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/nb920417

Text File | 1992-04-17 | 70KB | 1,536 lines

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00001)

Australia: Digital Cellular Network Competition Heats Up 04/17/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- The move to the new global system
for mobile communications (GSM) standard in Australia is heating up, with
competition for licences and supply contracts increasing dramatically.
The move to a GSM cellular network is touted as a significant advance in
the quality of services offered by Australian carriers, and is a
significant part of the moves to deregulation.

To date, two licences have been issued for GSM carriers. Both AOTC
(Australian and Overseas Telecommunications Corporation) and its new
competitor, Optus, have been granted licences, and a third is due to be
awarded by year's end. AOTC has already begun designing and testing
aspects of its GSM network, and Optus has already named Nokia, of
Finland, as its preferred supplier of equipment. AOTC (formerly Telecom)
currently holds the monopoly on cellular services, which cater to around
400,000 subscribers (approximately 1 in 40 of the population).

The European GSM standard was adopted by the Australian
telecommunications watchdog, Austel, last year, a move prompted by the
need for compatibility with pre-determined standards. The networks will
service Australia's burgeoning mobile telecommunications network, which
grew by 60 percent last year. The GSM networks will offer increased
signal quality, almost total security, and expanded data and text
transmission services.

(Sean McNamara/19920415)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00002)

Australia: Victorian Roads Authority Establishes Data Network 04/17/92
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- Vic Roads, the roads authority
of Victoria, has finished the first stage of its establishment of a
state-wide data network. The first stage of TRANSnet involved the linking
all its regional offices to its main facilities in Melbourne.

TRANSnet comprises 85 Token Ring local area networks, with all of them
connected to a central hub in Carlton, a Melbourne suburb. The
installation of TRANSnet should see the more efficient use of resources
by Vic Roads, as well as a better range of services being offered to its
clients. TRANSnet will provide Vic Roads with a platform for integrating
local applications with financial, office automation and corporate
systems throughout its operations statewide. The system will allow
VicRoads to improve delivery of services such as road building, vehicle
registration, driver licensing, and traffic management via a common,
central facility.

The AUS$10M contract to supply the network was won by Lend Lease
Communications in cooperation with Ferntree Computers. The tender called
for at least 70 percent locally produced components, and equipment from
IBM's plant in Wangaratta was a major contributor to matching this
criterion. The first stage was completed six weeks ahead of schedule and
within budget. TRANSnet's second and final stage is expected to be
completed in June.

(Sean McNamara/19920415)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00003)

Australia: School Installs Fiber Optic Network 04/17/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- Menai High School, in Sydney's
southeast side, has installed New South Wales' (NSW) first fiber optic
network for a school. The AUS$100,000 network was designed to allow for
easy upgrading in the future, as well as to accommodate the campus-style
layout of the school.

The Department of School Education worked with the school and TeleSystems
and LanVision to design the three-server, 60-workstation network. It is
expected that once finalized, 200 workstations will be connected to the
servers, with at least three in each classroom. The network also
incorporates 10Base-T cabling, which utilizes normal telephone cabling
for additional connections.

The use of the two cabling systems is to allow the network to grow
easily in the future and to overcome several problems
unique to establishing a network in the school.

The network will allow access to all of the applications on the servers
(based on security levels), and these include the OASIS school management
program and educational programs covering on subjects including creative
arts, industrial design and electronics. The network at Menai diverges
from the normal practice of having several non-connected networks across
sites, and will be used as a model for future networks in other schools
throughout the state.

(Sean McNamara/19920415)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00004)

New Zealand Telecom Tussles Continue 04/17/92
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND, 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- The battle between New Zealand
(NZ) Telecom and Clear Communications has continued with a series of
charging policy changes being announced by both carriers over the last
two weeks. The carriers have changed their charging time-units in an
attempt to convince consumers that their service is the most equitable.

The changes began when Clear Communications, the recently appointed
second carrier for NZ, charged in increments of six seconds after the
first minute on national and international calls. NZ Telecom has
responded by charging in one second increments after the first minute
on national calls.

Clear responded immediately by also charging in one second increments, but
on both international and national calls. Telecom is expected to announce
international one second charging shortly, further increasing the rivalry
between the two companies.

Since the appointment of Clear as New Zealand's second carrier there has
been often heated battles between the two carriers. In its year of
operations, Clear has claimed 9 percent of the toll call market, much
more than analysts and Telecom predicted. Telecom has to provide cross-
subsidization to Clear as part of its privatization agreement with the
New Zealand government. There have been murmurs that Telecom might seek a
review of the terms of its agreement with the government, although no
action has yet been taken.

(Sean McNamara/19920415)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MOW)(00005)

Moscow: Telecom Exhibition Due In June 04/17/92
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- The Telecommunication Systems and
Services Exhibition will take place in Moscow June 21-26, 1992. A similar
show last year featured practically all the local telecommunications
companies.

Like last year's event, the exhibition will include not only a telecom
exhibition and seminars, but intensive classes ranging from
Unix communications to the SWIFT banking network and bulletin board
systems.

The show will be held at the People's Industry Academy, managed by the
Academy, International center of scientific and technical information
(ICSTI), and the Ecotrends company.

Unlike other shows, there will be no attendance by the general public,
a measure which guarantees a qualified audience.

Yuri Gornostayev, a show spokesman, said main Western telecommunications
companies are likely to have booths on the exhibit floor. No further
information about possible Western participants was unveiled. Most
Russian telecommunications companies have confirmed their
participation.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19920414/Press & Public Contact: Yuri Andrianov,
ICSTI, phone [phone]; EcoTrends, phone [phone]; fax +7
095 288-4284)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(MOW)(00006)

Ukraine Unix Users Group Being Formed 04/17/92
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- Corresponding with a general drive
to independence here, the Ukrainian Unix community has finally decided
to form its own official body, Ukrainian Unix Users Group (UUUG).
Organizers have been active members of the Soviet Unix Users Group.

Twelve representatives of major companies engaged in Unix development,
along with noted individuals, are currently discussing a wealth of
problems arising with UUUG formation.

Companies presented in the organization committee are Kiev-based
Technosoft, Communications Systems, Institute of Cybernetics, Polinor,
Unik, ComputerLand, and Kiev People's Bank.

The Ukraine members say they wish to be better represented in various
Unix and networking international bodies, most of which put a national
Unix group membership as a prerequisite. There was no separate Unix
group previously in the Ukraine.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19920414/Press & Public Contact: Alexander Shekhovtsov
Technosoft, phone [phone]; e-mail [e-mail]; Igor
Sviridov, Communication Systems, phone [phone]; e-mail
[e-mail])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MOW)(00007)

Kiev: Networking Organization Forms 04/17/92
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- A number of Ukrainian organizations,
worried about their "subordinate" position in the computer
communications world, have decided to form an industry association.

"Further development of telecommunication systems in the Ukraine is
difficult due to the lack of user and developer coordination,
use of non-standard equipment, and the fact that Ukraine is unknown as
a separate part of the world computer community and stands in a subordinate
position in a networking structures of the former Soviet Union,"
organizers said in a written statement.

The "Ukrainian National association of computer communications (UNACC) is
being formed to override the existing crisis situation, and to help
develop national communications policy," the statement said.
"We will sponsor further networking and internetworking development,
building fast communications channels, and speed up development of the
information infrastructure."

The following organizations are members of the organization committee:
Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, State Science-Technical Committee,
Education and Communications ministry, International information
technologies center, "Ukraine Chernobyl" foundation, Green Light
association, and the World Laboratory Ukrainian division.

The association's first aim is to get official recognition and legal
status within a month or two.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19920416/Press Contact: UNACC organization committee
e-mail [e-mail])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00008)

Mitsui Bussan & AT&T Enter Digital Mobile Phone Market 04/17/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- Japan's major trade conglomerate
Mitsui Bussan and AT&T will cooperate in a digital mobile phone
business venture in Europe. Both firms will jointly develop mobile
phones for the market.

This project calls for Mitsui and AT&T to jointly develop a mobile
phone with a digital-to-analog converter. With this feature, the
telephone can be used on conventional analog telephone lines as
well as future digital lines. The basic technology has been
developed by AT&T, and sample products will be shipped soon, the
companies report.

Mitsui Bussan plans to acquire a low-cost and quality parts supply
for the mobile phones and will help distribute the product through
its California-based subsidiary Mitsui Comtech.

Mitsui Bussan and AT&T expect to rake in $500 million from
sales of mobile phones in about three years.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920415/Press Contact: Mitsui Bussan, +81-3-
3285-7554)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00009)

Matsushita Creates Pocket Beeper Venture With China 04/17/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- Matsushita Electric is setting up
a joint venture with Beijing Posts and Electric in Beijing,
China in order to enter that country's telecommunications market.

This joint venture, subsidized by the government of China, is
expected to begin operation in June. Total capitalization of the new
firm will be about 400 million yen, which will be equally paid by
Matsushita and the Chinese organization. It is expected that a sales
organization which is affiliated with Beijing Posts and Electric will
also join the business at a later date. The new firm starts business
with 75 employees.

The joint venture will produce pocket beepers starting in July. It is
expected that 100,000 units will be manufactured in the first year
with all the products sold in the domestic Chinese market.

Currently, Matsushita has been exporting pocket-type beepers to
China -- some 200,000 units were shipped last year -- and demand is
said to be growing rapidly.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920415/Press Contact: Matsushita Electric,
 [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00010)

Compaq Cuts GSA Prices 04/17/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- Still reeling from
the pounding it has recently taken from low-end manufacturers
such as Zeos International and Dell Computer, Compaq Computer has
cut prices to the federal government buyer by about 5 percent
below dealer costs.

The new GSA or General Services Administration 1992-93
Microcomputer Contract Schedule, which just took effect, sees
most companies making important moves in reducing costs.

Systempros (Compaq's high-end server systems) still carry high
margins, but companies reselling to the government will in many
cases see a big cut in their margins as Compaq goes from a
variable commission system to a much tighter fixed-commission
schedule.

A survey by Government Computer News has shown that the vast
majority of PCs purchased by government users outside of major
specific contracts come off the annual GSA Contract Schedule.

Difficult to obtain, a GSA schedule listing assures government
buyers of a good price and sets standard contract provisions,
making it much faster and less complex to make purchases.

According to Computer Reseller News, Compaq did about $40 million
worth of business with the government during 1991, up about 25
percent, while Dell Computer's sales jumped 102 percent to $30
million.

GSA prices set the maximum cost a company can charge for a
specific system during the life of a contract, but vendors are
free to compete by cutting prices further.

Observers point out that, while PC prices have steadily dropped
during the past 10 years, if that situation ever changed,
companies could be caught in a bind, being required by contract
to sell computers at lower than break-even prices.

(John McCormick/19920417)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00011)

 ****Japan Slams US And EC For Trade Talks Delays 04/17/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- Japanese Foreign
Minister Michio Watanabe has written to US and European Community
trade negotiators, chiding them for not coming to a fast agreement on
the 17-month-overdue GATT or General Agreement on Tariffs and
Trade which, in large part, determines how countries trade with
each other.

Japan's complaint is interesting because the major negotiating
roadblock between the EC and the US is in the agricultural
subsidy area, where Japan is among the world's leaders in closed
markets.

The latest GATT deadline, as set in January, will expire this
Easter weekend and there is little sign of real progress.

US trade representative Carla Hills, EC commission vice-
president Frans Andriessen, and Canadian trade representatives
will be in Tokyo next week for a trade conference where the
western trade negotiators are expected to criticize Japan for its
pervasive agricultural trade barriers.

With Japan's highly restrictive agricultural import policies which
bar outside rice and raise imported bean prices to the $40/pound
range, its letters to the EC and the US are not seen as taking
a constructive role in solving the problem.

But EC officials are not taking Japan's interference lightly,
reacting strongly to what they perceive, wrongly or rightly, as
blame directed at them.

This comes at a time when the US trade deficit with the rest of
the world has had a major drop, putting the preliminary numbers
for February at only about half of January's numbers.

(John McCormick/19920417)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00012)

Part Of Energy Dept Robot Contract Goes To MTI 04/17/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- Latham, New York-
based Mechanical Technology Incorporated says that it has been
awarded a $2.3 million contract to develop a surface mapping
system for a Department of Energy robotics system which is
intended to replace human workers in extremely hazardous areas
such as deactivated nuclear power plants.

One of the biggest problems facing robotics engineers is
developing sensors which provide the machines with sufficient
information about their environment. Depth perception is a major
problem, as is pattern recognition.

MTI's contribution to the project is expected to involve hardware
and software which will provide advanced 3-D imaging capabilities
to autonomous (robot) vehicles that will be used in clean-up
activities around nuclear dumps and future nuclear accident
sites.

This announcement comes on the heels of word from the former
Soviet Union that hundreds of thousands of workers were exposed -
unprotected - to nuclear waste and radiation hazards during the
clean-up of the April 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident near Kiev,
Ukraine.

The company will be working with scientists and engineers at US
government laboratories such as those located at Oak Ridge,
Tennessee.

Nuclear power plants produce about 20 percent of the US
electricity supply.

(John McCormick/19920417/Press Contact: Joseph L. Reinhart, MTI,
518-785-2884)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00013)

ROUNDUP: Stories Carried By Other Media This Week 04/17/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- Roundup is a brief
look at some computer stories carried in other publications
received here this past week.

The April 13 InformationWeek carries the annual CIO salary survey
which indicates that one-third of US chief information officers
make between $125,000 and $150,000.

McGraw-Hill's Unixworld for May carries a Unix-related salary
survey and comes with a Spring 1992 Special Report Supplement on
interoperability. A network administrator with 7-plus years of
experience would, according to the survey, earn about $60,000
anywhere in the US.

Computerworld dated April 13 says that 100% availability of
international data centers makes upgrades very difficult.

Network World for the week of the 13th has a feature on sub T-1
rate multiplexers with added features.

CommunicationsWeek for the 13th looks at Quarterdeck's DESQview/X
operating environment.

Computer Reseller News says that image scanning is a growing
market segment.

(John McCormick/19920417)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00014)

The Enabled Computer 04/17/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- The Enabled Computer
is a regular Newsbytes feature covering news and important
product information relating to high technology aids for the
disabled.

The Enabled Computer by John McCormick

This is a continuation of a more in-depth look at some of the
entries in the 1991 National Search for Computing Applications to
Assist Persons with Disabilities run by Johns Hopkins Applied
Physics Laboratory.

I participated in the final judging which took place in early
February at The Smithsonian in Washington. There were literally 30
out of 30 fascinating entries at the exhibition, and I hope to cover
most of them in future columns.

Robin Japins, a profoundly deaf Kansas software developer,
entered his commercial Tri-Page System which lets paging systems
interface with hearing-impaired users' TDD communications
terminals, allowing the deaf to send pager messages.

Robin told me that he had installed the software at several
paging companies and it was already in use by members of the deaf
community.

Michael Socha, who lives on a Missouri commune, entered his
design for a one-handed computer keyboard which he custom-builds
from surplus computer keyboards. By the way, he reports
difficulty in locating suitable keyboards, so if any of you know
about a source let him know. Michael needs the older switch-type
keyboards; membrane-types are useless because he has to remove
individual switches. Michael J. Socha, East Wind Community, Tecumseh,
MO 65760.

He makes the custom boards himself and is planning to sell them
as kits. What makes these alphanumeric keyboards unusual is the fact that
each row of keys is independently angled to fit the hand.
Michael also builds custom keyboards which can provide one-key
access to special features of software. These other keyboards are
custom wired for specific programs to supply macro-type features
which would normally require multiple keystrokes to access.

Di Han, who, along with his wife came to this country from
Beijing, China, has developed a prototype speech recognition
system which is tied to a neural stimulator and can cause
paralyzed users' muscles to contract on voice command - such as
"close hand." Orthopedic surgeon Ed Cooper, M.D., who works with
Dr. Di Han (Ph.D.) said the device is meeting success in teaching
profoundly retarded individuals to use their hands.

The hit of the show was undoubtedly a girl named Darci who seemed
to be every place, making it seem a bit silly to say she was
"confined" to her motorized wheelchair. Darci was photographed by
CNN and virtually every other news crew as she was operating many
of the entries, such as second place winner Jon Adams' Apple
music program, but she was actually at the exhibition because her
grandfather, James Lynds, couldn't see why such a bright,
energetic person should be prevented from using a computer just
because she didn't happen to have arms.

Mr. Lynds, president of WesTest Engineering, has spent several
years developing DARCI and DARCI TOO, a computer control
interface device for children and adults which lets them use any
user-supplied control device such as a joystick, video game
controller (such as the Nintendo unit), switches, or expanded
keyboard, to provide complete and transparent access to all
keyboard and mouse functions.

Front panel controls and software switches adapt the DARCI TOO to
IBM PC, PS/2, and compatibles, Apple, Macintosh, or DEC computers
and also adjust its sensitivity so it can be used by people with
fine motor control, such as Darci, or even users with cerebral
palsy.

Very importantly, all the software is contained in the DARCI TOO
hardware; none is required for the computer, which never knows
that the user isn't just typing on a standard keyboard.

DARCI TOO operates in four modes: Scan mode, where keyboard and mouse
functions scroll by on the LCD display; Morse mode, in which DARCI
TOO accepts extended Morse Code inputs from single-, double-, and
triple-switch devices; DARCI Code, the original DARCI model's joystick
code, which works with proportional joysticks and Nintendo video
controllers, including the special chin-operated controller sold at
cost by Nintendo. There is also expanded keyboard mode, compatible with
Unicorn Engineering (this year's first place winner) membrane keyboards
and those which are compatible with Unicorn.

DARCI TOO lists for $995 and there is an optional Apple IIe
interface card which costs $150.

For further information, contact WesTest Engineering, 1470 North
Main St., Bountiful, UT 84010. Phone [phone]; fax 801-292-
7379.

More on other entries in later columns.

(John McCormick/19920417)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00015)

UK: Lotus Targets Developers, Consultants With LAN Products 04/17/92
STAINES, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- Software
developers, systems integrators and other third parties are being
encouraged by Lotus Development to take a share in the growing
communications products marketplace by integrating and developing
products and services for Lotus' business communications packages.

According to Lotus, the market for Lotus Notes and cc:Mail is set
to explode over the next few years. Based on figures supplied by
IDC and Dataquest, Lotus believes that the market for value-added
services for communications products will be worth UKP 500
million by 1995 -- four times the market forecast for communications
products on their own.

At the end of March. Lotus ran a series of seminars in the UK
to inform third-party partners about a new "Business Partners
program" for its communications products. The seminars were so
successful, Lotus claims, that a further two seminars have been
scheduled for the 8th of May and 16 of July at Lotus' Staines
headquarters.

"We're expanding the channel for these products because of demand
from the market," said Sally Hood, Lotus' Business Partners
Programme manager, announcing the new seminars.

Hood reckons the potential for growth in the market is huge.
"Installations of PC LANs and WANs are set to rise rapidly over
the next few years, creating widespread acceptance of group
collaboration applications and electronic mail," she said.

The idea behind the scheme is to increase the level of non-Lotus
support for Lotus communications products, so boosting Lotus'
overall position in the marketplace. "We want to work with these
third parties by encouraging them to base their own new products
and services on the communications base laid down in Notes and
cc:Mail," Hood said.

(Steve Gold/19920417/Press & Public Contact: Lotus U.K. - Tel:
0784-455445)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00016)

Egghead Software Sponsors 24-City Windows Seminar Tour 04/17/92
ISSAQUAH, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- Software reseller
Egghead Software announced that it will sponsor its
third Windows software seminar in 24 cities across the US
and in Vancouver, British Columbia beginning next Tuesday.

The company said the tour, called Windows Vision, will
feature Windows applications from over 20 software manufacturers.
Egghead President Matthew Griffin is scheduled to deliver keynote
addresses in six of the cities.

The tour kicks off April 21 in Bellevue, Washington at the Hyatt
Regency Hotel, and will be held in major cities throughout the west,
south, east and southeast part of the US, as well as in Vancouver.
The final presentation will be July 14 in Secaucus, New Jersey.

Griffin said there will be demonstrations or previews of several new
Windows applications, including Excel 4.0 for Windows, Quattro Pro
for Windows, Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows, the Norton Desktop for
Windows, Wordperfect 5.1 for Windows, and Harvard Graphics for
Windows.

Griffin will speak at the seminars in Columbus, Ohio, and Detroit
Michigan with Borland chairman Philippe Kahn; and in Denver,
Colorado and Orlando, Florida with Rick MacIntosh, Microsoft VP of
Us sales and support. Sharing the podium with Griffin in Hartford,
Connecticut will be Microsoft's VP of US marketing Gary Gigot, while
Jeff Raikes will appear with Griffin in Houston, Texas.

Egghead's Megan McKenzie told Newsbytes that the sale of Windows
products "is going very well" in Egghead stores. McKenzie said that
all the Egghead outlets have set aside a special area called the
Windows Shop to display Windows items and products.

To register for any of the free seminars, contact Egghead at
800-344-5569.

(Jim Mallory/19920417/Press contact: Megan McKenzie, Egghead
Software, 206-391-6266)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00017)

Aldus In Joint Venture With Japanese Software Company 04/17/92
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- Aldus Corporation
has announced it has formed Aldus Kabushiki Kaisha, a Tokyo-based
joint venture with Something Good Inc., a Japanese software company.
Aldus said the new venture will develop, market, sell and support
Japanese-language versions of Aldus products.

Aldus already markets Pagemaker for Windows, its flagship product,
and Freehand, Persuasion, SuperPaint and Pagemaker, all for the
Macintosh, in Japan. Asked by Newsbytes what programs the two
companies would be developing next, Aldus spokesperson Brad Sevens
said that the next project would be to translate an existing Aldus
program. "I can't say which products they are," said Stevens.

"We are excited about this joint venture and the opportunity to
expand our presence in the Japanese software market," said Aldus
chief operating officer Phil Herres. Something Good President
Keichi Sakamoto said the joint venture combines his company's
engineering and market expertise with Aldus' technology.

Something Good was founded in 1982 to develop business software.
The company currently markets spreadsheet, database, and word
processing applications. The two companies joined forces in 1988 to
develop a Japanese version of Pagemaker 3.0J for Windows.

(Jim Mallory/19920417/Press contact: Brad Stevens, Aldus,
206-628-2361)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00018)

Cray Computer Reports $13.9M 1Q Loss, President Resigns 04/17/92
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- One day
after the company reported a $13.9 million loss for the first
quarter, Cray Computer President and Chief Executive Officer Neil
Davenport has resigned.

In a prepared statement, the company said Davenport, who was one of
four members of the board of directors, resigned at what "seems the
ideal time for him to explore other opportunities with the minimum
disruption to the company."

Cray Computer lost its only customer for its Cray-3 supercomputer in
December when California-based Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratories decided to exercise its contract option to buy a
similar computer from Cray Research after Cray Computer was unable
to meet a demonstration deadline.

Davenport's decision comes less than a month before the company's
scheduled annual meeting May 12 at the Antlers Doubletree Hotel in
Colorado Springs.

Davenport's announcement said that "the company has reached a point
where it believes it has the appropriate resources for the completion
of the Cray-3." Cray Computer's annual report released last May
indicated that it would run out of cash about a year from now, if
spending levels remained constant.

Davenport, 50, became chief operating officer of the company when
Minneapolis-based Cray Research moved the Cray-3 project to Colorado
Springs. He had been managing director of Cray Research's United
Kingdom subsidiary. Cray Computer separated from Cray Research in
October 1989.

The Cray-3 project appeared to be progressing smoothly until a few
months ago. The company missed a scheduled demonstration of the
system in December due to what were described as relatively minor
mechanical difficulties. Shortly after, Livermore Labs cancelled
its order for the supercomputer. In February the company decided to
quit work on the full 16-processor version, and said it would search
for a partner to help build and sell smaller versions of the
machine. Apparently no partner was found. Last month, Cray said it
was testing smaller versions of the system.

Davenport was unavailable for comment. The announcement said
Chairman Seymour Cray will assume Davenport's duties "for the time
being." "Neil has made a major contribution to the company. He
will be missed. We thank him and wish him well," said Seymour Cray
in the company's announcement.

(Jim Mallory/19920417/Press contact: Greg Barnum, Cray Computer,
719-579-6464)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00019)

Artisoft Reports Record 3Q Earnings 04/17/92
TUCSON, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- Network hardware and
software maker Artisoft has reported that its sales, net income and
earnings per share were at record levels for the third quarter,
which ended March 31.

Sales were reported at $20.2 million, which the company said is a 96
percent increase over the same period last year. Income, at $3.588
million, were up 71 percent, while per share earnings were $0.21.
Per share earnings increased 40 percent above the previous year.

C. John Schoof II, Artisoft's president and CEO, attributed the
improvement to greater penetration of the company's products in the
local area network (LAN) market.

During the third quarter, Artisoft introduced LANtastic 4.1, an
upgraded version of its network operating system software.

The company's report said that for the first nine months of the 1992
fiscal year, sales, net income, and per share earnings have exceeded
the totals for the entire 1991 fiscal year.

Artisoft's local area network software allows up to 300 users of IBM
compatible PCs to share information and peripherals such as printers
and hard drives.

(Jim Mallory/19920417/Press contact: Bob Fitzpatrick, Artisoft,
602-690-3558; public phone number: 800-846-9726)


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

International Phone Update 04/17/92
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- The Ivory Coast is
back in touch with the world, and Vietnam won't be far behind.

Officials of CI-Telcom, the state-owned telecom monopoly due to
be sold, probably to Bouyges of France, said their
technicians have repaired a local link to the fiber cable running
from Nigeria to Europe, which the nation depends upon for its
international phone service. Ivory Coast is a major African
business center, thanks to its relative stability, and the nearly
week-long outage was highly disruptive. Officials indicated
trouble could return over the weekend, as the patch is improved.

Vietnam signed agreements with AT&T to re-open direct phone
service to the U.S. An AT&T official indicated the links could be
established on a limited basis within a matter of days. The
links were cut off in 1975 after North Vietnamese troops occupied
Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City, driving out the U.S. and ending the
Vietnam War. Until the US economic embargo against the nation
is lifted, Vietnam's revenues from the calls will go into a
blocked account. About 210 telephone circuits, most going through
Ho Chi Minh City, will be established.

Finally, in the Middle East, phone service improvements
continue. The United Arab Emirates is now offering its citizens
video telephones, and Iran upgraded its microwave relay network
with equipment from Alca-Tel of Italy. Microwave relays are often
used in rural parts of the Third World in place of wires.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920417)


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

Digital TV Commercial Transmission Started 04/17/92
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- Mediatech, the
largest distributor and duplicator of TV commercials, is
switching to a digital delivery format using Scientific-Atlanta
equipment.

The system is based on S-A's Vector Quantization scheme for
digital video compression. The satellite-fed scheme will replace
a system whereby videotapes are mailed to stations. In that
system, Scientific-Atlanta spokesman Bob Meyers explained to
Newsbytes, quality is often poor because the tapes are copied
many times between production and airing. With the digital
system, the commercials aren't copied and what goes on-air is
precisely what was produced. By going to satellite feeds,
Mediatech can also cut "cycle time" between order and delivery
from overnight to immediately.

Mediatech Chairman Tom Baur added that the new system will be of
special benefit to cable television operators. Hardware costs for
inserting commercials into the many commercial networks on a
typical cable system will be cut by at least 25 percent, and 12
channels of ad insertion equipment storing 200 minutes of ads at
once will fit in just four feet of rack space. Analog hardware
takes up six-feet per channel.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920417/Press Contact: Bob Meyers, Scientific-
Atlanta, 404-903-4608)


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

Bell Earnings Strong 04/17/92
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- Pacific
Telesis' announcement that it might spin-off its Pacific Bell and
Nevada Bell operating units continued to stir speculation among
phone company analysts, but the big news of the week remained
strong earnings for most of the major phone companies.

Analysts praised the idea of a PacTel break-up, but cautioned
that regulators must approve such a move, and might not be
inclined toward it. The company's cellular, paging, and
international operations would be freed from most regulation,
analysts said, while the remaining stock would become more of a
"pure play" in local phone service. The unregulated business
could also get into long distance and manufacturing, areas from
which it's barred by the 1982 decree breaking up the Bell System.
Despite the excitement over the company's unregulated operations,
the regulated side of the business still represents 90 percent of
revenues.

Meanwhile, quarterly earnings reports from other Bell operating
companies continued to pour in, and most were much stronger than
the results from PacTel. NYNEX earnings climbed 24.7 percent, to
$336 million, which it credited to a tax settlement and job cuts
-- revenues were down 3.5 percent. Southwestern Bell earnings
rose 16.8 percent to $261.6 million, despite a one-time charge
for its early retirement plan. The results were helped by its 10
percent stake in Telmex, the Mexican national phone company.

Finally, Ameritech reported that Wisconsin will become the latest
state to approve the controversial Caller ID service, but with
per-call blocking. That's in line with recommendations from last
year by the Federal Communications Commission. Georgia, the most
recent state to approve the service, disallowed per-call blocking
but approved free per-line blocking.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920417/Press Contact: Bob Meyers, Scientific-
Atlanta, 404-903-4608)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00023)

Syria & Lebanon Sign Telecom Agreement 04/17/92
BEIRUT, LEBANON, 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- According to the Syria
Times, a leading daily newspaper in Syria, Syrian officials have
signed an historic agreement with their counterparts in the
Lebanon on the subject of international telecommunications.

The Middle East News Network reports that the agreement calls for
a link-up between the two countries' telephone networks to be
established via Cyprus. The link will allow direct-dial calls
between the two countries, as well as to and from other countries
in the West.

Although Syria and the Lebanon have international dialling codes
allocated from certain international areas, the chances of
getting a call through using self-dialled calls is minimal,
Newsbytes understands. Most calls are routed via circuitous
routes and are best handled by the operator.

The linkup with Cyprus, which should be in place within a matter
of months is designed to make self-dialled calls to and from the two
countries a lot easier.

(Steve Gold/19920417)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00024)

NTT Places Major Satellite Order With Telecomms France 04/17/92
PARIS, FRANCE, 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- Arianespace, the French
satellite consortium, has announced it has secured a major order
from Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT).

Terms of the deal, financial details of which have not been
released, call for Arianespace to launch two satellites - N Star
A and N Star B -- into orbit. The satellites are currently being
built by Space Systems-Loral in Palo Alto, California, and will
be launched in three year's time.

No details on what NTT plans to carry over the satellites have
been announced.

(Steve Gold/19920417)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00025)

 ****Philips Japan To Release CD-I Player 04/17/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- Philips Japan has announced that
it will release a first CD-Interactive (CD-I) player in Japan on
April 25. It looks similar to a compact disc player, but it can
display pictures on a regular TV set.

The CD-I player, a multimedia product, supports pictures, sound,
and text data. The software is imprinted on a regular-size CD.
A variety of subjects are to be released: games, music, educational
programs, databases, and dictionaries. Philips Japan has organized a
CD-I software association, which is supported by about 200 members,
including such big names as Matsushita Electric and Sony.
The software is expected to debut this fall.

Japan's first CD-I player will be manufactured at Philips' Belgium
plant and will be shipped to Japan. It will be marketed by
Marants Japan, which is a subsidiary of Philips. The retail price
will be 140,000 yen ($1,050). Japanese electronics makers are
taking a wait-and-see attitude at present concerning production
and sales of CD-I players. There is no word yet on Philips' worldwide
distribution plans for the device.

Meanwhile, Philips Japan is also preparing to develop a CD-I
adaptor for existing CD players.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920417/Press Contact: Philips Japan, +81-3-
3448-5611)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00026)

Oki/Hitachi Agree On RISC Computer 04/17/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- Japan's Oki Electric and Hitachi
have agreed to develop and sell RISC-based (reduced instruction set
computing) computers. Both firms will also trade their RISC
technologies.

This agreement covers a broad range of cooperative efforts between the
two firms, all of which revolve around the Hewlett-Packard PA-RISC
platform. As HP allies, Oki and Hitachi are currently developing and
selling their own RISC-based workstations. Their cooperation is
designed to lead to an eventual acceptance by the industry of the
HP RISC chip as a standard. Hitachi and Oki are currently members
of HP's RISC chip association, called "Pro."

Oki and Hitachi will exchange technologies including
a hardware interface. Also, they will manufacture products and
supply them to each other on an OEM (original equipment
manufacturer) basis. Furthermore, both firms will jointly develop
software development support tools.

Hitachi and Oki are seen as strong allies for Hewlett-Packard which
is competing with Sun Microsystems' SPARC and a RISC chip from MIPS.

Oki has close ties with Hewlett-Packard. The firm recently
signed an agreement with HP concerning joint development of
a RISC chip.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920417/Press Contact: Oki Electric, +81-3-
3580-8950)


(CORRECTION)(APPLE)(DEN)(00027)

Correction: Suntime Intros Corvette Mouse Cover 04/17/92
TAMPA, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- Newsbytes recently
reported on a snap-on Macintosh mouse dust cover called Auto Mouse.
Due to a typographical error the fax number listed in the byline at
the end of the story was incorrect. Suntime's correct fax number is
813-885-3496. Newsbytes regrets the error and any inconvenience it
may have caused.

(Jim Mallory/19920414/Press contact: Emma Morgan, 813-886-1145, FAX
813-885-3496)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MOW)(00028)

Comtek Moscow: No Pens, No Windows 04/17/92
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- The strangest aspect of the annual
Comtek spring computer show, held in Moscow, was the lack of Microsoft
Windows applications, as well as the lack of pen-based computers.

Newsbytes did not see any Windows announcements at all.
Mr Mikolay Lyubovny of Microsoft Moscow was asked to comment. "Yes, we
are not participating in this show on our own, due to some
circumstances on which I would not comment. But we gave Windows
3.1 to a couple of our distributors, who must have it. I admit
our fault although distributors could work better," he said.

Despite his contention that Windows would be on the floor,
Newsbytes was unable to find Windows even at his designated
locations, namely Steepler and ComputerLand booths.

The only evidence of a pen-based computer was in a quiet corner
between two booths under a stairway. Georgy Pachikov of Paragraph was
showing a pen-based computer running his new pen-based game to two
foreign friends.

Yuri Sobolev, Borland's representative in Russia admitted that
"the show is expensive, the audience is strangers only, but we
need that kind of computer exhibit here as a place to go
and see each other."

Meanwhile, a representative of Apple Computer, which did exhibit
at the show, also acknowledged that the public is not generally
interested in computers. "We are glad to be able to make some useful
contacts with other participants," the Apple representative
told Newsbytes, referring to the "networking" that goes on among
show participants.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19920413)


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

New For Macintosh: Artisoft LANtastic 04/17/92
TUCSON, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- Marking its first foray
outside of the MS-DOS realm, Artisoft has announced a new product
that will allow Macintosh users to hook up to their LANtastic-
equipped officemates. LANtastic for Macintosh v1.0 is the new
product that accomplishes this task.

LANtastic for Macintosh is an MS-DOS based program. It allows for a
PC that is equipped with Ethernet and LocalTalk cards to act as a
gateway between the Macintosh network world and the LANtastic world.
This PC must be dedicated to this function. Artisoft does provide the
Appletalk Interface board that would be required as a part of the
overall package that it sells.

Once installed, Macintoshes can use standard Appleshare or
System 7 procedures to log into the dedicated PC's hard disk. As
that PC is also logged into the LANtastic network, all of the other
PC's hard disks are available to the Macintosh user. File sharing
then becomes a simple matter of determining compatible file formats
and reading those files back and forth. Due to System 7, having a
Macintosh read a PC file is easy. For PC users trying to read
Macintosh files there is an additional required step. They must first
copy the file from the Macintosh to the gateway PC and only then does
it become visible to them.

Printer sharing is more integrated. Macintosh users can access any
printer that is anywhere on the network. PC users can do the same.

LANtastic for Macintosh is slated to begin shipping in the second
quarter of 1992. It is projected to be priced at $799.

(Naor Wallach/19920416/Press Contact: Joe Stunkard, Artisoft,
602-690-3231)


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

 ****Penpoint OS Shipping, Products Introduced 04/17/92
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- Several new
pen-based computing products were introduced this week at Go's
Penpoint Premier show sponsored by Go Technology in San Francisco. The
products include Go Technology's new Penpoint operating system (OS);
IBM's first pen-based computer called the Thinkpad; an infrared local
area network (LAN) for wireless communication with the Penpoint OS
from Photonics; a new software tool for financially related jobs from
Numero; a family of software products for Penpoint from Slate
Corporation; and a developer's toolkit for connecting to database data
from Oracle.

Go said it is shipping the commercial version of Penpoint for the
first time. The company says Penpoint is a 32-bit operating system and
as such will operate on 386 or higher microprocessor-based pen
computers and reduced instruction set computing (RISC)-based machines
as well. Go maintains the Penpoint system has been adopted by pen-
computer hardware manufacturers IBM, NCR, Grid, and Samsung.

Go says Penpoint is designed for mobile computing with the inclusion
of pre-emptive multitasking. Pre-emptive multitasking allows the user
immediate access to information as the user's pen takes priority.
Other tasks the computer might be working on in the background such as
handwriting processing or communications are pre-empted until the user's
demand is accomplished. Go says mobile computing users need instant
access to information and the pre-emptive multitasking allows them that
access.

Virtual memory is available to users as well. Defined as designating a
portion of the hard disk as an extension to the random access memory
(RAM) physically available on the computer, virtual memory allows the
user the ability to do more with less. Go says users can use virtual
memory instead of adding more RAM and can open more documents
simultaneously or use larger documents than their available RAM would
normally allow.

Go says it has done 2300 hours of formal testing on Penpoint and says as
a result it has added features that make Penpoint easy to use. Go says
it has added a Settings Notebook so users can access their system
preferences and installed software; standard applications menus for
more consistent access to all features and tools in all applications;
on-line context sensitive help and tutorials; and easier network and
external device access via the Connections Notebook for connecting to
printers, file servers, floppy drives, or other devices.

The on-line help, Quick Help, brings the instructions to the user
about an item if the user merely draws a question mark on any item on
the screen. Quick Start tutorials have been included for Penpoint as
well as for Penpoint applications and Go says users can get started in
10 minutes or less through use of the new tutorials.

Go says users don't have to understand or even see applications,
files, or directories but can simply move from one page to another
(which moves them transparently from one application to another) in
the same way they would use pen and paper in a notebook.

IBM introduced the Thinkpad and says the new pen-based computer will
ship in July. It also announced the IBM Pen Developer Assistance
Program for providing assistance to customers and independent software
vendors (ISVs) to encourage development of pen-based applications.

The Thinkpad will ship with IBM's version of the Penpoint OS, IBM
said. IBM customers and application developers who want a Thinkpad for
headstart can get one through a special bid process. IBM says the
special bid version of the Thinkpad (Model 2521) is durable and comes
standard with a 20 megahertz (MHz) 386SX microprocessor, either four
or eight megabytes (MB) of random access memory (RAM), an integrated
data/fax modem (U.S.-compatible), an AC/DC adapter, a nickel cadmium
battery, serial and parallel ports, a diskette drive port for
connecting the optional external 3 1/2-inch, 1.44/2.88 MB diskette
drive, and an external keyboard port.

In mobile computing, wireless communication is attractive and Photonics
says it is providing just that with its Infrared Transceiver for the
Penpoint OS. Photonics says the new technology is diffuse infrared
transmission that doesn't need to be aimed but is light that can be
reflected from ceilings, walls and floors so it's difficult to block.

Photonics says data can be sent over the Transceiver at the rate of 1
megabyte per second and the unit uses standard LAN protocols. The
Transceiver is designed for battery-operated notebook, laptop, and pen
computers, so it's small and offers low power consumption, Photonics
added. The company said it is working on an IBM and compatible
personal computer (PC) add-in card and external tethered transceiver
for desktop PCs and one for Apple computers. It is also working on a
parallel port adapter for notebook computers. The idea is to make the
wireless computers able to access existing wired networks and, as a
result, extend the transceiver's operating range, Photonics said.

Numero, a "financial work processor" was announced by Penmagic for the
Penpoint OS. Numero starts a new category of software for pen
computers says Penmagic, because it's a mix between a spreadsheet and
a word processor that allows users to do tasks on pieces of "work
paper" that look and act much like real paper in a common sense way.
For example, users can write, erase, highlight, and write on top of
their work to correct it. Handwritten letters can be translated to
computer characters as though they had been typed or translation can
be deferred. Handwriting and translated type can also be mixed and
printed together.

Pagemap, a feature of Numero allows the user to magnify the paper,
scale it to fit on any size screen, or "fold" it so one portion of a
page can be compared to another, Penmagic said.

The software is "smart" as well, Penmagic said, as the user can write
the letter "T" on the date line and the software will fill in today's
date. Drawing an underline at the bottom of a column of numbers will
cause Numero to add them, highlighting a group of numbers and dragging
the highlighted portion to a piece of graph paper will cause Numero to
create a graph using those numbers. More than 70 built-in financial,
statistical, and mathematical functions are included, Penmagic said.

The "work paper" can be designed by the user or the a choice can be
made from over 40 already available pieces of paper. Choices for the
design of the paper include how many columnar grids per page,
selecting from 8 data types, specifying page lay-out including lines,
fonts, and graphics.

Penmagic also announced a training program on Numero for consultants,
systems integrators and value-added-resellers (VARs) with copies of
software, reference materials, and in-depth information for designers.
Penmagic hopes the training program will help its partners to train
new users. The company is charging $800 for the course and says more
information is available from the Canadian firm by telephone at 604-
988-9982 or by facsimile at 604-988-0035.

In addition, Slate Corporation announced a suite of applications for
Penpoint. The company says it has developed Slate Penapps, an
applications development environment; Slate Penbook, electronic book
software package; Slate Laplink Pro for PenPoint, a file transfer
utility; Slate At-Hand, a "pencentric" spreadsheet; Slate Safetypen
Utilities, which provide backup and password security; and the Slate
Day-Timer Pen Scheduler software, a daily planner and notetaker based
on the Day-Timer standard.

Slate says it has an agreement with Go under which Go will resell
Slate's Penapps development product. The agreement was made under a
new program called the Penpoint Custom Solutions Alliance. The Custom
Solutions Alliance is to encourage development for the Penpoint OS.
Slate says more than 400 companies are developing with the Slate
Penapps Developer's Release, which has been available since March
1991. However, the commercial release of Penapps 1.0 won't be until
July and at that time will be available from Slate's Scottsdale,
Arizona headquarters.

Oracle, a well-known supplier of database software said it will
provide a developer's toolkit for the building of interfaces between
Penpoint and Oracle and IBM databases. Oracle says the toolkit will
offer support for its programmatic interfaces as well as a version of
Structured Query Language (SQL) Net, Oracle's client/server networking
software. Oracle says its products for the Penpoint operating system
are scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of this year.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920417/Press Contact: Michelle McGlocklin, Miller
Communications for Photonics, tel [phone], fax [phone];
Marcia Mason, Go, tel [phone]; W. Dean Kline, IBM, 914-642-5408;
Norm Francis, Penmagic, 604-988-9982, fax ; Maurice Voce, Slate, 602-
443-7322; Steve Lai, Oracle, 415-506-3117)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00031)

 ****Intel, Raytheon, Others Ordered To Start $60 Mil Clean Up  04/17/92
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 17 (NB) -- The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a federal court is
requiring Intel, Raytheon, and nine other companies to clean up
volatile organic compounds (VOCs) out of ground water in the
Middlefield-Ellis-Whisman (MEW) Superfund site, Mountain View,
California -- a project expected to cost $60 million.

The EPA says the ruling was a result of a suit it brought against
Intel; Raytheon; Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation (who the EPA says
is by far the largest contributor to the contamination at the site);
Schlumberger Technology; National Semiconductor; NEC Electronics;
Siltec; Sobrato Development; General Instrument; Tracor X-Ray; and
Union Carbide Chemicals and Plastics.

Intel and Raytheon are responsible for building a groundwater
treatment system to clean up the ground water that works by a method
called air stripping. Paula Bruin of the EPA told Newsbytes air
stripping removes VOCs from water by pumping the water into a tower
then allowing the water to trickle down over a wide surface which
allows the VOCs to evaporate out of the water. The air produced in the
tower cannot be released until it meets the Bay Area Air Quality
Management District standards, Bruin added.

Bruin says while Intel and Raytheon have to build the facility, the
nine other companies are required to pay for its maintenance. The $60
million estimated cost is divided into $25 million for Intel and
Raytheon and $35 million among the other nine companies.

Bruin says dozens of companies are involved in releasing hazardous
substances into the soil and groundwater at the site, a problem that
was discovered in the early 1980s. However, Bruin says the EPA has
successfully managed to go after only these 11 companies so far.

The use of solvents, such as trichloroethylene (TCE) and other
chemicals which were commonly piped and stored in underground tanks
and pipelines, and poor waste management practices are what started
the problem to begin with, the EPA maintains. The companies are not
only being forced to build and maintain the clean up facility, but are
also being required to change their handling and use of solvents and
other chemicals, Bruin said.

A forum for San Francisco residents entitled, "Ground Water Clean Up
In The South Bay -- A Ten Year Plan" is being sponsored by the EPA,
the Regional Water Quality Board, and other local groups. The meeting
open to the public and is scheduled for May 6 from 1 to 5:30 pm and
again from 7 to 9:30 pm. The meeting will be held at the Santa Clara
County Board of Supervisors Chambers, 70 W. Hedding, San Jose,
California.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920417/Press Contact: Paula Bruin, EPA, tel 415-
744-1587, fax [phone])


(REVIEW)(APPLE)(SFO)(00032)

Review of: Alphabet Blocks, children's game for Macintosh, 04/17/92

Runs on: Macintosh

From: Bright Star Technology, 1450 114th Ave. SE Suite 200,
Bellevue, WA 98004 [phone]

Price: $59.95

PUMA rating: 2.5 (on a scale of 1=lowest to 4=highest)

Reviewed for NEWSBYTES by: Naor Wallach

Summary: A game that is trying to teach letter names and sounds.
Has several significant problems and is limited in its capabilities
to boot.

=======

REVIEW

=======

Alphabet Blocks is an educational game with a hidden agenda. We╒ll
get to that agenda later. The game itself purports to help teach
your youngsters letter recognition and pronunciation. It does this
in the form of a friendly elf who will either say the letter names
or their sounds, or ask your child to identify the letter that
sounds like... etc.

The game comes on two diskettes and is accompanied by a catalog of other
Bright Star offerings, a 4-page description of operating the program,
a registration card, a sticker with the elf's picture on it, and a
book that contains all the pictures that are related to letters
that appear in the program.

When you start the program, you are presented with the following
picture -- a window is opened that is the size of the monitor on
the Mac Plus and SE. i.e. a 9-inch monitor. If you have a bigger
monitor, than the window appear attached to the menu bar at the
upper left hand corner. At the upper left hand corner of the
window is a magic mirror with a picture of the elf appearing
in it. Below the elf is a slumped toy soldier and to the right
of them both is a stack of lettered blocks. Visually this is
most of all that you will see throughout the game.

There are two games provided on the disks. One is for letter names,
the other for letter sounds. Both of these programs look the same.
Depending on which game you chose, you can then have the elf go
through the alphabet and either say the names of the letters
"A, B, C, ..." or their sounds "Ai, Bee, See,..." When you
click on the slumped toy soldier, he will straighten out and
the letters on the blocks will change orientation to be capital
letters. Click on him again and he will slump down and the
letters will change to lower case.

If you click on the magic mirror, the elf will ask you to find
a letter. After a question, the program waits for your input.
If you click on the right letter, the elf will turn to look at
 you and blink several times. If you made a mistake, nothing
happens. After some time the elf will start giving you hints.
The first hint consists of limiting your choice of letters.
Only some of the blocks retain their letters. After a longer
time period a second hint appears that leaves only the wanted
letter block showing.

If you click on a block that contains a letter rather than on the
mirror or the toy soldier, then the elf will say the name
(or sound) of the letter and a small picture of something
that bears that letter as its first letter will appear next
to the mirror. These are the pictures that appear in the
Alphabet Book that comes with the program.

Finally, if lots of time pass between actions, the elf falls
asleep. The only way to wake him up is to do something. Then he
springs awake and does what is necessary. But, if you let a long
time pass again, then it's off to the snoozes.

Obviously, this is a pretty limited repertoire. I tested this game
with some three and four year olds who seemed about ready to start
learning their letters. Their reactions were unanimous: while interested
in exploring the program and seeing what it could do, they very
quickly lost interest and asked me to switch to another game.

While they were experimenting, they brought out a collection of bugs
that really disturbed me. For instance, when the game starts, it draws
a black screen. Even after you quit, the black borders around what was
the window remain. So, if you have a screen that is larger than 9
inches, you need to move things around or restart your computer to
see what used to be there. A second bug was discovered when a child
accidentally clicked on my desktop. Since for most Macintoshes under
System 7 or MultiFinder that means that you are changing programs,
the Macintosh immediately brought up the Finder and all of its
associated windows. Since the kids wanted to play this game, they
quickly clicked on its exposed portion. The problem was that the
game did not redraw its window correctly. Gone were all of the
outlines of the blocks, the letters, the toy soldier, and even the
elf! If we clicked on the mirror, the elf came back, but that was
the only way we could get things back to where they were outside
of quitting the program and starting over. Even so, it was never
possible to completely redraw the whole picture. The block outlines
would not come back no matter what we did. I do not know if this
is a System 7 problem or something that has been there all along,
I do know that it was very disappointing to come across.

I spoke to the company about this and other matters. They claimed
that this game was really developed as a proof of concept product
of a unique technology that they were developing. The program was
originally released in 1987 and has only undergone minor revisions
and corrections since. They have no official plans to make significant
upgrades to it. They claim that the technology can best be seen
by closely observing the elf and how he pronounces things. The
linking of his facial movements with exact control of the sounds
that he produces is the area where the company feels they excel.
After this conversation I went back and did pay special attention
to those features. The company is right. The animation is fluid
and the facial movements are much better than any I had seen
before. However, this does not count for much in a game that is
oriented to teaching kids. Not once in my product testing sessions
did any of the children that were using the product exclaim: "Wow,
look at the way his mouth moves!"

=============

PUMA RATINGS

=============

PERFORMANCE: 2 The game worked as advertised with the major exceptions
of the problems that I described.

USEFULNESS: 2 It is a limited program. Kids get bored with it very
quickly and there is nothing in it that compels them to ask to see
it and play with it again.

MANUAL: 4 There really is no need for one. Consequently, the brevity
of what is there is welcome

AVAILABILITY: 2 The company still sells it although it is not their
major activity. There is no toll free number for technical support.
This is a shame since it will be needed at least once.

(Naor Wallach/19920417)


(REVIEW)(APPLE)(SFO)(00033)

Review of: KidsMath, children's game for Macintosh, 04/17/92

From: Great Wave Software, 5353 Scotts Valley Dr., Scotts Valley, CA
95066

Price: $49.95

PUMA Rating: 3 (on a scale of 1=lowest to 4=highest)

Reviewed for Newsbytes by: Naor Wallach

Summary: A collection of drill and practice games that teach certain
aspects of math. Can be a lot of fun for kids in the three to six age
range. Others may want a little more.

======

REVIEW

======

KidsMath is one of the very first educational programs that have
come out for the Macintosh. The version that I received, 1.1, is
supposed to be an update. Its intention is to be a program that is
used to teach math to kids in a way that is fun and visual.

The program comes on one 800K floppy disk which makes it suitable
for use with the complete Macintosh line. It will also work on any
of the older Macintoshes from the "Fat Mac" (the 512K version)
onwards. In addition to the disk, the purchaser receives a 25-page
manual. This manual contains explanations of how to load the program
and how to use it. It explains every one of the eight different
games presented and what they teach. Although it is not necessary to
read the manual before using the program, it is highly advantageous
to have done so.

The box claims that this program is suitable for three-to-eight year-
olds. To test this claim, I asked my three-year-old son to play it.
Aaron has absolutely no fear of technology (or of much else) and
learned how to use the mouse within two hours of starting to play
one of the games. At his age the only game that we played was
the Mouse Practice game which reinforces mouse movements and counting
skills. Much to my surprise, Aaron liked the game and is now asking
to play it on a frequent basis. He is learning his numbers, counting,
and the shape of the numerals through the process of playing this
game.

Other kids that I brought in to play this game were of various ages.
Those that fell between the suggested ages on the package usually
liked some of the games. It did seem that six-year-olds outgrew the
capabilities of the program rather quickly and also lost interest in
it.

There are eight games in this program. Each is really a drill session
on some mathematical concept. The kids are asked to solve a problem
and should they succeed are given another of the same type. The
situations are fun though and appealing to this class of youngsters.

The eight games include Mouse Practice, in which you either shoot
rockets, drop stars out of the sky, or shoot some asteroids on a
very lunar-like background. In addition, a box on the screen
displays the number of objects that you counted. The game teaches
counting and numbers and is the one that Aaron is constantly
playing. When you click on all the objects, the game gives you a
brief hurrah, and then gives you another set of objects. The objects
can be all of one kind or picked randomly by the computer.

Then there is Counting -- it shows a collection of objects on the
screen. The child is supposed to count them and click on the number
and the OK button displayed on the screen. Paddle Ball is a "breakout"
style game that is interrupted occasionally to have the child answer
some addition and subtraction problems. Frog Race -- in this game,
the child is trying to predict the winner of a race between four
frogs. Each frog moves in turn either forward or backward depending
on some sequence of events. After watching the frogs for a little bit,
it is possible to begin predicting their pattern and thereby select
the winner.

The Balloon game introduces such concepts as "greater than"
and "less than." A cloud barrier is the thing that distinguishes
between two levels in the sky and you can move the hot air balloons
up or down. Shuffleboard - this version helps teach addition with tens
and ones places for the kids to shoot their pieces into.
Tractors and Trucks is a mining simulation where elementary
multiplication is taught. The child is asked to solve a problem
correlating the size of a scoop of dirt with the capacity of a
truck. Rain Games introduces fractions. In this game, the child
controls the weather. Some chickens outside of a barn can stay
outside to eat or rush indoors depending on the amount of rain that
you generate.

To an adult, the eight games are very repetitive. These games are
certainly concerned with teaching individual aspects of certain
problems and do not contain the full gamut of things that would
keep us occupied. However, most kids who tested these games found
them interesting. Only the older kids (six and higher) tired of the
games quickly. The others had to pried away from the games.

The manual is well written and explains everything that you need
to know. Each game is thoroughly explained and contains some
additional learning tips in case you wanted to work with your
child in that area. I could find no typos in the manual or bugs
in the program.

===========

PUMA RATING

===========

PERFORMANCE: 4 The games perform as advertised. Even though this program
has a date stamp of 1989 on it, I used it in 1992 on a System 7 equipped
machine with no problems.

USEFULNESS: 3 The subject areas that are covered are important and the
coverage is obviously good. However, it is quickly limited by the eight
games that are relatively straightforward and unchanging.

MANUAL: 4 No Typos. The manual tells you everything you need to know
and even offers some tips on further work with the kids on this
subject.

AVAILABILITY: 1 This program may be very hard to find. I did not see
it listed in any mail order catalog, not did any of my local software
stores carry it. When I asked about ordering it the results were
negative. In addition, the packaging and the manual do not contain
any hints as to where to find the company. Not even a phone number
is listed!

(Naor Wallach/ 19920229)