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/1992/NB920217

Text File | 1992-02-17 | 55KB | 1,244 lines

(NEWS)(APPLE)(TYO)(00001)

Apple Japan Changes Its Corporate Name 02/17/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- Apple Computer Japan has changed
its name to "Apple Computer" -- the same as its parent firm
in the U.S. -- in an effort by Apple Computer to give the Tokyo-based
office more authority.

Apple Computer's decision to rename its Japanese subsidiary follows
similar moves by Lotus and Microsoft. Their Japanese subsidiaries
do not have "Japan" in their corporate names. This has given the
Japanese offices more authority and attempts to buck the trend of
other firms with "Japan" in their name, which are not doing well here.
So, many new Japanese leaders in Japan want to avoid the usage
of "Japan" in their corporate names.

With the name change, Apple Computer has also moved its
office. It used to be located in Roppongi, but now it is in
Sendagaya which is near the former Olympic stadium in Tokyo.
Apple Computer (Tokyo) has created a sales office and support
center near Makuhari Messe, which is the largest convention
center located in Chiba Prefecture.

It is expected that more powerful Japanese features will be
added to the Macintosh in the near future. Also, new hardware
and software are expected to be jointly developed by Sony and
Sharp. An industry watcher says a Unix version of the Macintosh
may be released in the future provided that Apple incorporates
technology from Sony's Unix-based NEWS workstation. Analysts believe
this is very likely due to the close relationship between Sony
and Apple. Sony is currently manufacturing the Powerbook on an OEM
(original equipment manufacturer) basis. Apple Computer (Tokyo)
has also agreed with Sharp concerning the development of hardware
parts, especially a liquid crystal display.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920217/Press Contact: Apple Computer, Tokyo,
[phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00002)

NCR Japan Develops Japanese Pen-input System 02/17/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- NCR Japan, a Japanese subsidiary
of the American computer firm, will release a Japanese version of its
pen-input system. Also, the firm will release an ultra-large scale
parallel processor this fall.

NCR Japan is currently developing Japanese Kanji input
for the firm's pen-input system, which operates on the firm's
32-bit portable personal computer. The computer is the Japanese
version of the 3100 series which is equipped with an 80386SX
processor. The original version is the A4-size and is being sold
in the U.S. market.

NCR Japan is developing applications for the Kanji input system
jointly with cargo firms in Japan, whom will be NCR's initial
customers. They are expected to install the pen-input system
on their trucks to exchange information with their headquarters.

Meanwhile, NCR Japan is planning to release an ultra-large scale
parallel processor in September. It will be equipped with more than
100 units of Intel's coming 80586 processor. The Japanese system
is expected to be developed later.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920217/Press Contact: NCR Japan, +81-3-3582-
6111)


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

National Semi Offers New FDDI Chip; Suggests Use On Copper 2/17/92
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- National
Semiconductor has made two announcements that could have significant
impact on the FDDI (fiber distributed data interface) marketplace.
FDDI is designed to transmit data on Token Ring local area networks
at speeds of 100 megabits per second.

First, it has announced the upcoming availability of its new FDDI
bus system interface circuit. Called the BSI-2 DP83265A, this chip
can run at a clock rate of 33MHz. This is an improvement over a
previous chip that could run at 25 MHz. With its higher speed,
National Semiconductor has also been able to increase the latency
time allocated to the system bus to 80 nanoseconds. This makes it
a very usable device for PC buses like EISA (Extended Industry
Standard Architecture).

The chip will begin shipping in quantity in March. It is pin and
software compatible with National's BSI chip so an upgrade can be
limited to the hardware. It will also be priced the same as its
predecessor - at $69 per device in lots of 1000.

Secondly, National Semiconductor is approaching the PMD group of
the ANSI X3T9.5 committee with its proposals for allowing the FDDI
protocols to be used over copper cabling. This proposal is authored
jointly with Cabletron systems of New Hampshire.

The two companies have stated that putting FDDI on copper wiring,
in addition to its current optical fibers, will allow for significant
price reductions to the user who will not have to step up to the
expense of wiring his whole facility with fiber optics. Many
facilities already have copper wiring in their walls to support
their current LANs. This proposal would allow the use of those wires
and yet provide the benefits of FDDI speeds and redundancy.

Another factor that the companies noted was that of expense. Many
Ethernet cards that rely on copper wiring sell for under $200 today.
FDDI cards are sold for about $1500. This difference can be partially
eliminated by the use of the same media. Fiber optic connections
tend to be much more expensive than copper.

(Naor Wallach/19920217/Press Contact: Leslie Davis, National
Semiconductor, 408-721-2862)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(TYO)(00004)

Polaroid Japan Will Release Macintosh Products 02/17/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- Polaroid Japan will release
software for Apple's Macintosh in Japan. Most of the programs
will be supplied by Macbone of Holland through an exclusive
distribution agreement with Polaroid.

According to the Nikkei Personal Computing magazine, Polaroid
Japan will release three Macintosh programs in
February. They include Japanese Acta 7 (outline processor),
DeltaGraph Professional (presentation software) and Mariah
(multimedia file management program). In March, the firm will
release the network management program "netOctopus." Also, in May,
a Japanese version of a schedule management program called "Team
Agenda" will be sold. It is said more programs will be released
in Japan by the end of this year.

Polaroid Japan will also release Macintosh hardware:
scanners, printers, picture boards, and other peripherals.

Polaroid is entering the Japanese Macintosh market just as
it is heating up. Industry watchers say the Mac has been
stealing interest away from those who would otherwise have
put Windows on MS-DOS machines.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920217/Press Contact: Polaroid Japan,
[phone])


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

McCaw Reports Loss, But Industry Doesn't Worry 02/17/92
KIRKLAND, WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- McCaw
Cellular, which has bet billions of dollars on the growth of the
cellular call industry, lost $125.3 million in its most recent
quarter, matching losses by some other cellular companies, but
few analysts seem worried about it.

They point out that the McCaw loss was in line with expectations,
and that quarterly revenue keeps growing at a 25% clip, year-to-
year. Contel Cellular, now 90 percent owned by GTE, also posted a
loss, as did some other players. But with revenues growing fast,
that's expected, as heavy investment is needed in new equipment,
including digital cellular equipment, to meet growing demand.

Chairman Craig McCaw noted his company is growing fast despite a
continuing recession, and his firm was able to launch its "North
American Cellular Network," which will eventually allow
subscribers to take their phones anywhere in the U.S.

McCaw's Lin Broadcasting unit saw revenues rise 58 percent for the year,
although its broadcast operations saw cash flow decline, a result
of the recession. McCaw Cellular owns approximately 52 percent of
LIN.

Separately, Vanguard Cellular joined McCaw's Cellular One
grouping. Cellular One is a unified brand mark, with advertising
and interconnections, put together last year by McCaw and
Southwestern Bell. In becoming a partner, Vanguard takes an
equity position in the Cellular One service mark. Vanguard
Cellular serves 21 metropolitan and rural areas in nine states.
Since the group was launched approximately 275 licensees have
agreed to participate in it, with 120 million potential
customers. An ad agency search is presently taking place.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920217/Press Contact: McCaw Cellular
Communications Bob Ratliffe, 206/828-8685; LIN Broadcasting
Donald Guthrie, 206/828-1902; Cellular One Group, Richard Lyons,
214/387-5225)


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

GTE Joins Nissan Cellular Venture in Nagoya, Japan 02/17/92
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- GTE became a
partner in TU-KA Cellular Tokai, the digital cellular service
group formed by Nissan Motor and DDI. The system will come up in
1994, and will compete with a group headed by Toyota.

Japanese cellular systems work differently than U.S. systems.
Analog and digital licenses are held by different groups, for one
thing. An analog licensee using analog standards is held by NTT,
for instance, while Motorola offers a second system under the
U.S. AMPS standard. The two are incompatible. The digital
offerings, meanwhile, are totally separate, and are being put
together by large consortia -- U.S. companies are being allowed
to take small minority stakes in part to allay trade-war fears
brought about by Motorola's difficulty in cracking the market.

Tu-Ka said it hopes to serve 200,000 customers by the year 2000,
centered on Nagoya in western Japan. GTE officials note their
interest is the largest U.S. shareholding in the venture. GTE
also owns 3 percent equity stakes in TU-KA Cellular Tokyo and TU-
KA Phone Kansai.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920217/Press Contact: GTE, Tony Hamilton,
203-965-2853)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(MOW)(00007)

Moscow: Sun Donates SPARCstation 2/17/92
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- Sun Microsystems has donated a
US$100,000 SPARC server to the Moscow-based (formerly Soviet) Unix
Users Group. The computer will be used as a one of the Relcom e-mail
network backbones.

The SPARC server 330 has 72 megabytes of random access memory, 2
gigabytes of hard disc storage, a CD-ROM drive, 150 MB tape
streamer, ports capable of supporting up to 20 modems or terminals,
and Ethernet controller.

The computer is already installed and in operation at the DEMOS company
headquarters in downtown Moscow.

"We are putting many resources in this part of the world now," Robert
Renz of Sun GmbH of Germany has said.

"Sun representatives were shocked with the very small advertising of the
VAXes installed in Moscow. All the electronic mail which got out of
Russia during the coup attempt in August 1991 was calmly postmarked by
"KremVAX.msk.su." Sun decided to change the situation and has the
company name on every electronic mail message coming out. Today it
finally happened," Nikolay Saukh of the Relcom network told Newsbytes.

Valery Bardin, another Relcom manager, said the server has enough
capacity to handle a substantial part of the international traffic.
It was impossible to ship to Moscow the previously planned, more
powerful SPARC server, due to existing export restrictions and
regulations.

Sun has three distributors in the C.I.S. at the moment and plans to build
a distribution and reselling network across the country.

"We are trying to make all our product lines available here, although
with necessary licensing paperwork," Sun spokesman said. "We are building
a long term base working with universities and research institutes. We
would not like to dump the old junk equipment in Russia."

(Kirill Tchashchin/19920217/Press Contact: Sun Microsystems Ltd, David
Ballantine, phone [phone])


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

Atlanta Database Profitable in First Public Quarter 02/17/92
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- Information America
said it earned a profit for its first quarter as a public
company. The firm works to put local legal records online for
lawyers, private investigators, and others, having started with
agreements in Atlanta's Fulton County about a decade ago.

President Mary A. Madden, a programmer by training, indicated in
her quarterly report that revenues were up 18 percent for the
quarter, to $4.07 million while net earnings grew to about
$382,000. The company's initial public offering came in November.
The company now has operations in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas,
Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San
Francisco, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C.

Analysts call the company's success instructive, at a time when
online services are considered bad investments. Information
America concentrates on exclusive agreements to put unique data
online, then charges a hefty price for access. It has stayed with
this strategy since its founding, generally avoiding press
coverage, which minimizes its marketing exposure and maximizes
its potential profit.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920217/Press Contact: Information America
Jeffrey Alperin, 404/892-1800)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00009)

European Telecom Charges Ridiculed By Consumer Group 02/17/92
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- BEUC, an umbrella group
for consumer groups and associations in the European Community
(EC), has published the results of its survey into telecom charges
in Europe. The results make interesting reading.

Although January 1, 1993, marks the date when cross-border
regulations on trade between companies within the EC are lifted,
telecom charges have a long way to go before parity is reached.
BEUC cites the example of a call from Western Germany to Ireland
-- in the Germany-Ireland direction, charges are twice what they
are for the reverse direction.

Curiously, the Netherlands comes top in the cheapest telecom
charges tables while Italy and Mercury Communications in the
U.K. are singled out for attack in the local calling stakes.

The BEUC report concludes that companies with EC offices in
different countries would do well to look at their international
telecom costs. In many cases, it is cheaper to originate calls in
one country, routing calls through a private network.

Encouragingly, BEUC reports that the cost of international phone
calls is dropping, although at the expense of local call charges.
As in the U.S. local call charges tend to subsidize trunk and
international calls.

BEUC's report reveals that itemized phone bills do not exist in
Denmark, Germany and Greece, as well as parts of The Netherlands
despite the fact that these countries have been at the
forefront of installing new technology, usually digital,
exchanges on their networks.

The situation could change in the near future. EC government
regulations may be powerless to persuade the still-powerful
telecom companies in individual countries, but EC officials are
hell-bent on opening up Europe to external competition. Already,
several non-European companies are preparing to launch telecom
networks and services in the EC. This will undoubtedly increase
competition and so reduce overall pricing.

(Steve Gold/19920214)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00010)

UK: Husky Launches "Rugged" Hand-held PC 02/17/92
COVENTRY, ENGLAND, 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- Husky Computers has
unveiled the Husky Hunter 16/80, which it claims is the first
rugged hand-held computer to feature a full-sized (80 columns x 25
lines) PC standard display.

According to the rugged, hand-held computer specialist, mobile
computer users who have benefited from Husky's portable computers
in the past, will be attracted by the MS-DOS compatibility and
rugged portability of the Husky Hunter 16/80.

The Hunter's 640 x 200 pixel display conforms to a standard CGA
(computer graphics adapter) format. A double height mode, along
with a backlight for the screen, can also be selected to increase
screen visibility.

Announcing the machine, which can be supplied in a variety of
memory configurations, Andrew Faulkner, Husky's managing
director, said that the company launched the machine in direct
response to user demand.

"Field personnel increasingly need the type of features they
have on their PC, but in a compact, portable unit which can
withstand the toughest outdoor conditions. We anticipate that the
rapidly emerging market for mobile data and online terminal
application will, in particular, represent a significant area of
demand for the new Hunter 16/80," he said.

Pricing on the Hunter 16/80 depends on user configurations.
Further details can be obtained from the company directly. In the
U.S., the company's Florida-based headquarters can be contacted
on 813-530-4141 (fax: [phone]).

(Steve Gold/19920214/Press & Public Contact: Husky Computers -
Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00011)

British Telecom Intros Global Scan Business Database 02/17/92
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- British Telecom (BT) has
launched Global Scan, a database of international companies that
can be searched interactively by subscribers to BT's Telecom Gold
electronic mail service.

According to BT, credit or financial reports on more than eight
million public and private companies in 23 countries can now be
researched online. The bad news is the cost: UKP 40 for a
standard credit or financial report, UKP 60 for both reports and
UKP 99 for custom (on request) report.

Global Scan is a departure from the norm when it comes to charges
for the service. BT's other online database services charge on a
per-minute connect time basis. Global Scan is unique in charging
on the basis of information extracted.

"This additional service supplied by Global Scan is a valuable
enhancement to our existing portfolio of business information,"
said Dave Rosenbaum, marketing manager for BT's business
information services. "The need for global information is rapidly
increasing at a rapid rate -- and BT can now fulfill this
requirement quickly, simply and cost effectively," he added.

According to Rosenbaum, the Global Scan database is administered
by Infocheck, which already supplies a number of online gateway
services to Telecom Gold.

(Steve Gold/19920214/Press & Public Contact: Telecom Gold - Tel:
0800-200-700)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00012)

Hong Kong: Toppan Moore Promotes Environmental Care 02/17/92
NORTH POINT, HONG KONG, 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- Toppan Moore, a leading
Hong Kong supplier of business forms, is now sourcing a variety of
recycled paper products for its customers to augment the restricted
choice formerly available in the territory.

"Many organizations acknowledge recycling as a worthy cause, but
until now it often involved unacceptable sacrifices in terms of
quality and expense," said Johnson Chiu, senior manager of Toppan
Moore (HK) Ltd. "We aim to demonstrate to our customers that new
recycling technology eliminates the earlier drawbacks of using
recycled materials."

Paper recycling is one of several themes making up a Toppan Moore
exhibition entitled Showcase '92. The exhibition, which runs from 20
to 21 February, will give customers an opportunity to inspect the
company's wide range of products and services under one roof.

"Over the years we've established a reputation as a reliable printer
of business forms," said Chiu. "While we're happy to maintain that
reputation, we have long since taken on the wider role of an
information services provider. Our business extends to barcode
printing, customized direct mail, forms handling equipment, computer
consumables and even packaged software."

On show will be a range of complementary services which offer
production and distribution of printed matter from the
initial design of the materials, through customization and printing
processes to delivery of the packaged items to the post office.

Exhibition visitors will see demonstrations of forms handling
equipment designed for organizations with in-house mailing
operations. These machines include cutters, sealers, detachers and
decollators.

(Norman Wingrove/19920214/Press contact: Glendy Chu, Toppan Moore,
Tel [phone]; HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00013)

IBM's New GUI Interface For Blind Computer Users 02/17/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- Displayed at the
recent Smithsonian exhibition of technology to aid the
handicapped, IBM programmer Frank McKiel's software, which will
let visually impaired computer users cope with the massive
barrier imposed by the recent move to graphical user interfaces,
is not yet on the market. But Frank's Roanoke, Texas division is
pushing to get Big Blue to bring it to the public as soon as
possible.

The way the software works is to provide stereo sound signals
combined with speech synthesis and other user-selectable audio
cues to let a visually impaired user know where the cursor is
located on screen (or on the computer's image of a screen if no
monitor is actually being used).

Using a standard mouse and an inexpensive sound card with stereo
capabilities, the IBM program speaks the name of each window the
cursor enters, as well as reading any commands displayed in pull-
down menus and identifying any icons the cursor encounters.

Position of the cursor in each window is indicated by a left-to-
right change in the sound's location, as produced through
headphones or a set of inexpensive speakers.

In the mode Newsbytes tested, the pitch of the sound changed as
the cursor moved from the top to the bottom of each window and
the two changes combined to define cursor position on the two
dimensional screen quite well.

Frank McKiel's software utility won the third prize in the
February 1st and 2nd culmination of the year-long National Search
for Computing Applications to Assist Persons with Disabilities
run by Johns Hopkins' Applied Physics Laboratory.

The as-yet-unnamed program is owned by Frank's employer, IBM, and
is not yet on the market, but there is a move being mounted to
convince IBM to release the program as freeware as well as
incorporating it into IBM's own GUI interface operating
environments such as that found in OS/2's Presentation Manager.

For further information or to lend support to the effort to
get this product out to market quickly and at a low price,
contact Frank's supervisor and co-developer, Roger A. Chang,
manager, Advanced Technologies Development, PRGS Westlake Lab, 5
West Kirkwood Blvd., Roanoke, TX 76299-0001.

The entire development team is very excited about this product
which could greatly affect the way millions of disabled computer
users access their systems.

Businesses needing to meet the non-discrimination requirements of
the Americans with Disabilities Act (the first stage of which
takes effect July 26, 1992) will also be interested in this easy
solution of the problem of finding a way to let blind workers use
standard Windows and OS/2 applications programs.

(John McCormick/19920214)


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

New for PC: $79 Caller ID Device 02/17/92
ROSWELL, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- A start-up company
announced a device which lets your PC access callers' numbers
using the Caller ID service, at a price of $79. Whozz Calling? is
a box, a few inches square, which connects to the phone line
using standard RJ-11 jacks and to an IBM-compatible PC through a
9-pin RS-232C port.

Zeus Phonestuff President Mark Sutherland says the device is
designed for applications like inbound call management, mail list
creation, and modem security. When linked to an online system,
for instance, the device can assure that only calls from
designated numbers get through. Software comes bundled with it.

"We intend to go into mail order to see what markets are
interested in the device, then go to distributors. They need a
track record before they pick it up," he told Newsbytes.

Caller ID is becoming available in increasing numbers of states,
usually with a provision that callers be able to block their
numbers from going out, free, on a per-call basis. The Federal
Communications Commission has suggested per-call blocking might
become a national policy but a number of states, including
Georgia, do not allow consumers to block the sending of the
number.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920214/Press Contact: Mark Sutherland,
Zeus Phonstuff, 404-587-1541, Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00015)

New For PC: Beckertools Version 3 for Windows 02/17/92
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- Abacus
says it has started shipping version 3 of Beckertools, its Windows
utility.

The company said the new version includes features requested by
users of the earlier versions of Beckertools.

Included in the new features list are a shell for performing file
and disk operations, using "drag and drop," multi-tasking disk
utilities such as format and single-pass disk copy, an improved hard
disk optimizer and defragmenter, and a screen saver with multiple
wallpaper backgrounds.

According to Abacus, Beckertools V3 requires only 2.8 megabytes of
disk space. The program also includes a simple text editor which
Abacus says can handle unlimited size files.

Through the end of April, Beckertools V3 will be bundled with a disk
compression program called DoubleDensity, which is designed to
double the capacity of a hard drive. DoubleDensity is said to be
compatible with all DOS and Windows software, and does not require
reformatting of the hard drive.

Abacus's Jim Oldfield Jr. told Newsbytes that DoubleDensity is a new
product developed by Abacus, which is also available as a
stand-alone product, priced at $79.95. Beckertools V3 and
DoubleDensity bundled together are available for $129. Oldfield
estimated the street price of the bundled package would probably be
about $85, while the street price of DoubleDensity alone was
expected to be about $52.

Asked about the effect of DoubleDensity on a PC's speed, Oldfield
said extensive tests had shown no significant adverse effect on 286
or faster systems. DoubleDensity sets up a pseudo-partition of up
to 250MB, and requires a 48K driver, which can be loaded into upper
memory in DOS 5.0. The program also works with DOS 3.3 and 4.0.

(Jim Mallory/19920214/Press contact: Jim Oldfield Jr., Abacus,
616-698-0330, FAX [phone])


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

GM-Hughes Unveils TDMA Cellular Gear 02/17/92
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- General
Motors' Hughes Network Systems unit announced phones and cell
sites which can handle both analog cellular calls and digital
calls under Time Division Multiple Access, or TDMA standards. The
cellular industry has endorsed such "dual-mode" systems to triple
capacity on U.S. cellular networks.

Hughes said its M6100 cellular phone offers superior audio
quality and sound clarity, eliminating background noise and
working with cell interconnection standards like IS-54. The
phone itself will not be available until the third quarter of the
year, but few cell sites supporting TDMA are expected to be
installed until then. The parent company, General Motors, hopes
to make the TDMA phones a low-cost option on its cars, but prices
were not disclosed.

Hughes has also announced a line of cellular switches and cell
sites, based on designs by Alcatel of France. And it's offering
an enhancement to TDMA, called Enhanced-TDMA, which would boost
TDMA system capacity still further. BellSouth is conducting a
trial of that scheme in Mobile, Alabama. E-TDMA claims it can
offer 15 times the capacity of current analog networks, against
the three-fold increase of plain TDMA. A competing offering, Code
Division Multiple Access, offered by Qualcomm of San Diego --
with PacTel owning a major stake -- would offer 10 times the
capacity of current analog systems.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920213/Press Contact: Tim Klein, BellSouth,
404-249-4135; Alison Welles, Hughes, 301-428-7111)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00017)

Hong Kong: ICL Sets Up Asia Retail Unit 02/17/92
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- ICL has set up an autonomous
retail systems business unit with responsibility for Asia, in an
extension of an experimental programme begun in 1986.

The separation of ICL's retail systems business from its mainstream
commercial computing operation began on a small scale in the United
Kingdom, but with the acquisition of US company Datachecker, the
scope expanded to North America.

The reorganization of the company's retail business has been
accompanied by the recruitment of retail specialists into ICL's sales
and marketing ranks. The company says these specialists, lured from
the retail industry itself, are able to understand the application
needs of customers from first-hand experience.

Peter Dodds, regional director of retail systems (Asia) for ICL,
attributes the success of the separate retail units to the changing
nature of the computer industry and to the increased sophistication
of users. "There is a trend in the retail industry, as in other
industries, to become more operations-driven, rather than data
processing-driven," he said. "We have brought retail expertise into
our business so that at last we're all talking the same language."

Dodds said ICL's Asian retail group will be divided by geography,
with each country supporting itself, but drawing on a regional pool
of knowledge when necessary. "Our sales campaign will focus on a lot
more education to the industry. We will be offering high levels of
retail consultancy and a total project management package. We will be
offering all project management services from design to wiring."

The structure of the new Asian retail group will see the
establishment of specialized skills within each country, and a second
line of very high level expertise contained within an Asia Marketing
Group at the regional headquarters in Singapore.

"It is certainly our ambition to be number one in retail in Asia
within five years," said Dodds. "We intend to accomplish this through
generic growth, through acquisitions, and through joint ventures."

"We will be trying to persuade retailers to let us survey their
operations, with an eye towards highlighting the opportunities for
improvement through the implementation of information technology,"
said Dodds. "There are astonishing amounts of money being lost
through simple inefficiencies like out-of-stock situations."

(Norman Wingrove/19920214/Press contact: Mike Dunn, MDL, Tel +852
838 3889; Fax [phone]; HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00018)

Banyan Ships Vines 5, Vines 10, And Vines 20 02/17/92
WESTBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- Vines 5, Vines
10, and Vines 20 have officially joined the line-up of Banyan
offerings. Announced at the Boston Networld show, these
three products are different marketing options for smaller companies
that are considering Banyan Vines for their network.

The difference between the three packages is in the number of users
that they support. Vines 5 supports 5 users, Vines 10 - ten etc.
As far as the actual products go, Banyan offers the customer the
choices as with its larger product sets Vines Unlimited and Vines
SMP, i.e. Vines Version 4.11 or Version 5.0.

Pricing for the new product packages has been established at $1295
for Vines 5; $2495 for Vines 10; and $3995 for Vines 20. Upgrades
from one to the other are available as well as to Vines Unlimited
and Vines SMP. Any and all software that is optional from Banyan
will operate with these products. Banyan also offers its Software
Subscriptions to customers who purchase these. Under the Software
Subscription offer, Banyan provides free minor upgrades and charges
significantly less for major upgrades on return for an annual fee.

Vines 10 has replaced the company's Vines Team product.

Banyan has also announced that it is establishing a new program for
reseller certification for selling these products. The new level of
reseller is called an Authorized Reseller. These are companies that
have proven their ability to sell and support smaller networks in
their local areas.

(Naor Wallach/19920213/Press Contact: Joann Anderson, Copithorne &
Bellows for Banyan, 617-252-0606)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00019)

New For PC: Upgrade To Touchstone's Check-It-LAN 02/17/92
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- Touchstone
Software has announced that it has begun shipment of version 2.0 of
CheckIt LAN. CheckIt LAN is a network diagnostic program that allows
the network administrator to collect data on all of the hardware and
software that resides on any PC in the network, as well as perform
various diagnostics on the network nodes and a virus scan on all
hard disks in the network.

There are several improvements in this version over its predecessor.
First, CheckIt LAN now operates as a Novell Netware NLM (Network
Loadable Module). This gives the program compatibility with Novell's
Netware v3.11. Secondly, the predefined library of programs has been
expanded to include many more products. Third, the virus scan program
has been updated to reflect the ongoing improvements in that field.

CheckIt LAN maintains the detailed PC configuration data gathering
that it used to perform as well as the hardware diagnostic testing,
LAN survey of PC card and driver data, monitoring of the network
server status, and automatic alarm set-up and remote notification.

Due to its support of Netware 3.11, CheckIt LAN can now be used on
networks of up to 250 users. The product comes in various
configurations based on the number of users. A 5-node package sells
for $249; a 20-node package $495; a 50-node package $995; a 100-node
package $1295; and a 250-node package $1995. Upgrade from one level
to the next can be handled in two ways: an upgrade can be purchased
from the company, or, another package can be purchased and combined
with the existing one.

Touchstone Software is offering a free upgrade to those customers
who have purchased CheckIt LAN v1 since December 15, 1991. All
others can upgrade for the difference in price between what they
paid for v1 and the new package.

(Naor Wallach/19920213/Press Contact: Leigh Ann Kelley, Touchstone,
714-969-7746)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SYD)(00020)

Sun To Market Australian Travel System 02/17/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- Sun Microsystems
Australia has signed an agreement with Tourism Technology
Pty Ltd to jointly develop Tourism Technology's Calypso
Travel Systems software and market it worldwide. Tourism
Technology supplies software for the wholesale travel
industry in Australia.

This joint agreement is part of Sun's continuing program of
R&D investment in the development of software in Australia.
This investment is being made by Sun under the auspices of
Sun's Partnerships for Development agreement with the
Commonwealth of Australia.

Tourism Technology is presently porting and extending the
functionality of its fully integrated wholesale travel
package, Calypso, to the Sun SPARCstation platform and will
bring it to market by mid-year 1992.

Mr Grant Holmes, Tourism Technology's managing director,
said, "Together we will be able to take advantage of each
other's strengths. Tourism Technology will be able to offer
its leading product, Calypso, in Sun's Open Systems Unix
environment.

"In response to changing business needs and the growing
complexity of computing environments, we have made a
strategic decision to adopt an Open Systems approach and
our choice of hardware vendor is Sun, the world's leader in
Unix systems.

"Increasingly our users need connectivity between different
platforms, coupled with industry standards-based
development. Therefore, Sun's Unix operating system was the
logical choice," Mr Holmes said.

Also, UNIX supports an excellent production environment
including relational databases which can manage volumes of
complex data with complete integrity and recovery
facilities.

Tourism Technology said it chose Sun over its competitors
because of the SPARCstation's price/performance and
upgradability, and the fact that it supports an extremely
robust multiuser Unix operating environment for
communications applications.

Mr Shaun McConnon, Sun Australia's managing director, said,
"Our agreement with Tourism Technology represents a first
for Sun in Australia as it is the first time we have worked
closely with a software company in the travel industry.
This alliance is an important part of Sun's long-term plan
to focus its efforts in the tourism, travel and airline
industry.

"It also provides Sun with the opportunity to work with
Tourism Technology, a leader in its field," Mr McConnon
said.

Calypso is a completely integrated online computer system
built to manage a whole range of business needs for tour
operators and travel wholesalers. It provides online
quoting and booking facilities, and offers the flexibility
needed for structuring customized product.

Operational functions such as airline ticketing and
passenger documentation are integrated with the
reservations process. Calypso also has a financial
subsystem and its extensive management reporting facility
gives easy accurate forecasting and financial control.

Tourism Technology will initially target tour operators in
Australia and New Zealand who have in excess of 20,000
passengers each year. Tourism Tasmania and Viva! Holidays
have already installed Calypso but plan to convert their
present systems to Sun in the future.

(Paul Zucker/19920213/Contact: Imogen Boas, Sun
Microsystems Australia Tel:[phone] fax: +61-2-415-
2375)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SYD)(00021)

MacDraw Artist Extends The Limits 02/17/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- An Australian
landscape artist has been credited with pushing forward the
boundaries to create a picture which brings computer-
graphics even closer to being a fine art medium.

Maurice Derricks usually works in water-color and oils
but he decided to experiment with computer drawing as a
learning tool for students at the Star of the Sea college,
where he teaches part-time.

MacDraw ll is an application for the Macintosh computer
which develops graphics for a variety of design projects
from presentations, desktop publishing illustrations and
architectural renderings to complex engineering drawings.
Although MacDraw is not generally used in the fine art area,
Derricks wanted to push it to its limits.

"MacDraw ll is an excellent tool for learning basic
drawing, but I suspected it was capable of more than that,"
he said.

The 1 x 1.5m picture took 70 hours to complete and is
called "Rocks." It features a stream moving down a
hillside, encountering rocks and boulders on its way to the
lake beyond.

Using a Macintosh SE personal computer, he worked at
introducing some subtlety by drawing tone upon tone to
simulate light and shade. Seven different rock shapes were
drawn initially, then duplicated and reshaped using a
variety of MacDraw II's functions. The sky, water and some
insects were added later after much experimentation.

"It was good fun, creative work," said Derricks. "It was
exciting to discover that MacDraw ll could make a picture
like this. As a two-dimensional application it doesn't lend
itself naturally to depth. The secret is to exploit its
illustrative, flat functionality and extend it to create
the illusion of three dimensions wherever possible."

The completed work was printed out on 25 A4 sheets of paper
on an Apple LaserWriter LS, then trimmed and pasted
together for presentation. The finished picture is now
being displayed at the school as an inspiration to
students.

Derricks said: "I've used other drawing packages and they
are too complex for the purposes of teaching. MacDraw ll is
widely used in schools because it's easy for most children
to use, and it's not expensive. There's a whole army of
users out there with small personal computers and since
MacDraw ll can run on 1 megabyte of memory, it's perfect
for them."

There are 25 Macintosh computers at the Star of the Sea
college and some students in the art faculty have begun to
experiment with the application as an adjunct to their
design skills. They create their own designs on the
computer and manipulate and repeat them using MacDraw ll.
The patterns can then be incorporated into silk screens and
other art work.

The experiment has been so successful that Derricks plans
to introduce computer skills into the fine arts area as
part of the curriculum this year, giving students the
opportunity to learn design using MacDraw ll and the
Macintosh as their only tools.

He said: "It's a first for the fine arts area. It
recognizes the potential of the application as a creative
tool every bit as important as the pencil or the
paintbrush."

(Paul Zucker/021392/Contact: Claris Australia +61-2-744-
3033)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00022)

Compaq Drops Desktop Prices In Australia 02/17/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- Compaq Computer
Australia has announced price reductions of the Compaq
DeskPro 386s/20N. It said this reaffirms its commitment to
offer high quality PCs at affordable prices.

First introduced in October last year as an enhancement of
the Compaq DeskPro/N family, this low profile workstation
is now the most affordable 20MHz 386SX-based PC from Compaq
in Australia.

The Compaq DeskPro 386s/20N range consists of three models
Model 60 (with a 60MB fixed disk drive), Model 1 (with a
3.5 inch, 1.44MB diskette drive but no hard disk), and
Model 0 (diskless). Complete with 2MB RAM, a 3.5-inch
1.44MB diskette drive, a 60MB fixed disk drive and shipped
with a 14-inch VGA color monitor and MS-DOS 5, the Compaq
DeskPro 386s/20N Model 60 has a new recommended retail
price of about US$2250.

"The new low prices are aimed at those users who want
quality, reliable products at truly affordable prices,"
says managing director of Compaq Computer Australia, Ian
Penman. "Price conscious users have compromised in the past
and may have bought low-cost and lower quality PCs, but
that's no longer necessary. Now the significant base of
value-conscious PC buyers can buy a powerful, full function
desktop PC from Compaq. By reducing manufacturing costs
Compaq is able to reduce prices without sacrificing the
reliability, quality and compatibility for which Compaq is
famous."

"Because of their total functionality and advanced network
and security features, all models of the DeskPro/N family
have proved extremely popular with Australian users. At
this new low price we expect this high quality machine to
capture an even larger share of the market.

"Compaq is committed to taking aggressive pricing action in
1992 to increase sales revenue. This is the first of many
significant pricing actions which are sure to make Compaq
products very competitive and attractive to the market," Mr
Penman said.

(Paul Zucker/19920213)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00023)

Japan: Toshiba Offers Laptop With 1-2-3 Built-In 02/17/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- Toshiba has developed a small
laptop Japanese word processor which is equipped with Lotus
1-2-3. It is a dual word processor because it also supports
English word processing and has a spelling check program.

Toshiba's latest Japanese word processor, the "JW-98UPII," is about
half of the firm's other word processors in size. It measures 34 by
29.5 by 7 cm, and it weighs 3.6 kg with a built-in printer. The
keyboards are specially made for Lotus 1-2-3. The retail price
is 298,000 yen ($2,400).

The letter quality printer output is said to be improved with
a 400 dots-per-inch and the use of outline fonts. It also offers
various fonts for German, Italian and Spanish. The English dictionary
has 65,000 words.

Files can be exchanged with an MS-DOS personal computer.
The word processor supports two type of floppy disks, both
720 KB format and 1.2 MB format.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920213/Press Contact: Toshiba, +81-3-3457-
4511)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00024)

 ****Japan: Sega Opening Futuristic Game Park 02/17/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- Sega Enterprises is planning
to create a large-scale game facility in Osaka, Japan. It will
be the nation's second largest amusement facility following
Tokyo Disneyland.

Sega's new game facility will be built in the Asia Pacific
Trade Center in Osaka, a joint project of the city of Osaka and
Chu Ito Trading. It is the largest wholesale
market for imported products.

Sega's amusement facility will be called "Terra," a name derived
from Sega's latest IBM-compatible game machine. The facility is
to be 5,300 sq meters in size. Sega will be spending 2.5 billion
yen ($20 million) for this facility. The firm aims to make 2
billion yen ($16 million) in the first year, and to attract 1.3
million visitors per year.

The new amusement facility will be equipped with high-tech arcade
games as well as new ones which involve physical participation and
virtual reality concepts.

Sega is the second largest Japanese game machine maker,
vying with Nintendo. The firm's game machine, the Mega Drive, has
almost outsold Nintendo's game machine in overseas markets.
Sega is planning to create more game facilities in the future.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920213/Press Contact: Sega Enterprises,
[phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00025)

 ****Japan Studies Online System Offering Satellite Pix 02/17/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- The Japanese Ministry of Posts
and Telecommunication will start testing a digital
information network which accesses data from space satellite.
Subscribers can then access this pictorial information on their own
terminal system with a TV display.

The group led by the Ministry will perform fundamental research
an information network which accesses data from space satellite
ETS-V, starting in March. Under the system, various information
pertaining to traffic, business, weather, and leisure could be
received through an antenna placed on a car, an aircraft, or
a ship.

The antenna could be either a 40-cm stick type or a 20-cm diameter
dish type. Both are smaller than current dish-type antennae, which are
about 1 meter in diameter. The idea is to provide a convenient
way for travelers to get information almost anywhere in Japan.
The feasibility of this system has already been studied by an
organization created by the Ministry last fall. Participating in
the project are NTT, NHK, Toyota Motor, Japan Railway East, and
major electronics firms. The Ministry expects the system to offer
great potential.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920213)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00026)

Canadian Shows Scheduled 02/17/92
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- The computer show
calendar in Canada is a bit livelier this year, with some new
events joining the established ones.

Among recent announcements is The Software Solutions Show and
Conference for manufacturing, distribution, and transportation
businesses. Run by Software Matchmakers of Toronto, the third
annual event is scheduled for the Regis Constellation Hotel in
Toronto, March 25 and 26. Further information is available from
Alwyn Mitchell at Software Matchmakers, 416-756-3221 or fax
416-756-2099.

Major American trade show producer The Interface Group -- the
operator of the mammoth Comdex show -- is coming to Canada with a
matched set of events in July. PC/Canada and LAN Expo '92 will run
concurrently at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre July 28 to 30.
Both shows are aimed at corporate buyers and end users, the
organizers said. Along with exhibits, there will be extensive
conference programs. The LAN Dealers' Association (LANDA) of
Toronto will work with Interface to produce the conference program
for LAN Expo.

Further information on PC/Canada and LAN Expo is available from The
Interface Group at 617-449-8938, fax [phone].

(Grant Buckler/19920213/Press Contact: Alwyn Mitchell, Software
Matchmakers, 416-756-3221, fax [phone]; Cheryl Delgreco, The
Interface Group, 617-449-8938, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00027)

 ****Hewlett-Packard To Preview New Wave v4.0 In London 02/17/92
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- Microsoft could have a bit of
wind taken out of its sails at this week's Windows Show when
Hewlett-Packard (HP) unveils its best-kept secret -- version 4.0
of the New Wave GUI (graphical user interface) package.

New Wave 4.0 will be shown privately to selected dealers and
third-party developers at the Windows show, which runs from the
18th to the 20th of this month in London.

According to Ian Short of HP's New Wave development section, the
package has several new features, including the ability to cope
with Microsoft's "fussy" object linking and embedding (OLE)
technology. Short remained coy on exact shipment dates for New
Wave 4.0, but said that it is expected within the next few
months.

OLE, an extension to the electronic clipboard of Windows, allows
data to be moved quickly and easily between applications running
under the same Windows session. Earlier version of New Wave
lacked this ability, owing to a program code conflict.

The New Wave version of Microsoft's OLE, Newsbytes understands,
is a live document with links to other Windows applications. The
difference between the New Wave and the Windows OLE is that HP's
GUI technology achieves this applications linkage using
underlying macros.

New Wave 4.0 does not play entirely into Microsoft's hands. The
updated package is now also compliant with the Distributed Object
Management Facility, a standard design by HP in conjunction with
Sun. This technology will allow hardware from a number of
suppliers to share object-oriented data across a network.

(Steve Gold/19920217)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00028)

CompuCom Reports 91 Earnings of $1.6 Mil 02/17/92
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- CompuCom Systems has
joined a relatively short list of PC dealers who ended 1991 in the
black. The company reports its revenues for the year rose 54
percent to $529 million, with net earnings up 38 percent to $5.02
million.

Fourth quarter revenues were also up, to $180 million compared to
$108 million the previous year. Net earnings for the quarter were
up seven percent, to $1.61 million, or $.05 per share.

Avery More, Compucom president and CEO, said the results were due
to having the right formula in place to maintain growth and
profitability. "A solid customer base, an excellent sales team,
emphasis on services offerings, and strong internal systems to
support our customers and business operations" were the factors More
cited.

Compucom's largest shareholder, Pennsylvania-based Safeguard
Scientifics Inc., showed its confidence by purchasing an additional
500,000 shares of Compucom stock in December. "Their strong
management and proven track record gives us great confidence that
they will continue to hold a leadership position in the distribution
channel," said Safeguard Chairman Warren Musser.

Compucom has 35 sales and service locations nationwide, and sells
products including IBM, Compaq, Apple, and Hewlett-Packard.

(Jim Mallory/19920217/Press contact: Avery More, Compucom,
214-783-1252)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00029)

IBM Program To Lure Multimedia Developers 02/17/92
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- Hoping to
attract more multimedia developers to its hardware, IBM has
launched a new program to provide services and support to
designers, developers, and marketers of multimedia software
applications.

The Ultimedia Developers Program is open to any multimedia
application creator operating in the United States. IBM said it
will choose participants on the basis of their plans to provide
multimedia software on IBM platforms.

IBM first used the Ultimedia name last October for its line of
personal computers and related products aimed at the multimedia
market. Developers using any IBM PS/2 systems will be eligible for
this new program, company spokesman Jim Keller said, although "if
it's multimedia development, chances are it's going to use one or
other of the Ultimedia products."

For an annual fee of $4,000, or $2,000 for those who sign up before
the end of may, participants will get several kinds of help from
IBM.

IBM will provide a toll-free multimedia technical support line
staffed with multimedia professionals to answer developers'
questions. Developers will also get online access to an IBM
technical database and bulletin boards. These services are already
in operation, Keller said.

IBM's "Try & Buy" program lets a developer try a limited set of
systems for 120 days, with the option at the end of that time to
buy the equipment for half price. Developers can also buy selected
IBM multimedia software or hardware adapter cards at a discount,
and take advantage of IBM technical conferences at reduced rates.

The company said it will also invite some participating developers
to demonstrate in business shows with IBM. Also, participants will
be listed in IBM's multimedia courseware and product catalogs as
well as IBM's online information system for its sales force -- the
National Solution Center.

Finally, IBM said, special long- and short-term equipment rental
rates have been set up for program participants who need IBM
equipment or selected peripherals from other manufacturers.

(Grant Buckler/19920217/Press Contact: Jim Keller, IBM,
914-642-5472)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00030)

 ****Office Of The Future -- "Dick Tracy" Computer Connection 02/17/92
ALISO VIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 17 (NB) -- Russell
Information Sciences says it is the first to demonstrate the
office of the future, with a Dick Tracy-like connection to a
home office computer on the user's wrist.

Russell says the new concept is a marriage of its Calendar
Manager software product for computer networks and the
wrist-watch size pagers by Motorola and other companies.

Calendar Manager is an enterprise-wide network application
program for scheduling people and resources. Russell says
the product can look at the calendars of people involved
when scheduling meetings for conflicts, schedule the meeting
on everyone's calendar, and remind the attendees with
displays and audio signals as the meeting time approaches.

Now Calendar Manager has an interface to paging systems, so
it can contact users wearing wristwatch pagers. Russell
calls it "The Office Of The Future" because the user's
connection to the office can now be on their wrist.

Russell says its the first to demonstrate the capability,
but expects the technology to expand in the near future so
users can be online all the time, through their wrist-
pagers. More information on Calendar Manager is available
from Russell at 115 Columbia, Suite 100, Aliso Viejo,
California, 92656, telephone [phone].

(Linda Rohrbough/19920213/Press Contact: Janice Carne,
Russell, tel [phone])