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/nb920109

Text File | 1992-01-09 | 55KB | 1,284 lines

(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00001)

New For PC: Anti-Virus Software Protects Networks 01/09/92
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- Fifth Generation
Systems has introduced Untouchable, a new line of anti-virus
software that the company claims provides complete virus
protection without the need for frequent virus signature updates.

Untouchable stand-alone and network products are designed to operate
on DOS-based PCs, compatibles and networks. The company maintains
that several features distinguish the Untouchable product
line from other anti-virus software products on the market. These
features include a patented virus removal technique that,
according to the company, guarantees 100-percent restoration of
recoverable infected files, including those hit by unknown viruses;
automatic load-and-forget protection that ensures the integrity of
data without interfering with the work process; and a network
version that provides centralized installation and management
capabilities.

Untouchable Network incorporates enhanced LAN management
features, including automatic installation and updating from one
location, transparent operation at the workstation level, ongoing
status reports of the state of the network, historical logs of
all status and virus reports, and the ability to assign system
operators who receive the same alert that workstations receive.

Untouchable is available at a suggested retail price of $165. An
Untouchable Network Starter Kit, which includes the full supervisor
documentation and ten node-license agreements, is available for $695.
License agreements for additional nodes may be purchased for $85 per
node.

The company will provide quarterly virus signature updates for the
virus scanner and TSR monitor for a service charge of $15 per quarter.
Call 504/291-7221 for more information.

(Computer Currents/19920109)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00002)

German Telecom Plans Pitch For Soviet Contract 01/09/92
BONN, WEST GERMANY, 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- Die Welt newspaper has
confirmed previous reports that West German telecom companies,
including the state-owned Deutsche Bundespost Telekom division,
are now in discussions with Soviet officials regarding a major
satellite telecommunications project.

According to the German daily newspaper, the companies are
preparing to tender for the Romantis project. Negotiations are
reported to be taking place in Russia, as well as Belarus,
Kazakhstan, and Ukraine, three former satellite states of the old
USSR.

Telekom board member Gerd Tenzer is quoted in the paper as saying
that the consortium of German telecom companies submitted their
original proposals for setting up the Romantis project in the
summer of last year, although matters had been put on hold owing
to the break-up of the Soviet Union.

Now that things are settling down on that front, Tenzer said that
talks are now taking place with each individual republic, where
appropriate. The total value of the telecommunications project
could be anything between DM 3,000 and DM 7,000 million ($2 to 4.7
million), he added.

If successful, the Romantis project will involve three satellites
located in geosynchronous orbit around the earth. Up to three
million telephone conversations could be supported by such a
network, although the bulk of the bandwidth would be assigned to
data communications traffic.

Because of the uncertainty of dealing with the former Soviet
Union, the German telecom companies are looking for export credit
guarantees for as much as two thirds of the cost of the
telecommunications project from the German government. Export credit
guarantees are a form of insurance that pays out the cost of the
export, should the destination company or, in the case of the
Romantis project, state government, renege on its financial
commitments.

To support the initial negotiations between all interested
parties, the Bundespost is investing DM 160 million this year in
the project. These monies will be offset by income from the
project, should it go ahead.

(Steve Gold/19920109)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00003)

SG Warburg Buys 22.5M BT Shares To Meet Int'l Demand 01/09/92
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- SG Warburg, the London-based
stock dealing house, has announced it has bought 22.5 million
shares in British Telecom (BT) to meet demand from international
(non-UK) investors in the British government's sell-off of the
remainder of the former state telecommunications company.

This purchase boosts the total number of shares sold by the
British Government to 1,597.5 million, of which 547.5 million
were sold to overseas (non-UK) investors.

Warburg's announcement is interesting, since it suggests that
interest from overseas investors has outstripped the anticipated
demand for shares. UK interest was as expected, BT and British
government officials have said.

According to Warburg, 63.6 percent of the BT shares were sold to
UK investors, with the remaining proportions goings to US (17.6
percent), Japanese (5.3 percent), Swiss (4.9 percent), French
(1.5 percent), German (1.4 percent), Canadian (1.1 percent), and
the rest of world investors (3.2 percent).

(Steve Gold/19920109)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00004)

 ****Tandem Layoffs, $90 Million Restructuring 01/09/92
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- Tandem, the
largest producer of fault-tolerant computers, has announced plans
to cut its workforce by nine percent by the end of September this
year. According to the company, the staff cutting plan has
already been in operation for six months, resulting in a three
percent reduction in Tandem's workforce since July of last year.

Company officials said they expect Tandem to report a loss during
the current financial year, although details of the losses were
not announced. During the company's first fiscal quarter, which
ended on December 31, 1991, Tandem will take a restructuring
charge of $90 million.

Tandem said that it expects the restructuring to pay for
itself in staff and overhead savings over the next two years.
During the current year, savings of between $40 and $50 million
are likely to accrue, while between $90 and $100 million will
accrue during the next financial year, company officials said.

Tandem's restructuring is described by the company as including
the consolidation of offices and facilities, write-offs of non-
productive assets and layoffs.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920109/Press Contact: Tom Waldrop, Tandem,
408-285-7277)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00005)

New For Macintosh: 15-inch Sigma Display For Powerbook 01/09/92
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- Sigma says that
it is introducing a "plug and play" 15-inch, paper white display
called the Power-page for the Apple Macintosh and Apple Powerbook
series of notebook computers.

A small computer systems interface (SCSI) port hook-up connects
directly to the Powerbook's SCSI port. No video card is required
as the monitor has a video card built directly into the housing
that sends the signal through the SCSI port to the Powerbook's.
Sigma claims that this will be especially helpful to users of
Powerbooks and Classic IIs who want a larger screen display but
have been denied that option as their computers have no expansion
slots.

The Power-page includes Quickdraw acceleration for increased
display of graphics and text scrolling -- up to three times
faster than built-in displays in benchmark texts, Sigma claims.

Three resolutions of 72 dots per inch (dpi) -- (576 x 768
pixels), full page resolution at 80 dpi (640 x 870 pixels) and A4
page resolution at 88 dpi (704 x 940 pixels) -- can be selected
by the user. Further, users can create a virtual two-page desktop
up to 1,024 x 1,024 pixels by using the Power-page's hardware pan
mode.

Power-page offers a 97Hz refresh rate, paper-white phosphor, flat
screen and it meets the latest Swedish MPR 1990:8 guidelines for
reduced VLF/ELF magnetic field emissions. An anti-glare, anti-
static coating is also available as an optional extra.

Power-page plugs directly into the SCSI port of an compact
Macintosh such as the Macintosh Plus, Classic, Classic II, SE and
SE/30, PowerBook 100, 140, 170 or Portable computer. In addition,
use of the SCSI port allows the connection of up to six other
devices, such as hard disks, printers and scanners via a pass-
through connector.

Sigma plans to demonstrate the Power-page at Macworld Expo in San
Francisco January 12 - 15 in Hall C of the Moscone Center. More
information on the Power-page is available from Sigma toll-free
at 800-845-8086. International callers can contact the company on
510/770-2647.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920109/Press Contact: Laura Olson, Sigma
Designs, Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00006)

 ****Massive Database Planned To Track Insurance Fraud 01/09/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- On Monday the U.S.
insurance industry, faced with growing insurance fraud triggered
by the bad economic situation in this country, announced a major
new initiative to track and stop potential insurance fraud
schemes.

The schemes covered by the initiative are such as those where
people deliberately wreck their automobiles to avoid having them
repossessed or report them stolen but actually ship them overseas
for sale in another market.

Plans call for the new National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB),
which has been formed by combining the National Automobile Theft
Bureau and the Insurance Crime Prevention Institute, to build a
massive computerized database tied into the Federal Bureau of
Investigation's computer system.

At an announcement at The National Press Club, the insurance
industry brought forward one person convicted of automotive
insurance fraud who warned that this is a massive problem, with
people making a living from going out and doing this every day.

The major new private law enforcement effort is being sponsored
by more than 700 individual insurance companies because local law
enforcement is reportedly giving insurance fraud a low priority
in these days of budget cuts and a growing violent crime problem.

False and fraudulent claims are said to cost insurance companies,
and indirectly their policy holders, nearly $20 billion each
year.

Protests are expected from civil liberties groups who are
reportedly already concerned about possible direct tie-ins
between the private insurance industry investigators and FBI
files.

(John McCormick/19920109)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00007)

Firm Gets Patent For Optical Computer Advance 01/09/92
COLUMBIA, MARYLAND, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- Maryland-based
Essex Corporation has been awarded a U.S. patent for its ImSyn
imaging system which is based on optical computer advances.

The system is based on an unusual analog computer using optical
elements which allow processing speeds in excess of one trillion
operations per second, far faster than existing digital
processing techniques.

Present applications are in medical imaging of CAT or
computerized tomographic image processing where the company
claims that its system is more than 100 times faster than
existing devices and in synthetic aperture radar image analysis
which is used for both military reconnaissance and satellite
resource imaging systems.

Essex also claims that its invention will have a broad array of
applications in other medical and scientific applications
including magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasonic scanning,
seismology, and microscopy.

Announcing the patent details, Essex chairman and CEO, Dr. Harry
Letaw said: "This patent award represents a major milestone in
the Essex effort to bring optically assisted computing technology
to the market-place."

"The applications for this technology are extremely broad. We
plan to develop certain applications and license others," he
added.

(John McCormick/19920109/Press Contact: Harry Letaw Jr., Essex
Corporation, 410-730-1097)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00008)

Oracle Revenues Up Due To Market Shift To Open Systems 01/09/92
REDWOOD CITY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- Oracle
Systems reported its earnings for its second fiscal quarter are
up at $13.6 million. The company's stock is rising as a result of
the announcement -- Oracle's stock took an upswing to 17, up 1-
5/8 on Tuesday and climbed again on Wednesday.

Revenues for Oracle's second fiscal quarter are up 11 percent
from $257 million last year to $284 million in the same period
this year. Net income increased to $13.6 million (10 cents per
share), compared to last year's losses of $1.3 (1 cent per share)
in the same quarter of fiscal 1991.

Oracle attributes the gains to higher service revenues and cost
cuts in the expenses in the areas of sales, marketing and
consulting.

Company officials said that they noticed significantly higher
volume in mid-to low-end system shipments to both new and
existing customers. They said that this is due to a growing
market shift away from proprietary systems to open systems,
particularly Unix and client/server products.

Oracle says that the shift to open systems and a restricted
capital spending environment for information system technology
accounts for the marginal increase in the company's software
license revenues.

The company interprets the increased volume of shipments to mean
it is increasingly penetrating the market and indicates
government and corporate customers are standardizing on its
products. Based on these interpretations, company officials
predict that the company will continue to see growing revenue in
the long-term.

Oracle has the distinction of being the largest supplier of
database management system (DBMS) software. Its software is
numbered among the few software products that will run on
massively-parallel supercomputers, like the Touchstone Delta
housed at Cal Tech in Pasadena, California.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920109/Press Contact: Name, Company, Tel:
area-number, Fax: area-number)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00009)

Phoenix Technologies Shuffles Management 01/09/92
NORWOOD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- Phoenix
Technologies has re-assigned several of its senior managers.

Jack Kay, formerly vice-president of world-wide sales, has been
appointed chief operating officer. He will report to Ronald
Fisher, president and chief executive officer of Phoenix.

Lance Hansche, formerly senior vice-president, PC division and
business development, becomes senior vice-president, corporate
strategy, also reporting to Fisher.

David Cane, formerly vice-president of product engineering for
the PC division, was appointed vice-president and general manager
of the PC division, reporting to Kay.

Peter Banhazl, formerly regional sales director for the eastern
region, becomes vice-president of world-wide sales, also
reporting to Kay.

So why the changes? According to Fisher, Phoenix needs to
"organize to meet the dual challenges of constantly improving our
operating efficiencies as well as pursuing new, high-growth
market and business opportunities."

"We believe that these organizational changes will allow us to
address these challenges," he added.

Phoenix Technologies designs, develops and markets system
software products for personal computers and laser printers,
including Basic Input-Output System (BIOS) software widely used
in IBM-compatible personal computers.

(Grant Buckler/19920109/Press Contact: Ronald Fisher, Phoenix
Technologies, 617-551-4211; Robert R. Langer, Phoenix
Technologies, 617-551-4161)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(000010)

 ****Dell Taking Orders For Color Notebook 01/09/92
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- Dell Computer says it
is now taking orders for its new color notebook computers.
Delivery is expected to begin in 30 days.

The new unit, designated the 325NC, will carry a suggested list
price of $3,999 with a 60MB hard drive, and $4,299 for the 80MB
version. The processor is a 25MHz 80386 SL Intel low-power chip.

Tipping the scales at 6.9 pounds, the new notebook will come
standard with 4MB of RAM and a single 3.5-inch high density (1.44
MB) floppy drive. The video system is a VGA passive-matrix color
liquid crystal display capable of displaying 16 colors
simultaneously on its 9.25-inch monitor, at a resolution of 640 X
480 pixels, or 256 colors at 320 X 200 pixels resolution.

"The 325NC has been priced lower than many existing notebooks
with monochrome displays," said G. Glenn Henry, Dell Products
Group senior VP.

Henry quoted the competing examples of a Toshiba T3300SL
monochrome notebook with 4MB of memory and a 80MB hard drive,
with a suggested retail price of $5,734; or a Compaq 386s/20, a
20 MHz 386sx monochrome system with 4MB of memory and a 60MB hard
drive, with a retail price of $4,297, to back up his pricing
claim.

The 325NC uses 64K of cache memory, and power management systems
which Dell says can result in up to three hours or more of
battery life for the rechargeable hydride batteries. The 325NC
also has a suspend/resume capability that allows users to stop
work at a certain point, then instantly resume where they left
off without having to re-boot or re-load an application.

(Jim Mallory/19920109/Press contact: Liza Rohlf, Dell Computer,
512-343-3782)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00011)

Compaq Says Color Portable Orders Exceed Expectations 01/09/92
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- Compaq Computer says
world-wide orders for its portable 486c color computer have
exceeded expectations.

Compaq first announced the 486 portable on October 7, 1991, and
began shipping its the company's first color transportable last
month. The 17.6 pound EISA (extended industry standard
architecture), AC powered unit is powered by an Intel 33MHz 80486
chip, and uses an active matrix VGA color display.

The unit is currently available in two models. Both are
configured with 4MB of system memory, two 32-bit expansion slots,
one 3.5-inch high density (1.44 MB) floppy drive, a detachable
keyboard and Compaq's Multilock security system. A one-year
warranty is standard.

The Model 120 includes a 120 MB hard drive, and has a suggested
list price of $9,999. The Model 210 has a 210 MB hard drive, and
sells for $10,999. Compaq provides a toll free number (800-345-
1518) for technical support.

Compaq claims that the portables are well suited for architects,
engineers, and software developers who use CAD/CAE (computer-aided
designed/computer-aided engineering), database management,
financial modeling, and complex demonstration applications.

Compaq officials declined to release either their sales
projections or the number of units shipped, but a Compaq
spokesperson told Newsbytes that "thousands" of units have
shipped to date.

(Jim Mallory/19920109/press contact: Tony Sapienza, Miller
Communications, 617-536-0470)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00012)

Aldus Updates Persuasion For Apple Mac And PC 01/09/92
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- Aldus has
announced updates of Persuasion, its desktop presentation
program, for the Apple Macintosh and PC.

The company says that version 2.1 for both platforms includes
Persuasion Player, a runtime application for viewing and
distributing slide shows independently of the application itself.
Other features include cross-platform support between the two
versions, and support for Publish and Subscribe in the Mac
version. The Windows version includes dynamic data exchange (DDE)
and object linking and embedding (OLE).

Using the DDE feature, users can link their spreadsheet data from
applications such as Excel and Lotus for Windows to charts in
Persuasion, for automatic updates when the spreadsheet data
changes.

Aldus says the Mac version includes support for Apple's Quicktime
video technology, as well as what it describes as major
performance improvements for the Windows version. Quicktime
allows incorporation of video and sound into a Mac-based
presentation.

"With its ability to display Persuasion files created in either
the Macintosh or Windows environment, the Persuasion Player is
the easiest and most robust playback mechanism around," said Mark
Sherman, Aldus' product marketing manager.

Using Player, presenters can navigate automatically or manually
through their slide show, including its build layers and the
transition effects, on any DOS-compatible or Macintosh computer
without having the Persuasion application itself installed.
Either version (Mac or DOS) can accept files created on the other
platform.

Aldus says that is has increased the number of Auto templates in
both versions. The Windows version has added 28 new templates,
while the Mac version has added 47. Both versions now have 83
templates. Users can directly import PICT files into the Windows
version, or can import Windows metafiles directly into the Mac
version.

Aldus spokesperson Laura Williams told Newsbytes that Version 2.1
for either platform has a suggested selling price of $495.
Williams said registered owners of release 2.0 can upgrade for
$50. Owners of earlier versions can upgrade for $150.

(Jim Mallory/19920109/Press contact: Laura Williams, Aldus
Corporation, 206-628-6594)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00013)

New For PC: Microsoft Project Version 3.0 For Windows 01/09/92
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- Microsoft has
released version 3.0 of its project management program Microsoft
Project for Windows.

The company said that the design goal for the program, which was
introduced in May 1990, was to improve usability and
functionality. Feedback from users of version 1.0 was the
principal source for the improvements, said Microsoft, with all
of the top 10 requests being incorporated into the new version.

The new release is expected to be available in mid-February, and
will carry an upgrade price of $149. New purchasers can expect a
price tag of $695. The company said the first packages produced
will be reserved for upgrade customers.

Microsoft said that it will also produce localized versions of
Project for Windows for the French, German, Swedish and Italian
markets.

Project for Windows recently received top honors in user testing
conducted by the National Software Testing Laboratories (NSTL).
NSTL testing matched a pre-release version of Project 3.0 for
Windows against four shipping project management programs by
other developers.

Project got a 7.9 rating in the overall evaluation category, 7.8
in ease of learning, and 8.3 in the ease of use category. The
labs say the overall evaluation category is a weighted average of
individual scores. The tests praised the program for menu
organization, mouse functions, usability and ease of use.

To use Microsoft Project for Windows you will need a 286-based
system or higher, Windows 3.0 or later, DOS 3.1 or later, 2MB
(megabytes) of RAM, one high density 5.25 inch drive, and EGA,
CGA, Hercules, or other high resolution graphics. While the
program will run under the above configuration, Microsoft
recommends a 386 or higher, a mouse, and 3MB of RAM.

Although the program ships on the 5.25-inch high density disks, a
coupon is included for you to order the program on 3.5-inch low
density (720K) disks.

Microsoft maintains a toll free number (800-426-9400) for
inquiries about any of its products.

(Jim Mallory/19920109/Press contact: Monica Harrington,
Microsoft, 206/882-8080)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00014)

Deregulation Promotes Telecom Growth in Asia 01/09/92
NORTH POINT, HONG KONG, 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- Asian
telecommunications users and providers alike are benefiting from
government deregulation moves that are occurring in virtually
every country, according to Datacraft Asia marketing director,
Ron Cattell.

"With deregulation occurring at different rates in almost all
Asian countries, there will now be opportunities for several
players in each telecommunications carrier market," he said.

"This will result in much faster availability of badly needed
telecommunications services to businesses in the region and will
continue to fuel economic growth," he added.

The move towards deregulation is being paralleled by the
increased significance of satellite technology for voice, data
and fax communications throughout Asia, according to Cattell. The
combination of these factors is ensuring a regional telecommunications
industry growth that is outstripping that elsewhere, he claimed.

"The use of fiber optic cable is certainly a key factor," he
said, "but despite the relative low cost of fiber optics,
the sheer volume of cabling that needs to be done in Asia makes
it an expensive proposition. For small places like Hong Kong and
Singapore, fiber optics makes sense, but in China, Indonesia and
Malaysia the distances are enormous and satellite technology
makes more sense in many cases."

Datacraft Asia recently supplied independent Thai satellite
communications carrier Samart Telcoms with nearly US$1 million
worth of its Marathon 5K servers, which allow the integration of
data, voice and fax traffic over a single line.

Cattell named Thailand and Malaysia as countries that are
investing heavily in satellite technology to speed the provision
of communications facilities to all who want them.

A private company in Malaysia, Information Networking Corporation
(INC), is currently setting up a huge national and international
data network using channels provided on Asiasat. Thailand will be
launching two of its own fixed-orbit communications satellites in
1993 and 1994, providing capacity that will allow up to a million
people to conduct telephone conversations at the same time on
these satellite links alone.

Datacraft will supply US$4.5 million worth of telecommunications
switching equipment to INC for the 330 node satellite network
that will be based in Kuala Lumpur, but will use Hong Kong as the
site for its international gateway.

A pilot system will become fully functional by February and will
offer services to users throughout Malaysia as well as to
regional users via simple dial-in facilities to any of INC's 10
regional centres situated throughout the country.

(Norman Wingrove/19920109/Press contact: Ron Cattell, Datacraft,
[phone], Fax [phone]; HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00015)

 ****Motorola Proposes $130 Million Investment in India 01/09/91
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- Motorola has submitted a
proposal to the foreign investment promotion board (FIPB) for an
investment of over $130 million in India.

The estimated costs cover nine of Motorola's 13 planned projects,
which it hopes to implement in the time-frame of 1991-97. As a
result, the electronics giant expects to spend a lot more than
its original estimate of $130 million.

"But we'll not go for such a wide investment, if the government
doesn't decide to privatize the value-added services," said G.K.
Arora, manager for corporate affairs with Motorola Singapore Pvt.
Ltd. "We are not interested in simply increasing our
manufacturing capacity for cellular radios, cordless telephones,
radio pagers, radio-trunking equipment," he added.

Motorola's projects involving the development of data communications
equipment in conjunction with Blue Star, as well as an
export-oriented software division, are now under way, according to
Motorola. Plans call for Motorola to increase its stake in the
Blue Star joint company project, as well as introducing new
products such as dial-up modems to the Indian market.

Four of the remaining 11 projects will be value-added services,
including the establishment of a paging and a trunking
network, resulting in a foreign investment of over $70 million.

Apart from four related manufacturing projects, others are for
the manufacture of communication equipment for defense purposes,
a semiconductor project, as well the satellite-based Iridium
telecommunications project.

(C.T. Mahabharat 19920109)


(NEWS)(IBM)(NYC)(00016)

New For PC: Ami Pro Macro Developer's Kit 01/09/92
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- Lotus
Development Corporation has announced that it has begun shipments
of Release 1.0 of the Macro Developer's Kit (MDK) for Ami Pro,
the company's word processor for the Microsoft Windows environment.

According to Lotus, the MDK is intended to allow developers
create Ami Pro environments under which the use may develop
custom applications.

The Lotus announcement provided an example of a consultant,
Ernest Ellingson, who used MDK to create a custom front-end for
use by paralegals to access Mead Data Central Inc.'s Nexis and
Lexis legal databases.

Ellingson wrote a macro that uses DDE to control Crosstalk for
Windows from within Ami Pro. The customized Ami Pro application
has a special menu that allows paralegals to conduct database
searches.

A dialog box allows users to enter search instructions and
parameters. After a search, the macro downloads the list of found
articles into another list box, where users can choose articles
to be downloaded into an Ami Pro style sheet. Paralegals then can
print, edit and/or save the files.

In another example, Inquery Inc., a Pleasanton, Calif.-based
consulting firm, in a project for a manufacturer of
microprocessors, created custom forms that are launched from
icons in Windows. SmartIcons within forms allow users to move
from one form to another without exiting Ami Pro. In both
examples, the menus and choices presented to the end user relate
only to the specific choices allowed by the developer.

MDK is provided to developers for a cost of $9.95 It may be
obtained by calling Lotus at 800 831-9679 x441.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19920109/Press Contact:
Beverly McDonald, Alexander Communications, 404-876-4482 (voice),
404-876-4516 (fax))


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00017)

Citizen Enlists Indian Firm To Make Printers 01/09/92
BANGALORE, INDIA, 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- TVS Electronics (TVSE) has
announced plans to develop and manufacture a new generation of
print heads. The company is working in collaboration with Citizen
of Japan in the project.

According to Gopal Srinivasan, TVSE's managing director, the
collaboration between the two companies will cover a range of dot
matrix printers initially. The print heads side of the project
will be taken up at a later stage. The areas in which Citizen has
extended support include tool design and sourcing of components
internationally besides the development of core areas like print
head technology.

"To date, TVSE has refurbished printheads. Now the company will
actually be participating in the design of the new generation
printheads and a small team of TVSE engineers will work with
Citizen's R&D staff in Japan," he said.

TVSE is also considering manufacturing Citizen's 3.5-inch floppy
disk drives in India. The company's relationship with Citizen
dates back to 1987. Citizen's peripherals division's offerings
include floppy disk drives, printers and LCD panels for notebook
computers.

(C.T. Mahabharat 19920109)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(HKG)(00018)

Hong Kong: DEC, HKPC Sign Open Systems Agreement 01/09/92
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- Digital Equipment (DEC) Hong
Kong and the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) have signed an
agreement to promote open systems technology among local
industrialists, and help train their staff to benefit from open
systems.

The two organizations will set up a joint open technology
training centre, using DEC hardware and software to support
courses, seminars, and workshops for both technical and managerial
staff.

In addition, an open technology demonstration centre will be
established to give users hands-on experience of the benefits of
open systems. This centre will be used as a beta test site for
new DEC products, and will be linked to the HKPC's existing
computer network to demonstrate multivendor capabilities.

Asked how a joint venture between the HKPC, a public non-profit
service organization, and a single technology vendor such as
Digital Equipment Corporation, could promote the concept of
multi-vendor open systems technology, the HKPC's executive
director, S.K. Chan, said the project was not exclusive to DEC.

He added that, over the years HKPC had been engaged in the human
resources development of computer personnel through the formation
of strategic alliances with computer vendors and software
suppliers. "The aim is to further enhance our support of local
industry in gaining a competitive edge through IT applications,"
he told Newsbytes.

Chan added that the HKPC had worked closely with DEC in the past
and was impressed by the company's commitment to open systems
through the Advanced Computing Environment (ACE) and the Open
Systems Foundation (OSF).

Digital spokesman Connie Wong told Newsbytes: "Digital has no say
over what other vendors may be invited by HKPC to join the
scheme."

"Although we will provide facilities for training covering MS-
DOS, SCO Unix and OSF, the HKPC has a wide range of hardware from
different vendors which will be used. A project like this has to
start somewhere and while we are proud to enter this association
with HKPC, we fully expect competing vendors to participate in
due course," she added.

Ming Li, general manager of Digital Equipment Hong Kong, said:
"Organizations are increasingly demanding open systems, and this
agreement will ensure that users are aware of all the issues when
migrating to an open, multivendor computing environment. With
this scheme, users will have access to the latest in open
technology at the best training and demonstration centres in the
territory."

Plans call for the open technology demonstration centre, which
will open in April at HKPC's new headquarters, to promote
services related to multivendor connectivity, desktop
interconnection, electronic data interchange (EDI), and the X.400
electronic mail standard.

Digital's open systems marketing manager, Chris Firth, told
Newsbytes: "We are fully committed to promoting true multi-vendor
open systems cooperation, whether it be OSF- or Xopen-based. We
see no conflict here."

(Norman Wingrove/19920109/Press Contact: Venus Chan, DEC, Tel
[phone] or Annissa Chan, HKPC, [phone]; HK time is
GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00019)

Two Vendors Signed For Knight-Ridder/Tribune Service 01/09/92
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- Knight
Ridder/Tribune Business News has signed the first two independent
vendors for its new business news service. The new vendors are
Comtex Scientific of Stamford, Connecticut, and Desktop Data of
Waltham, Massachusetts.

Dialog Information Services of Palo Alto, California, a Knight-
Ridder subsidiary, also plans to carry the service.

Robert Harris, director of Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service,
said that the service is expected to be operational within a few
weeks. "We're working out some of the kinks," he said. He added
that the company intends to seek more vendors for the service,
and in fact hopes to announce further agreements within days.

Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News is a unit of Knight-Ridder
Tribune Information Services, a joint venture of Miami-based
Knight-Ridder and Chicago-based Tribune Co., both newspaper
publishers.

The service will deliver business and related news to executive
desktop PC users, researchers, the media, and others. Content will
come from all 30 Knight-Ridder newspapers and magazines,
Tribune's six newspapers, and five affiliated papers. More
newspapers will be added in future, Harris said.

Among the contributing papers 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. The service will
also include news from the Knight-Ridder Financial News service.

The service will contain all staff-written business news and
business-related items from these papers, Harris told Newsbytes.
Material will be available online on the day of publication.

Comtex Scientific distributes news electronically to the
financial, corporate, and consumer markets. Besides reselling
Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News to corporations and others,
Comtex will process each news item, adding sophisticated coding
for easy retrieval by end-users.

Desktop Data serves corporate, financial, and government
customers. Its flagship product, NewsEdge, delivers tailored
electronic news reports to users' personal computers.

(Grant Buckler/19920109/Press Contact: Robert Harris, Knight-
Ridder/Tribune Business News, 202-383-6092)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00020)

New For Macintosh: MS-Mail Gateway To X.400 01/09/92
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- Retix has
announced that it has begun shipments of the Microsoft Mail
Gateway to X.400 for Macintosh this week. The package allows
Microsoft Mail's Mac users to exchange e-mail with other X.400-
linked mail systems.

According to Retix, the software works in the following manner.
One of the Macs on the LAN is designated as the mail
gateway. This Mac has two requirements placed on it. First,
it must be running Retix's Microsoft Mail Gateware to X.400 for
Macintosh. And secondly, it must be connected to another LAN
where the X.400 server is running.

The Mac not dedicated to the gateway function and can be used for
other purposes. The X.400 server must be Retix's OpenServer 400
which is a software package that runs on a dedicated PC.

Once these hardware requirements have been set up, Macintosh
Microsoft Mail users can quickly begin sending and receiving mail
from the X.400 network. There are various pricing levels
established for the gateway. Pricing begins a $1795. For more
information contact Retix at 1-800-255-2333 or 310-828-3400.

(Naor Wallach/19920109/Press Contact: Lori Hultin, Retix, 310-
828-3400)


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

 ****CES: Auto-Dialer For Kids Introduced 01/09/92
CLARKSBURG, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- Steve
Bethell's Nimrod International has released Phone Home, a palm-
size automatic dialer for kids. The unit lets them reach a
programmed number -- their home or parents' number -- without
money.

The unit, which includes tones to make collect, operator-assisted
calls to a pre-programmed number, has won an endorsement from a
group called the Vanished Children's Alliance, since proper use
would eliminate the need for your tyke to ask strangers for help
in reaching you.

The product, on display this week at the Consumer Electronics
Show in Las Vegas, has a street price of $19.95, and the company
claims that it could also be used by disabled people and victims
of Alzheimer's Disease.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920109/Press Contact: B.L. Ochman, Nimrod
International, 12-226-0201)


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

AT&T Refinances Its Mortgage 01/09/92
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- With long-term
interest rates at historic lows, AT&T is doing what millions of
smart homeowners are also doing -- refinancing its mortgage.

The company announced the sale of $1 billion of new debt -- $500
million of 30-year paper and $500 million of 10-year paper, which
will be used to pay off older, higher-priced debt.

The 30-year paper carries a yield to maturity of 8.36 percent --
U.S. government 30-year paper currently carries an interest rate
of 7.4 percent. It's part of a "shelf registration" for $2.5
billion that AT&T filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission earlier. The 30-year debentures will be listed
securities on the New York Stock Exchange.

The company's ATT Capital unit also said it has won a license
from the U.S. small business administration, meaning that it can
get government backing for 90 percent of the value on loans it
makes to small businesses.

The company's president said that the company plans to focus
first on franchises, which traditionally have a higher success
rate than other small businesses, with $50 million available. The
group has 400,000 small business loans in its portfolio.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920109/Press Contact: AT&T, Jim Byrnes,
908/221-4011)


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

BBN Announces Brazilian Joint Venture 01/09/92
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- BBN
Communications will enter the Brazilian market through a joint
venture with Moddata S.A. Engenharia, headquartered in Rio de
Janeiro.

The two companies will look to sell BBN's X.25 packet switching
networks, including packet switches, PADs, network security and
network management products, to large Brazilian companies.

Brazil's market was closed to external companies for years due to
domestic content laws, but such rules are now out of favor. The
government's move to sell-off state-owned enterprises also has
encouraged many U.S. businesses into believing a true economic
boom is just around the corner there.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920109/Press Contact: BBN Communications,
Jeanne Bock, 617/873-6231)


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

Pacific Bell Plans Switched Digital Service 01/09/92
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- Pacific
Bell has announced it will enter the market for digital services
at 56,000 bits/second.

The result will be that 56,000 bit/second service will now be
available to over 80 percent of the company's data customers,
pending regulatory approval, which the company hopes to secure by
the spring. Such lines are commonly used to link local area
networks, for videoconferences and for high-quality facsimile
services. They're sold by AT&T, for instance, under the Accunet
brand name.

Businesses would simply dial-up a digital signal at that speed,
rather than having to lease a line. Some modification of Pacific
Bell's network will be necessary to offer the service, but it's
not as expensive an offering to the company as ISDN, which offers
all-digital switching and two 64,000 bit/second lines standard to
each phone number.

Pacific Bell plans to call the new service Switched Digital
Service 56, or SDS 56. It's compatible with its ISDN-based
Centrex IS offering, and Cenpath, a digital service offered with
Centrex.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920109/Press Contact: Pacific Bell, Scott E.
Smith, 415/542-0597)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00025)

 ****CES: New Phones Adapted For Newest Services 01/09/92
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- Northern Telecom
has announced four new home and small business telephones which
simplify the use of new phone services like call forwarding, call
waiting and three-way calling, as well as voice mail, Caller ID
and call trace. The phones were introduced at the Winter Consumer
Electronics Show in Las Vegas today.

The new phones are the QuickTouch 100 and 200, Maestro 2000 and
Rhapsody. Northern Telecom also announced that it will work with
its telephone company distributors to program and label feature
access keys on the QuickTouch 100 and 200 and Maestro 2000 before
they're bought, so telephone companies can offer a phone and
several features in one package.

The phones offer "feature access keys" which can be programmed to
reach specific services by rapidly dialing the necessary numbers.
Plans call for the phones to be distributed by local phone
companies.

The QuickTouch 100 and 200 carry list prices of under $100, while
the Maestro 2000 business phone includes a display for a caller's
number and lists for $149.95. The Rhapsody phone, which will be
sold under the name Maestro 1000, lists for $139.95, features a
"message waiting" light for voice mail users, and will be sold
through consumer electronics stores.

Separately, consultant Ellis Hill, formerly of BellSouth, offered
an update on Caller ID and related services through Northern
Telecom. He noted that each phone company uses a different
trademark for these services, including NYNEX' PhoneSmart, Bell
Atlantic's IQ Services, Southwestern Bell's Star Power, and
BellSouth's TouchStar, but they all use the same Automatic Number
Identification technology to perform specific functions based on
the number of an incoming call.

He said that 10 states approved Caller ID services in the last
year, most with some form of per-call blocking for caller
privacy, and that most other states are expected to offer the
services by the end of 1992.

The most popular calling feature by far, however, remains Call
Waiting, which emits a simple tone when a phone in use has
another call coming in, letting the recipient switch between the
calls with the by quickly pressing the "flash hook" which
connects the line to the outside.

He predicted, however, that Caller ID could be used by 26 percent
of U.S. households by 1996, bringing $1.5 billion per year into
phone company coffers by that time.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920109/Press Contact: Northern Telecom, Lee
Williams, 919/992-3125; Ellis Hill, Research First Consulting,
205-995-8866)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00026)

Dialing Code Changes For Washington State 01/09/92
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- The sheer
proliferation of phone numbers continues to force changes in how
customers dial. US West announced that starting January 12,
residents in western Washington must dial 1-206 before a 7-digit
number when placing long-distance calls within that area code, in
order to preserve prefixes.

US West said that, of 640 prefixes available in the 206 area
code, 626 have been assigned. Not all possible number
combinations can be used as regular phone prefixes -- those with
a 0 or 1 as the middle digit are reserved for use as area codes.
It's expected that within the decade that old rule will have to
be amended, or else the U.S. will run out of available phone
numbers.

GTE's Florida operations, meanwhile, has eliminated the "1" from
long distance calls across Tampa Bay. Florida has been rapidly
getting new area codes in recent years, and the requirement for
"1-plus" dialing of calls across the bay was harmful to the local
economy, GTE said.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920109/Press Contact: Lisa Bowersock, U S
WEST, 206-345-6885; Jan Morris, GTE, 813-224-4433)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00027)

 ****Bush Declares Victory, Returns Home 01/09/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- After a major push to
open Asian markets to U.S. trade goods, not to mention a scare
when he collapsed at a banquet, President Bush and his Boeing 747
full of executives have headed for home.

According to President Bush's advisors, some progress was made in
the areas of semiconductor and automobile imports. The trip also
resulted in Australian farmers protesting U.S. farm price
supports and Japan auto makers agreeing to try to increase car
parts imports from the U.S.

Despite the President's characterization of a promised increase
of 20,000 car imports into Japan as a major victory, the heads of
Ford and Chrysler expressed no such pleasure with the relatively
tiny increase in potential sales: "It doesn't sound like a lot of
cars," said Chrysler Chairman Lee Iacocca.

20,000 cars would mean about $0.3 billion in sales. The other
car-related agreement -- an increase Japanese purchases of
U.S.-made auto parts -- would contribute another $10 billion
maximum to the U.S. side of the trade balance.

No specifics were given regarding the possible increase in
semiconductor and computer imports. Japan's trade surplus with
the U.S. is in excess of $40 billion per year.

Stripped of much of the diplomatic language, the major points of
agreement between the U.S. and Japan were as follows:

 [] Both countries agreed to try to strengthen their own economies.

 [] Japan agreed to do something to promote imports of window
glass, computers, semiconductors, cars, car parts, and paper.

 [] The President promised to tell American workers and companies
to work harder during his State of the Union Speech later this month.

 [] President Bush once again promised to try to reduce the U.S.
budget deficit.

Both countries agreed that if Japan does everything it promised,
and more, the trade imbalance will be reduced.

(John McCormick/19920109)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(DEN)(00028)

Wordperfect Trade-in Deal For Unix MS Word Users 01/09/92
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- Wordperfect Corporation has
announced a trade-in deal for Unix and Xenix Microsoft Word users
that gives them a 10-user copy of Wordperfect 5.0 for half the
regular price.

The regular price of a Wordperfect 5.0 ten-user license is
$1,495, making the price of the trade-in deal $747.50.

Wordperfect 5.0 for Unix includes such features as text-integrated
graphics which can be scaled, rotated, and sized, with captions or
borders. There is also an enhanced preview mode for high resolution
monitors. For users without graphics capabilities, graphics are
displayed in mosaic form using soft characters or in a line-draw
representation. There is also a macro editor which includes
programming commands and a number of predefined macros.

According to Wordperfect Corporation, the files created with the
Unix version are compatible with WP files generated on DOS, VMS,
Macintosh, and Data General systems, as well as with files generated
using Wordperfect on other Unix platforms.

The company claims that it has tailored Wordperfect 5.0 for use
in a multi-user environment, with the ability to set file
permissions from within the program. There is also print spooling
control that allows users to change the print queue order or
cancel a print job if necessary.

A feature called "Soft Keyboard" allows the user to change the
keyboard layout. Master Document combines files to generate
indexes, footnotes, references, and page numbers. Like other
platform versions of Wordperfect, the Unix version includes
automatic referencing, merge, columns, footnotes and endnotes,
variable fonts, leading, kerning, and a speller and thesaurus.

The trade-in will be good through March 31, 1992. To take
advantage of the offer, call the Wordperfect order department line
at 800-321-4566. The company will mail or fax you an order form.
Once you return the completed form, the software will be shipped.

(Jim Mallory/19920109/Press contact: Darcy Huish, Wordperfect Corp,
801-228-5006)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00029)

 ****Apple Plans Personal Digital Assistants For Consumers 01/09/92
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- Apple President
John Sculley, in his keynote speech at the Winter
Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, said that Apple plans to
introduce consumer-specific computers by Christmas, 1992.

The new computers, which Apple is calling Personal Digital
Assistants (PDAs), theoretically wouldn't require any user
skill and would focus on specific functions. Apple lists some
examples as electronic books, electronic organizers, multimedia
players, electronic note takers, display telephones, and
personal communicators.

Sculley said that the concept of the PDA has been made possible
by the transformation of traditional analog technology to digital
technology. While in the past, most consumer products were based
on analog and left the user as a passive recipient, digital
technology can allow the consumer to control what, when and how
they receive and manipulate information.

Sculley said: "The transformation from analog to digital
technologies opens the possibility for a wide range of
potentially very innovative and useful devices..."

Apple has specifically mentioned plans for its compact disc
read-only memory CD-ROM desktop Macintosh systems in two
versions, one for the consumer channels and one for the
traditional personal computer market. Both products would use
Apple's Quicktime multimedia technology, an extension to the
recent introduction of the new System 7 operating system, which
allows the inclusion of video, animation and audio.

These computers were announced by Apple to be available to
consumers to purchase for Christmas 1992.

Sculley strongly believes Apple can be very successful in the
consumer market. "Introducing high-volume products into
consumer channels will be important in creating critical mass
presence for Apple as a consumer channel vendor," he said,
adding: "We will be adjusting our service and support
offerings to be appropriate for the consumer channel."

Sculley also asserted Apple's reputation, channels, and name
recognition would be valuable in a consumer market. "We are
confident in our ability to continue to create highly
differentiated personal computer systems which will make these
strategic moves into consumer channels also be in the long-term
interest of our traditional resellers," he said.

"There is a long history of entry-level Macintosh owners trading
up over time to more sophisticated Macintosh systems, so reaching
out to more new users should have a strong, positive effect," he
added.

Some consumer-oriented devices may use the already-available
television as a display terminal. Commodore is already selling
CD-TV, and Infoworld reported Tandy is planning CD-ROM-based
system that will work on a user's television set.

Infoworld reported Apple's CD-ROM PDA is being developed in
conjunction with Sony and will use a television set as well.
However, Apple, when contacted, said it is not releasing specific
details about the PDA devices or its alliances in developing
PDAs, but only that it is intending to pursue the consumer
market.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920109/Press Contact: Patty Tulloch, Apple,
Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00030)

Borland To Hold Spring Paradox/dBASE Seminars 01/09/92
SCOTTS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 9 (NB) -- Borland,
in an announcement that looks suspiciously like a move to
compete with Nantucket, says it plans to host back-to-back
three day Paradox and dBASE conferences in late Spring in Palm
Desert, California at the Marriott Desert Springs Hotel.

Nantucket, the company that developed Clipper, a dBASE compiler
with a strong hold in the corporate market in the U.S., hosts
its week-long developer's conference every June in Palm Desert
also at the Marriott Desert Springs Hotel.

The Borland conferences are planned from May 31 to June 6.
Borland said that users can choose to attend just one of the
gatherings, or both. The Paradox conference is first, from May
31 to June 3, with the dBASE conference following from June 3
to June 6.

Borland said that each conference will contain over 90 sessions
specific to use of Paradox and dBASE as well as overall issues
dealing with database technology. Special topics will include:
interoperability, networking, structured query language (SQL),
client/server architecture, and migrating to new technologies,
Borland said.

Exhibits and demonstrations by vendors and developers of dBASE
and Paradox products are planned.

Specific Paradox seminars are listed as: Paradox for Windows,
Interactive Paradox, Learning PAL and Object PAL, Multi-user
Issues, Tips and Techniques, and the Business of Paradox. Some
of the dBASE seminars are: Application Development Issues,
Connectivity & Client/Server, Control Center, Windows, and
Business and Consulting.

More information about the conferences is available from
Borland at [phone].

(Linda Rohrbough/19920109/Press Contact: Bob Crutchfield,
Borland, Tel: [phone])