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/NB920526

Text File | 1992-05-26 | 66KB | 1,474 lines

(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00001)

New For Mac: AmericaAlive, Multimedia Sight-Seeing 05/26/92
TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- A new
compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) for the Macintosh
allows the opportunity to experience the museums in Washington
D.C. or cultural highlights in California with a click of a button,
according to Medialive, a new multimedia company in Torrance,
California. The CD-ROM is a multimedia "GUIDisc" (graphical user
interface disc) called AmericaAlive and will be introduced at the
Summer Consumer Electronics (CES) expo in Chicago.

Medialive says it plans to introduce a series of "alive" CDs for the
Macintosh, and AmericaAlive is only the first of those planned titles.
Medialive describes AmericaAlive as a text, map, photo, movie, and
sound presentation of American cities, attractions, and national
parks.

The company says it has attempted to allow multimedia to convey
experiences, like the sheer mass of the Empire State Building in New
York City or the vastness of the Grand Canyon, that normally would
require a personal visit to the site. However, the multimedia medium
allows the user to pick and choose what they want to see, Medialive
President Bill Liu said.

The CD contains 75 maps, 50 movies, 2,000 photos and hundreds
of pages of informational text about all 50 states, major US cities,
attractions, and national parks, Medialive maintains.

The company says the CD has multiple uses as an educational tool
for students, public access kiosks for convention and visitor centers,
hotels, travel bureaus. Transportation, accommodation, and dining
information on the CD could be combined with airline and land-based
reservation systems by travel agents to increase business and offer
more services to customers, Medialive said.

Medialive says the AmericaAlive "GUIDisc" requires a Macintosh
LC or greater with a 12-inch monitor, four megabytes (MB) of RAM,
System 6.0.7 or later, and an Apple compatible CD-ROM drive
or CD Technology CD Porta-Drive. Retail price of the AmericaAlive
CD is $99, the company added.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920526/Press Contact: Alexandrea Todd,
McLean Public Relations for Medialive, tel [phone],
fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00002)

"Business Audio" Sound Notes For Windows 05/26/92
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- Post-It, those
ubiquitous little yellow notes from 3M that stick to paper, computer
screens, and car dashboards, will soon have an audio peer for
Windows applications. That's what Compaq Computer, Microsoft,
and Analog Devices have joined forces to develop, a Compaq
spokesman told Newsbytes.

Called Business Audio, the product will use hooks already built
into Windows 3.1 to attach sound files to applications such as
spreadsheets and word processing documents.

Imagine that an executive drafts a letter on his or her networked PC.
A secretary then calls up the letter, clicks on an audio icon, and a
voice tells her to include the executive's business card with the
letter. That's just one application Compaq Director of Desktop
Marketing Steve Malisewski told Newsbytes about.

With the hooks already in Windows 3.1, application developers can
obtain a toolkit that lets them develop applications for Windows
that use Business Audio to attach "sound bites" which might be
sound effects, voice messages or other audio files.

The three companies said they have been working together on the
project for the past 18 months, and all expect to have audio-capable
products ready to announce later this year. Malisewski declined to
name a target date, but said Business Audio would be available
"soon."

The necessary hardware is based on a new SoundPort chip from
Analog Devices. According to the Compaq announcement, it will
understand audio data types, or sound files from a variety of
environments. It is capable of recording or playing PC-quality
sound (8-bit linear 11 kilohertz), telephone/workstation quality
sound and CD-quality sound in mono or stereo.

The three companies expect that initial use of Business Audio will
be voice annotation within Windows 3.1 for spreadsheets, word
processing documents, and electronic mail. Key to the
development of Business Audio, said Compaq, was the fusion of
object linking and embedding (OLE) technology with various audio
application programming interfaces (APIs) in Windows 3.1

Users will be able to record, edit, and play back audio such as their
own voices. You could leave yourself an audio note within a file, or
send notes to co-workers. Sounds can also be attached to specific
computer functions such as opening or closing files.

Malisewski expects that PC speaker quality will improve as
Business Audio becomes widespread. Business Audio can be
used with the built-in PC speaker, or used with add-on speaker
systems for higher quality.

Current add-in sound cards, such as Sound Blaster, cost
$100-$200, said Malisewski, but future PCs can have the
SoundPort chip built into the motherboard. That would be good
news for consumers, since they wouldn't have to spend extra
money to get the audio capability. Malisewski said that even
though the addition of such items as a SoundPort chip does raise
the manufacturing cost, Compaq is determined to price their
products competitively. The end result could be that a future PC
with improved sound capability would cost less than a PC
without it today.

(Jim Mallory/19920526/Press Contact: Nora Hahn, Compaq
Computer, 713-374-8316; Collins Hemingway, Microsoft,
206-882-8080; Bill Schweber, Analog Devices, 617-461-3821)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00003)

Lucid Upgrades Lightning Disk Cache 05/26/92
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A, 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- Lucid Corporation
has released version 6.0 of its Lightning Disk Cache, making the
program Windows-compatible. The company said it has also
included some bonus utilities.

Lucid said the new version features faster caching speed and
new memory sharing logic. A keyboard accelerator, a screen
accelerator, and a screen blanker have also been added.

A disk cache creates a buffer in the computers RAM, or system
memory. Data is copied from the hard drive into this buffer,
allowing the application being used to access data directly from
the buffer rather than having to go back to the hard drive. Hard
drive access, whether reading or writing data, is one of the
slowest functions a computer performs.

Some cache programs set aside a specific amount of RAM for the
cache buffer, but Lightning operates dynamically, reducing the
buffer size when the application needs more RAM. Once that
demand no longer exists, the Lightning buffer is restored to its
original size.

Lucid said the screen accelerator which has been added to
release 6.0 replaces slow video BIOS (basic input/output system)
functions with more efficient routines, allowing the screen to scroll
faster.

Lightning now also includes a screen blanker, which blanks the
screen after a user-selected time period. Screen blanking helps
prevent an image from burning into a PC's screen it the image
remains unchanged for an extended period of time.

Lucid said a keyboard accelerator has also been added, with the
ability to vary the keyboard's delay and key-repeat rates, and to
switch an audible keyboard click on or off. The company said
Lightning can load into high memory on computers with expanded
or extended memory, saving conventional memory for application
use.

The program also has an automatic process for determining the
hardware being used and optimizing its settings for that system.
However, the user can change most parameters, including the
cache size, amount of memory shared with an application, and
target disks cached by command line switches. A command line
switch is an optional parameter typed with the command that
loads the program to set or turn on and off features of the program.

Lightning has a suggested list price of $49.95, and needs 256
kilobytes of RAM, a hard drive, and DOS 3.0 or later.

(Jim Mallory/19920526/Press Contact: Bill Kassul, Lucid Corp.,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Reader contact: 800-967-5550,
214-994-8100)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00004)

Hong Kong Security Limited Opts For NetWare 05/26/92
HONG KONG, 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- The recent purchase of one
copy of Netware 2.2 and seven copies of Netware Lite has
reaffirmed for Hong Kong Security Limited (HKSL) the effectiveness
of network computing as an answer to productivity questions.

Established in 1960, HKSL has grown to become the biggest
security services company in Hong Kong with 6,000 security
guards serving a variety of residential, commercial, and public
premises and organizations.

The contract, clinched through Novell's Hong Kong distributor,
Jardine Network Systems (JNS), also included the provision of
installation and maintenance support.

The new copy of Netware 2.2, installed at the operations department of
HKSL, represented an upgrade from Netware 2.01a.  Seven
copies of Netware Lite were installed at HK Security Engineers
Limited (HKSEL), a subsidiary of HKSL responsible for the repair
and maintenance of security vans.

Driven by a Novell server supplied five years ago by JNS, HKSL's
Netware based LAN (local area network) currently connects a
total of ten personal computers to enable the staff to share
internally-developed database applications.

With around 30 staff currently served by the network, HKSL
considers networking a cost effective means of resource sharing
in a multi-user environment.

According to Henry Wu, EDP manager at Hong Kong Security
Limited, the company chose Netware because it is a de-facto
standard that provides flexibility in connecting PC's in a
client-server environment. Wu said that for HKSL, the security,
open desktop connectivity and expandability features of Netware
are the product's most attractive and useful attributes.

"The move to network computing has enabled HKSL's control
department to monitor the working time of close to 6,000 security
guards and upload the data to a Wang VS 5000 minicomputer for
payroll calculation," said Wu.

At HKSEL, the Netware Lite-based network enables staff to update
and check stock levels easily and to calculate spare parts costings.
By installing Netware, said Wu, more timely and accurate
operational information can be made available to staff, which in turn,
results in better quality decisions and quicker response.

Wu said HKSL plans to expand the network in the near future by
increasing the number of client workstations.

(Brett Cameron/19920526/Press Contact: Clara Shek, Media
Dynamics, [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(DEN)(00005)

Illinois State Police Show You Your Speed 05/26/92
SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- If you're
traveling in Illinois this summer, you may see your speed
displayed on the side of a trailer.

That is what the Illinois State Police is doing to remind you of how
fast you are going. The trailers, resembling do-it-yourself moving
trailers, are equipped with a radar speed-detecting unit, an
on-board computer, and a big digital display with day-glo bright
numbers which are visible to passing motorists. The trailers,
dubbed SMART (Speed Monitoring Awareness Radar Tools), are
battery operated and have solar panels as backup power.

The State Police said they will be placing the SMART units in
problem traffic areas around the state, such as construction
areas, or areas with a high incident of traffic accidents.

State Police Director Terry Gainer said the units will provide an
additional deterrent to speeding and related accidents. "They
should be an effective reminder of the speed limit and of Illinois
State Police presence on the highways," Gainer said.

Using the computers in the trailers, the SMART units can also
record traffic volume and record the speed of passing vehicles in
five-mile-per-hour slots.

Troopers and state legislators are in disagreement over
enforcement of the state's seat belt law, with troopers planning
random roadside safety checks to look for violators. However, one
state legislator said the law was not intended to be used for police
to stop motorists. That issue may have to ultimately be decided
in the courts.

(Jim Mallory/19920526)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00006)

UK: Professional Multimedia PC System Unveiled 05/26/92
MALMESBURY, WILTSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1992 MAY 26 (NB) --
Art Electric, a major distributor of computer graphic arts software
and hardware, has announced its Electric Media PC (EMPC). The
UKP 2,495 machine is available immediately.

According to Martin Spooner, the company's managing director,
the aim of the EMPC was to create a professional multimedia
system that gives good value for money. "We've achieved this
with the EMPC," he said.

The EMPC is a 33 megahertz (MHz) 80486 microprocessor-based
mini-tower machine. The system comes with four megabytes (MB)
of RAM, expandable to 48MB on board, a 100MB hard disk, and
an internal CD-ROM (compact disk read only memory) drive. Also
featured is a 14-inch color super VGA monitor, stereo speakers,
and a special sound board.

The sound board on the EMPC is interesting. It is a stereo 22
voice frequency modulated (FM) music synthesizer with two three-
way music speakers. The card is MIDI (musical instrument digital
interface)-compatible.

Another interesting feature of the PC is the ability to accept
input from PAL and NTSC video signal sources. Also included
is a teletext chipset for teletext reception.

(Steve Gold/19920526/Press & Public Contact: Art Electric,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00007)

Combined Books/Elec Media Offered By AOL/Ventana 05/26/92
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- New books
that are a combination of books and on-line components are the
focus of a new strategic alliance announced by Ventana Press
and America Online (AOL). The alliance was announced at the
American Booksellers Association annual meeting in Anaheim,
California.

The first offering planned for the new deal is the first and only
retail package for AOL to be titled "America Online, the America
Online Membership Kit & Tour Guide." The two companies say
the new package is planned in DOS, Windows, and Macintosh
versions.

The book will be a handbook to AOL and will contain the official
access software on disk that is necessary to get up and running
on AOL, the companies said. Ventana stated it will market the kit
through traditional book and computer retail channels as well as
on America Online itself. Retail pricing for the AOL guide has been
announced as $29.95. The guide in the Macintosh version is
expected in October of this year, while the IBM and compatible
DOS version is expected in November, Ventana said.

A second combination book is in the works as well. It will be
called "The Mac Shareware 500" from Ventana, and a companion
by the same title on AOL will also be available.

Ventana says the new book will examine, explain, and rate the top
Macintosh shareware programs, while the AOL version will offer the
titles for download in a special library.

Three shareware disks and the AOL access software will be
included in the book, Laura Wenzel of Ventana Press told
Newsbytes, so titles which are not included in the book can be
downloaded. "The Mac Shareware 500" is expected to be priced
at $39.95 and available in July of this year, Ventana added.

Ventana Press of Chapel Hill, North Carolina describes itself as a
publisher of computer books for the general user. AOL, based in
Vienna, Virginia, describes itself as a graphically oriented
electronic service with electronic mail, conferencing, news, sports,
weather, stock quotes, software, computing support, and on-line
classes. AOL can be accessed from a variety of computing
platforms the company said.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920526/Press Contact: Laura Wenzel,
Ventana Press, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00008)

DEC, IBM, And HP Tops In Govt Large Systems 05/26/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- A recent
Government Computer News survey of federal users (published in
the May 11 issue) shows that agency users are most satisfied with
large-scale hardware purchased from Digital Equipment, IBM, and
Hewlett-Packard. DEC won top ratings in support, while HP was
tops for price-verses-performance.

Getting particular praise from some users for its CD-ROM-based
documentation and very fast response on service calls, Hewlett-
Packard was a clear winner in the reliability and quality
categories, but all three of the top vendors achieved nearly
identical overall scores.

Coming in next, with the best support costs were Sun
Microsystems and AT&T. The also-rans, with significantly lower
scores, were Unisys and Data General. Wang Laboratories came
in a close last out of the eight vendors included in the survey.

To be included in the survey results, a manufacturer's equipment
must have received ratings from a minimum of 20 users.

(John McCormick/19920526)


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

 ****Newsbytes Audiotex Service Debuts In The UK 05/26/92
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- After several weeks of
exhaustive beta tests, Newsbytes' Audiotex service -- a spoken
word version of Newsbytes - has opened in the UK. The daily news
service, operating under the name of Phonebytes and offering a
selection of Newsbytes' stories tailored to a UK audience,
officially enters service.

Accessible on 0891-222-228, the service costs up to 48 pence per
minute using British Telecom's premium rate phone lines. Each
daily update lasts around five minutes and, according to
journalist Chris Bourne, who developed the service in conjunction
with Ashpool Systems, offers the most up to date technology
news in Europe.

According to Bourne, bulletins on the Phonebytes service are
prepared each weekday, well before dawn, to take advantage of
international time zones, ensuring that a "hot off the press"
update is available by the time listeners in the UK reach their
offices.

Bourne, a journalist with nine years experience of computer and
on-line publishing, and background in broadcast journalism, said
that Phonebytes was conceived after he realized that there has
always been a clear demand for speedy, accurate news from the
computer and information technology markets.

"Recession has made it difficult for conventional publishing
houses and on-line systems to cover their high overheads in
bringing out daily or weekly publications. The advantage of
Phonebytes is that the big stories can be brought directly to the
user with no frills or fuss. Many people want to know the news, but
they don't have the time to wade through out-of-date magazines
stuffed with advertisements. With Phonebytes, they get news and
nothing but the news," he said.

Ashpool Systems is a company specializing in high quality
premium rate interactive telephone services. Managing Director
Tim Richardson said that he is delighted to be involved in the
Phonebytes project.

"Ashpool Systems is dedicated to providing quality telephone
services, using the most sophisticated design and programming
resources available," he said, adding that he sees Phonebytes as
a prime example of what premium rate services can do for callers.

(Steve Gold/19920526/Press Contact: Tim Richardson, tel 0293-
887088, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)LON)(00010)

UK: Microcom Intros "Cover All" LAN Mgt Technology 05/26/92
SUTTON, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- Microcom
UK has unveiled Lanlord, its first integrated software system
designed to centralize the management of DOS and Windows
workstations on local area networks (LANs).

According to the company, the system allows companies to
monitor and manage workstation hardware, software, and
configuration data, as well as LAN and workstation activity, in
real-time.

In use, Lanlord operates as a network resource and support
manager with management facilities. The software allows
companies to actively manage their remote PC workstations and
LANs from a central point, which can be at a very remote point,
possibly in another country. It is possible, for example, for the
Lanlord master station to dial into a connected LAN using a
modem and control the network over the link.

"Lanlord offers significant benefits by integrating LAN
management functionality that currently requires the purchase of
three or more separate utility packages and by providing real-time
views of network clients," explained Emerick Woods, vice
president and general manager of the company's client server
technologies group.

"While existing products focus on servers or the physical
network, Lanlord is the only product that provides network
managers with the tools needed to manage PC assets and
support the growing number of PCs and users on their network,
all at a cost-saving over standalone products," he claimed.

On a technical level, Lanlord uses the management facilities of
the Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) standard. The software
uses an OS/2 server to collate LAN information. As the manager
interacts with the software and keys in instructions, so the
server software sends out the required instructions over the
network, receiving acknowledgment signals back automatically,
once the tasks are carried out. The user is presented with a
graphical image of the network, with menus detailing the various
facilities available.

Lanlord costs UKP 580 for a ten station/user license. Higher
number site licenses are available on request and by negotiation
with the company, up to a maximum system capacity of 250
users.

(Steve Gold/19920526/Press & Public Contact: Microcom UK,
0753-654333)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00011)

UK: Pen-Based Notebook Debuts From Samsung 05/26/92
SURBITON, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- Samsung
has unveiled the Penmaster, a pen-based notebook computer in
the Gridpad mold. Pricing details have yet to be confirmed,
according to the company.

Tipping the scales at just under five pounds, the PC AT-
compatible machine is based around a 20 megahertz (MHz)
80386SL microprocessor driving four megabytes (MB), which is
expandable to 20MB onboard). A choice of 40, 60, 80 or 120MB
hard drives are available.

When flipped up, the machine reveals a 10-inch backlit VGA
screen capable of resolving 32 gray scales. In use, the machine
operates for up to three hours on its internal ni-cad batteries,
which have the surprising facility of recharging in 1.5 hours.

The Penmaster features a PCMCIA standard memory slot, as well
as room for an internal (proprietary) fax/modem card. Ports to the
outside world include the usual monitor, serial, and parallel
connections, as well as a floppy drive and a keyboard port.

The three-hour battery life is made possible, Samsung claims, by
the use of power management techniques. The machine shuts
down progressively when not in use, but starts back up as soon
as the pen is "sensed" to be near the screen.

The Penmaster will come with MS-DOS 5.0, Pen-Windows,
Penpoint, and PenDOS when it ships in the UK later this year.

(Steve Gold/19920526/Press & Public Contact: Samsung
Electronics, 081-391-0168)

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

UK: Microcom Intros "Cover All" LAN Mgt Technology 05/26/92
SUTTON, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- Microcom
UK has unveiled Lanlord, its first integrated software system
designed to centralize the management of DOS and Windows
workstations on local area networks (LANs).

According to the company, the system allows companies to
monitor and manage workstation hardware, software, and
configuration data, as well as LAN and workstation activity, in
real-time.

In use, Lanlord operates as a network resource and support
manager with management facilities. The software allows
companies to actively manage their remote PC workstations and
LANs from a central point, which can be at a very remote point,
possibly in another country. It is possible, for example, for the
Lanlord master station to dial into a connected LAN using a
modem and control the network over the link.

"Lanlord offers significant benefits by integrating LAN
management functionality that currently requires the purchase of
three or more separate utility packages and by providing real-time
views of network clients," explained Emerick Woods, vice
president and general manager of the company's client server
technologies group.

"While existing products focus on servers or the physical
network, Lanlord is the only product that provides network
managers with the tools needed to manage PC assets and
support the growing number of PCs and users on their network,
all at a cost-saving over standalone products," he claimed.

On a technical level, Lanlord uses the management facilities of
the Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) standard. The software
uses an OS/2 server to collate LAN information. As the manager
interacts with the software and keys in instructions, so the
server software sends out the required instructions over the
network, receiving acknowledgment signals back automatically,
once the tasks are carried out. The user is presented with a
graphical image of the network, with menus detailing the various
facilities available.

Lanlord costs UKP 580 for a ten station/user license. Higher
number site licenses are available on request and by negotiation
with the company, up to a maximum system capacity of 250
users.

(Steve Gold/19920526/Press & Public Contact: Microcom UK,
0753-654333)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(ATL)(00012)

Computers As Fund-raisers - State Lotteries 05/26/92
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- Texas is about
to become the 35th state in the US to start a lottery. Georgia is
expected to follow suit after a November referendum.

What this means is that computers will be raising money directly
for most of the US states. All of the nation's lotteries are
heavily computerized. The same firms which dominate Las Vegas,
like Bally's Inc., dominate the market for lottery equipment and
software.

California's system is typical. Players have the opportunity to
choose a set of numbers. For the state's biggest game, it is six
two-digit numbers. Or, if they prefer, they can take a "quick
pick," in which a computerized random number generator spits
out a ticket. This reporter's father once won almost $300,000 off
one of these "quick picks."

Some states, like Illinois, also offer simpler games, with shorter
odds. Fewer numbers are selected, but lower prizes are offered.
These are similar in practice to the "numbers" games played in
poor neighborhoods for generations. One difference between the
state lotteries and the numbers, however, is that the numbers
runners actually took less of a cut off the top. In the
state games, the cut can be over one-third -- it's 40 percent in
Texas. This compares to the 10 percent taken out on Las Vegas
slot machines.

All this is really a throwback to computing's early days. One of
the first commercial orders for a computer, secured by the old
Univac company in 1946, was for a system that would run the
"tote board" at the old Bowie racetrack.

The computers behind the lotteries today are essentially
simple networks. In the case of California, each store selling
tickets for the big games has a PC, which includes printers to
create the tickets, spit out the tickets, and report results back on
a regular basis to a central system. A random number generator
in the central system picks the winners. Since it has reports on
sales, including ticket numbers, it can tell how many winning
numbers were given out.

Simpler games feature pre-printed tickets, and a covering which
can be wiped off with the side of a coin. In this case, the task
of printing and selecting winning numbers -- as well as
controlling the number of possible winners -- is all done in
advance. Such games are known as "instant wins."

In all cases, the result is the same. You have a better chance of
getting struck by lightning than winning the big jackpot. The
odds are much better in Las Vegas, because of the lower rake-off.
In fact, the odds are best on America's stock
exchanges, where discount brokers take out under one percent of
your money when you buy or sell a security, and where a total
loss of investment is not that common.

One more point about the state lotteries. Like other states,
Texas is promising to spend its winnings on "education." But in
other states, lottery money is quickly substituted for other
funds -- education budgets are decreased to make up for lottery
proceeds. Texas is also setting up a compulsive-gambling hotline,
with the number printed on each ticket. Considering the huge
number of sport gamblers in the state -- gambling on college
football is still illegal everywhere but Nevada -- that may be
the best result of the nation's newest lottery.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920526)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00013)

Canadian PC Sales Still Growing, Apple Strong 05/26/92
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- Unit sales
of personal computers grew about nine percent to almost one
million units in 1991, according to a recent study by Evans
Research, a market research firm. However, revenues were up
only two percent over 1990, thanks to rapidly dropping prices.

Apple Canada showed very strong performance in 1991, Evans
said, gaining two percentage points of market share and moving
into a dead heat with IBM for the title of market leader in Canada.
Both had about 10.6 percent of the market in 1991, Evans
Research reported.

Bill Fournier, senior market analyst at Evans Research, said
Apple's increased market share came partly from sales to new
accounts and partly from selling more machines to existing
customers. The company shipped about 105,000 units in Canada
in 1991, he said, up from 79,000 in 1990. Evans predicts Apple
will ship about 120,000 units in 1992.

Evans also reported strong growth in the sales of portable
computers, which accounted for more than 16 percent of the total
market in 1991. Portables using Intel's 80386SX chip were most
popular, accounting for just over 26 percent of the total.

For 1992, Evans is forecasting even better growth in unit sales, at
about 13.5 percent. That would nearly match 1990's 15 percent
figure. The market research firm also forecast a rebound in revenue
growth to about 12 percent in 1992 -- again, just slightly below
1990's growth figure, which was about 12.5 percent by revenues.

(Grant Buckler/19920526/Press Contact: Bill Fournier, Evans
Research, tel [phone], fax [phone])


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

Canadian IS Buyers Focus On Results: IDC Study 05/26/92
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- The big
challenge for companies buying information technology in Canada
in 1992 is controlling costs and better justifying their investment in
the technology, according to a study by International Data Corp.
(Canada), a market research firm.

The study, entitled "The 1992 Canadian IT Customer Directions
and Spending Strategies," said Canadian companies continue
investing in information technology despite the weak economy,
but are focusing on strategic investments, upgrading older
systems, and integrating existing technology.

The study also forecast slow growth in information technology
spending in the coming year. The industry will grow at less than
three percent in 1992, said Valerie Dickson, an IDC researcher.

The study also looked at attitudes toward new technologies.
Respondents showed the greatest interest in workstations,
electronic data interchange (EDI), and image processing. Of the
companies surveyed, 65 percent said they were using
workstations, 43 percent EDI, and 22 percent image processing.

IDC also found increasing interest in computer-aided software
engineering (CASE) and object-oriented programming. Twenty-eight
percent of the respondents reported significant use of CASE, while
another 36 percent said they were exploring it. For object-oriented
programming, the figures were 17 percent and 49 percent.

Many organizations are looking into downsizing or otherwise
adjusting their systems. Downsizing from large central systems to
distributed hardware is the most popular direction, with 28 percent
of those surveyed saying they are doing so. Four percent reported
moving the other way by taking applications from distributed
systems to a central host. About 45 percent said they expect to
maintain their current mix of central and distributed systems.

About 22 percent of respondents said they have moved to
client/server computing, and another 21 percent plan to do so. A
further 30 percent said they would like to do so but were not sure
they would. The remainder had no plans for client/server computing
or considered the concept nothing more than a buzzword, IDC said.

Transportation and communication utilities showed the strongest
interest in client/server computing with 80 percent reacting
positively to the idea. Financial services companies showed the
lowest level of interest at 33 percent.

About half the respondents -- 51 percent -- favored an open
systems strategy. Most commonly, IDC found this meant adopting
a common operating system, but not necessarily Unix, which is
commonly identified with open systems. Common development
tools, database software, and programming languages were also
mentioned.

Respondents also showed growing acceptance of the idea of
outsourcing -- turning information systems operations over to an
outside company -- but more than two thirds still said they had no
plans to do so. More companies -- about 36 percent -- also
showed interest in relying on systems integrators to help them
put together new systems.

(Grant Buckler/19920526/Press Contact: Valerie Dickson, IDC
Canada, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEL)(00015)

India's Popular Xenix-Based RDBMS Now For DOS 05/26/92
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- The Madras-based
Coromandel Software Ltd. (Cosoft), which has developed a
full-fledged relational database management system -- Integra/SQL
-- has now launched the RDBMS' 386/486 version on the 32-bit,
DOS platforms.

Integra/SQL is claimed to have broken the 640 kilobyte DOS
barrier and can access the full memory available on the system
up to 16 megabytes (MB).

Multiple gateway access is possible simultaneously (native files,
Dbase, Cobol, Lotus 1-2-3), and forth generation language (4GL)
tools, such as Forms, Report Writer, and SQL are available for
Dbase users.

The new package, claims Cosoft, will enable DOS users to build
large integrated applications which were, until now, available only
on large machines and also integrate a CASE (computer-aided
software engineering) interface to Integra. Integra/SQL is also
available for Unix, Xenix 386/486 systems. Integra has an ANSI
standard SQL implementation and an X-Open standard file manager.

Integra/SQL already has over 9,000 installations in US, through its
association with SCO (Santa Cruz Operations) and about 700 in
the domestic market.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19920526)

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00016)

Tandy Opens First SuperCenter In Europe 05/26/92
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- Tandy has
announced the opening of its first Computer City Supercenter in
Europe. The store will be located in Glostrup, a Copenhagen
suburb.

Tandy said it was opening the Denmark store in order to capitalize
on the computer retailing growth in Europe. Newsbytes has carried
several stories recently reporting significant international sales
growth for other PC makers. Several companies report that
international sales account for one-third or more of their sales
revenue.

Occupying about 20,000 square feet of floor space for sales,
service and warehousing, the Glostrup facility will operate as a
separate retail entity by Computer City Supercenters
International LLCC, a subsidiary of Tandy Corporation.

Tandy said the new store will be authorized to handle Apple,
Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, and Victor hardware, as well as
software, peripherals, accessories and supplies.

Tandy said it will also open superstores in Sweden and Norway in
the next few months. A Computer City Supercenter is expected to
open in Bredden, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden next month.
Another store is planned for Oslo, Norway. The company said that
that store is scheduled for opening in the fall of this year.

Tandy has opened 11 Supercenter locations since October of 1991.
Spokesperson Ed Juge told Newsbytes that the company plans to
have stores in St Louis, Baltimore, Dallas, and Rochester, New York
open by the end of May. Other stores are scheduled for Seattle,
Miami, Las Vegas, and Tampa, Florida.

(Jim Mallory/19920526/Press Contact: Ed Juge, Tandy Corp.,
817-390-3549)


(CORRECTION)(IBM)(DEN)(00017)

Correction: New For PC: The Home Medical Advisor 05/26/92
MERRITT ISLAND, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- A
Newsbytes story about The Home Medical Advisor, a software
program  that indicates the type of treatment needed and the
type doctor of you should see, carried an incorrect phone
number.

The correct reader contact number should be 800-788-2099.

The Home Medical Advisor lets the user enter symptoms and the
program will offer various possibilities. The program also places
special emphasis on certain symptoms. Sudden swelling, for
example, usually requires quick attention, while gradual swelling
could probably wait until you can get an appointment with your
doctor.

According to Pixel Perfect, one advantage to the program is it
could save you a costly trip to the Emergency Room at your local
hospital. Another is not having to rely on home first-aid books
which may be out of date. The Home Medical Advisor will be
updated every eight months for registered users, said the
company.

The Home Medical Advisor has a suggested list price of $69.95.

(Jim Mallory/19920526/Press Contact: Stephani Perlmutter, PS
Associates for Pixel Perfect, 312-751-8436; Reader contact:
Pixel Perfect, 800-788-2099)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00018)

Storagetek's 2Q Earnings Will Be Below Expectations 05/26/92
LOUISVILLE, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- Storage
Technology says its current estimates indicate that the second
quarter financial results will probably be below the company's
previous expectations.

Storagetek's David Reid declined to estimate the exact amount,
but  did confirm to Newsbytes that earnings are expected to be
below first quarter levels. However, Reid told Newsbytes that
Storagetek's performance is expected to improve through year
end, with overall earnings for the year about the same as in 1991.

Reid said the principal reason for the revised second quarter
estimate is continuing softness in orders for the company's 4400
automated cartridge system, customer hesitation due to IBM
introducing a competitive product, and competitive pressures,
particularly in Europe. Reid also cited unabsorbed overhead due
to lower than expected manufacturing volumes as a factor.

Reid was optimistic about Storagetek's chances against industry
giant IBM. Reid said early comparisons with the IBM library all
seem to favor Storagetek. "We think this will end some confusion in
the market," said Reid. Reid said customer reaction has been very
negative towards IBM's entry in the mass data storage market.
"Certainly there has been some hesitation in the market - this may
help end that," he said.

Storagetek said it believes library revenue will pick up in the
second half of the year, particularly in the fourth quarter. However,
those anticipated increases are expected to be offset by the
previously announced delay in its new product, "Iceberg."

The XL/Datacomp subsidiary acquired by Storagetek recently is
performing below expectation, according to Storagetek President
Ryal Poppa. Reid told Newsbytes that XL/Datacomp was not
meeting the plan that had been set at the start of the year, but the
results would not be dilutive to the stock. "They are paying their
share of the earnings," he said.

Poppa will have his chance this week to explain all of this to the
stockholders, when the company's annual meeting convenes May 27.
It should be an interesting meeting, with shareholder suits charging
fraud and securities violations pending. The Denver Post reported
that an Arizona stockholder said: "I'm going to try to nail these
people". Described by the Post as a major stockholder, the
individual reportedly said he wants Storagetek management "to turn
their profits back to the company or at a minimum place them in an
escrow account."

(Jim Mallory/19920526/Press Contact: David Reid, Storage
Technology, 303-673-4815; Reader contact: Storage Technology,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00019)

Merisel To Distribute Entire Zenith Data Systems Line 05/26/92
BUFFALO GROVE, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- Zenith
Data Systems has significantly increased the outlets for distribution
of  its entire personal computer line by signing Merisel, Inc., as a
national distribution account.

Until now, Merisel has only distributed Zenith monitors. Merisel VP
of Products Linda Kroog said the relationship would enhance
Merisel's current focus on portable computers. "We've found that
the factors which most influence a resellers buying decision with
systems are strength of brand, price competitiveness, and features,"
said Kroog. She said ZDS products rate highly in those areas.

In January Zenith said it would sell its personal computer products
through national mass market retailers, including K-Mart.

In addition to other Zenith Data Systems computers, Merisel will
be distributing the recently announced Z-Note portable computers.
Z-Note systems are desktop and notebook computers that are
shipped with built-in network capability. The Z-Note systems use
a $149 alternative to the traditional docking station to connect to a
network.

Zenith has said it plans to introduce a completely new line of
notebook and desktop computers, servers, and monitors in June.
While declining to provide further details, ZDS spokesperson John
Bace told Newsbytes that design and function features announced
at the  Spring Comdex trade show in Chicago recently would be
carried  through the company's entire products line.

(Jim Mallory/19920526/Press Contact: John Bace, Zenith Data
Systems, 708-808-4848)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00020)

 ****CA Acquires Two Windows Products 05/26/92
ISLANDIA, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- Continuing
a push into the Microsoft Windows market that it began late in 1991,
Computer Associates has acquired two software packages for
Windows. CA has bought the data access tool Visual Report Writer
from Working Set of Merrimack, New Hampshire, and the Realizer
BASIC-language development tool from Within Technologies of
Mount Laurel, New Jersey.

Visual Report Writer is a report generator that can extract data
from various desktop database packages, including dBase IV,
CA's CA-dBFast, and Clipper, the dBase-compatible package CA
recently acquired with the purchase of Nantucket Corp. of Los
Angeles.

Anders Vinberg, senior vice-president of research and development
at CA, said VRW is applicable to non-Windows as well as Windows
products, though the software itself runs under Windows. It will
let developers of Windows applications extract data from files
created by CA's Accpac accounting software, its Windows and
non-Windows database packages, and other software, he said.

Computer Associates will sell VRW as a stand-alone package for
$247 starting early this fall. Vinberg said the company also plans to
build the technology into some of its other products. CA officials
described VRW as the "strategic report generation technology" for
the company's Windows products in the future.

CA also announced the acquisition of Realizer, a graphical BASIC
development tool that Within Technologies first showed at
Comdex/Spring 1991. A structured superset of the BASIC
programming language with added features to use Windows
resources, Realizer is aimed mainly at "power end-users," Vinberg
said.

The move reflects a CA decision to make the BASIC language a
company standard for Windows products, Vinberg added, explaining
that BASIC will be used as the macro language in all of CA's
Windows applications. Vinberg said the market seems to be moving
to BASIC as the standard language for end-user development and
to the Xbase (dBase and compatible products) language for
business applications development.

Release 1.0 of Realizer is available immediately. CA did not quote
a price, but Within Technologies launched the product at $395.

(Grant Buckler/19920526/Press Contact: Bob Gordon, Computer
Associates, tel [phone], fax [phone])

(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00021)

 ****UK: Mercury Communications Hit By Telecom Fraud 05/26/92
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- Mercury
Communications has revealed that it has been hit by a long
distance telephone fraud, with losses estimated at around
UKP 500,000.

Police in London have arrested at least 15 people in connection
with the scam over the Bank Holiday weekend. According to Doug
Walker, Mercury's press officer, the raids were carried out on
Saturday, and all those arrested were interviewed and bailed. No
charges have been preferred, he told Newsbytes.

"It's the first case of its type," he said, adding that it involved
applying for bogus IDs for use on the Mercury long distance
telephone network, as well as using other people's legitimate
Mercury IDs.

"It's always difficult to assess the losses involved in cases of
this type, but we think we're looking at network misuse rather
than calls we would have obtained income for," he said.

The police raids stemmed from a report carried out by the News of
the World, a National Inquirer-type weekly newspaper published in
London. According to Walker, an investigative journalist working
for the paper uncovered the possibility that a number of people
were involved in a Mercury long distance phone network scam
while looking at another case. The police were informed and the
aids carried out as a result of the tip-off.

Walker confirmed that Mercury long distance telephone codes
were only validated for use on a localized basis, meaning that a
code issued for, say, Central London, would not work outside the
city.

"I understand that the people involved were aware of this, but
were able to use the phone codes locally," he told Newsbytes.

(Steve Gold/19920526/Press Contact: Mercury Communications,
071-528-2000)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00022)

 ****German Digital Mobile Phone Network Begins July 7 05/26/92
DUSSELDORF, WESTERN GERMANY, 1992 MAY 26 (NB) --
Mannesmann, the parent company to Mannesmann Mobilfunk,
has announced that Germany's first digital mobile network will
commence operations on July 7 -- around a year later than
originally scheduled.

As well as being the first digital mobile phone network
operational in Germany, the D2 network will be the first
privately-owned network of its type in the country. Existing
mobile phone networks are operated by Deutsche Bundespost
Telekom (DBT), the state telecommunications company.

Mannesmann has declined to say how much the D2 network, or
the delay itself, has cost the company in lost revenues, but has
gone on record as saying that he expects the Mobilfunk operation
to break even by 1994 and achieve net profits the following year.

According to the Reuters news network, the Mobilfunk operation is
said to have cost DM 2,000 million ($9,800 million) if costs are
projected to the end of the year. Mannesmann has a 51 percent
share in the Mobilfunk operation, with other shareholders
including Cable & Wireless in the UK and Pacific Telesis in the
US.

Mobilfunk is wasting no time in getting its network to as wide a
potential audience as possible. The network should cover 80
percent of the West German population by the end of the year.
The haste to get the network operational is explained by the fact
that the DBT digital mobile phone network should be on-line soon,
using similar frequencies, operating under the D1 network banner.

Both the D1 and D2 networks face competition from a third source,
however. Plans call for a new low-power digital mobile phone
network, aimed at city dwellers, to be known as the E1 network.
No details on a launch date for the E1 network have been
announced, but Newsbytes understands that it could be soon.

(Steve Gold/19920526)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LON)(00023)

New For Unix In UK: Wordperfect Debuts On HP 9000 05/26/92
ADDLESTONE, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1992 MAY 26 (NB) --
Wordperfect UK has ported its Wordperfect 5.0 word processor
to two new Unix platforms -- the Hewlett-Packard 9000 Series
700/800 and the Series 300/400 range of machines.

Both versions of the package, which run on the HP-UX 8.0
operating system, retail for UKP 399. Five and ten user versions
sell for, respectively, UKP 795 and 1,195.

Both packages have been welcomed by Hewlett-Packard. Nigel
Batterton, HP's software partner marketing manager, said he is
pleased that the word processing package is at last available on
the HP Unix systems. "This complements our full range of
business software on Open Systems," he said.

This new port of Wordperfect 5.0 for Unix includes a number of
high-end word processing features, including automatic
referencing, merge, columns, footnotes, endnotes, and variable
fonts. Kerning and a full thesaurus are included as standard.

In common with other versions of Wordperfect 5.0, these versions
include file standardization with all other copies. A file created
under the package could, for example, be loaded straight into a
DOS version without modification.

(Steve Gold/19920526/Press & Public Contact: Wordperfect UK,
0932-850500)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00024)

Dowty Lands UKP 30 Million Contract With FAA 05/26/92
WATFORD, HERTS, ENGLAND, 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- The US
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded Dowty
Communications a contract to provide its DCX series of
communications processors for the third phase of a major
network expansion program.

The contract has an estimated value of UKP 300 million which,
according to Dowty, makes it the largest single contract in the
company's history.

Under the contract, Dowty Communications Inc., whose
headquarters are located near Washington DC, will provide the
DCX series of products, which feature user switching, as well as
bridging and gateway capabilities. Terms of the contract also call
for Dowty to provide installation, maintenance, training, and
engineering support services.

Announcing the awarding of the contract, Bruce Brain, Dowty's
information technology division managing director, said that it
represents a feather in Dowty's cap as regards the FAA's
satisfaction with DCX products.

"Dowty was able to demonstrate the reliability and overall cost-
effectiveness of the DCX product line to the FAA, as well as the
excellent around-the-clock support capabilities that they demand
from their key suppliers," he said.

The DCX series is a statistical multiplexer-based range of
modular communications processors, concentrators and "feeder"
units. The family of products is used to interconnect various
networks (local and wide area), along with a variety of devices.

(Steve Gold/19920526/Press & Public Contact: Dowty
Communications, 0923-258444)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00025)

GAO Says CHCS Medical Computer Sys A Potential Danger 05/26/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- The US General
Accounting Office has joined the battle over the Composite Health
Care System (CHCS) contract awarded to San Diego, California-
based Science Applications International Corp. by the Department
of Defense. Saying in a report released last week that the
medical information computer system is potentially dangerous, the
GAO also reports that it is wildly over budget.

The first real hints of problems with military-related hospital
computer problems came last year when anonymous employees
of Veterans Administration Hospitals sent reports to several
Washington-based publications outlining the major errors to be
found in patient records at some VA hospitals.

The VA conducted an investigation at that time by going to a
couple of facilities in the Washington area. The agency reported
a clean bill of health at those facilities, but there were continued
charges of a cover-up and poor management practices.

The CHCS software was supposed to clear up some of the
problems reported last year, but despite three year's development
effort, the GAO report, along with comments from doctors at
Walter Reed Hospital indicate that major problems still exist in
the system being tested.

Last November the GAO released another report on CHCS which
said that an incomplete version of the software, which was then in
two alpha test sites was being deployed too quickly by the
Department of Defense to a further 12 beta test sites.

Eventually the $1.6 billion CHCS system is intended to provide a
large amount of the patient-services data management at nearly
700 military hospital sites around the world, providing everything
from appointments to radiology and pharmacy record keeping.

The GAO's criticism of the DoD's proposed test procedure was
based on the notion that the alpha version of CHCS lacked vital
features such as retrieval of old records, making the move to
beta testing a meaningless step.

In its report, "Medical ADP Systems: Changes in Composite
Health Care System's Deployment Strategy are Unwise," the
GAO said that the off-line storage and retrieval of patient data is
vital to the system's overall operational performance.  "It is not
judicious to deploy CHCS hoping that its open-ended cost growth
will be controlled by a capability promised in the future," the
report concluded.

At that time Captain Paul Tibbits told Government Computer
News: "Our deployment strategy is quite reasonable and quite
sound, and it supports the very clearly and strongly expressed
desires of the three military departments. The archive-retrieve
capability is quite a low-risk solution."

He pointed out that a major review of the project was scheduled
for March of 1992.

That review, has resulted in the GAO's recently released report
which predicts a $400 million cost overrun and says that a system
of duplicate patient records could lead to incorrect treatment
because old records were not all updated or purged in a timely
manner.

A spokesperson for the company said that it had not been given an
opportunity to respond to the GAO findings before the report was
published and went on to say, according to the Washington Post,
that the software was not at fault, it was only automating a
system which was already flawed and that the process of
converting over to computerized record keeping was merely
exposing existing problems.

The company says that the cost overrun is only apparent, not
real, and is due to the GAO assuming that the system has a
useful lifetime only half as long as the 10 year design life.

Originally contracted for in 1988, the CHCS software is written
in DEC Standard Mumps and operates under VMS on DEC 6000-
series VAX mainframe, but smaller installations will use DEC 4200
line systems. Users access the system via DEC VT 320 terminals.

CHCS is based on three components: the outpatient clinic
services module; modules for radiology, pharmacy, appointment
scheduling, and patient administration functions; and the in-
patient order entry module (IPOE) module. The CHCS software's
task is to integrate order entry and reporting using the nine
major modules.

Back in February  Science Applications International Corp., said
that it was reworking the IPOE after complaints from doctors
using the system.

SAIC's partners on the project include Hewlett-Packard Co., IBM
Corp., and Xerox Corp. Estimated revenue for 1991 was $630
million.

(John McCormick/19920526/Press Contact: SAIC, 619-546-6000)


(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00026)

Dev't Begins On Pen Computer Integrated Digitizer/Recog Sys 05/26/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- Scriptel and
ParaGraph have joined forces to produce an integrated
digitizer/recognition system for the pen computer industry.

Until now the digitizer and handwriting recognition software
portions of a pen computer were developed separately and the two
companies feel that by integrating the development effort they can
produce a faster and better product for use by a number of original
equipment manufacturers.

ParaGraph is a US-Russian joint venture with headquarters in
Moscow, Russia, and an office in Colorado.  The company develops
handwriting recognition software and back in April signed an
agreement with Go Corporation to port ParaGraph's Calligrapher
software to Go Pen-Point computers.

Go has about 30 software developers working on producing
applications for its operating system, while Microsoft has nearly
200 developers producing software for its rival Pen Windows
environment.

Scriptel, a publicly traded company based in Columbus, Ohio, was
founded in 1982, has gross annual sales approaching $2 million,
and employs 20 people. The company's main products are
digitizers used in medical and CAD (computer-aided drafting)
applications.

The main advantage of ParaGraph recognition over earlier
handprinting software is the ability to recognize both printing
and "writing" or cursive text input. Once converted to digital
form the electronic "image" captured from the screen of the pen
computer is processed by handwriting recognition software and
converted into ASCII format capable of controlling the computer
or being stored as data.

Digitizers have been available for many years, but they are
mostly used to store images directly as input for drawing
programs, not as a text input system which can eliminate the
need for a keyboard.

ParaGraph technology is likely to start showing up in Apple
Computer systems because those companies have also recently
signed an agreement giving Apple access to ParaGraph's
developments.

In other pen-related news, the Reuters news service says that
Ting Peripherals has announced that it is acquiring Nimble
Computer, holder of an exclusive license to another artificial
intelligence-based system of cursive writing recognition. The
company, according to the report, will have AI-based handwriting
recognition pen computers on the market by the end of this year.

(John McCormick/19920526/Press Contact: James W. France,
Scriptel, 614-276-8402)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00027)

New For PC: CA Updates SuperCalc Spreadsheet 05/26/92
ISLANDIA, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- Computer
Associates has announced an update to its venerable SuperCalc
spreadsheet package that adds some Windows-like features to the
user interface and adds some charting and spreadsheet publishing
features.

The company also updated Silverado, its database add-on package
for SuperCalc, to take advantage of the new release.

SuperCalc 5.5 has full support for a mouse, CA said, and adds a
tool bar that lets users execute common operations by clicking on
buttons -- a feature now common in spreadsheet packages that run
under Windows.

Spreadsheet publishing features include the inclusion of Bitstream
fonts and a page preview feature that shows on the computer screen
just how the worksheet will look when printed. A print-to-fit
feature automatically scales spreadsheet output to fit on a single
page. Advanced Function Printing (AFP), which allows for assorted
fonts, borders, lines, and shading, is now available on dot-matrix
as well as laser printers, CA said.

A multi-page chart capability allows for charts of data from three-
dimensional spreadsheets. The new release also makes it easier
to define charts in one step, CA said, and adds other charting
features.

Other new features include the ability to reference external multi-
page spreadsheets, including those created with rival Lotus 1-2-3,
and the ability to attach notes to any cell in the worksheet. An
auto-save function saves worksheets at specified intervals, a
function selector lets users choose functions from a menu, and
the best fit option adjusts column width automatically to fit the
widest entry.

Silverado version 1.1 adds relational database capabilities to
SuperCalc 5.5. A version of Silverado also exists for Lotus 1-2-3.
CA plans to release a Windows version of SuperCalc in the first
quarter of 1993, said Bob Gordon, a spokesman for the company.

CA-SuperCalc 5.5 is due to be available in August for $149.
Silverado 1.1 is due to be available at the same time, at a price
yet to be announced.

(Grant Buckler/19920526/Press Contact: Bob Gordon, Computer
Associates, 516-342-2391, fax [phone])


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

Globe Information To Market NewsEdge In Canada 05/26/92
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- Globe
Information Services, the electronic publishing division of the
Toronto newspaper The Globe and Mail, will market NewsEdge, a
news-feed filtering package for PCs running Microsoft Windows,
in Canada.

Globe Information announced a marketing agreement with Desktop
Data of Waltham, Massachusetts, the developer of NewsEdge.
NewsEdge is available in Canada now through Globe Information
Services, and the first customer is John Labatt, the Toronto brewery,
which is due to install the product within days, according to Douglas
Hobbs, manager of marketing and business development at Globe
Information.

NewsEdge captures news from an electronic news feed such as
that provided by Globe Information Services Info Globe or Dow-Jones
News Retrieval. Each user can define as many as 16 profiles that
select the news items of interest to them. NewsEdge can then
display headlines of relevant news stories on the computer screen,
and can be set up to sound an alerting beep when an important
story is received.

NewsEdge also creates a database of news stories on the user's
computer, making it possible to search the full text of the stories
for key words and phrases, company officials said.

NewsEdge will work with a variety of news services provided by
Globe Information Services or with other services available from
third parties, Hobbs said.

The software can run in the background under Microsoft Windows
while a user is doing other work on the PC, he said.

(Grant Buckler/19920526/Press Contact: Douglas Hobbs, Globe
Information Services, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Marni
Hoyle, Desktop Data, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00029)

NEC Develops Neuro Computer-Based Stock Analysis Sys 05/26/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- NEC has come up with an
extremely convenient tool for stock traders. It is a neuro
computer-based stock analysis system.

The firm has already tested this system, and a spokesman claims
it to be quite accurate and practical.

NEC's stock analysis system is based on a Unix computer. It will
be able to tell a similar price movement compared with the past
data. This computer system has already been equipped with
15 years of stock charts for the prices of 1,700 listed firms at
the Tokyo Stock Exchange market. The system compares each
data with current price movement. If there is a similar pattern, it
indicates the name of the stocks affected.

According to NEC, this pattern matching system is similar to that
of a sound pattern matching system. Current computer systems
have difficulty in telling the similarity in patterns unless they are
completely the same pattern. NEC has overcome this problem by
combining a sound recognition method and neural networking of
neuro computers.

NEC's neuro-computer system is expected to be practically
applied soon. However, NEC is improving this system to tell
future stock prices even more accurately.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920526/Press Contact: NEC,
[phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00030)

Japan Electronic Mail Association Created 05/26/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 MAY 26 (NB) -- The Japan Electronic Mail
Association will be set up this July. The association will seek
possibilities to exchange electronic mail among various personal
computer networks including Japan's PC-VAN and NIFTY-Serve.

The association is backed up by the Japanese Ministry of Posts
and Telecommunication. The Japan Electronic Mail Association
aims to unite personal computer networks via e-mail, which will
be based on the Message Handling System or MHS.

The 1992 version of the MHS will be announced soon. It is said
it will take some time for this system to be actually applied in
Japan.

The participating firms in the association are NTT, KDD, Intec,
Network Information Service, NEC, Nifty, and Fujitsu. The
participation of NEC, Nifty, and Fujitsu is seen as extremely
important by some analysts -- NEC and Nifty have nearly 500,000
members each.

So, the interconnection of the two major personal computer
networks will give a big boost to stimulate potential users. With
this interconnection, these firms are expecting even more
membership.

To begin with the association will talk about exchanging text mail.
Later, it intends to support multimedia texts such as graphics
data, color data, and sound data.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920526)