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/NB920623

Text File | 1992-06-23 | 62KB | 1,412 lines

(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00001)

Microsoft Intros Golf For Windows 06/23/92
WOKINGHAM, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1992 JUN 23 (NB) -- Microsoft
has announced that it will begin shipping Golf for Windows, a golf
playing emulation game specifically developed for Windows, this
August. Pricing on the package had yet to be decided.

Microsoft is making some bold claims for the game, which is
based around what the company describes as photo-realistic and
topographically accurate simulations of the Torrey Pines golf
course in San Diego.

"Golf for Windows demonstrates a new level of realistic
simulation and shows how Windows can be a great platform for
entertainment products that are fun and easy to use," explained
John Leftwich, Microsoft's director of marketing.

According to Leftwich, the package will appeal to both serious
PC users, as well as games players. This, he said, should
increase the use of PCs in the home.

Golf for Windows was developed by Microsoft's programmers who,
working in conjunction with Access Software Inc., the developers
of the original DOS version, enabled them to come up with
what they claim is the most accurate and realistic golf ball flight
equations. During the program's development, photo video images
of the golf course's features -- trees, bunkers, contours, and
lakes -- were converted into digitized images within the game.

In the game itself, this work translates into a 256-color
version of the DOS edition of Access Golf, along with the push-
button Windows interface, plus on-line help and multiple windows.
In play, the game has libraries of all seven of the Access Links
championship courses, which includes the famous PGA tour events
such as North Troon in Arizona, Pinehurst in North Carolina and
Firestone in Ohio. Several UK course libraries are planned for
release later this year.

Microsoft Golf for Windows runs on a DOS-based PC (version 3.1 or
later) equipped with VGA or better graphics, plus Windows 3.0 or
later. A minimum of an 80286 microprocessor plus 2 megabytes of
memory is required. A single floppy drive (720 kilobytes or more)
plus a mouse is also required.

(Steve Gold/19920622/Press & Public Contact: Microsoft - Tel:
0734-270001)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00002)

Japan: NIFTY-Serve Provides Dataquest Industry Reports 06/23/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 JUN 23 (NB) -- Japan's major personal
computer network, NIFTY-Serve, has started providing Dataquest
in its network, following an agreement with Japan Dataquest.

Dataquest provides industry analysis reports. Dataquest is
provided in Japanese on NIFTY-Serve. Japan Dataquest
will translate analysis reports in Japanese. Many personal
computer users can read some English, but still NIFTY has
decided to work out the deal with Japan Dataquest on a
Japanese version of Dataquest.

The information on the database encompasses computers and
peripheral equipment, strategy on the telecommunication
industry, industry market shares, market trends, the latest
technologies, new products, mergers and acquisitions, and
schedules and information concerning conferences and trade
shows.

According to a NIFTY spokesman, the firm has already been
receiving lots of inquiries about Dataquest, and many users
have already started using it.

The service fee for the database is 220 yen ($1.70) per minute
for 2,400 bits-per-second (bps) line users and 660 yen ($5) per
minute for 9,600 bps line users.

NIFTY-Serve had started the 9,600 bps service in May, and it has
been becoming popular among users. The 9,600 bps service is
provided for the ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)
users, mobile phone users, and users of the public phone lines.

Any users who have a 9,600 bps modem can access NIFTY-Serve
via a public phone line. Currently, NIFTY-Serve has about a
370,000 membership, and the firm aims to gain a total of
500,000 membership by the end of this year.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920622/Press Contact: NIFTY,
[phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00003)

Karaoke Service Starts Via ISDN Network 06/23/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 JUN 23 (NB) -- Brother Industry, Brother
Sales, and Intec are jointly preparing to launch a "Karaoke"
network service in Japan. It is called "Joy Sound," and will
begin in October.

The three firms' system consists of Brother's host computer and
the user's Karaoke machine with the network receiver. Brother
Industry will manufacture this network-based Karaoke device,
and they will be placed at bars, restaurants and hotels. Users
will then receive Karaoke music programs via Intec's ISDN
(Integrated Services Digital Network). Twenty music titles will
be supplied to the user per month. The device includes 3,000
music titles when it is first supplied from Brother. A total of
10,000 kinds of music titles can be stored in this Karaoke device.

The host computer will be located in Nagoya, which is between
Tokyo and Osaka. Brother plans to install about 300 nodes
throughout Japan.

The size of this Karaoke device has become much smaller than
a regular laser disc-based Karaoke machine, and is about a
third of the size. The Karaoke device will be rented to
customers at around 50,000 yen ($380) to 80,000 yen
($615). Twenty music titles will cost 2,500 yen ($20).

Brother Industry, Brother Sales, and Intec have already created
a joint venture firm for this business. Brother Industry has
provided 50 percent of the total 800 million yen ($6 million)
capitalization, and the other two firms have paid half the
capitalization.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920622/Press Contact: Brother Industry,
 [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MOW)(00004)

Publicly Available E-mail To Paper/Fax Gateway In CIS 06/23/92
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1992 JUN 23 (NB) -- A Russian company has
announced the availability of a gateway between Internet
electronic mail and paper mail and a fax service in the former
USSR.

Sending the e-mail message to addresses [e-mail] or
[e-mail] with "Help" in the body text will result in
15 kilobytes of the Russian-language file with English commands
to be sent to you.

The Elvis company claims that prices for the gateway will be quite
affordable. It was announced that a one-page fax within the former
Soviet Union will cost 50 rubles (US$0.5), and a one-page surface
mail letter 27 rubles (US$0.27).

The company says it will also offer message delivery to
addressees worldwide. The company will also offer mail list
services, letters on corporate letterheads, fax to e-mail and
paper to e-mail and the courier delivery in major cities.

A number of other smaller companies are offering the same
service via the Relcom e-mail network, but some observers
claim that they lack the marketing and sales efforts to
make the business successful.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19920622/Press contact: Vladimir Provozin,
Elvis, phone [phone]; e-mail [e-mail])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00005)

Indian Firms To Locally Produce Popular Software Pkgs 06/23/92
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1992 JUN 23 (NB) -- Tata Unisys Ltd. (TUL),
which had tied up with Autodesk Inc., manufacturer of Autocad
last year as a stock-and-sale distributor, has now entered into
a new agreement to reproduce the Autodesk range of software
 packages in India.

TUL is among the first few companies to start local
manufacturing of international software packages after the
recent rationalization of the industrial policies by the
government.

Earlier, Lotus Development signed up with ITC Information
Technology Division and Case Technologies announced its tie-up
with Banyan, for local production of their software. However,
TUL is claimed to be the first external agency to Autodesk
worldwide for getting a manufacturer license for their
products.

Under the new contract, TUL will establish its own manufacturing
facility in India for the range of Autodesk products. The locally-
produced software will then be marketed by TUL through its
reseller network. The first product is likely to hit the market by
the end of this month. The Indian customer would now be benefitted
by firstly, getting Autocad products much sooner than in the past,
and secondly, by the price, which would be cheaper than imported
packages. Imported software attracts 110 percent customs duty

The ITC-Lotus venture and now the TUL tie-up with Autodesk for
reproducing foreign software in India might inspire other global
software vendors also to offer software publishing rights to
Indian companies. This is a boon to users, as the move is expected
to bring down the price of these packages considerably. It is also
seen as a boon to companies, as it will help in curbing piracy.

Tata Unisys is also the Indian distributor for Microsoft's
products for which similar arrangement for reproduction can be
expected soon.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19920622)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00006)

Indian Firm's Software To Be Used In TV Olympics Coverage 06/23/92
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1992 JUN 23 (NB) -- India has opened its
account on the software track, as preparations continue for the
grand opening of the 1992 Olympics Games at Barcelona. New
Delhi-based Amsoft Systems, along with Pesa Electronica, the
official broadcast supplier for the '92 Olympics, has developed
the highly time-critical and complex Template Management
System (TMS), a software to help in TV coverage.

The TMS system allows independent generation of graphics and
corrections, cutting out the dependence on external sources for
latest statistics and scores, by providing a selection screen
with pre-configured buttons to the producer, who has to just
point-and-click to air the desired display with the latest data.

The system was initially developed for the coverage of six
slow games, but has now been accepted for the fast moving
ones also, bringing the number of games to be provided
coverage to 21 out of 28.

Amsoft is a two-year-old company, specializing in computer
graphics, multimedia, value-added software, and knowledge
engineering. Its successful projects include development of
digital stills storage for Pinnacle Systems of United States.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19920622)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00007)

IIA Starts Fighting For 900 Exchange 06/23/92
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1992 JUN 23 (NB) -- The Information
Industry Association, which represents programmers of caller-
paid "900" numbers, is finally fighting attempts to tighten
regulation on the exchange. The group had been supportive of
past efforts by state attorneys general and the Federal
Communication Commission to require preambles detailing
costs, to police every statement made on the exchange, and
to fight fraud.

But the IIA says South Carolina has gone too far. That state's
Public Service Commission has proposed that all phone
subscribers be blocked from gaining access to the "900"
exchange, unless they file papers asking for access.

The FCC has already said that subscribers can block the
exchange with such a request, but a pre-block, which most
people would ignore, is too much for the IIA to take. In
addition to protesting the action in Columbia, the state
capitol, the group has also asked the FCC to "pre-empt"
it, with a ruling that the 900 exchange is inherently an inter-
state, not intra-state service, and thus only the FCC can
regulate it. The FCC has taken such petitions seriously in the
past, and ruled a few months ago that BellSouth could ignore
an attempt by Georgia regulators to look into its Memory Call
voice-mail program, since it is inherently intra-state.

The IIA also put out a list of "good news" services, noting how
PBS stations used the exchange to raise money after "The Civil
War" mini-series, and how "Consumer Reports" magazine
distributes information on cars over the exchange. The IIA
also put out a list of "business" numbers, including services
from Dow Jones, Microsoft, and talk-show host Tony Brown,
among others.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920622/Press Contact: IIA, Susan
Goeney, 202-639-8262)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00008)

BCE Tops Canadian Corporate Profit Ranking 06/23/92
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1992 JUN 23 (NB) -- BCE has taken top
spot in another Canadian corporate ranking. The holding company
that controls Northern Telecom, Bell Canada, and various other
interests, has taken the number one spot in the Report on Business
1000, a ranking of Canada's most profitable companies by the
Toronto newspaper The Globe and Mail.

BCE is not new to the ROB 1000 most-profitable spot. It moved into
that spot from fifth last year, dislodging Alcan Aluminium, which
has now plunged to 935th in the rankings with a C$36 million loss.
However, the ranking comes close on the heels of Canadian
Business magazine's Top 500, a ranking by revenue in which BCE
took the top position for the first time.

With a 1991 profit of C$1,329 million, up 16 percent from 1990,
BCE turned a significantly larger profit than the number-two
company -- not surprisingly, since the number two spot is occupied
by BCE's own subsidiary, Bell Canada, with a C$986 million profit.
The company's other main subsidiary, Northern Telecom, also
made the top 10, placing eighth with a C$515 million profit.

The others in the top 10 are the five major Canadian banks, the
Seagram distillery company, and GW Utilities, an obscure gas
utility that leaped from 90th into 10th place with an 869
percent profit increase to C$407 million.

Two other telephone companies -- British Columbia Telephone
and Alberta-based Telus -- appear in the top 50.

IBM Canada placed sixth by revenue in the Report on Business's
ranking of the top private companies in Canada (private because
IBM Canada is a subsidiary of the US-based IBM), with C$6,314
million in revenues.

In a list of the top 10 technology companies by revenue, Northern
Telecom was placed first, followed by IBM Canada. The only
other information technology companies on that list were Xerox
Canada and Digital Equipment of Canada, which placed ninth and
10th after several makers of machinery, engines, and aerospace
products.

(Grant Buckler/19920622/Press Contact: The Globe and Mail
Report on Business, 416-585-5000)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00009)

Radius Intros MCA Version Of Full Page Pivot Display 06/23/92
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A. 1992 JUN 23 (NB) -- Some
nine months after the shipping of versions of the Full Page
Pivot Display for both the Industry Standards Architecture
(ISA) and Extended ISA (EISA), Radius Inc. has now announced
a version for Micro Channel Architecture (MCA)-based PCs.

According to the company, the system consists of Radius'
dual-orientation Full Page Pivot display and SVGA MultiView
interface card.

Maria Gagliardi, spokesperson for the company, told Newsbytes
that the Full Page Display is designed for "business productivity"
applications which includes both desktop publishing and
spreadsheets which can "take advantage of (the products') dual
orientation."

The company also maintains that the display supports a full page
view in portrait (vertical) mode for WYSIWYG (what you see is
what you get) word processing as well as desktop publishing, and
a landscape (horizontal) mode for presentation graphics as well
as spreadsheets

According to the company, the use of Microsoft Windows and
other graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for the PC requires
better display capabilities with larger screen areas, full page
view, higher resolutions, and faster graphics performance.
Multitasking and multi-windowing features require a larger
screen display to manage the various windows, argues Radius.

The company maintains that 14-inch VGA screens do not provide
adequate room to tile multiple windows without excessive
overlap. Additionally, although 17-inch displays do provide enough
desktop space to tile multiple windows, they are unable to display
a full vertical page, which, according to the company, is essential
for WYSIWYG word processing and desktop publishing applications.

The Radius Full Page Pivot Display System provides a
super hi-refresh rate of 115 Hz interlaced for flicker-free
1024 by 768 resolution in Windows 3.1, claims Radius.

The SVGA MultiView card is also claimed to be 100 percent
VGA, VESA, and Video Seven BIOS (basic input/output system)
compatible, providing support for VGA and Super VGA
graphics standards.  Radius software drivers are provided for
all major software applications, including Lotus 1-2-3,
WordPerfect, AutoCAD, and Studio 3D.

Gagliardi told Newsbytes that the MCA version of the Pivot
display carries a suggested retail price of $999 and the
Multiview card retails at $549. Both are available
immediately, she said.

Interestingly, the company says there are nearly ten million
Micro Channel PCs installed worldwide.

(Ian Stokell/19920622/Press Contact: James Strohecker,
Radius Inc., 408-954-6828; Maria Gagliardi, A&R Partners
Inc., 415-363-0982)

(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00010)

 ****Appeal Court Plugs Gap In UK Computer Legislation 06/23/92
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1992 JUN 23 (NB) -- The Court of Appeal in the
UK has overturned a ruling that cast doubt on the Computer
Misuse Act. The ruling means that section two of the Act, which
covers unauthorized access to a computer system with intent to
commit false accounting, is now intact again.

Judge Aglionby, sitting at Snaresbrook Crown Court in July 1991,
acquitted a man who had been charged under section two of the
Computer Misuse Act. The accused, a salesman in a warehouse, had
allegedly tampered with a computer in order to give himself a
large discount on a key cutting machine.

The man, who had been charged with false accounting under the
Act, was acquitted, after the defense in the case successfully
argued that two computers were required in order for the man's
actions to qualify as "computer hacking." Since the accused had
used just one computer -- the computer holding the accounts
data -- the court ruled that a prosecution under the Computer
Misuse Act was not appropriate.

As well as allowing what many viewed as an obviously guilty
criminal to go free, the Snaresbrook Crown Court ruling acted as
a precedent in British law, meaning, in effect, that section two
of the Computer Misuse Act could only be applied where two
computers were used in a case of alleged hacking. Under Judge
Aglionby's ruling, if a hacker were to directly access a computer
system, using a terminal on that system, then a "crime" -- as
detailed under the Act -- was said not to have taken place.

Lord Justice Taylor, the Lord Chief Justice, overruling Judge
Aglionby's decision, said last week that, in overturning the
acquittal, he was plugging what could have been a "surprising
and unlikely" gap in the legislation.

Interestingly, under British law, once a defendant in a case has
been acquitted, he cannot be punished if, as has happened in this
case, a higher court overturns the acquittal. The case result
only stands for the record, rather than the punishment.

Lord Taylor, however, stressed that the Appeal Court's decision
was appropriate in this case, as, had the lower court's ruling
been allowed to stand, then unauthorized access to computer-held
data could be made by anyone with direct access to an "in house"
computer.

(Steve Gold/19920623)


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

UK: AST Extends Power Premium Family Of PCs 06/23/92
BRENTFORD, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1992 JUN 23 (NB) -- AST Europe
has added two new PCs -- the Premium 3/25s and the Premium
4/25s -- to its recently-announced range of Power Premium
machines. Both machines are based on 25 megahertz (MHz)
versions of, respectively, 80386SX and 80486SX microprocessors.

The new machines feature an advanced, integrated, VGA graphics
technology with 512 kilobytes (KB) of video memory, which can be
upgraded to 1 megabyte (MB). The VGA technology supports a screen
resolution of up to 1,024 by 768 pixels with 256 colors, or 1,280
by 1,024 pixels with 16 colors.

Base pricing on the Power Premium 3/25s is UKP 995, rising in UKP
200 and UKP 250 stages for, respectively, an 80 or 210MB hard
disk system. Pricing for the floppy-only version of the 4/25s is
UKP 1,545, rising in two UKP 200 stages for the 80 or 210MB hard
disk versions.

Announcing the machines, which will ship in the UK at the end
of July, Graham Hopper, AST's general manager, said that they
complete the company's range of Power Premium PCs. "They bring
together the most innovative and state of the art technology
available today for the corporate user of Windows, OS/2 and
other graphical and business environments," he said.

According to Hopper, the typical business user of the Power
Premium range can now buy a system which will match his needs,
without worrying that the machine will be obsolete in two to
three years time, since it can be upgraded using AST's Cupid
upgradeable technology.

Both the new PCs feature 4MB of memory (upgradeable to 80MB),
five drive bays and five free expansion slots. Despite the
expandability, the machines has a small footprint -- 15 by
16.5 inches -- with a 6.25-inch case height.

(Steve Gold/19920623/Press & Public Contact: AST Europe - Tel:
081-568-4350)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00012)

UK: Trigem Unveils Budget 386SX Notebook PC 06/23/92
SLOUGH, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1992 JUN 23 (NB) -- Trigem
Computers has added a budget notebook computer, which it
claims offers a range of features based around a 20 megahertz
(MHz) 80386SX microprocessor. The seven pound machine, the
Gemnote SX386NP, comes with 1 megabyte (MB) of memory
(expandable to 5MB internally), a 3.5 inch floppy, plus a 40MB
hard disk, and DOS 5.0 already installed.

Unveiling the UKP 989 machine, Parm Sangha, Trigem's sales
manager, said that the unit is a high quality notebook with many
attractive features "at a price well below the rival brands."

Like many of the smaller notebooks, the new Gemnote has external
slots for integrated circuit (IC) cards and a maths coprocessor.
Coupled with a snap-in slot for a maths coprocessor chip, Trigem
claims that the upgrades for the machine are as easy to install
as changing its batteries.

The screen on the machine is a 640 by 480 pixel VGA resolution
using double supertwist sidelit liquid crystal display (LCD).
Using a sidelit screen, Trigem claims, eliminates back light
glare, making the screen easier to read.

Trigem is aiming the Gemnote at the portable PC user who
travels a lot -- the machine is dual voltage and takes snap-in
rechargeable battery packs, allowing extra battery packs to be
carried around with the PC. Free lifetime use of the company's
technical support helpline, as well as the option to buy a year's
on-site maintenance for the machine for UKP 50 extra.

Trigem claims to be Korea's leading PC manufacturer, though the
bulk of its PCs are supplied into the original equipment
manufacturer (OEM) marketplace. The company is hoping to
establish a sizeable share of the market under its own name.

(Steve Gold/19920623/Press & Public Contact: Trigem
Computers - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00013)

UK: Tricom Intros Quad Standard PC Half Card Modem 06/23/92
STOKENCHURCH, BUCKS, ENGLAND, 1992 JUN 23 (NB) -- Tricom
has unveiled the Tempest PC Quad, another in its range of pan-
European modems.

This unit, a UK 349 PC half card, supports all modem speeds
between 300 and 2,400 bits per second (bps), as well as V.42
error correction and data compression.

Announcing the modem, Mike Hafferty, Tricom's managing
director, said: "The Tempest PC Quad combines a highly-
featured modem with the convenience of a compact half-card
design," adding that the modem is produced at Tricom's UK
manufacturing plant.

In the UK the Tempest modem is supplied with Tricom's Pearl
communications software. Tricom claims that, by using the
data compression features of the built-in V.42Bis firmware,
the modem is capable of achieving 7,200 bps data throughputs.

(Steve Gold/19920623/Press Public Contact: Tricom -
Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00014)

Sigma Intros New High-Res Monitors For Mac, PC 06/23/92
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 2292 JUN 23 (NB) -- Sigma Designs
has announced several new monitors for both Macintosh II, Quadra,
and IBM compatible personal computers (PCs) at the American
Information and Imaging Management (AIIM) conference in
Anaheim, California.

The company says it is introducing the first high resolution
grayscale monitor for the Macintosh, the Multimode 120. The
Multimode is so named because it has multiple display modes.

Company officials told Newsbytes there are 6 modes that go
from 36 dots per inch (dpi) or 512 by 384 pixels at a 116
hertz refresh rate, to 120 dpi or 1664 by 1200 pixels at a 76 Hz
refresh rate. The monitor is aimed at the growing document
image processing market and is expected to be available in
August.

The company also announced the Multimode 150 for both the
IBM PC and Macintosh platform that will offer even higher
resolution and is expected to be available in the fall of this
year.

While the Multimode 150 monitor is designed to be common between
the Macintosh and PC platforms, Sigma says the display controllers
have features unique to each platform. For example, the MultiMode
150 display controller for the PC offers a 16-bit interface, video
graphics array (VGA) compatibility, supports up to 16 gray shades in
VGA emulation, and up to four gray shades at 1664 by 1200
resolution, Sigma said. Suggested retail price for either platform
version of the 150 is $2,980.

Sigma's President Thinh Tran said the document imaging and
graphics arts markets are the core of the company's business.
According to AIIM, major growth is expected in the document
image processing market. Now the market is estimated at $1
billion but is expected to grow to $8 billion by 1995, AIIM
predicted.

In the arena of color, Sigma announced the Proimage 17 for PCs,
a 17-inch Trinitron display that offers a built-in microprocessor
and a Windows accelerated controller. The Proimage supports
1280 by 960 in 16 palletized colors and 1024 by 768 in 256
colors in non-interlaced modes, Sigma maintains.

Sigma says it has thought of ergonomics to make the monitor
more comfortable and safe for the users. The company says the
Proimage offers 120 Hz refresh rate and meets the Swedish
Board for Measurement and Testing guidelines for VLF/ELF
magnetic emissions.

The Proimage is priced at $2,395 and is to be available in July,
Sigma added.

Sigma says research by International Data Corporation has
concluded that the desktop publishing and graphic arts markets
have specific needs requiring grayscale technology that are
separate from the need for color. Those needs include display
technology for strictly black-and-white and continuous-tone
publications, black-and-white photo retouching, and imaging,
the company said.

Sigma Designs is headquartered in Fremont, California and
describes itself as specializing in desktop publishing and
display systems for IBM compatible and Macintosh computers.

(Linda Rohrbough/22920622/Press Contact: Teresa Schneider,
Sigma Designs, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00015)

 ****AT&T To Assemble Mitsubishi Products In Thailand 06/23/92
BANGKOK, THAILAND, 1992 JUN 23 -- AT&T Mircoelectronics
(Thai) Company Ltd., AT&T's largest volume assembly and test
manufacture facility, and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation have
expanded their current cooperative activities and have concluded
agreements for assembling Mitsubishi products at the AT&T
facility in Bangkok, Thailand.

Under the terms of the agreements, Mitsubishi will ship finished
wafers to the AT&T plant in Bangkok for the final assembly.

The assembly will take place in the dedicated facilities that will
occupy a portion of a larger plant expansion planned for the factory.
Construction is expected to begin shortly and manufacturing is
planned to start by the middle of 1993.

The new agreements also cover the mutual licensing of assembly
production technology which will be used for assembling the
Mitsubishi products.

The two companies have been cooperating with each other since
February 1990. In addition to the packaging of bipolar integrated
circuits and MOS devices, joint activities also exist in the
manufacture of 256K SRAMs and in developing gallium arsenide
integrated circuits.

Thomas W. Mendel, vice president and managing director of
AT&T Microelectronics (Thai) Co. Ltd. disclosed that, "AT&T
Microelectronics has been operating in Thailand since 1985."

"Our plant, located at the Navanakorn Industrial Estate in the north
of Bangkok, manufactures a wide range of semiconductor and
electronic components for applications such as personal
computers, workstations, local area networks, and
telecommunications." he confirmed to Newsbytes.

"Our continuous success has been a result of customer satisfaction
achieved thorough quality products, on-time delivery, competitive
pricing, and most significantly, the team work of our dedicated
Thai staff." Mendel said.

"We have totally Thai staff except for two Americans including
myself and another guy," Mendel revealed. The successful
relationship between the two giants has largely been attributed
to the diligent work and good work ethics of the Thai staff, which
is said to be a trait of Thai people.

All staff receive 30 days training and a three and a half day basic
quality circle concept. There are 72 quality circle programs.
"With the basic quality concept that Thai workers bring to the
job, we've been able to meet the world renowned Japanese
standards on all occasions," Mendel told Newsbytes.

Mendal added that, "Currently, we have about 800 Thai employees
and expect that the contract with Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
will provide work for 300 to 400 additional Thais. More over, we
will be expanding our manufacturing area by 140 percent from
70,000 square feet to 170,000 square feet. This agreement is a
major landmark in our cooperative venture with Mitsubishi and
we are delighted at the new opportunities it will create for our
company and workforce."

(Brett Cameron/19920622/Press contact: Djin Chutharat, Ogilvy
& Mather (Thailand) Tel: [phone];Thai time is GMT + 7)
(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00016)

 ****Globex Electronic Futures Market Opens Thursday 06/23/92
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1992 JUN 23 (NB) -- Markets
worldwide are bracing for a major change in how they do
business. Globex, an all-electronic market for the worldwide
trading of futures, goes on-line Thursday.

Globex was developed by the Chicago Mercantile Exchange,
the Chicago Board of Trade, and Reuters PLC of the United
Kingdom.

While Globex isn't expected to have a huge immediate impact on
the markets, it is expected to render most trading floors
obsolete over time.

Globex is a "matching system" -- it collects bids and asks and
makes a trade when prices match. As such it is quite different
from the "open outcry" trading used on exchanges like the Chicago
Board of Trade, where traders announce their buy or sell offers,
then compromise on the floor. But an attempt by traders to create
an "open outcry" electronic system failed, and following scandals
at the major exchanges using that system, the way to Globex
was clear.

To solve the problem which led to the scandals, the exchanges are
moving to a system of handheld terminals which create "audit
trails" on trades, replacing the scraps of paper previously used.
But an electronic exchange offers an even better audit trail,
regulators say.

The big problem with Globex, from the regulatory point of view,
is that its worldwide reach makes it unclear whose rules should
be followed. At present, the rules to be followed will be those
applying to the exchange where the contract was originally
placed, so if a London bidder gets a bid from Chicago on his
pound notes, London rules prevail and vice versa.

Globex terminals trading currencies and bonds -- the two biggest
markets -- will also be available in Paris and New York. Four New
York exchanges, as well as the bourses in Sydney and Singapore,
are discussing having their products listed as well.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920623)


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

PacBell Goes for Long Distance Market 06/23/92
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JUN 23 (NB) -- Pacific
Bell has begun a heavy advertising campaign to get a bigger
share of the in-state long distance business against AT&T, MCI
and Sprint, among others.

The campaign broke with television and radio spots highlighting
employees and customers, and a tag line that "'Good enough'
isn't."

Under current California regulation, long distance companies
can carry calls between the state's 10 service regions,
but must leave long distance calls within the regions to
Pacific Bell. The rules are expected to change early in l993,
however, and Pacific Bell will have to fight for its market
share.

The campaign was developed by Foote, Cone & Belding, San
Francisco. The tag line will also be integrated with other
product advertising, things like its Calling Card, Centrex, and
Custom Calling Services.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920623/Press Contact: Pacific Bell, Dan
Theobald, 415/542-4589)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00018)

EMBARC Info Service Gets Serious With Wegener Receiver 06/23/92
BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1992 JUNE 23 (NB) --
Motorola's EMBARC unit, which is using satellite paging
techniques to deliver a one-way information service to
computer users, is buying some key equipment from a
small Atlanta company.

Motorola said it will buy a digital satellite receiver designed
to withstand extreme temperatures from Wegener
Communications, best known for its products for the cable
television industry. The device both receives data from the
satellite and multiplexes it, dividing it among broadcast
antennae for delivery to subscribers.

EMBARC, which stands for Electronic Mail Broadcast to A
Roaming Computer, shares the 931 MHz frequency nationwide
with the MobileComm and SkyTel paging units.

But Motorola, which is the leading maker of pagers, decided that
its entrant should not be a primary competitor to those companies.
So EMBARC offers longer messages, which are received by units
like its DataStream, sold by Hewlett-Packard as the Newstream.
The unit can be interfaced directly to a PC for reception of longer
on-line messages than can be sent with any paging network.
Motorola said that, with EMBARC, a one-page letter can be
delivered to thousands of mobile workers within 15 minutes for
a total cost of under $9.

The satellite receiver/demultiplexer units made by Wegener are
already installed in EMBARC's regional transmission sites in more
than 80 markets across the country. The Wegener stations receive
encoded EMBARC message via satellite and feed them to Motorola
base stations to be re-broadcast. The Wegener stations work in
temperatures ranging from -30 centigrade to 60 degrees
centigrade. The housing are often installed in remote and
outdoors locations.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920623/Press Contact: Ken Countess,
EMBARC, 305-475-5603)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00019)

International Phone Update 06/23/92
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 JUN 23 (NB) -- Old enemies
are reaching out and touching one another through the phone
worldwide.

Iran and Kuwait have signed a post and telecommunication
link which will result in the establishment of a 960-channel
telephone and telex link. The agreement concluded a four-day
visit to the Iranian capital of Tehran by the Kuwaiti
communications minister. Tehran said it also wants to expand
links with other Gulf Arab states. The deal is significant,
because Kuwait's American allies tilted toward Iraq in the 10-
year war between Iraq and Iran, but was then invaded by Iraq.
Iran has also been working hard to improve telecom links with
the Muslim states of Central Asia which were formerly part of
the Soviet Union.

In Latin America, Reuters reports that five bidders have emerged
for Peru's 21 percent stake in its Compania Peruana de Telefonos,
which will be sold by next May. Investors representing firms from
Chile, Spain, the United States, France, and Japan had expressed
interest in the stock, despite harsh words from both the US and
the Organization of American States over a military coup
successfully launched earlier this year by President Alberto
Fujimori.

Technically, the state share is held by the country's telecom
unit, Entel Peru, which has a monopoly on service outside Lima,
Callao and nearby coastal towns. Also, Siemens won a $30
million order from Columbia's Telecomm monopoly, which said
it has no plans for privatization right now. The contract will
expand the system's microwave relay network.

Finally, it's now possible for people in North and South Korea to
call each other. International Discount Telecommunications, which
started with service between European countries, going through
New York, to beat high tariffs, is now offering service between
any two countries whose governments really hate each other.
North and South Korea may block direct calls, but by routing
through IDT's system in the US, citizens of the two countries
can now talk.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920623)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00020)

Reseller Sues AT&T 06/22/92
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JUNE 23 (NB) -- Affinity
Network, which re-sells long distance services, has sued AT&T in
Los Angeles federal court, alleging for breach of contract,
monopolistic practices, unreasonable tariff practices,
interference with prospective economic advantage, unjust
discrimination, unfair business practices and unfair competition.

The suit charges AT&T employed a series of tactics designed to
kill competition from resellers. The resellers say that, by
selling services in bulk and reselling them at a slight profit,
they can offer small businesses lower prices than they can get
with direct company calling plans.

The suit lists a series of allegedly unlawful and discriminatory
AT&T practices which ANI claims will systematically squeeze
switchless resellers out of business, such as intentionally
misplacing or losing customer orders, requiring large security
deposits and/or advance payments, providing little, if any,
customer service, and delaying billing.

ANI seeks actual damages to cover loss of revenue, loss of
existing and future customers, loss of profits and legal fees,
among others, and to have AT&T cease its unfair practices.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920623/Press Contact: Michael Glaser,
for Affinity Network, 303-861-7000)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00021)

 ****CA Changes Tack, Plans OS/2 Products 06/23/92
ISLANDIA, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 JUN 23 (NB) -- Throwing its
support behind the IBM operating system it had previously
scorned, Computer Associates has announced plans for OS/2
versions of seven software packages it currently offers for
Microsoft Windows.

CA plans OS/2 releases of: CA-Unicenter, a systems management
products also offered for mainframes and Unix systems; CA-
Realizer, a graphical BASIC-language development tool;
CA-dBFast, a database development package; CA-Compete!, a
multi-dimensional, spreadsheet-like decision support package;
CA-SuperProject, its project management software; Accpac
Simply Accounting, an entry-level accounting package; and
CA-Textor, a word processor.

All of these products are expected to be in beta testing this fall
and to be demonstrated at the Fall Comdex show in Las Vegas in
November, said Marc Sokol, director of product strategy at
Computer Associates.

Just last fall, Anders Vinberg, CA's senior vice-president of
research and development, told Newsbytes in an interview at
Comdex that his company had no plans to release OS/2 software,
having concluded that OS/2 would be used mainly on network
servers for the foreseeable future.

"Our clients asked us to change our view," Sokol told Newsbytes
from the PC Expo show in New York. Sokol said OS/2 2.0, the new
release that appeared at the end of March, put OS/2 back in the
running. "The versions prior to 2.0 were not really complete," he
said. "They didn't have everything our clients needed."

CA customers are not likely to abandon Windows, Sokol said, but
they are increasingly likely to mix Windows and OS/2.

The OS/2 versions of CA packages will take advantage of unique
OS/2 capabilities, such as its user interface and its true 32-bit
processing, Sokol added.

Computer Associates officials said they would work with IBM
on joint marketing of the OS/2 products, but would not provide
details.

(Grant Buckler/19920623/Press Contact: Bob Gordon, Computer
Associates, 516-342-2391, fax [phone])


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

New Products: Wang Unveils PCs, Servers, Notebook 06/23/92
LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 JUN 23 (NB) -- Wang
Laboratories has launched seven new machines, including
three desktop PCs, three servers, and a notebook computer.

The three desktop PCs have built-in support for audio processing
and voice annotation, along with local-bus video, a design that
speeds up video processing by driving video through the CPU
(central processing unit) bus rather than the slower system bus.
The machines are well suited to work with the multimedia
extensions to Microsoft Windows, incorporated in Windows 3.1,
said Kevin Denuccio, director of sales and marketing for Wang's
personal computer division.

The three servers provide space for as many as 13 storage
devices in an unusual cube-shaped enclosure. All use 486-class
central processors and the Extended Industry Standard
Architecture (EISA) system bus.

The desktop units include: the PC351/25S, with a 25 megahertz
(MHz) 386SX processor and a base price of $815; the PC461/25SC,
with a 25 MHz 486SX processor and a $1,295 base price tag; and
the PC461/33C, with a 33 MHz 486DX chip and a base price of
$1,695. All these prices are for basic machines without disk
drives and monitors. The desktop models are available
immediately.

The server line starts with the TC 480E/25SC, which uses a
25 MHz 486SX chip and has a base price of $3,595. The middle
of the line is the TC480E/33C, which comes with a 33 MHz
486DX processor for a base price of $3,999. Crowning the line is
the TC480E/50C, a $4,195 machine with a 50 MHz 486DX2 chip.
These are also base prices without disk drives or monitors, and
these machines are due to be available in 30 to 45 days,
DeNuccio said.

Finally, Wang launched a notebook computer, the Wang 1000,
which is built on a 20 MHz Intel 386SL processor. Weighing in at
6.5 pounds. The Wang 1000 has a list price of $2,495, and
includes a 60 megabyte (MB) hard disk drive and an internal
2,400 bits-per-second (bps) modem, Denuccio said. Wang rates
the 1000's battery life at two and a half hours between
charges.

Designed for business and government buyers, the new machines
will be sold through Wang direct sales organization and value-
added resellers.

(Grant Buckler/19920623/Press Contact: Hanne Herwick, Wang,
508-967-6405)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00023)

New Product: NCR Launches Multimedia Machine 06/23/92
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 JUN 23 (NB) -- NCR has
launched the NCR System 3000 Model 3331 Multimedia Learning
Station, which the company claims will be the first in a new line
of multimedia products. NCR sees the 3331 as an on-line
business training and education system for large NCR customers --
such as retailers -- that need to train new employees frequently.

The 3331's design can accommodate any processor in the Intel
80486 line, including SX, DX, and DX2 versions, Gary Horning,
assistant vice-president of strategic planning, told Newsbytes.

The company plans to sell three standard configurations to begin
with, using the 25 megahertz (MHz) 486SX chip, the 33 MHz 486DX,
and the 50 MHz 486DX2 processor. However, Horning said, custom
configurations can be put together "if a big customer comes along"
and wants them.

The systems will also be upgradeable, so that a new and more
powerful processor can be installed in place of the original chip,
he said.

NCR emphasized the fact that the 3331 machines use the 32-bit 486
chips rather than less powerful 386 processors. Horning said this
is not specifically because of the systems' multimedia functions,
but because NCR believes the 486 chips are rapidly becoming the
standard for corporate computing in the United States.

The Learning Station supports a selection of multimedia
applications and development tools available for Microsoft
Windows and is compatible with Multimedia PC Council (MPC)
standards, NCR said.

The PC incorporates a number of third-party products, including:
Fluent Inc.'s software digital video playback; Media Vision Inc.'s
high-fidelity digital audio sound; AimTech's IconAuthor runtime
module; and Intel's DVI digital motion video technology. It also
uses NCR's own 77C22 graphics processor.

The NCR 3331 Learning Station also includes a fully featured
IconAuthor run-time module to support any IconAuthor course
developed on any platform.

A typical configuration of the SX-25 based version, with a
120 megabyte (MB) hard disk and four MB of memory as well as
various multimedia accessories such as speakers, headphones,
and compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) player, costs
about $5,300, Horning said.

(Grant Buckler/19920623/Press Contact: Jeni Cozart, NCR,
513-445-5648)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00024)

Computer Associates Discusses Database Plans 06/23/92
ISLANDIA, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 JUN 23 (NB) -- In the wake of
its recent acquisition of Los Angeles-based Nantucket, developer
of the Clipper database software, Computer Associates has
revealed its plans for Clipper, Nantucket's Aspen development
project, and its own dBFast database development tool for
Microsoft Windows.

Both are Xbase database packages, meaning they are compatible
with the widely used dBase products from Borland International.

As promised earlier, Computer Associates said it plans to
maintain and enhance both Clipper and dBFast. Specifically,
version 5.2 of Clipper is to go to beta testers this fall, and
version 2.0 of dBFast, now entering beta test, should be
shipping before the end of the year.

Computer Associates is positioning Clipper as the product for
those interested in object-oriented development, while dBFast
is meant to appeal to those who want easy-to-use, graphical
database development capabilities, said Marc Sokol, director
of product strategy at CA.

CA does not plan to drop either of these products, Sokol told
Newsbytes, but will offer migration aids for users who want to
move to Aspen, a product that has been under development at
Nantucket since well before the acquisition. "Aspen is nirvana,"
Sokol said. "Aspen will be the solution that all paths lead to."

Due to be demonstrated at the Fall Comdex show in Las Vegas in
November and to go into beta testing before the end of 1992, Aspen
will combine an object-oriented language, a native code compiler,
an integrated development environment, and both Xbase-style and
client/server databases. Aspen will have a graphical user
interface. The initial version will be for Microsoft Windows, with
OS/2, Windows NT, and Unix versions planned for the future.

Aspen is a code name; Computer Associates plans to announce the
official name of the product at Comdex.

(Grant Buckler/19920623/Press Contact: Bob Gordon, Computer
Associates, 516-342-2391, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEN)(00025)

Two Companies Announce Tiny Fax/Data Pocket Modems 06/23/92
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JUN 23 (NB) --  Two
companies have announced light weight data/fax modems for use
with personal computers that can exchange data at rates up to
14,400 bits-per-second (bps).

Santa Clara, California-based Micro Integrated Communications
has announced its six ounce pocket fax for portable and pen-based
computers that sends and receives data at up to 14,400 bps in
data and fax modes.

The $799 modem has V.32 bis in the data mode, V.17 in the fax
mode,  and V.42 bis data compression. The company says it
started shipping this month.

The company has been shipping internal, external and rackmount
V.32bis modems for about six months. MiCC VP of sales Bob
McKenzie said the new products implement CCITT V.42bis data
compression and V.42 error correction, and are fully compatible
with CCITT Group III, the new SP2388 specification. They utilize
the EIA Class II command set, which lets the user run any fax
software that implements the "+F" extensions to the AT
command set.

"Group III, Class 2 capability means users will be able to use
any Class 2 fax software on PC, Macintosh, or Unix computers
to receive faxes in the background while working on other
applications," McKenzie said.

MiCC also markets a 9600 bps six ounce pocket modem, which
the company said is designed primarily for notebook computers.
The 5-inch by 2.75-inch modem uses CCITT V.42 bis data
compression and V.42 error correction on a V.22bis modem,
which has a suggested retail price of $349 for the DOS version
and $399 for the Macintosh unit.

Earlier this month, Holmes Microsystems released a tiny 1.5
ounce modem developed for Germany's Siemens-Nixdorf to fit
inside SNI's notebook computer. The modem is slightly larger
than a silver dollar, the company said.

Holmes President G. Clark Johnson said the product has all the
functionality of a full-size fax machine. "We have managed to
shrink the package down to the size necessary to fit inside the
new computer, plus incorporate a data modem into the total
package.

The Holmes FAX'EM combines a 9600 bps Group 3 Class II fax plus
a  2400 bps V.42bis modem. The company said addition of V.42bis
data compression boosts the effective throughput of the 2400
bps modem to nearly 9600bps.

The company said the FAX'EM has the ability to accommodate the
varied phone line conditions of both domestic and European phone
systems, and meets the Postal Telegraph & Telephone
requirements of most European countries.

The company said it is unlikely that FAX'EM will be
distributed in the US, since SNI's computer for which it was
designed will be distributed only in Europe.

(Jim Mallory/19920623/Press contact: Bob McKenzie, MiCC,
408-980-9565, fax [phone]; Clark Johnson, Holmes
Microsystems, 800-648-7488)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00026)

New For PC: IntelliDraw From Aldus 06/23/92
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 JUN 23 (NB) -- Aldus
has announced IntelliDraw 1.0, a program the company describes
as a "smart" drawing program for Windows and for the Macintosh.
The announcement was made at PC Expo in New York today.

Aldus said IntelliDraw, developed by subsidiary Silicon Beach
Software, allows the user to create dynamic drawings in which
objects stay aligned, distributed or connected in whatever way
the users want, even as the objects get moved or manipulated.

The company said Intellidraw is based on a platform-independent
object-oriented architecture that allows people to create smart
artwork by establishing relationships among the objects they
draw. The relationships can be based on spatial, alignment, or
dimensional requirements, links or connections between objects,
master-clone relationships, and other type relationships.

Aldus said the relationship can be maintained no matter how the
individual components change, or can be set so that a change in
one object alters related objects.

The use of object-oriented architecture allows the Windows and
Macintosh versions to share a common code base, which permits
file sharing. Each version imports and exports files in most
standard formats. Both also support interapplication
communication via "publish and subscribe" for the Mac and
object linking and embedding under Windows. Files can be
exported to other Aldus programs as well as any other program
that can import files in one of IntelliDraw's export formats.

While specific price information was not available, IntelliDraw
is expected to sell for about $299.

(Jim Mallory/19920623/Press contact: Kathy Episcopo, Silicon
Beach, 619-695-6956,X5302)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00027)

Aldus Expects Poor Second Quarter, Stock Drops 06/23/92
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 JUN 23 (NB) -- Aldus
Corporation stock dropped 3/8 to 17-5/8 even before the
company said it expects it's fourth straight earnings
disappointment in its second quarter.

The company said it now expects to only break even or perhaps
even post a small loss in the quarter which ends June 30th.
That's considerably poorer than analysts estimates, which
ranged from $0.37 to $0.41 per share. "It could be that this
is the darkest hour," said Ragen MacKenzie analysts Scott
McAdams.

The problem, according to analysts, is Aldus' difficulty in
boosting sales in a sluggish market, and doubt that the company
could recover quickly.

Aldus said the lower earnings are due primarily to a
significant revenue shortfall and higher expenses in its
Germany subsidiary. It also blamed, to a lesser degree, lower
than expected sales of its Windows-based products in the US
and Europe.

(Jim Mallory/19920623/Press contact: Pam Miller, Aldus,
206-628-6594)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00028)

 ****Apple, Toshiba Team To Create Multimedia PDA 06/23/92
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JUN 23 (NB) -- Apple and
Toshiba have made official what industry insiders have been
leaking to the press for weeks -- that they will collaborate
on Apple's second PDA (personal digital assistant) device. This
one is called a multimedia player and will incorporate CD-ROM.

Apple's Toshiba collaboration will produce a device different
from Newton, Apple's first PDA unveiled publicly at the spring
Consumer Electronics Show, a device being produced in
conjunction with Sharp, according to Apple spokeswoman Sue
Bodoin.

Toshiba Corporation, which issued the press statement from
Tokyo, would only say the new device will fuse text, graphics,
video, audio, and other data.

Although details of the actual Toshiba device are sketchy, the
manufacturing plan has been spelled out. Apple and Toshiba will
cooperate on product development and Toshiba will make it in
Japan. Both companies will sell similar versions but stamped
with their own brand  names.  Initially, the fruit of this alliance
will only be sold in the US, the Apple spokeswoman said.

Apple says that core software technology for the new PDAs will
be licensed from Kaleida, the Apple/IBM joint venture.

PDA defines a new category of easy-to-use information devices
using digital technology to bridge the gap between personal
computers and consumer electronics products.

The first Newton product is expected to ship in early 1993.  The
first Toshiba/Apple multimedia PDAs will hit the market in
mid-1993, the companies say.

These were prepared statements from the two companies:
"Apple and Toshiba share a common vision to develop devices
that will harness the power and excitement of multimedia," said
John Sculley, Apple's chairman and chief executive officer.
"The options for users are potentially limitless - spanning the
areas of entertainment, information on demand, and lifelong
learning.  Toshiba's strong reputation in the consumer
electronics business and expertise in semiconductor
manufacturing match well with Apple's strengths in personal
computing design and making technology easy to use."

"We are pleased to be working with Apple Computer in this
emerging area of multimedia PDAs.  We look forward to a long
and productive working relationship," said Takeshi Okatomi,
Toshiba's senior vice president, Video & Electronics Media
Group.

Toshiba further announced that it is in discussions with
Warner New Media, a division of  Time Warner Inc., to produce
multimedia titles for the new device.

(Wendy Woods/19920623/Press Contact: Brooke Cohan,
408-974-3019, of Apple Computer; Rebecca Cradick of
Toshiba America, 212-308-2040)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00029)

Avatar Sets Corporate Strategy With Announcements 06/23/92
HOPKINTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 JUN 23 (NB) -- Avatar
has assimilated the experience and expertise of TriData with which
it merged late last year. Now, the combined companies are ready
to set the tone of the marketplace and to prove that their merger
will lead to beneficial products.

Specifically, Avatar has announced that it is shipping or
preparing to ship eight new products which define and clarify
its product direction for the coming months and years.

First on the list is the release of version 4.0 of the Netway SNA
gateway. This new version incorporates IPX and AppleTalk routing
capabilities. Avatar personnel claim that this is the first true
implementation of SNA routing capabilities that most other
companies are simply talking about. The addition of AppleTalk
and IPX allows Avatar to continue in its strategy of having the
Netway product connect to anything and everything, claims the
company. Netway v4.0 will ship within 30 days. Netway costs
between $6,995 to $13,995 depending on the number of active
host sessions that are required.

Another expansion of the Netway product line is the announcement
of DOS3270. This is a program that runs under DOS and gives the
DOS user the ability to run 3270 sessions using Netway. This
capability includes the ability to transfer files, capture data,
and do all the other things that MacMainFrame users have been able
to do. DOS3270 will begin shipping on August 1 and will sell for
$499.

To assist Microsoft Windows users who wish to access their hosts
via Netway, Avatar is releasing an application called WIN3270. This
is a Windows compatible program that gives Avatar customers all of
the features that they are used to while using Netway as the router.
Version 3.0 has many enhancements in the user interface area which
is where most of the comments were received by Avatar. WIN3270 is
available now. If you have a previous version of WIN3270, then this
upgrade is a free one. If you are purchasing this as a new option
for your Netway, expect to spend $995 for the software.

MacMainFrame for Pathworks is scheduled to ship in 30 days.
This product is a continuation of Avatar's other strategy which is
to allow MacMainFrame to connect a Macintosh to a host across any
networking media and protocols that might exist out there. With
MacMainFrame for Pathworks, a Macintosh user can access a
mainframe host through a DECNet/SNA gateway. This can be very
important in installations that have already integrated their DEC
and IBM environments together and are now attempting to add
Macintoshes. MacMainFrame for Pathworks will sell for $395.

Another aspect of Avatar's goal of connecting MacMainFrame
to a host through any kind of network is the announcement of
MacMainFrame TN3270 product. This will allow a Macintosh
running MacMainFrame to connecto to an IBM host across any
TCP/IP network. MacTCP is the kernel of the product which runs
on the Macintosh. The only other requirement is for the TCP/IP
network to be connected to the IBM host in some fashion.
MacMainFrame TN3270 is expected to start shipping on July 1.
It will retail for $395.

The original MacMainFrame product has been upgraded to version 5.0.
The new version supports the Netway product line in a more coherent
fashion than before. In addition to that, MacMainFrame 5.0 now
supports the Macintosh Quadra and LC II computers, it incorporates
support for Apple's Token Ring cards, allows for DO file transfer
support, and supports the ability to connect to multiple servers.
MacMainFrame 5.0 is shipping now. Pricing is dependent on your
current configuration and upgrade wishes. Pricing ranges from
$95 to $995.

Avatar has also made available a new tool for those who wish to
create their own front-end to a MacMainFrame session. This new
tool is called FrontCard and it allows a user to create a Hypercard
front-end for their mainframe sessions. This tool is to be used
with MacMainFrame, not without it. Any and all of the functions of
Hypercard including XCMDs and XFCNs can be called by FrontCard as
well as having all the buttons and other user interface elements
that Hypercard users are accustomed to. FrontCard is intended for
Hypercard developers and contains no runtime license fee. It is
shipping now and retails for $2,495.

Finally, Avatar has announced that their LanWay Token Ring cards
will start supporting Apple's MacTCP software in July of this year.
There will be no additional cost for MacTCP when purchased
directly from Avatar. The cards normally retail for $895.

(Naor Wallach/19920623, Press Contact: Claire Pratt, Avatar,
508-435-3000)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00030)

SMC Intros Combination Arcnet Card For Micro Channel 06/23/92
HAUPPAUGE, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 JUN 23 (NB) -- SMC has
introduced a combination card for ARCnet installations that
follows the model of its very successful Ethernet Combo cards.
The new card will have on-board both coax and twisted pair
connectors so that a user will be able to choose and change
between both kinds of wiring at will.

The new card will replace both of SMC's previous offerings for the
Micro Channel Architecture. The PS110 and the PS210 supported
each of the wiring standards individually and they are simply not
needed any longer. SMC personnel assured Newsbytes that the
new card - called the PS310 - uses the exact same software
drivers as the other cards so all existing software should run
unchanged.

The PS310 has been certified by Novell labs for use with Novell's
Netware 3.11. Some of the new features that a customer gets by
purchasing this board in addition to the dual wiring capability are
diagnostic LEDs (light emitting diodes), and an on-board socket
for an Auto-boot PROM (the PROM itself is optional). In the
process of creating the board, SMC was able to use surface
mount technology parts and thereby managed to decrease the
physical size of the board. The PS310 is shipping now and
retails for $225.

(Naor Wallach/19920623, Press Contact: Ellen Roeckl, SMC,
516-435-6340)