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/NB920410

Text File | 1992-04-10 | 79KB | 1,772 lines

(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00001)

New For Macintosh: UPS Rate Calculator 04/10/92
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 10 (NB) --
Computer:applications, Inc., has released MacParcel, a
Macintosh desk accessory that calculates United Parcel Service (UPS)
rates for any ZIP code in the US, Puerto Rico, or the Virgin Islands.

"MacParcel provides your shipping department with the means to
calculate accurate rate and zone information without resorting to
UPS look-up charts," said company president, Steve Pierce.

To use MacParcel, the user enters the destination ZIP code, weight,
and declared value. The program calculate the shipping zone and the
total cost. Calculations include COD, insurance, and any special
handling charges the user defines.

Since MacParcel is a Mac desk accessory, it can be "popped up" while
the user is in another program , such as a database or an accounting
program.

The entry screen also allows the user to choose ground commercial,
ground residential, second day air, second day letter, next day
air, or next day letter.

The company also markets MacFederal, a similar program for companies
shipping via Federal Express.

MacParcel is System 7 compatible and works with all Mac PCs
including PowerBooks, Classic II and Quadra systems. The single
copy retail price is $39.95, and it's available direct from
Computer:applications by calling 919-846-1411. Site licenses and
bundle packs are also available.

(Jim Mallory/19920410/Press contact: Tom Meehan,
Computer:applications, 919-846-1411, FAX [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00002)

 ****Compuadd Cuts PC Prices As Much As 40% 04/10/92
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- Compuadd Computer
Corporation has announced its second round of price cuts in two
months, with prices on 486 and high-end 386 systems being reduced as
much as 40 percent.

In early February Compuadd announced price cuts ranging from 9 to 19
percent. The new cuts are effective immediately at all 125
company-owned stores.

In conjunction with the new reductions, Compuadd said it has also
upgraded the color VGA monitors available with its systems. They
will now be offering 14 or 15-inch non-interlaced color video
displays. Previous configurations included interlaced monitors.
Non-interlaced display units tend to be more flicker-free.

Compuadd's chief executive officer said the new round of cuts was in
response to competition and cost reductions, which he said Compuadd
was passing along to its customers.

As an example of the reductions, a Compuadd 333 with 4MB (megabytes)
of RAM (random access memory), a 80MB hard drive, two floppy drives
and a monochrome monitor now sells for $1,595, a $700 reduction.
With the new non-interlaced 14-inch VGA color monitor that system
will now sell for $1,995, an $890 reduction from the same
configuration with the interlaced monitor before the price cuts.
The same system monochrome system with a 200MB hard drive dropped
$400 to $1,795.

Compuadd maintains two toll free numbers (800-455-3116 and
800-827-1967) to handle inquiries about its products.

(Jim Mallory/19920410/Press contact: Wendell Watson, Compuadd,
512-250-2530)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LAX)(00003)

 ****Glendale Plans Prodigy-like Online Service 04/10/92
GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- The City of Glendale,
California says it will start a graphically oriented online
information service for residents, and it will be available via
individual computers or public kiosks. The City has contracted with
Coconut Software of La Jolla, California to develop the service.

Much like Prodigy, the City of Glendale's system will offer graphical
information such as maps, illustrations, and an electronic yellow
pages (that can feature company logos and other graphical
information). Glendale says it also plans to offer electronic mail
access to the city's government offices and an online catalog for the
Glendale library for starters.

Newsbytes talked with Coconut Software President Brian L. Dear and was
able to try out a prototype of the new information service. The
service will be based on Coconet, Coconut Software's graphical
interactive telecommunication software.

Coconet is like Prodigy because it's graphical, but it supports video
graphics array (VGA) so the graphics are pleasant and smooth.
Newsbytes found it to be fast, elegant, and at times visually stunning
compared to Prodigy.

Ruth Thompson, project director at the Glendale Public Library said:
"We selected Coconet because it was specifically designed for this
sort of application, which defines 'community information' in the
broadest manner. We also like the portability to a number of platforms
which fits our Unix, DOS, and Mac environment. And we found the
graphical user interface to be unique among the products we tested."

Dear said Coconut designed Coconet for just such an application as the
City of Glendale is planning and says the service will set the
standard for other U.S. cities to follow. Both Macintosh and DOS users
will be able to access the system from their computers. Electric Media,
a Los Angeles-based company, is developing the kiosk interface to the
Glendale system. According to Dear, a prototype of the online service
should be in place by the end of the year.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920408/Press Contact: Brian Dear, Coconut
Computing, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Ruth Thompson, City of
Glendale Public Library, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00004)

 ****TV Answer To Spend $8.5 Mil On Secure Central System 04/10/92
RESTON, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- TV Answer, the company
working to bring interactive television to American homes, says it
estimates it will spend about $8.5 million over the next five years
for a fault-tolerant computer system that will act as the main
computer for the TV Answer service.

The company says it has signed a contract with Sequoia Systems for a
Sequoia Systems 400 fault-tolerant computer system which will be at
the center of the first national two-way television system in the U.S.
The hardware, operating system software, systems maintenance, and
services will cost $2.4 million initially, but service fees and
components over the next five years bring the total to the estimated
$8.5 million, TV Answer said.

Fault-tolerant systems are systems designed with redundancy. For
example, a typical fault-tolerant system might have two central
processing units, several storage systems all storing the same
information, and so on. If component one fails, the others are there
to maintain the system.

TV Answer is based on a unit in each user's home, the TV Answer box,
which attaches to a normal television set and looks like a video
cassette recorder. Digital signals will be sent to and from the unit
via radio waves to local cell sites, then to a satellite which will
send the signals to a main processing center, or national hub site.
From the hub site, the information goes to a processing center, then
is rerouted back through the hub site to a satellite and then to
service providers who will satisfy the consumer request, TV Answer
said.

Hewlett-Packard has agreed to manufacture the TV Answer boxes,
which are expected to be retail priced around $700. The
service is expected to allow consumers to purchase groceries, vote on
television polls, check their bank accounts, order pizza, as well as
other services, all from the comfort of home.

TV Answer says it needs the fault-tolerant system to register consumer
transactions as they pass through the TV Answer System to be
distributed to their destinations. The Switching Center will record
pertinent data about the transaction such as its length, point-of-
origin, and destination.

However, the company has made a point of saying it will not capture
consumer identification data for any purpose other than tracing
transactions. Since customers might be using credit card numbers or
other personal information, security is an important issue. TV Answer
says the data sent by the TV Answer boxes to the Series 400 will be
encrypted and the Series 400 will encrypt the data with a new security
code before transmitting it to its destination. For security within
the Series 400, TV Answer says it has purchased the standard Unix
operating system with Secure Topix. Secure Topix has C2 and B1 level
security, which is recognized by the US Department of Defense as a
highly secure computer security system, TV Answer said.

TV Answer anticipates 1.5 million units will be purchased by consumers
in 1993, the first year the service is expected to be available. That
number is expected to grow fast, however, as TV Answer projects 20
million of the units will be in consumer hands within 5 years of the
introduction of the TV Answer service. The company says the Sequoia
Series 400 will be set up initially for the anticipated 1.5 million
users, but can be expanded to handle the 20 million users anticipated.
The expanded system can receive and process peak loads of 20 million
transactions in 13 minutes according to Bob Chiaramonte TV Answer's
Vice President of Information Systems.

Companies which want to take advantage of TV Answer to interact with
consumers are already lining up. New York-based Wunderman/Cato Johnson
(WCJ), the largest marketing and sales promotion company in the United
States recently began offering its clients the option of TV Answer
Services. TV Answer says other companies who have already committed to
TV Answer's Charter Partner program are J.C. Penney Company, CUC,
Inc., Bose Express Music, 800 Flowers, and 800 Spirits.

TV Answer is headquartered at 1941 Roland Clarke Place, Reston,
Virginia, 22091.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920408/Press Contact: Paul Sturiale, TV Answer, tel
703-715-8853, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LAX)(00005)

State Of The Art Accounting Agreement With IBM 04/10/92
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- State of the Art, an
accounting software company, has announced it has been approved by IBM
as an authorized software supplier for IBM's workstation, the IBM RISC
System/6000.

The announcement was made in conjunction with a marketing
partnership agreement State of the Art has just accomplished with IBM
and Unix-distributor Dickens Data Systems.

David S. Samuels, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of State
of the Art, said: "We are honored to be selected by IBM as an
authorized software supplier; it's comparable to receiving the Good
Housekeeping Seal of Approval in the computer industry."

John Bunyan, a manager in IBM's Marketing and Services department, said
State of the Art was chosen because of the awards the company and the
accounting software has received and because of the company's
stringent screening of resellers.

State of the Art boasts it has a base of over 700 value-added
resellers (VARs) and 4,500 public accounting firms that make up its
national reseller channel.

Now, State of the Art says it has the opportunity to become an IBM
Industry Remarketer Affiliate (IR Affiliate) for the RS/6000. IR
Affiliate status will allow it to gain access to IBM's distribution
channel and to hardware, peripherals, and technical support through
IBM and Dickens Data Systems, the company maintains.

On May 8th State Of The Art says it will host the first in a series of
national seminars with IBM and Dickens Data Systems designed to
introduce resellers to IBM's distribution network, the RS/6000
technology, and Dickens value-added programs. Samuels also said State
of the Art plans to announce a marketing assistance program for IR
Affiliate Resellers.

Irvine, California-based State of the Art designs and markets
M.A.S 90 Evolution/2 accounting software for DOS and Unix platforms.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920408/Press Contact: Geri Schanz, Galusha &
Associates for State of the Art, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00006)

UK: Rabbit Mobile Phone Service Launch Date Set 04/10/92
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- One of the better kept
secrets at the Comms '92 show held in Birmingham this week was
the official launch date for the Rabbit mobile telephone
service. The launch date has now been set as the 21st of May.

Rabbit is the name for the mobile phone service operated by
Hutchinson Personal Communications (HPC), which the company plans
to launch in the northwestern area of the U.K. next month, prior
to extending the service nationally around the country toward
the end of this year.

The Rabbit mobile phone system is unusual in that it is based on
the cordless technology type 2 (CT-2) system. CT-2 systems have
been launched and subsequently withdrawn by British Telecom,
Ferranti, and Mercury Communications over the past few years.

CT-2 technology has two aspects. The first is a digital
replacement for existing cordless phones, operating within 100
yards of a private base station. The second in which Rabbit is
involved centers around allowing users of the CT-2 handsets
to make outgoing-only phone calls when within 100 yards of a
public base station.

This one-way only aspect of CT-2 killed off earlier systems based
on the technology. The main problem was that cellular phones,
despite costing several times the price, offered truly mobile
two-way phone call services.

Rabbit claims that it will be successful since it uses the common
air interface (CAI) standard. CAI was designed by Rabbit and
several other, now closed, CT-2 service providers to allow
roaming between networks. Although the Rabbit system allows CAI
standard calls, since there is only one CT-2 network in the U.K.
at the moment, the technology is effectively redundant.

Despite all these problems, Peter Wright, HPC's managing
director, feels the time is now right for a launch. The company
has been staging user trials with an 800-strong trial userbase,
the results of which have been encouraging.

CT-2 technology has only been a flop in the UK. Outside the
UK, the technology has been sold as a viable operation to
several telecom authorities, notably Hong Kong, which signed up
15,000 subscribers within a few months of launch.

The successful launches of CT-2 technology have been, Newsbytes
notes, in countries which have had a monopoly -- usually state-
controlled -- on the provision of telecom service. The UK has
a relatively liberal telecom market.

HPC reckons that the cost of running a Rabbit phone is between a
third to a half the cost of running a cellular phone when costed
over a 12-month period.

PC plans to offer four Rabbit service packages in the UK:
Rabbit, Rabbit Plus, Rabbit Recall, and Rabbit Recall Plus.

The basic package, Rabbit, costs UKP 189-99, and includes a
handset plus charger. Sign-up and the first quarter's
subscription to the network are also included. The Rabbit Plus
package costs UKP 239-99 and adds a private base station to the
Rabbit bundle.

The Rabbit Recall package, meanwhile, is a basic Rabbit phone
with charger, plus a voicemail plus pager for incoming calls.
This package costs UKP 259-99.

The deluxe package is the Rabbit Recall Plus bundle which costs
UKP 299-99 and combines all the features of the Plus and Recall
packages, including voicemail, pager and private base station.

Network connection will normally cost UKP 15 with a monthly line
rental of UKP 6 a month. A UKP 1-50 a month surcharge gets a
voicemail box and a pager for use within "incoming" calls. Call
charges on the Rabbit network will be in line with payphone
rates, HPC claims.

(Steve Gold/19920409/Press Contact: Paragon Communications - Tel:
071-734-6030)


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

UK: Tricom Unveils Fast Packet Bridge Technology 04/10/92
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- Tricom has unveiled a
high performance LAN (local area network) bridge for its Marathon
range of integration technology at the Comms '92 show, held in
Birmingham, England this week.

The Stokenchurch-based company claims that the LAN bridge, an
expansion card for the Marathon device, is the first packet
bridge available in the UK. According to Keith Abbott, Tricom's
product marketing manager, the LAN bridge allows remote Ethernet
LANs running any protocol to link over local and remote circuits
using 64,000 bps (bits per second) leased lines.

"It can give a 300 percent improvement in bridge throughput
because of the use of data compression techniques. It can also be
used in conjunction with the Marathon remote terminal server
capability - giving vast flexibility in LAN/WAN connectivity
options," he said.

Pricing on the Marathon LAN bridge varies depending on product
configuration.

The LAN bridge is actually an expansion car for the Marathon
system. As a bridge, it features a high-performance 32-bit
processor bridge engine, self-learning capability, IEEE spanning
tree protocol, and the ability to filter 10,000 packets per second.
The system also uses an advanced data compression system to ensure
efficient use of the bandwidth of the leased line.

(Steve Gold/19920409/Press & Public Contact: Tricom - Tel:
0494-483951)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00008)

UK: Air Call Announces New Radiopaging Services 04/10/92
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- Air Call, one of the UK's
major radiopaging operators, has announced a short-term paging
hire scheme and the option of a new range of colored pagers for
its subscribers.

The short-term package costs UKP 76 and includes a month's
unlimited use of a message pager, with calls answered with the
subscriber's own name. Bureau (spoken work retrieval) messaging
is also available free of charge.

According to Lisa Gernon, Air Call's commercial director, the
"all in" rental package compares well with other packages
available in the UK.

"Air Call recognizes the communication problems that business
people, who are usually office-based, are faced with when they
find themselves away from the office for unusually long periods
of time. We believe that offering the facility of short-term
message paging will solve this dilemma," she said.

The Colourcode range of pagers meanwhile, are numeric pagers in a
choice of colours: green, pastel pink, and ivory. As well as
being colored, the numeric pagers are available on a flat-rate
subscription -- no matter how many calls are made to the paging
bureau, the subscription is fixed.

Gernon is enthusiastic about the colored pagers: "Because the
pace of everyday life is becoming ever faster, and the line
between personal and business life converging, the need to keep
in touch is becoming greater than ever. With Colourcodes, we are
giving people a service that is as useful in their personal lives
as it is in their business life. And what's more, they look good
and are fun to use," she said.

Pricing on the Colourcode pager packages starts at UKP 16-50 a
month. Prices vary, depending on the areas of the UK in which the pager
is required to work.

(Steve Gold/19920409/Press & Public Contact: Air Call
Communications - Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(MOW)(00009)

Russia: Lotus Unveils Secrets Of Success 04/10/92
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- The ability to make a profit
without directly offering services is key to building a
distribution network in Russia, Boris Nuraliev of
VNIIPIstatinform/Lotus Russia told a Comtek audience this week at
the "Developing A User Base Through End-User Services" panel discussion.

"Our key is not service itself, but the art of being available, a
reliable source of software packages, from which a distributor can
make its own profitable business. The last point is the most
important," Nuraliev told the audience.

1-2-3 is being sold through a dealer network only. VNIIPIstatinform
now acts as the sole distributor. VNIIPIstatinform quarterly sales
are 12 million rubles, 9.5 million of which are 1-2-3. One
spreadsheet package costs less than 10,000 rubles.

To attract more dealers VNIIPI/Lotus offers 28% dealers discounts,
organizes training for its sales force, and assists in advertising and
other business deals. "Our resellers are usually busy people who
usually visit Moscow once a month for 2-3 days. They have a number of
places to visit those days so we make it simple for them. We have
established a small hotel for them on-site, bought other
products they are interested in, especially Russian word text
processor, modems, and accounting packages, just to minimize the
hassles and help them do more of their own business. We also advise
them on legal matters, and run marketing courses regularly," Nuraliev
said.

Nuraliev also noted that dealers are unwilling to buy non-copy-
protected packages from them, saying that almost no one wishes
to buy a product which can be freely copied.

Another panel member, Anatoly Karachinsky of Intermicro, Apple's
distributor in CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) pointed
to another side of the service -- hardware sales. Karachinsky said
they have discovered that the most difficult problem is the
repair of hard drives and other precious hardware. So the
company last year established its own premises to do regular
hard drives repair on-site. "This service center is gaining
popularity in Eastern Europe where no other such facilities are
available," Karachinsky said.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19920409)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00010)

Australia: Paradigm Agency To Represent Proximity 04/10/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- Proximity Technology has
announced the appointment of The Paradigm Agency as its Australian
representative. Proximity is a wholly owned subsidiary of Franklin
Electronic Publishers, Inc., of the US.

Paradigm will be handling Proximity's major product, the Proximity
Linguistic System, which is a set of linguistic tools developers can
incorporate in their programs. The system includes the Detect (text
analysis), Correct (spell checking), Stand Alone Hyphenation, Thesaurus
and Dictionary subsystems. To date, approximately 8 million users have
bought software which incorporates Proximity-developed technology.

Paradigm was chosen by Proximity, according to Paradigm director, Glenn
Miller, because of the realities of the market for Proximity's products.
Although business has been growing it has still to reach the level which
would warrant a subsidiary operation here. The appointment of Paradigm,
Miller says, will see Proximity increase its level of contact with local
developers, and one of Paradigm's first tasks will be to talk to local
developers to see what they are looking for from Proximity.

Paradigm offers companies two main services: marketing
management and business development. The have been representing The
XTree Company in Australia for over a year, and are interested in
being contacted about representing other companies in Australia.

(Sean McNamara/19920408/Press Contact: Glenn Miller or David Lewis,
phone in Australia [phone], Fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00011)

Australia: Optus Achieves One-Union Coverage Goal 04/10/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- Australia's new telecom
carrier Optus has achieved its goal of having employees covered by
one union. The move to one-union coverage should make industrial
relations easier for Optus to manage, although there is no guarantee
they will be trouble-free.

The move came about after the three unions which opposed the one-union
coverage withdrew their cases before the Industrial Relations Commission
(IRC), Australia's industrial relations watchdog. The only two unions
left claiming Optus' employees as potential members are the Australian
Telecommunications Employees Association (ATEA) and the Australian Postal
and Telecommunications Union (APTU). The ATEA and the APTU have applied
to the IRC for approval to merge to form the Communications Workers
Union.

The question of union coverage is a vital one in Australia, where unions
have a much stronger hold over industrial matters than in, say, the US.
The Federal Government has entered into several "Accords" with the
unions' "industry body," the ACTU (Australian Council of Trade Unions).
A fight between unions could have seen Optus left in the middle, with
no clear negotiation partner in times of industrial disputes, and if
the IRC would have been forced to rule on union coverage, Optus could
have had union coverage it did not want.

(Sean McNamara/19920408)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00012)

Australia: Optus To Offer L-Band "Mobilesat" Service In '93 04/10/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- Australia's new carrier Optus is
set to become the first satellite operator in the world to offer a
satellite-based mobile telephone network. Optus plans to launch its
Mobilesat network next year, and will utilize L band frequencies.

The satellite-based network will see a service similar to the current
cellular network, except it will be available continuously throughout the
whole of Australia. Optus expects calls to cost AUS$1.50 per minute, and
receivers between AUS$5,000 and AUS$7,000. Mobilesat was already in the
trial stage when Optus took over Aussat, which began the research. Optus
has decided to continue the research and development, including the
trials with the Royal Flying Doctor Service, police departments in all
states and New South Wales State Rail.

Optus has, in a related move, signed a memorandum of understanding with
three large satellite operators. The memorandum, with American Mobile
Satellite Corp of the US, Telesat Mobile Inc., of Canada and Industries
SA de CU of Mexico, aims to set standards for receiver equipment in
Australia, and North and South America. Local manufacturers see much
potential in the memorandum, as product development would be less
viable for one market, while they could compete in all three markets
with a common standard.

Market analysts have estimated that should receiver prices go as low as
US$3,000 there could be a potential market of 1 million users in the US.

(Sean McNamara/19920408)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00013)

New for Macintosh: HP 3.5-inch HD, Tape Drive 04/10/92
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- Hewlett-Packard (HP)
has announced a new 3.5-inch internal hard disk drive for the
Macintosh Quadra 700, IIci, and IIcx as well as a new external digital
tape back-up for its HP C2225M Storage System for the Macintosh.

HP said the introduction of these new products does not mean it will
stop support on the HP C2454M or on other disk and compact-disk read-
only memory (CD-ROM). In fact the company says it is planning support
for those currently available products on future Apple operating
system releases including Apple Unix 3.0.

However, the new 3.5-inch drive with a 422 megabyte (MB) capacity is
not only an expansion of HP's product line, but it also supports small
computer systems interface (SCSI)-2 protocol, Hewlett-Packard said.

Susan Elcox, product manager at HP, told Newsbytes that Apple
doesn't offer SCSI-2 yet, but the move to supporting SCSI-2 is
anticipating Apple's eventual use of the interface. Elcox said
the interface is transparent to the user, because of the drive
reverts back to SCSI-1 if SCSI-2 is not present.

HP says its new digital tape drive is an external Digital Data
Storage Data-compressed (DDS-DC) digital audio tape (DAT) drive
designed to work with its storage system. The storage system is an
external mass-storage cabinet with a CD-ROM, a rewritable optical
disk, and 3.5-inch and 5.25-inch hard-disk drives in a compact
cabinet.

HP says its Storage System can handle up to three full-height or
seven half-height mass storage devices. HP says the Storage System is
designed for immediate connection to a Macintosh as everything needed
to plug into a Macintosh SCSI port comes standard.

Hewlett-Packard describes itself as a manufacturer of measurement and
computational products and systems. It is well known for its line of
desktop laser printers for personal computers and for its workstation
systems. The Palo Alto-based company boasts 89,700 employees and
reported revenue of $14.5 billion in its 1991 fiscal year.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920407/Press Contact: Teri Vander Boegh, Hewlett-
Packard, tel , fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00014)

Ricoh Pitches Hybrid Copier To Ride Out Recession 04/10/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- Japan's Ricoh, hoping to ride
out the current computer sales slump, will beef up sales
efforts for its latest hybrid copier, the "Imagio" series.

Ricoh aims to sell 60,000 units of the Imagio series this fiscal
quarter. This is a 50 percent increase over the previous term. The
firm will add 100 employees to Imagio's sales division, which
currently has 200 employees.

Ricoh's Imagio has many functions besides a copying feature. It
can be used as a fax machine which uses regular copy paper, not
rolls of thermal paper. It can be used as a laser printer for
personal computers. Its small size gives it appeal in tiny
Japanese offices.

So far, the Imagio and similar hybrid copiers are selling
well in Japan. Japanese firms are not only space-conscious,
but are increasingly demanding clean copies instead of thermal printing.

Ricoh suffered an extremely large financial setback in sales during
the previous term due to a slump in the office equipment market.
This resulting in virtually all Ricoh's board members submitting
requests for resignation.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920408/Press Contact: Ricoh, [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00015)

Japan: NTT's New Teletext Broadcasting Device 04/10/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- Japan's former telecom monopoly
NTT is launching a new business involving teletext
broadcasting, a technology which is already being employed
on TV in Japan. NTT's slant on the technology is its development
of a large display board for this broadcasting which it will
sell into offices and department stores.

There is also an outdoor LED (light emitting diode) electric
display device under development. It's designed to be
hung on the outside wall of a building facing a street.
It will function as a kind of live billboard for advertisers
participating in the teletext system.

Currently, teletext programs are broadcast on TV by several TV
stations in Japan. This teletext is broadcast during regular
TV programs, simultaneously aired in between signals
of regular programs without affecting the regular programs.
This is possible because there is an unused area in the radio wave
spectrum.

Teletext broadcasting is free. The only requirement for
consumers is to purchase a teletext receiver, which is connected
to a TV set. The teletext programs include news and financial
market information. NTT's large screen teletext broadcasting
is also expected to be free but there may be some additional
charges involved in broadcasting onto the large screens.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920408/Press Contact: NTT, [phone])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LAX)(00016)

Sun Plans Multimedia Software For User Training/Support 04/10/92
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- Sun Microsystems
Computer Corporation (SMCC), a division of Sun Microsystems, says it
plans to develop interactive multimedia training software for online
users who are learning how to use Sun hardware and software.

SMCC says users won't have to wade through mountains of conventional
documentation to get answers, but will be able to have the technical
and support information they need right there online. The new
software is to combine text, graphics, sound, and animation to give
users instant online information on how to use Sun hardware and
software products. SMCC maintains the training materials will lead to
significant time savings and increased user productivity.

The company made the announcement in conjunction with an agreement
with Gain Technology for its object-oriented hypermedia technology
which the SMCC division will use to develop the multimedia training
materials. The first of the new training software is to be introduced
this summer.

This is not the first cooperative effort between SMCC and Gain. In a
related effort in 1991 the two companies worked together with Gain's
prerelease version of Gainexposure. Gain said its Gainexposure
product, released this January, offers developers the ability to write
multimedia applications that combine text, images, graphics,
animation, audio, and structured query language (SQL) databases.

Gain is headquartered in Palo Alto, California and says it has the
distinction of being 100 percent owned by its 75 employees. SMCC
describes itself as a multi-billion dollar corporation with a
worldwide business in workstations and servers.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920408/Press Contact: Kim Miller, SMCC, tel 415-
336-7583, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00017)

UK: ACL Says Lease Don't Buy Computers 04/10/92
READING, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- The Alliance of
Computers and leasing (ACL) has announced what it calls "an anti-
obsolescence drive" at the Which Computer? Show in Birmingham
this week. The idea of the scheme is to persuade users that it is
more sensible to lease computer equipment than to purchase.

According to Adrian Clarke, finance director with ACL, users can
obtain state of the art equipment now using one of the company's
many leasing schemes and, in a couple of years, move on up to
what will then be state of the art new equipment without any
extra costs.

"Leasing is tax deductible for companies, so it compares very
well with buying," he told Newsbytes.

ACL's "Convertalease" package include the ability to upgrade to
new hardware at any time without penalty. Other options include
deferred, seasonal and low-start payment facilities and the
ability to lease hardware, software, training and maintenance
packages from the company.

So how does ACL make its money? Surprisingly, the company only
makes a modest commission on the leasing packages it provides
from other companies. The real profit for ACL is that it is a
computer dealer in its own right, but that the payment for the
hardware plus other products and services comes from the leasing
companies rather than the customer.

(Steve Gold/19920408/Press & Public Contact: ACL - Tel: 0734-
569055)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00018)

New For PC: Cognos Updates Query Tool 04/10/92
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- Cognos of Ottawa,
Canada, has announced a new version of its Impromptu desktop SQL
query tool for Microsoft Windows. Cognos made the announcement
during the Windows World show, part of Spring COMDEX.

The major changes in the new version are the ability to store query
data locally so it can be manipulated without issuing another query
to the remote system, support for the SQL Server database servers
from Microsoft and Sybase, and the ability to build custom user
prompts.

The original version of Impromptu appeared last December. It lets
users perform complex queries of databases that work with the
Structured Query Language (SQL) without having to understand SQL,
relational database structures, or network navigation, according to
Cognos.

The Microsoft Windows 3.0 interface lets users perform queries by
using a mouse to point and click on menu items and icons in
Impromptu's Query Bar.

Version 1.1 can save query data on the local PC for immediate or
later processing, a Cognos spokesman said. This "local snapshot" of
data cuts the processing load on database systems by reducing the
number of queries and the connection time needed for them,
according to the vendor.

Iterative changes to an Impromptu query session, such as sorting,
grouping, or calculating the data, are processed at the PC, cutting
down on queries of the corporate database.

Impromptu 1.1 adds support for two more SQL database server
packages, company spokesman Jay Fiore said. Both the Sybase SQL
Server and Microsoft's SQL Server (OS/2 version) are now supported.

Finally, users or MIS managers can now build custom user prompts to
filter Impromptu 1.1 queries, saving users' time and enhancing the
software's ease-of-use. For example, sales managers who often
request data for particular territories within a sales region can
set up a custom prompt for a specific territory every time they
click on the region's sales data.

Impromptu 1.1 is now in customer testing and is due to be available
in mid-summer, with a U.S. list price of $695.

(Grant Buckler/19920408/Press Contact: Michael J. Greeley or Jay
Fiore, Cognos, 617-229-6600)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00019)

New For PCs: Mannequin Designer Adds Human Figures 04/10/92
MELVILLE, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- The Humancad
division of Biomechanics Corporation of America (BCA) has
introduced Mannequin Designer, personal computer software designed
to put perfectly proportioned human figures into desktop
presentations and animation. Mannequin Designer is a scaled-down
version of Mannequin, Humancad's ergonomic design program.

Mannequin Designer lets users incorporate two- and
three-dimensional human images into any design or presentation. The
Microsoft Windows-based product can create moving, realistic human
figures of different genders, sizes, shapes, and nationalities, the
vendor said.

Humancad's full Mannequin program is meant for ergonomic design,
and in addition to the ability to create accurate renderings of
human figures, it provides a database of ergonomic information about
human shapes of different nationalities, genders, and so forth.
Humancad found that some buyers were using the original package
simply to add human figures to presentations, a spokeswoman for the
company said, and so decided to offer that capability by itself at
a lower price. Mannequin Designer is priced at $99.

Mannequin Designer offers a variety of features and design options,
Humancad officials said. For example, the Human Forms command
creates humans in four degrees of detail: stick figures, robots,
outlines, and smooth figures. Figures can be created in any
humanly possible position.

Mannequin Designer can be imported into multimedia animation
packages. The program can transferring figures and drawings to most
other Windows and DOS-based software products, the company said.

(Grant Buckler/19920408/Press Contact: Leahanne Hobson or Dave
Copithorne, Copithorne & Bellows for Humancad, 617-252-0606)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00020)

New For PC: Legacy 2.1 for Windows 04/10/92
BOULDER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- NBI has announced it
will release a Windows 3.1 version of its word processing program
Legacy.

Legacy 2.1, which the company says will ship in mid-June, has new
features including the ability to create documents that integrate
graphics and text. The program supports OLE (object linking and
embedding), has a customizable icon bar, and provides drag-and-drop
capability.

NBI says the new release will have more than 100 icons which can be
placed on the icon bar. Using the OLE capability, 2.1 users will be
able to embed graphics and tables from other software applications,
as long as those applications support the Microsoft OLE standard.

By using the drag-and-drop, a feature which is showing up in a number
of new or upgraded programs, the user can just drag the document
icon onto the printer icon for quick printing. If you drop the
document (NBI calls them chapters) on the Legacy icon, the document
is automatically opened.

A spokesperson for NBI told Newsbytes that the suggested retail
price of Legacy 2.1 will be $495. If you own an earlier version of
Legacy, you can upgrade by calling the company at 800-624-1111. The
company said the cost to upgrade will be $39 until the end of June,
then it will cost $49.

(Jim Mallory/19920408/Press contact: Dave Locke, NBI, 303-938-2808)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00021)

Hong Kong: CSSL Pioneers New Approach To Customer Training 04/10/92
NORTH POINT, HONG KONG, 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- IBM reseller CSSL has
announced a new "education coupon" training scheme which delivers
savings of up to 40 percent on a wide range of training courses.

The scheme enables customers to buy books of education coupons which
deliver discounts of between 10 and 40 percent. Courses for both
technical staff and general management are eligible, including IBM
AS/400 mid-range computer applications, programming techniques,
communications and networking, and business recovery planning.

"Education coupons offer dramatic price reductions and enable
customers to plan their education budgets more effectively," said
Peter Knight, division manager at CSSL.

"By building a provision in advance, training managers can rapidly
respond to changing user needs without overstretching their pre-
agreed budget limits. With more than 20 regular courses currently
scheduled, they have a wide choice of opportunities to use their
coupons."

The scheme follows the success of CSSL's previous training
innovation, free CASE evening classes. "Training is a key part of
CSSL's customer satisfaction strategy," said Knight. "Investing in
ways to build skill levels has strengthened the loyalty of our
existing customers and borne fruit in our top ranking performance for
customer support in the 1992 Graham Mead Customer Satisfaction
Survey."

Graham Mead Associates (GMA) is a leading Hong Kong-based Asian
region research and technology education company. Earlier this year
GMA published its annual User Satisfaction Report on information
technology vendors. Forthcoming GMA reports include a survey of IT in
the Hong Kong manufacturing industry, and the 1992 GMA Hong Kong PC
Industry Report.

(Norman Wingrove/19920408/Press contact: Ally Ho, CSSL, +852 806
1622, Graham Mead, GMA, [phone]; HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(MOW)(00022)

Moscow: Intel Opens New Office 04/10/92
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- Intel Technologies has finally
established a permanent office in Moscow. The company continues its
expansion, hiring more people and signing more dealers in CIS.

Intel has rented a new office at 6/7 Kremenchugskaya St, near
Kutuzovsky prospekt, not far from the center of the city. Official
opening of the new premises will be in 1-2 months after minor
refurbishing of the facility, Marat Ishuev, Intel's representative
in Moscow told Newsbytes.

Intel has now five distributors for its board and chip-level products in
CIS including one in Kiev, Ukraine, and one in St Petersbourg. "We are
constantly looking for new distributors," Ishuev said. The company
sells to its resellers network for dollars only, while some
distributors are offering products for rubles.

Intel is also hiring more own people. It now has 7 persons in
CIS, including one man in Kiev, Ukraine. Three more employees
will be hired by year end, Ishuev said.

Mr Ishuev also noted that Intel is participating in the current
Comtek exhibition.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19920408/Press Contact: Marat Ishuev, Intel Moscow,
phone +7 095 )


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00023)

More Trade Friction: Taiwan, China, and Congress 04/10/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- Trade talks are not
going well but that should not come as a major surprise. This
week they broke down over claims of Taiwan piracy of US
products which is estimated to cost US companies about $400
million each year. There is a growing move in Congress to
penalize Japan for failing to meet microchip import targets.

Taiwan says it lacks the money to do as the US requests and
examine each and every exported computer product to determine if
it is a pirated copy of a US product. Earlier this week, US-
Taiwanese trade talks broke down on this point, which leaves the
ball in the court of the US which will have to decide whether
to penalize Taiwanese products with high import tariffs.

In other US-Pacific Rim friction, a group of US Senators led
by Texas Democrat Lloyd Bentsen and Oregon Republican Bob
Packwood this week called upon US Trade Representative Carla
Hills to explain what administration action is being contemplated
against Japan in the wake of its apparent failure to meet yet
another agreed-to import goal.

The US-Japan Semiconductor Trade Agreement, which was signed
last year and went into effect last summer, called for the
Japanese government to encourage companies to import a minimum of
20 percent of the semiconductors used in that country. The import
ratio now stands at well under 15 percent, just about where it
has been for several years.

On a less savory note, the US is demanding that Taiwan remove a
ban on cigarette advertising which has led to demonstrations
against US tobacco companies by Taiwanese anti-smoking groups.

(John McCormick/19920410)


(EDITORIAL)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00024)

Editorial: Isaac Asimov, 1920-1992 04/10/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- He described himself
as a second-rate scientist because he was never able to master
advanced math, but still he brought the world its basic picture
of robots as mankind's helper rather than metallic Frankenstein
monsters and along the way probably sparked the interest of more
science students than any other writer in history.

I am talking of course about Isaac Asimov, a man who, whether he
was writing about Mars, the Bible, or Shakespeare, was mostly
writing about himself and how he saw the world.

I didn't know him well, but as a fellow member of American Mensa
I did spend some time with him on occasion and found that he was
both a gentleman and a scholar in the best sense of both.

The good doctor liked good times, good conversation, women, and
writing but not necessarily in that order.

Writing was almost certainly his top priority; how else could he
produce more than 10 books a year for 40 years (not to mention
magazine articles and short stories)?

He often seemed surprised at how well his books were received;
even after the first couple hundred he always seemed to expect to
never be asked to write another, and I don't believe this was any
false modesty.

He knew his own worth but wasn't a person who expected everyone
else to acknowledge it instantly.

He made me want to write and, more than anyone else, taught me
how - not that we ever discussed writing even once, but just by
reading his books I saw that writing was a conversational skill -
if you can think clearly and speak your mind clearly, then
people will usually understand and often even like your style.

The trick is to write, as much as possible, exactly as if you
were talking to an individual.

No English teacher ever told me that, but then none of them ever
published more than 400 books either - so much for sentence
diagraming.

Isaac was a teller of tales, not an English Lit major.

His published writing style was simple and direct whether he was
discussing galactic empires, the "laws" of robotics, or
neutrinos, but when called upon to conform Dr. Asimov (the
doctorate was in biochemistry) could match any bureaucrat alive
for complex, convoluted, impenetrable reports.

He worked for the government during part of WW II at the
Philadelphia Naval Ship Yard and was so disgusted with the weird
bureaucratic language that needs a 100-page report to say what
any real writer could say in one paragraph, that he decided to
show how ridiculous this was by writing the most cliche-ridden,
convoluted report ever submitted.

He clearly succeeded all too well because he was given an award
for the quality of that report and, as he reported in the first
volume of his autobiography, "In Memory Yet Green," that report,
which he intended as a "bad" example, continued to be used as a
model for years.

Perhaps this event is one reason why, despite his very enjoyable
writing style, little subtle humor is to be found there - that
experience may have shown him that parody required a heavier hand
than he was accustomed to use.

Isaac never wrote down to his audiences, always assuming that
they would be able to understand what he wrote, and for the most
part he was proven correct when it came to his books about
science facts, but apparently he had overestimated the
intellectual capacity of his superiors that one time.

He did not like airplanes (an example of understatement if ever
there was one) and one of his most interesting characters, a far-
future NY police detective named Elijah Baley ("Caves of Steel"),
shared this trait.

In "Caves," written decades before he himself tried to deal with
a personal computer on his own, Isaac clearly had a vision of his
personal future when he wrote about how much trouble Baley had
getting used to his robotic partner.

It will come as a surprise to many to learn that this famous
science fiction and science fact writer did not get along with
computers - in fact, I shudder to think just how many books he
would have written had he been comfortable with word processors.

I still reread with pleasure many of his early novels. There were
a few dogs, but that is only to be expected, and the vast
majority will hold up well for years to come.

It took Dr. Asimov 19 years to publish his first 100 books, from
January 19, 1950 ("Pebble in the Sky") until October 1969 ("Opus
100"). Before that he wrote and published short stories.

But he was obviously starting to pick up steam because number 200
hit the book stores only 10 years later.

By 1979 he was writing 15,000 publishable words each week (his
estimate in "Opus 200"), but, as a writer myself, I can assure
you that as you become better-known you spend less time selling
ideas and more time writing because assignments come to you. So
that number must have surged tremendously in the last 10 years of
his active writing.

Being a good literary ecologist, he recycled much of his own
work, with some books consisting of little original writing, but
since very few people have ever read all his books, that recycling
was not a fault.

The good doctor is gone now, but I am willing to bet that when
the first robots intelligent enough to be really dangerous are
walking around they will have his three laws of robotics burned
deeply into their brains.

THE THREE LAWS OF ROBOTICS

1. A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction,
allow a human being to come to harm.

2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except
where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such
protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Taken from the Handbook of Robotics, 56th Edition, 2058 A.D., as
reported by Isaac Asimov, Ph.D., 1920-1992.

(John McCormick/19920410)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00025)

ROUNDUP: Stories Carried By Other Media This Week 04/10/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- Roundup is a brief
look at some computer stories carried in other publications
received here this past week.

PC Magazine dated April 28 explores Windows 3.1, looks at OS/2
2.0, and tests 14 386SX-25s.

Technological Horizons in Education Journal, dated April, has a
report on how the state of Indiana is trying to put a "companion"
computer in the home of each student to complement school
computer labs. Cost? About $100/year/pupil. The initial 2,000
trial sites have proven a big success.

The March 30 Telephony says it was a big week for wireless data
with five major cellular carriers teaming up.

April's IEEE Spectrum explains how Iraq reverse-engineered the
bomb and carries a special guide to workstations.

LAN Technology explores how laptops can be networked.

April's PC World looks at inexpensive laser printers, compares
Windows word processors, and questions whether DR DOS 6.0 is
better than MS-DOS 5.0.

The April 6 Computer Reseller News has a special report on top
industry executives and companies in the reseller field.

InformationWeek for the week of the 6th carries a cover story on
how Citicorp dropped the competitiveness ball when it lost its
technological vision.

This week's issue of Computerworld says that Vienna, Virginia-
based Legent wants to acquire Goal Systems International in a
move that would improve the company's position in competing with
rival Computer Associates.

(John McCormick/19920410)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00026)

The Enabled Computer 04/10/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- This column begins a
more in-depth look at some of the entries in the 1991 National
Search for Computing Applications to Assist Persons with
Disabilities run by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

I wish all of you could have been at The Smithsonian for the
finals where inventors and developers showed their 30 entries.

Some were already well-known, such as Mary Wilson of Laureate
Learning Systems who brought her company's Words and Concepts
software for learning-disabled children and adults.

Most, however, were either new to the field or not personally
known to me, but they all brought their best to show what can be
done with enabling technology.

After months spent narrowing the field from the initial 1500
paper entrants through more than 700 regional entries down to the
top 10 regional finishers plus 20 invited entrants, the search
ended with 20 judges spending more than eight hours selecting the
top three winners - one hardware, two software.

For those who are interested, the judging was done by pairs of
judges, one covering technical questions and the other judging
the entry's utility to the disabled community.

My partner was chemist Walter Berl.

Judging categories included: innovation, cost-benefit ratio,
range of applicability, presentation quality, and how well the
entry fit the needs of the target population.

Each pair judged 16 contestants, with every judge looking over
the top 10 regional entries during the morning session to
determine who got first, second, and third place. Each second-
level entry got the special attention of three pairs of judges on
Saturday afternoon.

Each pair totaled their scores and turned the raw numbers in to
Johns Hopkins' Louis Biggie, who ran the statistical operation.
The winners weren't known until Louis entered everyone's data and
the results weren't divulged until Monday night's awards banquet
at Washington's J. W. Marriott Hotel.

The $10,000 first prize went to the Unicorn Smart Keyboard, a new
membrane keyboard for PC and Macintosh computers which accepts
plastic overlays that are automatically recognized and configured
for the computer. The Unicorn entry was developed by Arjan Khalsa,
Unicorn Engineering, 5221 Central Ave. Suite 205, Richmond, CA 94804.

The $5,000 second prize award went to Switch Ensemble, by
Jonathan Adams, an excellent music program, which runs on the
Apple IIGS and is used by disabled children who, no matter what
their skill or motor control level, can join together to produce
real music. More on this program in a later issue, but it provides
a way for an individual or group to produce real music even if all
they can do is push against a single switch. Switch Ensemble is
sophisticated, well-presented, and a lot of fun for anyone to play.
Switch in Time, 101 Clay St., Cambridge, MA 02140.

The third prize winner was Frank McKiel from an IBM research
center in Texas. The team-developed software utility lets
visually impaired users access Windows 3.0 or other graphical
user interfaces.

The program is owned by Frank's employer, IBM, and it is not yet
on the market, but there is a move being mounted to convince IBM
to release the program as freeware, shareware, or at least as a
very inexpensive program.

The top winners were chosen from the number one winners in the 10
regional finals held in December. Each had his or her way paid to
Washington to exhibit his or her entry at the Smithsonian
Institution but in addition there were 20 more regional entrants
who were asked to participate at their own expense and compete
against each other and the remaining seven regional winners for
$500 and $300 prizes as well as citations and awards.

Many of the entrants went on to attend a two-day conference held
at Johns Hopkins University to explore ways to market or
otherwise distribute their devices.

Two entrants who were unable to attend the workshop were Salem,
Oregon, high school juniors Chris McCanna and Rama Olrech, whose
school would not give them time off from class. Nor did these two
receive any extra credit at school for their innovative software,
which helps people on multiple medications keep track of when to
take their medicines (contact address at the end of this column).

The mother of one of the boys told me that she had tried to get
the public school system to consider granting one of the
students, who is blind, an academic "letter" since he can't
participate in sports. She said that the school's administration
told her that there was no procedure for awarding such a letter
and indicated that there was little interest in developing such a
procedure.

Amidst the celebration of this surge of special needs technology
and the people who developed it, it was a sad note that reminded
us just how far we still have to go in educating the so-called
educators of this country.

When faced with exactly the sort of innovative and caring work
done by these students, their teachers apparently are more
interested in getting them to diagram more sentences or some
other such nonsense.

Several of the judges expressed both the hope and confidence that
the universities in these two young men's futures will pay a lot
more attention to the fact that they were honored at The
Smithsonian and asked to participate in a conference at the
Applied Physics Lab of Johns Hopkins University than that one of
them doesn't score well on timed tests because he is visually
impaired.

More next issue.

(John McCormick/19920410/)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00027)

 ****Intel Earnings Down, Orders Up 04/10/92
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- Intel is
reporting lower earnings in this, its first quarter of 1992, but
says the company is still strong with increased demand for the
its i486 and i386 microprocessors, the "brain" of the IBM and
compatible computer.

Intel reports net income of $184 million or $0.86 per share, compared
to $197 million or $0.95 per share in the same quarter last year. Net
income is down from the company's previous quarter, the fourth quarter
of 1991, when net income was $189 million or $0.90 per share.

The company is blaming the decrease on the settlement of a 9-year-long
patent infringement suit with Hughes Aircraft Company in which it has
agreed to pay $35 million. Also, Intel is holding $15 million in
reserve in case it has to pay Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) as part of
an arbitration decision. Intel said these expenses were offset by a
deferred royalty payment from AMD of $23 million.

Andrew Grove, president of Intel, said in a prepared statement: "We
were pleased to wrap up two long-running legal actions this quarter
with the AMD arbitration decision and the Hughes settlement. It's good
to shed these millstones."

Intel however, has taken on other "millstones" in other suits against
AMD, Chips & Technologies, and Cyrix. The recent Cyrix suit has
received a good deal of attention because the Cyrix says it plans to
release a 486 chip that is half as expensive as the Intel 486 chip.
Cyrix says its 486 can act as a direct upgrade to Intel 386 chips.
Intel has attempted to stop the introduction of the new chip and its
success in doing so remains to be seen.

Intel says it has lowered prices on its 386DX and SX chips early in
the first quarter to keep the chip available for the sub-$1000 PC
market and to respond to competition.

Intel said orders for the 386 and 486 chips are up, especially in
North America. Intel maintains it is also getting new orders from
Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions, but says orders from Japan remain
soft.

Intel also reported an improved ranking overall in its standing in
Fortune Magazine's top 500 American companies. Intel representative
John Raftrey said the company moved from 119 to 106 in the Fortune
500.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920410/Press Contact: John Raftrey, Intel, tel 408-
765-6007, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00028)

UK: Mercury And GPT Form Strategic Alliance 04/10/92
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- Mercury Communications
and GPT have signed a memorandum of understanding defining how
they plan to work together to develop and market voice and data
products plus services based around GPT's ISDX private automatic
branch exchange.

The announcement of the agreement between the two companies, made
at this week's Comms '92 show in Birmingham, means that Mercury
will become the preferred network-based supplier of the ISDX
product range in the UK. Both companies are also planning to
develop specific products for the PABX that will be marketed by
Mercury. GPT, meanwhile, will continue to market the PABX through
its own distribution division, CSL.

According to Peter Bury, corporate products director with
Mercury, the link-up between the two companies confirms the
telecom company's long-term commitment to GPT's products and
services. Customers will benefit from improved delivery lead
times as well as better pricing, he claimed.

"The closer working relationship between ourselves and GPT will
make sure that the roll-out of these products reflects the needs
of Mercury's customers," Bury said.

"It also gives us further opportunities to develop services for
our customers which build on the interworking of PABXs and our
main network switches," he added.

GPT's PABX technology, shown at Comms '92 this week, is a far cry
from the traditional PABX seen in most offices. As well as
squeezing the main PABX circuitry into desktop-sized boxes, GPT is
also offering cordless extensions operating by radio links.

(Steve Gold/19920410/Press & Public Contact: Mercury
Communications - Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00029)

Develcon, Gandalf Form Technology Alliance 04/10/92
SASKATOON, SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA, 1991 APR 10 (NB) -- Networking
suppliers Develcon Electronics and Gandalf Technologies have signed
long-term agreements to share technology and work together to
develop new products.

Saskatoon-based Develcon and Gandalf, which has its headquarters in
Ottawa, are traditional rivals, said Don Friesen, director of
product marketing at Develcon. But "we're both Canadian companies
trying to compete in a world market," and the two companies felt
that sharing technologies would make them more competitive
internationally.

The focus of the deal is on local-area networking and
internetworking products, Friesen said. Develcon has already begun
reselling Gandalf wiring hubs under its own name, he said, and
Gandalf is looking at some Develcon bridges for Token Ring
networks. The two companies are also discussing joint development
products for the future, he added.

Gandalf and Develcon have no plans for joint marketing activities,
Friesen added.

Gandalf, a 22-year-old company with about 1,400 employees, had
revenues of C$148.6 million in its fiscal year 1991. Develcon has
just under 100 employees and annual revenues of between C$8 million
and C$10 million, Friesen said.

(Grant Buckler/19920410/Press Contact: Don Friesen, Develcon
Electronics, 306-933-3300, fax [phone]; Janice Drummond,
Gandalf Technologies, 613-564-0183)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00030)

 ****Digital Reports Quarterly Loss 04/10/92
MAYNARD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- Digital
Equipment has reported a $294.1 million loss in its third fiscal
quarter, ended March 28. The company also said it may have to cut
more jobs before the end of its fiscal year.

For the third quarter, Digital reported total operating revenues of
$3,252.5 million, down eight percent from the $3,520.4 million of
last year's third quarter. The net loss compares to net income of
$116.6 million in the third quarter a year ago. Loss per share was
$2.36, versus a 94-cent profit per share last year.

For the nine months ending March 28, Digital reported total
operating revenues of $10,025.1 million, up one percent from the
$9,966.1 of the comparable period a year ago. Net loss for the nine
months was $403.9 million, versus $253.9 million net income for the
comparable period a year ago. A loss per share of $3.24 compared
with profit of $2.06 per share last year.

This quarter's figures include no special charges and are "pure
operating results," said company spokesman Bradley Allen. However,
he said, in the next quarter Digital may have to consider further
restructuring.

Digital blamed the drop in revenue partly on the persistent
worldwide economic slowdown, especially in Europe and Japan, the
negative impact of currency movements, and pricing pressure. It
also said product margins dropped, due mainly to
lower-than-anticipated volumes. Also, Digital officials said the
firm's business is shifting to low-end, lower-margin products, so
that even as Digital sold more computers than it had last year, it
made less money doing so.

Allen said that while computer buyers will continue moving toward
smaller systems, sales of larger hardware will probably pick up
when the economy improves and organizations start moving ahead with
major systems projects they have put off because of tough economic
times.

Early this year, Digital announced the long-awaited Alpha reduced
instruction set computing (RISC) processors that will form the
basis of its next generation of hardware. However, machines built
on the Alpha chips are not expected to reach the market in quantity
until next year. Allen said it is difficult to measure whether the
company's sales have been hurt by customers delaying purchases to
wait for the new machines.

(Grant Buckler/19920410/Press Contact: Mark A. Steinkrauss,
Digital, 508-493-7182; Bradley D. Allen, Digital, 508-493-8009)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00031)

Fujitsu Forms Division To Market Imaging Products 04/10/92
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 10 (NB) -- The
growing importance of the imaging products market has been
highlighted with the formation of a new division, called the Imaging
Products Group, by San Jose, California-based Fujitsu Computer
Products of America. Steven M. Butterfield has been appointed
president and general manager for the new unit.

The new division will supply scanners, printers and other
imaging products through Fujitsu's existing distribution channels.

Dave Murray, spokesman for the company, told Newsbytes that
the decision to form the new division was an effort to "focus
their resources on a huge market."

According to BIS Strategic Decisions, the market for this
technology is expected to grow from $1.2 billion in 1992, to
$7.2 billion in 1994, and $12.6 billion in 1995.

Murray also told Newsbytes that Fujitsu already had a
"successful scanner division and a successful printer division"
and "the formation was an attempt to "bring them together."

According to Butterfield: "Fujitsu has been a major player in the
imaging market for some time, and maintains an industry-leading
share of the mid-range scanner market. The charter of the new
Imaging products Group is to continue to strengthen that position
with products designed and developed by Fujitsu and third
parties."

According to the company, its imaging product line includes
the PrintPartner family of impact and non-impact printers
optimized for specific customer applications, and mid-range
scanners for use in document image processing.

Fujitsu Computer products of America, Inc., is part of $21 billion
Fujitsu Japan, and is primarily responsible for data storage,
printers, and scanners in the United States.

(Ian Stokell/19920410/Press Contact: Matt Keowan, Fujitsu
Computer products of America Inc., 408-432-6333)


(REVIEW)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00032)

Review of: Integ Kid's Super Computer 04/10/92

From: Integ, 2200-F Zanker Rd., San Jose, CA 95131

Price: $129.95

PUMA Rating: 3.75 (on a scale of 1=lowest to 4=highest)

Reviewed for Newsbytes by: Linda Rohrbough and Margaret Rohrbough

Summary: Very much in appearance to a Toshiba laptop, this durable
Super Computer is the best, most considerate implementation I've seen
of a computer for first to fourth grade kids. It has strong appeal
both for educational and dramatic play and I only wish my daughter
Margaret had played with the toys I got her for Christmas with the
fascination she has demonstrated for the Super Computer.

======

REVIEW

======

From the day the Super Computer came into our house, eight-year-old
Margaret began with enthusiasm to investigate it. She agreed to
contribute to this review regarding what she enjoys most about
the Super Computer.

Doing what I do as a writer and consultant in the world of personal
computers, I found the Super Computer appealing from the beginning.
Even though the unit has been produced by a company from Hong Kong, it
lacked the awkwardness and strange color combinations I've come to
associate with poor American implementations of electronic toys
designed across the Pacific. However, the packaging of the Super
Computer looks very much like toys like the Whiz Kid, from Vtech
Educational Electronics, which we found very disappointing.

Out of the box, it is very much in appearance like a Toshiba laptop,
with a pop-up screen, a typewriter-style keyboard, a dark grey plastic
exterior, and has a carrying handle built into the top. And it's
durable. The keyboard is one piece with raised "bumps" over the keys
to press down to type them. We've had it for at least two months or
more and even with daily use it looks just about the same as when we
first took it out of the box.

The Super Computer is deceptively simple in appearance, but packs a
load of activities. Even though Margaret lists her current favorites
as the animation and the music activities, I've noticed she has worked
her way through all the activities (or games) beginning with the
number dictation and missing letters and developing favorite games
along the way as her skill level has increased. This is especially
appealing as I'm weary of purchasing expensive toys only to discover
the activity that appealed to me about the toy is only in an extra
cartridge that the store is out of right now.

The computer talks in a pleasant female voice that has not gotten on
my nerves like Teddy Rumpskin or Mr. Game Show (bought for our older
child a couple of years ago). Margaret's reading skills were rough at
best when we got the computer, so the fact that it explains itself to
her took a lot of pressure off me. The computer corrects the child
when a mistake is made, but the correction is polite, considerate, and
varied. It also has a volume control, which is another consideration
on the part of Integ I appreciate.

Some games can be played with one or two players, others are for
individuals. The games include "Missing Letters" a single or two
player game in which a picture is displayed on the screen that
illustrates a word. The word is displayed, but with missing letters
and the child has several chances to type in the missing letters. The
word is pronounced whether the child gets the missing letters or not.

Math games include addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
as well as the display of an equation in which the child has to enter
the correct sign.

Several spelling games are built-in including "Spelling Dictation"
which Margaret says she especially likes because it gives her
compliments. Simple animated pictures illustrate the words to spell
such as "magician," "karate," "sled," and "diamond." Like most
educational spelling activities including the ones at her school, this
one is somewhat archaic. Living in Southern California, my daughter
has never seen snow, so she had no clue as to what the picture of a
sled represented.

"Word Jumble" is another spelling game, but even I have trouble with
this one. The letters are displayed at random on the screen and the
child has come up with the correct work and type it in correctly.

The "Any Number" game is interesting and a pleasant switch as the
child feels like the teacher in this one. The child types in a number
and the computer dictates it back. Margaret liked this one a lot in
the beginning.

"Number Dictation," where the number is pronounced and the child has
to type it in is also available.

"Trivia" is a more intellectual game. A sentence goes by on the bottom
of the screen and the child has to read it and then choose from one of
the three choices at the top. A typical example is "What is used to
make common tea?" scrolls by over and over at the bottom of the screen
while the three choices, grass, trees, and leaves are numbered 1, 2,
and 3 at the top. Since only ten characters can be displayed at a
time, the sentence has to scroll.

Currently, Margaret is learning to create her own animations and to
record and play her own songs, both activities built-in to the Super
Computer. She also has discovered a simple database that she alone can
access with a secret password she chose herself. This is very
appealing and she has shown all of us how we cannot get into her
database. She has all her friends phone numbers in there as well as
some notes to herself and she changes the information periodically.
The database is maintained when the power is off, as is the secret
password.

One of the things Margaret has said she especially likes is each game
has varied skill levels that can be changed at will.

A Spanish cartridge was sent along with the Super Computer at our
request as Spanish is a big deal in Southern California. Fits in a
slot designed to look like a 3.5-inch drive on the side of the Super
Computer and changes all the activities to Spanish, including all the
spoken instructions. Other language cartridges including French,
Italian, and Dutch are available. Margaret says enjoys using the
Spanish cartridge to play games she is already familiar with in
English.

There's an AC adapter outlet, although we did not get the AC adapter
with the Super Computer. However, we have used it all this time on the
same set of 4 "C" alkaline batteries. Considering how much I spend on
batteries for her other toys, I find this pretty amazing.

Both Margaret and I have a wish list for the Super Computer. On the
top of Margaret's list is more room in the database for her
information. I would like to see better words in the spelling and a
bigger screen display. The current screen display is adjustable
somewhat and seems to be adequate.

However, with the price of toys these days, I am enormously impressed
with the value and capability of the Super Computer. I wish I had seen
this one at Christmas -- I wouldn't have wasted money on those burp,
cry, spit up dolls or on Teddy Ruxpin, who costs nearly as much by the
time you get a few tapes.

Also, Margaret's academic performance has improved dramatically and so
has her confidence level. Margaret seems to have taught most of the games
to herself without much help from me, either by examining the
documentation herself or by trial and error. While I can't honestly
attribute all of it her improvement to the Super Computer, I'm sure
having her own computer and the intense concentration she put into it
has helped a lot.

============

PUMA RATINGS

============

PERFORMANCE: 4
I could wish the Super Computer had a larger screen or better words to
illustrate for the spelling games, but overall its really very, very
complete and obviously well thought out in its design.

USEFULNESS: 4
Compared to what I've spent for other toys, this is an excellent
value, especially considering the variety and number of activities
that are included.

MANUAL: 4
The manual doesn't look like much, but it seemed to cover everything.
We rarely needed it and it was easy enough for Margaret to understand
without help.

AVAILABILITY: 3
Unfortunately, the Super Computer is not available at any of the
retail children's toy outlets I checked. Integ says some children's
educational stores are carrying it, and Macy's had some at Christmas
but I was unable to find anyone in my area who carries it. It can be
ordered from Integ for $129.95 and $4.00 s/h for a total of $134.95.
Also, Integ has a toll-free number for helping consumers locate retail
outlets in their area at 800-486-0898.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920327/Press Contact: Judy Allan, Integ, tel 408-
435-0898, fax [phone])


(REVIEW)(IBM)(ATL)(00033)

Review of: The First Book of PC-Write, Using PC Write 04/10/92

From: Books are by Rebecca Kenyon (The First Book of PC Write)
and Using PC-Write is by Trudie Reisner. Both are from
Howard W. SAMS and Company, 11711 N.College Ave.,
Suite 140, Carmel, IN 46032, 317-573-2500.

Price: The First Book of PC-Write - $16.95; Using PC-Write - $22.95

PUMA Rating: 4 for both books (on a scale of 1=lowest to 4=highest)

Reviewed for Newsbytes by: tbass HNDYPRSN, MCI:379-5378, 04/10/92

Summary: The First Book of PC-Write covers both PC-Write ver.
3.03 and PC-WriteLite ver. 1.01 -- Using PC-Write covers
PC-Write through ver. 3.03.

======

REVIEW

======

I would recommend that anyone who uses QuickSoft's PC-Write have
one or both these books on their reference shelf. They both are
suitable for beginner through intermediate users. I would
recommend both for even advanced users as there are many
functions that we don't use frequently enough to remember and
this is a good brush-up course.

How frequently do you modify your printer definition file,
pr.def? When you need to do this, it is helpful to have a
clear description of the procedure, at your fingertips. You can
find this in the manual, but sometimes it is easier if there is
more than one set of directions.

I don't know about you, but when I see a page full of cryptic
commands my vision gets blurred before I even start to read. The
manual for PC-Write is an excellent manual, but these books give
you an alternative to the manual. An extra set of directions
could mean the difference in doing what is needed instead of
living with the problem.

I always feel I've accomplished something when I get PC-Write
to do something extra with just a few key strokes. These two
books are like having someone look over my shoulder to help.

These books may finally teach me to use the spellchecker that
comes with PC-Write rather than the external one I use presently.
I have just never taken the time learn the process for the
one that came with the program. It was easier to continue being
inconvenienced by exiting PC-Write, using my old spell checker, and
re-entering PC-Write to reform the paragraphs.

============

PUMA RATING

============

PERFORMANCE: (4) Both books are well written and show the
features of PC-Write with many visual and verbal descriptions.

USEFULNESS: (4) I found myself using QUE and SAM's PC-Write
books every time I wanted to break new ground with my word
processor. Now when I get asked questions about PC-Write I will
tell friends about these books.

AVAILABILITY: (4.0) These books should be at your favorite
computer book store and wherever SAMS and QUE books are sold,
i.e. B.DALTON's Bookstore or WaldenBooks. The books are readily
available from the MacMillan order desk at 800-257-5755 where
VISA, AmericanExpress, MasterCard, personal checks, COD, or
POs are acceptable.

(tbass HNDYPRSN/19910915/Press Contact: Beth Silcox, 317-571-3489,
FAX [phone])