prospects for 1990 based on the products being
introduced this quarter and a significant number to be introduced
next year.

Compaq has announced that the company will be showing the
notebook-sized laptop computers introduced last week at the
upcoming Comdex Show in Las Vegas.

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103/Press Contact: Bob Beach, Compaq, 713-
374-0484)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00008)

TWO DIRECTORS ELECTED AT CSC}
EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA U.S.A., 1989 OCT 31 (NB) -- Two new
members have been elected to the Board of Directors at Computer
Sciences Corp. (CSC) expanding the total board to nine members.

Joining the board is Leon Level, vice president and CFO of CSC.
Level joined CSC in August coming from Unisys Corp. Also new to
the board is F. Warren MacFarlan, a professor at Harvard
University's Graduate School of Business. Considered to be one
of the country's leading consultants in the corporate use of
information technology, MacFarlan is currently director of
Harvard Business School's Division of Research and head of the
management information systems faculty.

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103/Press Contact: Jim Furlong, Computer
Sciences Corporation, 213-615-0311)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00009)

$3.6 MILLION 3RD QTR LOSS FOR COMPUTER LANGUAGE RESEARCH}
CARROLLTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 31 (NB) -- Computer Language
Research announced an increase in third quarter revenues to $23.3
million resulting in only a $3.6 million dollar loss for the
quarter compared with a $5 million loss for the same period in
1988.

For the nine month period ended September 30, revenues hit $92.7
million, an increase of 7.7 percent over the $86 million in the
first nine months last year. Net income jumped from a loss of
$2.2 million for the first nine months of 1988 to a profit of
$864,000 for the first nine months of 1989.

The gains reflect an increase in sales in the company's tax
business. The company provides tax automation systems to
accounting firms, corporations, partnerships and financial
service organizations under the brand name Fast-Tax. Operating
expenses for the 1989's third quarter were slightly higher than
for the same period last year because of higher equipment sales
and product development costs.

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103/Press Contact: M. Brian Healy,
Computer Langauge Research, 214-250-7000)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00010)

QUOTRON TO LAYOFF 400}
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 31 (NB) -- Quotron, a
subsidiary of financial giant Citicorp, has announced it will lay
off 400 of its 2,500 worldwide employees.

The company, which provides stock prices and other financial
information through a network of more than 100,000 terminals in
23 countries, says the layoffs result from a decrease in demand
for financial information due to Wall Street cutbacks since the
market crash two years ago. When the company was acquired by
Citicorp two years ago, it was growing at the rate of 25 percent
per year.

A Reuters report indicated that two of Quotron's major clients,
Merrill Lynch and Shearson Lehman Hutton, are switching to a rival
service.

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00011)

KAYPRO RECEIVES ANOTHER BIG ORDER}
SOLANA BEACH, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 03 (NB) -- Continuing
its resurgence, Kaypro has announced receipt of an order for
computers totalling $495,000.

The Northwest Bank of Minneapolis has delivered an irrevocable
letter of credit for 1,000 Kaypro MC-10 computers. The order is
to be shipped by the end of November.

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103/Press Contact: Kaypro, 619-481-4333)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00012)

AGREEMENT SIGNED BY CONTINUUM CORPORATION}
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 03 (NB) -- The Continuum Company
has signed an agreement establishing an ongoing program of
architectural enhancements to its advanced technology insurance
and financial services system known as Client/Contract
Administration (CCA).

This CCA Advanced Development Program (ADP) established by this
agreement will enable CCA to take advantage of IBM's Systems
Applications Architecture (SAA) platform. The three founding
participants in the ADP, Principal Financial Group, Sun Alliance
Insurance, and Norwich Union Life Insurance Society have agreed
to fund a series of development projects to be selected by
Continuum over the next five years. Funding totalling
approximately $10 million has already been approved for 1990-91.
Software created by the ADP will be owned by Continuum and will
be available by license for all CCA customers.

In a related announcement, Continuum announced the signing of an
agreement to provide the Scottish Provident Institution with an
initial package of software and services valued at approximately
$2.5 million.

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103/Press Contact: Press Contact: John L.
Westermann III, The Continuum Company, 512-338-7010)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00013)

$3.55 MILLION 4TH QTR EARNINGS FOR STERLING SOFTWARE}
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 31 (NB) -- Sterling Software has
posted an extraordinary gain for the fiscal year ended September
30 with earnings per share at 73 cents compared with a loss of
$1.10 per share in 1988.

Net income for fourth quarter 1989 reached $3.55 million
compared with $1.3 million for the same period a year ago.

Annual revenues increased to $180.2 million from $165.3 million
for last year with.  The company realized a net after-tax
extraordinary gain of about $2.8 million in 1989 as a result of
buying back its eight percent convertible debentures at a
discount reducing the total outstanding to approximately $66
million from $82.9 million. Total earnings per share after
extraordinary gains were 98 cents in 1989 compared to a loss of
30 cents in 1988.

The company says its outlook for 1990 is for continued growth in
revenue and earnings and continued strengthening of its balance
sheet.

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103/Press Contact: Ray Hannon, Sterling
Software, 214-891-8600)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00014)

TI OPENS PLANT IN KOREA}
CHINCHON, KOREA, 1989 NOV 01 (NB) -- A new plant to
manufacture electrical control products was opened by Texas
Instruments in Chinchon Village, Korea, 60 miles south of Seoul.

This is the first site for Texas Instruments Korea Ltd. and is
part of TI's Materials & Controls Group. The electrical control
products to be designed and manufactured at this facility were
previously imported from TI's plant in Oyama, Japan. They serve
the specialized needs of the Korean automobile and household
appliance industries and include overload protectors for air
conditioning compressors, for electric motors used in appliances
and automobiles and for lighting ballasts.

Plans call for a line to be set up later this year to make
specialized sockets used in testing semiconductors. Future
products also include pressure switches for air conditioners and
advanced motor protectors for refrigeration compressors.

Plant operations are scheduled to begin immediately.

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103/Press Contact: Terri West, Texas
Instruments, 214-995-3481)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00015)

GRANADA COMPUTER INCREASES CAPITAL}
PARIS, FRANCE, 1989 NOV 4 (NB) -- The French division of Granada
Computer Services has boosted its capital to FF 251 million from
FF 51 million. The increased capitalisation has been made to
finance forthcoming planned expansion for the company.

Granada Computer Services, which recently bought Infomat, Semsi
and Intersysteme, is one of the biggest computer service
companies in France. The group has a similar operation in the UK.

(Peter Vekinis/19891103)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00016)

THOMSON-CSF SELLS FINANCE DIVISION}
PARIS, FRANCE, 1989 NOV 4 (NB) -- Thomson-CSF, France's top
defence and electronics contractor, is to sell a controlling
stake in its highly profitable finance division to Credit
Lyonnais, the country's third-largest bank, in a share swap worth
more than FF 5,000 million ($833 million).

Analysts expect that the deal will form the first stage in an
ongoing relationship between the two companies. Alain Gomez,
Thomson-CSF's chairman, has been seeking a bank partner to
assist the company in competing against its West German and
Japanese counterparts, both of whom benefit from their respective
country's low interest rates.

(Eric Dauchy/19891104)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00017)

PHILIPS NET PROFITS SOAR 41 PERCENT}
EINDHOVEN, THE NETHERLANDS, 1989 NOV 4 (NB) -- Philips, the Dutch
electronics company, is pulling out of the doldrums of the past few
years. In the quarter ended 30 September, 1989, the company reported
profits of FL 227 million ($109 million) - up a heady 41 percent on the
same period last year.

According to H H Apelo, Philips' board member, the company is on
the right track as far as sales and profits are concerned. "We
have nearly reached a new phase," he said.

Apelo said that around 11,800 jobs have been trimmed by the group
in the 21 months since Kor Van der Klugt, Philips' chairman,
announced that up to 20,000 staff need to be axed to restore
profitability. Restructuring costs are expected to fall close to
FL 300 million in 1990, compared to FL 350-400 million this year,
he added.

(Eric Dauchy/19891104)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00018)

SWISS BOURSE SYSTEMS TO LINK UP}
BASLE, SWITZERLAND, 1989 NOV 4 (NB) -- The three Swiss stock
exchanges have voted to link up as a single electronic exchange
to keep Switzerland as one of the leaders in the international
stock market.

Under terms of a plan just unveiled, fixed-rate bond trading will
be transferred to a national electronic system costing SF 35
million ($13.8 million) by the summer of 1991. The Swiss are still
debating whether to replace their regional exchanges in Zurich,
Geneva and Basle with one national electronics exchange for
securities trading.

The Association of Tripartite Bourses, project coordinator for
the exchanges, was responsible for evaluating the possible
benefits of the system.

Work on linking up the three exchanges will start later this
month, and will be carried out by Arthur Anderson and software
specialists Logica.

(Eric Dauchy/19891104)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00019)

NIXDORF REPORTS INCREASED SALES, BUT PLANS JOB CUTS}
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1989 NOV 4 (NB) -- Nixdorf, the West German
computer manufacturer, has announced plans to shed a number of
its workforce in a bid to return to profitability by next year.
The company's workforce peaked at 31,000 a year ago, since which
it has shed 1,700 jobs. No precise details on how and where the
company plans to cut still more jobs have been revealed.

The company said it needed to spend less, despite a five percent
increase in turnover in the first nine months of this year
compared to the same period in 1988. Staff levels will take the
brunt of the cost-savings, since staffing costs had risen by six
percent during the year, despite the job cuts.

Nixdorf has already announced a DM 297 million operating loss
($162.2 million) in the first half of this year. The company's
troubles began in 1988 when 1987's net profit of DM 330 million
turned into a loss of DM 60 million.

(Eric Dauchy/19891104)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00020)

IBM AUSTRALIA BUYS PAXUS}
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 OCT 30 (NB) -- IBM Australia has
followed the trend of its U.S. parent by buying into the
software industry. The IBM subsidiary spent AUS$20M on
9.69M shares to get a 15 percent stake in the Australian
information services group, Paxus Corporation.

Paxus chief Neil Cullimore says he believes the deal will
be finalized later this month, but it is still subject to
approval from the National Companies Security Council,
Foreign Investment Review Board and Paxus shareholders.

Mr Cullimore said he hopes IBM's involvement will allow
some form of technological exchange, but that IBM would be
restricted to owning no more than 20 percent of the
company. If the deal goes ahead a representative from IBM
will be appointed to the Paxus Corporation board of
directors.

According to Mr Cullimore, Paxus will provide resources to
IBM's programming center, consulting services to IBM's
systems integration bids, and resources to its value-added
network and financial systems business. In return IBM would
help boost Paxus's Southeast Asian activities.

(Gavin Atkins & Computing Australia/19891101)


(EXCLUSIVE)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00021)

DEC HAS NOT SOLD FIRST 9000 IN HONGKONG - NOT YET}
CENTRAL, HONGKONG, 1989 NOV 4 (NB) -- Last weekend, much to the
surprise of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) and its very
important customer the Hongkong Telephone Company (HKTel), an
over-enthusiastic journalist in the USA announced across the
news wires (not Newsbytes) that DEC had made a world-first sale
of its new mainframe product, the VAX 9000, to a HKTel
subsidiary in a deal worth more than $10 million.

Naturally Newsbytes was keen to uncover more details and in an
exclusive interview with HKTel's managing director, Mr Greg
Crew, discovered that the report was far from correct and the
company had not placed an order with DEC.

Mr Crew was very keen for Newsbytes to correct the report to
enable international monthly journals to know the facts prior
to publication. The subsidiary concerned is Computasia,
Hongkong's largest computer service company which handles all
of HKTel's computing needs in addition to many local and
overseas customers.

The facts, according to Mr Crew, are that HKTel is planning to
build an entirely new system which will integrate the
processing of all its new subscriber services and a revision of
the present billing system. The project is code-named `Dragon,'
which, perhaps, is appropriate under the circumstances.

Early in the study, which was being performed by Computasia and
HKTel personnel, it was decided that the new system should be
on a DEC platform. This decision was based upon the best
available sizing estimates at the time and was made long before
DEC's recent mainframe announcement. It meant that from that
time on the systems specification and design could reasonably
involve the prospective supplier (DEC), and thus sizing
estimates could be more accurately defined.

A more recent sizing exercise has shown that the ultimate
system will be significantly larger than originally estimated
and DEC's previous range of equipment appeared to be not large
enough to cope with the massive system which services millions
of subscribers across the territory.

When the new VAX 9000 came along with five times the speed of
the most powerful DEC system available, some people assumed
that the Computasia order was a certainty.

This view was supported by the VAX 9000 announcement press
release from DEC Hongkong which quoted the Hongkong general
manager, Graham Long: "In fact, one of our biggest customers
has indicated their intention to purchase two of the top end
VAX 9000 Model 410 systems for what will probably be one of the
largest data bases in Hongkong. The computer arm of the
Hongkong Telephone Company is to implement a new billing and
customer services system to cope with the burgeoning demand for
telephone services."

All in all it appears that over-zealous subediting reduced
"indicated their intention to purchase" to "signed a contract
to purchase."

Mr Crew asked Newsbytes to point out that as the size of the
Dragon system has grown so substantially it is now in a
different realm of computing power and the company is reviewing
its hardware direction, perhaps with the view to including
other vendors. "This is not to say that we will not go with the
VAX 9000, nor that we consider it anything else but a fine
product. We simply have to take stock and review any new
options which might be available," he said.

(Keith Cameron/19891104)


(EXCLUSIVE)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00022)

HONGKONG SOFTWARE HOUSE RCP EXPANDS HORIZONS}
CENTRAL, HONGKONG, 1989 NOV 4 (NB) -- A new collaboration
between one of Hongkong's premier software houses, RCP
Consulting and local value-added retailers seems destined to
increase sales for Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) and NCR
throughout the region.

The company has formalized marketing relationships with COL,
the territory's longest established computer bureau and
services company, and Fourseas Telecom, a remarketer of NCR
Tower systems. On Wednesday November 8, RCP will be presenting
its wares to other prospective dealers at DECs Automation
Support Centre in Hongkong.

RCP is a long established software house in Hongkong which,
over more than a decade, has installed its products in many
locations throughout the region, including Japan. The company
was the first Hongkong software house to export and implement
software to the USA. Although the company is best known for
its popular multi-company multi-currency Financial Management
System, RCP has major vertical systems in major consumer
finance, stockbroking, hotel, retail and distribution
companies.

Originally the company developed systems for Datapoint
equipment exclusively, however in recent years has ported most
of its major systems down to PC stand-alone and network
configurations. The latest move to DEC and Unix is considered
to be the most dramatic in RCP's history.

The initial announcement is for RCP's Payroll and Personnel
Package (PMX). The package addresses a local market which is
not well satisfied by software packages at the moment.
"Payroll and personnel has not been widely automated in
Hongkong, " Richard Gibson, general manager of RCP told
Newsbytes, "because these applications are not easily
transferred from one country to another. PMX was written in
Hongkong with only the needs of local employers in mind."

"PMX is a parameter driven package that can be tailored to fit
almost any kind of company and salary structure. It is
designed as a multi-user system, " said Mr Gibson.

Mr Gibson told Newsbytes that all of RCP's other software
packages would be progressively available on DEC and Unix
platforms. He pointed out that FMS had already been released
and would be included in the presentation on Wednesday.

(Keith Cameron/19891104)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00023)

HONGKONG BANK GOES FOR WANG IMAGING}
CENTRAL, HONGKONG, 1989 OCT 30 (NB) -- The champagne must have
been flowing down at Wang Pacific's Hongkong office today when
the Hongkong Bank confirmed a $650,000 contract for a Wang
Integrated Imaging System (WIIS) for its property subsidiary,
Wayfoong Property.

Wayfoong will be using WIIS to build a library of information
related to property assessments. Documents which need to be
captured include technical building drawings, floor layouts,
owner publicity material and statutory records on tens of
thousands of properties throughout Hongkong.

The company currently processes about 5,000 property valuations
each month. Each valuation requires reference to many multiples
of files for the collection of relevant data, and automation is
considered to be the only way to handle the volume.

One local property valuer told Newsbytes: "It isn't surprising
that Wayfoong has gone this way, we handle about half their
volume and we have troubles in providing the turnaround that is
demanded by clients these days in Hongkong. But the technology
is still quite new, and other firms in here will watch Wang's
performance quite closely. If Wayfoong is successful, then
other property companies will be forced to follow suit."

(Keith Cameron/19891104)


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

OTTAWA FIRM BUYS TWO COMPANIES}
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 NOV 1 (NB) -- Sharon Electronics, a
consultant and distributor, is buying the majority of Thormac
Microcomputers, a personal computer retailer. Both companies are
based in Ottawa. Thormac employs 20 people and had revenues of
C$4 million last year. Sharon Electronics' subsidiary, SPS, has
acquired ProMark associates of Buffalo, N.Y., and its banking
software TeleSales. SPS will obtain worldwide rights to TeleSales
as part of the deal. TeleSales is written in Mapper, a
development language for Unisys hardware, which SPS also
distributes.

SPS has also announced a marketing agreement under which Tech
Data, of Springfield, Mass., will sell accounting software
developed by SPS in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.
And SPS has opened sales offices in Hartford, Conn., and Toronto.

(Grant Buckler/19891101/Press Contact: Monty O'Callaghan, SPS,
613-238-1700)


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

NBS RESTRUCTURING TERMS CHANGE}
MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 NOV 1 (NB) -- Two groups have
toughened restructuring terms with National Business Systems, the
troubled maker of point-of-sale computer equipment, The Globe and
Mail reports.

The Toronto newspaper said Hees International Bancorp of Toronto
will now be paid C$5 million cash for its services in
restructuring the company, instead of in NBS stock. Hees has also
cancelled plans to buy C$20-million worth of convertible
debentures from NBS, the Globe said. Second, institutions in the
United States that bought US$80 million worth of senior
subordinated notes just as NBS' financial troubles began will
convert US$20 million of that debt into preferred shares, rather
than common shares as originally planned. NBS officials could not
be reached for comment.

Regulators forced the firm to withdraw its financial statements
in January, 1988, and a later audit revealed that NBS lost C$33.8
million in 1987, instead of making a C$14.2-million profit as
originally claimed. Several former company executives were
charged with fraud early this year. The company makes credit card
verification systems and other electronic point-of-sale hardware.

(Grant Buckler/19891103/Press Contact: Murray Small, NBS, 416-
671-3334)


(EXCLUSIVE)(GENERAL)(LON)(00001)

NEW AMIGA RANGE PLANNED FOR COMDEX}
MAIDENHEAD, BERKSHIRE, 1989 NOV 4 (NB) -- All eyes at Comdex Fall
in Las Vegas next week will be on the Commodore stands, where the
computer giant is expected to unveil two new Amigas based around
the Motorola 68030 microprocessor.

As previously reported by Newsbytes, the new Amigas will be based
around a 16MHz and a 25MHz version of the 68030 chip. Sources
close to the company have confirmed that earlier reports that the
machines will be named the A3000 series, following on from the
A500, A1000, A2000 and A2500 series, are incorrect.

Instead, Commodore will name its 68030-based Amigas as a new
system range. Whilst retaining the Amiga name, the intention is
to position the new Amigas away from the existing Amiga series,
say Newsbytes sources. This will allow the machines to be
marketed exclusively into the high-end business market,
rather than the games arena, as the Amiga has been associated
with in the past.

Our sources won't say what the new machines are named.

(Steve Gold/19891104)


(EXCLUSIVE)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00002)

REAGAN TO SPEAK AT BUSINESSLAND EVENT}
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 4 (NB) -- What do President
Ronald Reagan and technology have in common? A select few will find
out when they come to hear him deliver the address for
the Businessland-sponsored Technology Summit December 6, 7, and
8 at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott Hilton. Businessland spokeswoman
Beverley Bird could not tell Newsbytes what his topic will be at
deadline.

While the former president will head the roster, the illuminati of
the computer industry will bolster it. Among the scheduled speakers
of this strategic planning get-together are John Sculley, chairman of
Apple Computer, Dr. Enzo Torresi, president of NetFrame Systems,
Esther Dyson, publisher of Release 1.0, Stewart Alsop, Phillippe
Kahn, chairman of Borland, Peter Tierney, senior vice president of
Oracle, Dr. Robert Epstein, executive vice president of Sybase, James
Cannavino, IBM VP, Steve Jobs of Next, and Jim Manzi of Lotus, to
name a few.

Businessland is targeting this conference at MIS, EDP executives,
and directors responsible for information processing or systems
integration and the direction of a corporation's use of
microcomputers and office automation products.

Day One's topic is The Future of Information Access and Delivery, which
explores the role of multimedia, mainframe technologies, networks,
and corporate data systems. The second day's theme is Operating
Systems of the Office, which explores OS/2, Unix, Apple, and
PS/2.

The conference will not come cheaply. Non-Businessland accounts
pay $695 and Businessland accounts must pay $595 for the event,
which includes a welcoming night cocktail reception, a pre-dinner
cocktail reception, and a special banquet, as well as continental
breakfasts and lunches for two days, and admission to all
conferences. Attendees must cover their own hotel, transportation,
and dinner expenses. Even the press will be charged to attend this
one -- $100 a day.

(Wendy Woods/19891103/Press Contact: Beverley Bird, Businessland,
408-437-4366)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00003)

FIRST POSTSCRIPT PRINTER UNDER $3000 FROM TI}
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 1 (NB) -- Adobe
Systems has announced that Texas Instruments will create the
industry's first under-$3,000 PostScript laser printer, and it
will be on the market by Christmas.

The new microLaser printer, compatible with the Hewlett-Packard
Laserjet Series II, comes with half a megabyte of memory. It
is priced at $1,999. The microLaser PS35 has the same features
but adds 35 Adobe PostScript software typefaces and an additional
one megabyte of memory. It will cost $2,999. Both print with a
Sharp engine at a resolution of 300 dots-per-inch and the lower-end
model is upgradable to the higher-end model with the installation
of a board.

The microLaser printers have optional RS232, RS422, and Appletalk
interfaces.

(Wendy Woods/19891103)


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

DATAPRODUCTS UNVEILS NEW LOW-COST LASER PRINTER}
WOODLAND HILLS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 02 (NB) --
Dataproducts has introduced the LZR 650, a six-page-per-minute
laser printer that can be used in multiuser environments yet
costs about the about same amount as today's least expensive
single-user printers.

The list price is $1,695 and the LZR is currently shipping. The
LZR has the smallest footprint in its class, standard Centronics
and RS-232-C interface connections and 512 KBytes RAM. The
printer contains five built-in printer emulations and has a 250
sheet input cassette and a 250-sheet face-down output tray. It
is also equipped with a straight-through paper path and contains
two slots for Dataproducts "font cards" offering a complete range
of fonts. The LZR 650 will also accept customized font cards for
special jobs such as company logos.

Dataproducts is including with each LZR 650 a free offer of Agfa
Compugraphic Type Director and two outline fonts.

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103/Press Contact: Joyce Smolarsky,
Dataproducts, 818-888-4014)


(EXCLUSIVE)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00005)

NEWSBYTES PLANS FOR COMDEX}
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 3 (NB) -- Newsbytes
will have seven reporters at Comdex in Las Vegas, making this the
biggest year ever for Fall Comdex coverage from the seven-year-old
electronic news-gathering organization.

Steve Gold, Janet Endrijonas, Dana Blankenhorn, Paul Zucker, Grant
Buckler, Peter Vekinis, and Wendy Woods will be providing daily
coverage of the country's largest computer trade show. Monday, Tuesday
and Wednesday, November 13, 14, and 15, on GEnie and America Online,
Newsbytes will be filing daily reports gathered from the show floor,
back rooms, conferences, and parties.

(Wendy Woods/19891103)


(EXCLUSIVE)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00006)

WANK WORM VARIANT ATTACKS DECNET INTERNET AGAIN}
GREENBELT, MARYLAND, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 30 (NB) -- NASA's Goddard
Space Flight Center's Space Physics Analysis Network has reported
another penetration of the DEC Internet system by a variation of
the WANK worm that attacked the system on October 16. The
network-published memo says that this version attacks in the same
way but calls itself OILZ_nnnn instead of NETW_nnnn, and the worm
changes the password of the account it penetrates, unlike the
earlier worm which only changed passwords on privileged account.

The new variation disables further *INBOUND* network connections
to the infected node, removing it from the node. An added twist
is that the new worm attacks first by trying the default DECNET
account (user=DECNET) which may not have been removed on some
nodes.

Carolynne White, a NASA spokesperson, reported that by Tuesday of
this week there had been about 60 nodes affected by the attack,
most of them in Europe, and most of them on the HEPnet (High
Energy Physics network) network rather than on SPAN, although
some SPAN systems had been affected as well as two HEPnet nodes
at Goddard.

This rapid modification and spread of the WANK worm underlines a
caution made at the time of the earlier report that this should
be a warning to all DEC/VMS users, not just those on the
government research networks.

There are now many copies of this worm out there and any vandal
wanting to infect a VMS system can probably gain access to the
worm code, so this is a good time for users to review their
security procedures, especially in light of the fact that neither
attack in the past three weeks has been made through any flaw in
the VMS system. Both penetrations have succeeded because of poor
password security.

(John McCormick/19891102/Press Contact: Carolynne White, Goddard
Space Flight Center, 301-286-8956)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00007)

CD-ROM DATABASE GUIDE FROM CUADRA}
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 3 (NB) -- If you spend a
lot of time racking up connect charges in order to access
the same database repeatedly, you may be interested in a new
catalog from Cuadra/Elsevier called the Directory of Portable
Databases. It's a compendium of the 600 top databases available
on CD-ROM and other portable media.

International in scope with listings from the U.S., Canada, Europe,
Scandinavia, Japan and Australia, the guide provides information
in twice-yearly updates. The subscription fee is $85. Each
issue may be purchased separately for $49.95.

(Wendy Woods/19891103/Press Contact: Carlos Cuadra, president,
Cuadra Associates, 213-478-0066)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00008)

LAN TROUBLESHOOTING HANDBOOK}
REDWOOD CITY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 3 (NB) -- If there is
an area where most of us get into trouble, it's in trying to connect
various pieces of hardware so they can communicate with each other.

Enter the LAN Troubeshooting Handbook, a book written for LAN
administrators and others who prefer hard facts and advice to trial
and error. It's published by M & T Books and costs $24.95. A
book/disk combination is $39.95. The book is due for release in
December.

Author Mark A. Miller addresses the specific issues related to
the four most popular LAN architectures: Ethernet, Token Ring,
ARCNET, and StarLAN.

(Wendy Woods/19891103/Press Contact: Margaret Garcia, 415-
366-3600)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00009)

3COM DEMONSTRATES OPEN MANAGEMENT ARCHITECTURE}
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 30 (NB)--3Com Corporation
has demonstrated the key elements of its Open Management
Architecture (OMA), the "tools" the company plans to market
to help businesses integrate their local area networks (LANS).

3Com demonstrated prototype applications of the architecture and
an Ethernet-to-Ethernet routing bridge, Internetwork Bridge/2000,
the first product able to report network management information to OMA,
at its Network Systems Forum.

(Don S. Johnson/19891103)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(ATL)(00010)

FORMER DCA PRESIDENT OTTINGER BACK WITH START-UP}
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 26 (NB) -- Jim Ottinger,
who was bounced as president of Digital Communications Associates
a few months ago, is back as head of Capella Systems, a new
start-up, to produce software conforming to IBM's Systems
Application Architecture, or SAA.

Ottinger said his research indicates the vast number of Fortune 2000
companies plan to implement SAA, but the cost of that conversion will
require that they move slowly. Capella Systems software will help them
through that transition.

The first products from the company are due out in January.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19891107/Press Contact: Jim Ottinger, Capella
Systems, 404-552-9910)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(ATL)(00011)

PRINCETON GRAPHICS TO INTRODUCE NEW ULTRA LINE}
ROSWELL, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 1 (NB) -- Princeton
Graphics Systems is introducing a new line of monitors it calls
Ultra at the Fall Comdex show in Las Vegas November 14. The first
in the line, the Ultra II, is a 14 inch 1024 x 768 pixel monitor
for engineering and design applications, as well as desktop
publishing and windowing applications. Further announcements of
new product are expected.

PGS moved to Georgia from New Jersey in April. It's part of the
WorldWide Technology group, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Other companies in the group include Computone, Cyma and Lynx
Systems.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19891107/Press Contact: Sheila Thurmond, PGS,
404-664-1010)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00012)

CONVEX REPORTS SEISMIC SOFTWARE AVAILABLE}
RICHARDSON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 31 (NB) -- Supercomputer
manufacturer Convex Computer Corp. has announced the availability
of Phoenix Vector, a seismic software application from
Seismograph Service, Tulsa, OK.

Phoenix Vector is the latest generation of geophysical data
processing software designed for both land and marine, 2-D and 3-
D seismic processing. When run on a Convex supercomputer,
Phoenix Vector is capable of running extremely sophisticated
seismic algorithms that typical scalar systems with attached
array processors cannot handle.

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103/Press Contact: Donna Burke, Convex
Computers, 214-497-4230)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00013)

PCPI DESIGNS CONTROLLER FOR XEROX 4030 PRINTER}
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 01 (NB) -- Personal
Computer Products, Inc. (PCPI) has announced the development of a
controller for the recently announced Xerox 4030 desktop laser
printer.

The Xerox 4030 prints 11 pages each minute and emulates several
desktop printers including Hewlett-Packard's LaserJet Series II.
PCPI used its new application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)
design and an advanced controller software architecture in
producing a controller for the Xerox 4030. The ASIC is the
result of a joint development effort with Motorola announced in
November 1988. The Xerox 4030 is one of the first commercially
available applications of the PCPI/Motorola ASICs outside of
PCPI's LaserImage Series of printers.

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103/Press Contact: Eric Gaer, Personal
Computer Products, Inc., 619-485-8411)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00014)

PETER NORTON COMPUTING SHIPS COMMANDER 3.0}
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA U.S.A., 1989 OCT 25 (NB) -- Peter
Norton Computing (PNCI) has begun shipping the newest version of
the company's DOS manager, Commander 3.0.

According to the company, Commander 3.0 goes beyond the current
generation of DOS shells, enabling PC users to streamline DOS
operations and manage their data as well as transfer files

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103)


(ADVANCE)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00015)

XTREE AMNESTY ENDS, RESULTS REVEALED}
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 13 (NB) -- Xtree's SAFE
program, Software Amnesty for Everyone, is over.

The SAFE program, which has since been picked up by other
companies and recognized by the Software Publisher's Association,
was created as a way of marking the fifth birthday of the
original Xtree software and to celebrate its rise as a recognized
industry standard in hard-disk and file management.

Xtree's SAFE program has proved that unauthorized users are
willing to come forward and become registered when presented with
an easy, confidential and intelligent program. The program has
also shown that is can garner significant revenue otherwise lost
to software publishers.

Although Xtree's SAFE program is officially closed, the company
plans to continue efforts to increase user registration by
offering incentives and special promotions to customers who
return their warranty registration cards.

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103/Press Contact: Therese Solimeno,
Xtree, 805-541-0604)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BRU)(00016)

OLIVETTI NEWEST EUROSINET MEMBER}
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1989 NOV 4 (NB) -- Olivetti, one of Europe's
largest technology-based companies, has joined the European
promotional group for Open Systems Interconnection (Eurosinet).

According to Fabrizio Gimona, Olivetti's director of office
information, Osinet was the natural choice for the company.
Olivetti plans to splash out on demonstrating Open Systems
Interconnect (OSI) in a big way at the CEbit 90 fair which takes
place in Hanover, West Germany, next spring.

(Eric Dauchy/19891104)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00017)

AUSTRALIA: MELBOURNE'S METRODATA THREATENED}
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, 1989 OCT 30 (NB) -- The Melbourne
Magistrates' Court has heard that the director of the
computer business, Metrodata, guarded his premises overnight
in April last year after receiving threats that it would be
"smashed up."

Metrodata Director Frank Flynn told the court he was
threatened over the telephone after requesting the return
of keys and computer cards which had allegedly been taken
by a former employee, Anita Buys. Mr Flynn said a man who
sounded like "Sylvester Stallone from Rocky" told him to
"leave her alone or we'll come and smash the place up -
we've got the keys."

Anita Buys was committed to appear in the County Court next
month to face charges of incitement and theft, and one of
her employees is now under investigation for alleged
perjury during the hearing.

(Gavin Atkins & Computing Australia/19891101)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00018)

AUSTRALIA: MICROSOFT INSTITUTE APPOINTS BOSS}
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 OCT 30 (NB) -- Microsoft Australia
has appointed Professor V.X. Gledhill director of
Microsoft's first Institute of Advanced Software Technology
outside of the United States.

The institute is a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft
Australia. Professor Gledhill said, "The Australian
information technology industry will benefit significantly
from the work of the Microsoft Institute. Through an
agreement with the Australian Government, all revenues
above operating costs will be retained in an Australian
software development pool.

(Gavin Atkins/19891101)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00019)

AUSTRALIA: TRADE SHOW BANS KIDS}
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 OCT 30 (NB) -- Organizers of
Australia's computer PC89 exhibition caused a minor
controversy this year by banning children, but they plan to
continue the ban when the PC90 show comes to Sydney next
March. Organizers claim the ban is popular with exhibitors
who have had their stock damaged by children in the past.

(Gavin Atkins & Computing Australia/19891101)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00020)

HALLOWEEN VIRUS CAUSED NO SUFFERING IN HONGKONG}
CENTRAL, HONGKONG, 1989 NOV 4 (NB) -- A quick check around
network users in Hongkong revealed no infections from the
dreaded Hallowe'en virus.

Local experts who were claiming that the amount of pirated
software being used in the region put users in this part of the
world at greater risk have certainly been proved wrong. Pirated
software seems to have nothing to do with the spread of these
infernal diseases.

Nonetheless as a direct result of the publicity surrounding
Friday 13th and Hallowe'en viruses, software houses are selling
`vaccines' by the dozens.

"Perhaps creative people in Asia are more focussed and more
responsible than the warped-minded vandals who devise and
distribute viruses in other countries," one local IT industry
source suggested to Newsbytes.

(Keith Cameron/19891104)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00021)

WORLDWIDE MARKETING BOOST FOR CANADIAN CD-ROM}
HAMILTON, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 OCT 30 (NB) -- The Canadian
Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) has signed an
agreement with the International Occupational Safety and Health
Information Centre in Geneva. The international body, an arm of
the International Labor Organization, will help CCOHS sell its
CCINFOdisc compact-disk read-only memory around the world.

The CIS will make arrangements for Third World countries to pay for
the disk, which contains occupational health and safety
databases, in their own currency. Many countries have difficulty
paying for the US$170 disks because of foreign exchange problems.

(Grant Buckler/19891103/Press Contact: David Cohen, CCOHS, 416-
572-4410)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00022)

CANADIAN COMPUTER SHOW REPORTS 30,000 ATTENDANCE}
MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 NOV 3 (NB) -- Organizers of
the Canadian Computer Show, Canada's largest computer industry
exhibition, say attendance at this year's show was about 30,500.
That figure is not yet final, a spokeswoman added. The show took
place October 23-26.

(Grant Buckler/19891103/Press Contact: Bonnie Lester, Marshall
Fenn Ltd., 416-962-3241)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(HKG)(00001)

NEPAL GOVERNMENT TAKES A NOVELL APPROACH}
KATHMANDU, NEPAL, 1989 OCT 31 (NB) -- Novell, through its
distributor Mercantile Office Systems, has become the vendor of
choice for local area networks in Nepal.

Most recently, large Novell NetWare systems have been installed
at the National Computer Centre (NCC), Nepal Telecommunications
Corporation (NTC) and the Ministry of Finance.

The NCC has proceeded with a pilot Novell-based LAN which
utilises a single Novell 80386-based file server with 4 MB of
memory and two 80 MB hard disks running NetWare. It currently
supports 19 terminals and two printers.

NTC, a quasi-government body responsible for the country's
entire telecommunications infrastructure is planning to install
a central network in Kathmandu to ease the handling of its
voluminous database and information processing requirements.

The Ministry of Finance will install its network to better
distribute management information to senior government
officials.

Although these sales may seem small cheese to many US
Newsbytes readers, it is an indication of how PC technology is
infiltrating even the remotest regions of the world.

(Keith Cameron/19891104 Press Contact: Media Dynamics 852-5-
8383889 Fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00002)

U.S. TRADE REP. CLAIMS PROGRESS IN COPYRIGHT PROTECTION}
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1989 NOV 2 (NB) -- U.S. Trade Representative
Carla A. Hills says that the eight nations considered to be the worst
violators of United States' copyright laws covering intellectual
property have improved their protection enough that they won't
be subject to the "Super 301" restrictions mandated by the
1988 omnibus trade law.

Eight of twenty-five countries were put on the priority watch
list last May 25 because of their apparent indifference to
whether people violated U.S. companies' software copyrights, and
Hills said this week that South Korea, Taiwan, and Saudi Arabia
had improved their compliance enough to warrant downgrading them
from the "priority" watch status to a less aggressively monitored
list.

Brazil, India, Mexico, the People's Republic of China, and
Thailand remain on the priority watch list.

Industry representatives have called for Turkey and Malaysia to
be added to the priority list, something which the administration
has resisted.

(John McCormick/19891103)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00003)

PERFECTDATA WINS PATENT LONG RUNNING PATENT FIGHT}
SIMI VALLEY, CALIFORNIA U.S.A., 1989 NOV 02 (NB) -- PerfectData
has won its long-pending patent infringement suit against Stanley
Eyler, president of Head Computer Products.

Both companies make office and home business equipment cleaning
and maintenance products. Eyler was enjoined by the court from
continued unauthorized use of the PerfectData Patent 4,
374,404. The court awarded damages to PerfectData on all
infringing products sold since the suit was filed on March 13,
1986.

According to Lee Mannheimer, spokesperson for PerfectData, the
company never doubted the outcome and intends to collect on the
damages to the fullest extent of the law.

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103/Press Contact: Lee Mannheimer,
PerfectData Corp., 805-581-4000)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00004)

WICAT PROVIDES COMPUTER INSTRUCTION IN TEXAS SCHOOLS}
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 01 (NB) -- Wicat Systems has
received an extension on its contract with the Garland, Texas
School District to provide computer-assisted instruction in the
classroom.

The five-year continuation agreement is valued at more than $3.8
million. Garland District currently has 3,580 workstations and
114 computer labs in 52 schools.

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103/Press Contact: Sally Jenkins, Wicat
Systems, 801-224-6400 x 304)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00004)

COMPUTER THIEVES GO BACK TO COLLEGE}
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA U.S.A., 1989 NOV 01 (NB) -- After all the
hullabaloo about the thefts of computers, chips and printed
circuit boards from manufacturers and retailers in
Northern California's Silicon Valley and Southern California's
Orange County, a new wrinkle has been revealed -- computer theft on
campus.

According to Steven Silberman in the Orange County Register, officers
at the University of California - Irvine (UCI) thought they had licked
the problem when they broke up a theft ring about four months
ago. Since July 1, another 16 computers have been taken leading
college authorities to believe that a new theft ring has emerged.
The four former UCI students who made up the first ring were put
on 5 years probation and sentenced to 500 hours of community
service and restitution payments just this week.

The computers are not being stolen from dorm rooms -- they are
being stolen from staff and administration offices. Comments by
professors and administrators bemoan the loss of information more
than machinery. Most, if not all, of the information that
disappears with the computer would have no market value but will
be expensive to recreate.

Some of the computer users have begun precautionary measures such
as dismantling their systems nightly and locking them away in
drawers. The thieves are selective, seeming to prefer Macintosh
and IBM PCs, the most popular items on the black market, to other
simpler or more complex systems.

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00005)

PRESSURE FOR BUY AUSTRALIAN POLICY GROWS}
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 OCT 30 (NB) -- Peter Nunn of the
Melbourne PC developer Terran Computers has joined the
chorus of managers in the Australian computer industry
calling for a strict government indigenous buying policy.

Nunn claims Australian government departments will not
currently buy Australian products even if they match the
price and performance of imported goods. "Government
departments look at what you aren't," Nunn said, " and in
our case we aren't a multinational. As a result, the big
tenders are closed to us. We don't have a hope."

Nevertheless, he believes his company will win some major
orders in the near future, including an AUS$10M order from
Telecom which is not yet finalized.

(Gavin Atkins & Computing Australia/19891101)


(EXCLUSIVE)(IBM)(WAS)(00001)

ASHTON-TATE SAYS BYE BYE BYLINE V.2}
TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 03 (NB) -- Ashton-Tate
Corporation will not release the announced Version 2.0 of its
low-end desktop publishing package Byline. A top Ashton-Tate
marketing executive told Newsbytes that "insurmountable problems"
prevented upgrades and corrections that the company had intended
to make. One of these problems apparently deals with incorporating
drivers for the many different laser printers on the market.

Ashton-Tate had first announced the impending release of Byline V 2.0
at Comdex, Las Vegas, in November 1988. The first shipments of the
improved software were due in June of 1989. Since June the company has
issued no further statements on progress in releasing the package until
queried by Newsbytes.

(Don S. Johnson/19891103)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00002)

NEW PRODUCTS, UPGRADE FROM ASHTON-TATE}
TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA U.S.A., 1989 OCT 30 (NB) -- Ashton-Tate has
announced Control Room utility software, Applause II graphics
software and a major upgrade to MultiMate Advantage II word
processing software.

Control Room offers users a convenient way to inspect their
computer, personalize their systems and protect machine and
software investments. The program is currently being beta-tested
and should ship in the first quarter of 1990 for a planned
suggested retail price of $129. Attendees at Ashton-Tate's road
show locations will get a sneak preview of this new utility.

MultiMate version 4.0 features integrated graphics, electronic
mail transparent document conversion, a comprehensive grammar
checker, WYSIWYG display, redlining and several features targeted
to the legal market. MultiMate version 4.0 should ship before
the end of the year and carries a list price of $565.

Applause II graphics software includes charting, drawing and
electronic slide show features. The new version includes 37
automatic chart types and support for a wide range of equipment.
Output can be to either printed documents or overheads while
slides can be generated overnight via a direct connection with
Ashton-Tate's Graphics service or by output to a user's camera.

User interface is similar to Microsoft Windows. The product is
expected to ship before the end of the year and will carry a
suggested retail price tag of $495.

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103/Press Contact: Linda Duttenhaver,
Ashton-Tate, 213-538-7011)


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

TOSHIBA JOINS WORLDWIDE NOTEBOOK LAPTOP SWEEPS}
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 02 (NB) -- Toshiba has
unveiled its entry in the worldwide notebook-size laptop
sweepstakes, the T1000SE.

The newcomer weighs 5.9 pounds, is 80C86-based with 9.54 MHz
processing speed and a price tag of $1,699. The unit fits into a
briefcase and incorporates a 1.44 megabyte 3.5-inch diskette drive.
The unit is equipped with 1 megabyte RAM and features a battery-
backed RAM disk called HardRAM. The system is expandable to 2 or
3 megabytes with optional credit-card sized memory cards. The
T1000SE is scheduled to ship in January 1990.

The announcement was made worldwide and a spokesperson for
Toshiba told Newsbytes that the notebook-sized laptop is now
being offered in all of Toshiba's computer systems divisions
throughout the world. This computer was first introduced to the
domestic market in Japan last summer as the Dynabook J-3100SS, a
Kanji model with compatibility to Japanese IBM configuration.
The small laptop proved extremely popular with in the Japanese
market and shortly after its announcement, Toshiba had already
doubled the production numbers planned for the first year.

Toshiba has also introduced its first battery operated 386SX-
based portable PC scheduled to ship in December at a suggested
retail price of $5,999. This unit, the T3100SX, is aimed at
mobile users who need high performance and 386 capability in a
battery-operated unit. Speed is 16 MHz and the system is powered
by two internal removable, rechargeable batteries that are
standard with the unit. Battery life three hours or more and the
batteries quick charge in three hours when machines is turned
off. The unit has VGA screen resolution in a high contrast, low
power gas plasma display. With both batteries, the unit weighs
14.9 pounds.

In a related announcement, Toshiba unveiled the VGA gas plasma
display that is being used for the first time in the T3100SX
portable. Specific features of the gas plasma screen include
brightness uniformity, a reduction in the "halo effect" common to
LCDs, and reduced crosstalk resulting from a greater tolerance of
interference from outside electrical equipment. Toshiba has also
reduced the power requirements of gas plasma displays using new
technology and engineering to make the gas plasma display
practical in a battery-driven system.

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103/Press Contact: Gerry Lynne Baker, Les
Goldberg Public Relations, 714-730-4774)


(EXCLUSIVE)(IBM)(BRU)(00004)

NEWSBYTES DISCOVERS PS/2 MODEL P70 BUGS}
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1989 NOV 4 (NB) -- Newsbytes has discovered a
problem with IBM's PS/2 portable P70 system that could
potentially affect thousands of users.

The fault appeared during the installation of AIX for the PS/2,
an operating system which IBM is seeking to promote as an
alternative to its DOS and OS/2 operating systems for its PS/2
machines.

Whilst installing AIX, the system reported several disk read
errors. On contacting IBM, the machine's disk drive was changed
three times, and no less than eight sets of installations disks
were tried and found to register as 'faulty' by the software.
Eventually, the entire computer was replaced.

It was at this stage that the problem was identified to be an
ALPS-sourced disk drive that IBM uses in PS/2 Model P70 series.
Mr Mercier, IBM Belgium's AIX manager, said that the problem
concerned IBM.

"We are not 100 percent sure yet whether it is the floppy drive,
however I am very happy that IBM and Newsbytes have been co-
operating in finding this problem, which could have affected many
users of IBM systems."

"Let me also reiterate that this problem affects only users of
the Portable 70 model. IBM is still examining the fault and will
prepare an error procedure as soon as possible. This may involve
floppy drive changes or software fixes. Currently the problem
points out to the floppy drive although it is possible that only
a certain number of floppy drives may have been affected," he
added.

Then he continued: "It is very difficult to find out the number
of users affected because we don't have statistics on numbers of
AIX users on the P70 system. It may be one or it may be several."
The problem, which depends on certain types of systems using ALPS
floppy drives, is due to the way AIX uses these drives. IBM will
advise customers of any changes that may be necessary.

(Peter Vekinis/19891104)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00005)

NEW WORD FOR WINDOWS SPORTS MAC-LIKE FEATURES}
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 31 (NB) -- Microsoft chose
Halloween for the unveiling of its newest incarnation of Word,
possibly because this new version has a few tricks up its sleeve --
the most obvious is its disguise as a Macintosh-like word
processor.

Microsoft Word for Windows sports a graphical user interface
that offers complete on-screen WYSIWYG (what you see is what
you get) for the printed page, including multiple font, point sizes,
footnotes, headers, footers, and columns. Like its Macintosh
sibling this PC version of Word allows you to reposition margins,
outline headings, and graphics simply by dragging them with
the mouse, rather than by using menus. The commands are grouped
under a series of pull-down menus.

The product has macros, glossaries, a feature for creating tables,
style sheets, and templates. It can also import documents from a
variety of other PC word processors or share files directly with
Microsoft Word for the Macintosh via Microsoft's Rich Text Format.

A Microsoft spokesperson told Newsbytes that Word for Windows is
the first product in an expected shift from character-based to graphics-
based word processing on IBM PCs and compatibles using Intel 80286 or
80386 microprocessors. Heretofore, she said, such a graphical
orientation was only available to users of Apple Macintosh computers.
Bill Gates, chairman and CEO of Microsoft Corp., said, "Word
processors are evolving into tools that are integrated with other
office systems and with other applications to solve specific end-user needs."

A special attraction of Word for Windows is that users can automatically
read and write documents from most popular word processors as well

The product has a suggested retail price of $495 when it is expected
on the market in January, 1990. Current users of Word for the PC
will be able to upgrade for $150.

(Wendy Woods & Don S. Johnson/19891103/Press Contact:
Marty Taucher, Microsoft, 206-882-8080)


(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00006)

IBM ANNOUNCES DIVIDEND, STOCK DROPS}
ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 31 (NB) -- In a very bad week
for computer stocks, IBM announced a regular quarterly cash
dividend of $1.21/share payable on December 9, 1989 to owners of
record November 8, 1989.

One bright note for IBM recently is the massive (and, most
financial analysts say, completely unwarranted) loss of
confidence in Compaq. Part of Compaq's problem stems from Intel's
recent admission of a bug in the 80486 computer chip, a product
which IBM was slow to ship anyway, reducing Big Blue's exposure
to the problem.

(John McCormick/19891102/Press Contact: Cynthia Stevens, 914-
765-4344)


(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00007)

IBM ANNOUNCES NEW PIM PROGRAM}
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 31 (NB) -- IBM Current,
International Business Machine's latest venture into MS-DOS based
single user software, is a Personal Information Manager or PIM
designed to run in the Windows environment and provide
organizational, relational, and other management tools for
business users.

Current provides graphical representations of calendar, address
book, and Gantt time line charts that provide quick overviews of
personal and project planning, as well as word processing,
database, phone dialer, and call log entries.

The software is sophisticated enough to recognize such phrases as
"next Friday" as a calendar entry, and it exports and imports
dBASE, ASCII, and DIF format files.

IBM's Current was developed jointly by IBM and Jensen-Jones,
Inc., of Red Bank, N.J., and sells for $395. The program
requires 640 kilobytes of memory and an 80286, 386, or 486-based
computer.

(John McCormick/19891102/Press Contact: Steven Malkiewicz, IBM,
914-642-5449)


(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00008)

LOTUS SHIPS 1-2-3 FOR TANDY DESKMATE}
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 30 (NB) -- A few
months back Lotus and Tandy announced that they had gotten
together to market a special version of the Lotus 1-2-3
spreadsheet for Tandy's proprietary DeskMate graphical user
interface, and this week the product shipped to more than 7,000
Radio Shack stores.

The new spreadsheet offering is a modification of 1-2-3 Release
2.01, lacking such features as macros and support for expanded
memory, but it does use the standard .WK1 file format which runs
on all Lotus spreadsheet products from 1-2-3 Rel. 2.0 through
Symphony.

Notable additions to the product are pull-down menus, dialog
boxes, and mouse support, all of which should make the special
Tandy version much easier for beginners to learn.

This product is important for Lotus because it marks an entry
into the beginner-level computer market where many people get
started and develop lifelong product loyalties, and for Tandy it
represents the recognition of its DeskMate user interface as more
than a hobbyist toy.

The new software is available now at a price of $220.

(John McCormick/19891102/Press Contact: Susan Earabino, Lotus,
617-225-1281)


(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00009)

FREE VIRUS DETECTION SOFTWARE}
LIVINGSTON, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 26 (NB) -- Edward Ng,
president of Varteck International, is offering free copies of Virus
Detector, a utility disk that checks MS-DOS computers for the
presence of a virus in memory.

Varteck recently agreed to market ComNetCo's ViruSafe, an $80
virus removal program.

Varteck also markets a $98 business assistant that helps manage
telephone usage by storing 10,000 names, addresses, phone
numbers, and profiles.

This software give-away is an advertising move to gain new
customers, but the free disk is certainly a bargain. Those
interested in receiving the free disk and other company
literature should call Varteck International at 800-456-1777 or
201-740-1750.

(John McCormick/19891102/Press Contact: Alan Gordon, Varteck,
201-740-1750)


(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00010)

SAROS ANNOUNCES FILESHARE SUPPORT FOR WINDOWS}
BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 31 (NB)-- Saros Corporation
has announced an extension of Saros FileShare that gives Microsoft
Windows applications easy access to file management
and information sharing services on a PC network.

The extension brings single-user applications into a distributed network
environment. FileShare is a network file management and control
system which allows users to find, share and control files created
by any applications program and stored on network servers.

(Don S. Johnson/19891103)


(NEWS)(IBM)(ATL)(00011)

FIRST TENNESSEE LETS IBM HANDLE ITS COMPUTER SYSTEMS}
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 27 (NB) -- First
Tennessee National has become the second medium-sized banking
company to give IBM total control of its computer systems. Bank
South of Atlanta became the first such customer in September.

These are the first tentative steps by IBM into a market now
dominated by General Motors' Electronic Data Systems unit. Under
the First Tennessee agreement, IBM would manage those operations
directly associated with First Tennessee's computer and
telecommunications functions, while First Tennessee would
continue to develop the software which creates products for its
customers. First Tennessee's mainframe computer would remain in
Memphis, but IBM would put PS/2 machines in its branches and loan
offices.

John Kelley of First Tennessee said one goal of the plan
is to put a PC on all desks, making the PS/2 the main device used
for bringing bank services to customers. First Tennessee will take
a one-time charge of about $4 million in the current quarter as
part of the program, and 120 First Tennessee employees will be
made redundant by the deal, and both companies will try to help
place them over the next 6 months. The First Tennessee board
signs off on the contract in November.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19891031/Press Contact: First Tennessee
National, List Underwood, 901-523-4161)


(NEWS)(IBM)(ATL)(00012)

AMI INTRODUCES INTEL 80486 MOTHERBOARD}
NORCROSS, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 3 (NB) -- American
Megatrends will introduce an Intel 80486-based motherboard at the
Fall Comdex Show in Las Vegas November 13.

The Gemini/486, which features IBM PC/AT slots, uses the same basic
architecture as the company's 386/33 Megahertz boards, but includes a
plug-in card for the 486 chip. "The big difference is it can run almost
twice as fast," said President S. Shankar. It can support up to 16
megabytes of main memory, and is priced at $4,500 for single-unit
evaluation quantities. Shipments await only the delivery of 486
processors, which have been delayed by Intel because of software
glitches.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19891107/Press Contact: S. Shankar, American
Megatrends, 404-263-8181)


(NEWS)(IBM)(ATL)(00013)

BOCA DROPS MEMORY BOARD PRICES 32%, INTRODUCES VGA CARD}
BOCA ROTAN, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 24 (NB) -- Boca
Research dropped prices on its memory cards 32 percent, reflecting
lower-priced memory chips, and introduced a 1024 x 768 VGA graphics
card, the 1024VGA by Boca, listing at $395.

On the memory board price drop, Vice President-Sales Malcolm
McPherson said it was the second such drop in two months, and
represents a 50 percent savings from prices at the height of the RAM
chip shortage last year. "That means our board prices are very
close to those prices in 1987," he said. The BocaRAM/AT Plus
board price with 8 megabytes of memory is now $1,495.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19891107/Press Contact: Silvia Fagiani, Boca
Research, 407-997-6227)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00014)

XEROX INTROS NEW PC PRINTING TOOLS}
EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 01 (NB) -- Xerox
Corporation has announced the addition of four software packages
to its PC-based Printing Productivity Series: Elixir Edition
software products.

Two of the new packages enable users of IBM PC/ATs, PS/2s and
compatibles to create and edit sophisticated graphics, fonts and
other symbols and integrate them into documents for printing on
Xerox electronic printers. The two packages are for use with
Xerox Printing Productivity Series: ElixiForm/ElixiSys Edition
software.

The other two packages are used with Xerox Ventura desktop
publishing software. They allow users to print sophisticated
Ventura documents on high-speed Xerox electronic printing
systems.

In a related announcement, Xerox introduced the industry's first
perforating capability for high-volume electronic printing of
checks, invoices and other detachable forms. The Xerox Inline
Perforator works with the company's 120-page-per-minute 9790
printer and can perforate paper ranging in size from 7 x 9-inches
to 10 x 12-inches and can produce up to three lines of
perforation on a sheet and 11 or nine perforations per-inch.
This allows high volume users of perforated forms no longer need
to buy and store large quantities of blank perforated stock.

List price for the Inline Perforator is $5,000 to Xerox
electronic printing customers in the US. The units are available
immediately.

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103/Press Contact: Barry Sulpor, Xerox
Corporation, 213-333-3427)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00015)

LOCUS ANNOUNCES TWO NEW VERSIONS OF PC XSIGHT}
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 30 (NB) -- Locus
Computing Corporation has announced the availability of two new
releases of its PC Xsight product that turns DOS PCs into X
Window display servers.

Release 2.1 of the PC Xsight server, which supports up to 16
megabytes of extended memory, has several new features including
Quick Access to DOS to run DOS applications locally without
exiting the server, and network interfaces to FTP PC/TCP
(including StarLAN) and StarGROUP NETBIOS. The software also
supplies fonts for AT&T's Open Look Graphical User Interface.
PC Xsight Release 2.1 is scheduled to be available November 30.

PC/Xsight/640 Release 1.2 is the only server designed for
8086/8088-based systems and is based on Release 11 Version 3 of
MIT's X Window System It has been designed to run with a 640-
kilobyte DOS limitation and it also provides support for expanded
memory where available. It provides Quick Access to DOS,
improved font file handling and expanded graphics adapter
support. The product was scheduled to begin shipping October
31.

In a related announcement, Locus announced that AT&T will offer
Release 2.1 of PC Xsight as an option with AT&T's Open Look
Graphical User Interface or XWIN Graphical Windowing System.
AT&T has agreed to license sufficient quantities of PC Xsight
2.1.

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103/Press Contact: Nancy Boord, Locus
Computing Corp., 213-337-5226)


(CORRECTION)(IBM)(SFO)(00016)

CORRECTION TO NORTHGATE '386 STORY}
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 3 (NB) -- In last week's
Newsbytes it was reported that the new Northgate Microstation
320 is the smallest '386 PC available in a 3-foot tall, 20 MHz
system. Obviously the 3-foot tall designation was incorrect.
The correct height is three inches!

(Wendy Woods/19891103)


(EXCLUSIVE)(IBM)(LAX)(00017)

SCRIPTEDIT UPDATE AVAILABLE AND SHIPPING}
ENCINITAS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 02 (NB) -- Somak Software
has begun shipping Version 1.1 of its ScriptEdit software.

Version 1.0 has only been in the market for two months and the
company has already been able to furnish users with enhancements
in the form of Version 1.1. In an exclusive interview, Somak
President Robert Eberhardt told Newsbytes that this new version
is "based on improvements users wanted to see. The new version
is available as a free upgrade to people already using
ScriptEdit. For people not yet in the ScriptEdit fold, Version
1.1 is also available as a stand alone product for the same price
at which we sold the original version, $79. ScriptEdit is a
product to change the way people use Hypercard. Anyone who does
any scripting with HyperCard can benefit from ScriptEdit."

Eberhardt released details of the new features to Newsbytes.
They include boldfacing of objects containing scripts. When the
Objects window is drawn, any stack objects containing scripts
will be displayed in boldface type while objects with no scripts
will be displayed in plain text. ScriptEdit now checks the
length of a script when it is saved or formatted. The user is
notified if the script exceeds the script length limit of 29,997
characters and offers the option of trimming the length or saving
the excess as a text file. ScriptEdit now displays the stack
names along with the object name in the title of each editing
window.

Added Eberhardt: "We expect to have all the version 1.0 product
in the distribution pipeline upgraded by the end of next
week after which only Version 1.1 will be available."

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103/Press Contact: Robert Eberhardt, Somak
Software, 619-942-2556)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00018)

TI RE-ENTERS PC MARKET}
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 30 (NB) -- Texas Instruments has
unveiled three laptop computers, re-entering the personal
computer market from which the company has been absent for
several years.

While Texas Instruments has not been particularly successful in
earlier forays into the PC marketplace, the company has been
producing IBM-compatible OEM (original equipment manufacturing)
PCs for small computer manufacturers. The earlier market failure
was in part due to the TI computers' use of a proprietary operating
system in a market dominated by DOS.

The three new laptops include the notebook-sized Model 12, the
Model 25, and the Model 45. All are based on the 80286 chip and
are PC/AT compatible.

The Model 12 will weigh between six and seven pounds and will
contain a 2.5-inch, 20 megabyte hard disk with optional 3.5-inch
1.44 megabyte floppy drive. The unit will sell for $4,199 but
will not directly compete with the two notebook-sized computers
introduced last week by fellow Texas manufacturer, Houston-based
Compaq because the TI systems will be sold through VARs (value-
added resellers), industrial distributors and OEMs rather than the
retail outlets used by Compaq.

The Model 12 has one megabyte of random access memory expandable
to 4 megabytes. MS-DOS 3.3 and LapLink Plus software are stored
in ROM (read-only memory) for easy use.

TI's Model 25 weighs 14 pounds and has a 20 megabyte hard disk.
Retail price is set at $4,999.

TI's Model 45 contains a 40 megabyte hard drive and sells for
$5,599.

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00019)

WESTERN DIGITAL JOINTLY DEVELOPS BOARD FOR TI LAPTOPS}
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA U.S.A., 1989 NOV 01 (NB) -- Western Digital
has announced that it jointly developed with Texas Instruments,
the system board featured in TI's new Model 12 laptop computer.

The small form board, designed for battery-powered, portable
computers, uses the Western Digital FE3600B core logic chip set.
The Model 12 will automatically cycle down from 12 MHz to 6MHz
when not in use, thus extending the battery operating time.

The board is one of the smallest in the industry. It
incorporates Western Digital's FE3600B core logic chip set, a
four-chip configuration (CPU logic control, address bus buffer,
peripheral control logic and data bus buffer). The board also
includes Western Digital's WD16C452 dual asynchronous
communications element that provides both parallel and serial
port functions.

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103/Press Contact: Lynda Orban, Western
Digital, 714-757-4234)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00020)

ADVANCED LOGIC RESEARCH SHIPS PC DESPITE DEFECTIVE CHIP}
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA U.S.A., 1989, NOV 01 (NB) -- Advanced Logic
Research has announced it is shipping a new line of personal
computers despite reports of problems found in Intel's i486 chip
on which the computers are based.

Intel discovered some defects in the chip's mechanics which
prompted other vendors to suspend shipment of their own 486-based
systems. Advanced Logic has continued to ship saying that
customers who use its 486 PC for general business purposes or to
drive large networks should not run into the problem area on the
chip.

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BRU)(00021)

AEG-OLYMPIA LAUNCHES NEW XT/AT COMPATIBLE SYSTEMS}
FRANKFURT, WEST GERMANY, 1989 OCT 28 (NB) -- AEG, one of the
largest industrial groups in West Germany, has launched its own
range of XT and AT-compatible PCs. The new machines mark AEG's
first step into the competitive PC market.

The desktop machines in AEG's new series are called Olystar
range, and include an XT-compatible Model 20, and AT-compatible
Model's 40, 50 and 60. Flagship of the Olystar series is the
Model 70, a 386-based high-end desktop. The portable machines,
meanwhile, are called the Olyport series, and come in similar
configurations - the Olyport 20, 40 and 80.

The Olystar 20 PC centres around an 8088 microprocessor running
at a switchable 4.77/10MHz driving 640K of RAM. Data storage is
via a 3.5-inch floppy and 20MB hard disk. As supplied, the Model
20 has CGA graphics and comes with a choice of monochrome or
colour screens.

The Olystar Model 40 and 50, meanwhile, are AT class machines
based around a switchable 6/10MHz 80286 microprocessor. Both
machines have similar memory and storage specifications to the
Model 20, and support EGA graphics. The Model 50 has a maximum
memory configuration of 16MB on-board.

The Olystar Model 60 is also based around the Intel 80286
microprocessor, and comes with 1MB of RAM (expandable to 5MB on-
board) and a 3.5-inch floppy drive. The machine also comes with
VGA graphics with a choice of a 20 or 40MB hard disk.

The Olystar Model 70 centres around a switchable 8/16MHz 80386
microprocessor and is marketed as a workstation machine. The unit
comes with 1MB of RAM and a choice of 40 or 100MB hard drives in
addition to the standard 3.5-inch drive.

The Olystar Model 80 is AEG's flagship machine and comes in two
versions - 8/20MHz or 8/28MHz. Both machines have 2MB of RAM, and
a single 3.5-inch drive, and a choice of hard drives ranging from
40 through to 340MB.

The Olyport series of portables use low-power versions of the
Intel microprocessor. The Olyport Model 20 centres around the
80C88 chip running at 4.77/8MHz and comes with a backlit CGA
standard LCD screen and 640K of RAM as standard. A choice of twin
3.5-inch floppies of single drive plus 20MB hard disk is
available.

The Olyport Model 40 uses the 80C286 microprocessor running at
6/10MHz into 1MB of RAM. Data storage is via a single 3.5-inch
floppy plus 20 or 40MB hard drive. CGA graphics are standard, as
is the back-lit supertwist LCD screen.

The Olyport Model 80 is an 8/12MHz 80386-based machine fitted
with 2MB of RAM, single 3.5-inch floppy plus 2MB of RAM. double-
scanned CGA graphics are supported on the Model 80's 10.5-inch
supertwist LCD screen.

Complementing all the new machines is the Laserstar 6, a six
pages per minute laser printer fitted with 1.6MB of RAM as
standard. The printer has 18 fonts and supports Diablo 630 and
the usual H-P Laserjet standard emulations as standard.

Pricing on all the new products from AEG has yet to be
announced.

(Peter Vekinis/19891103)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BRU)(00022)

IBM LOWERS PRICES ON 3090 SYSTEMS}
STUTTGART, WEST GERMANY, 1989 OCT 27 (NB) -- IBM West Germany has
slashed 3090J system pricing by between 8 and 10 percent in a
bid to remain competitive in the large system market.

The 3090J's main memory is also being upgraded, thanks to the use
of IBM's new 4 MB memory chips. Maximum memory is now boosted to
4,000MB as a result. System pricing start at DM 1.7 million
($800,000) ranging up to DM 27 million ($13 million).

(Peter Vekinis/19891103)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BRU)(00023)

IBM HYPERBATCH - ESA/370 ENHANCEMENT}
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1989 NOV 4 (NB) -- IBM has released Hyperbatch, a
software tool designed to speed batch processing. The package
relies on a technique called move page facilities, a recent
enhancement to IBM's ESA/370 system architecture.

In a related story, IBM has also set up a high integrity
computing research facility at its Thomas Watson research centre
in Yorktown Heights, New York, where studies are already underway
to develop better ways to combat computer viruses.

(Eric Dauchy/19891104/Press Contact: IBM - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00024)

TOSHIBA INTROS LAPTOPS IN UK}
WEYBRIDGE, ENGLAND, 1989 NOV 4 (NB) -- Toshiba has added two more
laptops - the T1000SE and the T3100SX - to its family of portable
PCs, boosting the total number to 14.

The T3100SX positions itself at the top of Toshiba's seven-strong
family of battery-powered PC laptops. Despite the use of
batteries, the UKP 4,195 machine features a VGA-compatible gas
plasma screen capable of displaying 16 grey scales, a 16MHz
80386SX microprocessor and a fast access (25ms) 40MB hard drive.

Other features include a single 3.5-inch floppy and 1MB of RAM.
The T3100SX runs for 2.5 hours on a single battery and 5 hours on
two batteries. The unit is fairly hefty at 6.8 kilos, however.

Both machines also feature a resume mode that allows the user to
return to the point at which s/he left off, even if the machine
has been powered down. Introducing the machines in the UK last
week, Nick Hall, Toshiba Information Processing Systems'
marketing manager, said that each unit is positioned in the
market to satisfy demand.

"The T3100SX is a full specification power PC offering all the
performance of a desktop SX with the benefit of battery support.
It will appear to power users who need to work out of the office,
and in particular to those who need the high resolution that only
VGA graphics can offer," he said.

(Steve Gold/19891104/Press Contact: Roger Nelson, Nelson Bostock
Communications - Tel: [phone]; Public Contact: Nick Hall,
Toshiba Information Processing Systems division - Tel: 0932-
841600)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00025)

UK: JOKEWARE DEBUTS FOR THE IBM PC}
AYLESBURY, ENGLAND, 1989 NOV 4 (NB) -- Hi Jinx Limited is
claiming a British first, the launch of the electronic practical
joke. The company has launched Jokeware, the PC equivalent, it
claims of a custard pie in the face.

The first jokeware disk from Hi Jinx costs UKP 19-95 in both 3.5-
and 5.25-inch disk formats. For your money, you get a disk with
eleven utilities that load various programs into RAM and then
return the user to the usual DOS prompt. Only when certain
keystrokes are entered ten minutes later does each particular
jokeware file begin to work.

The 'jokes' range from snapper, where a small Pac-man style image
appears on-screen and starts gobbling letters, to rude, where
rude words begin appearing at random in database and word
processor applications.

Considering the rash of virus and worm programs doing the rounds
at the moment, Hi Jinx - and its users - may be taking a risk with
the package. Still, as the company says, it puts the smiles back
into computing!

(Steve Gold/19891104/Press & Public Contact: Hi Jinx Limited,
Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00026)

MICROSOFT CANADA LAUNCHES WINDOWS WORD}
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 OCT 31 (NB) -- Along with its
U.S.-based parent, Microsoft Canada today introduced Word for
Windows. The Windows version of the company's popular word
processing package will sell for C$699 in Canada, and users of
previous MS-DOS versions can upgrade for C$175. Virtually all
major Canadian distributors and dealer chains will be carrying
the product.

Microsoft Canada is also offering corporate customers the chance
to exchange any character-based word processor that runs under
MS-DOS for Windows Word at $175 a copy. Malcolm MacTaggart,
general manager of Microsoft Canada, said the 1990s will be the
decade of visual computing, and hinted at more Windows versions
of Microsoft applications, saying Word for Windows is "a core
member of Microsoft's visual office products."

(Grant Buckler/19891031/Press Contact: Malcolm MacTaggart or
Cathie Lee, Microsoft Canada, 416-673-9811)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00001)

FRECOM SHIPPING LOWEST-PRICED, $200 FAX CARD}
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 3 (NB) -- A chip market
battle between Yamaha and Rockwell has allowed a start-up company
to ship a 9,600 baud fax card which ships pages in 15 seconds at
the incredibly low price of $200. It's the first fax board to be
released using the Yamaha YM7109 processor, and is expected to
spark a fax board price war of unparalleled magnitude.

A spokesman for Frecom said the low price of the FreCom Fax 96 is
no secret. "We replaced the Rockwell chip with the Yamaha chip,
which we acquired at a lower price. Plus it's a half-slot card.
It does exactly the same thing as other fax cards. I think you'll
find more Yamaha chips on boards from now on, and Rockwell will
drop its prices."

The Frecom does lack some important features, however. "We're
geared to people who want a simple, send and receive fax. It has an
automatic redial. It doesn't have every option, although we're
working on software upgrades. It doesn't have broadcast or delay
send, or a telephone directory."

The fax card must be purchased directly from Frecom at 415-438-5021.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19891107/Press Contact: Frecom Communications,
415-438-5021)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SFO)(00002)

PAC BELL TO OFFER ISDN/CENTREX SERVICE}
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 3 (NB) -- Starting
December 8, Pacific Bell expects to be among first in the nation to take
orders for ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) technology from
many of its business customers.  For as little as $17.50 per month
business customers in major California metropolitan areas will be
able to choose from among several ISDN options. This first
big step in the implimentation of an all-digital phone service must be
approved first by state regulators.

ISDN allows a caller to send and receive up to three simultaneous
digital channels of data at once -- voice, and two data channels, for
instance -- when used with Pacific Bell's CENTREX. CENTREX is a
method by which various telecommunications functions can be provided
to businesses using equipment located at the telephone company's
central switching office as opposed to equipment at the customer's
site.

The possible applications of such technology include a customer's
ability to see the phone number of the calling party before the number
is answered, the ability to speak to another person and transfer
data to her computer simultaneously, or the ability to have two
lines for incoming and outgoing calls operating concurrently.

While Pacific Bell's application to the California Public Utilities
Commission allows for limited applications of the above features
(seeing a phone number of a calling specified workgroup member,
for instance, not of a caller whose call is originating elsewhere),
eventually ISDN wide-scale will allow a customer to see the phone
number of a caller anywhere in the world, according to Irene Evans,
ISDN project manager. ISDN technology would eventually allow
customers to have three phone numbers listed for one line, each
number assigned a specific ring signature.

Irene Evans tells Newsbytes that Pacific Bell's ISDN/Centrex package
includes incoming line ID, outgoing call line ID, time and date display, call
review, a privacy feature, and a one-number intercom feature.
Another ISDN CENTREX package includes use of semirestricted lines,
fully restricted lines, the ability to bar incoming or outgoing calls,
and packet-switched or circuit-switched data transfer.

(Wendy Woods/19891103/Press Contact: Scott Smith, 415-542-0597)


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

HAYES BACK IN FORM WITH ULTRA 9600}
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 1 (NB) -- In the wake of press
criticism it was ignoring standards in micro communications,
Hayes Microcomputer Products has roared back with a new modem called
the Ultra 9600 which can follow every standard you ever heard of.

Besides communicating at top speed with Hayes V-Series products,
it can also deal with modems following the V.32 standard of the
CCITT. The V-Series can only deal with V.32 at half-duplex, using
a ping-pong scheme. The Hayes Ultra 9,600 also obeys the Bell 103
and 212, MNP 2, 4, and 5, CCITT X.32 standards for X.25
communication on packet networks, along with the same
organization's V.21, V.22, V.22bis, V.23, V.32, V.42, V.42bis and
Hayes V-Series standards. "We call those last the Killer Vs,"
quipped Toby Nixon, Hayes' standards committee representative.

Nixon presented the modem, and a coherent discussion of the
issues behind it, to the Online Atlanta Society, a group of
bulletin board system operators.

The three most important Vs for the future, Nixon said, are
these: V.32, the main communication standard at 9,600 baud, V.42,
an error control standard, and V.42bis, a data compression
standard. All have now been cleared through the CCITT, a Swiss-
based international standards-setting body. For the latter,
standards-setters settled last month on the Lempel-Ziv scheme of
Bell Labs, instead of the MNP standard offered by Microcom. Nixon
said Lempel-Ziv "runs 3 times faster than MNP, allowing for
38,400 bits/second throughput on a 9,600 baud modem."

Also approved in September is a V.32 Automode standard, which will
allow all V.32 modems, regardless of design, to work together at
their highest possible speed. Next up, he added, is work on
extending the V.32 standard down to 7,200 bits/second and up to
14,400. That should be settled by next February, after a meeting
at Atlanta's new Inforum high-tech mart.

The Ultra 9,600 is just one of Hayes' recent efforts to meet
international standards, Nixon added. In early October, Hayes
announced it would upgrade all V-Series 9,600 Smartmodems it has
sold so far to the V.42bis standard.

Along with the Ultra, Hayes announced an Enhanced Serial Port and
Enhanced Serial Interface. This amounts to a new type of
communications plug which not only meets the standards of the old
plugs, with automatic filtering and buffering to slow the modem
down to your PC's speed, eliminating possible loss of data, but an
enhanced mode with can pass data directly to your computer's memory
chips, bypassing the main processor and allowing for true background
operation. For bulletin board system operators, the new plugs
mean "you can support more users without bogging down your system
when someone calls." Hayes has put its new port and interface
into the public domain, and Microsoft has already announced
support for it. "We'll work closely with bulletin board system
software vendors and all other software vendors to get it
supported," Nixon added.

These announcements, taken together, are a direct reversal of
Hayes' earlier stance on high-speed modems, and spell good news
for the high-speed modem market. In September, by contrast,
Hayes' position was that it was going to go up against
international standards by selling the V-Series products cheap.
Now, Nixon admits, the V-Series will become a niche product.

"It's less expensive to build, and it will always be available at
a lower price. I'm sure people will buy both. I'm not sure that
will be the case in the bulletin board system market, though,"
where Nixon expects system operators to quickly adopt the Ultra.
To make sure, the $1,199 retail modem is being sold to system
operators for $599.

Time will tell whether Hayes can regain the 80 percent market share it
held early in the decade, won with the Hayes AT command set and a
very well-made product. But the Ultra 9,600 and the new plugs,
combined with moves to cut executive fat and lower manufacturing
costs by buying Practical Peripherals, indicate it will be firing
on all cylinders in its attempt.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19891107/Press Contact: Sharon O'Brien, Hayes
Microcomputer Products, 404-449-8791)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(WAS)(00004)

HAYES ANNOUNCES PUBLIC DOMAIN SERIAL INTERFACE SPECS}
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 30 (NB) -- Hayes Microcomputer
Products has announced a public domain specification for an Enhanced
Serial Interface (ESI). The ESI specification and supporting
Enhanced Serial Port (ESP) hardware provide a communication
coprocessor to manage the flow of data between an
external high speed modem and a personal computer.

The ESI specification is an extension of the COM card used in
personal computers. ESI includes the definition of input/output,
control registers, buffer control, Direct Memory Access (DMA) to
the system and interaction with attached modem devices.

The ESI specification is available to developers from Hayes
Customer Service at no charge. Limited quantities of Hayes ESP
hardware for both IBM Micro Channel and XT/AT or EISA bus computers
will be available the first quarter of 1990 for developers to
test their software supporting EISA.

(Don S. Johnson/19891103)


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

SPRINT ROLLS OUT TELECONFERENCING SERVICE}
OVERLAND PARK, KANSAS, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 31 (NB) -- Setting up
a two- or three-way conference call isn't hard for most office
workers, but 10 and 20 or more? U.S. Sprint Services
solution is called The Conference Center, and essentially it
offers Sprint operators to handle the details.

Dan Pearce, director of marketing for Sprint Services,
said his operators "have established performance standards that
are leading their industry." He didn't indicate what those
standards were, and whether they involved speed, a lack of
complaints, or some combination of the two all market
participants agree on.

The operators will be able to let you play back tapes during the
conference, maintain security and stay on throughout the call,
ready to do anything else as it's needed. The company will use
the SmartLinx conference bridging system of MultiLink Inc.,
headquartered in Lynn, Massachuestts, as its technical backbone,
offering tailored pricing, billing and detailed records for
clients. Other services which are part of the package include
assistance in placing person-to-person, collect and credit card
calls for customers dialing from business, residential and pay
phones presubscribed to US Sprint. Four regional operator centers
are handling calls now, and more will go in next year.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19891031/Press Contact: Anne Brewer, Sprint
Services, 913-661-8227)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00006)

INFONET ADDS SWISS TO ITS OWNERS}
EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 24 (NB) -- Infonet
added the Swiss PTT, a state postal and telephone monopoly, to
its list of owners. Its strategy, to build a worldwide packet
networks by selling pieces of itself to foreign monopolies, now
has it 65 percent owned by Computer Sciences Corp., 35 percent owned by
foreigners. Infonet owners now include regulated phone firms in
Sweden, Belgium, Australia, Singapore, France, Spain, West
Germany, and the Netherlands, as well as the Swiss.

The complete list, along with the Swiss PTT is this: Sweden's
Teleinvest AB, Belgium's Regie des Telegraphes et des Telephones,
Telecom Australia, Singapore Telecom International PTE Ltd.,
France Transpac, Spain's Telefonica, West Germany's Deutsche
Bundespost, and PTT Telecom Netherlands.

Infonet is looking to dominate a market against AT&T, IBM,
British Telecom and General Electric, as well as Telenet and
CompuServe. Infonet, established in 1970, operates in 34
countries.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19891031/Press Contact: Mike Radice, Infonet,
213-335-2875)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00007)

BELLSOUTH-McCAW FIGHT FOR LIN CELLULAR GOING TO WIRE}
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 30 (NB) -- BellSouth Corp.
again raised the bidding in its struggle with McCaw Cellular for
LIN Broadcasting, which holds cellular phone licenses in major
markets including New York, California, Texas and Florida.

This means, according to market makers, that the bidding for LIN
Broadcasting's cellular operations has topped $115 per share, and may be
as high as $125, depending on how the securities involved are
eventually worth. BellSouth amended its offer October 27, and
LIN accepted, but McCaw promised to meet it October 30.

The BellSouth-McCaw battle has continued despite recent slowdowns
in the merger business because the prize is so valuable. Only two
firms can have licenses in each market. The winner, thus, becomes
a nationwide giant, permanently. LIN raised the stakes even
higher agreeing to buy Metromedia's 46 percent of a New York franchise
for $1.9 billion. While present cellular technologies let you
make calls from a moving car, and require the help of a powerful
battery, newer technologies like CT2 will let people take calls
from anywhere. The cellular phone business could eventually rival
the phone business itself in size.

Since McCaw can't outbid BellSouth, analysts say its best bet may
be to go to politicians, regulators and the public, attacking
potential Bell domination of what was designed as a competitive
market. An antitrust argument will run along these lines:
cellular competition was first set up as 1 Bell company, 1 non-
Bell, but if outside Bells keep buying up the non-Bells, they
will monopolize the business, McCaw could argue. Another McCaw
alternative is to take on a partner in its bid, even a Bell firm
like PacTel. That would let it boost its offer yet again.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19891031)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00008)

CANADA GETTING NATIONWIDE CELLULAR PHONE COVERAGE}
EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA, 1989 NOV 3 (NB) -- Northern Telecom
and NovAtel, which is owned by the Government of Alberta, reached a
landmark on the way to a national cellular phone system for Canada, by
passing a cellular call between their systems under the IS-41
industry cellular system networking standard.

The historic call occurred along the road from Edmonton to Alberta, as
the call went on between those systems without interruption. The
standard, of course, could also be used to knit other countries' cellular
systems, including the U.S.', and are specified by the Electronic
Industries Association (TIA/EIA) TR45.2 subcommittee.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19891031)


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

SOUTHWESTERN BELL'S DIRECTORY GROUP SETTLES WITH ITS UNIONS}
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 30 (NB) -- The
Communications Workers of America District 6 (CWA) and
Southwestern Bell Publications reached a tentative agreement on a
new three-year labor contract a better salary and commission
plan as well as better benefits, according to the union.

The CWA represents 1,850 members, who work inside the Regional Bell
Company's service area. CWA represents clerical, sales and
directory publishing employees. A ratification vote on the new
deal is due November 17. Only workers in the home service area
are covered by the agreement. In areas where Southwestern Bell is
competing with other local Bells, its employees are non-union.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19891031/Press Contact: Bill Townsend, 314-957-
3041)


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

BELL ATLANTIC UNIT ROLLS OUT GATEWAY IN WASHINGTON, D.C.}
WASHINGTON, D.C.., U.S.A., 1989 OCT 27 (NB) -- C&P Telephone,
the Bell Atlantic operating company for the Washington, D.C.
area, said it now has 112 service offerings on its Bell Atlantic
Gateway in Washington and its suburbs. The company also began a
publicity campaign, offering 24 hours of usage free, October 19.

Among the new services are Entrepreneur's Network, an open forum
for businessmen; California Wine Online, for wine lovers, Journal
Graphics, which sells transcripts of TV shows, along with Peoples
Exchange, a classified ad service, and Gimmee Jimmy's Cookies,
which sells cookies.

Spokesman Michel Daley of C&P Telephone told Newsbytes that
direct mail, radio and TV ads are all being used. "We have a
major program under way to get to our target of 3,000 users in DC
by the end of the year. We have just under 1,000 now, without a
major campaign," so "we're pretty optimistic." Unlike U.S. West
and BellSouth, which put their gateway projects into separate
subsidiaries, or Southwestern Bell, which farmed out its
SourceLine project to U.S. Videotel, Bell Atlantic is handling
its gateway directly through an operating company, Daley said.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19891031/Press Contact: Michel Daley, C&P
Telephone Company, 202-392-5108)


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

PHONE COMPANIES IMPLEMENTING PLASTIC CREDIT CARDS}
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 25 (NB) -- Left and
right, Bell Operating Companies are giving their customers plastic
charge cards to handle a variety of billing tasks.

Bell Atlantic, which once gave its customers paper calling cards so
they could charge phones to their home numbers, is moving toward
a single, plastic card with a magnetic stripe to perform the same
function, similar to the cards MCI uses. Bell of Pennsylvania customers
are now getting The Bell Atlantic IQ Card, which works with all
the big long-distance carriers and local telephone companies,
including the pay phones of alternative operator companies.

Pennsylvania customers who don't get theirs in the next few weeks
can make sure they get one by calling 1-800-235-0100.

C&P Telephone, in the Washington, D.C. area, has also gone to the
uniform plastic cards this past month. Long-distance calls made
with the IQ Card are charged at the calling card rate set by the
long-distance company that carries the call, so you'll still need
a way to get to a cheaper long-distance company, instructions MCI
offers on the back of all its cards.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19891031/Press Contact: Shirley Risoldi, Bell
of Pennsylvania, 412-633-5574)


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

VOICE MESSAGING FRANCHISES BEING OFFERED}
HUDSON, OHIO, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 31 (NB) -- Charles Feuer,
combining elements from his careers as a fast food franchisor and
executive with Michigan Bell and AT&T before divestiture, is
offering a voice messaging franchise called Voice-Tel he expects
to have in the nation's top 50 markets by early next year.

Voice-Tel looks for corporate managers and salesmen who want to be
their own bosses, and puts them into business as voice mail
service bureaus for about $210,000, $75,000 in cash. That's
comparable to some print shops and fast-food operations, but you
don't have to wear an apron or get your hands dirty, he says.

Most of his franchisees, Feuer says, "have been either CEOs,
national sales managers or executive vice presidents of old
companies. The key is getting people who can build and develop an
organization."

Feuer offers a two-week training program, bulk
purchasing programs, and a nationwide public relations campaign.
The company has also helped develop marketing materials,
including brochures, videotapes and designs for radio and
newsprint ads, and there's ongoing technical support.

The company's services are based on Centagram Voice Memo 2 equipment.
"We chose them because it's easy to use, and the architecture is
modular, so you can start small and grow easily." Feuer says his
is the first voice messaging franchise to hit the market.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19891031/Press Contact: Charles Feuer, Voice
Enterprises, 216-656-9366)


(EXCLUSIVE)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00013)

COMPARING AT&T AND MCI FAX OFFERINGS}
BASKING RIDGE, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 25 (NB) -- Since
announcing its AT&T Enhanced Fax service at a trade show in
September and launching some anti-MCI ads on the subject, AT&T
has been very quiet about its newest product.

AT&T Enhanced Fax offers the same store-and-forward and mailing list
management options as the older, competing, but without the marketing
genius of Leslie Lampe, who developed MCI Mail and has brought
MCI Fax tens of thousands of regular customers in under a year.

AT&T Enhanced Fax doesn't go online until December, and while its
prices are just barely competitive, they are considered fair,
being based on full pages instead of the 22-line half-pages favored by
MCI. A 10% discount plan with the installation charge waived will
be offered through May, but heavy advertising support will be
necessary to overtake MCI. Analysts expect benefits from this to
flow to flow to both companies in the form of informed customers,
and expect heavy price competition starting next year.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19891031/Press Contact: David Bikle, AT&T, 201-
953-7614)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00014)

CONTROL DATA WINS BRITISH GAMBLING CONTRACT}
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 2 (NB) -- Control
Data, which has been on a long losing streak, won a big one when
its Automated Wagering Division won a 10-year contract to operate
a new, online computer competition in the United Kingdom called
Skilball.

Skilball is designed as a game of skill by its creator,
Golden Grid plc, but pay-outs will be even greater than with
U.S. state lotteries. About one-third of the money will go to
charity. Golden Grid expects two-year revenues of $2.7 billion,
providing $750 million to designated charities.

The competition will be launched in April 1990 with 2,000
terminals in retail outlets. The completed network of 20,000
terminals will be the largest such system in the world.
California's Lottery, by contrast, uses 7,600 terminals. Control
Data presently provides online wagering systems to seven states:
Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New York, Montana, Pennsylvania and
Washington.

Spokesman Bernie Ilson explained how Skilball works. "There are 6
pictures of soccer players in action. The position of the ball is
not in the picture, it's removed. There's a grid across the
picture with numbers and boxes. You're supposed to find the ball
in each picture. So you select a box. Each week the pictures will
change. People will check the numbers off and be given a ticket
based on those numbers."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19891107/Press Contact: Bernie Ilson, Control
Data, 212-245-7950)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00015)

U.S. VIDEOTEL PUTS FOOTBALL GAME ONLINE}
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 31 (NB) -- U.S. Videotel, an
online start-up in Houston which is producing Southwestern Bell's
SourceLine gateway, is introducing an interactive football game
called QB1, which is played alongside a real televised game.

QB1 is licensed from the National Football League, said Senior
Vice President Steven M. Brody, and was developed by Coaches Don
Shula, Bill Walsh, Hank Stram and former Oilers executive Don
Klosterman. There will no added charge for the company's 16,500
Houston customers to play the game. U.S. Videotel's service costs
$14.95 per month, and it has 200 services including education,
information and entertainment.

QB1 has been available for a time in hotels, sports bars,
recreation centers and upscale restaurants for 3 1/2 years.

Here's how it works. Players, or teams of players, predict the
next play, entering their choice on a hand-held device called a
Playmaker. The NTN Network delivers their selection to a
designated "scoreboard monitor" normally located next to a
standard TV set. In this case, the monitor would be your PC
computer or a terminal like those used by France's Minitel
system.

For the Houston Oilers/Cincinnati Bengals game November 13, U.S.
Videotel will invite a former Houston Oilers personality to
challenge other participants in predicting the type, direction
and distance of each play. At halftime and at the end of the
game, results will be transmitted over phone lines and be
announced on U.S. Videotel terminals and a color monitor.

Daniel C. Downs, executive vice president of NTN Communications,
said his firm has broadcast over 2,000 programs in conjunction
with televised games and will announce the one-millionth QB1
player on December 10 or 11 with prizes to that winner.
U.S. Videotel has also signed to use other NTN programming
including two interactive trivia games and Diamondball, played
while watching a live, televised baseball game. All three games
award prizes to winning participants.

Vice President of Operations Jerry McLaughlin told Newsbytes the
U.S. Videotel deal is just the first of several his company
plans to do with online service vendors. He also explained how
the technology works. "In our normal situation, we broadcast off
a local radio station subcarrier. Then periodically, based on
how well they're playing, we'll instruct that local PC to call us
back with the status on a modem."

Another, similar game company, Interactive Games Network, is
testing a product in San Francisco, sending questions and receiving
results on handheld terminals instead of the desktop PCs NTN uses.
"The difference is we've been in the commercial market for 3 1/2
years now. We're no longer developing, we're bringing it into the
home," said McLaughlin. NTN is publicly traded in the over-the-counter
market.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19891107/Press Contact: NTN Communications
Jerry McLaughlin, 619-438-7400)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00016)

FCC TELLS NEWSPAPERS TO WORK WITH THE BELLS}
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1989 OCT 31 (NB) -- In Atlanta,
Georgia, American Newspaper Publishers Association head David
Easterly complains about phone companies trying to take over his
business on the one hand, but works hand-in-glove with BellSouth,
his local phone company, on the other hand, to put his Atlanta
Journal-Constitution online.

New FCC Chairman Alfred Sikes told newspaper editors the latter
course is the correct one, and all newspapers should work together
with the phone companies for mutual profit.

"I think there's a good opportunity today for publishing
companies to capitalize on their experience and move into
electronic delivery of their product," Sikes told a meeting of
the American Newspaper Publishers Association.

Sikes' statements come at a time when both Congress and the
Administration are talking of dismantling barriers, put in place
by the 1982 Bell break-up agreement, which keep Bell companies
from getting into the publishing business. Sikes, during his
confirmation hearings earlier this year, told Congress he
supported lifting the line-of-business prohibitions.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19891107)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00017)

1992 EUROPEAN ALERT LAUNCHED FOR TELECOM GOLD USERS}
HEMEL HEMPSTEAD, ENGLAND, 1989 NOV 4 (NB) -- Informat Limited has
launched a new online service product called '1992: European
Alert.' The service is available as a value-added option on a
pay-as-you-go basis on Telecom Gold, the UK Dialcom electronic
mail affiliate.

1992: European Alert is updated weekly and offers English-
language abstracts of articles monitored from more than 600
newspapers in 12 languages. Abstracts are categorised under
several headings such as: EEC and government initiatives,
financial services and so on.

As with other online services accessible via Telecom Gold, the
1992: European Alert service is menu-driven and supports easy key
word searches, as well as the normal and/or/not command syntax.

The service isn't cheap, however. At UKP 2-00 a minute, in
addition to normal Telecom Gold charges, the service is aimed at
business-people needing to stay in touch with what is written
about topics relevant to the free European market due in
1992.

(Steve Gold/19891104/Press & Public Contact: Sebastien Crawshaw,
Infomat Limited - Tel: [phone]; also Dialcom Direct - Tel:
0800-200-700)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(BRU)(00018)

WORLD'S SMALLEST MODEM BY RAD}
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL, 1989 NOV 4 (NB) -- RAD, the Israeli
communications specialist, has released the SRM-3D, a miniature
modem which it claims is the smallest of its type in the world.
The tiny unit, which comes in a case no larger than a plug, has a
range of 17 miles and operates at speeds of up to 19,200 bits per
second (bps).

According to Joos Bruynickx, the president of Indacom, the
Belgian importer of the SRM-3D, the modem draws its power from
the data control lines of the connected device's serial ports.

"The combination of the modem's miniature size and the use of a
9-pin D-type connector makes the SRM-3D particularly suitable for
computers such as the IBM PC/AT or Unisys Unix computers," he
said.

(Eric Dauchy/19891104/Press & Public Contact : RAD Data
Communications Limited: Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00019)

TRANSATLANTIC PAGING SERVICE ANNOUNCED}
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1989 NOV 4 (NB) -- British Telecom (BT) and
Metrocast, a US company in which BT has an 80 percent stake, have
launched the first Transatlantic radio paging system.

The Metrocast system, which is available to customers in both
countries immediately, allows a single alphanumeric radio pager
to be used to receive messages on both sides of the Atlantic.

According to Jerry Mooney, BT's mobile communications manager,
Metrocast is a world first. "It represents not only a significant
step forward for BT paging, but also for the paging industry as a
whole. Metrocast will enable customers to be paged using the same
device on either side of the Atlantic and sees the start of truly
intercontinental paging," he said.

Although the concept behind a radio pager working in more than one
country is simple, the technology is hampered by the fact that
different countries use different frequencies for their
radio pager transmissions. The Metrocast pager gets round this
problem by constantly scanning the different frequencies.

The technology may sound simple, but the Metrocast pager actually
scans 14 different frequencies in the 150 to 160 MHz band for
messages. To prevent bandwidth overloading twin control centres
on both sides of the Atlantic control the areas in which the
radio pager activation signals are operative.

In normal use, the radio pager is used as a conventional messaging
pager in the user's home zone. The UK is one zone, whilst the US
is split into a number of regions, based on the time zones
applicable.

When the user knows he will be travelling, s/he simply calls a UK
or US number and instructs the system operator to divert messages
to the appropriate region. Whilst the user is in transit, the
system can be also be programmed to hold messages until a
designated time. This is useful, for example, whether the user is
en-route in a plane between the UK and US.

The NEC pager, which can store up to 40 messages, each of 15
words, can be rented on a temporary or permanent basis. Temporary
rental costs UKP 48 per week or UKP 144 per month. Permanent
rental costs UKP 30 to sign-up and UKP 45 per month.

Initially, Metrocast service is only available in the UK and to
105 US cities, each with more than 100,000 population. By the end
of 1990, coverage will be national in both countries, as well as
extending coverage to Canada. Backing up the service are 24-hour
control centres in London and San Diego through which Metrocast
messages are processed. Enhancements planned for 1990 include
direct message-input facilities for callers.

(Steve Gold/19891104/Press & Public Contact: British Telecom
Mobile Communications - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00020)

ORBITEL EXPANDS ITS CELLULAR MODEM RANGE}
BASINGSTOKE, ENGLAND, 1989 NOV 4 (NB) -- Orbitel Mobile
Communications has unveiled the 510-NK, a cellular radio modem
for the Nokia Autoline and Talkman 620 mobile and transportable
cellular telephones.

As with previous Orbitel cellular radio modems, the 510-NK
supports the cellular data link control (CDLC) format, as well as
the conventional non-error-corrected formats. It joins other
versions of the 510 modem series, which are available for the
Panasonic C series and the NEC 9A/11A series of cellular phones.

In common with the Panasonic and NEC-specific editions of the 510
modem, the 510-NK is lightweight (24 ounces) and draws power
from the connected phone. According to Orbitel, the 510-NK's
low power consumption (1.5 watts) does not appreciably affect the
total 'talk time' of cellular phones.

Pricing on the 510-NK modem series is dependent on system
configuration and installation required.

The CDLC modem system operates with a 2400bps modem carrier,
transmitting each packet of data twice. Although the data
throughout is reduced to 1200bps using the system, the need for
retransmitted packets of information is dramatically reduced,
ensuring a steady data throughout even under difficult radio
conditions.

(Steve Gold/Press & Public Contact: David Nicholas, Orbitel
Mobile Communications - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00021)

AUSTRALIAN TELECOM TO DEVELOP DATA SERVICE}
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 OCT 30 (NB) -- The Australian
carrier Telecom has announced a commitment of AUS$75M over
the next four years to develop a new high-speed data
service called FASTPAC. Telecom officials said the project,
which will use the Australian-invented Queued Packet
Synchronous Switch technology, has the potential to earn
AUS$100M a year in export earnings.

Telecom Australia recently reported a record annual profit
of nearly AUS$1 billion.

(Gavin Atkins & Computing Australia/19891101)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00022)

INFO GLOBE ACQUIRES ONLINE DIRECTORY RIGHTS}
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 OCT 31 (NB) -- Info Globe, the
electronic publishing division of the Toronto newspaper The Globe
and Mail, has acquired exclusive rights to publish the Directory
of Periodicals Online. Info Globe acquired the rights from
Disclosure Inc. of Maryland, which acquired them with its
purchase of Federal Document Retrieval of Washington, D.C.,
earlier this year.

Phil Faughnan, marketing manager at Info Globe, said the company
plans an online edition of the directory, currently published
only in printed form. Info Globe plans to publish the fifth News,
Law and Business edition of the directory early in 1990, and the
second Science and Technology edition later in the year. Between
them, the two editions cover 8,700 periodicals in 210 different
databases, Faughnan said.

Info Globe began offering the full editorial text of The Globe
and Mail online on the day of publication in 1979, making the
Globe the first daily to do so. Info Globe currently offers some
25 different database products, Faughnan said.

(Grant Buckler/19891103/Press Contact: Phil Faughnan, Info Globe,
416-585-5299)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00023)

BELL CANADA OPPOSES CABLE RATE INCREASE}
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 NOV 2 (NB) -- Bell Canada, the
country's largest telephone company, is opposing a bid by Rogers
Cable TV to raise cable television rates. The rate increases
are to help finance a capital spending program that includes
installing fiber optic networks in 11 communities in the
provinces of Ontario and British Columbia.

Earlier this year, Rogers bought a 40 percent interest in CNCP
Telecommunications, the national data communications company, and
announced it would seek regulators' permission to provide long-
distance phone service in competition with Bell. CNCP is expected
to put its application before the Canadian Radio-television and
Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) before year-end. Bell has
told the CRTC revenues from Rogers' monopoly cable services will
subsidize unfair competition with Bell's telephone service.

Bell spokesman John Morris said Bell's intervention does not mean
the phone company expects Rogers and CNCP to win their bid for
competitive service. "It's just looking at the possibility of
that happening and being concerned about fair competition," he
said.

(Grant Buckler/19891103/Press Contact: John Morris, Bell Canada,
613-781-3724)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00001)

INTEL COMPRESSES VIDEO IN NEW CHIP SET}
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 3 (NB) -- Intel has
announced a video compression breakthrough which enables its
i750 chip set to compress and run video footage at thirty frames-
per-second on a personal computer -- three times faster than the
ten frames-per-second of the previous version.

RTV version 1.5 (RTV stands for real-time video) is expected to
be of genuine use to those designing multimedia applications
and should show up in products as early as the first quarter of 1990.

The technology involves a new software compression algorithm
in use in Intel's DVI (digital video interactive) i750 chip set.
The next generation of this processor should also run much faster --
twice that of the current 12.5 million instructions per second --
and is due out in 1990.

DVI Technology is designed to perform the following feats: all-digital
interactivity with video, stills, audio, graphics and text; full-screen,
full-motion video from CD-ROM or hard disk; low-cost, standard
personal computer platforms for both authoring and end-use.

Andersen Consulting of Chicago already uses DVI technology in
analyzing manufacturing productivity. Reinhard Ziegler,
consulting manager for Andersen's Change Management Services
division, called Version 1.5 an exciting breakthrough. "Imagine
being able to match your own golf swing to Arnold Palmer's, for
example," he said. RTV can also be used as an authoring tool, as
RTV segments are replaced with higher-quality images at a later
stage of development. Production-Level Video, or PLV, must still
be processed by Intel offline, on a powerful parallel processing
computer.

(Wendy Woods & Dana Blankenhorn/19891107/Press Contact: Paula
Zimmerman, Intel, 609-936-7615)


(EXCLUSIVE)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00002)

AI ON A CHIP FOR ANY COMPUTER}
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 03 (NB) -- International
Chip Corporation (ICC), headquartered here, has announced a new
coprocessor chip which eliminates the need for software to
run expert systems programs.

The new Rex chip is part of a coprocessor board designed to fit
an expansion slot on a wide variety of computers and workstations.
ICC President and CEO Dr. Tai Sugimoto told Newsbytes that
his company can produce coprocessor boards to run on any
machine in about three weeks. Boards are currently available
for IBM AT and similar computers, Sun workstations and
NEC computers.

The coprocessor board will be marketed with Rule Compiler software
which provides means for developing intelligent data processing
applications. No programming knowledge is required to use the Rule
Compiler software which prompts for input in plain English.

Once the expert system has been developed with the special software,
it can be run by anyone on a Rex board-equipped computer. The board
is activated by use of a "hot key." Developers have a wide choice of
user interfaces, including Windows and pop-up menus.

Cost of the new board, available next month, is pegged at $1,500
while the Rule Compiler software will go from $2,000 to $5,000
depending upon the machine on which it's to be used. This compares
quite favorably to the $100,000-and-up special artificial intelligence
development computers which were formerly the only alternative to
strictly software-based programs. The current version of the Rex
chip runs at 10 MegaHerz (MHz) and handles 1.67 million rules per second.
Newsbytes learned that Rex V.2, due next spring, will run at 20 MHz
and will double the rule-handling ability of the present chip.

The Rex board will be marketed directly to large companies by
Ricoh Corp., West Caldwell, N.J., the U. S. subsidiary of Ricoh
Company, Ltd., Tokyo, which is a joint venture partner of ICC
in developing the chip.

(Don S. Johnson/19891103)


(EXCLUSIVE)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00003)

KEEPING TRACK OF SENIORS BY PC}
ROHNERT PARK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 3 (NB) -- A new
software/hardware configuration is designed to keep track of
seniors or the disabled by calling them once a day to make sure
everything is alright.

CJL Systems is seeking a beta site in Northern California to test the
Senior Security System and will offer the site 50-percent off the
system price, as well as a video tape made of the test site with
testimonials from consenting individuals using the system. At least
one center in Sebastopol, California, will be installing it in three
weeks.

Here's how it works. The computer calls a designated list of people
(up to 500) each day at a specific time. If a call is not answered, an
"alert" is issued. Police or a designated person is notified and
investigates by going to the absent person's home. If the call is
answered, the system goes onto the next call, as the
person is presumed to be doing well.

The system also provides those called with touch-tone options,
such as notification that a call is not needed the following day,
or a list of senior meal and dining sites, or a weekly community
event list. Each call will not exceed three minutes so that all those
on the list can be called at their preplanned time.

The database on the PC also includes an area where vital information
about the person can be stored, such as his doctor's name, social
security number, special needs and conditions.

To find out more, call the creator of the Senior Security System,
Jack Olmstead, at 707-795-6533.

(Wendy Woods/19891103)


(EXCLUSIVE)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00004)

SUPERCHIP: MORE POWERFUL THAN A SUPERCOMPUTER}
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 03 (NB)--- International
Chip Corporation, (ICC), is working on a new generation
of central processing unit (CPU) chip that will embody the data
crunching ability of an entire Cray supercomputer in one chip.

Dr. Tai Sugimoto, ICC president and CEO, told Newsbytes that the new
chip, expected to be released sometime in the first quarter of 1990,
will be used in neural network computers. Neural network computers
use arrays of CPUs, from dozens to hundreds of them, for near-
simultaneous parallel processing.

(Don S. Johnson/19891103)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00005)

BIGGER, BETTER MONITOR FOR LAPTOPS SOON?}
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 3 (NB)-- Toshiba America
Information Systems Inc., Computer Systems Div., has unveiled a full-
sized, color, liquid-crystal display prototype. The prototype,
mounted on a modified Toshiba T5200 laptop computer, features an
active viewing area 9-inches wide by 6.75-inches high, 16-color
VGA compatibility and 640 x 480 pixel resolution. The company refused
to speculate on when the new technology would be commercially
available.

(Don S. Johnson/19891103)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(ATL)(00006)

GEORGIA TECH ANNOUNCES CHEAPER MACHINE VISION}
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 23 (NB) -- Researchers at
the Georgia Institute of Technology announced they have developed
a low-cost gray-scale machine vision system.

Dr. Steve Dickerson, a mechanical engineering professor at Tech, said
the new system costs less because it doesn't need a video picture.
Instead, it generates digital data of bright spots used as landmarks to
direct robotic arms, guided vehicles or parts retrieval systems.

Because the spots occupy only a small portion of each scene, the
camera scans only those areas, reducing analysis time. It's
basically an imaging chip, as those used in video cameras, and a
pinhole instead of an optical lens. A strobe is then fired into a
mirror on the camera, and reflected light illuminates the
landmarks, which are marked off with the same tape used in
traffic markings. Dickerson said the cost of components needed
for his system is less than $200. He said the system is ideal for
inspection of electronics parts in production.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19891107/Press Contact: John Toon, Georgia
Tech, 894-3444)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(ATL)(00007)

ITC TO INTRODUCE CELLULAR LAPTOPS}
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 3 (NB) -- Intelligence
Technology Corp. will introduce what it calls the first line of
laptop cellular computers at the Fall Comdex show in Las Vegas
November 13. Each of the computer includes a cellular modem,
built-in, and a cellular phone. The first product from the
company, the ITC 286 CAT, was introduced last year and won the
Governor's Award for Industry Grand Prize in Hong Kong.

The top of the new line is a laptop based on the Intel i386 chip.
Others are based on the NEC V20 and a clone of the Intel i286
chip used in the old IBM PC AT. The top of the line machine
weighs in at 15 pounds, the smallest comes in at 10 pounds.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19891107/Press Contact: Juanita Espinosa, ITC,
800-356-3493)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00008)

NEW COMPUTER RETAILING IDEA TO DEBUT NOV 6}
GARDEN GROVE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 03 (NB) -- A giant
exposition-type computer store, the first of 20 planned locations
nationwide, is opening in Garden Grove, CA.

Computer City Supercenters will assemble all the big industry
brand names under one roof in an interactive expo-like setting.
While trying out products, customers will be able to talk
directly to manufacturers representatives who will be available
at selected times to answer questions and run demonstrations.

Computer City's parent company is a well-established computer
retailing chain, Inacomp. Inacomp co-founder, Joseph Inatome, is
serving as chief executive of Computer City SuperCenters.

In addition to the vast selection of hardware and accessories,
over 1,000 software titles will be available in the 20,000 square
foot store. Computer City will be offering services not offered
at most computer stores including a software lab for
compatibility testing, how-to classes, automated training and a
technical reference library. Customers will also have the
opportunity to participate in a networking activity center that
will function with similarities to user groups.

There will also be a new innovation in graphics marketing within
the Supercenter. Known as Computer City Graphix Zone, the
department will specialize in for applications, desktop
publishing, presentation graphics, desktop engineering, and
multi-media. Each Graphix Zone will also feature a production
service center equipped with Apple and PC-based self-help design
stations as well as laser output, phototypesetting, color
output, black and white scanning, color scanning, 35mm slide
making, A-E size plotting and design consulting services.

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103/Press Contact: Eileen Algaze, R.L.
Couch Public Relations, 714-474-9111)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SYD)(00009)

AUSTRALIA'S FIRST COMPUTER SUPERMARKET}
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, 1989 OCT 30 (NB) -- Three investors
have formed a company called Powerpoint that will establish
a AUS$1M computer supermarket in Melbourne. The group plans
to open the supermarket in February and to expand to Sydney
at a later date.

The planned shop will sell hardware and software products
from more than 30 vendors, will have a computer games and
software hire center, corporate executive shuttle service,
24-hour software vending machines, and customer comforts
such as a restaurant and creche.

(Gavin Atkins & Computing Australia/19891101)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00010)

AMD-HP SIGN LAN REPEATER PACT}
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 03 (NB) Advanced Micro
Devices (AMD) and Hewlett-Packard (HP) have signed a joint
development agreement under which the two companies will
design, and AMD manufacture, an integrated multiport repeater
circuit for the 10Base-T Ethernet local area network (LAN) standard.

10Base-T specifies a 10 megabit-per-second Ethernet LAN using
inexpensive unshielded twisted pair wiring like that commonly used
for telephones.

(Don S. Johnson/19891103)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00011)

NEW MAPMAKING METHODS EXPLORED}
SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 OCT 30 (NB) -- IBM and
the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis
(NCGIA) at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB)
have undertaken a joint research project that will help lay the
groundwork for the next generation of a new technology called
Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

By computerizing the map-making process, GIS is providing dynamic
new ways for comparing and analyzing spatial relationships among
large amounts of different types of data. The technology is
being applied to a variety of fields including automobile
navigation, crime fighting, marketing, natural resource
management and environmental problem-solving. Because of its
wide range of uses, GIS technology has been nicknamed "enabling
technology."

As part of the three-year contract covering this joint research
effort, IBM's University and College Systems (UCS) is supplying
$2.3 million in computer equipment to the NCGIA's lead center at
UCSB. The NCGIA is a consortium that includes UCSB, the State
University of New York (Buffalo) and the University of Maine
(Orono) established in 1988 by the National Science Foundation.

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103/Press Contact: David Salisbury, UC
Santa Barbara, 805-961-2827)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SYD)(00012)

AUSTRALIAN POLICE DEVELOP NEW IDENTIKIT SYSTEM}
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA, 1989 OCT 30 (NB) -- Worldwide interest
has been created by a computerized identification kit system
developed by South Australian police.

The Computerized Facial Identification System, or CIDS, has
already been used in Western Australia where it has helped
to catch suspects in a forgery and rape case. It was
developed by two senior constables who left the force to
set up a company called CR Technology.

The system is designed to replace the manual Penry Photofit
system which has been in worldwide use since 1978. The CIDS
system uses Commodore Amiga hardware, an image database,
and patented software that eliminates joining lines between
parts of the picture, makes skin tones more realistic, and
allows the images to be manipulated.

CIDS utilizes a Polaroid Freeze Frame video recorder to
produce color or black-and-white images suitable for
newspaper reproduction. CIDS is being evaluated by police
forces in the US, Canada, West Germany, and other
Australian states.

(Gavin Atkins & Computing Australia/19891101)


(EXCLUSIVE)(TRENDS)(SIN)(00013)

SINGAPORE FIRM PIONEERS A MULTI-SCREEN KEYBOARD}
SINGAPORE, SOUTHEAST ASIA, 1989 OCT 12 (NB) -- While the information
technology industry races way ahead of the market with complex
windowing systems, a Singapore company has taken a more
pragmatic approach by producing a device which allows a single
keyboard to attach and manage a multiple of PC terminals.

Speaking to Newsbytes in an exclusive, prerelease interview,
Al Shurgalla of Data Vision Pte Ltd explained: "Open system
networks which allow concurrent connection to many computers
via single terminal windowing, such as HP's New Wave and
NCRNet, often require significant investment in hardware and
software to drive the network. Also there is frequently a need
for special software or additional hardware on the remote
systems."

"Our product, Keyplex/8, provides a convenient way of
operating up to eight systems from a single keyboard with a
touch of a single key. Probably the most important factor is
that no software on any of the connected systems has to be
changed at all," he told Newsbytes.

The Keyplex/8 was originally designed for IBM mainframe
computer rooms where a multiple of operating systems may be
running under a virtual machine (VM) environment. "What
normally happens in that environment," says Mr Shurgalla, "is
that each independent operating system requires its own console
and its own computer operator. With Keyplex/8 one operator can
manage all systems simply from the one keyboard by switching
from one to another."

"But after we had developed the product for that technical
application, we realized that it had many practical commercial
applications," he said, " and so we decided to package it for
general sale to anyone with a multi-screen and system need."

There are many situations where Keyplex/8 fits handsomely.
Money market dealing rooms, security monitoring centres, any
form of control centre, and even the executive's desk where
access to a multiple of systems is required.

For the technocrats Keyplex/8 is an intelligent device which is
based on an Intel 8051 family micro-controller operating at 12
MHz. It simulates a single logical system unit to the attached
physical keyboard, while simultaneously simulating up to eight
logical keyboards to the attached system units. It maintains
the state of each logical keyboard regardless of which system
is selected. This means that the Caps, Num and Scroll Lock
states are preserved across selections.

Reminiscent of a TV studio camera, a red light can be attached
to each video monitor to indicate which is active.

Often, in a manufacturing environment, there is a need to use a
PC as machine controllers and in that environment the keyboard
is not required. Any attempt to boot a PC without a keyboard
will normally result in a 30X type system error. But if the
Keyplex/8 is attached this problem is overcome.

A useful option which is also offered by Data Vision is the
Videoplex/8. This enables the video signal from the active
screen to be channelled to the operator's display in tandem
with each Keyplex/8 switch. Data Vision also has a number of
software development companies interested in this product.
These companies plan to use Keyplex/8 on the development team
supervisor's machine to enable he or she to switch to any
programmer's PC when assistance is required.

Computer veteran, Al Shurgalla, said he was delighted that
Newsbytes was the first to tell the world about his new
product: "As you would expect, we have been working closely
with major manufacturers in the course of development and we
know they will issue press releases in due course, but we feel
there are many Newsbytes readers out there who will be
interested, so why not tell them first."

(Keith Cameron/19891104, Press contact - Al Shurgalla, Data
Vision, Singapore 65-4677784 Fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00014)

SURVEY SHOWS DTP GROWING, IBM DOMINANT}
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 NOV 3 (NB) -- A survey of
businesses in the Toronto area shows use of desktop publishing is
growing rapidly, though spreadsheets and word processing remain
the most popular personal computer applications.

Manpower Temporary Services, a temporary office help firm, received
responses from some 125 companies to a mailed survey on computer
use.

Ninety-one percent of respondents said they used spreadsheets and
85 percent said they used word processing software. Next were
communications software, in use at 61 percent of sites, and
database and accounting software, both found at 55 percent.
Forty-two percent of respondents said they are using desktop
publishing, a relatively new application category. Almost all
respondents -- 99 percent, the survey said -- were using at least
one PC, but 39 percent still had dedicated word processors. At 67
percent of the businesses minicomputers were in use, and 35
percent had mainframe computers.

Responses also indicated that IBM PCs were installed at 40
percent of responding sites. Compaq machines were found at 15
percent of sites, Apple computers at six percent.

(Grant Buckler/19891103/Press Contact: Heather Percy, Manpower
Temporary Services, 416-480-1212)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00001)

INTEL OFFERS "SHRINK-WRAP" AT&T UNIX}
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 3 (NB) -- Intel Corporation
has entered the software business in the creation of a "generic" Unix
operating system for its 80386 and 8046 microprocessors, based on
AT&T's Unix System V.

Called a "shrink-wrapped" Unix, this $495 package called Intel Unix
System V 3.2 is designed to be a standardized Unix operating system
for users of PCs.

In siding with AT&T, Intel has delivered a blow to the already limping
Open Software Foundation. Created by such firms as IBM, Hewlett-Packard
and Digital Equipment, which feared AT&T's alliance with Sun
Microsystems on a new version of Unix would shut them out, the
Open Software Foundation has promised it's own "open" version of
the Unix operating system, but its support has been eroding.

Intel spokesman Nariman Karanjia at Intel's Hillsboro, Oregon plant,
tells Newsbytes that the problem with most versions of Unix for
the PC -- Santa Cruz Operation's, for instance -- is that the software
applications cannot easily be ported over to other Intel microprocessor-
based machines, since they have "so many bells and whistles." He
added that while SCO's Unix is a "fine product," Intel's Unix is an
operating system that "everyone accepts." "We're interested in
standardization," he says.

"We're trying to make Unix like MS-DOS, which is very portable. Today
there are too many flavors of Unix and too much fragmentation."

Intel's Unix supports the Intel/AT&T-developed Applications Binary
Interface (ABI), a binary standard which allows applications to
run on any computer supporting the ABI, regardless of manufacturer.

Intel's initial shrink-wrap Unix software product line includes
NFS, TCP/IP, X Window System and Locus Merge (a "DOS-under Unix"
software program).

Intel plans to release a version of its own Unix operating
system based on AT&T System V 4.0 in the first quarter of 1990.

For more information call Intel at 800-548-4725 or 503-681-8080.

(Wendy Woods/19891102)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LON)(00002)

UNIX SYSTEM V RELEASE 4 ANNOUNCED; 14 NEW MEMBERS OF UNIX INT'L}
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1989 NOV 4 (NB) -- Unix International and AT&T's
Unix software operation have announced Unix System V, Release 4,
a major upgrade to the Unix operating system that both companies
claim merge the most popular features of the Unix operating
system standard.

In parallel with the software update, Unix International has
added 14 new members, boosting membership of the consortium to
more than 110 companies. Peter Cunningham, Unix International's
president and chief executive officer, said the new appointments
demonstrate the strength of Unix in the worldwide market.

"The addition of the new members reaffirms the acceptance of Unix
System V as a dominant worldwide computing standard. Unix
International's unprecedented growth clearly demonstrates the
emergence of an international commitment to the openness of the
Unix standard," he said.

According to Cunningham, Unix System V, Release 4 unifies the
Unix system installed base, providing upward compatibility for
more than 80 percent of current Unix system installations.

"The introduction of Unix System V Release 4 is an important
event for the Unix system market, not only because of the
significant unifying impact of the operating system software, but
because it demonstrates how the market, through Unix
international, can control its own destiny," he said.

The new version of Unix is the first product to be developed as
a joint project between Unix International and AT&T. Under Unix
International's control, the package became the first product to
conform to the XPG-3 benchmark of portability formulated by
X/Open, the international open systems standards organization.

Unix International's 14 new members are: Canon; Chorus Systems;
Edinburgh Portable Compilers; Far Eastern Computers; Fiat Auto;
Imperial Software Technology; Mannesmann Informationstechnik;
Matsushita; Samsung; Sanyo; Softway; Sumitomo; the Swedish
defence data agency; and the University of Tokyo.

(Steve Gold/19891104)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(ATL)(00003)

NCR ENDORSES UNIX SYSTEM V RELEASE 4}
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 1 (NB) -- NCR
endorsed Unix System V Release 4 as the basis for the future
operating system on all its Unix System-based computers.

President Gilbert P. Williamson said it will protect customer
investments in software, praising both its Application Binary
Interface and Binary Compatibility Specifications, which
encourage the wide availability of off-the-shelf application
software.  Williamson said that by the end of the year, NCR will
have shipped 90,000 units of the NCR Tower, making the company
one of the world's leading manufacturers of Unix-based, multiuser
computers.

In other NCR news, the company unveiled NCR Tower NetWare, a new
local area network product which lets the Tower be used as a
file, application or communications server on local area networks
running Novell, Inc.'s NetWare operating system software. The
company also unveiled two new models in its NCR Tower family --
the NCR Tower 32/300, an entry-level unit, and the NCR Tower
32/500, a mid-range system.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19891107/Press Contact: James Cortese, NCR,
513-445-2009)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LAX)(00004)

DELL DELVES DEEPER INTO UNIX MARKET}
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 NOV 02 (NB) -- Dell Computer
has announced a new version of its Unix operating system and user
environment for its 386-based computers.

Dell's X Window System allows users to have multiple views of one
or more applications on a bit-mapped graphics display. The Dell
Unix System V Release 1.1 comes with improved system
documentation including online manual pages.  The system
includes the latest features from AT&T UNIX System V.3.2.1 and
Interactive Systems' 386/ix Version 2.0.2.

Dell has included the final release version of the Open Software
Foundation (OSF) Motif window manager system that gives X Window
System applications the look and feel of Microsoft Windows and
the IBM Presentation Manager, both familiar systems to many
users. The X Window System is enhanced to support Dell's
Graphics Performance Series high performance graphics accelerator
cards and high resolution monitors.

Dell also announced price reductions on 286- and 386-based
computers as well as on memory kits. Effective immediately, the
price reductions range from $100 for the Dell System 210, a 286-
based 12.5 MHz PC with 512 kilobytes RAM to $1100 for the Dell
System 325, a 25 MHZ, 386-based PC with 4 megabytes RAM. Prices for
the Dell System 316 and Dell System 310 have also been reduced.
The company says the price reductions are a reflection of its
commitment to giving the buyer the best price/performance
available.

Dell is also reducing prices by up to $1,000 on its memory kits
and boards including 128 KB kits, 1, 2 and 4 megabyte kits and 2
and 8 megabyte boards.

(Janet Endrijonas/19891103/Press Contact: Brian Fawkes, Dell
Computer Corp., 512-338-4400)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BRU)(00005)

NIXDORF RELEASES THREE NEW UNIX TARGONS}
MUNICH, WEST GERMANY, 1989 NOV 4 (NB) -- Nixdorf Computer, one of
West Germany's best-known technology companies, has released
three new 68030 microprocessor machines in its Targon range. All
three machines are pitched at the Unix market.

Nixdorf recently signed an agreement with MIPS Computer to enable
it to use second-generation reduced instruction chip (RISC)
microprocessors. The new Targon machines - the 20MHz M5 and 33MHz
M15 M45 models - are intended to pave the way for the MIPS RISC-
based computer.

All three 68030-based Targons are fully compatible with the older
68020 microprocessor-based System 31 series from Nixdorf. The
flagship Model 45 can up to 32 terminals with a claimed
processing speed of 8.8 million instructions per second (MIPS).

(Eric Dauchy/19891104)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BRU)(00006)

AMOEBA TO BE NEXT OSF OPERATING SYSTEM?}
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS, 1989 NOV 4 (NB) -- The Open Software
Foundation (OSF) has sponsored a Dutch project which could spawn
the next-generation computer's operating system. If the
project is successful, the OSF plans to adopt the operating
system as its own.

The Vrije Universiteit and the Centrum voor Wiskunde en
Informatica have agreed to work with the OSF to develop an
experimental operating system which is code-named Amoeba.

Despite the Amoeba project still being in its earliest days,
managers are already talking enthusiastically about the operating
system. The reason for their enthusiasm is that the OSF's running
costs would be minimized by adopting this research.

This will, the OSF confidently predicts, result in low license
fees for OSF members wanting to bundle the Amoeba operating
system with their computers and/or software packages.

Amoeba is the first of five projects that the OSF is sponsoring
as possible future products. Budgets have been set aside for
another project in Europe, two in the US and a fifth project in
Japan.

(Eric Dauchy/19891104)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TOR)(00007)

HP LAUNCHES X WINDOW TERMINALS}
WATERLOO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 OCT 31 (NB) -- Hewlett-Packard
has announced a range of graphics terminals designed for use with
the X Window System standard. Introduced at Autofact in Detroit
and Unix Expo in New York, the HP 700/X terminals will be built
by Hewlett-Packard Canada's Panacom Automation Division, based
here. X Window System is a user interface standard developed at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

The family includes color terminals ranging from a 14-inch unit
with 640 by 480 resolution through 16-inch, 19-inch and 20-inch
models, all with 1,024 by 768 resolution. A monochrome 19-inch
unit with 1,024 by 768 resolution provides 16 shades of gray. All
models come with a two-button mouse, keyboard and X Window System
server processing unit built on a Texas Instruments TM34010
graphics chip. The terminals come with one megabyte of random
access memory, expandable to four megabytes, and with interfaces
for thick and thin Ethernet and StarLAN 10 networks.

HP said the terminals fill the gap between the company's HP 700
series of ASCII terminals and its Apollo workstation family.
Canadian prices for the units range from C$4,200 to C$7,000. The
HP 700/X terminals are scheduled to be available in the first
quarter of 1990.

(Grant Buckler/19891031/Press Contact: Dave Poetker, Panacom
Division of HP Canada, 519-886-5320)