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/nb920218

Text File | 1992-02-18 | 59KB | 1,318 lines

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00001)

Ultimap Intros Automated Property Systems For Assessors 02/18/92
ST PAUL, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 18 (NB) -- Ultimap
Corporation has announced it has started shipping two new products
designed for local government use which can easily produce basic
property information for tax assessors of the general public.

Public Access Station is designed to view and print basic property
information, such as plans or ownership and tax records. The
program is intended to replace hand searching of file cabinets or
map books. Using a menu-based system, property data can be
retrieved by users without the need for specialized geographic
information system (GIS) training or experience.

Assessment Station, designed for use by tax assessors, finds
information on properties, creates thematic maps of parcel areas,
and does comparability searches using a point-and-click interface.

Both products are part of Ultimap's new PC Application Station
family, and can run as stand-alone applications or on Ultimap's
workstation-based GIS.

Ultimap said the two packages were developed as a cooperative
development effort between the company and MapInfo Corporation
of Troy, New York.

(Jim Mallory/19920218/Press Contact: John Kennedy, Ultimap,
612-688-1500)


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

Tecmar Intros New High Capacity Tape Backup Systems 02/18/92
SOLON, OHIO, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 18 (NB) -- Tecmar has announced
that it is now shipping two new, low-cost, high-capacity external
0.25-inch DC2000 tape backup systems.

The Minivault 120 and Minivault 250, designed for personal
workstations and small LANs (local area networks), have storage
capacities of 120 and 250 megabytes (MB) of storage capacity
respectively. The Minivault 120 has a suggested list price of $539,
while the 250 sells for $639. An internal power supply is available
as a separate option.

"With the integration of more and more LANs into small-business
environments, and the increase in home office applications, there is
a growing demand for an affordable backup solution," said Todd
Smith, product marketing manager of storage products for Tecmar.

Both drives come bundled with Tecmar's tape backup software,
which provides automatic software installation and hardware
configuration, an automatic drive test to check for proper
installation, and backup and restore functions from either a menu
or in the command line mode.

Tecmar says the software supports Netware Lite, Netware 2.2
and 3.11, Artisoft's LANtastic, and other popular networks.

The Minivault systems can read tapes created on other QIC-
compliant drives, and can backup and restore data at up to 2.2
MB-per-minute of uncompressed data and 4.4 MB-per-minute of
compressed data.

Minivault systems are available in configurations compatible with
80286-, 386-, and 486-based PCs as well as IBM PS/2 computers.

The company says it plans to make the Minivault systems available
with an integrated power supply by April. Tecmar offers 48-hour
factory service for the first six months of ownership. Minivault
systems are shipped with one pre-formatted tape cartridge.

(Jim Mallory/19920218/Press Contact: Kathleen Botz, Tecmar,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00003)

Wordperfect UK Previews WP Mail For Windows 02/18/92
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1992 FEB 18 (NB) -- Wordperfect U.K. will
preview Wordperfect Mail for Windows, its electronic mail-enabled
module for Wordperfect for Windows, at the Windows show in
London this week.

According to Wordperfect U.K., the mail module for WP for
Windows will form part of version 3.1 of the Wordperfect Office
suite of software which is scheduled for release during the
second quarter of this year.

Announcing the preview plans for the Windows show, which runs
at London's Olympia from February 18th to the 20th, Wendy
Berry, Wordperfect U.K.'s marketing manager, explained that WP
Mail for Windows is "a graphical user interface (GUI) electronic
mail package that gives users of Wordperfect Office 3.1 the
flexibility to communicate across platforms from within the
Windows environment."

"We expect to announce a U.K. shipping date shortly, but in the
meantime, visitors will be able to preview the product in our
specially constructed presentation theater, where our
presentations take on a new look for 1992," she said.

Newsbytes will be covering the Windows show, and will be
reporting further on WordPerfect's planned activities for this
year, later this week.

(Steve Gold/19920218/Press & Public Contact: Wordperfect U.K.,
0932-850500)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00004)

Object Expo Europe Details Announced 02/18/92
DORKING, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1992 FEB 18 (NB) -- Object Expo
Europe has announced that its conference of the same name --
formerly known as Scoop Europe -- will be held in London from
July 14 to 17, 1992.

According to David Lloyd, the conference manager, the past three
years has seen the conference establish itself as the definitive
event at which industrial and commercial users of object-oriented
programming methods and "object technology" in general, can
update themselves on the most recent developments in the object
oriented aspect of programming.

Plans call for the event to provide a broad mix of tutorials and
presentations from both U.S. and European authorities, with
planned discussions led by the likes of Mike Jackson (creator of
the JSP and JSD methods), Geordon Eubank (president and
CEO of Symantec) and others.

A parallel executive briefing will be held on July 17th at
which the leading keynote speakers from the conference will
combine to define "the business benefits of object technology."

Object Expo Europe is being coordinated by David Lloyd in the
U.K., and organized by SIGS Publications of New York, which
describe the event as one of a worldwide series of events
addressing the key developments in object-oriented methods.
SIGS publishes a number of journals, including the Journal of
Object Oriented Programming (JOOP) and the Object Magazine.

Further details of the conference and its associated exhibition
can be obtained from: Object Expo Europe, PO Box 110, Dorking,
Surrey RH15 5YJ. The telephone number is 0306-77331, and the
fax number is 0306-77696.

In the U.S., readers should contact SIGS Conferences, 588
Broadway, Suite 604, New York, NY 10012, or telephone 212-274-
0640, or fax [phone].

(Steve Gold/19920217)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00005)

Thaumaturgy Intros Electronic Document Indexing Program 02/18/92
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 18 (NB) --
Thaumaturgy software has announced immediate availability of a
low-cost software system which allows users to capture, index, and
distribute electronic Postscript-based documents.

Called the EDDARS (Electronic Document Distribution And Retrieval
System), the company says the program is designed to handle fully
formatted text, tables, graphics, and images, which can be indexed,
searched and distributed without the use of complex and expensive
proprietary formats.

EDDARS runs under Microsoft Windows and accepts standard
Postscript-based documents directly from word processing or
electronic publishing systems. EDDARS can index the documents
using full-text key words and has context-sensitive searching. It will
also search across multiple documents and libraries.

The company's VP of Sales and Marketing, Paul Neel, told
Newsbytes that versions of the program for other platforms such as
XWindows and the Mac will be available as the market dictates the
need.  "The vote's out on OS/2 still," said Neel.  "We're waiting to see
what happens  there, but that port will be relatively easy," he said.

The program consists of two elements - the PCBuilder and the
PCBrowser. PCBuilder, which runs on the system's file server,
accepts standard Postscript Level 1 files and prepares the
documents for storage, indexing and retrieval, generating an
inverted index of key words and terms for context-sensitive
searching.

PCBrowser lets the user perform keyword searches across libraries
of documents as well as within individual documents. It also includes
viewing and browsing fully formatted pages, attaching notes to
sections of documents, printing selected pages or notes, hyperlinks,
and inserting bookmarks for direct page access.

PCBuilder has a suggested list price of $10,000, while each
PCBrowser costs $475 each, with the price going as low as $175
in quantity.

(Jim Mallory/19920218/Press Contact: Paul Neel, Thaumaturgy,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(DEN)(00006)

New For Unix: WordPerfect Office 3.1 Ships 02/18/92
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 18 (NB) -- Wordperfect has
announced it is now shipping WordPerfect Office 3.1 for Unix-based
systems.

Office is an electronic mail package that includes a database
calendar, file editor, text editor, calculator, and scheduling features
running on Unix V386 with SCO Xenix. The company says the product
will be ported to other platforms later.

The e-mail portion of Office includes folders, status checking,
message retraction, and allows up to 100 attachments. It also
includes WPTalk, an interactive conversation program. The
scheduler module allows users to schedule events, meetings,
and office resources over the system.

The move to version 3.1 is an important one, according to
WordPerfect's Director of Development, David Clare. "Wordperfect
office 3.1 creates a bridge between Unix systems and MS DOS,
Macintosh, VMS, and Data General systems for exchange of
electronic mail and scheduling services," said Clare.

Using office e-mail, messages and attached files can be sent to
other users on the system, who can then save, print, forward, or
reply. Users can also send carbon and blind copies, and attach as
many as 100 enclosures. Systems groups or personal groups
can be created from the directory of user IDs to automate sending
messages.

Other mail features include security notices, password protection,
and optional automatic deletion. Messages can be read on screen
and replies prepared, if desired.

The scheduler program can display free time information from each
users' personal calendars, scan for available dates and times,
then notify scheduled personnel of the event, which they can accept
or reject. If a user rejects a scheduling request, the event is noted in
their individual calendar.

Calendar can also keep track of memos, to-do lists, and
appointments. Items on the to-do list can be prioritized. Any item not
marked as completed will be automatically moved to the next day.
Calendar can also set alarms to alert the user of imminent events,
and there is an AutoDate feature to allow setting of recurring
appointments.

A "file manager" feature allows users to copy, delete, look at, move,
lock, search, or rename files. The program sorts by filename, size,
extension, or date of creation. Access privileges can also be
changed on files or directories.

Office also includes Notebook, a flat-file database that can be
customized for keeping records of any type, such as address lists
or phone directories. Notebook files can be used as Wordperfect
secondary merge files, for use in tasks such as mass mailings. A
flat-file database is one which stores information but cannot relate
that information to other database files.

The WPEditor allows for the editing of macros, text, and program
and script files, and includes common word processing functions
such as word wrap, tabs, search, and "reveal codes."

A calculator module includes financial, programming, scientific,
and statistical calculators, and can be used in decimal,
hexadecimal, binary, or octal modes.

Office also includes a shell menuing system that allows the user to
switch from one Office program to another, and will launch other
programs. it has a clipboard which allows for the copying or
moving of text between programs.

Wordperfect Office 3.1 for Unix carries a retail price of US$495, or
C$595, for a five-station package. The 20-station version retails for
US$1,495, or C$1,795. To provide for expansion, single-user
licenses can be purchased for US$99 or C$120.

For further information about Office 3.1 for Unix, contact
Wordperfect at 801-222-5300. For present Office users, upgrades
are available, starting at $275 for the 10-user package.

(Jim Mallory/19920218/Press contact: Daris Richins,
WordPerfect Corporation, 801-228-5007)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00007)

SuperComputers Intros Card For Upgrading 286 Systems 02/18/92
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 18 (NB) --
SuperComputers Inc., has announced the Super SX, a card for
upgrading Compaq 12 megahertz (MHz) 286 and AST Premium
286 systems to a 386SX system.

SuperComputers says the AMD 386SX processor turns your slower
286 system into a 25 MHz 386, and includes 16 kilobytes (KB) of
cache that caches the ROM BIOS (basic input-output system), video
BIOS, and data. Users can order up to 64 KB of additional cache.

SuperComputers said the Super SX cards were beta tested by
the US Department of Education and the State of Washington
Department of Information Services.

"Current 286 users need more than faster processing speed to justify
upgrading their computers. Super SX's triple cache system improves
the overall system performance, screen refresh, and 386 application
handling," said Shashi Shah, SuperComputers president.

The company says that up to eight megabytes (MB) of additional
RAM can be added to Super SX by plugging memory modules into
a socket located at the top of the card. A 387SX math coprocessor is
also available as an option. The card is user-installable in an
expansion slot (a 16-bit slot in the Compaq and a 32-bit slot in the
AST), and has a built-in setup routine, as well as hardware-based
password protection. The company says the card is also designed
to use future operating systems, including OS/2 2.0 and Windows NT.

SuperComputers says the card will normally have a suggested list
price of $598, but can be purchased for $498 through March 31, 1992.
For Compaq systems, a $40 interface cable is also required.

Super SX for Compaq systems is now shipping in volume, and can
be ordered directly from SuperComputers by calling 206-881-7500.
The AST  version of the card is expected to ship in April, and will
also be priced at $598.

(Jim Mallory/19920218/Press Contact: Shashi Shah,
SuperComputers, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00008)

SMC Intros New Ethernet Boards; Reduces Prices 02/18/92
HAUPPAUGE, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 18 (NB) -- Standard
Microsystems Corp. (SMC) has revamped its Ethernet product line.
As part of this restructuring, the company has been able to
introduce better performing boards at a lower price, and lower
the price of their other boards.

The price reductions average 20 to 35 percent across the board,
and became effective on February 1, 1992. The announcing of the
price cuts was delayed to allow SMC's reseller community to stock
up and remark their existing inventories.

According to the company, these price reductions were made
possible by several factors. SMC has begun manufacturing its own
Ethernet chip set and bus interface. This has allowed for more
integration on the board and for significantly lower manufacturing
costs. Also, the company claims that the new boards are 20 percent
smaller than the older boards, yet perform better.

In addition, SMC has introduced a quantity discount for purchase of
six boards at once. Called the "Six-Pack," SMC offers purchasers
an additional 17 percent off the retail price. This equates to buying
five boards and getting the sixth one free.

(Naor Wallach/19920218/Press Contact: Janet Bex-White,
Greenstone Roberts Advertising for SMC, 516-249-3366)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00009)

Ungermann-Bass Intros New Token Ring Bridge Router 02/18/92
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 18 (NB) --
Ungermann-Bass (UB) has introduced a new bridge/router module
for its Access/One Enterprise Hub. The ASM 8520 connects Token
Ring LANs (local area networks) with the hub and with two serial
ports that are intended to be used for WAN (wide area network)
connections.

"The ASM 8520 rounds out the hardware components of an end-to-
end Token Ring solution that Ungermann-Bass rolled out in several
phases during the past year," said Marty Thomas, Token Ring
product manager. "While many of our smart hub competitors have
virtually ignored Token Ring internetworking, Ungermann-Bass has
continued to offer a complete end-to-end Token Ring solution that
includes Token Ring adapters, wiring concentrators, bridges, and
now a bridge/router."

The software on the ASM 8520 can support many of the more popular
internetworking protocols. At this time UB has announced support for
IP, OSPF (Open Shortest Path First), RIP (Routing Information
Protocol), EGP (External Gateway Protocol, and XNS (Xerox Network
System). With its on-board flash EPROM (erasable programmable
read-only memory), network administrators can load up the software
and then leave it. The hardware will configure itself automatically on
boot-up. This flash EPROM also allows for upgrades to be done
over the network.

The ASM 8520 is the version with two serial ports. It will retail
for $9,945. UB is also planning on offering a single port version
which will be called the ASM 8500 for $6,995. Bridge/router software
will cost $995 and will include the protocol support. All of these
are expected to be available in March.

(Naor Wallach/19920218/Press Contact: Kara Myers,
Ungermann-Bass, 408-987-6575)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00010)

ATC Launches Six-Second International Telecom Billing 02/18/92
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 18 (NB) -- Advanced
Telecommunications claims it is the first major carrier to announce
billing on six-second increments, with an 18-second minimum, for
international business calls placed on its dedicated access lines.

It is part of a package of enhancements to its Acclaim product line.
The enhancements include competitive rates to ATC's 40 most
frequently called countries, plus Canada and Mexico, with savings
of up to 16 percent over AT&T, MCI, and Sprint, it claims.

ATC also maintains that it is the fourth-largest publicly traded long
distance company in the United States. The company's Acclaim
plan is a business calling plan which includes switched and
dedicated inbound and outbound services, domestic and
international voice, data and facsimile capabilities, plus a special
plan for trading partners.

ATC is best known for its digital data services, but it has been
making a play to take entire accounts for medium- to large-sized
businesses through its Acclaim calling package line.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920218/Press Contact: Advanced
Telecommunications, Judy Morris, 404-873-1711)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00011)

Kenya-Uganda Telecom Link, Brazil's Telebras To Go Private 02/18/92
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 18 (NB) -- The march
towards universal phone links run by private companies continues
in the Third World, albeit in fits and starts.

Kenya and Uganda, for instance, have linked their phone networks
for the first time in nearly a half-year. The links had been severed by
Kenya in October. In the interim, operators were needed to place
calls between the countries. The restoration was seen as a sign
of Kenya's wish to expand trade with its neighbors. Kenya, Uganda,
and Tanzania formed an East African Community, a type of
common market, until 1977.

Meanwhile, Brazil's Infrastructure Minister, Joao Santana,
downplayed reports that the country's Telebras phone utility will be
privatized soon. A Sao Paolo newspaper had reported earlier that
the government would send a privatization bill to Congress soon.

Privatization is especially unpopular in Brazil, despite its
success elsewhere in South America, and the government of
Fernando Collor is having trouble getting anything done due to
its own low ratings in the polls. Santana indicated Telebras
will not be privatized until its monopoly is ended.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920218)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00012)

International Computer Animation Awards Slated For LA 02/18/92
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 18 (NB) -- The
finalists have been chosen and February 25 has been set as the
date for the unveiling of the winners in the 7th Annual International
Computer Animation Contest.

The competition is sponsored by the National Computer Graphics
Association (NCGA) and winners will be announced at an awards
ceremony to be held at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles.

"The competition is our way of showcasing the best and brightest
in all the various uses of computer animation," said Phil Mattleman,
chairperson of the judging panel for the NCGA contest. The NCGA
says each year over 100 animation studios and individual artists
submit entries to the NCGA competition.

NCGA claims some past winners include: Pixar's "Tin Toy" that
also won the 1989 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film;
"Lifesavers: Good Times Roll," a television commercial; and
"Grinning Evil Death," which appeared on MTV's Liquid Television.

The categories in the contest are: Short Films/Videos/Theatrical
Motion Pictures; Broadcast Computer Graphics; Corporate
Presentations; Student/Faculty; Technology and Research
Computer Graphics; Television Commercials; and Animations
Within a Multimedia Environment.

Some of the finalists in the Short Films/Videos/Theatrical
Motion Pictures include: "Lost Animals," a computer generated
pilot that brings to life extinct animals, which is produced by HD/CG
of New York; and the "Sarah's Nuclear Nightmare" sequence from
"Terminator 2: Judgement Day" by Electric Image of Pasadena.

Two of the nine judges for the competition are Steve Lisberger,
screenwriter and director for the movie "Tron," and Jeff Kleiser,
who has worked on theme park attractions for Disney.

The NCGA describes itself as a non-profit group dedicated to
the development and promotion of the computer graphics industry.
Each year it sponsors a national conference as well. The contest
award winners will be featured at this year's NCGA 1992
Conference and Exposition to be held in Anaheim at the
Anaheim Convention Center March 9-12.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920218/Press Contact: Kristy Sager,
Allison Thomas Associates, 818-981-1520)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00013)

Software Turns Fax Into Data Entry Terminal 02/18/92
SOLANA BEACH, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 18 (NB) --
Cardiff Software says it has come up with the first application
program -- Teleform -- that turns a fax machine into a data entry
terminal and plans to ship the new product near the end of
February.

Teleform uses a fax/modem, neural net capability, and the
Windows graphical user interface (GUI) to build and send
forms that recipients can write on, or make choices from and
fax back for automated reading by the software. The software
can read hand-printed input, and check box information, and
export the information to a database, spreadsheet, or other
application.

Cardiff says the ability to import .PCX images allows the user to
design a form for an applications such as parts ordering that has
pictures of the parts with check boxes near the pictures. Users can
simply check the check boxes and upon faxing the order form back,
Teleform can interpret the checked boxes into part numbers, Cardiff
claims.

Cardiff maintains this is the first time neural net software has been
used on an IBM 386 personal computer, and the neural net capability
allows the software to "read" a user's handwriting if written one
character at a time in upper case in boxes provided for the user.
Cardiff's "first cut" of the software had users connecting dots to form
letters, but Vice President of Marketing, Dennis Clerke, said users
did not react favorably to that, and so Cardiff introduced the neural
net capability.

The form design is done in Windows, and each part of the form is
an object that can be moved and changed by clicking on that
part, Cardiff claims.

Once a form is designed, the software can send it to a list of users
automatically via a fax/modem card. Cardiff says Teleform tracks the
forms by placing codes that look like dark squares up in the left hand
corner, so when a form comes back the software knows who sent it
back. The software can also refax to everyone who has not sent
back the form in a time period specified by the user.

When the form is received, users simply use a pen or pencil
to check off or fill in the blanks and fax the form back.

Upon return of the form Cardiff says the software translates the form
from an image into data. It then discards the image and saves the
data. Parts of the form that were not clear are saved and queued for
the user to interpret at their convenience, the company says. Small
black boxes at the four corners of the form allow the software to
check for and correct skewing of the fax image.

Cardiff says the data collected can then be imported directly to
any spreadsheet or database, without being rekeyed.

The software requires Microsoft Windows 3.0, a fax/modem, a
386-based IBM personal computer (PC) or compatible with four
megabytes (MB) of RAM, at least 40 MB of hard disk space, a
video graphics array (VGA) or extended graphics array (EGA)
graphics card and display, and a mouse. Retail price is $995.

More information is available by contacting Cardiff Software, 531
Stevens Avenue, Building B, Solana Beach, California, 92075, or
by telephoning 619-481-2255.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920218/Press Contact: Dennis Clerke,
Cardiff Software, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00014)

D&B Software Intros Inventory Control System for Vax 02/18/92
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, 1992 FEB 18 (NB) -- Dun & Bradstreet
Software has introduced Inventory Control, an on-line real-time
inventory management application for Digital Equipment Vax
computers that helps service organizations to manage and control
their physical inventories.

"Inventory Control complements existing financial D&B Software
financial applications by ensuring that organizations have the
appropriate materials available to maintain high service levels,"
said Julie Payne, marketing manager for D&B Software at COL Ltd.,
the company's exclusive representative in Hong Kong.

"With Inventory Control, global organizations in industries such as
health care, financial services, and utilities can maintain accurate
inventory balances, manage warehouse processing, and plan
appropriate inventory balances."

Inventory Control automatically calculates economical order
quantities and minimum reorder levels for each warehouse location.
Additional features include account building, auto-replenishment,
and summarized picklists.

Account building enables users to create account specifications such
as department or cost center codes in advance, eliminating the need
to input accounting information at transaction processing time. The
system automatically searches through account specifications to
debit or credit appropriate corporate accounts.

Auto-replenishment facilitates the transfer of goods between
warehouses, ensuring that purchased items will be used. The system
automatically searches for requested items at each warehouse, then
activates the transfer of goods between locations. Summarized
picklists streamline the picking and delivery process by
consolidating requests for materials to be withdrawn from stock,
thereby reducing movements through the warehouse.

Inventory Control is part of an integrated materials management
system that includes new versions of D&B Software's Purchase
Order and Accounts Payable products. The integrated system
enables users to track inventory, order supplies, pay vendors and
make appropriate accounting entries to the General Ledger system.

Purchase Order provides complete purchasing management
capabilities from initial requisition to purchase order printing, through
subsequent receipt, inspection and debit memo processes. New
features include enhanced currency and tax processing.

Accounts Payable is an on-line, real-time cash management and
reconciliation system that provides complete control of the
disbursement process, from invoice entry and approval to payment
processing and reconciliation with multi-bank and multi-company
capabilities. New features include enhanced currency and tax
processing, as well as dynamic bank allocation and expanded
payment methods.

(Norman Wingrove/19920218/Press Contact: Julie Payne, COL,
852-798-4798)


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

New For PC: Watcom Offers "Delta Pack" Compiler Upgrades 02/18/92
WATERLOO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1992 FEB 18 (NB) -- If you have
one programming language compiler from Watcom, you actually
have part of another one. Taking advantage of the fact that its
compilers have some components in common, the language
developer is offering lower-priced upgrade kits to current customers
who want to add a second compiler.

Watcom's language products share tools such as the debugger,
code generator, linker, and profiler, the company said. Watcom's
Delta Packs consist of just the parts of each compiler that are
different, so a customer who already has one Watcom compiler can
buy a Delta Pack and, without duplicating components, have a
second compiler too. The option is "something that a lot of people
had been asking us for," company spokeswoman Karen Ali said.

Owners of Watcom's 32-bit C8.5/386 compiler can get a 16-bit C8.5
Delta Pack for $99, or a FORTRAN 77/386 version 8.5 pack for $399.
Owners of the 32-bit FORTRAN compiler can get the 16-bit
FORTRAN 77 version 8.5 Delta Pack for $99, or the 32-bit C compiler
for $399. Those who already have the 16-bit C compiler can add 32-bit
C for $299, and those who already have 16-bit FORTRAN can add the
32-bit FORTRAN for $299. All prices are in U.S. dollars.

The Watcom C compilers were introduced in 1988, and have
received PC Magazine's Editor's Choice award, InfoWorld's Best in
Class, and The Computer Language Jolt Product Excellence award.

(Grant Buckler/19920218/Press Contact: Karen Ali, Watcom,
tel [phone], fax [phone])
(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00016)

AT&T Offers Messaging With Phone Card 02/18/92
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 18 (NB) -- AT&T has
joined its competitors in offering messaging services through
its network to users of its phone cards.

Callers using its calling card, corporate card or Universal Card
can press #123 after getting a busy signal or no answer to access
the AT&T Message Service from any touch tone phone, then leave
a one-minute message.

Delivery times and response requests can be specified at no extra
charge, and the basic charge is $1.75, with person-to-person
delivery in the U.S. an additional $.75. Customers only pay if the
message is delivered.

The company is offering a 10 percent discount to all customers
who use any of the AT&T Cards to access AT&T Message Service.
You can also access the service by dialing 800-562-6275 directly.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920218/Press Contact: AT&T, Dan Coulter,
404-810-7373)


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

900 Line for Tax Preparation 02/18/92
NORTHBROOK, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 18 (NB) -- Softel
has announced a 900 number of tax information called the
Softel Tax Hotline, at 1-900-776-7500.

The automated service costs of $0.75 for the first minute and
$1.50 for each additional minute. The system's expert system
asks questions such as "Did you hire someone to care for your
dependent?" or "Were you married for the entire tax year?"
The system then analyzes the input and prompts with more
questions until a complete answer is provided.

The product was developed after an extensive research effort
by the Softel founders and accounting professors from the
University of Chicago and University of Illinois. Softel is majority
owned by Steven Wallace.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920218/Press Contact: Steven Wallace,
Softel, 708-559-9600)


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

Add-On America Offers Fax-On-Demand System 02/18/92
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 18 (NB) -- Add-On
America, a division of Rohm, has announced Robofax-Ez, a
new fax-on-demand product.

The single-line product answers incoming calls made from a
fax-connected touchtone telephone with a voice greeting and a
list of available documents.

After selection by the caller, Robofax-Ez then automatically faxes
back, over the same fax telephone line, the requested documents
without any human operator intervention. Robofax-Ez requires a
PC with two available half slot, a 20 megabyte hard disk and
MS-DOS 3.3 or higher. The product also comes with an external
speaker, telephone jacks, cables and software. List price is $1,295.

Add-On America also manufactures and markets Robofax-Pro, an
advanced heavy-duty, two-call fax-on-demand system; the Renoir
Ultra-SVGA HiColor Card; a line of fax modems; and memory
upgrade modules for IBM-compatible computers, Apple Macintosh
computers and laser printers.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920218/Press Contact: Add-On America,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


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

 ****Centel Sets April 16 Deadline For Buy-Out Proposals 02/18/92
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 18 (NB) -- Having gotten
what it called "indications of interest" since its January 23
announcement that it would consider alternatives to independence,
Centel's board has set an April 16 deadline for firm proposals.

Spokesman William White said the board decided to impose a
deadline  "to get proposals that are meaningful expressions of
interest."

"We will not make any decision on whether to sell all or any part
of the company until we review the proposals we receive, but
based upon what our investment banking advisors have reported,
we are encouraged to believe that there may be alternatives
available which will be attractive for our shareowners,
employees, customers and communities," said John P. Frazee Jr.,
Centel's chairman and chief executive officer, in a press
statement.

Frazee said he would consider either a break-up of the company
or its sale in one piece. "We have put the process to seek
proposals into motion as quickly as possible in an effort to
minimize disruption for the company and its employees," Frazee
added.

Analysts have estimated that Centel, sold in one piece, would
be worth $5.5 billion, about $65 a share. Centel stock closed at
$44.50on Friday, February 14.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920218/Press Contact: William K. White
Centel Corp., 312-399-2735)


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

BellSouth Wins One, Loses One In Florida Legislation 02/18/92
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 18 (NB) -- Florida's
State Senate has moved a bill which could regulate cellular
telephone rates. But BellSouth, which pushed the bill, has
approved an incentive regulation plan for its Southern Bell unit.

The Senate Commerce Committee bill would direct the Florida
Public Service Commission to study the cellular telephone
industry and determine whether it should be regulated.

BellSouth's cellular unit, BellSouth Mobility, called the bill
unnecessary and expensive to the industry and taxpayers.
Legislators, on the other hand, claimed the study would use
existing staff and cost no extra money. The bill was pushed by
cellular agents, who accused cellular companies of driving them
out of business with lower rates and anti-competitive practices.

Meanwhile, the Florida Public Service Commission approved
Southern Bell's incentive regulation agreement for 1992. The
first such plan was implemented in 1988. Under the plan, Southern
Bell's approved rate of return was set at 13.2 percent, but
the company would get 40 percent of all profits from 14 percent
to 16 percent, with the rest going back to customers in the form
of lower rates.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920218)


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

International Telecommunications Update 02/18/92
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 18 (NB) -- International
reports indicate that underdeveloped nations are moving quickly
towards Western ideas in terms of phone company ownership,
services, and speed.

Argentina has set March 16 as the date to sell its remaining 30
percent stake in Telecom de Argentina, the second half of the
former EnTel phone monopoly. The state earned $850 million last
December by selling off its 30 percent stake in Telefonica de
Argentina, operated by Spain's Telefonica de Espana. Telecom
is run by Italy's STET Spa and France Cable et Radiou. The
Telecom stake could fetch as much as $1 billion, analysts estimate,
due to the success of Telefonica shares in the after-market.

South Africa is going through the same thing the U.S. did a few
years ago with its caller-paid "900" services, Reuters reports. As
in the U.S., sexual advice and horoscopes are the favored
services, but sports stars and even witch doctors are drawing
calls at a price of 6.60 rand, or $2.65, per minute. Reuters
estimates the country now has 6,750 such lines, and a 10-minute
per call minute has been placed on calls to the 087 prefix.

Finally, China's Xinhua news agency notes that Pakistan has
established its first digital link with the outside world, to Japan,
through its Malach earth station near the capital of Islamabad.
The result will be improvements in voice circuits between the two
countries, and plans are to add other circuits as well.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920218)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00022)

Gold Disk Intros Professional Draw Challenge To CorelDraw 02/18/92
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 18 (NB) -- In an
effort to win market share from leading graphics programs CorelDraw
and Micrografx Designer, Gold Disk has introduced Professional
Draw.

Retailing for $495, the package is a Windows-based graphics
illustration and page layout product that the company claims sets
new levels of price value, functionality, ease-of-use, and
performance.

According to Kailash Ambwani, CEO and president of the company:
"Professional Draw is targeted to both professional users who
want to upgrade their capabilities, and to novice users who want
an affordable, easy-to-learn, comprehensive graphics illustration
and page layout software program."

In addition to extensive freehand and drawing capabilities, the
company claims that Professional Draw offers extensive desktop
publishing and type handling capabilities such as multiple page
layout features, text wrap around graphical objects, spell checking,
and control over tracking, leading, and character width.

Hoping to entice CorelDraw users, the company maintains that the
software also reads CorelDraw .CDR files and Corel .WFN font
files. The package also imports files from Micrografx Designer
.DRW, and Adobe Illustrator .AI drawings, among others.

Professional Draw runs on 80286- or 386-based IBM AT or
compatible and IBM PS/2 computers, and requires Microsoft
Windows 3.0 or 3.1 and MS-DOS 3.2 or higher. A minimum of
two megabytes of RAM is required, along with a Windows-
compatible mouse, and a mono, MCGA, or VGA (video graphics
array) Windows-compatible display.

The $495 price includes unlimited, free technical support. The
package is set to ship in March. Users of CorelDraw, Designer,
Arts & Letters, Illustrator, Freehand, Draw, PageMaker, Ventura
Publisher, and QuarkXpress will be able to purchase
Professional Draw for a one time purchase price of $129.

(Ian Stokell/19920218/Press Contact: Gold Disk Inc.,
(NEWS)(GOVT)(TOR)(00023)

 ****Judge Rules For Wang In Printlink Patent Case 02/18/92
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 18 (NB) -- A United
States District Court jury has ruled that the Printlink device sold by
CFR Associates of Haverhill, New Hampshire, infringes a Wang
Laboratories patent. The court has yet to determine damages.

Wang filed the suit in 1987, arguing that the Printlink device, which
allows printers from other manufacturers to work with Wang's VS
line of midrange computers, infringed a Wang patent covering a
"distributed data processing system." The trial began in
December, 1991.

Before ruling in Wang's favor in the original suit, the court
dismissed nine counterclaims brought by CFR.

Wang spokesman Ed Pignone told Newsbytes that Wang had not
asked for a specific amount in damages, and that "the company will
put in its claim for damages as the case proceeds." Wang is also
asking the court for preliminary and permanent injunctions to stop
CFR further infringing on its patent.

Pignone said that, to his knowledge, the CFR case was the only
one dealing with the patent in question.

(Grant Buckler/19920218/Press Contact: Ed Pignone, Wang,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00024)

 ****IBM Adds 13 AS/400 Models, Uses New Memory Chip 02/18/92
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 18 (NB) -- IBM has
announced 13 new models in its Application System/400 (AS/400)
line of midrange computers. The company also announced
availability of new software for the AS/400 line.

IBM said its 13 new AS/400 E-series processors boost system
performance by as much as 70 percent. Typical configurations offer
price/performance improvements up to 30 percent over previous
models, the company said.

The new AS/400 E90 model is the first to use IBM's 16-megabit
dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) chip. The chip will be
used in a new 128 megabyte (MB) memory card in the high-end E90,
IBM said, representing the densest memory card yet offered to
AS/400 customers. The card increases the main memory capacity
of the AS/400 to 512 MB -- more than 30 percent more than previous
models offered.

IBM said the new chip operates at very high speed, is able to
access the first bit of data in 50 nanoseconds (billionths of a
second) and subsequent bits in only 10 nanoseconds. Measuring
7.8 millimeters by 18.06 millimeters (about 0.33-inches by 0.75-inches),
the chip has circuit patterns with dimensions as small as 0.5
micrometers (millionths of a meter) wide, or nearly 200 times
thinner than a strand of hair.

The new chips will be used in other IBM systems in the future,
company spokesman Jeff Cross told Newsbytes.

IBM also announced that a version of the WordPerfect word
processing software is now available for the AS/400, and that IBM's
Customer Information Control System (CICS) software, widely used
on the company's mainframe systems, is now being offered for the
systems.

IBM has also adjusted prices, reducing the cost of midrange
displays, memory, and disk storage by as much as 40 percent.
Prices of the new E model processors are the same or slightly
increased over D model processors, IBM said.

The company said a typical configuration of the new E35 model,
including peripherals and software, provides 30 percent better
performance at 10 percent less cost than the corresponding
D-series machine. The E50 offers 33 percent greater performance
at eight percent less cost, according to the vendor.

The new, three-way multiprocessor, the E90, is 70 percent more
powerful than the current top-of-the-line, two-way D80 and is more
than 20 times as powerful as the entry-level E model, IBM said.

All B, C and D models are field upgradable, and most E models
provide double the performance of the B and C models available
one year ago, the vendor added.

All existing AS/400 models will continue to be available and the
13 new E-series models will be available March 6, Cross said.

(Grant Buckler/19920218/Press Contact: Jeff Cross, IBM,
914-642-5358)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00025)

First Commercial DSA Encryption Available 02/18/92
DEERFIELD, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 18 (NB) -- Information
Security has announced that release 2.0 of its SecretAgent file
encryption software uses the government digital signature
algorithm, or DSA, recently proposed by the NIST National
Institute of Standards and Technology.

SecretAgent provides ElGamal Public Key cryptographic security
for key management and the DES, or data encryption standard,
method for encrypting files.

The NIST has proposed a new digital signature standard which will
be used to verify the origin of messages or data.

Information Security has long used a very similar DSS system and
was quick to introduce this new algorithm which conforms exactly
to the proposed government standard.

One reason the NIST proposed a new DSS standard was to avoid
the high license costs of an existing standard.

SecretAgent can be used with all sensitive documents and data
files, including electronic-mail transmissions and offers both
command-line and menu-driven operations. Macros which integrate
SecretAgent with Paradox, Procomm Plus, Crosstalk Mk.4,
WordPerfect, and Word for Windows, are included in the $250
program for MS-DOS or Windows environments. Unix versions are
also available.

For further information contact Information Security Corp., 1141
Lake Cook Road, Suite D, Deerfield, IL 60015. The telephone
number is 708-405-0500, and the fax number is 708-405-0506.

(John McCormick/19920218/Press Contact: Thomas J. Venn, ISC,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00026)

Japan: ASCII To Combine Its PC Networks 02/18/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 FEB 18 (NB) -- Japan's ASCII will
integrate its personal computer networks in March, as part
of its rationalization strategy.

ASCII is currently operating three kinds of personal computer-
based telecommunications networks: ACS, PCS, and MSX-ACS
for advanced business users. PCS is for individual personal
computer users, and MSX is for MSX users.

The firm plans to integrate all the networks into one. The new
integrated network is reported to have powerful electronic mail
features, and some news services will be provided free of charge.

The new network will also provide gateways for Delphi, G-Search,
and language translation services. The basic monthly fee will be
2,000 yen ($16), and the connection fee will be 20 yen (16 cents)
for every three minutes.

ASCII network started about seven years ago, and has about a
75,000 membership. The firm wants to catch up with NEC's PC-Van
or Fujitsu's Nifty-Serve, both of which have over 200,000
memberships at present.

Meanwhile, ASCII's affiliated firm Delphi has acquired the BIX
network, which is the PC network for Byte magazine. So far, there
is no news of a gateway to BIX, but it may be possible that BIX will
be connected through the ASCII network in the near future.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920218/Press Contact: ASCII,
[phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00027)

JobHunt Software To Aid Your Job Search Clarification 02/18/92
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 18 (NB) --
Newsbytes recently carried a story about Jobhunt, a program from
Scope International that aids job seekers in sending resumes to
companies who might be interested in their qualifications for
employment.

The story may have given Newsbytes readers an erroneous
impression about the number of company profiles contained in the
initial version of the program.

According to Salman Sami, Scope International president, the
earlier version of the program contained about 400-500 company
profiles, and users had the option of purchasing disks containing
additional company profiles. However, Sami said that user surveys
indicated that people did not want the additional company listings
due to the cost of postage and resumes. "Five hundred is enough,
if you can give me a good clean list," Sami said the users told
Scope.

Sami also stressed to Newsbytes that while Scope International
makes every effort to assure the accuracy of the information, they
cannot guarantee that companies listed in Jobhunt have currrent
openings, nor can they guarantee that the company information is
accurate, since Scope obtains the company information from a
number of sources. The Jobhunt manual states: "The employers
listed may or may not have job openings. Please use your own
judgment."

The manual also says the information contained in Jobhunt is
gathered through independent library research, newspapers,
magazines, business journals, trade indices, other publications,
mailing lists, direct input from employers/employment agencies,
and various other sources which change constantly, and are too
numerous to list individually.

Newsbytes regrets any incorrect impression our original story
left with its readers.

(Jim Mallory/19920218/Press contact: Salman Sami, Scope
International, 704-535-0614, for voice and fax)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00028)

Adobe Agreements With IBM/HP/Typebank, Type 1 Fonts 02/18/92
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 18 (NB) --
Adobe has announced a wider acceptance of its Type 1 fonts in
agreements with IBM and the Japanese-based Typebank. The
company has also announced that the International Standards
Organization has specified an outline font standard based on the
Type 1 font format.

Also the company has announced that Hewlett-Packard will bundle
its Adobe Type Manager (ATM) for Windows in its new Postscript
Cartridge Plus for the HP Laserjet IIID and IIIP printers.

IBM has an agreement with Adobe to produce Type 1 format fonts
for its printers and operating system software. Adobe says this
is a further commitment from IBM, as the company has already
agreed to make Type 1 font format and Adobe Type Manager
(ATM) standard across its Systems Applications Architecture
(SAA) compliant systems, including OS/2.

Adobe also said it has a cross-licensing agreement with Typebank,
a Japanese font production company. Typebank is to use its font
production software to produce Japanese typefaces in Type 1
format, and Adobe will distribute the typefaces Typebank produces.

Further, the International Standards Organization (ISO) has
just finished specifying an outline fonts standard based on
Adobe's Type 1 font format, the ISO 9541 -- a standard that is
currently being edited for publication. Adobe says the ISO is
also requiring all future ISO document exchange standards to
use the Type 1 outline standard for handling outline font exchange.

Especially significant with the ISO committee decision is the
fact that international and government organizations rely
heavily on the ISO standards. Any group selling products and
services to those organizations will also need to be ISO-
compliant, Adobe said.

At Spring Comdex in Atlanta nearly a year ago, Charles Geschke,
Adobe's president and chief operating officer said at a press
conference that his company wanted to free users from an "ASCII
jail." While that might be interpreted by some as simply being
moved from an "ASCII jail" to a Postscript prison, the company
has been prolific in introducing ATM and Type 1 fonts to
numerous software products and hardware manufacturers since
then. However, the adoption by the ISO of Adobe Type 1 fonts is
probably the most significant in moving toward the standardization
on Adobe's font technology.

Adobe's additional announcement is that Hewlett-Packard (HP)
will distribute Adobe Type Manager (ATM) for Windows with its
new Postscript Cartridge Plus for the HP Laserjet IIID and IIIP
printers. ATM is specifically designed as a software utility to
generate type at any size on the computer screen from the Adobe
Type 1 fonts used by printers for What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get
(WYSIWYG) displays.

The HP cartridge will contain Postscript Level 2, and Adobe says
HP is the first company to offer Level 2 in a cartridge.

In bundling ATM with the cartridge, HP says it will include the
Adobe Plus Pack which includes 22 Adobe Type 1 typefaces. With
ATM and the Plus Pack HP users will be able to see all 35 ATM
Type 1 typefaces resident in the Postscript cartridge, Adobe added.

Further, for Apple Macintosh users, HP will bundle ATM software
for the Macintosh with its Appletalk interface kits, Adobe said.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920218/Press Contact: Patricia Pane, Adobe,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Cathy Plant, Hewlett-Packard,
619-592-8546; Takao Hayashi, Typebank, 03-3359-6013)


(CORRECTION)(APPLE)(LAX)(00029)

Correction: Apple Opens Market Centers For Info., Resellers 02/18/92
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 18 (NB) -- As a part of
the company's sudden jump on marketing, Apple USA says it will open
six more Apple Market Centers during fiscal 1992, adding to the four it
already has for a total of 10. The first new center is opening in Boston,
Massachusetts.

Apple Market Centers are for education of Apple resellers and the
public and will feature the latest and greatest Apple products and third
party products as well, the company said. A meeting room that seats
49 people, a conference room, and a room for display of products is
included in each center.

When asked if the market centers would compete with resellers,
Apple representative Pat Kinley said no, the centers are for
information only and the resellers themselves usually do the
seminars or presentations with assistance from Apple.

Apple USA said it opened its first market center in Dallas in 1989,
opened centers in New York City, Los Angeles, and St. Louis last
year, and plans centers for San Jose, Chicago, Phoenix, Atlanta,
and Philadelphia in addition to the newly opened Boston center.

Ten satellite market centers are also slated to open during the
company's current fiscal year in San Francisco, Seattle, Denver,
San Diego, Washington, Houston, Detroit, Cincinnati, Minneapolis,
and Hartford, Connecticut.

A monthly calendar of events is available for seminars to be given
at each center, and Apple says it works with its resellers to recruit
attendees.

Apple's announced intention to move into a stronger marketing
stance is evident with its announcement of lower retail prices, its
agreement with GE for corporate licensing of Apple equipment,
and now the opening of more information centers to support
resellers and educate potential Apple buyers.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920218/Press Contact: Pat Kinley, Kinley
Communications for Apple, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00030)

Electronic Arts Gearing Up Multimedia CD Effort 02/18/92
SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 18 (NB) --
Electronic Arts (EA) has announced plans to speed up the
development of compact disc (CD) multimedia products it calls
"edutainment" and "infotainment" software, by expanding its EA
Studio organization.

Edutainment software is defined by EA as "entertainment software
with an education twist" while infotainment is "entertainment
software with an information twist." The company also plans to
produce creativity software as well.

The company is gearing up for a major effort in the CD multimedia
area. Larry Probst, president and chief executive officer said:
"Obviously, this is a major commitment by Electronic Arts.
(However) In the near future, CD multimedia machines will
represent a huge opportunity for consumer software, and warrant
our very best."

EA says it is repositioning key executives and creative people
as well as integrating Electronic Arts Canada, formerly Distinctive
Software, into EA Studios.

EA, based in San Mateo, California, describes itself as an
entertainment software company that develops, publishes, and
distributes computer and video game software worldwide.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920218/Press Contact: Holly Hartz,
Electronic Arts, tel [phone] ext. 510, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00031)

Vitual Reality Software Allows Users To Create New Worlds 02/18/92
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 18 (NB) -- Domark
claims users can create their own virtual reality world, then move
through it or give it to others to enjoy, with a new product for
the IBM personal computer and Amiga platforms called Virtual
Reality Studio.

The company says a user can create games that are retail
quality, or use the studio to design a house, a car, or an
airplane. Once the three-dimensional world is generated, the
user can move in from location to location and explore the
creation from any angle, Domark maintains.

Caryn Mical director of U.S. operations from Domark says much
of what the user needs to design objects is built in. "Most 3-D
object generators are time consuming and require laborious work
to create even the simplest of shapes. With Virtual Reality
Studio, all of the tools and commands for creating 3-D worlds
and objects are found on a simple, icon-driven panel," Mical
added.

Once the objects are created they can be stretched, shrunk or
rotated in any direction as well as copied, animated, and
colored using a palette of 256 color shades. One of the included
shades is a clear "color" for creating invisible force fields, Domark
said.

Manipulation of the environment created is done by applying a
set of conditions to the "world" or to specific objects in the
world using a Freescape Control Language. For example, Mical
said objects can be defined as sensors which can detect the
presence of a user. "You tell the computer how to respond to
the user's actions, such as opening doors for him, which he can
literally walk through into a completely new environment."

What users create is up to them, however, a world can contain
several environments to explore. One could be a village with
houses, each house with rooms, each room with furniture, and
the furniture drawers with compartments that have secret boxes,
Domark explained. The world can then be created and explored
down to the tiniest detail, the company asserts.

Users can chose to walk, fly, look up, down, or around a corner
by pressing buttons on the screen. The commands are explained
in a manual, and a video tutorial with the software adds an
introduction to the capability available in the product, Domark
added.

Additionally, the user is able to take anything created with
Virtual Reality Studio and distribute it to others. The company
suggests users might want to create an adventure game to give
away, or a create a layout of their home for friends who live
elsewhere.

Domark is based in the U.K., but its products are distributed
in the U.S. by Accolade. Retail price of Virtual Reality Studio
is $89.95, Accolade said.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920218/Press Contact: Caryn Mical,
408-246-6607)