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/nb920330

Text File | 1992-03-30 | 65KB | 1,414 lines

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00001)

KDD/AT&T Lease Advanced Telecom Circuits 03/30/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 MAR 30 (NB) -- Major international telecom
firms in Japan and the U.S. have agreed to jointly develop
advanced telecommunication circuit lines. Japan's KDD and
U.S.-based AT&T will lease these circuit lines to bulk users of
the network.

The agreement calls for KDD and AT&T to develop dependable and
high-quality telecom circuit lines which provide error-free data
transmission. Also, the lines are to have a data back-up
feature in which the circuit can be automatically switched
from one line to another in case of failure. The switching can
be done immediately so the line will not be disconnected.

The lines will be leased to bulk users of telecommunication
between Japan and the U.S. The service is also expected to be
expanded to Europe in the future. The leased circuit lines can be
used for a variety of purposes including regular voice calls,
computer data transmission, and facsimile. The data transmission
speed is extremely fast -- it can be either 56 kilobits per second
or 64 kilobits per second.

Both firms will use undersea optical fiber cables as well as
space satellites for this service.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920330/Press Contact: KDD, [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00002)

New For Networks: Retix OSI Routing Package 03/30/92
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAR 30 (NB) -- Retix is now
offering a portable software package that performs OSI compatible
routing. Retix is targeting this software package toward companies
that want to add the functionality of OSI routing to their hubs and
other network devices but that cannot afford to do all of the
development work themselves.

The Retix software is ready to be ported to any hardware and
operating system environment. It offers support for routing between
LANs, leased telephone lines, and X.25 networks. It also fulfills all
of the GOSIP 3.0 requirements on OSI routing. Retix has demonstrated
this software at the National Institute of Standards & Technology
(NIST) Interoperability Laboratory.

The Retix package contains all of the network layer routing
protocols including Intermediate System to Intermediate System Intra
Domain Routing Exchange Protocol (IS-IS), End System to Intermediate
System Routing Exchange Protocol (ES-IS), and ConnectionLess
Network Protocol (CLNP). The software also supports the full set of
OSI management objects that are required under the ISO's Common
Management Information Protocol (CMIP).

Retix is planning on using this new software in its internetworking
products. They are also planning on making it available to others
on a licensed basis. For more information, contact Retix at
310-828-3400.

(Naor Wallach/19920330/Press Contact: Lori Hultin, Retix,
310-828-3400)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00003)

Digital Equipment & Tokyo Electric To Sell Each Others' Gear 03/30/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 MAR 30 (NB) -- Digital Equipment Corporation
(DEC) and Tokyo Electric will be selling each other's computers
and office automation equipment. The official agreement is expected
to be signed in April, and business will start in May.

In this agreement, DEC will sell Tokyo Electric's POS (point of
sales system). Tokyo Electric will sell DEC's computers including
the VAX and its workstations as part of Tokyo Electric's POS system.
Tokyo Electric will be able to beef up the networking aspects of their
system with DEC's computers.

In this way, both firms will enhance each others' products.
Tokyo Electric is currently receiving computer supplies from
its parent firm Toshiba. Tokyo Electric has been purchasing about
10 percent of its personal computers from Toshiba.

Tokyo Electric and DEC will also jointly develop products in the
future, the two firms announced. But there were no details on exactly
what they will develop. The products are expected to include
business systems and distribution network systems for supermarkets
and wholesalers.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920330/Press Contact: DEC Japan, +81-3-3989-
7526)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00004)

 ****Virtual Reality Board For Game Machines Debuts 03/30/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 MAR 30 (NB) -- Sega Enterprises claims to have
developed a new computer graphics board designed for game-playing
which is based on the latest concept of "virtual reality."

Sega's "Model 1," also called the virtual reality board, will be
shipped with Sega's newest game machine by July. Able to be
connected to a television set, this virtual reality board is said
to create a three-dimensional environment. Sega defines that as
high-quality graphics which support a maximum of 180,000 kinds of
graphic shapes per second. This allows game programs to respond to
high-speed reactions of the users. The board has also a quality
sound stereo speaker system, the company says.

Another advantage of this virtual reality board is the networking
feature. It has an extension port to support a multiple player
device. With this device, several players can share
the same game at once.

Sega hasn't announced any titles for this new game machine yet,
but the games are expected to be a step above current technology.
Sega claims the virtual reality feature will provide game players
with the feeling of actually participating in the game. Sega says
the technology can be used with special head-gear.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920330/Press Contact: Sega Enterprises, +81-
3-5461-8331)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00005)

 ****Second Generation Cordless Phone 03/30/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 MAR 30 (NB) -- The Japanese Ministry of Posts
and Telecommunication is considering lifting the rules on
production and usage of new types of cordless phones.

If this technology is deregulated, cordless phones will consist of
radiowave transmitters and receivers. These would be the cheapest
two-way simultaneous communication devices.

Current cordless phones can be interconnected with each other
via the main telephone device. So, it is not possible for users
to use the handsets away from the main telephone
switcher. However, under the new system, the headsets can be
used away from the main switcher and can be used
just like a radiowave transmitter and receiver.

According to new guidelines on telephones, the user can also
make a telephone call using the handset or headset of a cordless
phone. So, the cordless phones can be used as portable phones.

It is said NTT is preparing ground bases for radiowave
telecommunication via cordless phones. The next major issue to
be decided is the phone fee system.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920330)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00006)

 ****Marketing Agency To Offer Interactive TV 03/30/92
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAR 30 (NB) -- TV Answer is getting
underway with New York-based Wunderman/Cato Johnson (WCJ), the largest
marketing and sales promotion company in the United States. It
will be the first major U.S. agency to offer TV Answer's
interactive television services to its clients. The announcement was
made at the Direct Marketing Association Show in Anaheim.

TV Answer is a box that looks like a video cassette recorder (VCR) but
has a remote control that allows the user not only to make selections
about what channel to watch, but actually allows a user to make
inquiries, place orders, and give responses. TV Answer said last year
consumers will be able to order pizza, buy groceries, check their bank
accounts, maybe even take tests for college credit, all from the
comfort of their own living room.

Digital technology is what makes it possible. "Cell" sites, much like
those for cellular phones, pick up the digital information transmitted
by the TV Answer box and transmit it.

Since the announcement of the TV Answer last year, the company has
made significant headway into placing the units into consumer's
homes. The radio spectrum necessary for two-way television use was
granted TV Answer by the FCC in January. Also, Hewlett-Packard
announced in February it will manufacture the TV Answer boxes,
which are based on a Motorola 68000 microprocessor chip, the same
chip in the Apple Macintosh computer.

Over 1.5 million TV Answer boxes are the minimum number the company is
projecting to place in homes within a year of the introduction
of the units. The first TV Answer boxes are expected to be available
in the first quarter of 1993.

With TV Answer boxes on the horizon, interest is heightening in the
ability to ask consumers questions directly. The Charter Partner
program is what TV Answer is calling the interactive research
capability. It involves programming TV Answer boxes with customized
market research software to allow questions about demographics to be
asked consumers along with their product or information orders. Since
communication is two-way and digital, it is possible to update the TV
Answer box's software over digital airwaves as well.

WCJ says it is the first national marketing agency to establish itself
in two-way television as a marketing tool for its clients. However, TV
Answer lists other recently signed service providers involved in its
Charter Partner program as J.C. Penney Company, CUC, Inc., Bose
Express Music, 800 Flowers, and 800 Spirits.

TV Answer is one of the first in the development of wireless
interactive video and data services (IVDS). The company is based in
Reston, Virginia with manufacturing facilities in Chantilly, Virginia.
WCJ is based in New York.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920330/Press Contact: Paul Sturiale, TV Answer, tel
703-715-8853, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00007)

Information Builders Joins OSF 03/30/92
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1992 MAR 30 (NB) -- Information Builders
Incorporated (IBI) has announced it has joined the Open Software
Foundation (OSF) as a general member. According to Carl
Rosenberg, the director of IBI's Unix division, the OSF 's
mission is the same as IBI -- to provide the industry with a
general-purpose, vendor-neutral Open Systems environment.

"This mission is complimentary to IBI's long-standing strategy to
offer users access to data, regardless of format or location,
through a consistent, interoperable product set," he said.
"We expect that the early access we will gain to OSF technology
as a result of our membership, and the ability to better monitor
advanced research activities in the Open Systems arena, will help
position IBI to deliver the products required for the success of
our customers throughout the 1990s and beyond," he added.

IBI's main product is Focus, a database package that integrates
application and decision support tools in a Windows-based
environment. Data and applications are portable between Focus for
Unix and versions for PCs, IBM AS/400, DEC VAX, Wang, Hewlett-
Packard and Tandem computers.

(Steve Gold/19920327/Press & Public Contact: Information Builders
(UK) - Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LON)(00008)

Tetra Accounting Software Marketed With ICL Systems 03/30/92
MAIDENHEAD, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1992 MAR 30 (NB) -- Tetra and ICL
have signed an umbrella agreement that enables ICL International
to market, internationally, Tetra Chameleon business and
accounting software on its ICL DRS 3000 and 6000 Unix-based
systems.

According to Tetra, plans call for Chameleon to be made available
initially in Malta and Czechoslovakia, with the intention to
expand this to include other ICL International territories in the
near future.

Commenting on the agreement, Peter Martin , ICL's managing
director of Czechoslovakia, said: "We considered many alternative
products, but chose Tetra Chameleon because of its suitability
for the rapidly changing environment in Czechoslovakia."

Klaas Bakker, Tetra's international sales manager, said that
Tetra has already established a close relationship with ICL in
the UK as well as overseas. "Chameleon is used widely in-house by
ICL Europe and International," he said.

"We see this as a very important agreement enabling ICL and Tetra
to offer international users a proven business solution, backed
by full training and support, through ICL's branch operations,"
he added.

Tetra is a business software house in the U.K. The company, which
was founded in 1979, has grown substantially in recent years, and
now has offices throughout the U.K., Australia and the U.S.

(Steve Gold/19920327/Press & Public Contact: Tetra - Tel: 0628-
770939)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00009)

New For PC: JSB Virtual Socket Library For Windows 03/30/92
MACCLESFIELD, CHESHIRE, ENGLAND, 1992 MAR 30 (NB) -- JSB has
announced the JSB virtual socket library (VSL) for MS-Windows 3.
The package is a Windows dynamic link library (DLL) through which
MS-Windows programmers can access a wide rang of TCP/IP networks
with a single interface and no maintenance or programming
required, according to JSB.

To date, companies developing Windows products which needed to
support multiple TCP/IP implementations have had to invest
significant time, effort, and resources to enable their software
to implement and maintain a host of TCP/IP software stacks.

The JSB VSL, the company claims, eliminates this effort, allowing
developers to concentrate on their applications, rather than the
communications interface.

The first two partners to sign agreement with JSB for the VSL
technology are AGE of California, which produces an Z11R4-
compliant X-Windows server for Microsoft Windows, and Techgnosis,
which produces an SQL server for Windows allowing Windows
applications, such as Excel, to make SQL queries on Unix
databases.

Commenting on the signings, Craig Schmidt, AGE Logic's vice
president said: "Broad-based network support is strategically
important to AGE's PC X server software strategy. JSB's VSL
technology means we can develop now for future market
requirements in the knowledge that we will be working to an
industry standard."

So what does the JSB VSL provide? For the applications developer,
the package provides Windows-based programming access to Windows
and non-Windows network software packages. In addition, it
provides a "Berkeley Socket" style application programming
interface (API) to most other applications software.

(Steve Gold/19920327/Press & Public Contact: JSB Computer Systems
- Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00010)

Australia: Microsoft Appoints New MD 03/30/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1991 MAR 30 (NB) -- After approximately a month
without a managing director, one has finally been appointed
to run Microsoft Australia. He is Gary Jackson who spent the
last eight years as SE Asian general manager of Pyramid
Technology, and the prior eight years at Prime Computer.

Sources believe that Jackson was the original first choice when
the position was filled some eight months ago, but that he was
then unable to accept the offer. David Miller who did accept
the job left under uncertain circumstances just a month ago.

Unlike some computer companies in Australia, Microsoft has gone
from strength to strength lately, and is set for another boom
with this week's release of Windows 3.1. This version was
enthusiastically accepted at the dealer preview in Sydney on Sunday.

Jackson will be the third Microsoft MD in a year. Before Miller,
Daniel Petre had a successful tenure in the position before
being promoted to general manager of the corporate work-group
applications unit in the US. Petre had seen Microsoft Australia
grow by 282 percent in his three years.

(Paul Zucker/920328)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00011)

Australia: New Daily Faxed Computer News Service 03/30/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1991 MAR 30 (NB) -- Australia's latest computer
publication is just three weeks old, and circulation is growing
fast. Computer Daily News is the creation of Australian computer
journalist David Frith.

Averaging around four pages per day, the newsletter is aimed at
decision makers and key personnel in the Australian computer and
related industries. At Aus$750 per year (around US$560) it isn't
for the casual reader, but has already become an essential source
of timely information about the industry, often scooping other daily
and weekly publications by a number of days.

Organizations can also obtain internal reprint rights for an
additional AUS$150 per year. International fax delivery rates
are available on request.

International news is gathered from a number of sources, but
especially from Newsbytes News Network. Local Australian news is
generated by a number of industry journalists. The story format
is generally three paragraphs, but many stories are available in
expanded form, for an extra charge, via fax request and delivery.

Frith also offers a reprint service of important documents such as
speech transcripts and published reports.

Computer Daily News and David Frith may be contacted on phone
[phone] or fax [phone] or mail at 177a Sailors Bay Rd.,
Northbridge NSW Australia 2063.

(Paul Zucker/920328)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SYD)(00012)

 ****Apple Australia Slashes PowerBook Prices 03/30/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1991 MAR 30 (NB) -- The selling price of the
Macintosh PowerBook 100 today plummets from Aus$2995 to $1995
(around US$1500) as Apple Australia turns on the pressure in an
effort to make Mac the top-selling brand in the Australian
notebook market, as it is in the desktop sector.

Apple is already running second in this market with 17.9
percent to Toshiba's 28 percent, according to IDC figures.
Apple regards that result as outstanding, given that the
PowerBooks - Apple's first notebook models - were only launched in
October.

Apple's marketing director, Tony Fraser, has now set a
market-share target of 22 percent for the next quarter. However,
Apple has not reduced the official RRP of the model 100, rather
making a special offer available through resellers for a limited
time.

At the same time Apple has reduced RRP of other Mac products up
to 25 percent, including cuts of between eight and 12 percent
on the one-week-old LC models. A number of new configurations have
been added to the pricebooks, including a 4MB Classic with
40MB hard disk and a Quaddra 900 with 400MB hard disk.

(David Frith and Paul Zucker/19920328)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SYD)(00013)

Australia: Apple Promotion Too Successful 03/30/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1991 MAR 30 (NB) -- Apple Australia's recent
"Paypacket" promotion came to a premature halt, according to
many resellers who had taken orders but were then unable to
deliver.

The promotion involved a number of the older LC and other models,
combined with printers such as the LaserWriter NT. While Apple
often promotes soon-to-be-obsoleted machines through dealer
specials, the latest deals were apparently too good to pass up,
some cuts being almost 50 percent.

As a result, many dealers were left with red faces as they were
told to tell their customers who had placed orders for the
special deals "sorry - sold out." In most cases Apple was able
to arrange alternate deals for customers, but many resellers feel
the occurrence bodes badly for the future -- and also for the first
Australian discount or superstore chain to sell Apple products.
Brashs chain of electrical discount houses will commence selling
Apple product on the first of April, and will draw stock from
the same single pool as all other resellers, leading to fears
that smaller resellers and systems integrators will be pushed
lower in the stock-supply queue than the volume-moving stores.

Brashs already sells IBM PS/1 and other models, Amstrad and a number
of other brands, as well as a broad range of peripherals and
software - and yet it has only been selling computers for a few
months. The emphasis, as in most superstores, is on bargain
pricing, heavy promotion, and stock moving quickly out the
front door. As Brashs is presumably not interested in service,
Apple has signed-up a national service organization to offer
various maintenance schemes.

(Paul Zucker/920328)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00014)

Novell Enhances Messaging Products 03/30/92
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, U.S.A., 1992 MAR 30 (NB) -- Novell announced a
major increase in the capabilities of its products to handle
messaging systems. The announcement was made at the recently
concluded developer's conference held last week. There are two parts
to this announcement.

First, Novell will be releasing its third generation of Novell
Standard Message Format (SMF) called Netware SMF Level 71 by this
summer. Netware SMF is an application programming interface (API)
that is used by developers to allow entry into the Novell system.
Once there, the API allows the developers to build message-based
systems like workflow automation, electronic mail, and other
applications that can benefit from having messages received, stored,
and forwarded across the network.

The new features in SMF Level 71 include support for extended length
user names, improved support for gateways to fax machines,
hierarchical addressing structures, the creation of logical working
groups, and better directory synchronization. Both the specification
documents and the developers toolkit for Netware Level 71 will be
made available in the summer. The programmers reference manual will
be available for $95 while the complete toolkit including the
documentation and the Global Messaging and MHS software will cost
$1095.

Netware SMF Level 71 is required to support the second part of
Novell's announcement. This part details Novell's vision of Netware
Global Messaging. Darrell Miller, executive vice president of Novell
described the new engine as follows: "Just as customer demand for
integrated cross-platform file and print services drove the network
computing industry in the '80s, we believe that the need for
corporate wide messaging will be a key driving force in the '90s.
Our customers have been asking for a powerful, store and forward
engine that provides transparent interoperability among the most
widely used messaging systems. The Netware Global Messaging server
answers those needs with support for multiple protocols and
interfaces, directory synchronization, and the availability of more
than one hundred compatible applications."

The Netware Global Messaging Server is designed as a set of Netware
Loadable Modules (NLM). They will be available in the summer and
will be sold at different configuration arranged by the number of
users. A 10-user set will cost $1095, a 50-user set $2895, and a
250-user set $7295.

(Naor Wallach/19920330/Press Contact: Kim Given, Novell,
408-473-8285)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00015)

Allied Telesis Introduces New Product 03/30/92
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAR 30 (NB) -- Allied
Telesis is continuing to expand its line of Micro Repeaters. All
of these products are intended to simplify the network
administrator's task in adding new segments to his network. This
time Allied Telesis is introducing the AT-MR113. This is a dual-port
10Base-5 micro repeater.

The AT-MR113 is the seventh member of Allied Telesis' line. It
completes the first wave of products that allow for the extension of
an Ethernet backbone to any degree necessary. Like the others in the
line, the AT-MR113 is very small and can be mounted almost anywhere,
including above a drop ceiling. It is based on Allied Telesis'
custom ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) and supports
two AUI connectors as well as LEDs for "power," "on-line,"
"collision," "receive," and "transmit."

The MR113 can be used as a full repeater thanks to the functionality
embedded in the ASIC. This allows even greater flexibility than can
be achieved by other devices that do not incorporate such
functionality. The AT-MR113 is available now for $795. Volume
discounts are available.

(Naor Wallach/19920330/Press Contact: Shawn Kilby, Allied Telesis,
415-964-2771)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00016)

Hong Kong: CSSL Pioneers Laser, Imaging for Banks 03/30/92
NORTH POINT, HONG KONG 1992 MAR 30 (NB) -- Hong Kong based reseller
CSSL is to become one of the first Hong Kong distributors to bring
laser technology and imaging applications to its IBM AS/400 banking
customers.

The company has announced Archive/2, an optical disk storage and
retrieval system from UK-based financial software house Kapiti
Systems, together with support for IBM's forthcoming AS/400 Optical
Disk system which will incorporate an imaging capability.

The products will both be incorporated into Kapiti's Equation
banking system, for which CSSL is the exclusive Hong Kong
distributor. Equation will be one of the first IBM AS/400 banking
systems to integrate laser and imaging technology.

IBM's AS/400 Optical Disk system will provide laser-based storage and
retrieval for both text and images. It will enable documents such as
checks, customer mandates, loan agreements, trade finance documents
or photographs to be scanned and stored electronically or transmitted
over Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) networks.

"Image processing opens a wealth of opportunities for banking
customers to improve their service," said Patrick Lam, division
manager at CSSL. "In particular, the ability to use EDI in
departments such as trade finance will enable documents and their
associated messages to be transmitted simultaneously. Trade
departments can then focus on the physical movement of goods rather
than on paperwork."

Lam added that optical storage of photographs may even become
essential as pictures are increasingly used on check guarantee and
credit cards to prevent fraud.

Kapiti's Archive/2 system is designed to store all reports and
customer documents produced by the Equation banking system, with
designated data being passed directly from the AS/400 to the optical
disk. The system also includes facilities for automatic updating of
the index which can be defined by the user for ease of access and
retrieval of stored data.

"Archive/2 will enable users to reduce the quantity of historical
data held on their main system, and so speed up the processing of
their normal workload," said Lam. He added that Archive/2 will be
available to existing and prospective users of Equation to provide
storage and retrieval for vast amounts of data contained in banking
reports and customer documents.

"Laser technology will be of great interest to the Hong Kong market,"
said Lam. "By cutting down on the huge volumes of paper generated by
most banking operations, customers will be able to make substantial
saving in storage space and expense. This is a vital consideration to
companies here and in other regional centers where rents are high."

A cost benefit analysis for Archive/2 demonstrated payback to be less
than two years in paper savings alone, Lam said. The system is
already running on two sites in the UK and a further three are being
implemented.

Each optical disk has a storage capacity of 940 MB, roughly the
equivalent of a million pieces of A4 paper. At around US$150 for each
disk, the cost is cheaper than more traditional methods of archiving.
To store the same volume of paper, 142 rolls of microfilm or 1,900
pieces of microfiche would be required.

As an integral part of Equation, flexibility is a key element of the
application. Access and retrieval of stored data is available through
a WORM (write once, read many) optical disk reader, connected to a PC
and printer, which may be local to the master optical disk system or
remotely linked via a local area network.

Archived reports can be received via dumb terminals linked directly
to the host AS/400 processor. These options will allow branch offices
to retrieve reports held on the master system for printing locally or
centrally, as dictated by security requirements, providing a common,
global system.

(Norman Wingrove/19920330/Press contact: Ally Ho, CSSL, Tel +853 806
1622; HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00017)

Olivetti To Break Even This Financial Year 03/30/92
MILAN, ITALY, 1992 MAR 30 (NB) -- Olivetti, the troubled Italian
computer manufacturer, has announced that its 1991 loss should
turn into a break-even situation during 1992.

At an analyst's meeting in London late last week, Olivetti's
chairman, Carlo De Benedetti, said that company turnover is
expected to increase by between two and three percent in 1992/93
financial year when compared to 1991/92.

During 1991/92, Olivetti reported losses if 290,000 million lire
on a turnover of 9,040,000 million lire. The 1991/92 losses
compare with a profit of 60,400 million lire reported in
financial year 1990/91.

De Benedetti revealed that he plans to ask Olivetti's board to
charge around 200,000 million lire to the company's 1992/93
accounts to cover the cost of restructuring the company. This
suggests that, if the restructuring costs were not charged, then
Olivetti could report a healthy profit during the current
financial year.

Analysts received De Benedetti's comments well. The Reuters news
wire quoted one analyst as saying that De Benedetti gave the
impression that Olivetti is seeking to reduce its expenses, while
offering as wide a range of products as possible.

(Steve Gold/19920330)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00018)

Toshiba Ships 25MHz 486SX Notebook; Commits To Market 03/30/92
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAR 30 (NB) -- Addressing one
of the fastest growing segments of the computer industry,
manufacturers are coming out with ever more powerful notebook
computers. The Computer Systems Division of Toshiba America
Information Systems has begun shipping its 25 megahertz (MHz)
486SX-based T4400SX notebook with a low-power, gas plasma
VGA (video graphics display) display.

The T4400SX features a high-capacity 80 megabyte (MB) disk
drive and measures 11.7-inches by 8.3-inches by 2.2-inches, and
weighs 7.25 pounds.

The company claims that the gas plasma option provides a 16-gray
scale VGA screen with a 100:1 contrast ratio that is at least seven
times the contrast of standard LCD (liquid crystal display) VGA
displays and ten times the display speed.

Velinda Cornejo, spokesperson for Toshiba, told Newsbytes that
the "16 gray scale plasma screen offers a lot clearer resolution"
than the LCD version.

Toshiba maintains that this helps speed operations with quicker
screen redraws in graphics-intensive applications and eliminates
hunting for the cursor, which is a problem that plagues many LCD
displays.

Intel's 32-bit 486SX microprocessor with an eight kilobyte (KB)
internal cache comes standard with the system, which runs at
25MHz and is upgradeable to a 25MHz 486DX. The notebook
also comes standard with two megabytes (MB) of RAM
(expandable to 18 MB) and a 9.5-inch diagonal VGA-compatible
screen. The buyer also has a choice of either a low-power gas
plasma display or LCD screen.

Other features include a 1.44MB 3.5-inch floppy drive, an internal
dedicated modem slot, optional memory cards, and a NiCd
rechargeable battery that the company claims provides
approximately three to four hours of continuous use in disk-intensive
applications and longer life in normal business use. The notebook
also features a 82-key sculptured keyboard with full-sized keys and
standard keyboard spacing.

The 80MB version of the T4400SX with gas plasma display
retails for $5,899 and the currently shipping T4400SX with a
black and white LCD screen retails for $5,599. A 120MB hard disk
version is planned for April 1992.

Speaking of the notebook market, Cornejo also told Newsbytes
that "everybody is trying to find a smaller footprint" and often
compromises features in the rush to attain that goal. However,
she said that "Toshiba will not sacrifice (to obtain) smaller
keyboards." Toshiba, she said, will "not be going sub-notebook"
as it sacrifices important features such as usable keyboards.

(Ian Stokell/19920330/Press Contact: Megan Manning,Toshiba
America Information Systems, 714-583-3936)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00019)

CA Acquires Development Tools From Rubin 03/30/92
ISLANDIA, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 MAR 30 (NB) -- Computer Associates
has acquired three software products from Howard Rubin Associates.
The products, which run on DOS-based personal computers, are
designed to help information systems departments measure the
effectiveness of their software development efforts.

CA acquired Rubin's Metrics, FPXpert, and Total Quality
Management/Software (TQM/S) packages. They will be added to CA's
existing line of software development measurement tools, which
includes CA-Estimacs, CA-Planmacs, CA-SuperProject, and CA-Advisor,
the company said. TQM/S is sold in a bundle with Metrics, not
separately.

Computer Associates and Howard Rubin Associates have a
long-standing relationship and Rubin has developed products for CA
in the past, a company spokeswoman noted.

Computer Associates will shortly release Version 3.0 of CA-Metrics,
a data repository and workbench for information systems managers.
This package allows users to keep successive "time snapshots" of a
project, do trend analysis, and capture defect data from CA-TQM/S,
the company said.

CA-FPXpert is a knowledge-based tool for counting and analyzing
function points in software development. Function points are a
measure of the size and complexity of software applications. An
upcoming new version of FPXpert, Release 3.0, will add local-area
network support and streamlined analysis capabilities, company
officials said.

Availability dates for the new releases of CA-Metrics and CP-
FPXpert were not available at Newsbytes' deadline.

CA-Metrics, including CA-TQM/S, sells for $11,600 (C$15,467 in
Canada) per single copy. CA-FPXpert is $9,400 (C$12,533). Both
packages require DOS Version 3.3 or later.

(Grant Buckler/19920328/Press Contact: Mary Keating, Computer
Associates Canada, 416-676-6760)


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

 ****IBM Employees Urged To Push OS/2 03/30/92
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 MAR 30 (NB) -- IBM is pulling
out all the stops to sell the new version of its OS/2 operating
system. That includes an aggressive advertising campaign, as well
as incentives for all employees to promote the software wherever
and whenever they can.

IBM is to begin shipping OS/2 Release 2.0 on March 31. Company
spokesman Scott Brooks told Newsbytes the company expects "to sell
millions of copies this year."

As part of the OS/2 campaign IBM is offering all of its employees
-- not just those whose jobs officially involve marketing and sales
-- incentives such as computers, software, and cash for promoting
the product. Brooks said the program is an informal one, and
employees are not required to take part, but there will be prizes
for people who do the most to promote OS/2.

IBM has about 340,000 employees worldwide, Brooks said. He added
that IBM employees talking up the firm's products is nothing new.
"When your neighbor knows you work for IBM," he said, "they come to
you and ask what PC they should buy." With OS/2, though, IBM is
making a special effort to provide all its employees with
information on OS/2 so that they will be better able to answer
questions about the updated operating system.

Though on the market for several years, OS/2 has been slow to take
market share away from DOS, the operating system that has run on
IBM and compatible personal computers since 1981. Meanwhile,
Microsoft Windows, which brings the graphical user interface and
other OS/2-like features to DOS, has racked up large sales.

Many in the industry see OS/2 2.0 as the release with which IBM has
finally got it right, and think OS/2 sales may start to take off
when the new version hits the streets. However, Microsoft will not
be outdone: Release 3.1 of Windows is due for shipment April 6.
Microsoft also has Windows NT, a full-fledged portable operating
system with Windows as its graphical interface, waiting in the
wings for introduction later this year.

(Grant Buckler/19920330/Press Contact: Scott Brooks, IBM,
914-642-5095)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(WAS)(00021)

U.S. Robotics Intros 10 New Fax/Data Modems 03/30/92
SKOKIE, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1992 MAR 30 (NB) -- U.S. Robotics has
chosen this year's nearby (Chicago) Spring COMDEX to premiere 10
new combination fax and data modems, all of which offer full 9600
bps Group III fax-compatible transmissions and reception paired
with a range of data speeds from 2400 bps to 14,400 bps. The new
combination modems are all additions to the Sportster or
WorldPort lines.

The Sportster line of modems is intended for home/small business
users and all of the new ones, except those designed to run with
Apple Macintosh systems, include U.S. Robotics' own control
software, Blast Fax.

This software provides for WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get)
fax transmissions which retain special formatting and type (such
as italics).

The Sportster Mac products use STF Technologies' FAXSTF software.

WorldPort modems are battery-operated "pocket" modems intended
for use with laptop and notebook computers. Unlike many other
portable modems, WorldPorts include built-in speakers.

Due to ship by the first of June with a list price of $699, the
WorldPort 9696 provides 9600 bps V.32 data transmission (world
standard protocol) with error-correction and data-compression
features provided by inclusion of MNP 2-5. Microcom developed the
MNP or Microcom Networking Protocols to provide inexpensive and
standardized ways for modem builders to include compatible data
compression.

Using MNP 5 compression on some files and running at 9600 bps
would allow users to transmit documents at a full 19,200 bps
throughput. This is analogous to compressing files using a
utility such as PKZIP but is a transparent function of the two
modems, with an uncompressed file going in at one end and an
identical file coming out at the other - MNP compression is done
in the modems' hardware. The WorldPort 9696 is also Group III
fax-compatible and comes with WorldPort Fax Software, but not the
WYSIWYG fax capabilities offered by Blast Fax.

The WorldPort Palmtop, with full ASCII fax capability in a 2400
bps data modem designed for use with the Hewlett-Packard 95LX and
Sharp Wizard palmtop computers, will ship in March and carry a
list price of $249.

The full line of new Sportster PC fax/modems is priced from the
$229 internal Sportster 2400/PC fax at the low end to the $549
external Sportster 14,400 Fax, a V.42, V.42bis, MNP 2-5 modem.
All include full Group III fax and all will ship in April or May,
with the fastest models shipping first.

The two external Mac&Fax Sportsters, which also ship in April
(faster) and May (slower unit), come with Macintosh-compatible
software and operate at 14,400 bps ($599 list) and 2400 bps
($329).

The WorldPort 9696 portable modem/fax ships in May with a list
price of $699, while the slower 2400 bps palmtop modem/fax, with
the ability to convert ASCII files directly into fax format
without any software, is already shipping at $249.

For further information, call 1-800-DIAL USR.

U.S. Robotics, 8100 McCormick Blvd., Skokie, IL 60076. Phone 708-
982-5010.

(John McCormick/19920330/Press Contact: Karen Novak, U.S.
Robotics, 708-982-5244)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00022)

 ****Learning Company Offers IPO Of 2 Million Shares 03/30/92
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAR 30 (NB) -- The Learning
Company has filed a registration statement with the Securities and
Exchange Commission for a proposed initial public offering of
2,000,000 shares of common stock.

According to the statement, 1,000,000 of the shares will be offered
by the company, and 1,000,000 will be offered by certain of its
stockholders. The offering price of the stock is expected to be
between $9 and $11.

Sharyn A. Fitzpatrick, spokesperson for the company, told
Newsbytes that the company has "filed an S1 (with the SEC) and
is awaiting approval."

The offering will be managed by Morgan Stanley & Company Inc.,
and Robertson, Stephen & Co.

Fitzpatrick also told Newsbytes that the funds generated by the
sale of stock would be used for "general corporate purposes
and for liquidity for existing stockholders."

Once the company has gained approval for the offering,
Fitzpatrick also said that the company would evaluate the market
to "make sure" it was the right time to proceed. She also
mentioned that once approval was attained, she did not expect
much delay before the stock would be offered.

The Learning Company is a software developed of educational
personal computer software for children and young adults for use at
home and at school. The company currently offers 21 consumer
products which include the Reader Rabbit series, the Super Solvers
series, Ancient Empires, Operation Neptune, and The Writing Center.

Copies of the prospectus relating to the offering may be obtained
from Morgan Stanley and Company Inc., at 1251 Avenue of the
Americas, New York, New York 10020, or Robertson, Stephens and
Company, One Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, California
94111.

(Ian Stokell/19920330/Press Contact: Sharyn A. Fitzpatrick, Learning
Company, 510-713-6011)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00023)

Conner To Supply Winchester Drives To Philips 03/30/92
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAR 30 (NB) -- Less than
a month after signing a flash-memory development agreement with
Intel, Conner Peripherals has signed an agreement with Philips
Electronics, Ltd., to provide the company with its 3.5-inch
Winchester disk drives for use in Philips personal computers.

The agreement calls for Conner to supply its disk drives to Philips
International Competence Centre in Montreal, which designs,
manufactures, and distributes Philips personal computers worldwide
under such brand names as Philips, Magnavox, and Headstart.

Finis F. Conner, chairman and chief executive officer of Conner,
said: "As one of the world's leading international computer
companies, Philips will help us stay in the forefront of developing
higher performance disk drives for advanced system designs. At
the same time, Conner drives provide the performance, reliability
and value Philips demands for its PC users."

The companies would not disclose the agreement's specific
product, volume, and schedule information. However, they did say
that shipments under the agreement are subject to the release of
purchase orders.

The agreement with Intel, reported previously by Newsbytes, is
to design and market proprietary flash memory-based solid-state
disk storage products. Under terms of that agreement, Conner
maintains it will contribute expertise in disk drive electronics, IDE
standard interfaces developed for hard disk drives, and drive
manufacturing experience. Intel claims it will provide its flash
memory design, process technology, packaging, and component
manufacturing experience.

Philips is a diversified global electronics company, employing
more than 250,000 people worldwide, with manufacturing
operations in 48 countries and sales and service in over 100
countries.

Founded in 1986, Conner Peripherals sells, designs and builds
high performance 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch Winchester disk drives
worldwide for workstations, file servers, and notebook and
desktop computers.

(Ian Stokell/19920330/Press Contact: Kevin Burr, Conner
Peripherals, 408-456-3134, or 408-456-3265)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00024)

New Product: Suncom See-through Mouse 03/30/92
NILES, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1992 MAR 30 (NB) -- Remember the telephones
with the see-through case? Well, now you can get a computer mouse
with a see-through case.

I you have always wondered what the internal workings of a computer
mouse looked like, Suncom Technologies has just the product for you.
It's called "Crystal." Suncom director of marketing says the product
"is a fun and unique computer product that offers the user the ability
to see the inner-workings of the mouse."

Crystal is Microsoft and Mouse Systems compatible, and connects to
your computer through a serial port. Crystal comes with drivers and
a test program on both 3.5 and 5.25-inch disks, and has a one-year
warranty. The see-through mouse software allows the user to adjust
the resolution from 50 to 800 dpi.

Suncom said they introduced the unique item because transparent
electronics products are one of the fastest selling items today.
The company believes this is due to consumer fascination with high
technology.

Crystal has a suggested list price of $69.99. For more information
about Crystal, contact Suncom Technologies at 708-647-4040.

(Jim Mallory/19920330/Press contact: Lauren Finkelman, S&S Public
Relations for Suncom, 708-291-1616)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00025)

New For PC: Wordperfect Works 1.0 03/30/92
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1992 MAR 30 (NB) -- Wordperfect Corporation said
it has started shipping Wordperfect Works 1.0, its integrated
software package containing word processor, graphics editor,
database, communications, and spreadsheet applications.

The word processor Works users will get is the company's
Letterperfect, a streamlined version of Wordperfect 5.1.
Spokesperson Carrie Carter told Newsbytes that while the Works word
processor doesn't have all the features of Wordperfect 5.1, files can
be interchanged. If you create a document in Wordperfect 5.1, then
take it home and work on it with Works, all the formatting codes and
other features are retained. Then when you save the document in
Works, you can take it back to the office tomorrow and complete or
change it with WP 5.1.

Works word processing supports macros, graphics integration, a spell
checker, a thesaurus, and mail merge capabilities.

The company says the graphics editor allows you to create and edit
Wordperfect graphic and text files. Images can be sized, scaled, or
rotated, then inserted into Letterperfect documents.

The Works spreadsheet can import or export Lotus 1-2-3 compatible
files, and is also compatible with Drawperfect 1.1 and Planperfect
5.1.

Like most other integrated programs, Works applications have
pull-down menus and context-sensitive help screens. A customizable
Run menu allows you to execute any of the applications from within
the application you are presently working in. You can also access
other programs from the Shell Menu.

WP says the database portion of Works is designed for tasks such as
keeping track of contacts, sorting and producing reports, printing
mailing lists, or merging the data with the word processing
application. The program comes with three predefined databases:
a note card, address book and inventory database.

WP says the communications portion of Works was developed by
Magicsoft. It lets you connect to other computers, transfer files,
or download from electronic bulletin boards. It has a dialing
directory and supports modems with speeds up to 38,400 baud.
Terminal emulation for VT100, VT52, ANSI/BBS, IBM3101, TTY and IBM
3270 is supported. Available file transfer protocols include
Kermit, XModem, YModem, and ZModem.

Works also has a fax capability. Documents created in Works are
sent to the fax program. Fax images can be examined before they are
sent by using Letterperfect's View Document feature, then sent to an
individual or a group. Your computer will need a fax modem to use
this feature.

Wordperfect Works has a suggested list price of $159 in the US and
$159 in Canada. You need a hard disk and at least 400K (kilobytes)
of free memory (that's after DOS and any terminate-and-stay resident
programs are loaded).

Wordperfect Corporation maintains a toll-free number (800-451-5151)
to answer questions about its products.

(Jim Mallory/19920330/Press contact: Carrie Carter, Wordperfect
Corporation, 801-228-5014, FAX [phone])


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

 ****Another Prime Number Discovered Using A Cray 03/30/92
HARELL, ENGLAND, 1992 MAR 30 (NB) -- Minnesota-based Cray Research,
builder of supercomputers, has announced that one of its Cray-2
supercomputers was used to discover the world's 32nd and largest
known prime number.

A prime number is a number which can be divided evenly only by
itself and by 1, such as 1,2,3,5,7,11, and so on. According to
greek mathematician Euclid there are an infinite number of prime
numbers. Since the numbers do not occur in a regular sequence and
scientists say there is no formula for generating them, the only way
to find additional prime numbers is search for them.

Scientists say prime numbers have applications in cryptography and
computer systems security, but since the more recently discovered
numbers are so large, there are no known applications for them yet.

This latest prime number has 227,832 digits and when written in
mathematical notation is expressed as the number 2 multiplied by
itself 756,839 times minus 1, i.e., 2 times 2 times 2 times 2...
well, you get the idea. If printed in standard newspaper type, it
would fill 14 newspaper pages.

Numbers expressed in this form are called Mersenne numbers, after a
17th Century French monk, Father Marin Mersenne, who spent years
searching for prime numbers of this type. The last largest-known
Mersenne prime number was discovered in 1985 during a test of a Cray
Research system in Houston. That number only had 65,050 numerals in
it.

Scientists said one consequence of discovering another prime number
is the ability to use that number to generate a new perfect number.

Michael Schomberg, manager of AEA Technology's Harwell Laboratory,
where the latest prime number was discovered, said, "Although these
large numbers offer little direct benefit to society today, they do
have curiosity value and the pursuit of even larger prime and perfect
numbers will always mystify and fascinate mathematicians." Schomberg
said because of the size of the numbers, it was unlikely that a
larger prime would be discovered until the next generation of more
powerful supercomputers is available.

The test took nearly 19 hours on one CPU (central processing unit)
of Harwell's four-CPU Cray-2 system. The results were then verified
and checked independently on other Cray systems. Cray Research said
five of the last six prime numbers were discovered using Cray
supercomputers.

(Jim Mallory/19920330/Press contact: Mardi Schmieder, Cray Research,
612-683-3538


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00027)

 ****Intel Files 2nd Cyrix Suit & Charges "Patent Laundering" 03/30/92
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAR 30 (NB) -- Intel and Cyrix
are at it again, with Intel's announcement it filed a patent suit
against Cyrix of Richardson, Texas last Friday, March 27. Intel
representatives also announced they received a facsimile copy of a
suit Cyrix already filed last Wednesday, March 25, asking the court
that its processors be considered "exempt" from Intel's patents, a
move Intel claims is an attempt at "patent laundering."

Intel and several chip manufacturers, including, Cyrix, Chips and
Technologies, and Advanced Micro Devices have been at it for some time
in loud and wild battles over the microprocessor chips that make up
the IBM and compatible computer. Cyrix, Chips and Technologies, and
Advanced Micro Devices have complained bitterly to the
Federal Trade Commission which began an investigation of Intel in July
of last year investigating charges of alleged unfair trade practices
and of monopolizing the market.

The fights over the lucrative microprocessor market for the IBM and
compatible personal computers (PCs) include math coprocessor chips and
the microprocessor chips. A chip in either category that is fully
compatible with Intel chip could be worth millions, even billions of
dollars. Intel boasted this month it has sold over 11 million 387 math
coprocessor chips alone, a chip that assists the "brain" or
microprocessor in mathematical calculations like computer-aided design
and spreadsheets.

As widely reported in the media last week, Cyrix plans to add to its
marketing of Intel-compatible math coprocessor chips a 486SX
microprocessor chip which would fit into the socket used by Intel's
386 -- reportedly Intel's best-selling product. One New York analyst
reportedly told the Associated Press that the cost of the Cyrix chip
would be less than half of the Intel 486 chip.

Intel and Cyrix have been fighting over the math coprocessor chip
since late 1990, but Intel lost ground in November of last year when
Judge Paul Brown, of the United States District Court for the Eastern
District of Texas in Sherman, Texas, denied Intel's request for an
injunction that would block Cyrix from marketing its alternative line
of Intel-compatible math coprocessors. Judge Brown ruled Intel had
failed to establish that Cyrix infringed on Intel's patents or that
any of its products were not produced under a valid licensing
agreement.

The suit this time is over Cyrix's alleged violation of the following
patents: No. 4,972,338 "Memory Management for Microprocessor;" No.
4,449,184 "Extended Address, Single and Multiple Bit Microprocessor;"
No. 5,053,944 "Microprocessor Breakpoint Apparatus;" and No. 4,363,091
"Extended Address, Single and Multiple Bit Microprocessor," Intel
said. Intel is seeking a temporary injunction against Cyrix to stop it
from making or selling any infringing devices, probably referring to
the 486SX chips Cyrix reportedly plans to market.

Intel maintains the '091 and '184 patents were first implemented in
the Intel 8086 microprocessor in 1978 and the '338 and '944 patents
were first implemented in the Intel386 microprocessor in 1985. Intel
insists these patents cover the basic features required for
compatibility with software that runs on the Intel X86 architecture.

Intel's President Andrew Grove made an apologetic reference to these
scrappy, soap-opera type battles the company has been fighting. "We
regret that we find ourselves spending so much time in the courts,
however we have no choice. We have a duty to our shareholders, who
paid to develop this technology at a time when its success was not
assured, and to our employees, who worked hard to create it. We will
not sit back and let others help themselves to our intellectual
property," Grove said.

As for the Cyrix suit filed last week, Grove claims it is an attempt
at "patent laundering." The Cyrix complaint requests a declaratory
judgement to validate its plan of using Intel patents on devices that
will be made by SGS Thomson or other Intel licensees. Michael Bruzone
of Cyrix says the judgement essentially is asking the court to rule
Cyrix's new processors are exempt from the Intel patents. Intel
General Counsel F. Thomas Dunlap described the mechanics of the
alleged "patent laundering" as: "Cyrix uses Intel patents in their
chips, passes the devices through SGS (the Intel licensee) and claims
they are clean."

Dunlap says Intel has stopped attempts at patent laundering four other
times and expects to do so this time. Dunap also said a decision in a
similar Cyrix patent laundering case involving math coprocessors is
expected shortly.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920330/Press Contact: Michael Bruzone, Cyrix, tel
214-234-8388, fax [phone]; Nancy Pressel, Intel, tel 408-765-
8080, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00028)

 ****Meanwhile, Cyrix Still Plans April 6 Launch Of 486 Clone Chip 03/30/92
RICHARDSON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 MAR 30 (NB) -- Cyrix Corporation,
even as lawsuits are flying back and forth between it and Intel (see
today's story "Intel Files Second Cyrix Suit," says it will formally
announce immediate availability of its Cx486SLC, a 25 megahertz
486 microprocessor chip on April 6 at Spring COMDEX in Chicago.
That is also the formal introduction date of Microsoft's Windows 3.1.

Cyrix President Jerry Rogers proclaims, "The Cx486SLC is the
first in a series of totally original Cyrix microprocessor products
wth advanced features and 486 performance at 386 prices."

Cyrix says the chip is a 486 instruction-set compatible CPU (central
processing unit) with 16-bit external and 32-bit internal data
paths. The company said the chip is compatible with a 386SX bus and
pin-out, and can be integrated into existing 386SX designs to boost
performance without raising costs.

Cyrix expects the chip will be popular for use in notebook,
pen-based, and entry level desktop systems. Rogers characterized
the chip as a "quick and easy upgrade of 386SX designs to 486-level
performance."

Cyrix says the chip gets a Landmark version 2.0 CPU performance
rating of 78 MHz. The chip is initially available in a 25 megahertz
version, but the company said it expects to ship a 33 megahertz
version in the third quarter.

Rogers said that initial customer discussions indicate that OEM
(original equipment manufacturers) demand for the chip will be
significant, and the company expects to announce a significant
semiconductor second source agreement shortly.

Cyrix expects to expand its CPU line through 1992. Rogers said
the Cx486SLC is the low end of a whole family of higher
performance Cx486 microprocessors that will be introduced
throughout 1992.

The company says it doesn't plan to stop with 486 chips. "We're not
stopping at the 486 level. Our plans call for better-than-586
performance processors in 1993," said Rogers.

Cyrix said that the new microprocessor contains power management
features which allow a dramatic reduction in current consumption
when the chip is in suspend mode. That will be of special interest
to notebook manufacturers and users, where current battery life is
limited to 4 hours or less.

California-based Oak Technology says it will offer PC chip sets
which support the new Cyrix microprocessor. Oak says its chip set
includes all the logic necessary to implement a desktop system in
just three chips. It includes a system controller, a peripheral
controller, and a VGA controller. In addition to local bus graphics
support, the VGA controller chip supports up to 16 million colors
for photo quality images, according to the Oak Technologies
announcement.

Cyrix, best known for its math co-processor chips, is a
venture-capital funded firm founded in 1988. The company says it is
now self-sustaining, and was profitable within months after shipping
its first products in 1989. Cyrix has reported profitability for 8
quarters throughout 1990 and 1991.

Cyrix co-founders Jerry Rogers and Tom Brightman both had a
background in the computer industry before forming their company.
Rogers was vice president of Texas Instruments Microprocessor
Division, and Brightman was vice president of engineering and later
vice president of planning and procurement for Atari Corporation.
He also worked for Commodore Business Machines and Texas Instruments
in various product management, engineering, and marketing positions.

Several other companies have also entered the microprocessor field.
Production of the CPU chips, the heart of every personal computer,
was once the undisputed domain of Intel Corporation. As with any
industry, increased competition, while putting pressure on
manufacturer's profit margins, usually benefits the consumer. Even
though OEMs are the buyers of CPU chips, the end-user should
benefit. New product suppliers usually mean lower prices, and those
cost savings should be passed onto the end user.

Reacting to the news, Intel Corporation reportedly told analysts
that the Cyrix microprocessor is technologically inferior to the
Intel chips. According to British news service Reuters, an Intel
spokesperson said the Cyrix chip is targeted at what Intel described
as "the slowing 386 chip marketplace." Intel maintains the market is
rapidly shifting to the more powerful 486 chip. Cyrix says its new
chip has all the power of a 486 chip but will sell at 386 prices.

(Jim Mallory/19920330/Press contact: Michelle Moody, Cyrix
Corporation, 214-234-8357,X302)


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

Quicktime Digital Video Road Show Helps Users "Spigot" 03/30/92
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAR 30 (NB) -- Apple, Supermac
Technology, Adobe Systems, and Macromind-Paracomp are hitting the
international road in a digital video show they say will instruct
users how to make movies on their Macintosh computers using Quicktime,
Supermac's Videospigot, the Adobe Premiere software, and Macromind-
Paracomp's Macrecorder Sound System Pro and Director.

Road shows seem to be popular with software manufacturer's now. Lotus
has been conducting road shows of Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows and
Microsoft has announced shows demonstrating tips and tricks for
Windows 3.1 in April in cities all over the U.S.

The road show is expected to cover five U.S. cities and five European
cities and is cosponsored by resellers MicroAge, Intelligent
Electronics, and JWP as well as regional resellers such as
Computerware (San Francisco), Sun Computers (Los Angeles), and MPC
(New York).

The show is going to show users how to incorporate video footage and
special effects into business and personal communications, according
to Cathy Galvin, SuperMac's product marketing manager for the
Videospigot.

Four 90-minute sessions will make up a single day, repeated four
consecutive days in each city. Professional instruction and hands-on
training in "spigoting" is offered in the digital video shows, the
companies said. "Spigoting" is defined as taking live video from a
camcorder or video cassette recorder (VCR) and storing it on a
Macintosh hard drive, editing the video clips, creating special
effects, and integrating live video into software applications.

The sessions, to be held in the U.S. in March, April, and May in San
Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Atlanta will cost users
$49. Attendees will receive a $25 rebate on the purchase of any
Supermac product used in the sessions and an opportunity to win copies
of Adobe Photoshop 2.0.1 and Macromind-Paracomp Director raffled off
at the end of each course, the companies added.

More information is available at 800-345-2888. For more information on
individual products, SuperMac can be reached at 408-245-2202, Adobe at
415-961-4400, Macromind-Paracomp at 415-442-0200, and Apple at 408-
996-1010.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920330/Press Contact: Stacy Byrnes, Apple, tel 408-
996-1010, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00030)

Rasterops Offers Videospigot Users $350 Rebate On New 24STV 03/30/92
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAR 30 (NB) -- Rasterops is
trying to get Videospigot users to switch by offering a $350 credit to
Supermac Videospigot users on the purchase of its new Rasterops 24STV
video adapter.

Rasterops says users will find every hardware feature necessary for
video production in the 24STV board and claims Apple itself used the
24STV in the development of Quicktime.

The 24-bit board offers display at 30 frames per second of video
output to any NTSC, PAL or SECAM device, Rasterops said, and near
real-time frame capture from a single-slot Nubus board. In addition,
Rasterops maintains the board is one of the few movie-producing boards
to offer a video digitizer component which allows the recording of
movies in any Quicktime application, so creation and editing of
Quicktime movies can be done in one software application.

Rasterops says live video display, essential for interactive
multimedia applications, is delivered without any jittering at 30
frames per second, from the smallest window to a full 640 x 480 screen
with the 24STV board. Also the board supports composite and S-Video
input, as well as video output to any NTSC or PAL device, such as
television or videotape, with the addition of a Rasterops Video
Expander II, the company maintains.

An Adobe Photoshop plug-in lets users access live video-in-a-window,
so a frame of video can be captured and integrated it into a Photoshop
document without ever having to leave the application, Rasterops
maintains.

More control is also available for producers, Rasterops said, with
the inclusion of controls to manage hue, brightness, contrast and
saturation; odd/even or full-frame video fields; and horizontal and
vertical video flip.

Rasterops is making the announcement on the heels of an announcement
from Apple, Supermac Technology, Adobe Systems, and Macromind-Paracomp
of a series of seminars planned for March, April, and May the
companies are jointly producing to show users how to do "Spigoting."
"Spigoting" is defined by Supermac as taking live video from a
camcorder or video cassette recorder (VCR) and storing it on a
Macintosh hard drive, editing the video clips, creating special
effects, and integrating live video into software applications.

Rasterops says its 24STV is priced at $999. Videospigot users can get
their $350 credit by calling 800-SAY-COLOR or by contacting a
Rasterops authorized dealer, the company said. The offer expires June
30, 1992 and is only available to users who purchased Videospigot
boards prior to March 31, 1992.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920330/Press Contact: Carrie Coppe, Rasterops, tel
408-562-4200, fax [phone])