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/nb920903

Text File | 1992-09-03 | 68KB | 1,524 lines

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00001)

India: ITC Group Aspires To Share Of The Software Pie 09/03/92
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- Departing from its
mainline business in the computer sector, that is, distribution
of foreign software products and exports, ITC Information
Technology Division of the tobacco and hotel giant, the ITC group,
is venturing into domestic software market with its own product.
Christened Sharp, the software package speeds up the share
registration process. Satisfied with its in-house performance,
ITC is all set to release it in the market.

Marketing of its asset management system and a package to tone
up financial services are also in the pipeline. ITC has so far been
distributing the Unify and Lotus range of products in India. Not
content with the Rs 8-crore turnover of its software business in
1991-92, ITC has set its eyes on high goals in the lucrative
software market, to raise its turnover to Rs 20 crore this year
and Rs 50 crore by 1995.

Although new to software marketing, ITC boasts of almost 18
years of experience in information technology and software
development. In spite of its export commitments and the large
presence of the parent firm in the domestic market, its
Information Systems Division (ISD) is mostly devoted to serving
the in-house needs. For the export market, ITC has developed
software packages for manufacturing, financial services,
commodity servicing, distribution network and the hotel sector
at its Calcutta unit and Bangalore software park.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19920902)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00002)

Congressional Quarterly Adds Feature To Database 09/03/92
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- The Congressional
Quarterly has added a plain-English query feature to its database.
Findit is part of the company's Washington Alert service, an
on-line version of information which also goes into its printed
publication.

Ross Evans, electronic publishing product development director,
told Newsbytes that Washington Alert is the on-line service of
the publication. "It runs on our own VAX cluster, and it's a dial-in
service. We use VAXes for our other work as well," he added,
producing publications from an Atex system that also works on a
VAX. But, over time, most of the company's VAX capacity has
become devoted to the on-line service. "Unlike most publishers,
CQ elected not to be just an information provider on other
systems but run our own on-line service."

In addition to offering service directly, "We have a gateway into
us from Westlaw," so users there can access Washington Alert,
Evans said. "We also operate a gateway out to DataTimes, only
for our clients in the US Senate," so Senate staffers can check
local newspaper files. "Findit," he added, "is designed for busy
lobbyists, reporters or researchers who need to find information
simply and quickly, without translating their topic into the
complex Boolean form required by most databases."

Other features added to the service this year include BillMatch,
which uses one bill number to identify a list of bills containing
similar language, and Focus, which identifies all documents
containing topically related words.

To use the Findit command, the Washington Alert user selects a
database from among the 19 the company offers, then types the
word Findit and enters a query such as "find articles on the
political effects of the house check kiting scandal" or "the
budget and appropriations for the Seawolf submarine."

The system will then retrieve documents which are pertinent,
ranking them on the screen for importance. Key words in the
text can then be used for subsequent searches. In this way, it
is a bit like Dow Jones News Retrieval's latest software, which
allows for plain-English search terms, then ranks stories. In
the Dow Jones case, however, users can select a pertinent
story by its number and initiate a new search.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920902/Press Contact: Ross Evans,
Congressional Quarterly, 202-887-6253)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00003)

New For PC: Maximizer For Windows Contact Manager 09/03/92
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1992 SEP 3 (NB) --
Richmond Technologies & Software will launch a Windows
version of its Maximizer contact manager this fall. The company
plans to announce the software in mid-September and ship it in mid-
October.

Earl van As, Maximizer product development manager, said the
Windows version will ship by the second week of October and
will offer a number of features not found in the present DOS
version.

Maximizer for Windows version 1.0 will support dynamic data
exchange (DDE), a Windows feature that allows easy data sharing
among applications. One use of this will be automated faxing
through a link to WinFax Pro, Windows fax software from another
Canadian company, Delrina of Toronto.

The text editor portion of Maximizer for Windows will become a
separate program with full font support, mail merge, spelling
checker, and thesaurus, the vendor said. As many as 10 editor
sessions will be able to run at once, so that jobs such as the
printing of a mass mailing and sending faxes in the background
can happen simultaneously.

Users will be able to open as many as nine windows on the
program at once to see different information and work with
different features. Pop-up tables for entering commonly used
information are intended to simplify data entry, and a new
menu item will make it easier to copy records, claimed the
company.

Richmond is also improving the software's calendar function,
offering four views: day, week, month, and two-month. Users
will be able to schedule clients as well as personal appointments,
and scheduled events will be blocked off using color codes.

The Windows version is also to feature a "hot list" for keeping
track of current tasks to be done by one or more people. This
list will be able to be sorted by date, time, priority, client
name, task, or completion status, the vendor said.

Each record for an individual or organization will be able to have
an unlimited number of documents attached to it. Also database
searching capabilities and printing options are being improved,
according to Richmond.

The retail price for Maximizer for Windows will be $249, but
Richmond is planning an introductory price of $149 until the end
of 1992. A local area network version of the software is planned
for early in 1993.

(Grant Buckler/19920901/Press Contact: Earl van As, Richmond
Technologies & Software, 604-299-2121, fax [phone];
Public Contact: Richmond Technologies & Software, 604-299-
2121)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LON)(00004)

Wordperfect Expands UK Unix Customer Support 09/03/92
ADDLESTONE, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- Wordperfect
UK has announced it is expanding its customer support department
with the addition of two new support hotlines for users of Unix
versions of WP and WP Office.

The new Unix hotline is open office hours weekdays and can be
reached on 0932-850848, while the Unix technical hotline
operates from 7am to 7pm on weekdays on 0932-858732.

According to Wordperfect, the new hotlines have been set up
in response to the growing number of calls the company is
receiving from WP Unix and Office users. Almost 50 percent of
the 165 staff at WP UK now work in customer support, where
operators are organized into four main operating groups,
supported by a resource group, which staffs the specialist
hotlines for Unix, Vax, Mac, and WP Office.

Announcing the new hotlines, David Godwin, WP UK's general
manager for sales and marketing, said they further emphasize
the company's commitment to providing the best possible
customer support in the industry. "The feedback from our
customers so far has been excellent, and we hope to further
expand and improve our support services in the near future," he
said.

To cope with the extra workload, WP has also added two new
"hold jockeys" to its staff. The two jockeys, Eimear Whelan and
Steve Dinsdale, will continue to work part-time in the customer
support department. Hold jockeys play music and general
software tips to people holding for the next available customer
representative. By detailing how many people are in the queue,
callers can make an intelligent decision on whether to hold on
or call back later.

(Steve Gold/19920902/Press & Public Contact: Wordperfect
UK - tel: [phone])


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

New For PC: Postware Merge/Purge Mailing Tool 09/03/92
LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- Postalsoft is
now  shipping its Postware Merge/Purge program, a mailing list
management tool that allows users to clean up their mailing
list.

Merge/Purge locates and deletes duplicates and reports the
sources of the names and addresses in each mailing. According
to Postware President Douglas Schmidt, users save money
using Merge/Purge.

"First they avoid paying postage for their duplicates (mailings),
and they cut their printing bills by reducing the number of
pieces  that must be produced," he said. Schmidt also maintains
that companies present a more professional image when they
send only one piece of correspondence to an addressee.

Postalsoft's Anne Grayson-Moths told Newsbytes the program is
available for a number of platforms, including DOS, DEC, Data
General, Sun, IBM RISC 6000, SCO Unix, and MIPS. It is also
available for Novell-based networks. For the DOS version, which
will also run as a DOS program under Windows, you only need
550 kilobytes (KB) of system memory.

The Plus version of Merge/Purge uses a suppression process to
eliminate duplicate mailings, and can perform the match on any
field, such as name and address. For example, if an individual's
home and business address were on the list, the user can select
which to delete.

Grayson-Moths told Newsbytes that the program has a retail
price range of $4,000 - $30,000 depending on the platform it's
to run on. Merge/Purge is an outgrowth of an earlier Postalsoft
program,  Duplicate Detection, but Grayson-Moths said Merge/
Purge has so many additional features that the company sees it
as a new program rather than as an update.

Postalsoft also develops and markets software to print barcodes
on mail, correct and add postal codes to addresses, pre-sort mail,
and palletize mail, and markets a letter coding machine.

(Jim Mallory/19920902/Press contact: Anne Grayson-Moths,
Postalsoft, 608-788-8700; Reader contact: 608-788-8700 or
800-831-6245, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00006)

 ****More Danger From Employees Than Viruses, Says DA 09/03/92
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- Assistant
District Attorney for the King County Prosecutor's office said
businesses have more to fear from employees than from
computer viruses.

Orton recently filed charges against four separate individuals,
including "Star Trek" writer Canadian Richard Brandow. Brandow
is being charged with malicious mischief in relationship to a
virus he allegedly authored that ended up being distributed by
Aldus on its Freehand software disks for the Macintosh in 1988.

However, Orton says virus related incidents are the exception.
"Most of what I see where real damage is done is by employees.
They know where the really important things on your system are
and how to get to them," Orton said. Most of his work is
pursuing cases of employees who do computer damage. Orton
offered the three other computer crime cases filed along with
the Brandow/Aldus case as examples.

Orton said his office filed charges against a state employee
who allegedly got into places he was not supposed to have
access to in the Washington State Government computer system.
"If he had known just a little bit more about what he was doing,
he could have caused checks to be issued and traffic tickets to
be canceled," Orton maintains.

Another case involved a disgruntled ex-employee who allegedly
put a date bomb in his employers computer system. Orton said
the employee was terminated, but had two weeks severance pay
coming to him, which he was informed would be four weeks in
coming. This employee then got worried about the severance pay
and gave a disk to a female employee who was instructed to fix
the bomb. The employee immediately turned the disk over to the
management. Orton said the disk would have fixed the bomb on
the system, however, a backup system was in place that was
infected and no one thought to run the disk on the back up
system. The bomb did go off on the back up system and $200,000
in billings were erased, that the company could have lost
permanently.

The third case involves Asymmetix, Microsoft co-founder Paul
Allen's firm, who was at work on a new multimedia software
product. A female employee who was terminated on a Friday
allegedly came back on a Sunday evening, copied all the files
for the multimedia software, then attempted to use the program
to set up a competing software company.

But even computer crime cases do not take up most of the DA's
time. Orton said by far most of his time is spend on economic
crimes and only five percent of his energy is spend on any type
of computer crime.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920902/Press Contact: Ivan Orton, King
County DA, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00007)

Maxtor Enhances Customer Service Support 09/03/92
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- Hoping to
enhance its reputation for support services, disk drive
manufacturer Maxtor Corp., has introduced its new "No Quibble
Service" plan.

According to the company, the No Quibble Service gives Maxtor
customers two options when returning drives for repair or
exchange: "Advance Replacement," which ships drives to end user,
original equipment manufacturing (OEM), and distribution
customers within 48 hours after phone notification that a drive
has failed; and "NO RMA," in which customers re-pack and ship
drives back to Maxtor. The paperwork is then completed by the
company upon receipt and replacement drives are shipped within
48 hours.

Barbara Nelson, vice president, sales development for Maxtor, said:
"The 'Advanced Replacement' and 'NO RMA' features of our No
Quibble Service plan make normally cumbersome return processes
quick and seamless from the customer's perspective. We're putting
our money where our mouth is and backing up our Total Customer
Satisfaction commitment with services that surpass anything
available in the industry up until now."

The company says that the No Quibble Service is available now for
all North American customers, with service to European customers
to become available later this year. Service to Far East users
is set to become available by the first quarter of calendar 1993.

At the end of June, Newsbytes reported that Maxtor had released
the 340 megabyte (MB) MXT-340 inch-high 3.5-inch Winchester
disk drive. The company claims that the MXT-340 uses the same
components and features and offers the same seek times and data
transfer rates as its parent drives, the inch-high MXT-540, which
provides 540MB formatted storage capacity, and the full-height
MXT-1240, which offers 1.2 gigabytes (GB) of storage.

In April, Newsbytes reported that the company had introduced a
new 128 MB 2.5-inch disk drive for use in the battery-powered
notebook and laptop computer markets.

(Ian Stokell/19920902/Press Contact: Barbara Nelson, Maxtor
Corp., 408-432-4171)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00008)

Virtual Reality '92 Set For Sept 23-25 09/03/92
WESTPORT, CONNECTICUT, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- The trend
towards virtual reality is evident with a new crop of conferences
due in the coming months. The Virtual Reality '92 conference and
exposition has been set for September 23 - 25, and will focus
on three major themes: applications, hardware, and software.

The show, described by organizer Meckler Corp., as "North
America's largest virtual reality, artificial reality, and
cyberspace conference and exposition," will be held at the San
Jose Fairmont Hotel.

Alan Meckler, president of Meckler, said: "This years conference
is about the business of virtual reality. It will demonstrate that
the distance between the technological promise and the business
of virtual reality has narrowed."

Estelle Moles, spokesperson for Meckler, told Newsbytes that the
show "is open to the public." However, like the current virtual
reality technology available on the market, it is not cheap.
According to Moles, if you register by September 9, the
preconference/tutorial (day one) is $200. Said Moles, it's
"basically $200 per day before September 9, and $250 a day
after." Before September 9 all three days cost $500.

According to the company, the first day will be mainly an
introduction and tutorial that will "examine the technological,
economic, and social/psychological aspects of virtual reality."
The second day will cover virtual reality applications in
entertainment, simulation in education and training, telepresence,
medical, the military, and manufacturing. Day three will cover
a range of hardware and software technologies, with topics
ranging from system architecture issues, tracking environments,
and navigating in cyberspace.

Said Randal Walser, manager of spacemaking, multimedia
department at Autodesk Inc., who is a speaker on the third
day, "In cyberspace, where there are no physical constraints, and
where it is just as easy to build something as to plan to build it,
there is no longer a reason to distinguish design from
construction. Instead of striving to improve design, it makes
more sense to work out good ways to construct things directly."

Newsbytes recently reported that the California State
University, Northridge's (CSUN) Office of Disabled Student
Services, had announced the schedule for its second annual
Virtual Reality and Disabilities Conference, set for March 17-20,
1993. The first (1992) session drew 2,200 participants.

(Ian Stokell/19920902/Press Contact: Jeneane Harter, Miller
Communications, 415-962-9550)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00009)

Symantec Offers New Version Of Multiscope Debuggers 09/03/92
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- Symantec
has announced version 2.0 of the Multiscope Debuggers for C
programmers. Symantec is marketing Multiscope products as it
acquired Multiscope in June of this year.

There are six versions of the Multiscope Debuggers, a DOS and a
Windows version for each of the C++ compilers from Borland and
Microsoft. Symantec says a DOS and a Windows version is
available for the DOS and Windows versions of Borland C++,
Microsoft C 6.0, and Microsoft C/C++ 7.0.

The debuggers offer Windows 3.1 support and the DOS versions
can be Window-hosted so the debugging of any size DOS
application can be done in a DOS Window, Symantec added.

Symantec says other debuggers on the market are simply C
debuggers extended to support the object-oriented C++
programming language. However, the Multiscope Debuggers were
designed for use with C++. The company says features specific
to C++ such as class browsing, automatic object mapping,
object-oriented breakpoints, and name unmangling are included
in the product.

The fact that the DOS product has a Windows-hosted interface is
convenient for programmers as different types of information in
multiple windows can be displayed on the same screen, making it
easier to visualize and keep track of program details, Symantec
maintains.

Symantec lists other new features as: a "point-and-shoot,"
collapse and expand C++ class hierarchy browser, C++ object
browsing, automatic C++ object mapping for all C++ inheritance
types, alternative C++ class information member scope display,
object-oriented breakpoints directly on object methods, direct
browsing of member pointers, complete C++ expression
evaluation, and the capability to update the source window to
the actual function by selecting the method while browsing.

MultiScope is also the first debugging product to include both
a "run-time debugging" capability for controlling the execution
of a program, and a "crash analyzing" capability for determining
the cause of program crashes. The Crash Analyzer System
includes a monitor execution and dump (MED) utility that allows
Windows developers to find the cause of a hang or crash of an
application even if it occurs at a customer site.

The Multiscope Debuggers for Windows are available now and
are retail priced at $379. However, Symantec is offering a
promotional price in the US and Canada of $99 through
September 30 of this year. The DOS version 2.0 is scheduled to
ship in September, but users who purchased version 1.0 on or
after February 24, 1992 will receive an automatic upgrade,
Symantec added.

Cupertino, California-based Symantec has been known for its
utility products for DOS-based personal computers (PCs) and
Macintosh computers. The company just recently expanded into
offering programmers tools with the acquisition of the
Whitewater Group and Multiscope, both of which are expected
to be completed this month. The Whitewater Group specializes
in object-oriented programming tools and class libraries for
Windows.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920902/Press Contact: Jayme Kelly,
Symantec, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00010)

Everex, HP Intro 486DX2 66 MHz Systems 09/03/92
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- Everex and
Hewlett-Packard have both joined the crowd of personal computer
(PC) manufacturers who have announced systems based on the new
Intel 486DX2 66 megahertz (MHz) speed doubling chip. All the
major PC manufacturers have now announced 486DX2 66 MHz
systems, including Advanced Logic Research (ALR), Dell, Compaq,
Zeos, and DEC.

Everex says it has four new models based on the 66 MHz 486 chip
including a Step Megacube network file server, a tower, and two
new desktop models.

HP says it was the first to offer the DX2 chips when Intel
announced them and says it is now offering a 66 MHz 486 DX2
system -- the Vectra 486/66U -- that is faster running AutoCAD
release 11 than a Sun SPARCstation 2.

HP says its benchmark tests show the new Vectra to be 205
percent faster than the Sun workstation. The company says US
customers who purchased an HP Vectra 486/50U before August
31 of this year received a certificate good for a free upgrade to
the 66-MHz chip.

The company says it is now offering customers the Vectra
486/66U for the same price as the Vectra 486/50U. HP says the
Vectra system carries a one-year, on-site warranty and is
certified and tested with Novell Netware, Banyan Vines, Santa
Cruz Operation (SCO) Unix, and Microsoft LAN Manager.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920903/Press Contact: Bliss Talbott,
Hewlett-Packard, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Bob
Goligoski, Everex, 510-498-1111)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00011)

New For Windows: HP's Dashboard - Race Car Metaphor 09/03/92
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- In an effort
to make Windows easier to use, Hewlett-Packard has introduced
a new "metaphor" product, called Dashboard, that HP describes as
a "push-button" utility panel inspired by the control panel of a
high performance sports car.

HP released its new version of NewWave, a product for which it
has received attention, in part, because Apple named it in a look-
and-feel suit which also included Microsoft Windows 3.1.

Dashboard is different from NewWave in that NewWave is billed
as a replacement for the Windows desktop, while Dashboard
appears at the bottom of the Windows screen. HP describes
Dashboard as a series of controls for multiple-screen views of
programs, printer/facsimile output controls, and gauges to
monitor system resources and memory. Quick launch buttons
start applications the way car radio buttons tune into different
stations, HP added.

The company says the screen management can be thought of as a
miniature multiscreen monitor that can be customized to offer
three, five, seven, or nine screen views instead of having to
search through overlapping windows, subwindows, and minimized
icons.

HP says the applications and files in the extended screens can be
saved, so users who work on multiple projects or share a single
computer can each have their own customized layout which can
be recalled each time they use Dashboard. Also, groups can be
placed within groups, which is something Windows currently
does not allow.

Changing or reconfiguring a printer is a single step operation
in Dashboard, the company said. Drag-and-drop printing is
accomplished by dragging a file onto the desired peripheral
icon.

Gauges that resemble a car's fuel gauge offer information about
memory and system resources, HP added. Users can even set the
resource gauge's warning indicator to sound an alarm when
system resources or total memory reach a certain threshold.

An alarm clock is also offered that can be customized with a
variety of sounds, display a message, or launch an application.
HP also said the entire product is customizable so users can
rearrange the order of features or hide ones they will not use.
A "hot-key" can even be used to hide the dashboard or bring it
into view.

Dashboard is available at major computer retail superstores
including Egghead, Fry's Electronics, and Computer City. Retail
price has been set at $99. It is a lot less hungry for hard
disk space as it requires only one megabyte (MB) of hard disk
space, as opposed to the latest version of NewWave which needs
10 MB. HP says it also requires MS-DOS 3.2 or higher, Windows
3.0 or higher, 640 kilobytes (KB) of base memory, and two MB of
extended memory.

HP isn't the only company that has tried metaphors for Windows.
Xsoft, a division of Xerox, announced Rooms For Windows and
Above Software recently announced Golden Retreiver. Symantec
seems to have been the most successful with the Norton Desktop
for Windows, which is not based on a metaphor. The Norton
Desktop is simply a redesign of the Windows interface that
includes a substantial set of utilities and is currently in its
second release.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920903/Press Contact: Kevin Schofield,
Hewlett-Packard, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00012)

Dayna Communications Ships Netscope Traffic Monitor 09/03/92
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- Dayna
Communications has begun shipments of its network traffic
monitor and analyzer - NetScope. The product is really comprised
of two parts, a software product that runs on a Macintosh, and a
hardware probe that is protocol and computer independent and
that attaches to the network segments.

NetScope can provide various utilization statistics in real-time
and can also be used as a tool to try and help predict network
performance and for planning network capacities. To use the
product you install a NetScope Probe (the hardware piece) on any
network segment that you are interested in and run the NetScope
Console software on any Macintosh that is hooked up to the
network and that can get to the segment that the NetScope Probe
is attached to. It is possible to have multiple NetScope Probes on
the various segments and to control them all from one single
NetScope Console.

The NetScope Console, when run, will display what percent of the
bandwidth is currently being used on a scale from 0-100 percent,
it will also display such information as how many packets are
getting broadcast every second, and what is the error rate as a
percentage of total communications. In addition to this real-time
display, the program can monitor the network over time and by
device, and collect the kind of information that would be needed
to perform capacity analysis and to better plan network layouts
and topographies.

For Appletalk-based networks, the program can do even more. It
will decode the Appletalk packets and display more information
that is even more helpful to the network administrator. Such
information as the percent of the total transmissions that is
represented by each type of packet (like name binding packets)
can be very useful to understanding what the network is occupied
in doing. It is also possible to have the program tell you what
percent of the time each hardware device (such as a router or
printer) occupies of the total network utilization.

Dayna sells this product in a variety of ways. For a starter set a
single copy of the NetScope Console software and a single
NetScope Probe would be needed. This package is priced at $899.
For each additional probe the price is $499. For additional copies
of the console software, expect to pay $449. Finally, Dayna will
bundle a single copy of the console with a single probe and with
a copy of their Network Vital Signs program (which normally
retails for $449 on its own) for $1,199 - with the bundle being
called the Dayna Network Management System.

(Naor Wallach/19920903/Press Contact: David Pascoe, Dayna,
801-535-4236/Public contact: Dayna Communications,
801-531-0600)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00013)

New For PC: Where In USA Is Carmen Sandiego Deluxe 09/03/92
NOVATO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- MS-DOS fans of
the "Where in the USA/World is Carmen Sandiego" series can
rejoice. Broderbund has started shipping a new version of the
popular game which can best be described as a whole new
title, even though it is similar in name to a version already
being sold by the company.

Where In the USA is Carmen Sandiego? Deluxe Edition is the full
name of the new product. The one that has been shipping for
about two years now is called simply Where in the USA is
Carmen Sandiego?

Regardless of the name similarity, Newsbytes has learned that the
two programs should be viewed as completely different products.
While they both concentrate on similar topics, the games
themselves are completely different. The Deluxe Edition comes
with a totally new set of villains. It also features new mysteries
to solve in new locales, and has a whole host of upgraded
features that do not appear in the non-Deluxe version.

The Deluxe variations of this series are intended to be used by
the computer user who has the latest equipment. For instance, it
is no longer possible to operate this program with anything less
than 640 kilobytes (KB) of RAM. It is also a good idea to have a
sound board in your machine so that you can enjoy the musical
scores and the digitized voices, says the company.

According to the company, a good quality color monitor is also a
requirement to fully enjoy the 51 digitized location graphics that
are interspersed in the program and the colorful topographical
maps.

To add depth to the program, Broderbund has updated the Fodor
guide that comes with the program and have embedded over 3,000
clues in the game. As a point of reference, the non-Deluxe version
has only 1,000 clues in it. Finally, the tools available to the
detective hero are different than those encountered in the
original game.

Where in the USA is Carmen Sandiego Deluxe Edition is shipping
now, priced at $79.95.

(Naor Wallach/19920903/Press Contact: Kathleen Burke,
Broderbund, 415-382-4567/Public Contact: Broderbund, 415-
382-4400)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00014)

Japan: Computer Makers To Develop Pen Computers 09/03/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- Six Japanese computer firms
are set to release pen-input computers, which are based on the
pen-computer operating system of California-based Go
Corporation.

The first product is expected to be released early next year.
President Campbell of Go Corporation was quoted by the Nikkan
Kogyo newspaper as saying that six Japanese firms will
equip Japanese language versions of Go's pen-input operating
system, called Pen-Point, in their own new computers.

These Japanese computer makers are Oki, Canon, Toshiba,
IBM Japan, Fujitsu, and Matsushita Electric.

President Campbell sees lots of potential in the Japanese market.
He has said that Go will create a 100 percent subsidiary in
Japan early in 1993. Also, Go has linked with Tokyo-based
Softbank Technology concerning the development of Pen-Point
application programs. In cooperation with Softbank, Go wants to
request software makers to develop Japanese application
programs. Softbank will also hold Pen-Point programming
seminars.

Pen-Point is one of the major pen-input operating systems. Major
computer makers, including IBM, NCR, and Grid, have already
used Go's pen-input system. It is claimed that about 40 different
English application programs are already available.

Also, Go has jointly developed a RISC (reduced instruction-set
computing)-based portable computer, called the "Hobbit," with
AT&T.

Pen-input computer can be ideal for novice Japanese computer
users. The major advantage of this pen-computer is that it
accepts Japanese Kanji scripts, which have complicated writing
style and need conversion from Kana letters on regular personal
computers.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19920903)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00015)

Japan: Matsushita's Data Sys Supports Motion Pictures 09/03/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- Matsushita Electric has
developed a data transmission system, which supports motion
pictures and also voice. It is claimed that the system can be
applied to electronic mail and television conferencing systems.

It is still at a prototype stage, but Matsushita is planning to
show off this system at major computer exhibition called "Data
Show" in Tokyo on September 16.

Matsushita's latest motion picture data transmission system is
based on the firm's workstation, an optical disk drive, a video
camera, and small microphones. The system handles analog data
just like a cable TV, so the motion picture can be sent to the target
user just like a picture on TV. Due to this analog system, the
actual sales price is expected to become cheaper than digital
systems.

The system can be mainly applied to TV conferencing systems.
With further modifications and development, this system may
be applied to a computer's electronic mail system. So far,
Matsushita says it is not possible to designate a particular user
to send this motion picture data.

When this system is applied to a local area network (LAN), for
instance, the motion picture data can be stored in an optical
disk of the target user's computer. In this way, the user can
watch the picture at anytime.

Matsushita wants to see the market reaction at the exhibition
in Tokyo this month, before it makes an decision as to the
general commercialization of the technology.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/199200903/Press Contact:
Matsushita Electric, [phone])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TOR)(00016)

 ****IBM Announces RS/6000 Mail-Order Catalog 09/03/92
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- First it was
the personal computer line, and now IBM has announced it will sell
its Unix-based RISC System/6000 workstations and servers by
mail order. A new catalog will list complete systems and
components, which customers and IBM remarketers will be able
to order through a toll-free telephone number.

By calling 800-IBM-CALL, customers, including Business
Partners, will be able to place orders for entire systems, add-on
devices such as memory boards, disk and tape drives, graphics
adapters, and other IBM products including software.

Systems, software, and parts ordered through the catalog will be
offered at list price, the company said. Any discounts based on
existing marketing agreements with IBM will apply to items
ordered from the catalog.

The company does not expect to do a booming business in selling
complete RS/6000 systems through the toll-free line, IBM
spokesman Gregory Golden admitted. "We're looking at this more
for add-ons and peripherals -- but also, it's another option that
people have for ordering systems."

Customers who already have RS/6000 machines and understand
the technology may find the toll-free number a good way to order
additional systems, Golden said. And IBM Business Partners can
also use it to obtain systems.

The 800 number is available from eight a.m. to seven p.m., Eastern
time. Personnel answering the calls can take order requests, make
recommendations, or send out product literature by facsimile. IBM
will also accept orders by facsimile using a form included in the
catalog, or via the IBMLink on-line service.

IBM has distributed the catalog to current RISC System/6000
customers, Business Partners, and prospects, and a copy will be
shipped with every new RISC System/6000. Others can request a
copy by calling the toll-free order number.

The announcement applies only to the United States, Golden said.

(Grant Buckler/19920903/Press Contact: Gregory T. Golden,
IBM, 914-642-5463; Public Contact: IBM RS/6000 Order Line,
800-IBM-CALL)


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

Comcast Offers Special Cellular Deal For Large Companies 09/03/92
WAYNE, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- Comcast's
Metrophone unit, which runs cellular phone systems around
Philadelphia, has combined with a local "bypass" company to
offer QuickLink, a service for large companies with direct links
between customer phone switches and its network.

This lets callers reach anyone in their home office by dialing
only an extension number, making the cellular unit an extensions
of the central PBX (private branch exchange) office switch.

QuickLink also routes cellular users' toll calls over the trunk
lines of the customer's choice to maximize volume discounts,
and provides a communications back-up in the event a business's
regular telephone lines are out of service.

The service is based on a fiber network by Eastern TeleLogic,
essentially a "bypass" fiber ring serving central Philadelphia and
surrounding suburbs. The service is only available to customers
jointly served by Eastern TeleLogic and Metrophone.

Steve Foulk, product manager of advanced cellular services at
Metrophone, noted that one result of QuickLink is a faster
connection on cellular calls. "Normally it's 8-10 seconds. We
reduce it to under three seconds." That can make a big difference.
"We bill on a minute basis. A 62 second call is billed at two
minutes. If you can cut connect time, that can turn the call
into a one minute call. With users doing thousands of minutes a
month, you can save money."

Foulk told Newsbytes that the service also allows for "priority
calling," a PBX service which lets executives leave an
unimportant call when real business comes in. He added this is,
"Absolutely aimed at big customers. We're only targeting the
product to our largest customers."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920903/Press Contact: Melissa Nichols,
Metrophone, 215-975-5123)


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

Fonic Closes Deal To Make Cellphones In China 09/03/92
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- Fonic of Hong
Kong finalized a deal to make cellular phones in China with
a unit of Northern Telecom.

Fonic, whose stock is traded on the US NASDAQ exchange under
the symbol FONCF, with the F showing it's a foreign issue,
formed a subsidiary, Fonic Communications, which will own
51 percent of Novatel-Fonic (Asia) Communications Corporation
Limited. That company, in turn, has a 51 percent interest in a
joint  venture with China to set up an assembly plant for
cellular phone systems and portable cellular phones in the PRC.
Novatel is a unit of Northern Telecom, and will provide
technology to the venture.

No specific plant site has been chosen, a spokesman told
Newsbytes, but the plant will likely be in southern China, near
the "boom" town of Guangdong. China's economy reported grew 12
percent in the first half of 1992, while many other economies
were in recession and the US economy grew at about a two
percent annual rate.

Initially, Fonic will act as buying agent to acquire finished
product from Canada and Europe until the joint venture company's
own production facilities become operational, which is expected
to be about September, 1993. The company previously announced
an order for two analog cellular systems on the US "TACS" model,
to be installed in two Chinese provinces by March 30 of next
year, serving 15,500 phones.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920903/Press Contact: Sam Witchel, for
Fonic, 212-983-1060)


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

Sprint Joins With GE Credit Card 09/03/92
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- General Electric
joined AT&T in the credit card business with a card called GE
Rewards.

The key to the GE Rewards program is a rebate program, $10 for
each $300 charged, up to $1,000 in rebates, which can be spent
with a number of participating businesses, including leading
retailers like KMart, Hyatt Hotels, Northwest Airlines, and
Hertz. Sprint will also accept "GE Rewards Checks," the
company said, for long distance services.

Customers who sign up for Sprint through the GE Rewards program
will also receive two of the $10 "Reward Checks" free, while new
Sprint customers will also receive a $10 Reward Check for every
$250 in long distance charges incurred.  The number to call to
get the card is 800-GE-REWARD, and Sprint's "The Most" calling
plan is covered.

GE, however, ran into criticism on its new credit card for a high
interest rate of 18.5 percent, which could be raised or lowered
in response to changes in market rates. There is also a $25
annual fee, but GE will target "good customers" with an offer of
a 14.9 percent variable rate, somewhat lower than that offered
by AT&T with its Universal Card.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920903/Press Contact: Sprint, Robin Pence,
202-828-7454)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00020)

Lasermaster Intros 1200 DPI Plain-Paper Typesetter 09/03/92
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- Lasermaster
Technologies has introduced the second in its family of plain
paper typesetters, a 1200 dots-per-inch (dpi) with the capability
to handle paper sizes up to 11 by 17 inches.

The Unity 1200xl follows the Unity 1000, which was introduced in
April, and can be used with Macintosh or IBM-compatible computers,
as well as other systems, through LocalTalk, parallel, or serial
interfaces.

Lasermaster says the Unity 1200xl is targeted at the graphics arts
market that can use 1000 dpi and above as camera-ready copy. It
includes the standard 35 typefaces available with PostScript
devices as well as an additional 100 Type 1 typefaces. All
typefaces are pre-installed on an internal hard disk, eliminating
the need to download desired fonts.

Other features of the typesetter include automatic emulation
sensing, an Ethernet expansion port, automatic port switching, and
TurboGray halftone-enhancement technology. Suggested list price
is $9,995.

(Jim Mallory/19920903/Press contact: Karen Neset, Lasermaster,
612-941-8687 or fax [phone]; Reader contact: 612-941-
8687, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00021)

Firm Offers "Internationalization" Of Software Programs 09/03/92
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- Software developers
can make more money if their programs are available in languages
other than English. International Business Management, Inc., a
Dallas-based management firm, says it can provide a qualified
project leader who can design and translate for any spoken
language.

IBMI's Faye Johnson calls the design and translation of a
computer  program "internationalization," or "I20" (that's the
letter "I" and the 19 characters following it). Johnson says it's
really only necessary to translate the user interface, or the
parts the user sees, such as the menus, help screen, or data
field names.

According to Johnson there are four requirements for good "I20":
character support, national language dependent functions,
translation, and linguistic support.

Character support refers to the support of entry, display,
processing, storage and retrieval of any character in any
language. Examples include the "umlaut" and "tilde," those little
marks that go over certain letters in German and Spanish
respectively, as well as the ideographic characters used in
Asian languages.

National language dependent functions include the representation
of certain data, such as date, time, or currency in different ways.
The program must allow the substitution of different formats for
these functions.

Linguistic support includes spell checking, hyphenation, and
syntax rules, which may vary from language to language. Programs
such as word processors are heavily dependent on proper linguistic
support.

Nall told Newsbytes that some countries, such as Germany,
periodically change the use of words, which requires the update of
the software. The use of one word with several different meanings
is  also a problem. Translators also need a technical understanding
of the terms they are working with, so computer literacy is
important.

Jim Nall, a project leader for translations, told Newsbytes
translation is a critical factor. To correctly translate a program,
Nall says "native speaking" translators must do the work and they
must use terminology that is agreed to in both the source
language and the target language.

Nall says you must do "I20" in every step of the application
development process, from the time the budget is set, through
planning, especially when the design or specifications of the
program are defined, and finally when the translation is done.
That necessitates following a set of rules that the "I20" project
leader understands and can convey to the people developing the
program.

Legal compliance is also important. Company's expecting to sell
software in Europe will need to comply with the International
Standard Organization's standard 9000.

Nall expects to see more Asian companies marketing software in
the US, and says translators for ideographic languages such as
Korean and Japanese are the hardest to find qualified translators
for.

Nall told Newsbytes that the cost of "I20-ing" a project depends
on several factors. While the amount of code to be translated is
the biggest factor, how well organized the developer is also
affects cost.

(Jim Mallory/19920903/Press contact: Jim Nall, 817-488-6896;
Reader contact: Jim Nall, 817-488-6896 or IBMI, 214-931-8980,
fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00022)

Exabyte Names New Customer Satisfaction Director 09/03/92
BOULDER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- Exabyte Corp., a
manufacturer and marketer of high-capacity eight millimeter
cartridge tape systems, has announced the appointment of a
director of customer satisfaction.

Dan Engle was selected for the position, which did not previously
exist, when Exabyte's VP of Customer Satisfaction departed. He will
be responsible for customer account management and competitive
analysis. He'll also oversee worldwide technical support, including
customer training and education. Those responsibilities were part
of his job as director of technical support before he accepted the
new position. Engle reports to Mark Canright, Exabyte's VP of
worldwide sales and support.

Engle has more than 24 years of experience in the computer
industry, having worked in repair and maintenance, programming
and operations, systems engineering and integration, and
marketing. He joined Exabyte as manager of technical support in
October 1987, and was promoted to director of that function in
April 1991. Prior to joining Exabyte, he was director of product
marketing at Aspen Peripherals.

Engle holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from
Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas.

In mid-August Newsbytes reported that Exabyte had signed a
letter of intent to acquire R-Byte, a developer of 4mm digital
audio tape (DAT) for $12 million in cash. Exabyte's Susan
Merriman told Newsbytes that the acquisition should be
completed by the end of the current year.

In December 1991 Newsbytes reported that the International
Standards Organization (ISO) had standardized Exabyte's EXB-8200
8mm tape cartridge system. The 8200 had already been accepted
by the European Computer Manufacturers Association (ECMA).
Standardization is important to Exabyte, since the company
estimates that as much as 45 percent of its business will
eventually be in the international market.

(Jim Mallory/19920903/Press contact: Susan Merriman,
Exabyte, 303-447-7434; Reader contact: 303-442-4333)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00023)

Random Access Enterprise Tops $2M 4Qtr Sales 09/03/92
DENVER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- Random Access has
announced that its enterprise network group has exceeded $2
million in sales for the fourth quarter, which ended August 31,
1992.

The group specializes in providing products and services to
corporate users in the professional workstation and LAN/WAN
(local/wide area network) market segment. The group, led by
Director Robert Henley, was launched four months ago, and is
already responsible for about eight percent of Random's
estimated $98 million in sales for the financial year 1992, on
an annualized basis.

According to RA Chief Executive Officer Bruce Milliken, the results
were keyed by a surge in sales of NeXT and Sun workstations, as
well as Novell LAN products. Companies who sell large numbers of
professional workstations running the Unix operating system, are
priced considerably higher than personal computers, and typically
carry higher profit margins.

Milliken says RA has recently hired an advertising and marketing
firm that conducted a survey showing that customers view service
and technical expertise as being as important as price when it
comes to buying computer systems. Random Access is a Novell
Authorized Platinum dealer, as well as an authorized dealer of
Microsoft and Banyan Vines LAN products.

Last August Newsbytes reported that RA had signed a letter of
intent  to acquire Denver-based computer retailer CW Electronics,
but that  deal was called off in May of this year. The company also
operates a number of computer franchises within the Bizmart
office supply stores.

Fiscal year 1991 was Random Access's best year to date at that
time, with sales at $59 million, up 64 percent from 1990. If the
company's 1992 estimates are on target, 92 will be significantly
better.

(Jim Mallory/19920903/Press contact: Bruce Milliken, Random
Access, 303-745-9600; Reader contact: 303-745-9600)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00024)

SAS Starts Beta Testing Windows 3.1 & OS/2 2.0 Apps 09/03/92
CARY, NORTH CAROLINA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- The SAS
Institute will go into beta this month with the first Windows
and OS/2 2.0 software ever to be announced for its System for
Information Delivery, and the company is also developing NT
software for the enterprise-oriented system.

An SAS spokesperson told Newsbytes that Windows 3.1 and OS/2
2.0 versions of five system components will enter production
early next year, after the trial phase is complete. In addition, she
said, although SAS has not yet formally announced support for
Windows NT, NT products are now under way.

Used by large organizations ranging from Alcoa to Upjohn, and
from Avon to the US Bureau of the Census, the SAS system
already supports OS/2 1.3, MS-DOS and PC DOS, nine Unix
operating systems, three mainframe systems (MVS, CMS, and
VSE), and three minicomputer systems (VMS, AOS/VS, and
PRIMOS).

The spokesperson informed Newsbytes that SAS will continue to
support the DOS operating systems, but will no longer enhance the
DOS offerings.  "Our system has become so fast that we've
outgrown DOS by now.  But both OS/2 and Windows 3.1 have the
necessary power," she commented.

The SAS system features a two-layer architecture, with one layer
controlling portability and the other aimed at taking advantage of
host-specific capabilities such as data exchange methods,
networking facilities, and native windowing implementations.

Applications are geared to accessing, managing, analyzing, and
presenting data, and user interfaces are designed to meet the
needs of the specific groups employing the applications.
Applications for executives and business analysts, for example,
offer simple menu choices, while interfaces for corporate
programmers are more sophisticated and complex.

The new Windows 3.1 and OS/2 2.0 components are: SAS/CALC,
an electronic spreadsheet; SAS/INSIGHT, for exploratory data
analysis; SAS/LAB, for guided data analysis; SAS/EIS, for
building and maintaining executive information systems; and
SAS/ENGLISH, a natural-language interface.

The license fee per module is $695. The company's BASE FAST
system is required for operating the software. License fees for
BASE FAST start at $895.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19920903/Press contact: Hilary Yeo, SAS,


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LON)(00025)

 ****UK: Apple Signs Dixons To Carry Special Mac Range 09/03/92
UXBRIDGE, MIDDLESEX, 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- Apple has signed an
agreement with Currys and Dixons calling for the electrical
retailer's business centers and superstores to carry a unique
range of Apple Macs with software pre-loaded.

The deal is unusual for Apple, since it is the first time that
Apple Macs have been sold with applications software already
loaded. According to Apple, this will allow customers to get
their computers up and running with no time wasted, after
making their purchase.

The agreement calls for 24 of Dixons' business centers, plus five
Currys superstores, to carry three specially configured Macs: the
Classic 4/40, the LC 4/40, and the Powerbook 100 4/40 notebook
Mac.

The Classic 4/40 is being billed as an ideal entry-level black-
and-white machine. As supplied, the machine comes with
Wordperfect's Letterperfect word processor, plus the Mac PC
File Exchange package, all preloaded.

The Mac LC 4/40, meanwhile, is preloaded with Symantec's
Greatworks plus Broderbund's Kidpix package. Greatworks is an
integrated package which includes word processing, graphics,
database, and spreadsheet modules.

The Powerbook 100 4/40 is being offered in its basic form,
without software, by the stores, although a full range of Mac
software is also being carried by the stores. according to Paul
Donovan, director of Apple UK's consumer division.

"Since we launched the Classic and LC almost two years ago, we
have been expanding the quality and variety of outlets for the
Mac. This agreement with Dixons substantially strengthens our
position and visibility on Britain's high streets," he said.

(Steve Gold/19920903/Press & Public Contact: Apple Computer
UK - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00026)

UK Printer Sales: A Slump On The Way, Says Context 09/03/92
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- The printer market could
be in for a poor 1992, unless something is done to boost sales
during the rest of the year, reports Context, the market research
company.

According to Context, sales of printers in the UK through
indirect channels in the year to June, 1992, showed a 4.9 percent
reduction in value to UKP 907.7 million over a report a year ago.
Volume sales for the same time periods increased slightly by 1.8
percent to 1.16 million units.

The trends paint an even more gloomy picture. When the second
quarter for 1992 are compared with the first, Context shows
sales as being down by 9.7 percent on volume and 10.8 percent
in value terms.

"Sales last June have showed the first signs of a recovery
following the previous two months of very depressed sales,"
explained Lawrence Owers, Context' research manager. "However,
on December 1991 levels, June 1992 sales are still down by well
over 20 percent, and if the market is not to see a double-digit
decline by the year-end, sales will need to stage a strong
recovery during the second half of this year," he said.

Detailed examination of Context's figures reveals some
interesting trends, as well as the fundamental problems
facing the UK printer industry,

Dot matrix printers accounted for 62.5 percent of unit sales in
the year to June 1991. A year later, this figure had fallen to
55.7 percent -- a fall of 11 percent. Surprisingly, laser
printers did not take up all of the slack -- lasers accounted for
25.3 percent of sales in the year to June, 1992, compared with
23 percent a year earlier.

So what printers are selling well? It seems that inkjet printers
are the winners, with a June 1992 market share of 17.4 percent --
up 45 percent on the June 1991 figures.

The pressure on dot matrix sales is also reflected in the second
quarter figures, with a 53.4 percent market share, compared with
59.7 percent during the second quarter last year. Inkjet printers
grabbed the lion's share of the dot matrix market reductions with
a quarter two market share of 19.7 percent.

The major players in the printer market as at June, 1992 (June
figures in brackets) were Hewlett-Packard with 18 (17.3) percent
of sales by volume, Star with 16.2 (13.8) percent, Epson with
12.3 (14.2) percent, Panasonic 10.4 (11.6) percent, and Canon with
9.6 (6.8) percent.

Context publishes a range of monthly sales reports covering PC
hardware, printer, and software in the UK. Data is collected from
indirect channels, as well as by tracking pricing throughout
Europe and the US, the company claims.

(Steve Gold/19920903/Press & Public Contact: Context -
Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00027)

 ****IBM Reorganizes PC Hardware Unit 09/03/92
SOMERS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- As expected, IBM has
reorganized its personal computer manufacturing, distribution, and
marketing into a new unit called the IBM Personal Computer Co.
But analysts doubt that the new operation -- which is not an
independent subsidiary -- really amounts to much more than
window dressing.

"I really don't see any changes of substance," veteran IBM-watcher
Robert Djurdjevic told Newsbytes. Djurdjevic, editor of the
Phoenix, Arizona-based newsletter Annex Computer Report, said
the main effect of the move will to make IBM's anemic PC
business look more successful by separating it from some
overhead expenses that don't contribute directly to PCs.

Barry Bosak, a New York investment analyst who follows IBM for
the firm of Smith Barney, asked, "does autonomy give you brains?"

The new IBM Personal Computer Co., based in Somers, New York,
does not in fact get total autonomy. It will continue to report to
James Cannavino, vice-president and general manager of IBM's
personal systems division. The president of the new unit is Robert
J. Corrigan, who as vice-president of the entry systems division
was previously in charge of IBM's PC manufacturing. Edward F.
Rogers, another IBM vice-president, has been named the company's
chief financial officer.

Sam M. Inman has been named president of the IBM Personal
Computer Company - North America. Made up of employees from
IBM's former national distribution division and entry systems
division, this group will focus on manufacturing, distribution,
and brand marketing for the new company's products in North
America.

Responsibility for personal systems marketing in the rest of the
world will stay with the present executives: William E. McCracken
in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa; Robert G. O'Malley in the
Asia/Pacific region; Kevin R. Barry in Latin America; and Don D.
Myles in Canada.

The new unit will have six marketing groups: one each for the PS/2
and PS/1 lines, one for portable computers, one for displays, one
for systems integration, and one for a new brand aimed to compete
with low-cost PC clones.

IBM already sells a low-cost PC line called "Ambra" through separate
subsidiaries in Europe and Canada. It has been widely rumored that
the company plans to introduce these machines to the United States
market this fall. However, company spokesman Michael Reiter said
that is not the plan.

IBM will launch a new line of lower-priced PCs that will carry the
IBM logo but not the PS/2 brand name, and will be cheaper and use
less advanced technology than the PS/2 line, he said. For example,
they will use the older AT bus (Industry Standard Architecture)
rather than IBM's Micro Channel Architecture, and will be equipped
with Super VGA displays rather than IBM's more advanced XGA.

Bruce Stephen, director of PC hardware research at International
Data Corp., a Framingham, Massachusetts, industry research firm,
said dividing the business by product line was a good move.
"You have to create an organization that really reflects the
segments in the marketplace," Stephen told Newsbytes.

Stephen said IBM officials "have clearly gotten the message --
as others like Compaq and others who have re-engineered
themselves have done -- that they do have to function with a
lot less bureaucracy." He said the new organization should help
to streamline IBM's PC operations, but added that it is difficult
to tell "how much of the bureaucratic entanglement has been
removed."

But Djurdjevic said IBM did not do enough. IBM needs to ask itself
what business it wants to be in, he said. If it wants to be in the
business of selling commodity PCs, it needs to cut costs far more
than it has done so far. Otherwise, it should abandon the low-end
PC market.

If IBM wanted to succeed in the PC business, he said, it might help
to create a completely autonomous, lean and entrepreneurial PC
subsidiary. But the IBM Personal Computer Co. is not that,
Djurdjevic said. Why not? "If they did, then they would have to
publish financials, and if they published financials, then the
whole world would know how much money they're losing."

Cannavino also announced changes said to be aimed at making
IBM's operating systems software business more integrated and
independent.

The personal systems programming operation, under Lee R. Reiswig,
assistant general manager, now has responsibility for personal
systems software worldwide, including brand marketing.  Fernand
B. Sarrat, who was assistant general manager of personal systems
market development, has been named assistant general manager of
market development and operations for personal systems.

(Grant Buckler/19920903/Press Contact: Tara Sexton or Michael
Reiter, IBM, 914-642-4662)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00028)

India: ACC Signs CAL To Market Networking Products 09/03/92
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- Ken Pryor, Director Advanced
Computer Communications (ACC), USA, has announced the launching
of its products in India with a strategic alliance with CAL Systems
Pvt Ltd. (CALS), New Delhi.

ACC products are bridges and routers that the company claims
offer cost-effective answers for LANs (local area networks) and
WANs (wide area networks).

The products start with entry-level local bridges such as the
ACS-2100 for LANs and go up to the high-end ACCes-4500
multiprotocol brouter for WANS.

These can be upgraded to meet the growing demands of the users
over time, claims the company. The products are designed for
100 percent compatibility with various protocols - such as TCP/IP,
DECnet, Novell IPX, XNS and X.25, the company says. They connect
a variety of LANs, namely Novell, 3Com, and Banyan Vines.

ACC claims a leadership in the "internetworking" products market.
Having started in 1975, ACC has won contract with various OEMs
(original equipment manufacturing), the government defence
department, and telecom companies in the US, Europe, and Pacific
areas. Some of their customers include Boeing, AT&T, Pacific Bell,
British Telecom, American Airlines, NEC, and NASA.

Based on recent market survey by Yankee in the US, ACC claims it
is poised to capture 10 percent of the world market for these
products. The total market is projected at $620-$800 million.
They have recorded a growth of 100 percent over the last two
years, in spite of general recession in the industry. With the
growth of LAN/WAN applications in India, CALS sees a good
demand for such networking products here.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19920903)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00029)

Samsung Announces Shipment Of PenMaster Computer 09/03/92
RIDGEFIELD PARK, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 3 (NB) --
Samsung Electronics America has announced shipment of the
latest pen computer to hit the market, PenMaster.

Randy Gailit, national business development manager, told
Newsbytes that Samsung is positioning the 386SL-based machine,
first announced at Comdex last fall, as more powerful and
feature-rich than its competitors in the emerging field. "This is
a real computer!" he claimed.

Weighing in at under five pounds, PenMaster offers a 60 megabyte
(MB) hard disk drive -- upgradable to 80 MB or 120 MB -- plus a
9600/2400 bits-per-second (bps) fax/data modem, a math
coprocessor socket, and 4 MB of RAM, expandable to 20 MB, with
16 kilobyte (KB) of cache.

The computer also comes with an untethered pen, along with a
back-lit screen offering 32 shades of gray and a port for an
external VGA monitor.  On board as well are one serial port, one
parallel port, one floppy disk drive port, and a port for a PS/2-
compatible keyboard.

A 10-cell, nickel-cadmium battery powers the machine for four to
eight hours under ordinary use, and more than three hours under
heavy use, according to Gailit.  A power management system shuts
off the PenMaster when the computer is idle for more than 30
seconds, and starts the system back up when the pen is
brought near to the screen.

Unlike some of its rivals, said Gailit, PenMaster supports all
three major pen operating systems:  PenPoint from Go Corp.,
PenDOS from CIC, and Microsoft's Windows for Pen Computing.

The computer ships preloaded with MS-DOS 5.0. Options include a
memory expansion card, a battery charger, an auto adapter, an
external 3.5-inch, 1.44 MB floppy disk drive, and a carrying case.

Gailit stressed to Newsbytes that though the pen is untethered,
the user can opt to attach the device with a removable cord,
providing a freedom of choice that wouldn't be available if
Samsung had gone with a tethered pen.  The optional carrying
case supplies three spots for stashing the pen, he added.

The company's decision to offer a keyboard port instead of a built-
in keyboard offers similar flexibility, Gailit suggested.  A
keyboard would add unnecessary weight for customers whose
applications are strictly pen-based, he said.  The PS/2-
compatible keyboard port got the nod because Samsung's desktop
computers are PS/2-based, he noted.

PenMaster is being sold for $3,995, a price that includes a
one-year warranty on parts and labor.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19920903/Press contact:  Kevin Kilroy,
Samsung, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00030)

Great Wonders Of The World Multimedia CDs Due 09/03/92
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 3 (NB) -- Interoptica
Publishing has introduced a compact disc read-only memory (CD-
ROM) featuring the world's wonders and called Great Wonders of
the World, Volume 1 - Manmade Wonders.

The company says the CD contains over 40 minutes of motion
video and focuses on the history, geography, architecture,
legends, and mysteries of the 10 most extraordinary manmade
structures in the world. Included are the Angkor Wat in
Cambodia, Chartres Cathedral in France, the City of Venice in
Italy, New York's Empire State Building, the Great Wall of
China, Inca Ruins in Peru, the Panama Canal, the Pyramids of
Egypt, India's Taj Mahal, and the Trans-Siberian Railway in
Russia.

The company says 200 full screen photographs, 200
illustrations, 100 maps, 30 animation sequences, as well as
text, charts, narration, music, and video help viewers
understand who built these wonders and why.

The company says definitions of difficult words like
"Rosicrucian" can be accessed with a double click on the word,
and maps of the structures and their world locations are
included.

Versions for the IBM and compatible personal computer (PC) for
both DOS and Windows 3.1, as well as a Macintosh version are
planned. The DOS and Macintosh versions will be released first
in September, with the Macintosh version following in October,
the company said. Retail price is expected to be $79.95, but
the company said the CDs will be bundled with CD-ROM drives
from several manufacturers as well.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920903/Press Contact: Michelle Zawrotny,
HWH PR, tel [phone], fax [phone])