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/nb920508

Text File | 1992-05-08 | 78KB | 1,723 lines

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(MOW)(00001)

Moscow: Secret Cryptologists For Hire 05/08/92
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- Officials in the new
independent countries of the former Soviet Union will ask Russia
to build their secure communications systems, predicted
Vadim Kravchenko, a Russian expert in the development of secure
communication networks, in a half-page interview with Komsomolskaya
Pravda daily.

Secure communications in the former Soviet Union had five levels
of security and was developed primarily to insure coded voice
communications with little regard to data services. "Can you imagine
the [Communist] party's secretary general or president near the
fax machine or computer terminal?" asked Kravchenko.

The new director of the government communications agency (formerly
KGB 8th Directorate) is trying to commercialize aspects of the
security technology, although obstacles lie ahead due to the
absence of any legislation regulating security systems development
and state certification. The secret communications industry
was not affected by the splitting of the former Soviet Union, said Vadim
Kravchenko.

Now the industry is actively looking at businessmen as the
main client base. "We are planning to roll out a system to protect
all communications media," Kravchenko said.

The industry is said to have been started in Russia by the decree
of Josef Stalin and is widely known for having developed an
encrypted phone system, by his order. The development was
described in "In the First Round" by Alexander Solzenitsyn, a
Nobel prize winner who actually participated in the development
while in prison.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19920505)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00002)

Japan: Mobile Telecom For Cars Starts This Fall 05/08/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- Japan Satellite Message Planning
(JSM) has developed a software system designed to provide various
telecommunications services between passenger vehicles and host
computer systems.

This service, created by a joint venture between JSM, Chu
Itoh, Shin-nippon Steel, and U.S.-based Qualcom, is
based on Qualcom's "Omnitracks" system. It uses the US
Defense Department's communication satellite global
positioning system to locate a car's position. Both the host
and the car's system can locate the car's position. A
data map of an entire nation is installed on the car, allowing
a driver to pinpoint his or her position anywhere in Japan.

The actual device installed in a car will have a small display,
a telephone, and a pen-based computer.

According to JSM, major moving companies, taxi firms, and the
Ministry of Posts & Telecommunications have expressed interest
in purchasing this system. Service to customers starts in June.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920506/Press Contact: Japan Satellite Message
Planning, [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00003)

Japan: ISDN-Based Online Gaming Begins 05/08/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- Central Systems and Link have
jointly developed a space war game using ISDN-based (integrated
services digital network) telecommunication.

Central Systems and Link have set up a host system for the game
and will be hooking up game-playing units in customers' homes.
Its creators say participants in this game form teams to fight
against other teams in a "virtual game dimension."

Sega Enterprises' "Mega Drive" and Apple's Macintosh can
access this game network through the use of a proprietary ISDN
adaptor. A Link spokesman says the adaptor has been developed and
the firm is currently choosing a manufacturer. The retail price
of this network adaptor will be around $500.

NTT's ISDN network called "INS Net 64" as well as the packet
network DDX will be used in this system. Telecommunication fees
are expected to be about half as expensive as calls on regular
public phone lines.

Link and Central Systems are also planning to start the same
service in the US and Europe in the near future.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920506/Press Contact: Central Systems, +81-
52-261-1181, Link, [phone])


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

 ****Sharp Develops World's Most Efficient Solar Cell 05/08/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- Sharp has developed a solar cell
which converts sunlight to solar energy more efficiently than
ever before achieved. Sharp claims the energy conversion rate
is 22 percent, which is a world record.

Sharp's invention uses silicon solar cells. The efficiency
was achieved technically with thin, silicon oxide film placed
between the positive electrode and the silicon substrate to
create a structure. Light reflects from the positive electrodes and
the oxide film. The back side of the cell is finished in both oxide
film and the silicon substrate. The temperature of the heat treatment
process is carefully controlled. As a result, Sharp's engineers
have achieved about 90 percent reflectivity from the back surface,
and were able to improve the conversion rate by 0.4 percent
compared with existing solar cells, according to Sharp.

The cell was developed jointly with the National Space Development
Agency in Japan. But the basic technology is based on Sharp's long
term research on the cell, according to Sharp.

The cell measures 2 x 2 cm, but it can be larger. Sharp explains
that this cell will be manufactured in a commercial basis soon.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920506/Press Contact: Sharp, [phone],
Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00005)

Microsoft Outsources European Network To British Telecom 05/08/92
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- Microsoft has contracted the
facilities management of its European data network to British
Telecom (BT). Terms of the five-year contract have not been
revealed.

According to BT, the actual day-to-day management of the
Microsoft network is being handled by Primex, BT's international
private network operation. The Microsoft network hub will be
located at BT's international switching center at Keybridge House
in London.

Announcing the contract this week, Ian Stewart, BT's European
regional director, said that the Microsoft arrangement is typical
of the situation in which many major companies find themselves.

"Many companies like Microsoft are realizing significant growth
opportunities in Europe and are finding that the UK is the
country of choice for 'hubbing' European networks," he said,
adding that the UK provides an ideal network hub for the rest
of Europe.

Microsoft officials, meanwhile, said that they contracted with BT
for the support for the network owing to BT's expertise and the
need for 24-hour-a-day support.

Microsoft's data network operation in Europe is extremely large.
Spanning 14 primary sites, the network handles data traffic and
some voice traffic between all Microsoft offices, plus selected
major companies. The network is used extensively for electronic
mail, as well as passing digital voice messages between company
voice mailbox sites around the globe.

Although Microsoft keeps precise details of its private data
network quiet for commercial reasons, some sources suggest that
the company's network is almost as large as IBM's, which Big Blue
handles in-house, along with third-party network operations.
Microsoft, meanwhile, normally only supports its own network,
rather than that of customers.

BT has been pushing its virtual private network (VPN) technology
hard over the past year. The company argues that provide a
private network on a virtual basis using its own public data
network is more cost-effective than allowing a company to manage
its network resources in-house.

(Steve Gold/19920507/Press & Public Contact: 071-356-5366)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00006)

 ****AT&T Unveils Full Motion Video Technology 05/08/92
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- AT&T's
Microelectronics division has announced a chip technology that it
claims brings full motion video and digital audio sound to
compact, low-cost equipment such a video telephones, multimedia
computers and point of sale terminals.

Announcing the chipset technology in the UK this week. Vernon
Cheng, AT&T Microelectronics' business development manager, told
Newsbytes that he expects to see real products using the
technology by the end of the year, with a price tag of under the
UKP 1,000 mark.

"We think that our AVP 1000 video codec will allow a number of
manufacturers to offer real-time digital processing of video
images, as well as digital sound, at a sensible price. This is an
industry first," he said.

Cheng's enthusiasm was due to the inclusion of support for 30
frames per second (fps) digital image processing in the AT&T
video codec. Competing technology from the other US majors, he
said, could only achieve a frame rate of 25 fps.

"Within a year or so, we expect this technology to bring video
communications to the desktop in affordable equipment that will
pass high-quality, live images from person to person, across the
world," he said.

Cheng declined to give Newsbytes details of any manufacturers
that AT&T is talking to about including the video codec in their
videophones or computers. He said. However, that a number of
agreements are in the discussion stages.

One interesting feature of the AT&T codec is its ability to cope
with a wide variety of digital data speeds, through to four
million bits per second if needed.

This means, he said, that an ISDN card using the AT&T technology
could easily cope with the differing "standards" for ISDN
(integrated services digital technology), particularly the pre-
basic rate service (BRS) ISDN services in the US that operate
at 56,000 bps. "Our codec will interface this to the standard
64,000 bps systems available," he told Newsbytes.

Despite AT&T's obvious enthusiasm for the video codec, Newsbytes
notes that ISDN and video imaging technology are still at a very
early stage in Europe. Ironically, Cheng told Newsbytes that he
regards Europe as more advanced in ISDN terms than the US.

(Steve Gold/19920507/Press & Public Contact: AT&T
Microelectronics - Tel: [phone])


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

New For PC: Miracom Blast Procomm Plus Add-in 05/08/92
SLOUGH, BERKSHIRE, 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- Miracom has announced the
availability of a Blast module for Procomm Plus. The package is
being sold in the UK with a price tag of UKP 49, although users
of V.32 and higher-specification (V.32Bis) modems are getting the
module free of charge until the end of September.

Clive Hudson, Miracom's sales and marketing director, reckons
that Procomm Plus has 50 to 70 percent market share in the US,
as well as a sizeable share of the UK market. He said
that Blast, which US Robotics (Miracom's parent company) acquired
last year when it bought into the Communication Research Group,
has been well received.

"Blast has been well received at the top end of the market among
corporate users with a mix of environments. With remote Control
for Procomm Plus, we are looking to create mass appeal for a high
performance products," he said.

In use, Blast for Procomm Plus greatly enhances the remote dial-
in facilities of Procomm Plus. According to Miracom, it allows
users to take control of any remote PC as if they were actually
sitting at the remote keyboard. It competes head to head with
packages such as PC Anywhere and Brooklyn Bridge.

(Steve Gold/19920507/Press & Public Contact: 0753-811180)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00008)

New Pen Computer From Toshiba Due This Fall 05/08/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- Toshiba will release a pen-input
computer this fall, the firm has announced. A new technology will
be employed in the unit which provides an extremely high letter
recognition rate, according to the company.

Toshiba's pen computer will have a proprietary operating system
based on MS-DOS but it will support the Japanese version of Microsoft's
Windows For Pen and Go's Penpoint software. According to a Toshiba
spokesman, the pen computer has a powerful handwritten letter
recognition technology that analyzes letters from the shape and the
stroke. The recognition rate is almost 99 percent, according to
the spokesman.

Toshiba claims that it previously designed a pen computer for Sumitomo
Credit Service two years ago. The firm supplied about 100 units in that
order. Toshiba is currently modifying this application-specific pen-input
computer to a general purpose pen-input computer for business
and personal computer users.

The retail price of this pen computer is still unknown, but it is
expected to be less expensive than NCR Japan's pen computer.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920507/Press Contact: Toshiba, +81-3-3457-
2104)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00009)

Japan: ASCII Spins Out Rival Publishing Firm 05/08/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- Keiichiro Tsukamoto, former vice
president of ASCII, has set up a new publishing house
called "Impress" to publish personal computer-related
publications. The firm may directly vie with ASCII.

Keiichiro Tsukamoto left ASCII apparently due to discord with
President Kazuhiko Nishi last year. Akio Gunji, who left ASCII
with Tsukamoto, may also join Impress in the near future.
ASCII's President Kazuhiko Nishi was quoted by the Nikkei
newspaper as saying, "We can get along with Impress in harmony."
However, Tsukamoto's new firm includes 15 employees who have
recently left ASCII. There is no word what President Nishi
thinks of Tsukamoto's new firm.

The business of publishing personal computer magazines and
books is due to begin soon. Multimedia-related titles are expected
to be published later.

Impress aims to make 2 billion yen ($15 million) worth of sales
in fiscal 1993. The firm's capitalization is 100 million yen
($0.75 million).

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920507)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00010)

 ****Experts Predicts Pen Computers Will Boost Computer Industry 05/08/92
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- Pen computing is
about to give the PC industry a much needed boost, and this mission
will be accomplished in at least five ways, stated Kirk Cruikshank,
vice president of marketing for Grid Systems Corporation, speaking
this week at the Pen-Based Computing Conference in Boston.

In the few short years of its existence, he said, pen computing has
already evolved from a single technology into four distinct product
groups: hand-helds, clipboards, tablets and pentops. A fifth
category, "pen consumer products," now on the way, will strike in
full force in 1993, added Cruikshank, whose company released the
grandfather of today's products, the Gridpad, back in 1989.

Together with emerging "pencentric" operating systems and
applications, the new categories of pen computers are starting to
reach out to the 57 million American workers who remain
uncomputerized, he said. Soon, these products will connect with
enough strength to reverse a downward trend in the PC industry
manifested by an 8% drop in revenues last year.

The recession and declining PC prices have each played roles in the
slump, but another key factor is diminishing growth in the ranks of
new users, according to Kruikshank. "Sales of computers in many
segments of the market are for replacements of mature PCs, rather
than sales to new users. Customers aren't buying as many PCs
because their business is down, and also because they haven't been
getting a good enough return on investment from automating office
workers," he said.

"What is needed is a new class of computer hardware and
software that will re-energize the PC industry and at the same time
help improve the competitiveness and productivity of corporations
around the world." One answer, he emphasized, is to bring
computers to nurses, government inspectors, truck drivers, sales
representative, grocery shelf stocks, and others who aren't yet
using computers on the job -- but who would if a computer was just
another simple tool.

"Like a screwdriver or a pencil," he illustrated. "Something they
can easily use. Not something that is complex to operate, has a
keyboard and is heavy to carry around," he said, to an audience
filled with hundreds of software developers and corporate,
government and hospital I/S managers.

"I believe that pen computers will help restore rapid growth to the
industry in the 1990s because they will make the overall market
bigger and ultimately deliver on the promise of computing as a true
productivity tool."

Organizations will be able to cost justify pen computing by the
time and money saved on preparing and processing documents, he
suggested. In the US today, corporations and government agencies
spend an estimated $7.8 billion each year on paper forms alone, he
said.

"And for each dollar spent on paper forms there is an estimated $60
spent in processing, storing and maintaining the paperwork. And
that's not counting the days or weeks lost in accessing the data
before it gets into easily retrievable form," he reported.

Workers who were leery of laptop and desktop computers will take
easily to pen computers, due to the use of more convenient forms
factors and intuitive interfaces that don't require a keyboard or
mouse. After the new users get their first taste of pen computing
at work, they will move on to relish the use of the technology at
play, as well, he explained.

Kruikshank emphasized that the scenario he envisions has started to
unfold already. Grid's current pen customers include such
corporate giants as Gillette, Kellogg, Searle, Marion Merrell Dow,
CSX, Contrail, Detroit Edison, and the "big three" auto makers, as
well as hospitals, police departments, utilities, and government
agencies from coast to coast, he said.

Now, Grid is being joined in the marketplace by a surge of other
hardware and software vendors, including such major industry
players as IBM, Microsoft, and NCR, he noted.

Organizations are using 3.5- to 4-pound clipboards, such as the
original GridPAd and a pen computer from Pi Systems, for filling
out forms.

Another new category, tablets, consists of heavier but more capable
pen computers, equipped with 386 processors and 60 MB or more of
storage. Tipping the scales at 4.5 to 6 pounds, the tablets can be
used for word processing, spreadsheets, database management,
complex graphics, faxing, e-mail, and a range of other
applications. Grid, Samsung, IBM, NCR, and many other companies
have been entering this segment, he said.

A third type of pen computer, the pentop, incorporates keyboard as
well as pen capabilities. These devices weigh 5 to 7 pounds and
use processors of 386 and above. Machines from Momenta and NEC are
among the existing examples in this category. In addition, Grid
will be introducing a pentop later this year, stated Kruikshank.
The company is not yet ready to release details, though, he added.

A fourth group, hand-helds, encompasses the lightest pen computers
now on the market. Less than 3 pounds in weight, these computers
are aimed at tasks involving constant data entry. Examples of
products in this group include the Poquet Pad from Poquet Computer
Corporation and Grid's PalmPAD, introduced with much fanfare in
March.

The Palmpad product launch featured a fashion show, with runway
models, ranging from nurses to astronauts, wearing Palmpads on
their wrists and hands, held on by Velcro straps. "We did this to
show our vision of the breadth of uses for this unique pen
computer," he commented.

Grid and its parent company, Tandy Corporation, view the Palmpad
as the forerunner to the fifth type of pen computer. To be priced
at $500 to $700 initially, and much less later on, these computers
will accomplish the same tasks as the Sharp, Casio, and Hewlett-
Packard organizers of today, and more, he said.

Small enough to fit into a pocket or purse, the new devices will be
embellished with a pen, and a larger display area than the
organizers. The computers will be used for entertainment as well
as occupational purposes, he indicated.

"These pen consumer products," he remarked, "will have credit card-
sized memory cards for applications such as games, educational
toys, calculating spell checking, dictionaries foreign language
aids, faxing, accessing databases, and fetching voice mail and
beeper messages." Eventually, these products will become as
ubiquitous as calculators are today, he predicted.

In another unfolding trend, radio frequency (RF) modems are being
built into some pen computers, he pointed out. Grid, for instance,
recently unveiled an RF-equipped version of its basic Gridpad.
In a pilot project at Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail),
being run over the RAM Mobile Data Network, the instruments are
being used to transmit work orders to locomotive engineers to pick
up and deliver railroad cars at customer sites.

Conrail reports that the RF devices are preventing the delays that
used to occur when the work orders were in paper form, said
Cruikshank. The engineers no longer have to keep bringing the cars
back to the railyard to pick up the latest work orders, he
asserted.

In the future, he speculated, other new features will be
incorporated into pen computers, such as digitized image and voice
capture and the entry of commands via voice recognition.

Software for pen computing will be as diverse as the hardware
platforms. Users can already choose from among Microsoft Windows
for Pen Computing, Communications Intelligence Corporation's
PenDOS, GO Corporation's Penpoint, and proprietary systems such as
Grid's PenRight!, a DOS-based environment for custom vertical
applications.

Available in the future, he said, will be another option, Geowork's
Pen/GEOS, a graphical windowing environment targeted at consumer
pen applications. Microsoft and GO have also announced plans to
enter the consumer pen market, he added.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19920507)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00011)

 ****Texpo '92 -- Electronic Computerized "Cameraman" 05/08/92
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- Parkervision has
introduced a device it calls Cameraman, that is based on an Intel
microprocessor and directs a video camera to automatically follow an
electronic microphone.

Parkervision says any video camera will work with the system, but
recommends cameras with an infrared remote control. The Cameraman is a
swivel base in which the user can securely place a video camera. The
base is programmed to track with the movement of a hand-held oblong
wand that doubles as a microphone.

Newsbytes saw an ordinary video camera placed in the unit and the
speaker literally ran around trying to get out of the unit's field of
vision, but was unable to do so. The Cameraman automatically centers
on the individual holding the wand and pans, tilts, and zooms. The
device can also be programmed for locations that can be recalled with
a touch of a button on the wand.

Parkervision says the system is robotics-based and could eliminate the
need for a camera operator in ordinary film settings, such as business
presentations, educational settings, and seminars. The wand has
controls for the Cameraman and operates from as far as 100 feet away,
Parkervision said.

Retail prices for the systems start at $1,500, the company said.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920507/Public Contact: Parkervision, 800-231-1759)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(MOW)(00012)

NY Times Published In Russia 05/08/92
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- New York Times has announced the
publication of its first-ever foreign language edition. Entitled
"News in Review," the paper will contain articles sent from New York
to Moscow through MCI Mail and the Relcom e-mail network.

News in Review will be 16 to 24 pages long and will contain articles
on business, science and culture.

The publication is a joint project of The Times and the Moscow News
Newspaper. The former will be responsible for the selection of
articles and photographs, as well as the graphics and design of the
pages. Moscow News will translate the articles into Russian and manage
printing and distribution.

"Articles are received in Moscow through electronic mail the
same day they appear in New York. Pictures are now being sent
via express mail, which provides enough time for the translation
and the editing of the actual text," Valery Bardin of Relcom told
Newsbytes. "We are looking forward to implementing the modern
pictures transfer technology and then to be able to offer such a
service to foreign reporters in Moscow. Sending pictures out of
this city is said to be still a difficult task."

Bardin says it took more than a month to prove to New York Times
publishers that the proposed electronic mail communication system
would actually work.

Moscow News Editor-in-Chief Len Karpinsky commented that the project was
momentous in that it represented a solid bridge between the former super-
power rivals.

For the first six months, the newspaper will exclusively
carry ads of its seven charter U.S. sponsors: American Express,
Archer Daniels Midland, The Coca-Cola Company, Estee Lauder
International, Goldman Sachs, IBM, and TWA and also of the Russian
Unikombank. According to Moscow News commercial director, Yevgeny
Abov, the project is entirely financed by advertisers.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19920507/Press Contact: Moscow News phone +7
095 229- 68-73;292-20-72/ Fax [phone]; e-mail
[e-mail])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00013)

Bells Favored in Congressional Showdown 05/08/92
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- The seven regional Bell
companies are expected to easily beat back a bill by House
Judiciary Committee Chairman Jack Brooks of Texas aimed at
restoring restrictions of the 1982 Bell break-up decree.

Brooks said his bill favors competition, and it is weaker than
one offered last year by Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee, which
never made it to the floor. But the Bells promised to fight this
one too. An Ameritech spokesman called it "anti-competitive," and
"anti-consumer." Pacific Telesis called it a "flat prohibition"
against entry into new markets "in disguise." US West claimed
it's "blatantly protectionist legislation" on behalf of newspaper
monopolies. A Bell Atlantic spokesman, however, had the best
line, calling it a "craven sacrifice of public to private
interests."

Here's what the bill would in fact do. The Bells could do
research on manufacturing and in areas where there's a compelling
need for new services, like aid to the handicapped. But
information services could not be pursued for three years after
enactment of the bill, they couldn't manufacture or provide
equipment for five years, and they couldn't get into long
distance and electronic publishing for seven years. Even then,
they'd need a Justice Department OK to get into the new ventures,
to assure against monopoly abuses, and they'd also be prohibited
from merging with each other or using revenues from customer
billing to subsidize new ventures.

The bill would roll back a number of new ventures by the Bells
already announced, especially a BellSouth agreement to work with
Dow Jones in finding new markets for its newswires, information
services, and phone-based services. "The Wall Street Journal,"
which is owned by Dow Jones, is expected to editorialize strongly
against the Brooks bill.

The bill's chances for passage are, however, considered to be
slim to none. For one thing, Rep. John Dingell of Michigan,
whose committee is supposed to cover telecommunications, doesn't
want a bill this year. For another, election-year wrangling makes
any bill's chances of passage dim before 1993. Finally, the Bush
Administration could be expected to veto any bill like the one
Brooks has authored. American Newspaper Publishers Association
President Cathleen Black praised the bill, and AT&T as well as
MCI and Sprint are also expected to come out for it, since it
would keep the Bells out of their long distance businesses.

Brooks, meanwhile, is expected to use the bill to press his case
that the Bush Administration has given up on antitrust
enforcement.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920508)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00014)

US HDTV Contenders Agree To Split Royalties 05/08/92
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- AT&T, General
Instrument, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Zenith
Electronics agreed to share HDTV royalties. The companies have
been competing before the Federal Communications Commission to
create a digital standard for high definition television (HDTV).

While the AT&T-Zenith scheme was said to be favored in recent
months, the agreement assures all parties that there will be no
losers in the HDTV race, and also puts pressure on the FCC to
favor an American digital scheme over the analog schemes proposed
by Japanese and Dutch-led consortia. The four US companies also
said they'll work with each other to enhance whichever of their
systems are selected by the FCC, but specific terms of the
agreement in principle were not disclosed. They're still subject
to negotiation.

Between them, the four groups signing the agreement represent
three of the four all-digital systems being tested by the FCC,
which expects to make a decision in 1993. Other proposals still
in the running include one by NHK, the Japanese broadcasting
system, and one by a European-led consortium that groups includes
Philips of Holland, Thomson of France, the Sarnoff Laboratories
and NBC. The NHK proposal is analog, however, and isn't expected
to be a threat. So the only way the US competitors could lose
is if a US regulator prefers a French-Dutch system to their
three offerings.

Under the agreement, however, the technical proposals are not
being merged -- they're just agreeing to cooperate and share
revenues if any of their systems are selected. "This agreement
underscores the fact that HDTV in America is close at hand," said
AT&T Chairman Robert E. Allen in a press statement. "We believe
strongly that a cooperative American approach to all-digital HDTV
is in the public interest," added General Instrument Chairman
Donald Rumsfeld. Zenith Chairman Jerry Pearlman emphasized that
the deal minimizes risks all around.

So far, the GI/MIT team's "DigiCipher HDTV" system has
successfully completed tests at the Advanced Television Test
Center in Alexandria, Virginia. The Zenith/AT&T "Digital Spectrum
Compatible" system is currently undergoing testing, while the
MIT/GI system, "Channel Compatible DigiCipher," will undergo
testing later this year.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920508/Press Contact: Mary Lou Ambrus, AT&T,
908-771-2825; Bernie Windon, GI, 312-541-5030; John Taylor,
Zenith, 708-391-8181; Jae S. Lim, MIT, 617-253-8143)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00015)

Dell Elects VP Of Worldwide Operations 05/08/92
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- Dell Computer has
elected John Olson, described as a 30-year veteran
of the computer business, as vice president of worldwide operations.

Dell said that Olson, 50, will head worldwide manufacturing,
materials procurement, quality assurance, and manufacturing
information systems for the computer company. In his newly created
position, Olson will report directly to Chairman Michael Dell.

Olson comes to Dell from AST Research, where he was vice president
of worldwide operations, with similar responsibilities to those at
Dell. Prior to holding that position, Olson was managing director
of AST Taiwan.

Although not the holder of a baccalaureate degree, Olson has had
extensive experience in most aspects of the computer manufacturing
field. In addition to his experience with AST, he

Dell spokesperson Lisa Rohlf told Newsbytes the company decided to
create the position in order to free Glenn Henry, senior vice
president of Dell's Products Group of some of his responsibilities.
Henry will now spend part of his time creating a stronger focus on
advanced systems development, said Rohlf.

"John (Olson) had the right mix of experience and talent to assume
those responsibilities. We're really excited about him coming on
board. We hope to benefit a great deal from his experience and
extensive knowledge of the Far East," said Michael Dell.

Olson served in a management position with Ampex Corporation where
as the managing director for Ampex Taiwan he ran a fully integrated
manufacturing operation, producing computer components, computer
terminals, and commercial video subsystems.

Also is a senior member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers,
the American Institute of Industrial Engineers, and the American
Society for Quality Control, and speaks Mandarin Chinese.

(Jim Mallory/1920508/Press contact: Lisa Rohlf, Dell, 512-343-3782;
Reader contact: 800-289-3355)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00016)

Australia: Optus Rolls Out Services 05/08/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- Optus, Australia's
new telecommunications carrier (not "second carrier" company
officers insist) used last week's ATUG conference in Melbourne
to discuss its plans for service introductions. It announced a
AUS$4 billion budget for the next five years, virtually starting
from scratch in its efforts to provide an alternative to Telecom
(or AOTC).

Optus Director Terry Winters said his organization would not only
provide a choice, but the best service at a competitive price. The
first services will be a Sydney to Melbourne voice tie-up late this
year, followed by the addition of Brisbane, Canberra, Perth and
Adelaide by the end of next year. Data services will follow by a few
months in each city. The first ISDN services will be introduced in
early 1994.

(Paul Zucker/19920508)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00017)

Demo Trade Bill To Extend Super 301, Target Asia 05/08/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- After talking about
the pending bill for many months, House Majority Leader Richard
Gephardt, D-Mo., finally unveiled the Democratic trade bill at a
press conference late Thursday afternoon. At the heart of the
bill is the renewal of "Super 301" trade policies which are
mostly aimed at Asian trading partners.

The Super 301 provision requires the administration, which most
Democrats feel has been far too lenient on Asia-based exporters,
to take certain steps involving investigations of alleged dumping
(selling below cost) and their endemic barriers to imported
goods, especially agricultural and automotive goods from the US.

Specifically targeted in the bill are: restrictions on machine
tool imports from Taiwan; closed rice markets in Korea, Taiwan,
and Japan; poor access to Japanese automotive markets for both
vehicles and parts; and a call for further voluntary restrictions
on Japanese car and truck imports into the US until 1999.

The bill, which is formally sponsored by House Ways and Means
Committee Chairman Dan Rostenkowski, D-Ill, would also extend
the overall super 301 authority which requires the US trade
representative to actively look for violations of US trade laws
by other countries.

This introduction of the new trade bill came just as the
political season is heating up and in a week when more was
learned about alleged unfair practices by Asian trading partners.

A recent television report by NBC News says that all the while
President Bush (former ambassador to China) was demanding that
Congress ignore human rights and trade violations and extend MFN
or most favored nation trade status to China, that country was
actively engaged in smuggling goods into the US.

Textile products were the main target of a recent investigation
by the US Customs Service which is now prosecuting semi-
official Chinese government trading group executives for what the
Service says was a pervasive attempt to avoid import restrictions
by drop shipping and relabeling Chinese-made textile goods to
make them appear to have been made in Central America (Honduras)
or other Asian countries.

The Customs Service estimates that this involved billions of
dollars worth of illegal imports but the only response so far
from China's government has been to threaten retaliation against
US companies operating in Asia unless the US drops
prosecution efforts against the Chinese officials.

Interestingly enough, some Japanese officials have long said that
American-made products are too poorly built to allow into the
country but just this week an electric motor fell off of one of
Japan's new home-built bullet trains allegedly because critical
bolts were left off. This has reportedly been a major blow to
Japanese pride.

Monitor News recently carried a series of reports showing how
Japanese goods are sold abroad at very low prices because the
Japanese consumer is charged for all advertising and development
costs, effectively subsidizing exports, allowing companies to
unfairly gain market share abroad.

Some small businesses have actually begun buying Japanese-made
products in the US and re-importing them to Japan where they
can still sell them at substantially lower prices than the same
goods sold directly in the home market.

These and other horror stories, such as the fact that rice costs
Japanese households about three times more than it would if US
rice growers were allowed to sell in Tokyo, has led to an
increasing anti-Asian sentiment in the US which could cause
major upheavals in world trade during the presidential election
year.

(John McCormick/19920508/Press Contact: Deborah Johns, Press
Secretary to Gephardt, 202-225-0100)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00018)

More Hearings On Export Ban On Data Encryption Software 05/08/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- US software
publishers have made another pilgrimage to Capital Hill to ask
again that Congress allow the export of software containing data
encryption technology. Many foreign buyers demand that such
encryption be a part of many programs and US law restricts the
exports of such software.

As in past hearings, US companies pointed out that this
situation hurts exports and that since the software is easily
duplicatable and can be purchased in thousands of stores here in
the US, there is no way to block any country from obtaining the
technology anyway. An embassy employee could simply buy a program
containing the software here in Washington, then send it overseas
in a diplomatic pouch.

In addition, publishers contend that the technology is not all
that special, nor is it of much help to any foreign government's
intelligence agency in any case. Encryption algorithms are widely
understood by computer scientists but their very strength lies in
the fact that even knowing exactly how they work is little help
when it comes to "breaking" or decrypting the stored data.

The FBI on the domestic front, and the super-secret National
Security Agency (based between Washington and Baltimore at Fort
Meade, Maryland) on the foreign intelligence side, say that if
foreign governments and terrorists obtain this technology it will
be much more difficult for US agents to track their activities.

Democratic House Judiciary Committee members took the opportunity
to criticize as inadequate a proposed digital signature standard
which has been put forward by the Commerce Department's NIST
(National Institute of Standards and Technology).

Security experts are divided on the question of just how secure
the proposed ElGamal DSS is, with most of the opposition coming
from groups using the proprietary RSA trap-door encryption system
developed by three mathematicians at MIT.

One reason for the NIST (on NSA's recommendation) going with the
ElGamal signature verification scheme is the fact that while
royalties are required for the use of the RSA system the NIST was
able to use a government-developed ElGamal algorithm that could
be incorporated into products without paying a licensing fee.

During earlier Congressional testimony, NIST's deputy director,
Raymond G. Kammer, told the Technology and Competitiveness
Subcommittee of the House (US House of Representatives)
Science, Space and Technology Committee that the ElGamal
encryption scheme, patented by the federal government, was chosen
because it would save federal agencies money over the private RSA
encryption and signature verification scheme.

Deerfield, Illinois-based Information Security Corporation has
been using the ElGamal algorithm for years in its security
products as well as selling RSA-based systems to the federal
government only (RSA was developed using government funds at
MIT).

RSA Data Security, a private company formed to exploit the RSA
encryption development, contends that its scheme is more secure
but ISC's CEO and president, Thomas J. Venn, has told Newsbytes
that the ElGamal system is highly secure.

The ElGamal algorithm is quite different from that of the RSA
system, deriving its security from the difficulty of computing
discrete logarithms, in finite field, instead of using RSA's very
different method of factoring the products of two prime numbers.

Because it was already using a slightly different ElGamal
algorithm, ISC has been the first to bring an NIST-compliant DSS
system to the market, even before it has been formally adopted.

(John McCormick/19920508/Press Contact: Thomas J. Venn, ISC, tel.
708-405-0500, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00019)

ROUNDUP: Stories Carried By Other Media This Week 05/08/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- Roundup is a brief
look at some computer stories carried in other publications
received here this past week.

The May 4, 1992, Federal Computer Week reports on the (hopefully)
last round of bids on Desktop IV, a major multi-year desktop
computer purchase contract.

Computer Reseller News for May 4 says that, just as it is
abandoning ACE, Compaq Computer has joined with IBM, Intel,
Microsoft, and some other big players to map out a next-
generation computer architecture. The new systems will reportedly
boost PC performance beyond present limits without moving up to
more complex computers required by the use of RISC processors.

May's issue of Software Magazine looks at how German retail giant
Kaufhof approaches low-cost computing.

InformationWeek for the week of May 4 puts IBM's reorganization
on the cover.

The May issue of Workstation News shows how object-oriented
software and body-mounted sensors are being used by SimGraphics
Engineering to develop real-time animation. Current animation is
done one frame at a time.

Systems & Network Integration says that the IBM-Apple alliance
may have a RISC-based PC on the market by the end of the year.

May 4th's CommunicationsWeek says that local and long-distance
telecommunications carriers have a long way to go before they can
easily connect to AT&T's SS7 (signaling system 7) networks.

Esther Dyson's Release 1.0 newsletter dated 28 April looks at the
roll of adaptive computation which uses artificial intelligence
techniques to simulate "artificial life" or real "thinking"
computers.

Telephony for April 27 explores the ways Nynex (a regional
telephone company) is working to become a leaner, more
competitive company.

(John McCormick/19920508/)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00020)

The Enabled Computer 05/08/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- The Enabled Computer
is a regular Newsbytes feature covering news and important
product information relating to high technology aids for the
disabled.

TDD Issues For Business

Since the last issue covered mostly products from The Johns
Hopkins University National Search for Computing Applications to
Assist Persons With Disabilities that are already available on
the market, we will take a break from that coverage to look at an
exciting new product that will interest both the hearing-
impaired and any business needing to cope with the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA).

As of last January, any business which takes orders or offers
customer support over the telephone and does not prepare to
accommodate deaf customers will face not only the usual loss of
business but likely action from the courts because this would be
an obvious and blatant violation of the disabled community's
rights.

You may have seen the TV ad where a TDD (Telecommunications
Device for the Deaf) operator helps two hearing- and/or speech-
impaired women order a pizza.

I don't agree with their choices (anchovies AND pineapple??
YUCK!) but I do applaud the fact that companies are now required
to sell them a pizza even if they can't place a voice order.

ALL businesses serving the public, even a mom-and-pop store, are
now required to make a reasonable effort to serve everyone
equally and for many that may mean installing a TDD just to
encourage customers who get annoyed placing calls through a
special operator just to get a pizza.

Certainly places that do a lot of telephone order-taking, such as
hotel or airplane reservation operations, should consider getting
their own TDD numbers.

It may seem a burden to many of them, but besides the moral
question of whether a lack of speech or hearing should make you
less than a full member of the community, there is a much
stronger argument than even the law. Opening service to the
disabled means MORE customers!

And it needn't be an expensive step.

There is a flood of new adaptive devices hitting the market
because software and hardware companies have seen how the ADA
will affect business everywhere and it is up to us to let
everyone know what is available and what is wrong with present
products.

Hearing-impaired individuals normally have little trouble using
computers, but hearing-impaired office workers, and those who
deal with hearing-impaired outsiders, may benefit from special
computer technology to let them interact with others.

Stand-alone (TDDs Telecommunications Device for the Deaf) such as
those sold by AT&T and others have been the traditional way of
handling this situation, but, with the vast number of computers
now in place, many offices will want to consider TDD cards such
as the MIC 300i made by Glenn Dale, Md.'s Microflip Inc.

At only $350, the MIC 300i TDD/modem provides a wide variety of
services and tools for the hearing-impaired, including support
for deaf communication standards (Baudot) at speeds of 45.5 baud
(U.S.), 50.0 baud (International), and computer data
communication at standard 300 baud ASCII (Bell 103A or CCITT
v.21).

Microflip includes software which supports both TDD e-mail and a
basic TDD bulletin board system. These programs can be used as a
memory resident or TSR program running in the background of
Windows or DESQview, as well as any MS-DOS text-mode application.

While normally you would want to look for a minimum of Hayes
compatibility in any communications product, the 8-bit MIC 300i
half-card is not Hayes-compatible because it uses a parallel port
rather than serial interface. In this case, because it comes
supplied with its own software, this lack of Hayes compatibility
is actually a desirable feature since it is due to the use of a
parallel interface which automatically eliminates any conflict
with other modems or a serial mouse that may already be installed
in the computer.

The answering machine function of the MIC 300i can be remote-
accessed by a deaf worker so it provides the same functionality
as voice mail.

The MIC 300i card also includes an infrared LED mounted on the
back panel just below the standard RJ-11 telephone connector.
This makes the unit capable of activating external devices
through X-10 controllers.

Several versions of the control software are included to provide
a choice of full features or small size, and both the hardware
and software are PBX- and network-compatible - an important
consideration for larger businesses.

Please note that this and other TDD devices are not just for the
hearing-impaired or their fellow workers but for anyone who must
be accessible to the general public which includes members of the
deaf community - many of whom use TDDs as a standard
communications device.

MIC 300i, $350 from Microflip, Inc., 11211 Petsworth Lane,
Glenn Dale, Md. 20769, 301-262-6020, 301-262-4978 (fax),
301-262-1629 (TDD/ASCII 8N1H).

The next issue will cover more about the MIC 300i, including a
description of the included software, and look at other TDD-
related subjects.

(John McCormick/19920508)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00021)

 ****MicroSlate Marketing Push For "Pen and Touch" Computers 05/08/92
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- MicroSlate, a
firm specializing in high-powered, configurable pen and touch
computers for field professionals, has forged production,
technical, and sales support arrangements with GTE for the US
market, and will soon announce a similar agreement with another
firm for the Canadian market, Newsbytes has learned.

Jan Rowinski, vice president of operations, described the
arrangements for Newsbytes after a presentation at the Pen-Based
Computing Conference. In his talk to the conference participants,
he outlined results of his company's research on the pen
marketplace and advised prospective pen purchasers to weigh the
pros and cons of available products, relative to their own needs,
before buying.

"There are trade-offs. Do you want the computer to be rugged? Do
you need a lot of battery life? If so, the computer will have to
be heavy," he told attendees of the conference, held this week in
Boston under the sponsorship of Digital Consulting.

At this point, the pen market is stratified into a number of
vertical segments, with varying orientations, he reported. Based
on its research, MicroSlate has decided to pursue two of these
segments: the computer scientist/mathematician market, and
manufacturing technicians.

MicroSlate's arrangements with GTE, unannounced until now, are
designed to raise corporate credibility for the company, which
recently introduced its latest product, the Datallite 400. "In
effect, GTE has become our corporate sponsor in the US market,"
remarked Rowinski. The affiliation began in January, 1991 with an
agreement for GTE to carry out final assembly on MicroSlate
products, along with 24-hour replacement or repair on warranteed
items and emergency recovery of any data lost in the field.

A second agreement, signed March 26, calls for GTE to identify
prospective clients for MicroSlate and accompany the computer maker
on sales calls. Details on similar arrangements for the Canadian
market will be announced in about two weeks, he added. The pacts
are part of a broader effort toward more extensive marketing of
MicroSlate's products, Rowinski indicated. "We've been the first
to come out with a number of innovations, but a lot of people don't
know that yet," he informed Newsbytes.

The Datellite 400 is the first 486-based pen and touch computer, he
added. Other "firsts" the company is claiming include the first
386SX-based pen and touch computer, the Datellite 300, and the
first keyboardless portable, the Datelite 150S.

MicroSlate embarked on two and a half years of research after
introducing Datellite 150S in 1988, Rowinski said to the conference
participants. Results showed a total of 39 million people who
work outside the office setting and can benefit from pen computing,
he said. Most of these "field professionals" carry out their
responsibilities out of doors or on shop floors. Also included in
the count are 18 million sales representatives, who spend some of
their time on the road.

Pen computers are an effective solution for people who work outside
offices because the machines allow users to retrieve, enter and
process data in almost any environment, and while walking about, he
said. "A pen computer can go where no computer has gone before,"
he explained. "A laptop is fine if you're seated on a plane, but
if you're inspecting its wing before takeoff, you'll find a pen
computer to be a lot more functional," he noted.

Other potential pen user groups include the home and educational
markets, administrative and clerical workers, and corporate
executives, he said. For the executives, taking notes in meetings
is an apt application. "If you're in the board room talking to
someone, you don't want to have to open up a clamshell in his
face," he explained.

MicroSlate found the field professional market to be very
applications specific. "You cannot come up with a vanilla flavored
product and say, 'Here it is. That's your computer. So go out and
use it,'" asserted Rowinski.

Both of the groups MicroSlate is targeting fall within the field
professional category. "This is a category starved for the right
products," he commented. One of the targeted groups, consisting
of one million computer scientists and mathematicians, is 93%
computerized already, but offers extensive opportunities in the way
of replacement devices. The other group, made up of eight million
manufacturing technicians, remains only 11% computerized.

With the needs of these groups in mind, MicroSlate is offering
computers that can be configured with such capabilities as dual pen
and touch interfaces, math coprocessors, internal RF transmitters,
extra rechargeable/replaceable battery packs, and up to 16 MB of
memory, he said.

"I want to stress that the phrase 'pen computing' does not always
mean 'pen,'" he stated. "Many field uses are point-and-shoot
applications, where choices can be made by simply touching the
right menu selections." The MicroSlate computers support such
applications as CAD, GIS, manufacturing subassembly, and railroad
and utility programs, running on MicroSoft Windows for Pen 1.0,
PenPoint, PenRight!, Pen-DOS, and other pen operating systems.

In making purchasing decisions, end users and I/O managers should
carefully compare their own requirements to what a particular
product can provide, he said. Aside from weight, durability, and
battery life, factors to consider include connectivity, hard disk
space, memory, packaging, software support, availability of serial
and parallel ports, and type of screen and pen.

A transmissive screen, for instance, is backlit, making it more
suitable than a reflective screen for low light situations. And a
tethered pen is not necessarily the best way to go in all
situations. "We've found that when users lose their footing out in
the field, they grab for the pens. If our tethers were attached,
the users would end up inadvertently tearing them out," he
concluded.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19920508)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00022)

IBM Sells Rolm Stake To Siemens 05/08/92
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- IBM has
announced that it will sell its remaining stake in Rolm, the
telecommunications equipment maker it bought in 1984, to the German
high-technology firm Siemens. Siemens has held an interest in Rolm
since 1989, when it formed a joint venture with IBM to run the
company.

The two companies said they would continue cooperative development
and marketing efforts that have been under way since 1989.

The 1989 joint venture agreement split Rolm into two parts. Rolm
Company, the marketing operation, was equally split between IBM and
Siemens, while Rolm Systems, the manufacturing and development
organization, belonged to Siemens. Under the new agreement, the
units will be reunited. Consolidation will begin immediately, the
companies said.

Rolm will join Tel Plus Communications in the Siemens Private
Communication Systems group. Joint marketing activities with Tel
Plus are planned. Rolm will be based in Santa Clara.

IBM learned a lot about the telecommunications business from its
involvement in Rolm over the past eight years, company spokesman
Paul Neuman said, but now wants to concentrate on the computer
business. IBM and Rolm will continue to work closely together, he
added; in fact, the companies' joint marketing agreement has been
extended to the end of the century.

Gebhard Doermer, currently president and chief executive officer of
Siemens Private Communication Systems, will be chief financial
officer for Rolm. Mitchell Watson, formerly president and chief
executive officer of Rolm Company, will join the Rolm
organization's Office of the President along with Karl Geng, who
was senior vice-president of Rolm Systems.

IBM's vice-president of networking systems, Ellen Hancock, a member
of the Rolm Company and Rolm Systems boards of directors, will be
a member of the new Rolm board.

Rolm is a leading supplier of private branch exchanges and
related products, but since IBM bought it the company's market
share has been under pressure. IBM was never able to dominate the
industry with Rolm as it sought to, in part because it was never
able to merge the Rolm corporate culture into its own. Siemens is
expected to give the company more autonomy, but competitors still
breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the deal ends a threat
that Rolm might one day take-over the industry.

(Grant Buckler & Dana Blankenhorn/19920508/Press Contact:
Paul Morrison, Siemens, 408-980-4546; Paul Neuman, IBM,
914-697-6537)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00023)

Cray Installs 1st Supercomputer in Australian Univ 05/08/92
EAGAN, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- Cray Research has
announced that it will install the first Cray Y-MP EL system ever
sold to an Australian University this month.

The entry level system will be installed at Swineburne University of
Technology in Melbourne, Victoria. The university said the system
will be made available to Australian industrial and commercial uses
through the Australian Computational Research Collaboratory (ACRC),
an organization established jointly by the Swineburne Faculty of
Engineering and Cray Research.

ACRC said the program will involve using the Cray system to find
ways to improve the efficiency of combustion processes in electrical
power generation, research into brain diseases using electromagnetic
analysis, image processing, geophysics, and weather forecasting. The
system will also be used as part of an international project working
with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories to develop
software for parallel processing.

Livermore Labs recently canceled a contract for a Cray-3, the
supercomputer being developed by spin-off company Cray Computer,
based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, after Cray Computer was unable
to meet its demonstration deadlines. Instead, Livermore elected to
purchase a Cray Research supercomputer.

Cray Research said other Australian organizations are being
encouraged to look to ACRC for solution to technical problems which
can benefit from the help of industry-oriented academic scientists.
Some Australian organizations, including the State Electricity
Commission of Victoria, the Centres for Applied Neurosciences, and
the Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre are already involved in
projects using the ACRC facilities.

According to Professor Murray Gillin, Dean of the Engineering
faculty, told the teaching staff recently that the collaboration will
provide Australian business and industry an opportunity to explore
and exploit new developments in high-performance computing. Gillin
said efforts in the areas of computational fluid dynamics, finite
element analysis, and performance and process visualization "will
provide business and industry with a quantum leap in their ability to
address rapidly changing world markets."

Gillin is also president of the Institute of Engineers, Australia
and heads the Institute's School of Innovation and Enterprise.

(Jim Mallory/19920508/Press contact: Steve Conway, Cray Research,
612-683-7395)


(EDITORIAL)(IBM)(LAX)(00024)

Editorial: Nantucket/CA Combo Lights Fire Under Xbase 05/08/92
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- While the big
boys like Borland and Microsoft were saying the Xbase standard
isn't an issue, Computer Associates' purchase of Nantucket seems
to have tilted the table. Now the Xbase standard is the new
bandwagon and the big boys, including the workstation world are
forced to admit what was always true anyway -- Xbase is here to
stay.

Basically, the database market seems to be moving in two directions.
One is toward the adoption of an Xbase standard, fueled by Computer
Associates' purchase of Nantucket, which is providing a threat to the
other database vendors and widening the Xbase market. The other
direction is client/server architecture which is of paramount interest
to the corporate community.

Client/server is of interest because it is more secure and maintains
the integrity of the data in the database. But client/server is too
expensive for small businesses.

When Ashton-Tate was alive, there was a movement to define an Xbase
standard but Ashton-Tate was trying to say that file format was its
own creation. Ashton-Tate was seen as a bully threatening verbally and
through the courts other companies who were making headway in the
market using the format, like Fox Software. Ashton-Tate was even
trying to say the term "dBASE" was a trademark and threatening no one
else could use it. That was the reason database industry leader Adam
Greene introduced the unlovely term "Xbase" with different
capitalization and gave it to the database community. Toward the end,
Ashton-Tate did say it would make a "gift" of the .DBF file format to
the world but it was late enough to inhibit any serious work on a
standard.

Nantucket's claim to fame was it was one of the first to take Ashton-
Tate's strangle-hold off the business market. It introduced Clipper, a
database compiler. Clipper could take dBASE language programs and turn
them into stand-alone programs that didn't need the dBASE product to
run and that could be distributed royalty-free.

Lately however the estimation was Nantucket was out of the game
altogether. Struggling financially and behind on its bills, it was
predicted to go under any minute.

But the bounce back Nantucket has taken with the Computer Associates'
announcement just re-emphasizes the business community's commitment to
Xbase. And it has forced other companies to make public commitments to
Xbase as well.

Microsoft, Borland, Fox Software, Microsoft, WordTech, Emerald Bay
Group, Recital, and Dvorak Development have all announced they will
support new Xbase standard formulated by Mark Schnap and submitted to
the X3/Standards Planning and Requirement Committee (X3/SPARC) of the
American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

Borland's President Philippe Kahn was right when he said that
users in the future won't have to worry what format their data is in.
But that's because it will be in Xbase format.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920508)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00025)

New For PCs: All Computers 486 Upgrade 05/08/92
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- Owners of PCs based on
80286 and 80386 processors can now upgrade to 80486 technology with
two upgrade products from All Computers. The All SX 486 and All DX
486 both use the Cyrix Cx486 microprocessor.

The All SX 486 replaces the 286 microprocessor with the Cx486. The
All DX 486 is designed to replace a 386 chip. Both devices are
circuit cards smaller than a credit card. They plug into the
microprocessor socket on the computer's system board. Installing
either of them is a matter of popping out the original processor
and plugging in the upgrade, which any user can do, said James
MacFarlane, a spokesman for the company.

Such an upgrade will increase chip performance, but critics of
processor upgrades argue that the procedure creates a mismatch
between the faster chip and slower peripherals such as the hard
disk, which were meant to work with the old, slower processor.

That may be true, MacFarlane said, but devices such as hard disks
can also be upgraded. "The cost of upgrading a computer piece by
piece is still cheaper than buying a new one," he said.

Also, All expects many of its upgrade cards will sell to business
users whose PCs are connected to networks, so that their local hard
disks are used very little. In that case, the speed of the
processor is much more important than that of the hard disk,
MacFarlane said.

The All SX 486 is available immediately, and the All DX 486 is to
be available before the end of May. Both have a suggested list
price of $499, with an optional math coprocessor available for $100
more. Both also come with the company's All Charge 386 memory
management software.

The company is gaining a strong European presence, MacFarlane
noted, particularly in Eastern Europe where newer PCs were very
hard to get until recently.

(Grant Buckler/19920508/Press Contact: James MacFarlane, All
Computers, 416-960-0111, fax [phone])


(REVIEW)(IBM)(SYD)(00026)

Review of: WinPost Rel. 3.1, Sticky notes for Windows, 05/08/92

Runs on: PCs using Windows

From: Shareware - by Nobuya Higashiyama

Price: US$30 (North America) UKP24.95 (Europe)
 US$35 (rest of world)

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

Reviewed for Newsbytes by: Paul Zucker 05/08/92

Summary: WinPost is an electronic version of those little
sticky yellow notes (Post-Its) that we couldn't live without.
They take messages, organize our thoughts, and remind us when
something has to happen.

======

REVIEW

======

When someone says "Do you use Windows?" I answer "Only when
the computer's turned on!" People who haven't clicked with
Windows yet think it's another application, as in "Oh yes,
I use Lotus, dBASE and Windows." Once you've started
using Windows properly, it tends to be the way you normally
use your PC, and it's the trips out to DOS that are the
exception. Part of the beauty of staying inside a multi-
tasking environment (even if OS/2 users scoff at that
statement) is the ability to have things happening in the
background, and to be able to switch from task to task
quickly (a bit like real life, but that's another thing I
like about Windows).

Because I stay inside Windows, I like to be able to do
things like take notes and set alarms for myself. These
functions are available separately in many products, and
combined in many others, but one product does it in a nice,
natural way. It's WinPost, a shareware product from Nobuya
Higashiyama.

I got my copy from GEnie and you probably can too, or through
other major online services such as Compuserve, or
through a local bulletin board or one of the public
domain disk libraries should be able to supply it. As
shareware, you can freely copy the file, but are expected
to pay the registration fee if you continue to use it. There is
a "guilt screen" for those who haven't registered.

If you haven't twigged yet, this is a rip-off of the famous
yellow Post-It notes that get stuck all over the place
reminding us to put out the garbage, pay the phone bill,
have the cat neutered and so on. They may be more helpful than
real Post-Its. Their ubiquity are pointed out by two short
stories here:

1: Person overpaid bill at hardware store so assistant said,
"I'll put a note on the computer saying you have a credit."
Next month the bill arrived but no mention of the credit.
When customer asked, proprietor said "Oh yes, sorry, I
didn't see it there," pointing to sticky yellow paper on
side of computer screen.

2: Person in large company rings PC support hot-line and
says, "There's a message on my screen saying it's broken."
After 30 minutes on phone with support person getting user
to re-boot, run diagnostics, repeat what message says and
so on, support person finally realizes that it's not a
diagnostic message coming up on the monitor, but just a
Post-It note from another user.

Anyway, back to the review. Like many shareware products,
this is a fully developed, professionally presented
product, at least as good as the average product you'd buy
in a computer shop. The normal way to use it is to have it
load with Windows so it's always there. That means all
your current notes (including those with alarms attached)
are available at hand. The default note is yellow and
1.5x2" though the size and colour can be changed to suit
your needs. Notes can be freestanding, or grouped into up
to 32 layouts to make them easier to use. For instance,
you can have notes only show under certain programs. A
single note can be attached to several layouts.

At the top of each note is an icon bar. These icons are
cut, copy, paste, copy all, insert time/date stamp, and
display the WinPost control panel. There are many options
and commands for WinPost, but most of these will be seldom
used so are in nested menus. Everything is also available
as a hot-key, so you can soon learn those functions you
need often, like Alt-Shift-2 to create a small note.
Although you don't have to give each note a unique name, it
helps find the one you want when there is a whole bunch of
them. And if you really can't find the one you want, you
can search on any text in any window.

Don't think your Windows desktop will always be cluttered with
notes either - you can hide any you don't need to see, and
even those that aren't hidden will only be at the back of
everything else unless you specify "always on top" or they
contain an alarm that's just gone off.

The alarm feature isn't complicated. It's just a straight
time/date alarm that you set and forget. It can be either
an alarm tone or one of a short list of tunes. The idea is
to get into the habit of using WinPost during the working
day just as you would your notepad.

The printing features aren't extensive but allow you to
print one or all of the notes. Information printed includes
tile, contents, date/time of last modification and
date/time of alarm (if any). This is useful if you use your
notes as a "to-do" list. You can take the print-out with
you. Of course, if WinPost is autoloaded, next time you
turn the machine on, all you notes will be there, ready to
go (including, of course, the alarm notes).

WinPost will automatically save files when you close
Windows, and can also be set to autosave at any interval
you like. Another nice feature is the backup/recovery - it
knows when a file has been corrupted, and switches to the
automatic backup.

A short review like this can't tell you everything a
product does, but there is a complete manual in Windows
Write format with the files, and everyone who registers
gets a printed manual and latest disk mailed to them.
It's not one of those "must have" products for every
Windows user. You'll probably already know whether you'd
use it or not. I'd like to, but I'm not organized enough to
want to get organized (if that makes sense).

===========

PUMA RATING

===========

PERFORMANCE: 4. For what it does, it does it efficiently.

USEFULNESS: 4. A good, useful product, especially for the
money.

MANUAL: 4. As usual with shareware, you get a file to
print your own manual, but the complete manual comes when
you pay up.

AVAILABILITY: 4 Bulletin boards, shareware libraries and
so on.

(Paul Zucker/19920113)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00027)

ACT Computer Gets London General's Customers 05/08/92
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- ACT Computer Support, the
computer maintenance division of ACT, has acquired an extra 5,000
maintenance contract users from London General Insurance (LGI).
Terms of the deal have not been announced.

According to Andy Peart, marketing manager with ACT Customer
Support, the deal boosts the number of contracts handled by the
maintenance company to 15,000. He told Newsbytes that the deal
had been in progress for the last four to six weeks, and
reflected LGI's desire to move back to its paper-based insurance
origins.

He also said that the transfer of the contracts to ACT will
result in an improved level of service for the users.
"Previously, users had to call out a third-party company, pay
that company and reclaim off LGI. Under our arrangements they
simply contact us and we do the maintenance ourselves," he said.

Peart added that ACT's involvement in the old LGI contracts will
also give users a chance to take out maintenance contracts for
their peripheral equipment. "Most LGI contracts only covered PCs
but not, for example, networks. We can cover networks," he told
Newsbytes.

ACT Customer Support has more than 700 staff, dotted around the
UK, who provide a call-out service to PC and peripherals users.
Customers can elect to pay the engineer for each call-out or, more
usually, take out a flat-rate maintenance contract on their
equipment. Typically, the cost of the contract is linked to the
cost of the equipment.

ACT's operations in the computer maintenance marketplace are
coordinated through the company's headquarters in Birmingham,
with 11 regional centers providing a base for engineers in the
UK. The company also covers Ireland.

(Steve Gold/19920508/Press & Public Contact: ACT Customer Support
- Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00028)

Stac's Compression On Bernoulli, Data & Flash Memory Cards 05/08/92
CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- Stac Electronics,
known for its data compression software products, is making deals with
various hardware manufacturers to incorporate data compression in
their products.

The company has produced a special version of Stacker
for use with Bernoulli drives in cooperation with Iomega, introduced
Doublecard for palmtop computers with ACE Technologies, and is
supporting data compression on the Sundisk SDP series of PCMCIA-ATA
standard solid-state mass storage systems.

On the Bernoulli drive, Stac says its special version of Stacker
doubles the 90 megabyte capacity of a cartridge to 180 MB that can
then be read on a computer with a Bernoulli drive that isn't equipped
with Stacker.

With ACE Technologies, Stac says it has introduced the very first
standard random access memory card that uses data compression to
double the card's capacity. The Doublecard is designed for use with
palmtop computers such as the HP 95LX and Poqet as well as all DOS
compatible PCs using the standard PCMCIA interface, according to Gary
Clow, Stac's president.

The Sundisk SDP series of PCMCIA-ATA standard solid-state mass storage
systems are based on the new flash memory technology and are geared
toward pen-based and subnotebook computer systems, according to Chow.
Stac's claims its data compression on these memory cards can also
double the available storage capacity.

While the data compression is attractive to increase storage capacity,
and is transparent to the user, it comes at a price. The Doublecard
retails for $309 (1MB), $499 (2MB), $729 (3MB) and $879 (4MB). Also,
any data compression products needs some of the computer's memory
resources to perform the compression, leaving that memory unavailable
for software applications.

Stac also has competition. Adstor, its largest competitor, claims the
latest version of its Super Stor compression product can squeeze data
on a floppy disk that can then be read in a computer without Super
Stor installed, much like the Bernoulli version of Stacker.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920508/Press Contact: Joanne Rush, Stac
Electronics, 619-431-7474; Doug Mee, Iomega, tel [phone], fax
714-966-1489; John Reimer, Sundisk, tel [phone]; Andy Fu, ACE
Technologies, 408-428-9722, Public Contact 800-825-9977; Alan Kelly,
Applied Communications for Adstor, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00029)

 ****40 MB Memory, Sugar Cube Size  05/08/92
COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 8 (NB) -- Irvine Sensors, a
company that specializes in miniaturization of computer memory
components says it has developed a technology for the US Air Force for
quadrupling the amount of memory that can be placed in the same amount
of physical space. The company maintains it is currently able to
package 40 megabytes (MB) of memory in a physical space the size of a
sugar cube.

Irvine Sensors says this new technology can be applied to the
microcomputer industry, especially to the new flash memory card
technology.

Called the "memory short stack," it is a stack of memory chips
which is physically interchangeable with a single-chip
package but offers multiple chip performance. While it is not the only
company doing the miniaturization of memory, Irvine Sensors is
one of only three companies using stacking as opposed to a parallel
configuration, according to Alison Barney, spokesperson for Irvine
Sensors. Barney said the company has also solved heat and friction
problems by bonding the tiny layers of memory at one end, allowing
the other three sides for ventilation.

Current application for the technology is to retrofit memory chips in
defense satellite systems, Barney said, however, Irvine Sensors
could use the technology in the new flash memory card technology
announced recently by Intel and AT&T. The memory cards announced
recently have a capacity up to 20 megabytes in the physical space of a
credit card. Flash memory cards have the ability to maintain the data
stored in them without a power source, unlike current random access
memory chips. Irvine Sensors maintains it could easily get a four-
fold increase in capacity in the same amount of space. The most
obvious application being hailed for the memory card technology is as
a replacement for hard disk drives.

Also, the faster the microprocessor chips get, the more there is
a need for speed in relaying information between components.
Packing integrated circuits (ICs) closer together provides reductions
in travel time and gains faster performance.

Barney says the company is currently negotiating with other technology
companies for a comercial application of its "memory short stack"
technology and expects to announce retail applications before the end
of the year.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920508/Press Contact: Alison Barney, Wall Street
Financial for Irvine Sensors, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(CORRECTION)(IBM)(LAX)(00030)

Correction: Computer Associates To Acquire Nantucket 05/08/92
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 8 (NB) --
Newsbytes mistakenly reported in a May 6, 1992 story that a
compiler exists for dBASE IV. That is not the case.

While a dBASE IV compiler was planned by Ashton-Tate,
none ever materialized. A dBASE IV compiler has been
announced by Borland that the company says will produce both
DOS and Microsoft Windows database applications, but it is
not available at this  time.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920508)