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/nb920601

Text File | 1992-06-01 | 66KB | 1,436 lines

(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00001)

 ****Compaq To Place "Business Audio" Sound Chip In PCs 06/01/92
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- Business Audio is the new
name computer manufacturer Compaq, software developer Microsoft, and
sound chip developer Analog Devices have given the joint hardware and
software technology development effort the three companies have
agreed to pursue geared toward sound for business. The move is
centered around a new sound chip developed by Analog Devices that
Compaq is using in new products.

Nora Hahn of public relations for Compaq said the company plans to
announce the new products with the sound chip the second quarter of
this year, meaning before June 30.

Analog Devices introduced the specification for the new chip which it
calls the Soundport. Bill Schweber of Analog Devices told Newsbytes
the Soundport has all the capability of a sound card, but can be
placed on the motherboard of a computer. The advantages to the chip
are its lower cost and space savings, Schweber maintains.

Compaq has the first opportunity to incorporate the Soundport chips,
however Schweber assured Newsbytes the chips will be available on the
open market to other manufacturers this year.

The Soundport chip can understand the various types of audio data,
also known as sound files, and is capable of recording or playing PC-
quality sound (8-bit linear 11 KHz), telephone/workstation-quality
sound (8-bit a-law and 8-bit u-law), and CD-quality sound (16-bit
linear 44.1 kilohertz), in mono or stereo, Compaq said.

The most obvious first application for Business Audio is voice
annotation within Windows 3.1 for spreadsheets, word processing
documents, and electronic mail, the companies said.

Microsoft representative Collins Hemmingway told Newsbytes its
support of Business Audio and the Soundport won't exclude anyone
else, but it appears the chip will make it easier for users to take
advantage of sound capability in Windows 3.1. However, developers
will still have to incorporate the audio functionality that is
already built into Windows 3.1 into applications, Hemmingway added.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920601/Press Contact: Bill Schweber, Analog
Devices, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Collins Hemingway,
Microsoft, 206-882-8080; Nora Hahn, Compaq, 713-374-8316)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00002)

New Zealand Telecom Companies Begin Asian Push 06/01/92
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND, 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- Signalling their
intention to be major players in the Asian telecommunications
market, the chief executives of four New Zealand (NZ)
telecommunications companies have ended a two-week tour of Malaysia,
Thailand, and the Philippines.

The companies represented were Deltec New Zealand, Exicom
International, Tait Electronics, and Marine Air Systems. The tour
was organized as a prelude to Singapore's CommunicationsAsia
conference, which will be held this month. The four companies, along
with 11 other NZ telecommunications companies, will be exhibiting at
the show. All of the exhibiting companies will do so under the flag
of NZ's Trade Development Board, Tradenz.

Other companies exhibiting at the conference will be: Alcatel New
Zealand, Ericsson Communications (New Zealand) and Telecom New
Zealand International. Peter Robins, Tradenz trade commissioner for
Thailand, said that the presence of the NZ firms at
CommunicationsAsia was a NZ first, and was a strategic step in the
achievement of Tradenz's five-year export earnings target.

Tradenz organized the tour, and it comprised of meetings with more
than 30 government and private sector leaders. The tour aimed at not
only introducing the players to their new market, but also to
examine first hand moves my some countries, such as Thailand, to
upgrade their telecommunications infrastructure.

(Sean McNamara/19920601)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00003)

Australia: Victorian Jails To Have Security Telephones 06/01/92
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- The Victorian Department
of Corrections is to install monitored telephones throughout its
jails in a move to increase phone security. The system incorporates
many features to cut phone-based crime, and was developed locally by
NEC Australia.

The system works on the basis of a PIN (personal identification
number) and specific numbers which can be accessed. When a prisoner
is approved for use of the system, they nominate four phone numbers
they wish to call (six if they are on remand). These numbers are then
called and the people who own that number are asked if they wish to
receive calls from the prisoner. If cleared, these numbers are then
entered into the system for use by the prisoner. Remand prisoners
are allowed the extra calls because of their need to call legal
representatives.

Each call is time limited, and authorities can nominate to record
selected calls. The Department has also received permission from the
Australian telecommunications watchdog, Austel, to record telephone
conversations without the usual telltale piptones. Calls are not
allowed to be made to mobile phones, 0055 numbers (Australia's
equivalent of the US's 900 numbers) or the TAB (a statutory betting
agency).

The system was developed around NEC's NEAX2000 PABX switchboard and
its computer-based Open Application Interface. The system was
described by Brian Hutchinson, general manager of NEC Australia, as
a world first. "I am particularly proud that the system was totally
developed at our Mulgrave site. Our Australian engineers in Victoria
have helped the company 'get the jump' on our parent company in
Japan and NEC's subsidiary in the US," Hutchinson said. Other state
governments have already expressed an interest in the system, as
have US bodies. A conservative estimate of the system's export
potential is put at AUS$1M per year.

(Sean McNamara/19920601)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00004)

Australia: Qantas Back-up System Keeps The Airline Flying 06/01/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- A recent breakdown of
Qantas' international cargo reservations system set the stage for
the first real trial of the back-up system, which performed as
needed. This was the first time the AUS$26M back-up system was
needed, and was a result of a power surge which put the main system
down.

The back-up site, in Sydney's inner west, is run by Qantas'
information technology subsidiary, Qantek. The system was needed for
five days, during which time all scheduled cargo was lifted and no
flights were delayed, according to Qantek. "I think that the
successful way we managed to handle the crisis did a lot of positive
things for the staff here," Qantek's client services director, Ian
Harris, said. "It did a lot for everyone's confidence, showing that
we could cope with the type of situation that we had been preparing
for for quite a while," Harris said.

The main system went down on a Wednesday morning after the power
surge saw it progressively corrupting reservations data. After six
hours in which the situation got worse, at a time of the day when
the system is its busiest, the decision was made to power up the
back-up site. The transfer of staff, systems, and data to the back-up
site took four and a half hours. Qantek felt the move to establish a
complete back-up system in 1988 was vindicated by the disaster, as
the site was established to protect against a "creeping" problem
more than a "quick break" one.

(Sean McNamara/19920601)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00005)

Australia: Show Aims To Promote Computer As Art Medium 06/01/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- An exhibition of
computer-generated art has opened in Sydney, with the aim to help
raise the profile of this generally little known medium with the
public. The exhibition, Bits of This, Bytes of That, features works
from students from the College of Fine Arts of the University of New
South Wales.

The exhibition is aimed at promoting "the use of computer-based
technology as a visual art" and includes works from eight college
students. Michele Barker, one of the artists featured, said that
"computer art has suffered because the equipment needed can be very
expensive and people have not come to grips with it as a form of
fine art. So this exhibition and others we would like to do in the
future, are designed to show people what we can do and push the
message across."

The works displayed have been done by the students in the college's
newly developed computer center. "We have all used Apple Macintoshes
to create the works with a new thermal printer to deliver the high-
quality finished art. Most of the art in the exhibition is
photographic-based as the people involved have a predominantly
photographic background but it is a good example of what computer
art is capable of," Baker said.

(Sean McNamara/19920507)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00006)

 ****AT&T Contract Talks Go Into Overtime 06/01/92
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- A job action
against AT&T, the nation's largest long distance phone company,
could come at any time as talks with its unions enter overtime.

The contracts expired over the weekend, but the union agreed to
hold off on any action as negotiators for both sides worked
through the night. Talks recessed at 2 AM June 1 to give
negotiators a chance to sleep.

The main issue in the talks is job security. AT&T says it must
keep cutting positions, and plans to replace thousands of
operators with automated equipment over the next few years. The
two unions, the Communications Workers of America and the
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, want guarantees
against lay-offs and retraining for their workers. Pay is also an
issue -- AT&T's last public offer is for an eight percent raise,
spread out over three years. Another key issue will be AT&T's
position as the unions attempt to organize additional company
workers, and the company's attempts to put salesmen on
commission.

Even if the talks break down, it's unlikely the union will call
an immediate walk-out, despite the fact that workers gave their
leaders authority to do so. Instead, it could urge a global
boycott against the company. Many US unions, seeing failed
strikes at home, have been urging international action against
companies in labor disputes. And AT&T could be hurt by such a
call, especially in heavily unionized Europe, where it is
attempting to open markets and where governments will be happy to
get an excuse to keep them closed. The "electronic picket line"
could be implemented with or without a strike.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920601)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00007)

Hayes Wins Rockwell License Agreement 06/01/92
NORCROSS, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- Rockwell
International, the world's largest maker of modem chip sets,
agreed to license the Hayes modem patent. The patent, known as
the Hayes Escape Sequence with Guard Time Patent, or the
Heatherington '302 patent, had been the subject of litigation by
modem makers who claimed it was invalid.

Hayes was a big winner when the suits came for trial in 1991
and since then most of those actions have been settled on Hayes'
terms. The Hayes patent is number 4,549,302 and was issued October
25, 1985.

The Rockwell agreement is still important. It can now implement
the Hayes standard in all its chips, simplifying support of modem
makers for the standard. As Dennis Hayes himself said in a press
statement, "By licensing Rockwell, Hayes makes it easy for all
modem manufacturers to use this standard technology."

The Heatherington '302 patent is at the heart of the Hayes "AT"
standard which in turn has been at the heart of PC modems for
over a decade. Dennis Hayes sought and defended the patent in
hopes, he said, that it would spur innovation. His company had
been hurt in the late 1980s as dozens of smaller competitors used
his technology on low-priced modems which reduced Hayes' market
share from an estimated high of 70 percent, causing lay-offs at
the company. Since then, Hayes has concentrated on engineering
instead of marketing. Its Practical Peripherals unit is now a
price leader on modems, and while the Hayes name is still found
on many products, many of the company's engineers have moved on
to work in ISDN, which Hayes is convinced will become an
important technology later in this decade.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920601/Press Contact: Beth Logan, Hayes, 404-
840-9200)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MOW)(00008)

 ****Moscow: Phone Rates Skyrocket 06/01/92
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- Phone tariffs have once again
risen in Moscow -- in a big way. Officially, the tripling of charges
is attributed to the increased cost of living.

The monthly fee for household phone service will triple to
42 rubles/month. Companies will pay 15 kopeks (0.15 ruble) per
minute for a local call. It is widely expected that home phones
will be charged according to this new per-minute rate soon, as
well.

The cost of installing a phone is increasingly becoming affordable
only by the rich. Residential line installation will cost 3000 rubles,
while business lines are 120,000 rubles. The official minimum monthly
wage in the country is 900 rubles per month.

Calling from a public phone, still limited to city borders, still costs
15 kopeks for three minutes. Moscow was one of the last cities in Russia
to switch from a 2 to a 15-kopek coin in public phones. TASS has
reported that 50 kopeks will buy unlimited time in a street phone,
however Newsbytes has yet to see such a device accepting those coins in
Moscow.

Local hackers are said to be actively exploring Western "blue box"
technology to avoid the high service prices.

The rate hike is a clear result of the recent government decree to
"free" communications service prices.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19920601)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(HKG)(00009)

BSA Raids Singapore Retail Outlets 06/01/92
SINGAPORE, SEA, 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- Acting on information supplied by the
Business Software Alliance (BSA), police and private investigators
in Singapore have raided three retail software outlets and seized
hundreds of illegally copied diskettes and manuals.

More than 550 diskettes and 100 manuals were seized from
Emerald Bay Computers at People's Park Centre, and from
Rubicon Trading and Alsoft Computers at Sim Lim Square
during the raids which followed intensive investigations by
the BSA.

"The fact that these retailers were openly selling illegal
software clearly indicates that the level of software theft
in Singapore is still a significant problem," said Jeffrey
Siebach, vice president of the Business Software Alliance in
Asia.

"The BSA is determined to fight software theft throughout
the region and will continue to conduct investigations and
raids in Singapore against manufacturers, distributors and
users of stolen software programs."

Investigations by the BSA also revealed that the three
outlets were selling suspected illegally copied software
programs and games from non-Alliance members.

"Retailers who sell illegal copies of software for profit
are the most flagrant software thieves and are a very large
problem in Singapore," said Siebach. "The BSA intends to
pursue these criminals aggressively and keep closing them
down until the problem is solved."

The BSA was formed in 1988 to eradicate the illegal copying
of computer software through a combination of educational
initiatives and legal proceedings. BSA includes the
worldwide software and hardware producers Aldus, Apple
Computer, Autodesk, Lotus Development, Microsoft, Novell and
WordPerfect.

(Brett Cameron/19920530/Press contact: Stuart Newell, Euan Barty
Associates Tel [phone];HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00010)

Digital Resells Intel Parallel Computers 06/01/92
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- Digital Equipment Corporation
and Intel Corporation have signed an OEM (original equipment
manufacturing) agreement under which Digital will
resell massively parallel processing (MPP) computers based on
Intel's MPP technology.

The agreement extends the two companies' recently announced
collaboration on a range of joint MPP projects.

Combining the strengths of the two industry giants,
Digital's new systems will bring the benefits of Intel's
MPP technology to customers in the traditional mid-range computing
market, where Digital is a leader worldwide.

Intel will continue to focus its resources on the MPP
supercomputer market, a segment in which Intel already has
established itself as the leading vendor.

"We are very excited about combining Intel's proven MPP
technology with our knowledge of, and access to, the systems
marketplace," said Sanford Law, Digital's regional special
systems marketing manager. "This agreement will make Digital
the only supplier to support and advance both leading
hardware styles of massively parallel computing - MIMD and
SIMD.

"Our strategy from the outset has been to stimulate the
development of architecture independent software for
massively parallel computing. Our commitment to both
architectures, along with our current investments in
software, including the collaboration with Intel, should be
viewed as further encouragement to software developers that
MPP is an important growth sector."

Digital initially will market systems based on Intel's
highly successful iPSC/860. Details of the program will be
announced this summer. Digital will subsequently incorporate
Intel's Paragon technology into its offerings in the summer
of 1993. Intel will continue to sell large configurations of
the iPSC/860 and all configurations of the Paragon XPS
through its direct supercomputer sales force.

The two companies are also collaborating to identify and
port key third party application software packages to the
Intel architecture, making the packages suitable for both
the Intel and Digital systems.

This OEM and distribution relationship follows a joint
software development collaboration announced last April in
which Digital and Intel combined forces to meet the growing
demand for application development and systems software for
MPP systems.

The first project, called High Performance Fortran (HPF),
involves the development of a compiler that facilitates
creation and porting of applications for MPP systems using
the familiar Fortran programing language.

(Brett Cameron/19920530/Press Contact: Walter Cheung, Digital
(HK), Tel: [phone]; HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00011)

Australian Firm Buys AUS$4M Stake in US Telecom Company 06/01/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- Australian-based electronics
company Stanilite Pacific has acquired an AUS$4M stake in
California-based telecommunications company, Qwest. The purchase is
part of Stanilite's strategy to expand its presence in the Asia
Pacific telecommunications market, as well as a general launch to
international markets.

With the purchase, Stanilite now owns a 30 percent stake in Qwest,
which manufactures two-way trunked radio systems. Despite interests
in New Zealand and Hong Kong, and a relationship with a Singaporean
company, the Qwest purchase is its first major international
acquisition. The purchase should be the major stepping stone for
Stanilite to the international arena.

Qwest already has contracts in China and Canada, and Stanilite and
Qwest have already won contracts worth around AUS$14M for trunked
radio networks in these areas. Trunked radio systems is a new field
for Stanilite, which has traditionally manufactured civilian and
defense electronic and electrical systems. Stanilite sees the
trunked systems, which make more efficient use of radio bands, as a
major part in the future of Asian communications where congestion
can make other systems difficult to use. The two companies have
agreed to cooperate in research and development as part of the deal,
and Stanilite will also increase its local operations.

(Sean McNamara/19920601)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00012)

New For PC: MPC Starter, Upgrade Kits From Creative Labs 06/01/92
MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- Creative Labs,
makers of the Sound Blaster and Sound Blaster Pro sound cards, has
announced a new, low priced Multimedia Starter Kit, and a lower
price and additional software titles for its original Multimedia
Upgrade Kit. Both kits are for the upgrade of an IBM or compatible
personal computer (PC) to a multimedia personal computer (MPC).

The new Starter kit contains everything that is in the more expensive
Creative Labs Multimedia Upgrade Kit except the musical instrument
digital interface (MIDI) and the larger library of compact disc read-
only memory (CD-ROM) titles, and is retail priced at $650, Creative
Labs said.

The Sound Blaster Pro stereo sound system, an internal CD-ROM drive,
the Microsoft Bookshelf Reference Library, and the Sound Blaster Pro
collection of software are all included in the Starter Kit, Creative
Labs said.

The CD-ROM drive in the starter kit has a volume control and phone
jack on the front panel. The drive connects to an interface on the
Sound Blaster Pro card for data transfer with the PC and audio
connections with the sound card, so both the card and the CD-ROM only
require one expansion slot in the PC. The CD-ROM drive meets the MPC
standard for performance with a 64 kilobyte (K) buffer and a 150 K
per second direct data transfer rate, Creative Labs said.

The company said the Sound Blaster Pro includes a stereo
digital/analog mixer, a four-operator FM synthesizer chip for 20
voices, recording sampling rates from 4 kilohertz (KHz) to 44.1 KHz,
a built-in amplifier, a volume control, and microphone and stereo
line-in jacks. Software included with the Sound Blaster Pro allows
for text-to-voice applications, voice or music recording and editing,
integration of sound with graphic animation, and control of standard
audio CDs, Creative Labs added.

The Upgrade Kit has been reduced in price $50 from the suggested
retail of $849 to $799. An additional four multimedia titles have been
added as well.

Macromind, a multimedia presentation package; Authorware Star, an
authoring tool; Multimedia Works for Windows from Microsoft; and Tempra,
a professional graphics and presentation system are all included now
in the lower priced Upgrade Kit. Already included is Microsoft
Windows 3.1, Microsoft Bookshelf, the Sherlock Holmes
Consulting Detective multimedia game, Creative Sounds professional
audio clips, and a collection of sound clips with musical instrument
digital interface (MIDI) files called Creative Music Clips 400.

Creative Labs also has the distinction of having the software drivers
for the Sound Blaster Pro and Sound Blaster cards built-in to
Microsoft Windows 3.1. The new Starter Kit is expected to be available
June 1st, Creative Labs said.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920601/Press Contact: Ellen Hunter, SIPR for
Creative Labs, 408-437-1880; Arnold Waldstein, Creative Labs, tel
408/428-6600, fax [phone])


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

 ****Apple Unbundling Future System Features 06/01/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- Apple Computer is introducing
a new "modular" approach to its system software for the Macintosh
which could see some users paying many times more than they pay at
the moment.

For years, Macintosh operating system software upgrades were
distributed free, but a change was made with the introduction of the
current System 7. While the software itself can still be downloaded
free of charge from bulletin board systems, a packaged set with
manuals is sold through retail channels in most countries. In Australia,
for instance, the price is approximately US$110.

Two weeks ago Apple launched two of what is to be a series of
extension modules, each with a price greater than the operating
system itself. Some of these modules may be built into future system
software releases. These two modules are a Quicktime Starter kit and a
PC Exchange desktop accessory.

A prior add-on was the AppleTalk Remote Access pack. An electronic
mail module is believed to be in preparation.

Bill Harrington, Apple Australia's software product manager, said the
new modular system would mean faster delivery of new technologies.
He also said that users would only have to pay for the components
they needed, and would not have to load-up the system with unwanted
software, minimizing the "memory footprint."

(David Frith and Paul Zucker/19920601)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00014)

UK: Wordperfect Instructor Kits For Trainers 06/01/92
ADDLESTONE, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- Wordperfect UK
has developed a range of training packages designed to assist
trainers in companies or organizations who need to get users of
Wordperfect (DOS and Windows), Wordperfect Office, Wordperfect
Mac or Drawperfect, up to speed as quickly as possible,

All the packages cost UKP 30, with the exception of the Macintosh
training kit, which costs UKP 20. UKP 6 is payable for postage
and packing.

Tina White, instructional services manager with Wordperfect UK
said that developing a training course from the ground up takes a
great deal of time and effort, especially when users have to
create a range of illustrations and exercises.

"Basically, the instructor kits are designed to free Wordperfect
trainers from the problems associated with this, and to provide
them with everything they might need to develop a professional-
looking training course. Even our own instructors in-house use
these kits," she said.

As supplied, the kits come in a A4-sized box and are designed to
free trainers from the problems of creating training materials
from scratch. At the same time, the packages can be used to
customize training courses for the staff. They contain a printed
course outline; transparency masters and files on 3.5 and 5.25-inch
disks to modify the basic course. This, Wordperfect claims, allows
the trainer to add his or her own individual style to the courses.

(Steve Gold/19920528/Press & Public Contact: Wordperfect UK -
Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BRU)(00015)

June 22: Innovation In The 90s Conference In Brussels 06/01/92
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- "Innovation In The Nineties"
which is to be held in Brussels on the 22 and 23 June 1992, is an
international conference on policies and priorities for industrial
innovation and technology transfer (ITT) in Europe to the
end of the decade.

Sponsored and organized by the Directorate-General for
Telecommunications, Information Industries and Innovation of the
Commission of the European Communities, the conference aims to
review the European Community's performance in the IT field and to
assess challenges facing established policy for innovation at both
Community and national levels.

The adequacy of existing policies and supports will be examined,
as will the need for new measures to meet the changed conditions
in Europe during the last decade of the century. Particular attention
will be given to conditions likely to affect innovative performance
in a post-1992, frontier-free Community, a Community facing demand
for membership from many new countries, as well as the emerging
potential of Central and Eastern Europe.

Factors affecting company performance and management of
innovation will also be aired, and the problems and needs of small
and medium-sized companies will be examined.

The Conference will be structured around three core themes:
technology diffusion and dissemination; innovation infrastructure
and support systems; and innovation policy issues.

Dealing principally with policy and strategic issues, the
conference will be particularly relevant to policy makers, corporate
planners and analysts, public administrators, and others concerned
with formulating, implementing, and managing innovation in firms
and the public sector, organizers say. Opening and closing
plenary sessions will address the overall question of Europe's
innovative performance and look to future requirements in the field
of innovative policy.

A program and registration form may be obtained from "Innovation
In The Nineties" Conference, rue de l'Abbaye 27a, B-1050
Brussels, Belgium. Tel. [phone]; Fax [phone]

(Peter Jones/19920529 Press contact: Ms. Christine Nicasi DG XIII/C-4,
SPRINT Programme)Commission of the European Communities L-2920
Luxembourg Tel. [phone]; Fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00016)

New For PC: IBM To Resell Datalus' OS/2 MultiMedia DeskTop 06/01/92
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A, 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- IBM has begun
remarketing MultiMedia DeskTop, an interactive software
presentation and development tool from Datalus, Inc., of Okemus,
Michigan, through its Multimedia Information Center.

MultiMedia DeskTop is designed for creating training and education
courses, presentations, and multimedia kiosk systems. Written in
Asymetrix ToolBook's OpenScript language, it is designed to look
like an electronic book. Interactive presentations are created
entirely in Asymetrix ToolBook, and MultiMedia DeskTop also
includes materials for completing the pre-production stages of the
presentation.

Every piece of an interactive presentation resides in the system's
hard drive and the video, audio, stills, graphics and text can be
modified in real time, IBM said.

MultiMedia DeskTop also provides dynamic linking for the
ActionMedia II Digital Video Interactive (DVI) card developed by
IBM and Intel.

IBM said MultiMedia DeskTop allows developers to use three screen
types typically found in interactive videos: menus; questions; and
video with optional text, graphics, or audio. It can also collect
still pictures from motion video, pause and change the video source
while capturing video, and set a timer to end a recording
automatically.

MultiMedia DeskTop runs on the OS/2 operating system. It sells for
$395, and requires Asymetrix Toolbook for OS/2, which sells
separately for $299.95.

(Grant Buckler/19920529/Press Contact: Jim Keller, IBM,
914-642-5472; Dr. Michael Ezzo, Datalus, 517-347-1333)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00017)

Over 2000 Signed Up For Win32 Developers Conference 06/01/92
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- Microsoft has
announced that more than 2000 software developers have already
registered for its July developers conference.

The conference, to held in San Francisco's Moscone Center, starts
July 6, and runs three days. Microsoft said more than 120 of the
registrants are from outside the US.

The conference is not for the casual user. Attendees will be
introduced to the Win32 API (applications program interface)
software developers kit (SDK), and is aimed at programming
professionals. Features will be highly technical discussions and
demonstrations of the Win32 API and the Win32s API, the Windows NT
operating system due out at the end of the year, and development
tools for Win32.

Win32 API refers to 32-bit applications for Windows. The
Win32s API allows 32-bit applications for Windows to be
written so they will run without modification on Windows
3.1 and Windows NT.

Microsoft said more than 100 independent software developers are
committed to developing 32-bit applications for Windows. These will
reportedly range from PC productivity software to workstation
applications and development tools. ISVs have already demonstrated
32-bit applications for Window on various computers, including
laptops, MIPS-based workstation, and multiprocessing systems.

Microsoft said that senior engineers will deliver over 50
technical sessions on topics such as Windows NT general architecture,
including kernel and subsystem architecture; networking; Win32 API;
Windows NT graphics device interface; and the toolkit.

Keynote speaker at the conference will be Microsoft Chairman Bill
Gates. Hardware and software vendors will be demonstrating products
for Windows NT.

You can register for the conference by calling 800-227-4679 from
within the US. International attendees can call 206-635-6435.
Until June 19th, the registration fee is $795; after that it will
cost $845 to sign up.

(Jim Mallory/19920529/Press contact: Collins Hemingway, Microsoft,
206-882-8080)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00018)

 ****New NTT Fax Machine Sends Fax In 3 Seconds 06/01/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- NTT has developed a digital fax
machine with a super-fast data transmission rate and a cipher and
decipher capability to protect data from unauthorized snooping.

NTT's latest G4-type fax machine is said to be able to send an
A4-sized page in only 3 seconds. It is also equipped with a laser
printer instead of a conventional thermal printer. Called the "D5000"
it works both on ISDN-based (integrated services digital network)
INS networks and regular public phone lines.

The pictures and text, NTT says, are extremely clear with 64
gradation mode. With an "instant memory" feature, a document
can be read into the machine's memory at a very fast speed. The
multitasking feature of this fax machine also enables the user
to input a document to the machine even as it is receiving a fax
message. The fax paper is loaded on A4 and B4-size cartridges.

The major advantage of this fax machine is its data cryptographic
feature. The data can be ciphered as it is sent to the recipient. Then
it is deciphered at the recipient's fax machine. The only problem
is that the recipient needs the same fax machine.

The retail price of this fax machine is 1.5 million yen ($11,500).

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920601/Press Contact: NTT, [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00019)

Motorola, Traveling Software Support Apple's "Newton" 06/01/92
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- Motorola Paging and
Telepoint Systems, has already jumped on the "Newton" bandwagon.
The communications equipment provider has announced that it will
support Apple's newly announced Personal Digital Assistant which
uses digital technology to bridge the gap between personal computers
and consumer electronics. Meanwhile, Traveling Software (TS) said
it will provide software to connect the new device to PCs.

Motorola is offering the NewsStream Advanced Information Receiver, a
wireless, one-way data receiver that will receive, store, and
transfer data to devices such as Newton.  NewsStream can also
receive e-mail.

Using Newton or a portable computer equipped with NewsStream, users
can receive information or mail while traveling, without the need to
connect to telephone lines.  Instead, national and local paging
common carriers provide the messaging service.  Motorola also offers
its own EMBARC (electronic mail broadcast to a roaming computer), a
nationwide messaging network which provides electronic mail and
information services.

Motorola's Ken Countess told Newsbytes that EMBARC will be launched
this month, with service in 70 metropolitan areas.  Within a year,
said Countess, the system will be expanded to cover more than 300
sites.

The NewsStream receiver was initially announced last April in
conjunction with Hewlett-Packard.  The receiver looks similar to the
pager carried by many business people.  It connects to personal
computers with a special RS-232 cable.  When used with a system like
an HP 95LX,a special docking unit is available that the HP unit and
the NewsStream receiver slide into.  The NewsStream receiver can
store up to 32K of information, andd has a retail price of $339.

Acording to Motorola, independent software vendors are already
developing applications for a variety of vertical markets such as
real estate, finance, contractors, medical and sales.

Meanwhile, Apple also shared the stage with Traveling Software, TS,
which is designing a connectivity product for the Newton.
TS spokesperson Marci Maule told Newsbytes that its connectivity
package for Newton isn't a reality yet, and said she didn't know
when it would come to market.

TS said it plans to incorporate its Universal Communications Object
(UCO) into the connectivity software for Newton.  Maule said UCO can
be adapted for use in any operating system.

(Jim Mallory/19920601/Press contact:  Ken Countess, Motorola,
305-475-5603; Marci Maule, Traveling Software, 206-483-8088)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00020)

Film Scanner Survives LA Riot Fires 06/01/92
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- There were lots
of small stories within the big story about the riots and fires in
Los Angeles recently.  One of those stories is about Samy's Camera.

When it became apparent that things in south central Los Angeles
were getting bad, Samy's Camera closed to avoid putting its employees
and customers in danger from the rioters.  Unfortunately, that
didn't save the store. Vandals set it afire and the entire building,
including its complete inventory, went up in smoke.

But Samy's customers, employees, and suppliers are loyal.  They, and
Samy's neighbors, turned out en masse to help with the clean-up.  "It
was incredible," said Allan Adler, director of Samy's electronic
imaging division.  "I guess because Samy himself has helped so many
photographers throughout the years, it's come back to him. Everybody
pitched in," Adler said.

While the volunteer helpers were cleaning up the rubble, they found
a Nikon film scanner which had just been serviced.  The box
containing the scanner was so charred Adler says it just fell away
when it was touched.  Inside, the scanner was covered with soot.
Someone plugged it in, and amazingly, it worked.

It will have to be replaced because of damage to the housing, but in
the meantime the company to which it belongs is using it while awaiting
the replacement from Nikon.

As so often happens in the face of tragedy, others were there to
help. Several companies, including Candid Computer and Connecting
Point Computers, lent office space to Samy's so the company could
continue to do business.  Local pizzarias and delis sent over food,
and customers reportedly went to the homes of Samy's employees to
pay their bills.  Supplier representatives even showed up with
lumber to board up the store.  "Even our competitors offered to help
us rebuild," said Adler.

Samy's operated from a tent for a week, while a former car
dealership was rebuilt to meet its needs.  Twelve days after the
riots, Samy's reopened in its new location.

Alder said Samy's is looking forward to getting back to normal, but
added, "Things will never be the same.  We've been humbled a bit, and
our personal perspectives on the human condition have changed, for
the better."

(Jim Mallory/19920601/Press contact: Helen Cohen Smith, Greenstone
Roberts Inc, 516-249-3366)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00021)

Madge Networks Expanding Token Ring Offerings 06/01/92
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- Madge Networks is
preparing to announce two new products. Newsbytes has learned that
these new products are continuing Madge's push to be the complete
provider of Token Ring products.

Madge will be introducing its Intelligent hub known as the SmartCAU
as well as a high performance stand-alone bridge. Both of these new
products will come with a network management software package that
can run on PCs. The network management software is available to
buyers of the other two products free of charge.

The Madge SmartCAU is the first intelligent hub that Madge will
market. The intelligence part refers to its ability to be managed
remotely via IBM's Heterogeneous LAN Management Protocol (HLM).
Those who are more familiar with Ethernet terminology should note
that HLM is equivalent in functions to SNMP (Simple Network
Management Protocol).

Another major benefit that this smart hub confers is the ability
to detect and foil an attempt to access the network using the wrong
ring speed. A relatively common problem with Token Ring has
developed as a result of there being two speeds at which it can
operate. You can just imagine the chaos that occurs when a four Mbps
stations tried to access a network that is set up as a 16 Mbps ring!
With this new hub, Madge has put in a feature that detects the speed
at which a station is attempting to log in.

If there is a discrepancy, the hub will shut down that port and will
notify the network administration of the attempt. This notification
takes on two forms. First, there are red LEDs on the hub itself and
the LED that corresponds to the port where the attempt is being made will
light up. Secondly, a pop-up window will appear on the network
administrator's computer telling him that an attempt was made by
a certain port to log into the network at the wrong ring speed.

The new stand-alone hub is being billed by Madge as being the best
performing bridge in the Token Ring industry to date. Madge points
to its 12,500 frame-per-second throughput and compares it to IBM's
3,500 frame-per-second rate. Madge also talks about its ability to
route Novell's IPX traffic over the bridge as well as the use of
its own Fastmac for the core technology as important attributes of
this new product.

All of the products announced at this time are slated for shipment
in August of this year. The Smart Ringbridge (Part number 58-21)
will sell for $6995. The SmartCAU (Part #55-21) will sell for $2995.
The SmartLAM/STP (Part # 55-10) will sell for $1995. The Fiber Trunk
Link Module (Part # 55-25) will sell for $1195.

(Naor Wallach/19920601, Press Contact: Marina Donovan, Madge Networks,
408-451-1434)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00022)

BCE Takes Over As Canada's Biggest Company 06/01/92
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- BCE Inc., the holding
company behind Northern Telecom and Canada's largest regional
telephone company, Bell Canada, has supplanted General Motors
Canada as the country's largest company. So says Canadian Business
magazine in its annual ranking of Canada's top 500 companies.

Canadian Business ranks companies by revenue. According to its
figures, BCE edged into top spot with C$19.884 million in revenues
in 1991, topping GM Canada's C$19.304 million. The 1991 figures
represented an 8.2-percent revenue increase for BCE, while GM
Canada' revenues climbed only 4.6 percent.

In an article accompanying the rankings, Canadian Business Editor
Randall Litchfield wrote that the change "can only jolt some
traditional preconceptions of the country's economy. The top
company in the Canadian Business Corporate 500 neither fells trees,
pumps oil, extracts minerals nor assembles a product as its primary
way to earn money. It sells a service -- telecommunications.

"Equally remarkable," Litchfield continued, "may be the fact that
Canada's biggest company is no longer a subsidiary of a U.S.
multinational. It is owned by Canadians, and a lot of us at that."

BCE has been making larger profits than GM Canada for several
years, and 1991 was no exception, with BCE's $1.329-million net
income weighing in at more than four times GM Canada's C$323.31
million.

The only other information technology company in the top 50 is IBM
Canada, ranked 16th with revenues of C$6.255 million. IBM moved up
from 23rd spot in 1990. Telus, the newly privatized company that
provides telephone service in Alberta, ranked 90th -- up from 103rd
-- with C$1.227 in revenues. Rogers Communications, which operates
the data communications carrier and would-be long-distance
competitor Unitel as well as cable television services, came 109th
with C$995,100th in revenues.

Digital Equipment Canada moved well up from 141st to 112th spot,
recording C$941,400 in 1991 revenues. InterTan Canada, which
operates Radio Shack and Tandy stores worldwide, jumped from 172nd
to 125th spot with C$814.9 million in revenues.

(Grant Buckler/19920601/Press Contact: Canadian Business,
416-364-4266, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(TOR)(00023)

Report Sees Mac Software Growth, Lower Prices 06/01/92
FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- Shipments of
Macintosh productivity software will almost double from 1991
through 1996, according to a recent report from research firm
International Data Corporation (IDC). IDC sees sales of Macintosh
software climbing from 1.4 million units in 1991 to 2.7 million in
1996.

However, IDC also predicted that in almost every segment of the
market -- which includes all mainstream applications, such as
database, word processing, and spreadsheet packages -- prices will
fall and dealers margins will shrink due to increased competition.
The only exception will be the database market, IDC said.

Database software will represent the fastest growing Mac software
segment, IDC forecast, growing from 185,700 units in 1990 to
638,600 by the end of 1996. That translates to a compound annual
growth rate of 22.9 percent. At the same time, revenues will rise
from $67.4 million in 1990 to $234.3 million in 1996.

Database software has historically been little used on Macintoshes,
the IDC report said, largely because Mac users buy the machines
mainly for their ease of use, and database software is seen as hard
to use. However, the report said, "the Macintosh customer today is
a closet database user." Most Mac users need database capabilities,
even if today they are using a spreadsheet or other type of program
to do the job. As database software becomes easier to use, IDC
expects demand for the packages to grow rapidly.

Meanwhile, the report raises some questions about the future of the
Macintosh itself. "Whether or not Apple can maintain its momentum
of success in expanding its market penetration at all hardware
levels is a tough call," said Joan-Carol Brigham, IDC's director of
PC graphics and video products research. "The Macintosh is a great
platform for just about anything you'd ever want to do on a
personal computer, but the competition is strong. Apple's own
growth strategy is complex, and the worldwide economy is currently
weak."

According to IDC's report, Apple his a two-year window of
opportunity in 1992 and 1993. Its growth plan calls for strong
high-end system penetration into corporate accounts, increasing
market share largely through mass marketing of low-end machines,
international expansion, and a profitable codevelopment venture
with IBM.

If Apple fails to accomplish at least some of these goals, IDC
warned, it could share the fate of midrange computer vendors such
as Wang and Prime Computer, now struggling to find new roles after
their proprietary hardware businesses crumbled.

(Grant Buckler/19920601/Press Contact: Nancy Findley, IDC,
508-935-4489, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00024)

Borland Walking Tightrope With Drop Of AT Suits 06/01/92
SCOTTS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- Borland was
wide and generous to the dBASE community when it was the biggest fish
in the dBASE pond after its purchase of Ashton-Tate, but now the
company's tone has changed with the official drop of suits Ashton-
Tate was pursuing. The change appears to be directed at Microsoft,
which recently announced it is entering the dBASE arena with the
purchase of Fox Software.

Borland announced today it has finally officially dropped the
copyright suits it promised to stop upon its purchase of Ashton-Tate,
the company credited with the development of the business software
product dBASE. Ashton-Tate was pursuing Fox Software and the Santa
Cruz Operation in roller coaster legal battles that appeared would
continue for years.

Under the terms of the Borland purchase of the dBASE giant, the US
government required Borland drop any suits Ashton-Tate was pursuing
over copyright infringement. Borland's President Philippe Kahn
had already publicly announced his intention to do just that before
the government requirements to do so.

But threatening undertones exist in the most recent Borland
announcement. Kahn specifically goes out of his way to congratulate
Microsoft on its recognition of the dBASE standard by its purchase of
Fox Software. However, in the next paragraph of the announcement,
Borland claims nothing in the US government requirement that it
drop the Ashton-Tate suits affects its copyrights in the dBASE
products.

Further, Borland says the decree specifically confirms that nothing
in it precludes it from asserting copyright infringement actions with
respect to all other aspects of those programs. Borland also is
reminding everyone that the consent decree will expire on the 10th
anniversary of its date of entry.

Borland inherited those copyrights, which some speculate might be
unenforceable because of the fact that the parent of dBASE, Vulcan,
was originally developed at Jet Propulsion Labs in Pasadena.

Borland also went out of its way to say that published reports that
the decree puts aspects of the dBASE products in the public domain
were incorrect.

Borland may be trying to walk a tight rope between fending off a suit
filed against it by Lotus and keeping Microsoft at bay. Kahn said
last year the Ashton-Tate/Fox Software suit is very similar to the
Lotus suit against Borland.

In today's announcement, Borland took the opportunity to restate its
position that menu names and command structures are functional
systems that are not protectable under copyright law. This is
significant in the light of the company's long-standing legal fight
with Lotus, expected to go to trial this year, under which Lotus is
claiming Borland's Quattro Pro infringes on its Lotus 1-2-3 product.

While many agree with Borland, Lotus has already won a similar suit
against tiny Brown Bag Software, who paid up and dropped its 1-2-3
look-alike product.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920601/Press Contact: Sandra Hawker, Borland, tel
408-439-1659, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00025)

1st Single-Chip Video Decoder Intro'd 06/01/92
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- The first single chip
for decoding compressed video was introduced by C-Cube Microsystems
at the Summer Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago. The company says
the chip allows Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)-coded video to be
played from a compact disc (CD) and says the chip will allow cost
effective implementation of video in the next generation of consumer
electronic products.

The new chip, the CL450, could be used in electronic products such
as CD-based interactive games, movie, and educational systems,
C-Cube said.

The company said the chip was developed with input from N.V.
Philips, JVC Research and Development Division, and others and is
fully compatible with Philips specification for its Compact Disc
Interactive (CD-I) product. Philips said it plans MPEG full motion
video decoding as an enhancement to its CD-I product.

The chip has a reduced instruction set chip (RISC) engine that can be
reprogrammed for specific applications, C-Cube said. In fact the chip
has already been customized for the CD-I player and includes blank,
display-still, and freeze frame capabilities, C-Cube maintains.

C-Cube, located in Milpitas, California, says its focus is
to supply products that enable true-color images and full-
motion video to be used in fast-growing applications areas
such as color desktop publishing, image databases, digital
video editing, video mail, multimedia video production, CD-
ROM-based video, and direct broadcast of video from
satellites.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920601/Press Contact: Scott St. Clair, C-
Cube Microsystems, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00026)

UK: Seven Convicted Of Credit Card Scam 06/01/92
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- Seven men have been
convicted of defrauding Visa and Mastercard in what appears to be
the first fraud of its type in the UK -- using credit card
details from genuine transactions to manufacture copy cards.

The seven, who were handed various sentences, ranging from
one to four and a half years at Birmingham Crown Court last week,
were caught after police officers, investigating what was thought
to be a routine case of card theft, turned into a full-scale
fraud.

Four of the seven bought a burglar alarm from a car accessory
centre for UKP 81 and, although the Visa card they were using
resulted in an authorized transaction, a subsequent fault on the
electronic terminal meant that staff had to manually re-enter the
transaction the next day. While entering the data, the merchant
realized that the card was issued to a company with which the
four men had nothing to do. As a result, the transaction was
rejected.

Six weeks later, when the same four men attempted to buy four
tires from the same merchant, the police were called and the
group of four were taken in for questioning.

After contacting the company to whom the card was originally
issued, the police in the case discovered that the firm was
already disputing several other transactions. After contacting
the merchants with whom the disputed transactions had taken
place, the police struck lucky when one retailer remembered who
had made the purchase -- a group of smart young men had visited
Jefferson's wine bar and, after tipping heavily, had paid for
their night's fun with a credit card. The UKP 96 bill was charged
to the company's credit card.

Subsequent investigation revealed that the same group had visited
the wine bar five times before and, on each occasion, paid for
their drinks with a different credit card. By now hot on the
trail, the police contacted the genuine cardholders and found, in
every case, that they were disputing the transactions with the
Visa card issuer.

Detailed examination of the most recent statements from the
cardholders who were disputing their transactions revealed that
they had all recently dined at a restaurant in Birmingham where
one of the defendants worked as a waiter.

It subsequently turned out that the young waiter was passing
card details of several of the more wealthy customers,
particularly Gold card holders, onto accomplices who then
created a forged card, complete with magnetic stripe on the back.
The stripe was encoded using a UKP 250 magnetic strip encoder
which can be bought from several outlets.

In the court case, the prosecution alleged that the seven
defendants had completed 272 card transactions using cards
belonging to 24 individuals and companies. During their UKP
45,000 spending spree, the group visited Paris for a UKP 3,000-
plus weekend.

Bank officials involved in the case are remaining coy on the
mechanics of the fraud. After initially claiming that the fraud
was not technically possible, bank spokesmen are quoted as
admitting that, under certain circumstances, such a fraud could
be possible.

According to Alistair Kelman, a barrister specializing in
computer law, the banks are claiming that they have tightened up
their systems so that a recurrence is not possible. Speaking with
Newsbytes, Kelman said that he was very skeptical about this
claim, since the card's magnetic stripes are encoded using
internationally laid down specifications.

"If the cards are encoded to ISO standards, I don't see how it is
possible to alter the way cards are encoded in the UK. This
suggests to me that a similar crime could be carried out again,
using a credit or a debit card," he told Newsbytes.

(Steve Gold/19920601)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00027)

UK: Wyse Intros Industry's First Cyrix-Powered Notebook 06/01/92
TWYFORD, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- Wyse Technology
has launched the Decisionmate 486SLC, a notebook computer that it
claims is the industry's first to be based around the recently
unveiled Cyrix CX486SLC chipset.

According to Mark Jordan, general manager for Wyse's Northern
Europe division, the machine will ship from the end of this month
with a price tag of UKP 1,555.

"We're pleased to go on record with one of the first notebooks
based on Cyrix's 486SLC chip, which offers 486 performance at 386
price. We have made this technology even more attractive to users
through the sleek, ultra-light design of our notebook and the
exceptionally low price," he said.

Wyse is making some impressive claims for the five-pound
notebook. According to the company, Landmark benchmarks rate the
486SLC microprocessor as giving a performance score of 78.33
compared to the 22 to 28 rating for a 386SX microprocessor.

The notebook is one of the first to implement a newly designed
suspend and resume capability that Wyse claims uses no power
while suspended. This allows the notebook to be left "on" in a
suspended state for long periods if required, company officials
said.

Other features of the notebook include support for the new
advanced power management (APM) BIOS interface developed jointly
by Intel and Microsoft. This interface provides for full power
management compatibility with DOS 5.0 and Windows 3.1
applications software.

Wyse's new notebook comes with the 4 megabytes (MB) of memory,
upgradeable to 8MB internally, with a choice of 80 or 120MB hard
disks. The 120MB version sells for UKP 1,825. Both models come
with DOS 5.0 supplied as standard.

(Steve Gold/19920601/Press & Public Contact: Wyse Technology -
Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SFO)(00028)

Adobe's Kidnapped Geschke Freed 06/01/92
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- The FBI freed
kidnapped Adobe Systems co-founder Charles Geschke on Saturday,
after four days of captivity. Two men, Mouhannad Albukhari, 26, of
San Jose, and Jack Mohd Sayeh, 25, of Campbell, were arrested in
connection with the crime.

A ransom payment of $650,000 had been left by his daughter at a
drop-off point demanded by the kidnappers, but when one of the
men attempted to pick it up, at 12.30 AM at a deserted beach near
Marina, about 10 miles northeast of Monterey on the Pacific Coast
highway, he was arrested. According to a San Francisco Chronicle
report, FBI spokeswoman Barbara Madden said that the kidnapper then led
agents to a house in Holister, about 60 miles south of San Jose,
California, where Geschke was being held.

Geschke was reportedly kidnapped from Adobe System's
parking lot on Tuesday morning as he arrived for work. His wife
was contacted by the kidnappers shortly after noon on Tuesday.

According to an AP report, the two kidnappers called Geschke
to their car to ask him a question, and then abducted him at
gunpoint. The report quotes an FBI agent named Richard Held,
who said that a third kidnapper may be involved.

The Chronicle reports that the second kidnapper was pacing
outside the rented dwelling in Holister when agents drove up.
Seeing the agents he ran away but was apprehended after
about a block.

Rebecca Michaels, spokesperson for the company, told
Newsbytes that company officials would not be available for
comment until late Monday morning, after Newsbytes deadline,
due to a "company meeting."

(Ian Stokell/19920601)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00029)

Realtime to Run on HP Workstations 06/01/92
BILLERICA, MASSACHUSETTS U.S.A., 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- In a
move aimed at stock brokerage traders and investment analysts,
Hewlett-Packard has announced the availability of Lotus Realtime,
a real-time analytical tool, for its HP Apollo 9000 Series 700 and
HP 700/RX workstations.

Realtime allows financial data from Reuters and other financial
information services to be fed into Lotus 1-2-3 in real time,
instantaneously updating traders' and analysts' spreadsheets,
according to the company.

Use of the product saves time over the traditional method of
manually typing in data from ticker tapes, enabling financial
professionals to reach decisions based on the most current
information available, said a public relations spokesperson.
Recently, HP has been targeting its workstations at the financial
marketplace, she added.

"Demand for our workstations is growing on Wall Street and in
other financial venues around the world. We are fueling that
interest by continuing to deliver easy-to-use low-cost
workstations, leading-edge applications development tools, and
leading applications like Lotus Real-time," commented Gary B.
Eichhorn, general manager of HP's Workstations Systems Business
Unit.

The investment community is particularly impressed with the
high speed of the HP workstations, a capability that is critical in
the quickly moving financial marketplace, the spokesperson
explained. HP's high-end workstations, the Series 700, deliver
performance of up to 77.5 SPECmarks and 76.7 MIPS, for example.

Realtime is also available for Sun and DEC Ultrix workstations.

The HP version is priced at $1,150 per concurrent license. For
a limited time, the product will be available with Lotus 1-2-3 for
a price of $1,660 per concurrent license. When sold separately,
1-2-3 is priced at $695 per concurrent license.

The product is slated to ship July 1.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19920601)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00030)

Datacraft Sets Up In Taiwan 06/01/92
TAIPEI, TAIWAN, 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- The continued growth of the
communications business in Taiwan and government commitment to the
rapid development of Taiwan's infrastructure have set the scene for
the establishment of Datacraft in Taiwan.

The setting up of a direct presence in Taiwan is part of Datacraft's
strategic expansion into the region. The new operation will be
emphasizing Datacraft's capabilities in enterprise-wide communications
networking for the Taiwan market.

Many infrastructure projects are planned in Taiwan over the next five
years. This commitment to growth by the Taiwan government will
inevitably attract international corporations that have a need to
communicate," said Jackson Wu, Datacraft Taiwan's president.
"I'm very excited about opening up what is certain to be an important
market for Datacraft," he said.

Des Althorp, managing director of Datacraft Asia, said the opening of
an office in Taiwan represents the continuation of Datacraft's
strategic expansion throughout the region.

"Taiwan is a critical market for us in North Asia, and the opening of a
Datacraft office in Taipei extends our geographical coverage and moves
us further towards our goal of becoming the region's largest
data communication systems integrator," Mr Anthrop said.

Mr Wu said Datacraft Taiwan will focus on three areas in particular
within the fast-growing Taiwan market. He said Datacraft is in a
position to benefit from increased requirements for advanced networking
facilities by the Directorate General of Telecommunications (DGT),
private enterprises, and infrastructural projects.

Datacraft's years of experience in developing specialized solutions for
Australia Telecom and Hong Kong Telecom should make Datacraft a front-
runner for DGT network enhancement projects, said Mr Wu.

In addition, he said, virtually every infrastructure project requires
communications systems to enable monitoring and control of
construction, while firms engaged in work on the projects require their
own reliable communication facilities.

(Brett Cameron/19920530/Press contact: Vincent Lum, Datacraft Asia,
Tel: [phone];HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00031)

Synon Opens Hongkong Office 06/01/92
CENTRAL, HONGKONG, 1992 JUN 1 (NB) -- Synon Corporation, a
leading supplier of CASE tools for IBM mid-range systems, has
established a direct presence in Hong Kong.

The new office will serve as the company's Asia headquarters
and will provide technical, marketing, and service support to
a growing network of distributors.

Synon products are currently distributed by CSSL in Hong
Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore, with IBM and dealers
Toppan Moore Systems and CMS in Taiwan. Following strong
customer demand, the company has an active program to sign
additional distributors in the PRC, Indonesia and the
Philippines.

"We are committed to building on the excellent work that CSSL
has done so far and to extending our marketing and
distribution channels throughout Asia," said Patrick Batty,
Synon's Director, Asia Pacific who is based in Australia.
"The fact that Synon is the only significant CASE vendor
with a Hong Kong office will enable us to offer unrivalled
levels of support and technical expertise to our customers."

Ian Pawlik, division manager at CSSL said, "We are delighted
that Synon has decided to directly support its Asian
operations out of Hong Kong. There are now almost 100 Synon
sites throughout the region and we believe there is strong
potential for future growth."

Pawlik added that growth in Hong Kong has followed the
territory's transformation into a sophisticated services-
based economy. "Users are increasingly prepared to invest in
customized software to achieve a competitive edge," he said.

"At the same time, they are moving away from traditional,
proprietary solutions toward more flexible, faster and open
systems-based CASE solutions where there is an established
community of developers. As the leading CASE software vendor
for IBM mid-range platforms, Synon is strongly placed to
meet that demand."

The office, in Admiralty Centre, was officially launched by
Chris Herron, president of Synon Corporation in the United
States.

Managed by a team of experienced technical and marketing
specialists from Synon in the UK, the Hong Kong office will
focus on technical presentations to customers and back-up
for CSSL's support operation.

Technical specialists include Guy Riddle and Phil Hobbs.
Both joined Synon in the UK in 1988 and are said to have extensive
technical knowledge and experience of working closely with distributors
around the world. Marketing and public relations will be handled
by Sharon Williams who has coordinated the same functions for
Synon in the UK for the last three years.

(Brett Cameron/920530/Press Contact: Liz Aram, Euan Barty
Associates Tel: [phone]; HK time is GMT + 8)