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/NB920420

Text File | 1992-04-20 | 67KB | 1,424 lines

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

Qualcomm Posts Loss Despite Progress 04/20/92
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 20 (NB) -- Qualcomm
posted a loss for the quarter ending in March despite making
spectacular licensing progress on behalf of its Code Division
Multiple Access, or CDMA, technology.

CDMA is a digital encoding technology which can bring cellular
systems 10 times the capacity they'd have as analog radio. During
the quarter the company signed a number of interesting deals for
CDMA, including manufacturing licenses. CDMA is also the only
digital technology which holds much promise with microwave in so-
called "spread-spectrum" PCN systems. Despite all the paper
signings, however, Qualcomm acknowledged that its CDMA license
and development fees dropped compared to a year ago, resulting
in a higher loss.

During the quarter the Cellular Telecommunications Industry
Association, which represents cellular system operators, reiterated
its support of the competing Time Division Multiple Access, or TDMA,
technology, and firm orders were shipped for dual-standard TDMA
equipment.

Instead, Qualcomm's quarterly report talked about its OmniTracs
terminal, for which shipments doubled from a year ago. The terminal
continues to make a tidy profit.

Still, Qualcomm continues to sign CDMA agreements, and its
advantages could yet place it ahead of TDMA. The latest such deal
is with American Personal Communications, which will test CDMA
with its Frequency Agile Sharing Technology in Washington,
D.C./Baltimore area, where it's working on microwave-based
cellular service in the 1,850-1,990 megahertz frequency range.
APC wants the Federal Communications Commission to give it a
frequency allocation for PCN, and FAST lets it put a full voice
channel in as little as 1.25 megahertz of spectrum. This, it
says, will let PCN operators share the microwave spectrum with
licensed users, like utility companies.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920420/Press Contact: American Personal
Communications, Al Grimes, 410/828-4228; Qualcomm, Harvey White,
619/597-5701)


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

FCC Gives AT&T More Toll-Free Flexibility 04/20/92
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1992 APR 20 (NB) -- In a further
deregulatory move, the Federal Communications Commission gave
AT&T more flexibility in making special deals involving toll-free
"800" lines.

Specifically, AT&T customers can now modifying contract terms and
services without going through the agency, and AT&T can "bundle"
toll-free lines not previously in use into special deals.
However, bundling will not be permitted on existing numbers until
a database allowing customers to take their numbers to another
carrier is set up. That database is causing a great deal of
controversy, as small long distance companies like Allnet
complain that the regional Bell companies are dragging their feet
and laying too much of the cost of conversion at their feet.

AT&T expressed some pleasure at the move, thanking the 100 or so
customers who wrote the FCC to complain. But it claimed it thinks
the toll-free business is now fully competitive, and it should be
able to make special deals on all toll-free numbers.

Spurred by Vice President Quayle's Council on Competitiveness and
election-year politics, the FCC is moving rapidly to deregulate
telecommunications in ways critics say favors the regional Bells
and AT&T. Recently, for instance, it said it would consider
forcing other long distance companies to file tariffs on their
special deals, something AT&T alone now has to do, as a way to
move them to drop their opposition to AT&T halting the paperwork.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920420/Press Contact: FCC Press, 202-632-
5050)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(NYC)(00003)

 ****National Web Of Computer Criminal Hackers Charged 04/20/92
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 20 (NB) -- According to
a San Diego Union-Tribune report, San Diego police have uncovered "an
electronic web of young computer hackers who use high-tech methods to
make fraudulent credit card charges and carry out other activities."

The Friday, April 17th story by Bruce V. Bigelow and Dwight C. Daniels
quotes San Diego police detective Dennis Sadler as saying that this
informal underground network has been trading information "to further
their political careers." He said that the hackers know how to break
computer security codes, create credit card accounts, and make
fraudulent credit card purchases.

Sadler estimated that as many as 1,000 hard-core hackers across the
United States have shared this data although he said that it's unclear
how many have actually used the information to commit crimes.

Sadler added that he estimated that illegal charges to credit cards could
total millions of dollars.

While the police department did not release details to support the
allegations, saying that the investigation is continuing, Sadler did say that
cooperation from an "out-of-state hacker" picked up in San Diego,
provided important information to the police and the FBI. Although police
would not release the identity of this individual or his present location,
information gathered by Newsbytes from sources within the hacker
community identifies the so-called hacker as "Multiplexer," a resident
of Long Island, NY, who, according to sources, arrived in San Diego
on an airline flight with passage obtained by means of a fraudulent
credit card purchase.

The San Diego police, apparently aware of his arrival, allegedly
met him at the airport and took him into custody. The same sources say
that, following his cooperation, Multiplexer was allowed to return to his
Long Island home.

The Union-Tribune article linked the San Diego investigation to recent
federal search and seizures in the New York, Philadelphia and Seattle
areas. Subjects of those searches have denied to Newsbytes any knowledge
of Multiplexer, illegal credit card usage or other illegal activities
alleged in the Union-Tribune story.

Additionally, law enforcement officials familiar with on-going
investigations have been unwilling to comment, citing possible future
involvement with the San Diego case.

The article also compared the present investigation to Operation Sun
Devil, a federal investigation into similar activities that resulted
in a massive search and seizure operation in May 1990. Although
individuals have been sentenced in Arizona and California on Sun Devil
related charges, civil liberties groups, such as the Computer
Professionals for Social Responsibility, have been critical about the
low number of criminal convictions resulting from such a large
operation.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19920420)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00004)

 ****Dainippon Claims LCD Rights - Seeks Fees From 32 Firms 04/20/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 APR 20 (NB) -- Dainippon Printing is demanding
fees for the use of its LCD (liquid crystal display) color filter
patent from 32 Japanese firms including computer and wristwatch
makers.

Dainippon Printing, a major printing house in Japan,
claims the 32 firms have been using the technologies that
it originally developed. Dainippon Printing applied for four patents
in 1974, which were granted in 1990. The patents include technologies
to manufacture the LCD cell and electrodes. They also cover
a highly dense molecule insulator, which produces a clear image on
the LCD.

The 32 firms that have been asked to pay the patent fees
include Fujitsu, IBM Japan, Sharp, Mitsubishi Electric
and NEC. Dainippon Printing is also checking into US firms and may
make similar charges.

The actual amount of the fees is not known. According to the
Nikkei newspaper, however, the price will be 1 to 3 percent of
the manufacturing cost of the LCD.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920420/Press Contact: Dainippon Printing,
 [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00005)

Japan: NTT Intros International Paging Service 04/20/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 APR 20 (NB) -- Japan's NTT International, a
subsidiary of NTT, says it will start a paging system between
Japan and the US. This system would allow the user of NTT's beeper
to be paged in the US from Japan.

NTT's new beeper is called the Sky Pager. The beeper itself
is about twice the size of a regular domestic beeper and sports an
LCD (liquid crystal display) on which the caller's telephone
number is displayed. The most unique feature of this Sky Pager is its
voice message service. The user of the beeper can listen to the message
of the caller by making a telephone call to NTT's center.

In the US, callers can dial up NTT's computer center in
Washington DC, from which signals will be relayed via
telecommunication satellite.

The service fee will be 10,000 yen ($75) for registration, and
9,800 yen ($70) as a monthly charge. The caller needs to also pay
a phone fee to the center in Washington DC.

The service area is expected to be expanded to other countries,
including Canada, Mexico, and Southeast Asia in the near
future.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920420/Press Contact: NTT International,
 [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(NYC)(00006)

 ****Telecom Fraud At All Time High, Says NY State Police 04/20/92
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 APR 20 (NB) -- Appearing on
the WBAI radio show "Off The Hook," New York State Police senior
investigator Donald Delaney discussed the movement of organized
crime groups into telecommunications fraud and warned the public
of the dangers of such practices as "shoulder surfing."

Delaney said that corporations are being victimized to the tune of
millions of dollars by unauthorized persons "outdialing" through
their private branch exchanges (PBXs). He traced the case of Data
Products, a computer peripheral firm, that did not even seem aware
that calls could be routed from the outside through their
switchboard to foreign countries. It was only, according to Delaney,
when it received a monthly telephone bill of over $35,000 that it
perceived a problem.

"It was at 5:10 PM on a certain date that Liriano finally, after weeks
of trying, was able to obtain an outside dial tone on Data Products 800
number. Subsequent investigation showed that thousands of calls
using a 9600 baud as well as manually placed calls had been made to
the 800 number. At 7:30 the same evening, a call using the Data
Products number was placed to the Dominican Republic from a
telephone booth near Liriano's house. Within a few hours, calls were
placed from phones all around the neighborhood -- and, within a
week, calls began being placed from booths all around Manhattan,"
Delaney related.

Phiber Optik, another studio guest and a convicted computer intruder
previously arrested by Delaney, commented, "I'm glad that Mr. Delaney
didn't refer to these people as hackers but identified them for what
they are: sleezy common criminals. What these people are doing
requires no super computer knowledge nor desire to learn. They are
simply using computers and telephones to steal."

Delaney agreed, saying, "The people actually selling the calls, on the
street corner, in their apartments, or, in the case of cellular phones,
in parked cars, don't have to know anything about the technology.
They are given the necessary PBX numbers and codes by people higher
up in the group and they just dial the numbers and collect the money.
In the case of the re-chipped or clone cellular phones, they don't even
have to dial the numbers."

Delaney added, "These operations have become very organized very
rapidly. I have arrested people that have printed revenue goals for
the current month, next six months, and entire year -- just like any
other franchise operation. I'm also currently investigating a murder
of a call-seller that I arrested last October. He was an independent
trying to operate in a highly organized and controlled section of
Queens. His pursuit of an independent career may well have been
responsible for his death."

Off The Hook host Emmanuel Goldstein asked Delaney what
responsibility that the PBX companies bear for what seems to be
rather easy use of their systems for such activity. Delaney
responded that he thought that the companies bear at least an
ethical and moral responsibility to their clients to insure that they
are aware of their exposure and the means that they must take to
reduce the exposure. "As far as criminal and civil responsibility for
the security of the system, there are no criminal statues that I am
aware of that would hold the PBX companies criminally liable for
failure to insure proper security. On the civil side, I think that the
decision in the AT&T suit about this very topic will shed some light
of legal responsibility."

Goldstein also brought up the difficulties that some independent
"customer-owned coin-operated" telephones (COCOTs) cause for
customers. "The charges are often exorbitant, access to AT&T via
10288 is sometimes blocked, there is not even the proper access to
911 on some systems, and some either block 800 calls or actually
try to charge for the connection to the 800 numbers.

"We've even found COCOTs that, on collect calls, put the charges
through when an answering machine picks up and the caller hangs up
after realizing that no one is home. They are set up to start billing if
a human voice is heard and the caller doesn't hang up within 5 or 10
seconds."

Delaney agreed that the COCOTS that behave in this fashion are an
ongoing problem for unsuspecting users but said that he has received
no complaints about illegal behavior. He said, however, that he had
received complaints about fraudulent operation of 540 numbers --
the local New York equivalent of a 900 number. He said "most people
don't realize that a 540 number is a chargeable number and these
people fall victim to these scams. We had one case in which a person
had his computer calling 8,000 phone numbers in the beeper blocks
each night. The computer would send a 540 number to the beepers.
People calling the number would receive some innocuous information
and, at the end of the month a $55 charge on her/his telephone bill."

Delaney continued, "The public has much to be worried about related
to telephone fraud, particularly in New York City which can be called
"Fraud Central, USA." If you go into the Port Authority Bus Terminal
and look up in the balcony, you will see rows of people "shoulder
surfing" with binoculars. They have binoculars or telescopes trained
on the public telephones. When they see a person making a credit
card call, they repeat the numbers into a tape recorder. The number
is then sold and, within a few days, it is in use all around the city.
People should always be aware of the possibility of shoulder surfers
in the area."

Goldstein returned to the 540 subject, pointing out that "because
so many people don't realize that it is a billable number, they get
caught by ads and wind up paying for scam calls. We published a
picture in 2600 Magazine of a poster seen around New York, advertising
apartment rental help by calling a 540 number. In very tiny print,
almost unreadable, it mentions a charge. People have to be very
careful about things like this."

Delaney agreed, saying, "The 540 service must say within the first
10 seconds that there is a charge, how much it is, and that the
person can hang up now without being charged -- the guy with the
beeper scam didn't do that and that was one of the reasons for his
arrest. Many of the services give the charge so fast and mix it in
with instructions to stay on for a free camera or another number to
find out about the vacation that they have won that they miss the
charges and wind up paying. The 540 person has, although he may be
trying to defraud, complied with the letter of the law and it might
be difficult to prosecute him. The average citizen must therefore be
more aware of these scams and protect themselves."

Goldstein, Phiber Optik, and Delaney spent the remainder of the show
answering listener questions. Off The Hook is heard every Wednesday
evening on New York City's WBAI (99.5 FM). Recent guests have
included Mike Godwin, in-house counsel of the Electronic Frontier
Foundation; and Steve Jackson, CEO of Steve Jackson Games.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/Press Contact: Emmanuel
Goldstein, 2600 Magazine" The Hacker Quarterly, 516-751-
2600/19920417)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00007)

BT'S National Renumbering Scheme Set For Easter, 1994 04/20/92
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1991 APR 20 (NB) -- A recent story in
Newsbytes regarding British Telecom's plans on renumbering the
UK's trunk dialling codes drew a number of comments from
readers. The story, which repeated press assertions that BT had
shelved plans to renumber the UK's area codes to take account
of dialling codes running out, did not draw any comment from
British Telecom itself, however.

Now Mercury Communications has added to the confusion. In the
latest edition of the Dialogue quarterly newsletter for
subscribers to Mercury's telephone services, Mercury asserts that
the national code change will take place in Easter, 1994.

"Basically, this change will affect the national STD (subscriber
trunk dialling) codes which define different geographic areas. At
present, all of these codes begin with a zero, but after Easter
1994 they will start with the digits zero one. This means that
0908 will become 01908, 0333 will change to 01333, 021 will
become 0121, and so on," the newsletter tells its readers.

Mercury notes that the change is taking place to the STD (trunk)
codes only and that personal phone numbers will remain the same.

"The reason for the change is the growth in demand for codes.
There is no need to do anything at the moment, although
businesses will have to think about updating their stationery
nearer the time. We will also be contacting customers about
reprogramming their equipment. Please be assured that over the
coming months we will keep you updated as more details emerge,"
the newsletter adds.

The Mercury newsletter conflicts with unconfirmed reports that
Newsbytes has received from the telecom industry that BT has
privately scrapped plans for a number system change owing to
pressure from the industry as a whole.

The problem is that, because of the liberalization of telecommunications
in the UK, much of the automated telephone equipment in
circulation at the moment will have to be reprogrammed to take
account of the new numbering scheme. Perhaps worse, many existing
Mercury auto-diallers and payphones cannot be reprogrammed and
may require hardware modification to use the new numbering
scheme.

BT's offices were unavailable for comment on this story at
Newsbytes' deadline. Unofficial sources suggest that, since
no official announcement on the renumbering scheme has been made
by BT, "the plan cannot be scrapped, since it was never announced
in the first place."

Mercury contacts, meanwhile, say that plans for the scheme are
still in the preparation stages and that studies are continuing.

(Steve Gold/19920417)


(NEWS)(IBM)(ATL)(00008)

New For PC: Intel Fax Software for Windows, Modems and Boards 04/20/92
HILLSBORO, OREGON, U.S.A., 1992 APR 20 (NB) -- Intel has announced
two software programs for Windows, Faxability Plus and Faxability
Plus OCR. The company says both applications are designed to run on
any industry standard fax modem.

The company said Faxability Plus offers WYPIWYF (what you print is
what you fax), allowing the user to transmit faxes from within a
Microsoft Windows application by using the application's print
command to obtain laser quality fax printing. Intel's enhancements
business unit manager, Dick Gough, said Intel fine-tuned the
Faxability software to more than 20 fax modems. "This is the way
faxing from a PC was meant to be," proclaimed Gough.

Faxability Plus can send and receive faxes, and allows incoming
faxes to be viewed, printed, forwarded or saved. Faxes can be saved
in PCX, DCX and TIFF formats. The program also includes zooming and
sizing, rotation, and copying to and pasting from a clipboard.
Faxes can be printed to any Windows-supported printer.

Faxability Plus also includes a manual send feature, useful for
users who travel and use notebook or laptop computers. The manual
send option allows the initial connection to be made using a
telephone handset, then transfer control to the fax software by
pressing a "hot key." The program also provides prefix and suffix
support, allowing users to post charges to an AT&T or Sprint credit
card. A reverse video option provides easier viewing of incoming
faxes on the monochrome displays of many laptop/notebook computers.

Intel said Faxability Plus/OCR is the first fax application that has
built-in support for both optical character recognition (OCR) and
the TWAIN application programming interface (API) for image capturing
scanners. TWAIN, Intel's Audrey Whitfield told Newsbytes, is a
scanner driver developed jointly by HP, Kodak, Logitech and several
other companies.

Faxability Plus has a suggested list price of $119, while Faxability
Plus/OCR is priced at $249. Intel said both would be available in
May of this year.

Intel would prefer if you also run this software with its new
fax/modem boards which are priced as low as $129 and work under
MS-DOS or MS-Windows.

The new SatisFAXtion products include the Modem/400, which runs at up
to 14,400 bits/second for $499, the Modem/400e, which goes inside your
computer and lists for $549. The Modem/200, a 9,600 baud
product, is $369, and the Modem/100, an entry-level product with a
data speed of 2,400 baud, a fax reception speed of 4,800 baud, and a
fax sending speed of 9,600 baud, at $129. All of the new products
support the Communicating Applications Specification, or CAS standard,
first offered by Intel and DCA.

(Jim Mallory & Dana Blankenhorn/19920417/Press Contact: Dan Wagner,
Intel, 503-629-7565; Audrey Whitfield, Intel Software, 503-629-7285)


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

Online Service Odyssey Drops Hourly Charges 04/20/92
MONROVIA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 20 (NB) -- Odyssey Online,
which offers adult-oriented online services, said it has a new
"unlimited" use plan for continental U.S. callers.

Under the plan, subscribers pay $20 per month for unlimited
connect time to Odyssey from local numbers in over 800
cities. All system services, including live teleconferencing and
most file transfers, are included. And there are no restrictions
on the time of day users call in.

Michael Allen, a spokesman for the company, said the new plan is
a direct response to new flat-rate tiered options offered by
Delphi, GEnie, and America Online. CompuServe has also announced
a flat-rate pricing plan, covering specific services at specific
times of the day. "However, unlike those services, Odyssey does
not restrict the subscriber to limited services or late night
only calling." He said response from users has been favorable.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920416/Press Contact: Odyssey Online, Jim
Hughes, 818-359-9526: Modem, 818-358-6968 at 8 bit words, no
parity)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00010)

Da Vinci Offers E-Mail Discounts To Presidential Hopefuls 04/20/92
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 20 (NB) -- Presidential
campaigns have moved into the computer arena in a big way this year.
It is already common to see candidates and potential candidates use
toll-free telephone numbers to collect funds and opinions. Now Da
Vinci systems is trying to nudge the politicians into trying yet
another new technology: e-mail.

Da Vinci makes Da Vinci e-mail, one of the more popular
e-mail packages in use today. It has created a version of the
program that is being offered to presidential campaigns for
a significant discount over normal prices. Normally, Da Vinci
charges almost $700 per user. With this promotion, it is charging
only $100 for each user. Prospective users need only produce proof
that they are really associated with a campaign to receive the
discount.

Da Vinci is making this offer as a way of introducing the leading
politicians of the day to this technology. Officers hope that by
using and enjoying the benefits of this technology, such campaigns
will learn to be more efficient and better organized and,
coincidentally, turn to using e-mail on a more common basis. Needless
to say, the company would not object to having the winner this year
be one of their users and take the technology into the White House
with them.

As of this writing, none of the presidential campaigns has accepted
the offer. Da Vinci officials do not seem too disappointed. They are
convinced that it will simply be a matter of time before someone
does.

(Naor Wallach/19920417/Press Contact: Chris Evans, Da Vinci,
919-881-4320)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00011)

Digital India Spurs Manufacturing Automation 04/20/92
BANGALORE, INDIA, 1992 APR 20 (NB) -- Digital Equipment India Ltd.
(DEIL) went a step further in emulating its parent company, Digital
Equipment Corp., when it set up its Metal Expertise Centre (MEC) in
Calcutta last month. It is probably the first such initiative by a
hardware vendor in India.

MEC, as a DEIL spokesman describes it, is a sophisticated set-up studded
with the entire range of DEIL VAX systems with facilities to simulate
the factory floor. In other words, it is a facility where metal
manufacturers, whose computerization plans cost multi-million dollars,
can have a test-run of a computerization plan before actually
investing such huge sums.

DEIL's metal expertise center draws is modelled after a similar DEC
establishment in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, US, called the Global
Resource Center for Metals. The center is aided by major American
steel consultants like the US steel.

The location of India's center is strategic with most metal industries
like Tata Steel, and giant steel plants of the Steel Authority of
India - at Bokaro, Durgapur, Rourkela, etc., in the eastern India
region. The Rs 10 million ($0.33 million) facility is a typical
offshoot of Digital's marketing strategy. Similar centers for
other segments are also being contemplated.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19920415)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEL)(00012)

India: 30 Bid For Cellular Phone Services 04/20/92
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1992 APR 20 (NB) -- Belying general expectations,
none of the major cellular mobile telephone manufacturers in the world
with expertise in Groupe Speciale Mobile (GSM) technology, has bid
for the tender floated by the government of India's Department of
Telecommunications (DoT) for providing cellular mobile telephone
services in the four metros of the country: Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta,
and Madras.

Ericsson, Alcatel, Nokia, Siemens, AT&T and Motorola all have instead
given quotations for providing equipment and systems to interested
service operators. Doubtful about the return on investment, they found
it not viable to obtain an operating license if there are two or more operators in
each city.

In all, 30 consortia have set their sights on winning the tender. The
criteria laid by DoT that only registered Indian firms are eligible to
bid and that the organization should be adept at handling cellular
services, coupled with a third condition that equipment should be
procured only from one of the earlier-mentioned international telecom
leaders, has resulted in many an alliance being forged between
Indian and foreign firms.

The K.K. Modi group and Australian and Overseas Telecommunications
Corporation Ltd. (AOTC) have together floated a company -- Indian
Telecom Private Ltd. With an equity stake, Nippon Telegraph and
Telephone Corporation (NTT) of Japan has tied up with Vikas Hybrids
and Electronics Ltd.

Other foreign cellular service operators who have joined forces
with Indian firms include Cable and Wireless and Vodafone, both of
the UK, France Telecom, New Zealand Telecom, Singapore Telecom,
Malaysia Telecom, Bell Canada, and Hutchison Telecom of Hongkong.

With the submission of the tenders, the first phase of selection
of licensee is over. The list of bidders will now be scrutinized
and shortened, taking into account the experience of the foreign
collaborator and the track record of the Indian company. These
short-listed bidders will then be asked to make their commercial
and financial offers, on the basis of which a final selection
will be made. Cellular mobile phone services are expected to be
operational in India by the beginning of 1993. According to DoT,
the number of customers for the cellular service will be around
100,000.

(C.T. Mahabarhat/19920415)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00013)

 ****Microsoft Anoints New VPs/Makes More Big Money 04/20/92
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 APR 20 (NB) - Software giant
Microsoft Corporation has announced the promotion of three of its
staff to VP positions, where they will lead the divisions they have
been working in. Microsoft also announces that its revenues are up
40%, in no small part due to the success of Windows 3.1.

Susan W. Boeschen was promoted to VP of the consumer division. In
her new position she will be responsible for overseeing the
development, testing, and marketing of products for what Microsoft's
announcement describes as the developing consumer software market.
Microsoft has placed more emphasis on this small business and home
market recently.

Products targeted at the consumer market from Microsoft include
Microsoft Works, an integrated package that includes word
processing, database, graphics, and communications capabilities.
Other consumer products include Microsoft's recently announced low-
end desktop publishing program Publisher, Microsoft Money, a
personal finance manager program, and long-time favorite Flight
Simulator, which allows "wannabe" pilots to test their skills in a
variety of aircraft types over various kinds of terrain.

Robert D. Glaser assumes the leadership of Microsoft's multimedia
and consumer systems group, perhaps the most visible of the three
new VP slots. Multimedia is a burgeoning field with numerous
hardware vendors rushing to have their PCs certified for multimedia
use, and software vendors announcing new multimedia programs. The
term multimedia refers to programs which include sound, text,
animation, video and graphics.

Mike Maples, executive vice president of the worldwide products
group, said each of the new vice presidents has made significant
contributions to Microsoft's success. "Susan has spearheaded our
efforts to bring the power of personal computing to a new, broad
base of consumers in small businesses and homes, and has introduced
products in product categories new to Microsoft. Rob has led our
efforts to deliver multimedia systems solutions incorporating sound,
animation and video into the Microsoft Windows operating system to
expand the richness of personal computing. Jonathan has been
instrumental in building the momentum behind Windows by creating a
strong support program for independent hardware and software
developers and marketing campaigns such as the new Windows logo
program," said Maples.

Maples' comment about the Windows logo program refers to Microsoft's
granting of a "Windows-compatible" seal of approval to PC manufacturers
whose hardware meets Microsoft's testing for Windows compatibility.

Microsoft's financial report for the third quarter, which ended
March 31, showed revenues of $681 million, a 40 percent increase
over the same period last year. Revenues for the first nine months
of FY 92 were $1.9 billion, up 48 percent over the previous year.
Earnings per share were 90 cents for the quarter, and
$2.55 for the nine-month period, a 68 percent increase. Frank
Gaudette, chief financial officer said the results reflect record
revenue from the OEM channel as well as strong results in the
reseller channels. Gaudette said more than 200 OEMs have licensed
the Windows operating system

Two significant events occurred during the quarter. Microsoft
announced it would release Windows 3.1 in early April, and
estimated it would ship more than one million copies during the
first thirty days. And the company announced it would merge with
Fox Software to produce a family of database applications. Fox
produced Foxbase, a significant competitor for dBASE.

While not in the third quarter, the ruling by a US District Court
finding that most of the visual displays in Windows are not
protectible under Apple Computer's copyright nearly eliminated the
possibility that Microsoft might have to pay millions of dollars in
royalties. Microsoft's stock shot up after that ruling was
announced.

(Jim Mallory/19920420/Press contact: Sarah Charf, Microsoft,
206/882-8080)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00014)

Canada: Teleglobe Shuffles Executives 04/20/92
MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, 1992 APR 20 (NB) -- The power structure
at the telecommunications Teleglobe continues to shift with the
appointment of several executives, including a new president and
chief executive for Teleglobe Canada, the subsidiary that holds a
monopoly on international satellite links to and from Canada.

Andre LeBel, currently senior vice-president of the Laurentian
Group, will become president and chief executive of Teleglobe
Canada on June 1. He will take over that title from Charles Sirois,
who becomes president and chief executive of the parent company,
Teleglobe Inc. On that date, Sirois also becomes chairman of
Teleglobe Canada and another subsidiary, Teleglobe International.

Sirois bought 8.1 percent of Teleglobe from BCE, the parent company
of Bell Canada and Northern Telecom, early this year. The head of
Telesystem Financial and telecommunications firm National
Telesystem, he immediately began seeking a seat on Teleglobe's
board.

In February, backed by Telesystem Financial (then called Intermedia
Financial), Rogers Communications of Toronto, Caisse de depot et
placement du Quebec and the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement
Board, all Teleglobe shareholders, and reportedly by BCE's
representatives on the board, he ousted former Teleglobe President
William McKenzie from the top job.

BCE still holds 22 percent of Teleglobe, and has not concealed the
fact that it would like to acquire a larger stake. Tension between
former Teleglobe management and BCE goes back at least a year. Last
May, Gordon Capital of Toronto opposed three nominees to the
Teleglobe board and succeeded in having two of them replaced.
Teleglobe management said Gordon was acting for BCE.

McKenzie, who leaves the president's post this spring, will remain
on the board of directors at Teleglobe until 1993.

Other new appointees at Teleglobe include Martin Fournier, who has
been promoted from executive vice-president and chief operating
officer of Teleglobe Canada to president and chief operating
officer of Teleglobe International, and Bruno Ducharme, who becomes
chief financial officer of Teleglobe Inc. Ducharme is also
executive vice-president of Sirois' other companies, National
Telesystem and Telesystem Financial.

(Grant Buckler/19920420/Press Contact: Gilles Quenneville,
Teleglobe, 514-868-7765)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00015)

IBM Sets Out To Spur Pen Development 04/20/92
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 APR 20 (NB) -- Joining in a
wave of activity surrounding pen-based computing, IBM has announced
the IBM Pen Developer Assistance Program and the limited
availability of its pen-based ThinkPad computer. The developers'
program is meant to help IBM customers and independent software
vendors begin developing pen-based applications, IBM said.

The program will give developers access to information about IBM's
pen-based computing plans and to training courses, company
spokeswoman Tara Sexton told Newsbytes. There will be a fee for
participating in the program, Sexton said, but it has
been deferred until the fourth quarter of this year. The amount
of the fee was not available.

IBM also announced a special bid version of its ThinkPad pen-based
computer for customers and developers who want to start work now on
applications to run on future IBM pen-based computers. The ThinkPad
is scheduled for general availability in the fourth quarter of this
year.

The ThinkPad comes with the PenPoint operating system, licensed
from Go Corp., and handwriting recognition technology developed at
IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research facility in Yorktown Heights, New
York and in its Boca Raton, Florida, facility.

The special-bid ThinkPad (Model 2521) comes with a 20-megahertz
386SX microprocessor, either four or eight megabytes of memory, an
integrated data/fax modem, an AC/DC adapter, a nickel-cadmium
battery, serial and parallel ports, a connection for an optional
external 3.5-inch diskette drive, and an external keyboard port.

The ThinkPad that becomes generally available late this year may be
slightly different from the current version, Sexton said, depending
on customer input in the meantime.

IBM customers and application developers can order the new system
directly from IBM through the special bid process, a program for
obtaining computers from IBM that are not generally available
through traditional purchasing channels. The first systems will be
delivered in July, the company said.

IBM said it has already provided selected independent software
vendors and customers with an early version of the ThinkPad for
evaluation.

(Grant Buckler/19920420/Press Contact: W. Dean Kline, IBM,
914-642-5408; Tara Sexton, IBM, 914-642-4662)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00016)

New For Networks: Synoptics Appletalk Router For Hub 04/20/92
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 20 (NB) -- Synoptics is
introducing a new module for its LattisNet System 3000. This new
module allows for the connection of Apple Macintosh computers that are
running Appletalk to connect to the rest of the devices in an
enterprise network.

Synoptics has been working with Farallon on integrating PhoneNet
technology into the Synoptics hubs for over a year. The two companies
revealed their collaboration in November of 1990. Farallon has over
three million nodes attached to its connectors. This allows it to
claim that it has networked more Macintosh computers than anyone
else. Farallon has even patented its PhoneNet technology.

This new module, the Model 3394, contains the PhoneNet technology.
The module has 16 RJ11 ports on it, each of which allows for up to
four devices to connect to it, for a total of 64 machines. The
module will take up one slot in the hub.

All of the benefits of using Synoptics' hub are conferred on this
new module. Data can now be routed between the Macintoshes and the
other devices on the network; files can be shared, and data can be
directed to specific printers anywhere within the enterprise. This
module contains an SNMP agent so that it can be managed from
Synoptics' Lattisnet Manager console.

Synoptics lists the following as key features of this new module:
100% compatibility with Farallon PhoneNet; full Appletalk routing for
supporting networks of hundreds of zones, including zone hiding;
IP Gateway functions that enable Macintosh users to access file,
printer, and host services on Unix systems; IP tunneling for linking
distant Apple networks through established IP internetworks;
management through extended SNMP agents; flash EPROM-based software
for easy upgrading; manageable from Synoptics' Unix or DOS network
management console.

The new module is officially known as the Synoptics Model 3394
Appletalk Router. It will be available in May for a list price of
$3595.

(Naor Wallach/19920420/Press Contact: Kristina Thorngate, Synoptics,
408-764-1046)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00017)

SPA Settles With Houston Firm In Copyright Suit 04/20/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 APR 20 (NB) -- The Software
Publishers Association has reached another copyright infringement
suit settlement, this time with Houston-based Burnett Companies,
which runs the Houston PC Learning Center computer training
school.

The SPA lawsuit, brought because of tips received on the
toll-free anti-piracy hotline, involved charges that the company
was using illegal copies of Aldus, Lotus, Microsoft, Software
Publishing, and WordPerfect programs installed in training
computers.

Burnett agreed to settle the case by paying a $46,000 settlement
and to purchase legal copies of software to replace all the
illegal copies in the company's possession.

The SPA, a trade association for more than 900 software
publishers, is active both in lobbying activities in Washington
and in pursuing alleged copyright violations.

There are estimates that the software industry loses billions of
dollars annually around the world because companies and
individuals make illegal copies of software rather than
purchase licensed copies.

(John McCormick/19920420/Press Contact: Terri Childs, SPA, 202-
452-1600)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(NYC)(00018)

 ****Reports of Lotus/Borland Merger Talks 04/20/92
SCOTTS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., APR 20 (NB) - Wire services and USA
Today have reported that informal merger talks have gone on between Lotus
Development Corporation and Borland International. The quoted source
of these stories, Heidi Sinclair, vice president for communications
at Borland, was reported to have said that the talks have not led
to serious merger discussion.

Lotus Development, creator of the 1-2-3 spreadsheet program, was closed
on Monday, April 20th for Patriot's Day and was thus unavailable for
comment. Borland spokesperson Steve Grady told Newsbytes, "The press
is making a much bigger story of this than anyone here at Borland. It
really started with a mention in Spenser Katt's "PC Week" column to
the effect that there were talks in the industry. When a USA Today
reporter asked Heide about it, she confirmed that informal talks have
occurred but said that there have not been formal negotiations."

Grady continued, "Heide's comments were just recognition of the fact
that informal talks are going on constantly between software companies.
There is certainly nothing hot at the moment between us and anyone.
I think that whenever there is mention of a possible merger that might
pose a threat to Microsoft, it captures a lot of media attention.
Whenever Borland, Lotus or Novell is mentioned in any possible merger
talk, everyone's attention perks up."

In addition to the language programs that Borland is known for
developing and the data base programs, Paradox and dBASE, that it has
acquired when it purchased the firms owning the products, the firm is
the developer of a spreadsheet, Quattro Pro, which has been the subject
of litigation from Lotus on the basis of allegedly violating the
"look-and-feel"  of 1-2-3. The suit has brought a good deal of
negative criticism throughout the industry from such parties as Dan
Bricklin, designer of VisiCalc, the first spreadsheet and the forerunner
of 1-2-3; and Richard Stallman, founder of the League for Programming
Freedom, which has organized picketing of Lotus because of the suit.

Commenting on the possibility of such a merger, Esther Dyson, editor
and publisher of REL 1.0, told Newsbytes, "I don't think that such a
merger is in the cards and I hope that it is not. I think that it  is
good for them to be out competing in the marketplace. Such a merger
would drastically reduce competition and the customer would be the
loser."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19920420)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(NYC)(00019)

 ****Man Gets 30 Months In Prison For Defrauding IBM 04/20/92
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., APR 20 (NB) -- Data Hardware Inc., has
been fined $500,000, conditioned upon future financial
performance, and was placed on three years probation while its
president, David Heinen, was sentenced to 30 months in prison and
fined $275,000 after the courts decided they defrauded IBM of a
reported $1.75 million.

IBM spokesperson Raymond Gorman, commenting on the Friday, April 17th
sentencing, said, "IBM is hopeful that the resolution of events in the
Minneapolis federal court will serve to dissuade others from carrying
on such fraudulent actions. Fraud has been committed and IBM, as any
business, is concerned about incidents of fraud or other illegal
activities that impact our products or customer relations."

Gorman said that prior to the sentencing, Data Hardware had agreed
to pay IBM $1.9 million in damages.

Additionally, two other employees were give jail sentences. Robert
Nelson, a vice president, was sentenced to two years in prison and
computer technician Jeffrey Heinen, was given an eighteen-month term.
Heinen and Data Hardware were convicted by a jury in December of
fraud conspiracy, 17 counts of mail fraud and 10 counts of
interstate transportation of goods taken by fraud.

Prosecutor Douglas Peterson was quoted by wire services as
commenting, "This corporate crime deserves the prison terms and
stiff fines imposed. More and more criminals are operating out of
corporate boardrooms. These sentences and the new guidelines drafted
to punish business organizations which turn to crime will hopefully
make others think twice before misusing their talents and privileges."

Gorman told Newsbytes that "It would be inappropriate for IBM to
comment on the severity of the actual sentences. That matter is the
responsibility of the federal court. We are just happy to
see the case brought to a conclusion."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19920420)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00020)

 ****Hyundai Bucks Trend, Moves Manufacturing To US 04/20/92
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A. 1992 APR 20 (NB) -- Citing a
need to reduce time-to-market and be more responsive to the
worldwide information systems marketplace, Korea's Hyundai
Business Group is moving its business management, marketing, product
development, and most importantly, manufacturing for its
Information Systems Division from Seoul to the United States.

At the same time, the company has appointed Edward D. Thomas,
a 27-year IBM veteran, president and chief operating officer for
the unit.

Dave Murray, spokesman for the company, told Newsbytes that
the "PC operations will be part of Hyundai America." This
"includes PC and PC peripherals," he said.

Murray told Newsbytes that the company feels that, by moving
operations to the US, it "can get earlier access to advanced
PC technology." Additionally, said Murray, "being closer to
their customers will allow (the company) to be more flexible."

According to the company, global responsibility for Hyundai's
complete line of personal computers will now come under the
direction of US management. Additionally, the unit also
markets computer peripheral products, including monitors.
By the moving the unit's operations to the US, the company is
also hoping to improve market responsiveness.

Thomas was most recently president of CompuAdd Corporation.
During his four years with that company, its revenue grew from
$100 million in 1987 to $514 million in 1991, with over 1,500
employees worldwide.

Of the new policy, Thomas said: "We fully expect to have our next
generation of truly differentiated desktop and notebook computers -
designed, engineered and built from the ground up in America -
shipping to US and world markets by the end of the year."

Thomas has been given the task of charting a worldwide PC
strategy, with particular emphasis on developing the US market.

The need to speed up time-to-market was emphasized by Thomas,
who added: "The rapid pace of change and the limited life cycle
of today's PC technology requires a flat, nimble, and streamlined
organization to be competitive. We intend to structure our
business to realize the best possible efficiencies and distinction in
a price-sensitive, service-minded marketplace, and enhance our
customer support programs to achieve the highest level of end-user
satisfaction."

Murray told Newsbytes that the operations would be headquartered
in San Jose, California. The move, he said, is a "transitional" one.
The company has "already been hiring in product development,"
he said.

(Ian Stokell/19920420/Press Contact: Debra Bowman, Hyundai
Electronics America, 408-473-9318)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00021)

 ****Sitka Introduces Unique New Dealer Program 04/20/92
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 20 (NB) -- In a press
conference held here, Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy spoke of
Sun's role in "breaking the rules." This remark was made as he and
Deborah Triant, CEO of Sitka Corp., a Sun company, announced a new
program for selling Sitka's 10Net peer-to-peer networking products.

"Customer for Life" is the name of the program. It is designed to
change today's realities where a customer spends a lot of time with
a reseller to learn about networking and in making the right choice
about the product to buy. Then, when the time comes to expand the
network, the customer buys additional nodes and looks for the
cheapest possible price on these which tends to shortchange the
dealer who spend all that time educating the customer in the first
place.

The new program is intended to work as follows. A customer goes into
his dealer and gets educated about networks. Assuming that he chooses
10Net, the dealer gives him a starter pack for free. This starter
pack contains all that the customer needs except  the hardware for
establishing a two-node network. The customer can then try it out
and decide if this is the network to base his business on. If he
agrees that 10Net is the way to go, he simply returns to the dealer
and purchases an Expander Kit which gives him all the manuals,
software, and information that he needs to expand his network by
three additional nodes. Actually, the package contains more than
that. The package has the capability to support a network of
practically any size, the customer is only provided with a key that
allows for a total of five nodes to run.

As the network needs expand, the customer calls Sitka. They provide
additional licenses over the phone and the customer can then
install the additional nodes. Sitka will charge $79 per node for each
additional node. This transaction will generate a 20% commission
to the original dealer. In this way, Sitka guarantees the dealer
revenues for the life of the customer's satisfaction with 10Net.

At the same news conference, Sitka disclosed that several of the
larger distributors have already signed up for this program. IMI,
Merisel, Tiger Software, and 800 software have signed up to support
this program. In a response to a question from Newsbytes, Deborah
Triant stated that Sitka is also working on some OEM arrangements but
that she had nothing that could be made public at this time.

(Naor Wallach/19920420)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00022)

New For PCs: Strategy Plus Updates Execustat 04/20/92
PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1992 APR 20 (NB) -- Playing on the
preoccupations of business people around the world, Strategy Plus
is billing Release 3.0 of its Execustat software as a package meant
to enhance global competitiveness. Put in less trendy terms,
Execustat is a business analysis package that uses statistical
procedures on business data.

Execustat 3.0 adds quality control features and option of
performing stepwise regression on statistical data, said company
spokeswoman Barbara J. Carr.

Execustat has a graphic interface using pull-down menus and dialog
boxes, and can be controlled with a mouse or from the keyboard.
According to the vendor, it offers more than 150 analytical and
statistical procedures. These can be used in tasks such as business
forecasting, engineering, financial analysis, market research, and
statistical process control.

The package can exchange data with Lotus 1-2-3 and dBASE, and it
can read and write ASCII and DIF files, Carr said.

For quality control applications, Execustat 3.0 provides
statistical process control charts to monitor manufacturing and
process capability procedures to measure how well a process
conforms to specifications.

A variety of descriptive statistics and inference techniques are
available, including means, standard deviations, medians,
quartiles, skewness, and kurtosis, the company said. Available
plots include histograms, two- and three-dimensional scatter plots,
box and whisker plots, star plots, and casement plots.

Execustat requires an IBM or compatible PC running DOS 2.0 or
later, at least 640K bytes of memory, and a minimum of two
megabytes of available hard disk space. The software sells for
$375. Strategy Plus is selling it directly and through dealers and
distributors worldwide, Carr said.

(Grant Buckler/19920417/Press Contact: Barbara J. Carr, Strategy
Plus, 609-452-1345 or 800-452-1832, fax [phone])


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

New Product: Spectrum RJ11 Plug for Cellular Phones 04/20/92
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 APR 20 (NB) -- Spectrum Cellular
announced an intelligent interface for hand-held cellular phones
which gives such phones a standard RJ-11 plug, like those found
on wired phones.

The interface, about the size of a business card, can be connected
to a regular fax machine or modem so that workers can deliver
information to their offices from remote locations.

Spectrum will be able to sell this latest product through its
Computer Bay stores, which have over 250 franchised locations, as
well as through its Data One sales and support organization,
which calls on large companies. "With the Spectrum interface
field personnel can use their 10-ounce hand-held cellular
telephone and notebook computer or portable fax for reliable fax
and data communications wherever cellular service is available,"
said Spectrum President John Rule.

The device resulted from an agreement signed in March with Telular
of Wilmette, Illinois, which holds patents on intelligent RJ-11
cellular technology. Spectrum won exclusive worldwide use of those
patents for mobile data applications.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920417/Press Contact: Spectrum Cellular, John
Rule, 214/630-9825)


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

Hayes Improves ISDN Adapter 04/20/92
NORCROSS, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 20 (NB) -- Hayes
Microcomputer Products released Version 1.1 of its ISDN System
Adapter, which now comes with configuration programs for either
the Apple Macintosh or PC compatibles. The new version also
supports Caller ID service.

The adapter can work with ISDN service provided by either AT&T
or Northern Telecom switches -- those two companies provide the
majority of U.S. phone switches. It also implements Hayes' AT command
set for ISDN and its AutoStream technology.

At the same time the company announced that Online With Hayes,
its product support bulletin board, can now be accessed via ISDN,
and its discount program for bulletin board system operators now
includes the ISDN PC Adapter and ISDN System Adapter products.
Online With Hayes takes over 50,000 calls per month and provides
answers to technical questions on the company's products.

President Dennis Hayes noted in a press release that ISDN roll-
out plans from the Bell Operating Companies indicate over 50
percent of business lines will have access to the service by the
end of the year.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920417/Press Contact: Peggy Ballard, Hayes,
404-840-9200)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00025)

New For PCs: CA Launches Cricket Paint 04/20/92
ISLANDIA, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 APR 20 (NB) -- Computer Associates
has announced CA-Cricket Paint, 24-bit painting software for
personal computers running Microsoft Windows. The software is
designed to create images for use in presentations, desktop
publishing, and multimedia, the company said.

The software is the latest in CA's Cricket line of graphics
software, which includes Cricket Graph, Cricket Draw, Cricket
Presents, and Cricket Image. It works with Cricket Image, which is
designed for image processing work.

Computer Associates said CA-Cricket Paint may be used for creating
images on a personal computer, or for retouching images brought in
from other sources.

The software supports 24-bit color and eight-bit gray-scale
processing on any Windows display with Super VGA resolution, the
company said.

Among the features of the new package are what CA calls modeless
tools -- whatever graphics tool is in use, such as a brush,
airbrush, or pen, the same options are useable in the same way.
Users can open any dialog box and leave it open as long as they
like. Anti-aliasing guards against "jaggies" and makes lines as
smooth as possible. Advanced painting features include the ability
to choose any line weight, to custom-blend colors, and to control
the translucency of the "paint" using the Wacom pressure-sensitive
tablet.

A variety of brush shapes are available, CA said, as are techniques
such as masking and "unpainting," which allows users to remove one
or more layers of paint.

CA-Cricket Paint is now in beta testing, a company spokesman said,
and it is scheduled to ship in the second quarter of this year. The
suggested retail price has been set at $595 (C$675 in Canada).
Cricket Image costs $295 (C$349 in Canada), and a bundle of the two
packages will be available for $695 ($795 in Canada).

(Grant Buckler/19920416/Press Contact: Bob Gordon, Computer
Associates, 516-342-2391, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00026)

New For Networks: Xircom Enhanced Software Driver 04/20/92
CALABASAS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 20 (NB) -- Xircom and Zenith
Data Systems announced a collaborative effort last year that was
intended to increase the speeds of parallel ports. This collaboration
has now borne fruit in the announcement made by Xircom with regard
to the availability of version 2.0 of its software driver.

Xircom makes a device that attaches to the parallel port of your PC.
On the other side, it connects to LAN media like Ethernet. Using an
on-board microprocessor, this arrangement allows the owner to
connect to a LAN even without the use of an internal card. This is
most useful with laptop and palmtop computers.

Unfortunately, there is a problem with using the parallel port:
speed. The parallel port on the original PC was not designed for
high speed transmissions and therefore any device that used it until
now suffered in that department. Zenith and Xircom approached Intel
with an idea. They developed a more efficient set of hardware and
software for parallel ports. If Intel could place the hardware
components into one of their designs, everyone would benefit for the
increased speeds. Intel agreed and put the circuits in the 80386 SL
chip set. Now, computer makers can use the SL chip with another and
get significant throughput gains through a software mechanism called
Enhanced Parallel Port. This collaborative effort was announced in
last fall's Comdex show.

Computer makers are now responding and the SL and EPP are showing up
in more and more laptop computers. Xircom has therefore enhanced the
software driver that comes with their Ethernet adapters to take
advantage of this hardware. Version 2.0 of their software driver,
in combination with the SL chip and EPP, can provide throughput that
is equivalent to having an Ethernet adapter card while still using
the parallel port. To those who do not have the proper hardware,
Xircom's new driver still provides the benefit of a 20% increase in
throughput.

The new software driver is expected to begin shipping in May. It
will come automatically with any new purchases of the Ethernet
Pocket Adapters. Previous purchasers of Xircom's products can
receive a free upgrade to version 2.0 in one of two ways. They can
either download the software from the company's bulletin board, or
they can contact their dealer for more information.

(Naor Wallach/19920417/Press Contact: Lynda Orban, Xircom,
818-878-7176)


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

New Resume Designer For Windows 04/20/92
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 20 (NB) -- Winway
has introduced Winway Resume For Windows, a resume designer
that it claims will allow users to create professional style
resumes fast.

Erez Carmel of Winway told Newsbytes the difference between
using a word processor for a resume and its Winway Resume is
the formatting. Winway Resume automatically handles all the
sticky spacing, lining up of text, and changes from one
style to another with the same information automatically.
Carmel said once the information about the person is
entered, the user can switch formats to target the resume to
specific jobs. For example, a user can switch from a
chronological to a functional format, or just change
headings to emphasize specific areas.

The information is entered in simple forms for each section.
Several resume styles are available to select from and
sample resumes are included as well, Winway said. A spell
checker with 100,000 words and an on-line action verb
glossary are provided along with context sensitive help, the
company maintains.

Winway says users can click on bullets, styles, or fonts and
see the results immediately in the Windows environment. The
product allows cutting and pasting from other Windows
applications, editing of multiple versions of the same
resume in separate windows, and a full page view, Winway
added.

The product emphasizes the "say it all in one page" approach
and offers space efficient styles to accomplish that, Winway
said.

The product is retail priced at $69.95. More information is
available from Winway at 5600 Madison Ave., Suite a-20,
Sacramento, California, 95841 or by calling 916-332-2671.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920417/Press Contact: Erez Carmel,
Winway, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00028)

New For PC: Individual Software's Professor Windows 3.1 04/20/92
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1992 APR 20 (NB) -- Individual Software has
released a new version of its Professor Windows software -
Professor Windows 3.1 - to take account of the 1,000-plus new
features that it claims are available in Microsoft Windows 3.1.

According to the company, Professor Windows 3.1 works from within
Microsoft Windows, providing the user with "a complete teaching
environment." In use, the package takes the user through managing
the Program Manager, through exploring Truetype fonts, to
exploiting the new File Manager. Also included is a tutor that
explains how Dr Watson works.

Individual Software claims that, unlike a traditional training
course, where once the course is completed, the teacher is no
longer available, Professor Windows "remains permanently on hand
to provide instant extended help for any Windows topic."

Professor Windows is being distributed at a retail price of UKP
49-95. The package was developed in the U.S. by Individual
Software and is available in the U.K. through most computer
dealers and stores.

(Steve Gold/1992417/Press Contact: Foresight Marketing - Tel:
081-691-2735; fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00029)

New For Mac: Typing Tutor 5 04/20/92
CARMEL, INDIANA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 20 (NB) -- Que Software has
announced Typing Tutor 5 for the Macintosh, a new version of its
keyboard instruction program. The company said typing Tutor 5 adds
new features that simulate an actual classroom and gives the user
greater control over the learning environment.

Typing Tutor includes timed response monitoring, a feature that
monitors the time it takes to respond once a letter is presented.
The program uses that information to customize lessons and tests to
match the user's proficiency level.

A natural language generator (NLG) creates lessons and tests using
actual words, phrases, and sentences that contain the keys the user
needs to practice. The NLG continually adjusts the content of
lessons and tests to meet the users ability level.

Que said Typing Tutor's Personal Teacher feature provides the
student suggestions of what to do next, such as practicing a
specific set of keys or take a timed test. It also provides
information on writing technology and offers encouragement to
motivate the student.

The program has an optional split screen format which allows the
student to type in one window while sample text is presented in a
second window. Material from several books, including Webster's New
World Secretarial Handbook and The New York Public Library Desk
Reference, is included for the student's use in practicing.

Que said timed lessons and tests can be set to run from 1 to 999
minutes. There's also an optional keyboard fingering display which
can be displayed with or without phantom hands showing the correct
fingering positions.

You can use Typing Tutor's graphing feature to chart your program,
including charts to show progress on a specific row of the keyboard
or even specific fingers. The graphs can be printed for reference.

There's also a font/font size feature that allows users to choose
the font and type size that they like best.

Typing Tutor 5 for the Mac has a suggested list price of $49.95, and
is expected to be shipping in late April. To use Typing Tutor you
need a Mac Plus or higher and System 6.07 or better. Que also
publishes Windows and DOS versions of Typing Tutor.

(Jim Mallory/19920417/Press contact: Susan Earabino, The Marketing
Partnership for Que Software, 617-876-9516)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00030)

New For PC & Mac: SilverRun 2.1 CASE Tool 04/20/92
WOODCLIFF LAKE, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1992 APR 20 (NB) -- Computer
Systems Advisers has announced Version 2.1 of SilverRun, its
graphical computer-aided software engineering (CASE) tool. The
software is available for the Apple Macintosh, Microsoft Windows,
and OS/2.

Using a graphic display, SilverRun makes it possible to set up a
database structure and generate applications to work with the data.
SilverRun works with a number of major database management systems,
including SQL Server, DB2, Informix, Oracle, Sybase, Rdb, Ingres,
and SQL 400, the company said.

The software has four modules. Data Flow Diagrammer is used to
create and validate data flow diagrams and support business process
modeling. Relational Data Modeler is meant for professional data
modelers who want to add object extensions to the relational model.
Workstation Repository Manager provides a repository for
consolidating, coordinating, and linking existing application
specifications. Entity-Relationship Expert is a graphical
rule-based system for building entity-relationship data models.

Key enhancements in this release include the addition of a
local-area network-based data repository, object-oriented
extensions, the ability to support multiple notations, and support
for additional database systems, said Tony DeTaranto,
vice-president of sales at Computer Systems Advisers.

A code generator to work with SilverRun, called GoldRun, will be
released in the fourth quarter of this year, DeTaranto told
Newsbytes.

SilverRun costs $2,500 per module for the Macintosh, Windows, or
OS/2, DeTaranto said. A version for Unix is a future possibility,
he added.

(Grant Buckler/19920416/Press Contact: Caroline G. Beischer,
Computer Systems Advisers, 201-391-6500, fax [phone])