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/NB920224

Text File | 1992-02-24 | 55KB | 1,265 lines

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00001)

First IDE Solid-State Mass Storage For Hand-held Computers 02/24/92
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- Sundisk
says it has introduced the first IDE solid-state mass storage
system it calls SDI for the next generation pen-based and sub-
notebook computers that can stand to be dropped from someone's
arms or the vibration of the dashboard of a diesel truck.

Sundisk representative John Reimer said at the Pen Computing
show in San Jose Sundisk had an SDI connected and running on a
notebook computer that the company lifted up and dropped
repeatedly for two days as a public display of the ruggedness
of the unit. Reimer said the SDI keep operating the whole time
without interruption.

Sundisk says computer manufacturers are trying to design mobile
computers that fit the use profile of the typical work day.
That is eight hours or more of battery life, less than four
pounds in weight, and less than one inch thick. The company
says its new storage systems available to original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs) in 2.5 to 40-megabyte (MB) formatted
capacities are the highest storage at the lowest cost of any
other solid-state read/write memory system.

Called SDI, the systems are 100 percent compatible with DOS and
existing personal computer (PC) applications without additional
drivers or technology dependent file systems. They can take 500
G's of operating shock, meaning they can be dropped to the
floor from arm height, and 10 to 15 G's of vibration which is
about equal to the vibration on the dashboard of a diesel
truck, Sundisk said.

The SDI systems are only 7.1 to 9.6 millimeters thick and weigh
25 to 45 grams or 1.2 to 1.6 ounces, depending on the capacity
of the SDI, Reimer said. The length and width of the device are
the same as 1.8-inch disk drives, Sundisk added.

Power consumption is 80 to 100 times less than a hard disk, and
the SDIs have a sleep mode for very low power consumption that
it can recover from in only 3 milliseconds (ms), Sundisk said.
SDIs consume under 3 milliamps (ma) in sleep mode, 100 ma while
reading, and 200 ma while writing and erasing.

Sundisk, headquartered in Santa Clara, describes itself as a
designer, manufacturer, and marketer of solid-state mass
storage systems based on its own flash memory technology.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920221/Press Contact: John Reimer, Sundisk,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


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

UK: Elonex Cuts PC Pricing Again 02/24/92
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- Elonex, the PC mail order
specialist, has announced another round of price cuts -- the
second this year alone. The company has also standardized on 50MB
as its entry-level hard disk size.

Models affected by the new pricing include the PC-486/33 EISA
file servers, all 386DX and 486DX-based desktop machines, and the
LT-320X removable hard disk laptop. Newsbytes notes that the new
price list eliminates the differential between the 33MHz 80386-
based PC 333 and the 20MHz 80486SX-based 420SX machines.

Example price cuts are as follows: on the PC 450, a 50MHz 80486-
based desktop PC with 2MB of RAM, a 50MB hard disk and an SVGA
monitor, the standard slimline model falls from UKP 1,995 to UKP
1,795. The compact model -- with five instead of three expansion
slots -- falls from UKP 2,070 to UKP 1,825.

So how can the company continue to cut its prices? According to
David Bridson, marketing communications manager with Elonex, it
all stems from intelligent buying and keeping overhead extremely
low. "Last year we had a turnover of UKP 65 million, which is
not bad for 130 staff. The figures speak for themselves," he
told Newsbytes.

(Steve Gold/19920221/Press & Public Contact: Elonex - Tel: 081-
452-4444)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00003)

UK: Eizo Launches High Performance Acclerators 02/24/92
GUILDFORD, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- Eizo U.K. has
announced its Advanced Accelerator ultra-high resolution range of
graphics controllers, the AA41 and 51 series, at the recent
Windows show in London.

According to the specialist in professional display systems for
PCs, the new cards have been specifically designed for Windows
users with high speed, graphics processing and advanced software
drivers. The new family of cards also include the AC51, which
supports Micro Channel Architecture (MCA).

"With the new Accelerator boards we literally went back to first
principles and questioned our whole approach to boards
architecture," explained Bob Raikes, Eizo U.K.'s managing
director.

"The increasing use of GUIs, in particular, Windows, Presentation
Manager and X-Windows, has meant a move towards higher
resolutions and more colors which, in turn, slows applications
down considerably as larger amounts of CPU power are used up. We
wanted to find a way of adding extra acceleration for GUI users,"
he said.

To achieve this, Eizo has written new Presentation Manager and
Windows drivers. The new drivers take a fresh approach to the
problem of screen driving software, the company claims. EIZO's
programmers discovered that the performance of TIGA cards was
affected by the movement of large bit maps, created for example,
in pop-up menus from the host memory to the video card memory
areas. In ISA (industry standard architecture) machines, this was
limited by the bus bandwidth.

The Advanced Accelerator series of cards support ultra high
resolutions of up to 1,280 by 1,024 pixels and offer high refresh
rates over 70Hz that enable flicker-free viewing, the company
claims. The cards display 16 colors as standard with an
additional memory option which will expand the color capabilities
to 256 colors.

The AA41 card retails for UKP 599 in its 16-color version. A 256-
color version, which features increased memory, costs UKP 699.
The AA51 and AC51 series cost UKP 999 for the 16-color version
and UKP 1,199 for the 256-color edition.

(Steve Gold/19920221/Press & Public Contact: EIZO UK - Tel: 0483-
757118)


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

First Int'l Conference On Prolog Apr 1-3 In London 02/24/92
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- The first international
conference on the Practical Application of Prolog will be held
from April 1 to 3 this year at the Institute of Civil Engineers,
the show organizers have announced.

According Al Roth, who is organizing the event, the three-day
show is expected to attract several hundred delegates and
visitors, and has already received a great deal of support from
the Prolog vendor and user communities.

The first conference will, Roth claimed, bring together many of
the leading pioneers of Prolog programming with tutorials, panel
discussions, product presentations and exhibitors. The conference
has the backing of an international range of companies including
ALS of Canada, LPA in the U.K., PDC of Denmark, and Quintus in the
U.S.

The conference is billed as being aimed at the entire Prolog
community and, the organizers claim, has generated a lot of
excitement since it is the first opportunity to focus on the
capabilities of the language and the ways in which it is being
developed for the 1990s.

Newsbytes' readers interested in attending the show should
contact: Al Roth, PO Box 137, Blackpool, Lancs FY2 OXY; tel:
0253-58081; Fax: [phone]; Email via Usenet -
[e-mail].

(Steve Gold/19920221)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00005)

UK: SISC Debuts Supergen For Superbase 02/24/92
THAMES DITTON, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- Swallow
Information Systems and Consultancy (SISC) has announced
Supergen, am add-in package for Superbase for Windows, at the
Windows show here in London last week.

According to SISC, which developed the package in-house, Supergen
is complementary to Superbase. The package allows users to
develop total applications in Superbase with the requirement to
learn DML, the package's programming language. This means, the
company claims, that development time and costs are dramatically
reduced in addition to making the main Superbase package easy to
use.

Supergen retails for UKP 75. The package allows users to
prototype software with great speed and flexibility, the company
claims, by calling frequently used database functions from
Supergen's extensive library.

A representative for SISC told Newsbytes that the target market
for Supergen is the corporate Superbase and/or Windows user who
does not understand the DML scripting language but who wants to
produce speed-up applications.

(Steve Gold/19920221/Press & Public Contact: SISC - Tel:
081-398-1102/9859)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00006)

Japan: KDD Starts Free News Information Service 02/24/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- Japan's former international
telecom monopoly KDD says it has started a free news service for
foreigners staying in Japan. The offerings include foreign news from
different countries, and is given in the native languages of
each country.

Through this free dial-up news service, KDD will provide local news,
economic news, financial news and sports news in various languages.
The news is updated every Saturday. KDD has already started
providing news from Brazil and Portugal in those countries' mother
tongue on a trial bases. It is becoming popular -- KDD has recently
received about 5,000 calls every week. So, KDD has decided to
expand the service for natives of other countries.

Currently, many workers are coming to Japan from Brazil, Arabic
countries, and Southeast Asia. Their major problem is
the language -- Japanese is a very hard language to master. The
scarcity of foreign local news is also a problem for those residents.
So, KDD started this free dial-up news, it says, as part of a
service to help those who feel homesick.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920221/Press Contact: KDD, +81-0051)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00007)

Heated Exchange Between NZ Telecom & Clear Communications 02/24/92
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND, 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- A fight has erupted in
New Zealand (NZ) over the expansion of the new second carrier, Clear
Communications, and the role NZ Telecom is to play in this
expansion.

The row will be looked on with interest by Australians,
as a similar cooperation agreement exists between AOTC (Australian
and Overseas Telecommunications Corporation) and Optus, the newly
appointed second carrier.

The row centers on the approval by NZ Telecom of 14 new points of
interconnection to its network, for which Clear applied last
September. The points would be used to expand Clear's toll network.
Clear claims that by delaying approval, NZ Telecom is impeding
Clear's expansion in the newly deregulated market. Neil Tuckwell,
Clear's general manager, has been told by NZ Telecom that five of the
points are technically unavailable, and the remaining nine are still
under review. Tuckwell also claims that because Clear has no real
knowledge of NZ Telecom's network, it is impossible to check that
the five points are in fact technically unavailable for
interconnection.

Telecom has countered, claiming Clear entered the market receiving
what they said they wanted. Max Saunders, NZ Telecom's corporate
policy manager, said Clear are now asking for more points at a rate
lower than that paid for Clear's existing 15 points - a fact which
Saunders considers "a bit rich." These existing points allow Clear
to reach 82-85 percent of NZ telephones, and about 70 percent of
the population.

(Sean McNamara/19920221)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00008)

Australia: Recession Not Bad News To All PCB Makers 02/24/92
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA, 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- Despite the collapse of two
PCB (printed circuit boards) manufacturers last year, at least one
other is picking up the pieces, and continuing to perform well
despite the recession in Australia -- Entech Electrographics.

The company has moved into the top five Australian manufacturers
in the five years since it was started.

Entech is about to begin multi-layer board manufacturing - a move
which has seen it buy second-hand equipment from the failed
companies, and which should see it hiring staff and gaining work
from the failed companies. Entech as also recently moved into new
technologies, such as membrane switches, in which it has developed
good skills.

Entech Electrographics is part of a four-company group, which also
contains Hydra Electronic Manufacturing, BDW Microsystems, and Hydra
Testing. These are all offshoots of the original company,
Integrated Electronic Technologies. Work is passed between member-
companies, with no rivalry between them. The group employs 50 staff
- with no salesmen - and is characterized by low costs and high
service. At the moment, the three owners have no plans to list the
group.

(Sean McNamara/19920221)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00009)

Australia: AOTC Fears Callers to Iraq Overcharged 02/24/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- AOTC (Australian and Overseas
Telecommunications Corporation) has temporarily suspended direct-
dial calls to Iraq after it was realized callers were potentially
being overcharged. The overcharging fear is a result of the way
calls to Iraq continue to be put through an operator.

At present, it is suspected that callers are charged from the moment
of connection to the operator, when they should be charged from the
moment of connection to the desired number. AOTC has asked Iraqi
telecommunications authorities to begin charging once the call is
connected, and will resume services once this has been implemented.
Operator-assisted calls are still available from Australia.

(Sean McNamara/19920221)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00010)

Australia: NetComm Adds Fax To Pocket Modem Range 02/24/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- Australian
communications equipment manufacturer NetComm has introduced
the NetComm Pocket FaxModem 24 which  combines full Group Ill
facsimile capabilities in a miniaturized CCITT modem.

The new modem will be demonstrated for the first time at the
NetComm stand at the PC'92 show in Sydney in mid-March.

This latest addition to the NetComm Pocket Modem range is
small and lightweight and is characterized by the
functionality normally associated with NetComm's larger,
intelligent modems. As with the entire range, the modem is
a complete battery-powered system for remote
communications.

In addition to providing communication links
between laptop computers, PCs or mainframes, it enables a
PC or laptop computer to send and receive fax messages
worldwide using a standard phone line.

The Pocket FaxModem 24 incorporates the NetComm PC Fax
System which can communicate with any Group III facsimile
machine at user-selectable speeds up to 9600 bps with
automatic fallback to 7200, 4800 or 2400 bps. Capable of
background operation, it allows users to send and receive
messages  without interrupting other PC programs.

According to Paul Heath, NetComm's general manager, sales and
marketing, the new Pocket FaxModem incorporates all the
features required to carry out high speed data transmission
and retrieval in even the most remote locations.

"By providing facsimile capabilities, we have extended the
appeal of the portable modem. In an age of increasing
mobile communication possibilities. The new Pocket FaxModem
lends itself to many important applications."

The NetComm FaxModem 24 supports the industry standard "AT"
command set for auto-dialling, auto-answer, and auto-
disconnect. The modem also features pulse and tone
dialling; modem control from a wide variety of telephone
exchanges; built-in local and remote testing procedures;
longterm memory, and a miniature speaker to allow the user
to monitor the progress of a call.

The Pocket FaxModem 24 package includes the modem itself,
the NetComm PC Fax System software, an internal 9V battery
that can be recharged from the mains plug pack (supplied),
and the NetComm Program communications package.

Retail price is around US$300.

(Paul Zucker/19920224/ Contact: NetComm tel. [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00011)

 ****Newest Nantucket Product Previewed 02/24/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- Nantucket
Corporation, producer of database application system
Clipper has shown the pre-release version of its latest
product - Matt Whelan's Compiler Kit, dBASE IV Edition - to
publications and testers.

The product is scheduled for delivery this May, and is claimed to
be the first to offer the capability to compile dBASE IV applications.

Matt Whelan's Compiler Kit was developed in Sydney,
Australia by Matt Whelan and will be marketed, distributed
and supported by Nantucket under a strategic sales and
marketing alliance with Whelan's company, WhelanWare. Matt
Whelan is a professional dBASE and Clipper application
developer and trainer who also maintains an ongoing
international schedule of application development seminars.

Matt Whelan's Compiler Kit - dBASE IV Edition uses Clipper
5.0's open architecture and compiler to create executable
files from dBASE IV applications. The Compiler Kit makes
Clipper's compile procedures transparent to dBASE IV
developers and will accept most dBASE IV programs without
modification.

The product consist of a pre-processor that scans a dBASE
IV program and constructs a batch file to compile and link
with Clipper 5.0 to yield a distributable, executable file;
a custom header file that contains dBASE IV command
definitions and instructions for compiling them; and a
user-defined function library that supplements Clipper's
standard functions, to mimic dBASE IV behavior. A dBASE IV
database driver provides dBASE IV compatible file handling.
The original dBASE IV program is not directly executed. To
compile their programs, dBASE IV users will only have to
type a command to initiate the compile processes and
specify the name of the dBASE IV program to be compiled.
The batch file created will perform and complete all
necessary compiling and linking procedures. A copy of dBASE
IV is not required, although Clipper 5.0 must be used.

Larry Heimendinger, president and COO of Nantucket
Corporation, says Matt Whelan built the Compiler Kit to
meet his own requirements. "This is the product of one
man's frustration with Ashton-Tate's failure to deliver the
compiler they promised in 1988," says Heimendinger.

Whelan says that because Clipper 5.0 already includes a
high-performance compiler and User defined commands, it
allows developers to emulate and compile programs from
languages that lack this feature. "The ability to rapidly
develop my Compiler Kit not only validates Nantucket's
design strategy with respect to the Clipper 5.0
architecture but also means that once again, Nantucket can
fill an urgent and long-standing need in the dBASE
marketplace," he says

Whelan also stated that the Compiler Kit also presents
dBASE IV developers with an opportunity to ride Nantucket's
future development strategy all the way to Windows and
other graphical user interfaces. "Many developers are
uncertain about the transition from dBASE IV DOS
applications to Borland's plans for dBASE support in
Windows. Nantucket has shown a clear path to Windows
through increasing object-orientation and improved compiler
performance."

Matt Whelan's Compiler Kit - dBASE IV Edition will carry a
US suggested retail price of $395.00 and will be sold in
the US and abroad through Nantucket's resellers. The
suggested retail price for Clipper 5.0 is $795.00.

(Paul Zucker/19920224)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00012)

Epson Australia Appoints New MD 02/24/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- "Epson Australia
will consolidate and build on its leadership of the printer
market in Australia during 1992," the company's newly
appointed Managing director, Mr Eiji (Eddie) Ide, said in
Sydney.

Ide, who took up his post two weeks ago, said the product
marketing strategy which had been adopted would ensure the
maintenance of Epson's market position. He spent seven
years with Epson US during the '80s, where he held a
variety of positions, including OEM product manager,
director of service management, director of product
planning, and director of international marketing. He joins
Epson Australia from Epson Japan.

Ide's main objective for Epson Australia is similar to that
of Epson worldwide - to retain the number one position in
the printer market. "The Australian economy, like most
world economies, has been through a difficult period over
the past year," comments Ide. "Epson has managed to ride
the storm and retain the number one position in its market.
In Australia, I think that the market has probably bottomed
out - it is unlikely that the economy will suffer any
further substantial downturn. However, Epson will be
working hard to raise its market share to give us an even
wider lead.

"We will do this by continuing to bring state-of-the-art
products to market products which compete aggressively on
price/performance. As usual, though, customer satisfaction
will be our number one priority. Within the next year, the
Australian marketplace can expect a roll-out of new
products from Epson, coupled with an aggressive marketing
campaign, and a program of improved dealer relations. A
similar strategy raised Epson's US volume sales by almost
40% last year. The Australian market presents comparable
potential."

He plans to devote time and finance to raising the profile
of printers and other peripherals amongst dealers and the
public. In the dot matrix market Epson's traditional
strength - the company will continue to develop its range
of 24-pin printers, in line with the increasing popularity
of 24-pin machines.

Epson Australia, headquartered in Sydney, is part of the
Seiko Epson Corporation of Japan. Seiko Epson is recognized
as the number one printer manufacturer and one of the major
PC manufacturers in the world. The company currently has
representative offices in 22 countries and earns revenues
in excess of $4 billion.

(Paul Zucker/19920224)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00013)

Hong Kong: New Engineering Manager for DEC in Asia 02/24/92
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- Digital Equipment Asia has
appointed Mimi Chen as its new engineering manager for the region.
Also joining Digital is John Kou, who has been named Asian computing
systems marketing manager.

Chen brings 20 years of experience in the computer industry to her
post, the last 15 of which have been with Digital at its US-based
Central Engineering organization.

As the Asia engineering manager, Chen is responsible for the
implementation of Digital's worldwide internationalization program
in Asia. She will continue to maintain strong ties with Digital's
Central Engineering as a member of the International Systems
Engineering (ISE) Management team.

"Digital is committed to providing local language support in each of
our major markets," said Bobby Choonavala, managing director of
Digital Asia. "An important part of Mimi Chen's job will be expanding
the portfolio of products and systems that break down language
barriers and give Digital customers maximum choice and flexibility."

Chen joined Digital Asia after successfully completing Digital's VAX-
9000 project where she was group engineering manager in charge of the
computer-aided design, computer-aided manufacturing, and diagnostic
engineering groups.

From 1981 to 1983, while on a leave of absence from Digital, Chen
spent two years in Hong Kong as a senior technical consultant at
Price Waterhouse Associates. Before joining Digital in 1975, she held
management and software engineering positions with Grumman Data
Services and Sanders Associates.

As Asian Computing systems marketing manager, John Kou will be
responsible for marketing Asian language products.

"John Kou will help increase the base of localized applications for
Asian language products throughout the region, where users are
increasingly demanding local language capability in information
technology," said Chen.

Kou joined Digital Asia in 1988 as product marketing manager in the
Computer Special Systems group before being appointed systems
marketing manager with Digital Equipment Hong Kong Ltd.

(Norman Wingrove/19920221/Press contact: Walter Cheung, DEC, Tel +
852 861 4850; HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00014)

Hong Kong: AST Sees Big Growth Ahead 02/24/92
CAUSEWAY BAY, HONG KONG, 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- Vigorous computerization
is likely to take place in Hong Kong's education and manufacturing
sectors in the next two years, according to AST Pacific Managing
Director Philip Wong.

"Because of rapid technological developments in the PC industry,
accompanied by a general reduction in prices, we are seeing a wider
popularity of PC technology in sectors which have traditionally been
price-sensitive and less receptive to the automation trends of other
industries," Wong said. "The days when most education institutions
and manufacturers were using PC clones are gone, replaced by a
consistent rise in quality-conciousness and a growing preference for
branded PCs."

This trend, Wong said, is reflected strongly in the growing
penetration by AST in these less mature marketplaces.

In 1991, the Hong Kong Polytechnic alone purchased almost 1,000 AST
microcomputers, while the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Hong
Kong Baptist College each installed about 130 units.

"We saw a consistent shift of preference from non-branded PCs to
recognized PCs in various vertical market sectors because many users
realized the importance of price/performance and support, and they
are afraid of getting their fingers burned again with the purchase of
no-name clones," continued Wong.

Although these non-branded machines can perform reasonably well in
standard applications, users are often handicapped when they want to
run sophisticated applications which are more memory-intensive and
require state-of-the-art architecture, Wong said. He also said buyers
are more concerned about investment protection and are looking for
simple upgrade paths to newly developed technology.

(Norman Wingrove/19920221/Press contact: Clara Shek, Media Dynamics,
Tel [phone], Fax [phone]; HK time is GMT + 8)


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

McCaw Speeds Delivery of TDMA Cellular 02/24/92
KIRKLAND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- McCaw Cellular
said it is accelerating its purchases of TDMA dual-standard
cellular equipment, with most of its markets to have the
equipment in place by mid-1993.

Time Division Multiple Access, or TDMA, has been endorsed as a
digital standard by the Cellular Telecommunications Industry
Association, which has been testing "dual standard" cell sites
and phones for over a year. Recently the CTIA re-affirmed its
commitment to TDMA over a competing offering, Code Division
Multiple Access, or CDMA, which claims to offer more capacity.
General Motors' Hughes division, a major supplier of cell sites
and other cellular gear, also is working on an improved version
of TDMA called Extended-TDMA, which it claims offers even more
capacity than CDMA.

"Our systems are digital-ready, and therefore it makes sense to
bring this service to our customers rapidly," said Nick Kauser,
McCaw's senior vice president and chief technology officer, in a
press statement. He noted that the dual-standard gear means no
analog equipment will become obsolete.

McCaw is linking all its systems nationwide in what it calls the
North American Cellular Network, which will allow its customers
to roam freely and have their calls transferred through the use
of a computer database. Rogers Cantel of Montreal, Canada, the
non-Bell cellular firm there, says it will also convert to TDMA
on a similar schedule, and link them to its network allowing for
international call transfers. McCaw's systems offer their service
under the brand-name Cellular One, like those of Southwestern
Bell and other companies.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920221/Press Contact: McCaw Cellular
Communications, Bob Ratliffe, 206/828-8685)


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

Poland Buys American Gear For Cellular Service 02/24/92
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- Digital
Microwave said it has won an agreement to provide its equipment
and services to Polska Telefonia Komorkowa, the cellular licensee
in Poland.

The equipment will initially provide connections
between cell sites and mobile switching centers in Warsaw,
Gdansk, Poznan, and Katowice. Polska Telefonia Komorkowa is a
consortium of the Polish PTT, Ameritech, and France Telecom
intending to establish nationwide cellular service in Poland.

PTK Director General Andrew Kapusto said a careful evaluation
was made of vendors. Poland, like many other countries in
Eastern Europe, is counting on cellular phones to deliver basic
phone service while an expensive wired phone system is reworked.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920221/Press Contact: Digital Microwave, P.
Michael Friedenbach, 408/943-0777)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00017)

Galacticomm Head's Superdemocracy Board Online 02/24/92
DAVIE, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- Galacticomm founder
Tim Stryker has put his "Superdemocracy" bulletin board system
online at 305-370-9376. Superdemocracy is a proposed form of
government in which people vote directly on political issues,
using new technology, rather than electing representatives.

Conservatives like to note that the U.S. is a republic, not a
democracy, because all governing is done through representatives.

Stryker said that "By opening our BBS to the public we hope to
stimulate greater interest in forms of government in which
special interest group pressures play little or no role, in which
politicians are not controlled by the Milquetoast Effect, and in
which getting involved in self-government is easy and appealing
to the average citizen."

The BBS features forums and an information center, along with
messaging, using The Major BBS software. Calls can be handled at speeds
of up to 9,600 baud, using the V.32 modem standard.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920221/Press Contact: Tim Stryker,
Superdemocracy Foundation, 305-370-7850; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00018)

New For PC: Battery Watch Pro Now Supports Windows 02/24/92
BOTHELL, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- Traveling
Software (TS) has announced Battery Watch Pro 4.0, a new version of
its battery monitoring and system tune-up program for laptop
computers, which adds Windows support.

Release 4.0 allows the user to switch back and forth between Windows
and DOS and still monitor battery performance.

Features included with Battery Watch include a fuel gauge, a tune-up
feature, user-definable alarms, and Deep Discharge.

Deep Discharge helps eliminate the memory effect of NiCad batteries.
When NiCad batteries are not completely discharged before being
recharged, the battery will eventually lose its capacity to fully
recharge. The Deep Discharge feature makes it possible to discharge
the battery completely, so it can recharged more fully.

The Tune-Up feature keeps track of how a person uses their laptop's
battery over the last 10 charges. For example, says TS, if a user
frequently saves their work, that drains a battery more quickly
than if files are saved more infrequently. Battery Watch Pro
assigns a new battery capacity estimate based on that usage pattern.

Users can switch back and forth between a "fuel gauge" type display
and a digital clock to indicate approximately how much battery time
remains.

TS says Release 4.0 has been customized to directly support 50
popular laptops, including 11 newly added models, by taking into
account each model's hardware configuration. That information is
used to calculate the battery drain rate.

The newly supported laptops include the AT&T Safari NSX/20; Compaq
SLT 386sx/20; Dell's 212N and 320N; Sampo NBL 36X/16 and 20; Tandon
NB/386sx; Tandy 2810 HD; TI's Travelmate 2000; and the Toshiba
T2000SX and 2200SX.

Other systems supported include various models from Amstrad,
Compaq, Dell, Epson, Everex, Grid, Leading Edge, NEC, Panasonic,
Sharp, Toshiba, Zenith and Zeos.

Battery WatchPro 4.0 has a suggested selling price of $49.95, and is
sold by software dealers nationwide. Registered owners of earlier
versions can upgrade for $19.95 by calling Traveling Software at its
toll-free number, 800-343-8080.

(Jim Mallory/19920221/Press contact: Marci Maule, Traveling
Software, 206-483-8088)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00019)

UK: Techgnosis' Query Express II Debuts 02/24/92
STOCKPORT, CHESHIRE, ENGLAND, 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- Techgnosis
Middleware has announced the U.K. availability its Query Express
II for Windows 3.0. The package was shown to the public for
the first time at the recent Windows show in London.

Query Express II is an extension of the company's DDE (dynamic
data exchange) package that was released last year. The package
is billed as a simple SQL (structured query language) query
builder that allows users to build and run their own queries,
without the need for SQL language skills.

According to Peter Preston, Techgnosis' marketing director, the
user can use Query Express II's charting ability to graph the
results on the screen before passing the data over to other
Windows applications.

"Query Express II is a simple end-user tool that gives Windows 3
users access to their data through the DDE Manager, in addition
to the existing DLL links we provide for a broad range of
applications," he said.

"Our strategy is to provide DLL connections through which the
user can access their data. Query Express II is an extension to
the DDE Manager which was introduced to cover low volume users of
external data and to give users of applications that can only use
DDE, the access that they need to their external data," he added.

Plans call for Query Express II to ship in March. The package
requires a PC running Microsoft Windows 3.0 or later, as well as
DDE Manager client software and an Ethernet or Token Ring
connection to a supported database server.

The package costs UKP 50 per machine, in addition to the DDE
Manager. Server versions are available from UKP 1,000. Quantity
discounts and site licences are available from the company.

(Steve Gold/19920220/Press & Public Contact: Techgnosis - Tel:
061-474-1963; Fax: [phone])


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

New For PC: Multimedia Educational Tools From  Wicat 02/24/92
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- A new educational
product series, Multimedia Reference Learning (MRL), has been
announced by Wicat Systems of Orem, Utah. MRL's purpose is
to teach K-12 students high order reasoning and how to apply
it, say the product's developers.

Wicat says its MRL products have the advantage of
desegmenting learning by integrating computer-based courseware
from Wicat with World Book compact disc read-only memory
(CD-ROM) reference materials. The products tie together
tutorial learning, simulation, research, and writing
components for a multi-disciplinary approach, Wicat said.

Wicat says its courseware also has built-in tools
including the integrated Wordbench word processor, an on-
line calculator, and a notepad.

The company says its first two courseware products, now
available, are Writing Plus (grades K-8) and Science II Plus
(grades 5-9). Both use World Book's CD ROM Encyclopedia
(Information Finder) as a reference research source. Future
plans include a Geography/Social Sciences product for use
with the multimedia Atlas/Geography Reference from World
Book, which will be available in 1993, Wicat said.

Wicat describes itself as a technology-based education
products company. More information on Wicat products is
available from the company at 801-224-6400.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920220/Press Contact: Kirk Tanner, Wicat,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(DEN)(00021)

 ****ITC Rules Five Companies Infringed TI Patent 02/24/92
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- Texas Instruments (TI)
has announced that the International Trade Commission (ITC) has
issued an exclusion order against five companies that it said
infringed a basic semiconductor packing technology invented
and patented by TI.

The exclusion order, which still requires the president's
signature, would prevent those companies from importing and selling
any integrated circuit or board-level product that uses the patented
technology.

The patent reportedly covers the packaging of integrated circuits by
inserting fluid plastic into the mold cavity under the chip.
This process, referring to as "bottom-gating" or "opposite-side
gating" is the packaging process most broadly used by the worldwide
semiconductor industry. The five companies reportedly have been
using it with almost all of their chips packaged in plastic.

The five companies include Analog Devices of Norwood, Mass; Cypress
Semiconductor Corporation of San Jose, California; Integrated Device
Technology of Santa Clara, California; LSI Logic of Milpatas,
California; and VSLI Technology, also in San Jose.

The ruling is the result of an 18-month investigation initiated
under the Tariff Act of 1930, in which TI claimed that the five
companies were packaging integrated circuits in other countries,
then importing and selling them in the US, without a license from
TI. The complaint was filed in July of 1990.

TI also has a patent infringement case pending against the five
companies in Federal District Court in Dallas. That case is expected
to go to trial in April. TI is also seeking an injunction in that
case, as well as monetary damages.

TI said the technology involved in the case helped make integrated
circuits widely affordable by lowering the price of a single
integrated circuit from dollars to a few cents each.

So far, only one of the five companies has commented publicly on
the ITC ruling. Analog Devices said that the order will not affect
supply of integrated chips to Analog's customers.

(Jim Mallory/19920224/Press contact: Gerri West, Texas
Instruments, 214-995-3481)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00022)

Zeos Earns $3.2 Million In 4Q; Sees No Letup In Competition 02/24/92
ST PAUL, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- Zeos International
reported record sales and net earnings for the fourth quarter and the
fiscal year that ended December 31, 1991.

Net sales for the fourth quarter were $70.6 million, up 84.4
percent, while net earnings for the period increased a respectable
157.1 percent to $3.2 million, according to Zeos. Net sales for the
entire year were $230.9 million, up 81.7 percent, while net earnings
for 1991 were reported up 144.6 percent at $10.3 million.

Zeos said that during the fourth quarter it reduced its order
backlog level from about $12 million at the end of September, to
approximately half that at the end of December. Zeos said the
end-of-year backlog consisted primarily of unshipped orders for its
desktop products.

Zeos chairman and CEO, Gregory Herrick, attributed the results to
customer acceptance of what he called "our strategy to provide
superior value through the design, manufacture and support of
high-performance, high quality, low-priced microcomputers."

A company spokesperson said that it expects downward pressure on
gross margins to continue and be reflected in operating results for
the first quarter.

"The personal computer business generally, and the direct marketing
sector in particular, are currently marked by intense competition
that includes widespread pricing pressure. Zeos is now in a
transitional stage between product cycles on certain of our
products," the spokesperson said.

Zeos is expected to introduce several new products during the first
quarter, but those aren't likely to produce revenue until at least
the second quarter. They have also hinted that they might reduce
the price of their laptop units, as other manufacturers have done
recently.

Zeos introduced seven new desktop and two new laptop systems in the
past six months. In January of this year Chief Financial Officer
John Bakewell said that Zeos might experience as much as a 30
growth rate during 1992.

Zeos sells IBM-compatible desktop and notebook computers direct to
the end user.

(Jim Mallory/19920224/Press contact: John Bakewell, Zeos,
612-635-1419)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00023)

PictureTel/Siemens Work On Videoconferencing 02/24/92
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- PictureTel of
Peabody, Massachusetts, which dominates the market for "slow-
speed" videoconferencing systems running at 56,000 bits/second
and faster, will work with Siemens on the development of full-
color, full-motion business videophones.

The agreement calls for Siemens to develop the telephony-related
components while PictureTel will provide video and audio
technology. Development is already underway, and system
prototypes have been completed. Pricing and availability of the
videophone for business applications have not been determined.

The resulting product will be compatible with PictureTel's
existing gear, as well as with other systems running the CCITT
international video transmission standard H.261, commonly
referred to as Px64. In addition, it will be able to send and
receive business information, such as documents.

They'll also work with Siemens ISDN PBXs, phone switches for business that
work on ISDN standards, as well as public digital networks. Other
planned features include interoperability with other vendors'
gear, compliance with public ISDN standards, and a design which
will let new cameras and monitors be incorporated into the system
easily. The Common Intermediate Format, or CIF, video resolution
scheme will be used to provide equivalent video quality on small
and large monitors, and so will PictureTel's Integrated Dynamic
Echo Cancellation, called IDEC, which helps improve sound
quality.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920224/Press Contact: Siemens, Alice Andors,
407/994-7433; PictureTel, Ron Taylor, 508/977-8567)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00024)

MCI Establishes New Company In Venezuela 02/24/92
RYE BROOK, NEW YORK, U.S.A. 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- MCI's
International unit will establish a subsidiary in Venezuela. The
move is a major show of confidence in the government of President
Carlos Perez, which recently survived a coup attempt.

MCI also announced the Venezuelan Ministry of Transport and
Communications has awarded MCI a concession to provide full IBS
satellite telecommunications services in Venezuela. Two Earth
stations will be erected, in Caracas and Valencia, for the new
satellite service. The new unit will provide marketing support
for MCI voice and data services, as well as the infrastructure to
support private digital networks between Venezuela, the rest of
the Western Hemisphere, and Europe.

The company has a long-standing relationship with CANTV,
Venezuela's local phone network which was recently bought by
a GTE-led consortium, and it has been providing MCI Call USA
and MCI Telex services in the country for years.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920224/Press Contact: Jane Levene, MCI
International, 914-934-6480)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(TYO)(00025)

Japan: Apple Ties With Brother & Kokuyo 02/24/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- The Japanese office of Apple
Computer has signed a dealership agreement with two major Japanese
firms Brother and Kokuyo respectively. The agreements cover the
sales and distribution of Apple computers, peripheral equipment,
and software.

Brother is a major typewriter maker in Japan, while Kokuyo is a
major stationery supplier. Both firms have a nationwide
distribution network through which Apple Computer (Japan) hopes
to sell more computers. Apple currently has a distribution agreement
with Canon, its major distributor in Japan. The addition of the
Brother and Kokuyo dealer arrangement is expected to allow Apple
Computer (Japan) to vie directly with Japan's de facto standard PC,
the NEC PC-9801, in the near future.

Apple Computer (Japan) is also creating what it calls
the Apple Federation group, designed to sell third party products.

These two developments are the latest in Apple's sudden
aggressiveness in Japan. Previously, Apple changed its
corporate name from Apple Computer Japan to Apple Computer, and
moved into a new office building. Finally, the company recently
signed an agreement to develop powerful computers with Sony and Sharp
respectively.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920224/Press Contact: Apple Computer (Japan),
[phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00026)

 ****1.05 Gigabyte 3.5-inch Hard Disk Debuts 02/24/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- Yokogawa Hewlett-Packard, a
joint venture of Hewlett-Packard and Japan's Yokogawa, has
developed a beta version of a 1.05-gigabyte 3.5-inch hard disk.
This represents the second largest storage in a hard disk
following Hitachi's 1.4 gigabyte hard disk.

The HP C2247, as it is called, sells for 400,000 yen ($3,200)
in Japan. It has a standard SCSI-2 interface, and a 20-megabyte
rotation speed per second. The seek time is 10.5 mm/s, which is
said to be extremely fast compared with existing products. The
hard disk is made up of seven hard disks.

The HP C2247 is an upgraded version of the firm's 422-megabyte
hard disk. There are two more disks in this product,
and the rotation speed is increased from 3,600 revolutions
per minute to 5,400 per minute.

Yokogawa Hewlett-Packard plans to mass produce these in April,
and wants to ship 50,000 units the first year.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920224/Press Contact: Yokogawa Hewlett
Packard, [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00027)

Mac Bible To Be Distributed By Peachpit 02/24/92
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- Goldstein
and Blair, publisher of The Macintosh Bible, and Peachpit Press,
have reached an agreement whereby Peachpit will distribute all
Goldstein's titles.

The agreement, effective March 1, 1992, covers all Goldstein
and Blair titles, including reprints of existing books. Although
Goldstein will continue to edit future editions of The Macintosh
Bible, Peachpit will publish them. Peachpit is also the publisher
of The Little Mac Book.

Goldstein will also continue to prepare the quarterly updates that
come free with The Macintosh Bible, although these will be
mailed out by Peachpit.

Peachpit founder, Ted Nace, said: "The Macintosh Bible is more
than a book - it's an institution, and one that really embodies the
Macintosh spirit."

Goldstein and Blair founder, Arthur Naiman, who has edited all
three editions of The Macintosh Bible, said: "For a long time I've
felt burdened by the nuts-and-bolts aspect of publishing - but
even if I didn't, Peachpit does a much better job of it. Their
taking over the publishing end of things will free my time to
write books, which is what I really want to do."

The companies claim there are currently 565,000 copies of The
Macintosh Bible in print worldwide.

(Ian Stokell/19920224/Press Contact: Suzanne Ludlum, Peachpit,
510-548-4393)


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

Samsung Agrees To License Wang SIMM Patent 02/24/92
LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- Wang
Laboratories has announced that Samsung Electronics has been
licensed to manufacture, use, and sell single in-line memory
modules (SIMMs) involving two Wang patents on SIMM technology. The
details of the agreement were not disclosed.

Samsung is the 17th company to license Wang's patents on SIMM
technology since August 1991. Last August, United States Federal
District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, upheld the two patents,
ordered two Japanese firms to pay royalties on 18 months' sales of
SIMMs deemed to infringe them, and granted an injunction against
further sales.

NEC and Toshiba were ordered to pay royalties of 2.75 to four
percent on all sales of infringing products in the United States
between the beginning of 1990 and the end of June, 1991.

The Wang patents cover the structure of a SIMM, a modular device
containing several memory chips. SIMMs are widely used in personal
computers and peripherals. The Wang patents are effective until the
year 2004.

In November, Wang announced that Micron Technology had become the
first SIMM manufacturer to sign a licensing agreement for its SIMM
technology. At the time, Wang spokesman Ed Pignone said the company
had sent notices of infringement to 14 SIMM manufacturers in late
1989, offering to license its SIMM patents to them.

The SIMM is a widely used memory device in IBM-compatible personal
computers and peripheral devices. The patents only affect certain
SIMM designs, not all SIMMs on the market, Pignone said.

(Grant Buckler/19920224/Press Contact: Ed Pignone, Wang,
508-967-4912)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00029)

IBM Develops High-Speed Experimental Switch Chip 02/24/92
YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- Researchers
at IBM have developed an experimental ultra-fast switch chip that
can move data at five billion bits per second in each of 16
channels at the same time. That speed is more than double that
previously reported for any experimental switch chip, and about 50
times the 100-megabit-per-second rates that are the limit of
commercial technology today, researchers said.

With an over-all data rate of 80-billion bits per second, the chip
could transfer the entire contents of the hard-disk storage devices
in 16 personal computers -- each with a 60-megabyte capacity --
simultaneously to 16 other PCs in just one tenth of a second, IBM
said. That's equivalent to transferring the text in more than
18,000 average-sized novels in one second.

However, the chip is not so likely to be used in personal computers
as in high-performance mainframes and supercomputers and in the
telephone and data networks of the future, said IBM researcher Hyun
J. Shin, one of the inventors of the chip.

Some day, Shin told Newsbytes, such high-speed chips will allow
telephone carriers to offer new services such as high-definition
television, video on demand, and assorted information services.

In computer systems with networks of multiple processors, storage
devices, and input and output devices, the switch chip might
function as a central high-speed data traffic controller, IBM said.

The experimental chip has been implemented with the same silicon
technology widely used to make mainframe computers. A key component
is a unique three-device cell invented by Shin and Ching-T. Chuang.
This circuit is so compact that the entire chip, containing 4,200
transistors, is only three millimeters square -- about the size of
one upper-case character on a typical page of text.

Shin said it would probably be possible to mass-produce the chip,
which is strictly experimental today, within about a year. In fact,
he added, it probably will not happen that soon, partly because the
applications for which it would be useful will take longer than
that to evolve.

Dr. Gerald Present of IBM said it would be "a very difficult thing
to say" when the chip might be a commercial product.

Details of the research were reported at the International
Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) in San Francisco on
February 21.

(Grant Buckler/19920224/Press Contact: Dr. Gerald Present, IBM,
914-945-3884)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00030)

 ****Hills Opens Korean Telecom Market, EC Rejects Her Moves 02/24/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- Chief U.S. Trade
Representative Carla Hills had quite different reactions last
week from opposite sides of the world. She was able to announce
an agreement with South Korea which should open up that country's
telecommunications market to U.S. firms, but in Europe her hard
line complaints about European Community trade barriers got a
very chilly reception.

On Friday the Trade Representative's office announced its
intention to impose sanctions against the EC at the beginning of
next year if preferential treatment is given to European
manufacturers of goods used by public utilities. The EC responded
in essence that the U.S. should clean up its own trade act in
regards to "buy American legislation" before trying to force the
EC to repeal its 1990 law which requires public utilities
companies to give preference to European sources.

Ms. Hills is required by a U.S. Trade Act to target countries
which blatantly discriminate against U.S. products and most
observers see both sides in this dispute as jockeying for better
negotiating positions during the current round of GATT or General
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade negotiations.

The same Trade Act was used by her office to pry open the South
Korean market.

(John McCormick/19920224/Press Contact: Office of the U.S. Trade
Representative, 202-395-3204)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00031)

SPA Settles With West Coast Retailer 02/24/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- Portland, Oregon-
based retailer Fred Meyer Inc. has, according to the Software
Publishers Association, agreed to pay legal costs, take actions
to prevent further illegal copying of software, and pay a fine in
the range of $100,000 for improper use of software on some of the
company's more than 1,000 computers.

Fred Meyer will also purchase a sufficient number of licenses to
ensure that all computers are running legal copies of programs,
and institute an employee education program aimed at eliminating
any future infractions of the copyright laws.

Kenneth Thrasher, senior vice president for finance at Fred Meyer
Inc., said, "We appreciate the opportunity provided by the SPA to
investigate and strengthen our company policies against illegal
software duplication. We certainly support the rights of
software producers to be paid for their licensed products and
believe that we now have policies and monitoring procedures in
effect that will ensure future compliance with applicable
copyright laws."

The SPA is an industry group which fights for the rights of
software publishers, particularly targeting companies which it
believes may be making and using illegal copies of copyrighted
software.

Many of the companies are identified by people calling the SPA's
anti-piracy hotline - 800-388-7478 to leave tips.

(John McCormick/19920224/Press Contact: Terri Childs, SPA, 202-
452-1600)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00032)

British Telecom Shaving 3,100 Workers 02/24/92
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1992 FEB 24 (NB) -- British Telecom has
announced it is to shave 3,100 from its operator and directory
assistance service operators between September, 1993 and
December, 1994.

The job cuts are in addition to the 18,800 redundancies announced
during the current financial year. BT officials say that a
further 10,000 cuts are planned for the remainder of the year.

While BT employed 218,000 staff at the end of December, 1991,
industry watchers say that the telecom giant will shed several
more jobs within the next few years in order to maintain
profitability against the threat of the U.S. giants.

The main reason for the reduction in directory assistance
services is almost certainly the introduction of charges for the
service early last year. Sources close to BT suggest that BT's
directory assistance services are now wildly under-utilized.

(Steve Gold/19920224)