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/nb920107

Text File | 1992-01-07 | 74KB | 1,669 lines

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00001)

Micron Technology Announces 2 MB Video RAM 01/07/92
BOISE, IDAHO, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB) -- Micron Technology has
announced its two megabyte (MB) video RAM. The product is
available in 256 kilobyte (KB) X 8.

Micron claims the new VRAM is designed for high performance
graphics/video and imaging systems which require both multiport
and wider bandwidth to provide easier and faster manipulation
of data. At the 2M density, the new VRAMs would also be suitable
for use in workstations and systems using super VGA displays.

The chips are available in speeds up to 70 nanoseconds, and
support fast page mode, which reduces DRAM cycle time. A
second version will have two write-enable inputs to provide
compatibility with VGA (video graphics array) controllers.

The company maintains that engineering samples are now
available at $25 in 100-piece quantities. Engineering samples of
the VGA-compatible version are expected to be available within
60 days. Production quantities of both chips are anticipated for
early this year.

(Jim Mallory/19920107/Press Contact: Sharon Bittick, Micron
Technology, 208-368-4400)


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

New For PC: Low Cost Document Image Filing Software 01/07/92
STILLWATER, OKLAHOMA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB) -- TMS has
announced the release of Fastcab, a Windows-based document
image filing and retrieval software program.

Using Fastcab, users can scan document images, tag and file
documents, then retrieve the document for viewing and printing.
Stand-alone and five-user LAN (local area network) versions are
available.

According to Maxwell Steinhardt, TMS marketing and sales vice
president, Fastcab users can increase their productivity by reducing
the number of lost or misplaced documents. "It will also save
a company a substantial amount of money. Electronic filing is far
more efficient than paper-based filing systems," said Steinhardt.

Fastcab was designed to emulate paper-filing methods. Users file
documents in electronic drawers within electronic cabinets.
Documents can be put into the system using a scanner, paint
programs, or fax machines. Designed as an entry-level document
imaging system, the program does not offer OCR (optical character
reader) or fax sending capabilities.

Fastcab also has a conversion utility to handle uncompressed
Group 3 or Group 4, and black and white PCX, files.
The program comes with a graphical training program called
Easyview. The company claims Easyview looks and acts like an
actual office, with filing cabinets,a computer monitor, in and out
baskets, and a printer.

TMS Product Manager for imaging applications, Marc McClure,
told Newsbytes that Fastcab requires windows 3.0, two megabytes
(MB) of RAM, and the company recommends a 386-based
system or better. According to Mcclure, the actual Fastcab
software does not occupy much space on the hard drive, but a
standard image takes about 40 kilobytes (KB) of hard disk storage
space.

McClure told Newsbytes that TMS is targeting system integrators
and consultants, rather than the end user. They in turn will target
small- to medium-sized businesses at the departmental level.
Document imaging is intended primarily for companies such as
financial institutions that have large quantities of documents to
store for easy retrieval.

Asked if document imaging will replace hard copy storage,
McClure told Newsbytes: "I think they will, but electronic imaging
will never completely replace paper. It won't happen, at least in
my lifetime." Mcclure said that he expects that companies will
probably store the original documents in document storage
facilities and use the electronic image for the working copy.

The program has a suggested list price of $449 for the stand-alone
version, and $1,995 for the LAN version. However, McClure told
Newsbytes that in order to introduce the product, the company has
a special promotional pricing structure in place. Until the end of
February 1992, the stand-alone version is available for $149, while
the network version will sell for $495. Quantity discounts and
reseller pricing are available.

(Jim Mallory/19920107/Press Contact: Marc McClure, TMS,
405-377-0880)


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

New For PC: Autodesk Intros Do-It-Yourself Landscape Software 01/07/92
BOTTHELL, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB) -- Spring is
closer than you think, and if you are thinking of doing some
landscaping, Autodesk has a computer program that could help.

Using Autodesk's Landscape, a personal computer can be turned
into a landscape designer. Autodesk claims that Landscape
eliminates the need for, and the imprecision of, drawing plans
by hand.

Landscape includes precision mesurements, square footage
calculations and plan notes produced in architectural script. The
program will print overhead plots and elevation views on Epson
dot-matrix or HP Laserjet or compatible printers.

A unique feature Autodesk calls "future look" can produce a
projected view of the area a year or more after planting, to insure
the proper separation between plants and bushes with varying
growth rates.

The program also includes a library of industry standard sprinkler
patterns. The user can experiment with various spray patterns and
piping plans to design an efficient in-ground sprinkler system with
a minimum of water waste. Landscape can also produce a printed
shopping list to identify the appropriate number and type of sprinkler
heads, footage of sprinkler pipe, and plant types.

Autodesk Retail Products General Manager, Pete O'Dell,
maintains that after pioneering professional CADD (ccomputer-aided
design and drafting) design software for architects and engineers, the
company identified a need for software that catered to the home
hobbyist. "With our new Landscape program, we're filling that need,"
he said.

Landscape incudes tutorials, on-line help, mouse-driven menus
and a "quick start" card that the company claims can have home
landscapers designing in as little as 20 minutes. The manual
contains advice on such things as soil types and growth factors
of various plants and shrubs. There is also a library of pre-drawn
architectural symbols for sprinkler pattern types and various
plant types.

Landscape requires an IBM XT/AT PC or compatible, with 640
kilobytes (KB) of RAM, a hard drive, a mouse, and a Hercules,
VGA (video graphics array), CGA, MCGA, or EGA graphics card.
At least an EGA display is required for for color.

Landscape has a suggested retail price of $59.95. It is
available in software stores or can be ordered directly from
Autodesk by calling their toll free order number at 800-228-3601.

(Jim Mallory/19920107/Press Contact: Tina Armacost, Autodesk,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00004)

Taiwan Upgrades Weather Forecasting Computer System 01/07/92
EAGAN, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB) -- Cray Computer
has announced that Taiwan has ordered two new supercmputers,
to be used for daily weather forecasting throughout the country.

A Y-MP8I will replace an existing Cyber 205 system, and will be
used for daily weather forecasting, as well as running Empress, a
relational database management sysem (RDBMS) which uses a
binary large object attribute to store data that does not have an
easily defined structure. Empress is especially suited for storing
satellite data, analyzed fields, forecast fields, and satellite
images.

The second system, Cray's entry-level Y-MP EL, will be used as a
file server, and is compatible with the larger Y-MP supercomputers.

Cray Research claims that the use of Empress on the new system
is significant, since this is the first time one of its systems will
use a standard database applications package. Empress will run
on all Unix-based systems in Taiwan's central weather bureau.

Dr. Ching-Yen Tsay, director general of the central weather bureau
said use of the new Cray Research computers will increase the
accuracy of forecasting, as well as allow the bureau to more
precisely investigate weather patterns for Taiwan.

The Cray Y-MP8I is a eight-processor, single-unit version of the
Y-MP, Cray's largest system. Cray claims it has already received
orders for five of the units since the system was introduced in March
of 1991. The entry-level EL system was announced in October.
Cray maintains they have received orders for more than 40 EL
systems. Worldwide, 21 Cray Research computers are dedicated
to weather forecasting and environmental research.

Prices for the air cooled EL system start at about $300,000. It can
be configured with up to one gigabyte (GB) of central memory,
and is available with one to four central processors.

(Jim Mallory/19920107/Press Contact: Mardi Schmieder, Cray
Research, 612-683-3538)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(TOR)(00005)

New For Mac: Anatomist Teaches With HyperCard  01/07/92
GRANTHAM'S LANDING, BC, CANADA, 1992 JAN 7 (NB) --
Folkstone Design has announced Anatomist, a human anatomy
teaching and reference tool built around Apple's HyperCard
software.

Anatomist incorporates illustrations, speech, reference text, and
personal annotation in a hypermedia framework, the developers
claim. It is based on material from The Anatomy Coloring Book,
by Wynn Kapit and Lawrence M. Elson, Ph.D., and is designed
to complement the process of study the book provides.

Luinda Bleackley, one of the two principals in Folkstone Design,
told Newsbytes her company sees three main markets for the
software: the first is medical education, including first-year
university anatomy courses; the second is public school
systems; and the third is the general-interest consumer market.

Commenting on the package's appeal to children, Bleackley
said Folkstone gave the software to a number of doctors for beta
testing. "They had to kick their pre-schoolers off the machine to
sit down and use it," she said.

The software includes more than 500 illustrations and more than
2,500 anatomical terms. It provides spoken pronunciations of
terms. Descriptive text is available to expand on the illustrations.

Bleackley said Folkstone plans to market the software worldwide,
and has had expressions of interest from North America, Europe,
Australia, and Japan.

The suggested retail price is US$295. Anatomist requires a
Macintosh with two megabytes of memory, a CD-ROM player,
and HyperCard 2.0.

(Grant Buckler/19920107/Press Contact: Luinda Bleackley,
Folkstone Design, 604-886-4502)


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

New For PC In UK: Low Cost Galaxy Prolite Word Processor 01/07/92
SEATON, DEVON, ENGLAND, 1992 JAN 7 (NB) -- Shareware
Publishing has announced the availability of Galaxy Prolite, a
Wordstar workalike shareware package. The package is
available for a registration fee of UKP 49 plus postage and
package of UKP 4.0.

Galaxy Prolite is an enhanced version of Galaxy Lite, the
shareware package supported by Shareware Publishing in the UK.
According to Shareware Marketing, sales of Galaxy Lite have gone
very well to date.

The principle of Galaxy is that it is ideal as first word processor
with pull-down menus, as well as ideal for existing Wordstar users
who are used to the Wordstar WS keystroke system.

Galaxy can import and export Wordstar 3 files and, while it
supports the Wordstar direct-key menu system as well as its own
command interface, it also handles the Wordstar dot (.WS)
command system. The product also includes a 100,000 word
spell-checker, two windows, mouse support, printer spooling,
mailmerge, automatic backup.

(Steve Gold/19910107/Press & Public Contact: Shareware
Publishing, 0297-24088)


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

UK: Andest Unveils Plans For Own-Brand Modem Range 01/07/92
MILTON KEYNES, ENGLAND, 1992 JAN 3 (NB) -- Just a few weeks
after signing with US-based Megahertz Corporation to obtain UK
approval for a modified range of the company's modems in the UK,
Andest Communications has announced plans to launch a range
of in-house developed modems.

First off the production line will be a half-card series of quad
and quin standard modems due for shipment before the end
February. The modems will ship alongside a new family of ZPMs --
zero power modems -- which are also being developed by the
Milton Keynes-based communications specialist.

"By the end of March we will be shipping quad and quin ZPMs with
fax and error-correction capabilities," Said a company spokesman,
adding that the Quin fax modem will handle all speeds between 300
and 9,600 bits-per-second (bps) with MNP and V.42Bis
error-correction, as well as data compression.

The new ZPMs, which the company claims are unique in the
modem industry, will be similarly sized to the company's
Touchbase-sourced range of pocket modems.

"Our deal with Megahertz allowed us to diversify the range of
modems we are offering, in return for our releasing our exclusive
contract for distribution of Touchbase's modems in the UK," said
the spokesman. "What we're doing with the half-cards and ZPMs
is offering a series of our own modems, designed and marketed
by ourselves. That means we will be offering some very
competitive prices on the new modems."

The company did not disclose pricing on the new modems.
Firm pricing will be announced closer to shipment dates.

(Steve Gold/19920107/Press & Public Contact: Andest
Communications, tel [phone]; fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00008)

UK: Novell Expands Certified Netware Engineer Program 01/07/92
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1992 JAN 7 (NB) -- Novell
has announced an expanded version of its certified Netware
engineer (CNE) program. The new program adds a new level
of CNE certification known as Enterprise CNE (ECNE).

The new level of CNE comes into operation on February 1, 1992.
According to Novell, it enables existing CNEs to train further to
handle the variety of hardware and software that businesses
use on their computer systems.

"Because today's networks have become increasingly
sophisticated and complex, CNEs need additional training to help
users take full advantage of networking services and technologies
to solve their omputing problems," explained Carolyn Rose,
Novell's director of education. "The new program enables CNEs
to focus on the aspects of networking that are essential to their
specific customers, while continuing to provide quality networking
support."

Newsbytes notes that, to date, CNEs have tended to be in the
reseller market. Novell's statement on the ECNE certification
scheme acknowledges that CNEs may already be employed by
the user's company, noting that they will be able to choose the
certification path that is best suited to their particular business.

So what is involved in becoming a CNE or ECNE? Both categories
of engineer are required to have a high level of networking
knowledge about Novell Netware products. The inclusion of the
ECNE category of engineers, Novell claims, allows CNEs to obtain
certification that best meets their needs.

The CNE program works with engineers earning credits. When
sufficient credits have been obtained in the various subjects,
CNE and/or ECNE qualifications are awarded.

(Steve Gold/19920107/Press Contact: Novell, 0344-860400)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00009)

Australian Outback Kids Learn Via Remote Computers 01/07/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1992 JAN 7 (NB) -- Timbuktu/Remote,
the screen sharing application from Farallon Computing, is
being used in the Australian outback as part of an innovative
remote education system.

Carnarvon "School on the Air" in the state of Western Australia
(WA), recently installed Timbuktu/Remote with NetComm Pocket
Rocket modems, to enable its students, most of whom are
located many hundreds of kilometers from the school, to take
lessons remotely.

The network enables students to complete their work and
return it to the school for marking and immediate feedback.
Because of the isolated nature of the region, the children
used to wait up to a month for their schoolwork to be
returned. Now, they are able to have it on the same day.

According to Lindsay Graieg, who has been responsible for
implementing the system, its success is having a very positive
effect upon the quality of the children's work. Children who
formerly used the West Australian Correspondence school
are applying to join Carnarvon, because of the benefits of the
computerized system.

"We have nine year olds using the Timbuktu/Remote interface
without any problem," said Graieg. "Its quite simple for them to
access their files and retrieve their schoolwork. They send us
five days worth of lessons at a time. We have the students
collect their work on the same day with comments as to
improvements and encouragement for the fine work they are
doing."

"If they do have problems, we are able to go in and do remote
support, because Timbuktu/Remote enables one user to
observe and manipulate data on the other party's screen.
This makes for a very simple way of instructing and monitoring
use of the system."

The children are using the computers for interactive lessons in
language, spelling, and creative writing, as well as instruction
in handwriting.

"There are a few children of an even younger age who are
using the system, but generally we only install systems in
families that have children in year four or above. Currently we
have 20 such families," said Graieg.

Graieg, a primary school teacher, has written his own
HyperCard stacks, which enable completion of WA
Distance Education Center language material.

"There is a wealth of educational material for Macintosh users,"
said Graieg. "It is possible to obtain hundreds of megabytes of
HyperCard stacks on CD-ROM, that have been written by
schoolteachers. Many teachers like myself, who have little
or no formal training in computers, are now able to write extremely
valuable education material and to implement and manage our
own networks because of products like HyperCard and
Timbuktu/Remote."

"The school saved up for some time to buy these computers,"
he added. "We had special collections of money and fund raisings.
We purchased eighteen Macintosh Classics with hard drives, 10
NetComm Pocket Rocket modems, and Timbuktu/Remote
version 2."

(Deidre Jordan/19920107)


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

M&T Releases Netware Book 01/07/92
REDWOOD CITY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB) --
"NetWare Decoder," written by Ellen Thro, is now being introduced
by M&T Books, the book publishing unit of the company that
publishes Dr. Dobbs Journal.

Netware Decoder is a dictionary that attempts to explain and
elucidate the terms that are used by Novell for describing the
hardware, software, architecture, data formats, data transmission
protocols, and other terms. The book is arranged alphabetically
and also covers all of the commands and messages that are
contained within Novell's Netware version 2.2 and 3.11, as well
as Portable Netware.

Ellen Thro is an experienced writer in the computer field
and has two other books already to her credit.

Netware Decoder is priced at $26.95 and contains 250
pages. Its ISBN number is 1-55851-159-8

(Naor Wallach/19920107/Press Contact: Sharon Cauchi,
M&T Books, 415-366-3600)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00011)

New SPA Members 01/07/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB) -- The Software
Publishers Association, or SPA, the major trade group for the U.S.
software industry, has released the names of its latest members.
The new member are:

Apogee Software Productions of Garland, Texas, a publisher of
shareware games.

Concentric Data Systems, Inc., developer and publisher of
the R&R Report Writer stand-alone product line.

Fremont, California-based Datapath Technologies, Inc., producer
of software publishing products.

Electronic Marketing Resource Group, dba EMRG, of Kearney, NE,
producer of vertical market application software.

Olney, Maryland-based Innovative Business Systems, Inc.,
publisher of productivity improvement software.

InterWorks, of San Jose, California, develops and supports the
SPAudit program.

Lifeboat Software, of Shrewsbury, New Jersey, software publisher.

Oxnard, California-based Mail Pouch Software producer of a
mailing list software application.

Merasoft Corporation of Orem, Utah, software developer.

Pioneer Communications of America, Inc., based in Upper Saddle
River, New Jersey, markets and sells CD-ROM and LaserDisc
merchandise.

Canada's ReadySoft, Inc. based in Richmond Hill, Ontario,
publisher of entertainment software.

Spellex Development, Inc., of Tampa, Florida, producer of
dictionary enhancement software.

Carlsbad, California-based Stac Electronics producer of
high-performance PC compression items.

SPA Associate Members:

Sunnyvale, California-based B.F.D. Productions is a
900-number service bureau.

DemoNet, Inc., of Paramount, California, is a software
demonstrator and on-line marketer.

Tenafly, New Jersey-based Educational Technology
Consultants, Inc., aids software producers in meeting growing
worldwide markets.

Software Turnkey Services of San Jose, California, is a
software manufacturer.

(John McCormick/19920107/Press Contact: Terri Childs, SPA,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00012)

SPA's Packaging SIG Reorganizes 01/07/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB) -- The Software
Publishers Association's Software Production Services Special
Interest Group, formerly known as the Packaging SIG, is now
completing reorganization and will focus on providing an
unbiased source of information on software production problems
to SPA members.

The SIG's first major project, the publication of an information
resource guide, will help SPA members compare software
production services and options.

Future projects discussed at a recent SIG meeting were SPA
exhibits, panel discussions, and regional manufacturing
roundtables. The meeting also included the election of John H.
Dockerill of Digital Magnetics, and Gary Traynor of Ames
Specialty Packaging, as co-chairpersons,

SIG membership has been reduced from a special start-up
fee of $500 to the normal SPA SIG cost of $100 for both full and
associate SPA members.

(John McCormick/19920107/Press Contact: Terri Childs, SPA,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(NYC)(00013)

Trellis Software Intros "Workstation Security" For Vines 01/07/92
HOPKINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB)  --
Trellis Software has announced the introduction of Workstation
Security, a product it refers to as "the first anti-tampering network
software that completely blocks unauthorized access to idle
workstations on Vines networks."

The software, which locks the keyboard and screen of idle Vines
workstations, is scheduled to ship in mid-january. It is a TSR
(terminate-and-stay-resident) system which may be loaded in
conventional memory or EMS. It uses 7.5 kilobytes (KB) of main
memory if loaded completely. The main memory use is reduced
to 1.4 KB when EMS is also utilized.

The lock-up features may be activated both by a keystroke or through
the system remaining idle for a specified amount of time. If both the
keyboard and the monitor are frozen, any applications in process will
be saved, halted and hidden.

If the keyboard is locked and the CPU (central processing unit) is
permitted to remain active, the program running on the workstation
will continue, and the screen remains visible. But if anyone touches
the keyboard, the CPU immediately locks up, and the display blacks
out. Users regain access to their workstations by typing their usual
Vines password.

Workstation Security costs $795 per server for an unlimited number
of workstations. It is available from Trellis and its three dozen
resellers throughout the world..

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19920107/Press
Contact: Chip de Villafranca, Trellis Software, 508-435-3066)


 (NEWS)(GENERAL)(NYC)(00014)

Northwestern Receives $1.5 million Ameritech Grant 01/07/92
EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB)  -- Northwestern
University has announced that it has been awarded a $1.5 million
grant from the Ameritech Foundation to endow the Ameritech
Chair in Information Technology.

The grant will support the research of a distinguished senior
scientist-engineer in the electrical engineering and computer
science department of the Robert R. McCormick School of
Engineering and Applied Science. The university press release
said that "a national search is under way to recruit a leading
expert for the position."

The research funded by the grant is intended to develop new
technology, encompassing software engineering, hardware,
operating systems and communications. The goal is to design
new systems that will improve the ability to receive, process, sort,
evaluate, integrate, and transmit a variety of information signals.

The research will be based in the computer and information
engineering systems group in the department of electrical
engineering and computer science at Northwestern. The
department will expand its space in the Technological Institute
Building at Northwestern University by 10,000 square feet as part
of a major reconstruction program to modernize facilities and
equipment.

The grant is the largest ever made by the foundation and its first
award for an endowed chair at a university, according to John A.
Koten, president of the Chicago-based foundation.  Koten said the
foundation's decision was influenced by the success of the
Ameritech Fellowship Program, established by Ameritech at
Northwestern to advance the scholarly pursuit of
telecommunications science management and policy.

Announcing the grant, Northwestern President Arnold R. Weber
said: "Northwestern University is deeply grateful to the Ameritech
Foundation for its generosity, which is extraordinary in both
magnitude and purpose.  The grant is especially significant
because it establishes the first endowed chair in the university's
$90 million Campaign for Engineering and the Physical Sciences."

Jerome B. Cohen, dean of the McCormick School, added:
"Millions of bits of information are processed daily by business
and industry. We propose to make far more efficient and
productive use of this information by integrating its various
forms and translating it easily from one form to another."

Cohen said the new technology will have applications in
communications across a broad spectrum of industries,
ranging from education to mail service to medicine.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19920107/Press
Contacts: Chuck Loebbaka, Northwestern University, 708-491-
4887; Steve Ford, Ameritech Foundation, 312-750-5205)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00015)

New User-Mountable Shield Absorbs VDT Radiation  01/07/92
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB) -- Norad
claims it is introducing the ELF Protech, a special device for users
to mount on the back of display monitors to dramatically reduce
the amount of radiation from the monitor which more than meets
recognized Swedish standards.

The ELF Protech is the first externally mounted extremely low
frequency (ELF) magnetic field suppressor for video display
terminals (VDTs). Norad claims the ELF Protech can be fitted on
the monitor without special tools and without opening the case
enclosing the monitor. The product, which is installed by the user
on the back of the VDTs housing, in no way affects image quality
or performance of the VDT, and does not effect the monitor's
warranty, Norad said.

The Swedish standards for electro magnetic radiation are the
industry's current measuring stick, as Sweden is the most
stringent about the emissions from VDTs. Norad claims that
once the ELF is installed by the user on the back of the monitor's
housing, it reduces the magnetic field strength all around the
VDT to significantly less than 2.5 milliGauss (mG), the level
prescribed by the MPR II Swedish standard.

The growing concern about the effects of low level electro
magnetic radiation from VDTs has prompted more awareness.
Studies have shown the strongest electro magnetic radiation is
produced from the back and sides of a VDT.

It is suggested that the user get at least four feet away from the
back or sides of any VDT and an arm's length away from the
front. This is because the magnetic fields can travel even through
solid objects, like walls and are only weakened by distance.

Michael Hiles, president and chief executive officer of Norad
commented: "For years people have been told that the only
radiation to worry about was ELF magnetic radiation, and that
there was nothing they could do about it. Low-radiation
monitors, just recently on the market, are an option only if
you're willing to buy a new monitor."

However, Norad claims its product is made of a special metal that
attracts and absorbs low-frequency magnetic fields. Since the
magnetic fields are attracted to the ELF Protech's permeable
metal more than to air, the magnetic fields will travel out of
their normal path to the ELF Protech, in much the same way as
lightening will go out of its way to seek out a path of low
resistance. This means even magnetic radiation from the front
of the monitor is absorbed by the ELF Protech shield as well,
Norad added.

The company maintains television owners should consider the
ELF Protech as well, especially those with children who tend to
sit closer to the television.

Norad will demonstrate the ELF Protech at Macworld Expo,
January 12 - 15 in San Francisco at the Moscone Center, in
booth 102.

Retail pricing for the ELF Protech depends on the size of the
VDT and ranges from $49 to $99, depending on the number of
panels needed to fit the housing.

Norad is located at 1549 11th Street, Santa Monica, California,
90401. The company's telephone number is 310-395-0800.

(Linda Rohrbough/19910107/Press Contact: Michelle Hartzell,
Norad, tel [phone], fax [phone])

(NEWS)(UNIX)(NYC)(00016)

Information Builders Joins Unix International 01/07/92
PARSIPPANY, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB)  -- Unix
International (UI) has announced that Information Builders, Inc.
(IBI), developer of the Focus 4GL (fourth Generation Language)
has joined UI as an associate member.

Unix International is the not-for-profit international consortium of
more than 250 computer industry members that, according the
official statement, "defines the future evolution of Unix System V
release 4 and all associated systems software, thereby providing
users with a truly open system.  UI works together with many
industry groups involved in the definition of open systems
standards and is committed to be compliant with X/Open's
Portability Guide."

Announcing the IBI membership, Peter Cunningham, president and
CEO of UI, said: "We are extremely pleased to have Information
Builders Inc. join the ranks of Unix International members. Their
demonstrated commitment to standards like SVR4 with the provision
of leading technology for SQL (structured query language)
interoperability across a broad range of Open Systems and
proprietary platforms reinforces the UI-ATLAS interoperability
message."

The announcement expanded Cunningham's statement, saying:
"UI-ATLAS is a framework for open computing in the 1990s which
advocates multiple technologies based on standard interfaces
giving end users their choice of solutions in meeting the challenges
of the years ahead.  Information Builders provides the FOCUSR
family of fourth generation language and DBMS (data base
management system) products and Enterprise Data Access/SQLR
across a large number of Unix and proprietary platforms. FOCUS,
the company's flagship product, is the most widely installed 4GL for
data-based information systems with more than 7,000 installations
and one million users worldwide.  FOCUS is the only product of its
type available for all platforms including IBM, Digital Equipment
Corporation, Hewlett-Packard, Tandem, Wang, AS/400,
microcomputers, LANs (local area networks) and most popular
Unix processors and database servers."

Commenting of the relative importance of IBI's joining a group that
already has over 250 members, UI's Edward Hansch told
Newsbytes that: "IBI is a significant force in the industry and the fact
that it had decided to join an open standards group represented, in
our and IBI's judgement, a significant endorsement of the concept of
open systems. We felt, therefore, that it should be brought to the
attention of the industry press."

Hansch also told Newsbytes that UI and OSF, the other major player
in the Unix open standards movement have "been working closely
in many areas to promote the movement toward truly open systems.
Their members participate in several of our workgroups and some
of our programs have received very positive endorsements from
OSF (Open Software Foundation). We feel that both groups are
making major contributions toward open systems architecture."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19920107/Press Contacts:
Stephen C. Payne, Unix International Inc., 201-263-8400, ext. 236;
Scott Grisanti, Information Builders, 212-736-4433)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00017)

Collaborative Technologies Intros Electronic Meeting Room 01/07/92
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB) -- Collaborative
Technologies has introduced Visionquest, an electronic program
that the company claims will save companies fifty percent or more
in the time required to hold a meeting.

Many managers spend a significant amount of time sitting in
meeting rooms listening to other people. Collaborative
Technologies President Jerry Wagner says if they used
Visionquest: "the net result is fewer, shorter, more productive
and satisfying meetings."

Visionquest is a software system that provides a structure for
meetings, including pre- and post-meeting dialogues. The
system runs on personal computers (PCs) connected through
a local area network (LAN).

Meeting participants can use Visionquest at their desks to plan a
meeting, then review, continue or close the meeting. Several
participants can provide input simultaneously on a particular
subject, rather than waiting for each person to speak his or her
piece individually.

The Visionquest software allows the participants to rate the
suggestions and ideas made, assigning a numerical rating from
one to 10. The program will display each rating as well as the
group average.

According to Collaborative Technologies, early tests of
Visionquest by fifteen corporations and thirty universities showed
a substantial amount of savings in time, as well as an increase
in the number and quality of ideas generated. They also noted a
high degree of user involvement.

A nice by product of having all comments entered through a
computer is the complete record the system provides. "Incomplete
records and note taking are a thing of the past," said Wagner.

Like most elaborate systems, Visionquest is not cheap.
Collaborative Technologies spokesperson Cindy Golisch told
Newsbytes that it would cost about $25,000 to install a typical
system.

Information about Visionquest is available from Collaborative
Technologies at 512-794-8858. The company's fax number is
512-794-8861.

(Jim Mallory/19920107/Press Contact: Cindy Golisch, S&S Public
Relations, tel [phone], fax [phone])


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

 ****PictureTel Target Of AT&T Video Phone 01/07/92
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB) -- PictureTel,
which pioneered low-bandwidth videoconferencing with units running
on 56,000 bits-per-second (bps) digital circuits, could be the big
loser from AT&T's announcement of its VideoPhone 2500 video
telephone. While PictureTel at first declined comment, claiming
AT&T is aiming its product at a different market segment, analysts
nevertheless feel the new unit has leapfrogged over PictureTel's
offerings in price and performance and could, very soon, take
away its market.

The VideoPhone 2500 was announced January 6 with a retail price
of $1,499, and will be sold starting in May at AT&T Phone Center
stores and major retailers like Sears, Roebuck and Circuit
City, which could quickly drop street prices closer to $1,200.
The phones will also be leased through the stores for $30 per
day, rented on a per-call basis, and made into pay phones at
locations like hotels and airports. AT&T said it will also use
mass production techniques to drive the cost of the phones down
toward the price points of videocameras and VCRs, which can
cost as little as a few hundred dollars.

More ominously for PictureTel, AT&T said it would work to make
the new phone compatible with more sophisticated equipment, like
that made by PictureTel, and with business telephone networks.
AT&T said it would also license its new system to other
manufacturers worldwide. Its chief competitor, Compression
Labs, created the compression technology, called compressed
digital video, which made the AT&T product possible.

PictureTel's immediate reply was to add six U.S. distributors to
its Select Dealer program, which now covers 33 states and 70
percent of the U.S. Dealers will support PictureTel's flagship
System 4000 videoconferencing systems within their territories.
The dealer program is administered by North Supply, a unit of
United Telecommunications, owners of the Sprint long distance
network.

PictureTel spokesman Ron Taylor told Newsbytes that prices for
his company's complete System 4000, which includes a camera,
speaker, monitor and electronics module for compression, as
well as handheld zoom, audio mixing, starts at $19,000. "It's on a
roll-about cart, so people can move it around," he said.

Concerning the AT&T announcement he said: "It's not aimed at
our market. It's directed totally at the consumer market, a market
we're not working toward. What we do is business-business
meetings. Videoconferencing is more than putting a face in front
of another face - it's offering all the aspects of a meeting,
including graphics and document handling, as well as an interface
with a white board and personal computer."

On AT&T's claim it will make its VideoPhone compatible with
other equipment, Taylor expressed some surprise. "I don't
understand how they'd make it compatible. AT&T is analog, ours
is digital. I don't know how they do it."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920107/Press Contact: Compression
Labs, Tracy Beaufort, 408-922-4610; PictureTel, Ron Taylor,
508-977-8567)


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

Cellular Telephone Enterprises Acquires Nationwide Paging 01/07/92
COLLEGE POINT, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB) -- The
consolidation of the paging business continued as Cellular
Telephone Enterprises finished a $4.7 million acquisition of
Nationwide Paging.

Paging companies are becoming less valuable as more
people use voice mail and cellular telephones. Nationwide
runs paging operations in the 900 megahertz frequency band
and has a few thousand paging accounts in the New York area.

CTEL bought Nationwide to accelerate its expansion on
the east coast.

President Leonard Weiss said in a press statement that the
acquisition transforms his company from a reseller of paging
devices and services into a complete paging operation.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920107/Press Contact: Leonard D. Weiss,
Cellular Telephone Enterprises, 718-353-6474)


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

Second Phase Of Shanghai Cellular System Complete 01/07/92
RICHMOND, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1992 JAN 7 (NB) --
MTC Electronic Technologies said it has installed the second
phase of its cellular system in Shanghai, China. The second
phase included an environmental review and equipment selection.

President Miko Leung said in a press statement, "It is our intention
to order the equipment as quickly as we are able to confirm we have
secured enough purchase credits with the Chinese government, so
that this system can be delivered to Shanghai for installation this
coming spring. The preparation of the planned cell sites is
presently being completed, as is the location for the transmitter
and receiver.  We are currently on schedule for the installation of
the system and do not anticipate any delays to our present
timetable."

MTC, which is involved in installing cellular systems throughout
China, makes and imports 160 products from there, and is the sole
importer of fax machines to the country through an agreement with
the government's Yin Jiang Telephone Co.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920107/Press Contact: MTC Electronic
Technologies, Miko Leung, 604-278-8788)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00021)

Dow Jones Speeds Broadtape Service 01/07/92
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB) -- Dow Jones
claims it has sped up its flagship Broadtape, the Dow Jones News
Service, so it can now deliver up to 900 characters per second.

The service is used by brokers, banks, investment companies
and others and is the descendent of a telegraph service
launched in 1897.

Previously, the service ran at about 30 characters per second
(roughly 300 bits-per-second). The speedup will result in
expanded coverage, the company said, especially of small
over-the-counter companies and international business
developments.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920107/Press Contact: Dow Jones
Information Services, Veronica Fielding, 609-520-4638)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00022)

Knight-Ridder/Tribune Signs Up Comtex 01/07/92
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB) -- Knight-
Ridder/Tribune Business News has signed up Comtex
Scientific and Desktop Data to resell its new service.

Comtex produces the Newsgrid service found on GEnie and
other on-line services. Desktop Data offers a competing product
called Newsedge. Dialog, a unit of Knight-Ridder, will also offer
the service, which will replace an existing financial report there.

The new electronic service will deliver business and related news
to PC users based on all 30 Knight-Ridder newspapers and
magazines, the six Tribune newspapers, and five affiliated papers.

Among the papers contributing copy to the venture are: the Miami
Herald; the Philadelphia Inquirer; the Detroit Free Press; the
San Jose Mercury News; the Chicago Tribune; the Dallas Morning
News; the Charlotte Observer; and the Journal of Commerce.

In addition to same-day, full-text articles from the newspapers
and magazines, the service includes news from the Knight-Ridder
Financial News service.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920107/Press Contact: Robert Harris,
Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News, 202-383-6092)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(ATL)(00023)

Los Angeles Offers Electronic Traffic Fine Payment 01/07/92
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB) --  BT North
America, which runs the Tymnet packet network, has signed an
agreement with the county of Los Angeles to provide electronic
transaction services for the payments of traffic fines.

The service will allow users to pay traffic and parking tickets by
credit card at "AutoClerk" kiosks outside the county's courthouse
in Long Beach. This is the first service of its kind and will
eventually be available to process any transaction that clerks
normally handle.

Each kiosk includes a PC, modem, printer, and credit card swipe.
The system prompts the person paying the fine throughout the
transaction process and dials the nearest Tymnet node, from
which the transaction is routed like any other credit card
authorization. The system cuts the time needed to pay a fine
to two minutes from one hour.

In addition, users at the Los Angeles Municipal Court will soon
be able to call and pay their fines via a touch tone phone. This
is made possible through an application that utilizes a voice
response unit.

Initially the applications will use dial-up facilities. However,
if volume warrants, the county will evaluate a leased-line
application, BT said. Also, while only two kiosks are being
installed under the current project, the county hopes to expand
the service to include such things as property tax collections.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920107/Press Contact: BT North America,
David Callisch, 408-922-7583)

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(NYC)(00014)

Northwestern Receives $1.5 Million Ameritech Grant 01/07/92
EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB)  -- Northwestern
University has announced that it has been awarded a $1.5 million
grant from the Ameritech Foundation to endow the Ameritech
Chair in Information Technology.

The grant will support the research of a distinguished senior
scientist-engineer in the electrical engineering and computer
science department of the Robert R. McCormick School of
Engineering and Applied Science. The university press release
said that "a national search is under way to recruit a leading
expert for the position."

The research funded by the grant is intended to develop new
technology, encompassing software engineering, hardware,
operating systems and communications. The goal is to design
new systems that will improve the ability to receive, process, sort,
evaluate, integrate, and transmit a variety of information signals.

The research will be based in the computer and information
engineering systems group in the department of electrical
engineering and computer science at Northwestern. The
department will expand its space in the Technological Institute
Building at Northwestern University by 10,000 square feet as part
of a major reconstruction program to modernize facilities and
equipment.

The grant is the largest ever made by the foundation and its first
award for an endowed chair at a university, according to John A.
Koten, president of the Chicago-based foundation.  Koten said the
foundation's decision was influenced by the success of the
Ameritech Fellowship Program, established by Ameritech at
Northwestern to advance the scholarly pursuit of
telecommunications science management and policy.

Announcing the grant, Northwestern President Arnold R. Weber
said: "Northwestern University is deeply grateful to the Ameritech
Foundation for its generosity, which is extraordinary in both
magnitude and purpose.  The grant is especially significant
because it establishes the first endowed chair in the university's
$90 million Campaign for Engineering and the Physical Sciences."

Jerome B. Cohen, dean of the McCormick School, added:
"Millions of bits of information are processed daily by business
and industry. We propose to make far more efficient and
productive use of this information by integrating its various
forms and translating it easily from one form to another."

Cohen said the new technology will have applications in
communications across a broad spectrum of industries,
ranging from education to mail service to medicine.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19920107/Press
Contacts: Chuck Loebbaka, Northwestern University, 708-491-
4887; Steve Ford, Ameritech Foundation, 312-750-5205)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(NYC)(00024)

 ****Poqet Licenses Handwriting Recognition System 01/07/92
ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB)  -- Poqet
Computer Corp. has announced that it has licensed Nestor Writer
handwriting recognition software from Nestor Inc. for use in products
now under development by Poqet.

Poqet, according to trade journal reports, is close to introducing a
hand-held pen-based system and the Nestor announcement would
seem to confirm this. According to the Poqet announcement:
"the first Poqet products incorporating the Nestor software will be
introduced early in 1992. They will be sold through participants in
the Poqet Partner Program, including software developers, VARs
(value-added resellers), systems integrators, and OEMs (original
equipment manufacturers)."

NestorWriter software operates with MS-DOS (version 3.3 or higher),
and is intended to allow integration of current DOS-based
applications, and provides a stable platform for new application
development. In addition to the recognition system, Nestor and
Poqet are developing a complete application program interface
(API) toolkit which can be used by third-party developers to create
pencentric DOS applications. The Nestor/Poqet API toolkit will be
available to developers direct from Poqet, at an, as yet,
undetermined price.

Poqet spokesperson Matthew Schmidt told Newsbytes: "The
arrangement with Nestor provides a solid foundation for the
introduction of a quality product with handwriting recognition
capabilities. Nestor Writer has been licensed to GO for use under
its PenPoint operating system and also may be used in conjunction
with Microsoft's PenWindows. We feel that its use with a Poqet
product will allow us to offer a system consistent with our high
standard of quality."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19920107/Press
Contact: Robert Owens, Poqet Computer Corp., 408-764-9465)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(NYC)(00025)

NCR Wins $2.4 First Of America Bank Contract 01/07/92
DAYTON, OHIO, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB)  -- NCR Corporation
has announced that it has signed a $2.4 million contract with First
of America to continue platform automation for 96 additional
branch banks in Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana.

The new contract between the firms extends a previous contract
begun in July 1988 under which First America has installed NCR
equipment in over 188 branches for platform automation of
sales and general service functions. An NCR spokesperson told
Newsbytes that the original contract was valued at $3.8 million.

The system referred to as "platform automation" utilizes NCR's
System 3000, with the NCR 3345 as a central server for a branch
with 386SX-based personal computer NCR 3304 for customer
service representatives.

Announcing the contract, Peter Purcell, senior vice president of First
of American Services, said: "With NCR's platform automation system,
we can better serve our customers, collect more accurate data, and it
is a valuable tool for our customer service representatives to help
sell accounts. We selected NCR because its industry-standard open
systems architecture is ideal to support our geographically dispersed
network of branches from a central location."

Raymond Miolla, vice president of NCR's Financial Systems
Division, also commented on the contract, saying: "First of America
is able to position itself to take advantage of open systems, allowing
them to grow and manage change in the 1990s."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19920107/Press Contact:
Jim Mazzola, NCR Corp., 513-445-6148)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00026)

California Technology Stock Letter Predicts 1992 01/07/92
HALF MOON BAY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB) --
The California Technology Stock Letter, a stock advisory
publication, has  released some predictions for 1992. Among
others, the newsletter predicts that a pen-based computer will
be selling well by the end of the year, and that Apple will win the
lawsuit against Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard, and get an
injunction against sales of Windows and New Wave.

Other notable predictions include Borland International, towards
the end of the year, settling its lawsuit with Lotus Development , by
paying $50 million in past royalties and discontinuing the Lotus
1-2-3 lookalike mode in Quattro.

Two Advanced Micro Devices predictions include the introduction
of a 486SX microprocessor by June, and the company winning its
lawsuit and arbitration against Intel, with perhaps $500 million in
damages.

The newsletter also predicts that the United States will select a
HDTV (high definition television) format by mid-year.

In terms of storage, the Newsletter maintains 60 megabyte (MB)
2.5-inch disk drives will appear in notebook computers by April,
forcing the dumping of 20 MB notebooks on the market.

Next is also predicted to go public in 1992.

The newsletter is published 24 times a year at a subscription cost
of $350. For more information contact P.O. Box 308, Half Moon Bay,
California, 94019. The telephone number is 415-726-8495.

(Ian Stokell/19920107/Press Contact: Michael Murphy, Morenove
Inc., 415-726-8495)


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

New Sybase SQL Server "Understands" Japanese 01/07/91
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 JAN 7 (NB) -- Sybase claims it is focusing
on the Asian market with release 4.9 of Sybase SQL Server for
development of on-line relational database applications that
can "understand" Japanese.

Sybase SQL (structured query language) Server, release 4.9
has new multi-byte character support for extended ability to
support Asian languages. The product offers automatic codeset
conversion for transparent reconciliation of the different
hardware vendor's representations of Japanese characters.
Additional Japanese support includes: Japanese object names
for tables, columns, and datatypes; localization of day and month
names and currency symbols; and binary sort order.

What this means to developers is Sybase SQL Server can
"understand" as well as store Japanese characters. This ability
of the software to "read" Japanese are allows applications
developed in the product to do alphabetic searches of
Japanese characters in the database, an ability other relational
database management systems (RDBMS) do not have, the
company said.

Also, because the new Sybase SQL Server release understands
the characters it stores, more rapid development of applications
as well as improved maintenance and high performance query
executions are also benefits, the company added.

The company says it has been distributing its leading
client/server-based relational database management system
products in Japan since 1989. Sybase plans for future
versions of the Sybase SQL Server to include Korean, People's
Republic of China Chinese, Taiwanese Chinese, and Thai.

Japanese distributors of Sybase products are listed by the
company as including C.Itoh, Kawasaki Steel, Kobelco Systems,
Mitsui & Company, Nippon Timeshare, Toshiba Engineering,
and Unisol.

(Linda Rohrbough/19910107/Press Contact: Perry Mizota,
Sybase, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00028)

New For Mac: Silver Cloud "Chooser" For Network Users 01/07/92
WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB) -- The
AG Group is planning to offer Macintosh users a new, enhanced
version of the Chooser DA, called Silver Cloud. Designed to
simplify network management, Silver Cloud allows network
managers to present only the information relevant to each
particular user, the company claims.

Chooser, developed by Apple Computer, is a desk accessory
(DA) in the Macintosh user interface that allows users to select
services such as file servers and printers by opening the
Chooser menu and clicking on device names.

Silver Cloud is to replace Chooser and offers a hierarchical
structure that can be centrally administrated on a network and
an improved graphical user interface (GUI), the AG Group said.

The basic functionality of Silver Cloud is similar to that of
Chooser, but the AG Group claims the interface is more like that
of the Finder, with quasi-zones exhibited as folders. The
product allows users to avoid the hassle of dealing with long
alphabetized lists of zones and devices and instead look at a
hierarchical view. The AG Group said users will also have the
advantage of clicking and dragging device icons, in order to
place an alias for a device they use frequently into a local
quasi-zone.

The AG Group says Silver Cloud allows zones to be visually
configured in a way that makes sense to network managers, but
is not always intuitive for the end user. So, while users see a
simplified view, Network managers can still use the old concept
of zones, or subnetworks, to group devices for efficient traffic flow.

Silver Cloud is expected to be available in early March, 1992.
The company says it will demonstrate Silver Cloud at Macworld
Exposition to be held in San Francisco beginning January 12, 1992.

(Linda Rohrbough/19910107/Press Contact: David Burk, AG
Group, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00029)

New For PC: Wordstar For Windows In French, German 01/07/92
NOVATO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB) -- Wordstar has
announced it is shipping French and German versions of Wordstar
for Windows, a version of its word processing software the
company released for the first time last September.

Also shipping with the translated Windows versions are
translated versions of Bitstreams' Facelift, a font rendering
engine which is used for onscreen what-you-see-is-what-you-get
(WYSIWYG) as well as printing fonts. A series of 13 typefaces
is included, Wordstar said. The fonts can be rendered onscreen
or on the printer in any size, the company added.

Automatic recognition and conversion of over 50 word processing
and text file formats is provided. Also a collection of more
than 40 templates for documents that can be modified by the
users. Templates provided include memos, expense reports,
invoices, and business cards, Wordstar mentioned.

Minimum system requirements for the Windows version are a
286-based IBM or compatible personal computer (PC) with two
megabytes (MB) of RAM, DOS 3.1 or higher, Microsoft Windows
3.0, a 20 MB hard disk, a Windows-compatible monitor with
graphics card, a mouse, and a printer.

Wordstar says its word processing software is number two
worldwide in units shipped, with an installed user base of over
4 million, according to figures provided by International Data.
The company says it supports 10 different language versions of
its products. In addition, Wordstar claims to have sold more than
950,000 copies of its word processing software in 1991.

(Linda Rohrbough/19910107/Press Contact: Kristen Keyes,
Wordstar, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LAX)(00030)

First Informix Users Conference Set For July 01/07/92
MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB) -- Informix
Software claims it is responding to user demand in planning its
first Informix Worldwide Users Conference for July 7 - 10 in
San Jose, California.

The conference, to be held in the San Jose Convention Center,
will be divided into four tracks: Application Development
Tools; Engines and Connectivity; Applications; and Management.
There will be a total of 80 different sessions.

Sessions for the management track include: portability;
standards; object-oriented tools; internationalization issues;
marketing for applications developers; as well as an
introduction to relational database technology.

The tools track will offer sessions on: structured query
language (SQL); computer-aided software engineering (CASE)
tools; the basic large object (BLOB) data types; DOS/Wingz
tools; and graphical user interface (GUI) support.

The applications track will be composed of submitted
presentations by Informix users and partners.

Engines and Connectivity track sessions will focus on ways
users can use database applications to leverage the technology
investment they have in workstations connected through local
area networks. Individual sessions on resource management,
on-line transaction processing, referential integrity, optical
disk issues, optimizing for networks, and gateway technology
will be included in this track, Informix added.

Over 1,000 attendees are expected as well as 100 vendors and
Informix partners who will be displaying products in the 50,000
square foot exhibition hall, the company estimated.

Informix officers, Phil White, president and chief executive
officer, and Chuck House, senior vice president of product
marketing and product development, will be addressing the
conference in general sessions each morning of the three-day
conference to discuss the latest Informix products and
services.

More information is available from the Conference Group
toll-free at 800-247-0262.

(Linda Rohrbough/19910107/Press Contact: Brenda Hansen,
Informix Software, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00031)

 ****Intel Reveals 586, Flash Memory Info 01/07/91
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB) -- Intel
has released a few more tidbits about the coming 80586
microprocessor chip, the awaited central processing unit
(CPU) addition to the IBM and compatible family of personal
computers.

A newsletter sent to Intel corporate customers reported the
chip is known internally at Intel as the P5. The new chip
is to combine the virtues of reduced instruction-set computing
(RISC) architecture and complex instruction-set computing (CISC).

The new chip is to be a lot more integrated as well. While the
486 chip has 1.2 million transistors, the P5 contains over three
million transistors, Nancy Pressel of Intel said. Processing power
of the P5 is estimated to be 100 million-instructions-per-second
(MIPS).

Intel says it also plans to provide an upgrade path to
customers, so at some point after the P5 is released, the
company will offer a bridge from the 486 to the P5. What that
bridge is exactly or what it will cost is still known only to Intel.

A release date for the P5 is still uncertain, but Pressel did
tell Newsbytes to expect the chip in 1992. Whether in the first
or second half of '92 is still speculative.

Another fairly new technology is called flash memory. It is a
replacement of the read-only memory (ROM) chips that store the
basic input/output system (BIOS) information.

The BIOS is what determines, at least in part, the type and
number of hard and floppy disk drives the computer can support
as well as other system information. A new type of hard disk
drive or a higher capacity floppy disk drive may require a BIOS
upgrade to operate in the system. Upgrading the BIOS is risky
at best as it involves the removal of the ROM chips from the
motherboard.

With flash memory the user can upgrade the BIOS from a floppy
diskette. Dell computer, who is offering flash memory in its
Powerline systems, allows users to download BIOS upgrades
via modem from its electronic bulletin board.

Intel is encouraging other system manufacturers to consider
flash memory over ROM chips. Advantages include the fact that
systems can be customized on the assembly-line and the flash
memory chips can be soldered in place for better reliability.

(Linda Rohrbough/19910107/Press Contact: Intel, Nancy Pressel,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Lisa Rohlf, Dell Computer,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00032)

 ****Suntac Bows To Chips & Technologies In Patent Suit 01/07/91
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB) -- Chips and
Technologies has announced that Suntac has acknowledged
Chips' patents on its memory controller chips are valid. As a
result, Suntac has agreed to stop supplying chipsets Chips
claims were infringing on its patent, and pay up.

Chips filed suit against Opti Computer and Eteq Microsystems in
August, and in October convinced the International Trade
Commission to investigate Chips' claim that Opti, Eteg, and
Suntac were importing chipsets that infringe on its patents.

Most recently Chips modified its complaint against Opti to
include "Watergate-like" charges of trade secret theft and
false advertising.

Raj Jaswa vice president of marketing for Opti, when contacted
by Newsbytes about Chips' allegations, said the attention from
Chips has been good for business. "They (Chips) have taken a
small company and propelled it to big company status," Jaswa
said. Opti claims in the six months since Chips filed the suit, it
had received business from all the major PC manufacturers.

Opti Computer's President and Chief Executive Officer, Kenny
Liu, told Newsbytes his company feels Chips patents are invalid
and unenforceable. However, Suntac's decision to back off and
admit Chips' claims are valid may be ominous for Opti and Eteg.

How much Suntac, Sun Electronics of Japan, will pay was not
disclosed. In return, however, Chips said it will stop pursuing
its patent infringement suit filed in the U.S. District Court
in San Jose and has agreed to jointly recommend with Suntac
that the International Trade Commission (ITC) drop its
investigation of Suntac.

Chips' President and Chief Executive Officer, Gordon Campbell,
said: "We are pleased to have favorably resolved one of the
four legal actions we are pursuing against companies which we
believe have infringed upon our intellectual property rights.
We view this as an important acknowledgment of the validity of
our patents and resolution of Suntac's infringement of these
patents. Chips will continue to vigorously pursue the
remaining lawsuits."

(Linda Rohrbough/19910107/Press Contact: Gavin Bourne, Chips
and Technologies, tel [phone], fax [phone])
(NEWS)(IBM)(NYC)(00033)

 ****IBM Confirms Shipping Of Some OS/2 Version 2.0 Systems 01/07/92
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB)  -- IBM has
confirmed it began providing the "limited availability version" of its
OS/2 2.0 operating system at the end of December 1991, and that
approximately 350 clients worldwide are participating in what is
known as "the OS/2 Limited Availability Program (LAP)."

OS/2 2.0 is scheduled to become generally available in March 1992
at a cost of $195 with right-to-copy licenses available for $149
without media and documentation. DOS users will be able to license
OS/2 2.0 for $149, with right-to-copy licenses available for $99.

A senior IBM executive told Newsbytes that the "limited availability
version" is not the final version to be shipped in March and can
actually be considered "beta code." He said that the use of limited
availability versions is not unique to OS/2 version 2. "IBM is using
this program with other software products and the intent is to
provide software to clients who have need of the early versions of
the product and are willing to work with us in improving the product
to the point it is ready for general market availability. We think that
the early user, the general consumer and IBM all benefit from such a
program."

IBM spokesperson Keith Lindenburg, speaking to Newsbytes,
described the OS/2 LAP more precisely, saying: "It can't really be
considered beta type because IBM is providing full support to the
product and will for up to 60 days after the release of the general
availability (GA) product. The users of the LA product have all
committed to transfer to the GA product by that time. The use of the
LA system allows us to provide a supported product to those whose
tight scheduling requirements make it important for their activities."

The press release states that: "Support for developer tools, including
IBM OS/2 2.0 Developer's ToolKit, IBM C Set/2, IBM Workframe/2,
and IBM OS/2 2.0 Technical Library will be available in mid to late
January."

Responding to a Newsbytes question as to whether there are any
other differences between the LA and GA versions, Lindenburg
said: "The LA version is basically the product announced
last March and does not include the 32-bit graphics engine or
'seamless windows.' These features are in beta test with the rest
of the GA version."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19920107/Press Contact:
Keith J. Lindenburg, IBM, 914-642-5363)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(NYC)(00034)

 ****Class Action Suit Against Data General Dismissed 01/07/92
WESTBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB)  -- Data
General Corporation has announced that a class action suit brought
against the company and certain of its officers and directors in July
1990 has been dismissed by Judge Rya Zobel of the U.S. District
Court in Boston.

The suit, entitled Pinkowitz vs. Data General, alleged that the
defendants had made materially false and misleading statements
concerning the company's financial performance and prospects
during the period from May 11, 1990, to July 27, 1990. In dismissing
the suit, Judge Zobel noted that the plaintiff had provided no factual
support for the "hypothetical tale of deception" that had been
alleged in the complaint.

Data General spokesperson Jim Dunlap, commenting to Newsbytes
on the ruling, said: "We are grateful for the decision. we said from the
beginning that the suit had absolutely no merit and the judge's ruling
bears this out."

Asked by Newsbytes whether an appeal was considered likely,
Dunlap said: "While the other party has the right to appeal, I'm told
by our lawyers that the decision was so clear-cut that an appeal is
considered unlikely."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19920107/Press Contact:
Jim Dunlap, Data General, 508-870-8162)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00035)

Rasterops' New Mac Video Display Products/Color Printer 01/07/91
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 7 (NB) -- Rasterops
has announced a suite of new products for video display and
printing for the Apple Macintosh and Quadra computers. The new
products include the Mediatime display adapter, the Correctprint
300 color printer, the Sweet 16 display monitor, and the Imagepro --
a reduced instruction-set computer (RISC)-based daughterboard
display adapter.

Mediatime, the company's new integrated display adapter,
combines compact disc (CD) quality digital sound with 24-bit
realtime video and graphics, allowing users to create dynamic
documents with stereo sound and realtime video. Rasterops says
Mediatime is the only video product available today that allows
users to manipulate live video and edit audio and play them
back in 16-bit fidelity directly from the Macintosh.

Mediatime uses Quicktime, a enhancement to the Macintosh
operating system, System 7, and supports various monitors from
13-inch Applecolor RGB to the 37-inch Mitsubishi XC-3715C. The
interlaced output in NTSC and PAL from the adapter can be
recorded directly to a video cassette recorder (VCR) or viewed
on a monitor with a Rasterops Video Expander. Retail price for
Mediatime is $2,799.

A new color printer, the Correctprint 300, is dye-sublimation
photorealistic printer at wax thermal transfer printer prices,
Rasterops said. The Correctprint 300 offers 300 dot-per-inch,
CMYK (cyan-magenta-yellow-black) four-color output. The printer
includes a 33 megahertz (MHz) MIPS RISC raster image processor
(RIP) on its controller board to accelerate the speed of printing
large 24-bit image files.

The CorrectPrint 300 includes 35 resident fonts and industry-
standard Postscript compatible software. The printer supports a
variety of paper requirements including letter, legal, A4 and
A4 special. Retail price is $10,999, and the printer is already
available at Rasterops authorized dealers.

The company also announced a new addition to the line of
Rasterops Macintosh and Quadra color display systems. A 16-inch
screen display on the Sweet 16 provides 60 percent more viewing
space than a 13-inch monitor, but with a much smaller footprint
than a 19-inch monitor. The Macintosh II version includes the
Rasterops 24Mx display adapter, while the Quadra series system
features the Rasterops 24MxQ display adapter.

The Rasterops 24Mx is a single-slot graphics display board
with Quickdraw acceleration and offers photorealistic display
capabilities and significantly faster drawing speeds.

Designed for the Apple Macintosh Quadra series, the 24MxQ
is a 24-bit video adapter that connects to the Quadra's PDS
(processor direct slot). It features convolution technology for
recording flicker-free graphics to video tape.

Rasterops says users can view a full page at 832 by 624 pixel
resolution on the Sweet 16 without making size adjustments. The
new monitor also features lower power consumption, flatter
screen dynamics, finer beam spot sizes and better
misconvergence than any other display, Rasterops said.

Also announced was Imagepro, which the company says is the
first RISC-based expansion adapter for display systems on the
Macintosh and Quadra series computers.

The board is programmable and allows compute-intensive tasks,
such as RGB-to-CMYK conversion to be done on the board, freeing
up the computer's central processing unit (CPU), Rasterops said.

The board can also perform accelerated compression and
decompression in either a JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts
Group) or Quicktime format, which dramatically reduces file
sizes for easy storage and quick transmission over networks.
The expansion adapter is designed to connect to the Rasterops
24XLTV, 24STV, Mediatime, and Procolor 32 display adapters.
When used with Procolor 32 display adapters, ImagePro can
compress static images, Rasterops added.

Loss compression ratios can be as high as 100:1 and is
especially useful for transmitting images via local area
networks (LANs), Rasterops said. Lossless compression ratios
vary form 2:1 to 3:1.

In addition Rasterops said it has developed a "component"
driver that accelerates Quicktime movie compression by using
the processing power of the Imagepro. This is accomplished by
attaching the Imagepro daughtercard to the Rasterops 24XLTV.
Users of 24STV and Mediatime will be able to create and project
Quicktime movies at near real-time rates. The Imagepro
expansion adapter accelerates Quicktime communication of large
video, audio and animation files between the hard disk and the
monitor.

ImagePro includes the Rasterops Imagepak 2.0 software for a
range of options in controlling compression and decompression
of image data. These options include control of variable
compression rates and horizontal and vertical subsampling.
Imagepak 2.0 also features a picture preview "thumbnail" mode,
a plug-in module for Adobe Photoshop and supports TIFF, PICT
and JPEG 8- and 24-bit file formats, Rasterops said.
ImagePro is expected to be available in February of 1992, the
company said.

More information on Rasterops products is available toll-free
at 800-729-2656.

(Linda Rohrbough/19910107/Press Contact: Mary Looram,
Cunningham Communication for Rasterops, tel [phone],
fax [phone])