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/1993/NB091793

Text File | 1993-09-17 | 82KB | 1,753 lines

(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00001)

A BBS For Law Enforcement, Safety, Security Pros 09/17/93
PHOENIX, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 17 (NB) -- Wayne Church,
Director of Safety and Security at the 231-bed John C. Lincoln
Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, says it is important for security,
safety and law enforcement professionals to talk to each other,
so he started a free computer bulletin board service where
professionals in those industries can network and share ideas
and information.

"The goal was to bring together the software that would make
available safety, security, law enforcement, emergency disaster
management, occupational health and industrial hygiene files. so
the professionals in those fields would have a place to go to find
the information they needed to do their job better. The goal is to
provide a resource," says Church.

Called "Safe'n Secure BBS," the electronic bulletin board allows
users to download text and graphics files that contain information
about safety, emergency and disaster planning, hazardous materials,
security, hostage crisis management, and law enforcement issues.
In addition to text files, pictures of missing children distributed by
the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children located in
Arlington, Virginia, are also on the board.

Users can also upload information they want to share. The FBI
recognized the importance of electronic bulletin boards in its
March 1991 bulletin, calling them "a useful tool for law
enforcement officials."

Church says that while there are a number of general purpose
computer bulletin boards across the nation, only a small percentage
are for law enforcement and safety officials, and none are for
security personnel except those interested in computer security
issues. "What I wanted was a board that would allow security
directors to swap policies and procedures, find software that would
let them do their job better, and obtain demo copies of software so
they could download it and try them out."

Safe n' Secure uses the "Wildcat!" software program published by
Bakersfield, CA-based Mustang Software Inc.  "It's very easy for
someone who has never been on a bulletin board to use," says Church.
Users with modem-equipped PCs can call the BBS using almost any
communications software program, including those that came with
their modem.

Safe n' Secure is also a place where users can exchange electronic
mail, and Church posts bulletins announcing industry happenings and
information on how to be certified as a Certified Protection
Professional (CCP) by the American Society For Industrial Security
or a Certified Healthcare Protection Administrator (CHPA) by the
International Association of Healthcare Security and Safety.

Even though the BBS has only been in operation officially since June
1993, there are already almost 700 files available for reading and/or
downloading, and the board has over 100 users registered. Church
verifies the professional status of each new caller by phone the
following day since that status determines what areas of the board
will be accessible.

There is no charge to use Safe'n Secure, but Church does accept
contributions towards upgrade of the computer equipment, and
contributors are granted more board privileges. "It doesn't even
have to be money. If someone wants to contribute a CD-ROM I'll
accept that in lieu of cash," he told Newsbytes. The board hasn't
acquired non-profit status yet, although that is one of Church's
goals, so donations are not tax-deductible. Contributions go towards
expanding the system and adding more phone lines.  Church wants to
add a CD-ROM drive and an eight line modem.

Most of the downloadable files are formatted for IBM-compatible
PCs, but there is also a section of the board devoted to Apple
Computer's Macintosh users. Church is looking for a Macintosh
"sysop" or system operator, a user to run that portion of the board.
He compresses his files in order to save download time and disk
storage space. The software needed to decompress files is available
on the board, along with the program required to view graphics
images such as the missing children pictures.

Church has written a parking management computer program for the
hospital that tracks assigned parking, registration, towing wheel
locks and citations. A demo version is available for downloading at
no cost except long distance charges. It is also available on a
computer disk for $15. The full version sells for $289.

(Jim Mallory/19930916/Press and reader contact: Wayne Church,
602-943-2381, Safe n' Secure BBS via modem at 602/870-6004)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00002)

UK - Workgroup Systems Intros Quetzal For Windows 09/17/93
POTTERS BAR, HERTS, ENGLAND, 1993 SEP 17 (NB) -- Workgroup
Systems has announced the availability of Quetzal for Windows,
which it claims is a comprehensive resource management tool
for corporate information technology (IT) departments.

In use, the software acts a software log and management tool that
allows IT staff to control maintenance and upgrade calls and
resources. The package includes an on-line statistics facility, which
Workgroup Systems claims allows support center managers to
monitor performance, such as the number of calls logged and
resolved to date.

Peter Keane, Workgroup Systems' managing director, said that KPMG,
the management consultancy group, has estimated that more than 80
percent of the cost of ownership of a desktop PC can be attributed
to hidden costs.

"One of the major components of this is lost productivity caused by
staff with IT problems. As corporate management recognizes this,
increasing pressure is being brought to bear on IT departments.
These are now being evolved into profit centers and must justify
their existence to senior management," he said. "Not only does
Quetzal give them the tools to perform their jobs efficiently, it
also provides them with the detailed management information
necessary to measure and improve their effectiveness."

Julian Bond, Workgroup's technical director, explained that, during
the development of the package, the company paid a lot of attention
to Quetzal's "usability" and integration with the Windows interface.
"The whole product is designed to give users fast and accurate data
access and entry, maximizing use of the mouse. For this reason, we
took a 'data-centric' rather than 'document-centric' approach to its
design and developed the unique concept of datapads," he said.

So how does the package actually work? Newsbytes notes that there
are two primary functions - call logging and inventory management.
As a call comes in, its details are entered and resources allocated.
Subsequent calls and computer interrogations are then linked to this
original data entry, so that anyone inquiring about a job can be
sure of getting the complete picture.

One interesting feature of Quetzal is that it builds up a
knowledge base of known problems and solutions as it works. When
a fault is reported, the details of the machine in question, such as
configuration, user access and support history, are polled on to the
screen for the user.

The datapad concept underlying Quetzal is designed to allow quick
and easy retrieval of data. Each datapad contains a logical group of
data - double clicking on the datapad brings up the data options
available. Workgroup claims that this allows users to move quickly
around the screen adding or viewing data as required.

Quetzal is claimed to be compatible with almost any PC running
Windows. The package, which is Windows-compliant, costs from
UKP7,500 upwards for a base three-user system.

(Steve Gold/19930916/Press & Public Contact: Workgroup
Systems - Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00003)

Matsushita To Standardize PC Parts To Cut Costs 09/17/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 SEP 17 (NB) -- Matsushita Electric has decided
to standardize its personal computer (PC) parts in order to reduce
manufacturing costs.

Matsushita Electric has also begun reviewing its PC designs. The
firm has been producing several models of PCs and now wants to
standardize such parts as battery packs, keyboards, and hard disk
drives. Matsushita is currently producing a number of designs
including desktop and notebook types.

Matsushita Electric was selling PCs in the overseas market.
However, recently, the firm began selling them in the Japanese
market along with the Panacom M family, which is supplied
by Fujitsu on an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) basis.

In the sale of PCs in Japan, Matsushita will compete against
overseas manufacturers. The firm needs to survive a fierce
hardware price war, and standardizing PC parts is one way of
reducing costs.

Matsushita sold only about 100,000 PCs in the Japanese market
last year - far less than the company expected. The firm is
planning to strengthen its software support and to develop
multimedia personal devices in the future.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930916/Press Contact:
Matsushita Electric, [phone], Fax, [phone])


(REVIEW)(IBM)(DEN)(00004)

Review of - MasterWord 09/17/93

Runs on: IBM-compatibles with Windows.

From: Alki Software Corporation, 219 First Avenue N., Suite 410,
Seattle, WA 98109 206-286-2600.

Price: $59.95.

PUMA Rating: 4.0 (on a scale of 1=lowest to 4=highest)

Reviewed for Newsbytes by: Jim Mallory.

Summary: An excellent enhancement to Microsoft Word for Windows
if you are a very advanced Word user.

==========

REVIEW

==========

At first glance, I couldn't figure out why anyone would need to
spend the money for MasterWord, since it appears to do pretty much
the same things you can do with Microsoft Word itself.  However, as
I reviewed this product, it is almost overwhelming in all the things
it does. However, it isn't a program for the casual user, it's for
the very heavy-duty user who wants to perform many of Word's
functions more easily and quickly, and who is interested in
customizing the toolbar of Word. It also enhances the help file
Microsoft ships with Word.

MasterWord installs easily, as do most Windows programs. Using the
Windows Program Manager's Run command, just type "A:setup"
(substitute the floppy drive designation you put the MasterWord disk
in if its not the A drive) and press ENTER.  The program allows you
to designate the drive and subdirectory where you want to install
the program, and can create the desired directory if it doesn't
already exist. There are four megabytes (MB) of files on the four 3.5
inch MasterWord program disks, but you don't need more than about
two MB if you delete the Word files that some MasterWord
files replace.  Those include the Windows help file, which can be
re-installed if you ever decide to abandon using MasterWord. You can
also limit the disk space needed by only installing some of
MasterWord's features. You are offered that opportunity during the
install process.

The most obvious feature of MasterWord is its floating CustomBar.
When you load Microsoft Word, you will note a new addition to the
conventional tool bar at the top of the screen, located in place of
the "Copy" button.  Clicking on this MasterWord button switches to
the CustomBar. You can switch back to the conventional Windows tool
bar at any time by clicking on the appropriate CustomBar tool.

MasterWord's tool bar "floats," meaning it can be positioned
anywhere on the screen. It can also be positioned to display
vertically anywhere on the screen that's convenient for the user.
Wherever it's placed the program will remember the location and
return the CustomBar to that same location the next time you invoke
the CustomBar.

A noticeable feature on the CustomBar is what MasterWord calls "The
Big Button." It's a tool bar button that replaces the "New", "Open",
and "Save" buttons on Word's standard tool bar. You can display the
current date, current time, elapsed time, word count, name of the
template presently in use, view or a reminder (an up to 15 character
message stored in the Big Button dialog box). Any of these Big
Button features can be turned off if you think you will never use
them (I turned off the elapsed time feature).  Double clicking on
many of these features lets you see additional information. For
example, double clicking on the word count displays the document
summary screen. Double clicking on the date or time inserts that
information into the document at the cursor position.

The heart of MasterWord is really the numerous CustomBars that
come with what MasterWord publisher Alki Software describes as
"predefined personalities." Each CustomBar has its own set of
assignments for each of the buttons on the tool bar. The normal
CustomBar includes assigned buttons for assigning keyboard codes to
any desired command or macro (a macro is a string of keystrokes and
mouse clicks that can be saved and replayed to perform repetitive
tasks); launching the MasterWord template selector; copying macros,
styles and glossary entries; assigning keyboard codes to designated
styles; listing the available help topics; copying selected text to
the clipboard; undoing the last action; and saving the current
document. You can also  display your text in one of several easy to
read fonts and sizes (I particularly like this one); check the
spelling of the active document; print the current document to the
active printer; print just the current page; turn the redlining
feature on or off (redlining is a technique that allows document
editors to make changes to a document and retain the original text
so other editors can see what changes have been made.); create and
print an envelope; launch the Windows task list to switch to a
different program; and cascade the open document windows.

If you are already a Word for Windows user, you will note that
almost all of these functions can be selected from the Word menus.
MasterWord's CustomBar just makes it easier and quicker. But you
haven't seen anything yet. In addition to the normal CustomBar,
there are 19 others available which do more things than you can
possibly believe, each slightly customized from all the others. In
addition to that, you can change the customization yourself of any
of the tool bars. One is designed to concentrate of document editing
tools, while another contains general tools for formatting.  Another
allows you more tools for text selection, while one is for working
with tables. It's easy to select the toolbar you want from the Big
Button. The choices go on and on.

You can also customize the CustomBar buttons, selecting the face of
any button from a choice of 455 available button faces. There are
images, numbers, letters, Greek letters, tools, flags, some pictures
I didn't recognize, and even a peace symbol and an eyeball.
Seventy-one of the faces can even be edited by the user.

MasterWord greatly expands the number of macros you can assign. Word
allows a command, macro, or style to be assigned to any function key
or a single key in conjunction with the Control and Control-Shift
combinations. That permits a fair number of macros, but MasterWord
expands that ability by assigning macros, commands and styles to a
key combination that can include up to four keys.

The program also comes with some installed macros, include an
automatic footnote numbering macro, one that renames a file, runs
Microsoft's Concordance Index function, deletes unused document
styles in the active document, runs the DropCap command, launches
the Dialog box editor, rotates columns in a table, and runs
Microsoft's Watermark macro. Any of these buttons can be placed on
an existing CustomBar in place of one of the present buttons, or you
can create your own custom bar that includes whatever special
buttons you desire.

All in all, a pretty nifty tool, if you can make use of all its features.

==========

PUMA RATING

==========

PERFORMANCE: 4.0. The program does everything Alki says it will,
and does it very well. It's quick (reviewed on a 486SX-based 20
megahertz system with six megabytes of system memory), and the
only limitation we found is that is does so many things it is hard
to decide which of them to use.

USEFULNESS: 4.0, If you are a power user of Microsoft Word for
Windows MasterWord could be extremely useful.  If I met that
criteria, I would definitely buy this program. It is so specialized
that it doesn't replace any program I have encountered. I can't
compare its price with similar programs for the same reason.
However, at $59.95 plus $7.50 shipping, MasterWord is a good
value.

MANUAL: 4.0.  The 162-page manual is easy to read, easy to
understand, doesn't use any vague or hard-to- understand
terminology, and is liberally sprinkled with pictures of the screens
you see as you set up and use the program. The online help is not as
good as the manual, but few I have reviewed are. Online help for
most programs seems to be less complete than a printed manual but
MasterWord's is as good as any and better than most.

AVAILABILITY: 4.0.  MasterWord is readily available and the manual
lists the telephone support numbers for technical support. In
addition to Alki's number the manual also lists Microsoft's tech
support phone number and operating hours, in case you have questions
about the use of Word itself. Alki's numbers are not toll-free.
When we called the company for help, the support person who answered
the phone couldn't answer my question, but got the correct answer
from an associate quickly. The phone was answered on the first ring
the time we called.  Alki sells MasterWord direct, according to the
person we spoke to. It has a suggested retail price of $59.95 plus
47.50 shipping, and the company accepts Visa, MasterCard, and
American Express cards.

(Jim Mallory/19930823/Press contact: Alki Software Corporation,
219 First Avenue N., Suite 410, Seattle, WA 98109 206-286-2600)


(REVIEW)(APPLE)(SFO)(00005)

Review of - Diet Balancer, Mac Program 09/17/93

Runs on: Apple Macintosh.

From: Nutridata Software Corp., P.O. Box 769 Wappingers Falls,
NY 12590. [phone], 800-922-2988.

PUMA rating: 3.25 (on a scale of 1=lowest to 4=highest)

Reviewed for Newsbytes by: Naor Wallach.

Summary: A program that analyzes your daily dietary intake
and gives you all kinds of information about your diet. Included
is a trend analysis that lets you see how you perform over a
period of time.

=======

REVIEW

=======

Although the exercise and dieting fads within the United States
may be fading away, there are still many people who need to
watch what they eat. Many different tools are available to
people and Nutridata Software╒s Diet Balancer program is
another in that arsenal.

The Diet Balancer is a program that allows you to analyze what
you eat in a day or longer periods of time. The idea is to
see how your intake lines up with some recommended guidelines.
The program comes on one diskette and is accompanied by a
40-page manual. Installation is a simple matter of copying the
files from the diskette to your hard drive. The first time that you
start the program, you are asked to provide some initialization
information. After that, on each subsequent use, the program uses
those original settings.

Operation of the program is very simple. Every day you go
into the program and tell it what you ate for that day. The
program comes with a very comprehensive database of standard
American fare. Many of the different items are identified
by their brand names so that you can tell it that you drank
a can of Coke Classic, for instance. There is a separate
section for your favorite fast food restaurants, and another
for different Ethnic foods. Once you find the food that you
ate, you double click on it and the program asks you to tell
it how much you ate, and for which meal.

Once all data entry is completed, the program can perform an
analysis of your daily food intake against the FDA recommended
quantities. The analysis is presented in the form of a bar
chart. A line across the screen denotes the 100 percent area and
the different bars show how much below or above you were. A
numeric figure is given in addition to the bar so that you can
see the exact number that you ate.

The analysis data can be sorted in various ways. For instance,
say you want to track how much cholesterol you╒re eating. You
set the program up to display those values, and it does the
rest. The program also keeps track of your day to day entries
so that a time series can be displayed. In this fashion you
can see that over any given time period, you were consistently
eating too much sodium, but not enough Vitamin C or whatever.

Another part of the program takes the amount of calories that
you are ingesting into account. In your daily data entry, you
may put in how much you weigh. Based on your age, weight, and
height, the program calculates how many calories you should
eat every day. Should you be interested, the program will
recommend a calorie total for you to target so that your weight
will gradually decrease, or increase. You can then monitor your
progress by setting up the analysis program appropriately.

Although the database of foods is pretty comprehensive, it is
tailored for the "average American diet." That means that many
foods and dishes are simply not covered. Specifically excluded
are any kind of fad foods. To aid those who tend to eat foods
that are somewhat outside of the norm, Nutridata offers two
paths: first, they offer an additional set of foods on diskette;
second, there is a mechanism whereby you can create your own
foods and store them in the program. The program is smart
enough to be able to analyze the nutritional content of your
favorite recipe from the list of ingredients.

Finally, the program also contains a complete list of exercises
and the amount of calories that you might burn off in doing any
of them. This number of calories is added to the amount of
calories that you are "allowed" for that date. Then, in the analysis,
you can see how close to your ideal calorie consumption you came.

Throughout the period of this review, I faithfully entered all
of the data and monitored my weight, cholesterol and several
other components of my diet. Once I got used to the method that
the program uses, data entry took less than five minutes daily.
Performing the analyses and seeing the numbers plotted on the
screen also took very little time. All of which leads me to
believe that this is a very useful program to those who need
this kind of information. However, this is also a very specialized
program. If you are not too concerned about your weight, or about
your fiber consumption, there is really no reason for you to get
a program like this.

=============
PUMA RATINGS
=============

PERFORMANCE: 3.0. The program operates slowly at times. This is
especially noticeable when it starts up. Although data entry
and analysis were very quick, starting the program took almost
as much, if not more, time, then actually running it.

USEFULNESS:  3.0. If you need these types of detailed data breakdowns
and information, then this is an excellent program. Otherwise,
forget it.

MANUAL: 4.0. The manual is very brief but contains all of the
information necessary.

AVAILABILITY: 3.0. Available from mail order and software stores.
I╒ve seen it advertised by several of the larger mail order
software houses. Nutridata does not maintain a toll free number
for technical support which might be required by new users.

(Naor Wallach/19930614)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEL)(00006)

India - Wipro Intros Super Genius PCs 09/17/93
BANGALORE, INDIA, 1993 SEP 17 (NB) -- In a bid to take such
international brands as IBM, Compaq and HP, Wipro Infotech, the
second ranked information technology (IT) company in India, has
launched the Super Genius series of PCs. In contrast to other
hardware vendors banking on foreign alliances, Wipro continues
to rely on in-house research and development.

The new line of Intel-based systems is aimed at the upper end of
the PC market. What distinguishes the new range from other PCs
in the market is its chip level upgradability across the x86
microprocessor families "to protect customer's investment from
obsolescence," according to the company.

The models include a 386DX at the entry-level which can be upgraded
to the Pentium overdrive. A tower model which can be upgraded
from a 386DX to the Pentium overdrive is being positioned as an
upgradable LAN (local area network) server. A 386SX model, and a
486SX model account for the rest of the series.

The company says that the user can switch from a 386 to a Pentium
overdrive by changing the CPU (central processing unit) module. This
has been achieved by maintaining a certain degree of uniformity
across motherboards.

The company claims that chip level upgrades offered by most PC
vendors, including those from IBM and Compaq, are within a single
class of processors. They offer chip level upgrades within its 386
range, across a certain clock speed.

Wipro also promises to match, if not better, the price-performance
ratio of competing international brands. The new PCs start from
Rs 55,000 (around $1,833) for a 386SX to Rs 1.5 lakh (around $5,000)
for the 486DX. HCL-HP, the leader in the computer field, prices its
386 systems at around Rs 58,000 (around $1,900) and charges up to
1.93 lakhs (around $6,400) for its 486 range.

(C. T. Mahabharat/19930916)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEL)(00007)

India - HCL HP Adds To Its PC Range 09/17/93
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 SEP 17 (NB) -- HCL Hewlett-Packard, India's
largest computer company, has announced as many as 26 new models
in the Intel microprocessor-based PC line.

Senior executives claimed "the successful transformation of its
entire product range to international standards" through the
company's recent program called "Project Infiniti," that aims at
"total quality processes."

Despite the HP connection and its launch of the Vectra series of
computers in India, HCL HP has relied on the Busybee line of HCL
legacy in the microcomputer segments. HP's reduced instruction-
set computer (RISC)-based servers command considerable market
share against growing competition from Sun, Digital, IBM, and
others.

There are 18 new models of PCs in the Busybee XL series,
LANstation networking nodes, and Intel Pentium-based Meteor
machines (eight models) using the PCI local bus.

The Busybee range starts at a 25 megahertz (MHz) 386SX and goes
up to 66MHz 486DX2-based models. "The machines use the best of
peripherals, specially designed power supplies, sufficient cooling
systems and even small things like cabinet screws, the label, the
users manual and packing boxes have been improved upon," assured
Ajai Chowdhry, director of HCL HP.

While the price of a 25MHz 386SX-based system is Rs 50,000
(around $1,670), it goes up to Rs 2 lakh (around $6,700) for a
66MHz 486DX2-based system. The Meteor line ranges from
Rs 1.5 lakh (around $5,000) for a 33MHz 486DX system to Rs 7.5
lakh (around $25,000) for a Pentium-based 60MHz machine.

(C. T. Mahabharat/19930916)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00008)

Microsoft Australia Fee-For-Support Set For October 09/17/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 SEP 17 (NB) -- Although it was
originally due to commence on September 1, Microsoft Australia's
new support scheme will now start on October 1. The company has
also announced the first authorized support centers - DEC, NCR,
and Wang.

The Microsoft Authorized Support Centers will provide customer
support across the entire range of Microsoft products. Microsoft is
currently negotiating with other organizations to provide full or
partial support. Meanwhile, Microsoft will offer its existing free
support until December 31. After then it will only give free "human"
support for basic setup and bug enquiries, although it will continue
free electronic-based support.

Announcing the first three support centers, Microsoft Marketing
Manager Tony Fraser said that the companies were the best in the
business and with each of them competing for a share in the new
market the volume of resources devoted to supporting Microsoft
products will increase dramatically. "It is a recognized fact that
the entire user community has been calling for improved support
from all software suppliers and with our new support strategy,
we and our new partners will be the first to satisfy that need."

Microsoft's own paid support will be US$22 per incident for desktop
products and US$130 per incident for professional products
(languages, development products, Windows NT and advanced
networking products).

Digital Equipment Corp., will offer annual service agreements
starting at US$120. Response is 12 hours a day, seven days a week
and response within two hours if needed. Problems will be
escalated to Microsoft where necessary.

NCR is offering a 24 hour international service. Charges are per
user, on a sliding scale. For one to 25 users, the per-user charge
is US$190 per year, dropping to US$19 for more than 1,001 users.

Wang is offering "60 Second Support." It has three levels of
support: low-usage at US$20 per incident; packaged support in lots
of five incidents at US$18 per incident; and Tailored Hotline for
large organizations which need more help or specific features
such as on-site support or CD-ROM based help.

A third-party support organization called HelpKey is typical of the
new supporters springing-up around Australia. For US$230 it offers a
year of toll-free telephone support for a single user on "all popular
packages" for both PC and Macintosh. There is a "generous" sliding
scale for additional users on the one contract.

(Paul Zucker/19930917/Press contacts: Tony Fraser,+61-2-870
2200 or fax [phone], Microsoft; Dallas McDonald,
[phone] or fax [phone], Wang; Jeff Bird,
[phone] or fax [phone], NCR; Peter Davidson,
[phone] or fax [phone], DEC; Wayne Herring,
[phone] or fax [phone], HelpKey)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00009)

Compaq PCs Used In Cambodian Telecoms Network 09/17/93
PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA, 1993 SEP 17 (NB) -- Australian
telecommunications company, Telstra, has installed a country-wide
telecoms system in Cambodia, including more than 100 Compaq PCs.
Telstra is the overseas arm of Australia's major domestic carrier,
Telecom.

Doug Howe, switching project manager at Telstra said, "The previous
infrastructure was destroyed so we were commissioned to establish
a private network across Cambodia. With land mines beside roads and
tracks and a total lack of appropriate ground transport, we were
coping with extreme conditions. Everything had to be flown in from
Singapore and Australia." The AUS$30 million project is just one of
a number of overseas contracts undertaken by Telstra in recent
years.

Howe said of the PCs used: "We chose Compaqs because of service,
and in particular, offshore service. Compaq was able to provide a
service arrangement through Singapore and Bangkok (Thailand)
despite the fact that the computers were supplied through Australia.
Given the conditions into which we installed them, the reliability of
Compaqs was also important in our choice. Price was the final
consideration, and Compaq's price was very hard to beat."

The new network includes 33 PABX (private automatic branch
exchanges) systems, 54 satellite earth stations including a major
hub, and about 4,000 subscriber lines. Banyan Vines LANs (local
area networks) have been established in Phnom Penh and Battambang.

The Compaq PCs are used to control both the PABXs and the earth
stations. The satellite system used is Indonesia's Palapa. It uses
DAMA (demand assigned multiple access) technology for thin route
connection so links via the satellite are shared to minimize cost.

All satellite earth stations can be controlled from Phnom Penh
though each station has its own PC-based hardware diagnostics
system. Even the call accounting system is PC based, with the call
information polled from each PABX station and collated centrally
for account printing for each subscriber. Because of COCOM export
restrictions to Communist countries, the machines were limited
to 33 megahertz models.

(Paul Zucker/19930917)


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

AST Grid Palmpad W/Radio For Vertical Market 09/17/93
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 17 (NB) -- AST, which
now controls Tandy's pen-based Grid computer manufacturing and
the Grid brand name, says it is introducing a new handheld
computer aimed at the vertical pen-based market, as opposed to
the personal digital assistant (PDA) market. The Grid Palmpad
SL is faster than its predecessors, offers two-way integrated
radio communications, and supports Microsoft's Windows for Pen
Computing.

The new Palmpad is 6- by 9- by 2-inches, weighs about three
pounds, and has a hand strap on the back. Its equipped with a 25
megahertz (MHz) 386 SL microprocessor from Intel and offers 4
megabytes (MB) of random access memory (RAM). The unit has a
Type I Personal Computer Memory Card International Association
(PCMCIA) slot as well as serial and keyboard ports built-in.

The backlit display is powered by a video graphics array (VGA)
controller, but at 640 by 400 resolution instead of 640 by 480,
in order to save weight and make the unit a more portable size,
according to Product Manager Jerry Keeran. So while the display
is not true VGA, it does support the Penright operating system
and Windows for Pen Computing. MS-DOS 5.0 comes with the
Palmpad, but the pen operating systems are extra, company
officials said.

The pen is active, using two batteries and the Palmpad is
powered by a rechargeable nickle-metal battery that does not
have the memory problems associated with Nicad batteries and
offers a higher energy yield.

One of the biggest features is the ability to integrate two-way
radio communications via either the Artis or Ram Mobile Data
radio network controller modules which can be integrated into
the Palmpad. Other communications options include an internal
14,400 baud modem with a 9,600 baud fax.

While the handwriting recognition in the PDA's is getting a lot
of attention, Keeran told Newsbytes he believes the
opportunities are in the vertical markets. "It's difficult to
justify one to three thousand dollars for a tool to take a few
notes and store a few addresses, but when you can buy something
as a company that can cut your costs ten percent or make you
more competitive, then you can justify the added expense."

In 1991, a Fujitsu Acutote handheld computer was elected for
display in the Smithsonian because Frito-Lay, maker of snack
chips, used 10,000 of the devices in its manufacturing and
distribution processes to save an estimated 40,000 man-hours a
week. Grid representatives said the two-way radio has generated
interest in industries such as the trucking industry, where the
transfer of information on the road could make a company more
competitive.

In addition, Keeran says the vertical market applications are
repetitive and lend themselves well to the development of
software where pick lists and check boxes can be used for data
input. "If handwriting recognition was all important to data
input, we'd all have screen input pens to write phone numbers
on our telephones instead of buttons," Keeran added.

Base price for the Palmpad SL is $2,319 and equipped with an
Artis or Ram integrated radio, the unit retails for $3,559. AST
plans to demonstrate the new Palmpad at the Mobile World,
September 21-22 in the San Jose Convention Center, San Jose,
California.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930917/Press Contact: Lauren Baker, AST
Research, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00011)

More Speech Recog Apps On The Way Via New SDK 09/17/93
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 17 (NB) -- On an East
Coast press tour this week, Speech Systems Inc. (SSI) is launching
the commercial rollout of PE400 SDK, a kit for incorporating speech
recognition into MS-DOS and Windows applications developed with
Microsoft Visual Basic or Visual C++.

"You'll be surprised at how many speech recognition applications
you're going to see," said Ivan Perez-Mendez, president of the
Boulder, Colorado-based company, meeting with Newsbytes in
Cambridge, Massachusetts, during a stop on the tour.

Already, about 45 ISVs (independent software developers), VARs
(value-added resellers), and systems integrators have signed up for
the Speech Systems Business Partner Program, introduced by SSI at
Spring Comdex.

Applications now in the works include vehicle control, bedside
nursing, order entry at train ticket counters, air traffic control
training, retail store inventory management, radiology, and
banking, said Perez-Mendez. In addition, Osaka Gas and Information
Systems of Osaka, Japan, is currently using SSI's technology in an
application designed to teach Japanese students to speak English.

Applications created with PE400 SDK will run on Speech System's
Phonetic Engine 400 (PE400), a product that consists of runtime
software and a dual-processor, single-circuit full-slot board for
AT class 386- and 486-based PCs.

Unlike some other speech recognition applications, applications
developed with SSI's technology do not require the user to "train"
the software, Perez-Mendez told Newsbytes. The applications are
tolerant of regional and foreign accents and random speech and
pitch variations, he added.

The applications also allow "continuous speech" in the sense of
recognizing complete sentences and permitting the user to speak
naturally without pausing between words, the company president
maintained. However, the technology is still somewhat limited by
the fact that words must be spoken in specified word orders, or
syntaxes, in order to be recognized, he said.

True "continuous speech," of the sort that would allow free-form
dictation, is not yet possible today, said Perez-Mendez. "But it
will be coming by the end of the decade," he told Newsbytes.

SSI's PE400 SDK is made up of a standard word dictionary, plus an
extensive set of libraries, compilers and other tools. By means of
a "dictionary tool," the developer can add words beyond those
included in the standard dictionary.

The toolset also includes a utility for editing syntax. One of the
allowable syntaxes, "burgers," describes orders that might be
taken in a fast food restaurant. Another, "political," describes
sentences that a political candidate might utter.

A third syntax, "car," describes sentences that might be spoken to
an automobile of the future. A fourth, "recommend," was developed
for SSI's MedTrans200, a commercial product for generating medical
radiology reports. The syntax describes what a radiologist might
recommend in the text of a mammogram report.

"Object," an even more complex syntax that was also produced for
MedTrans200, describes sentences that a radiologist might use in
reporting the presence of a foreign object observed on an x-ray.

One of the libraries, ProWav, allows text-to-speech applications to
be ported to third-party sound cards, according to Perez-Mendez.
Additional libraries permit voice to be treated as object files and
provide DLLs (dynamic link libraries) for Windows applications.

During the interview, Perez-Mendez demonstrated a medical
application, using his voice to "fill out" an on-screen form with
such patient information as height, weight, blood pressure,
temperature, allergies, condition of eyes, and whether or not the
doctor recommends a strep culture and X-ray.

The company CEO informed Newsbytes that the current PE400 board
uses a Motorola 56001 DSP (digital signal processing) chip as
acoustic processor and a Motorola 68020 as speech processor.
Features include a microphone that attaches to the board and an
optional earpiece and "push-to-talk" button.

Within the next year, SSI will be announcing a new version of the
PE400 SDK that will allow development of applications for SCO Unix
and Windows NT as well as for DOS and Windows, he said. The new
kit will use a half-slot card as phonetic engine. "Ultimately, our
solution will be software only," Perez-Mendez told Newsbytes.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930917/Reader contact:  Speech Systems Inc.,
tel [phone]; Press contact:  Marissa Verson, S & S Public
Relations Inc. for Speech Systems, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00012)

Sharp Develops Hand-Held Multimedia Tool 09/17/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 SEP 17 (NB) -- Sharp claims that it has
developed a multimedia device, which accepts hand-writing input.

Sharp's Pencom is as small as Apple's Newton, and will be
released on October 1, priced at 65,000 yen ($650). It is small
enough to fit into the palm of a hand and uses an electronic pen.

At a glance, it looks like the Newton, but the device is based on
Sharp's original processor. Sharp and Apple Computer are jointly
developing the Japanese version of the Newton, which will be
released in April 1994. It is expected that the Japanese Newton
will be sold at a higher price than the Pencom.

Sharp's Pencom has regular business organizing programs
including a scheduler, an address book, a report pad and a
map creating program. It has also a world's time clock, a
calculator, and a Japanese and English dictionaries.

With a proprietary optical terminal adaptor to the printer, the
device will be able to print out data. It can also be possible to
exchange data between desktop personal computers with
relevant software and a cable. Sharp is planning to ship 20,000
units a month.

Currently, many major Japanese firms, such as NEC, Toshiba,
and Sanyo, are developing similar multimedia devices. It is
expected that these devices will be released next year.

Handy multimedia devices are expected to become extremely
popular. Some sources estimate that the demand will reach 50
million units by the year 2,000.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930917/Press Contact: Sharp,
Phone, tel [phone], Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00013)

Sony Strengthens Chip Design, Develops Tiny LCD 09/17/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 SEP 17 (NB) -- Sony has decided to power up
its chip design operations in the US and Europe, with the intention
of doubling personnel in those areas. Sony has also developed an
extremely small LCD (liquid crystal display), which the company
claims is the smallest in the industry.

Sony's chip development center is located in California. There
are about 50 design engineers there. The company's chip design
center in Europe is located in England- with 10 people employed.
By April 1995, Sony intends to have doubled the number at both
facilities.

At the US design center, Sony will strengthen its chip designing
for computers and peripheral devices. Such chips include super
fast static RAM (SRAM), the R3000 RISC (reduced instruction-set
computing) processor and its fast versions, and bipolar ICs
(integrated circuits). At the UK plant, Sony will design chips for
TV sets and telecommunication devices.

Meanwhile, Sony has developed, what it claims, is the world's
smallest LCD. The screen size is only 0.55 of an inch. It is TFT
(thin film transistor)-based and called the LCX005AK. The device
measures 17.8 by 18 by 2.7 millimeters (mm) and has 113,000
pixels with 260 horizontal lines. It is designed for view finders
of camcorders.

It is only a prototype but will be available at 23,000 yen ($230).
The company has also developed a 0.7-inch LCD with 180,000
pixels, which will be available in January, 1994, priced at
37,000 yen ($370).

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930917/Press Contact: Sony,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(ATL)(00014)

 ****Govt NII Council To Include Look At 1934 Coms Act 09/17/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 SEP 17 (NB) -- President Clinton
has made a move to address concerns which had led many high-tech
supporters to express disappointment in him. By forming an
Advisory Council on the National Information Infrastructure, and
hinting at a re-write of the 1934 Communications Act, he has at
least got their attention.

An executive order signed September 15 forming the United States
Advisory Council on the National Information Infrastructure, to
be appointed by Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, was in fact
announced by Vice President Gore, a key supporter of the idea
while in the Senate. The Council - up to 25 members - will serve
up to two years, will get only travel expenses and a per diem, plus
some assistance from Commerce officials, but they may also have
tremendous power. Section Two of the order allows the Council to
advise the Secretary on "current and proposed regulatory regimes
on the evolution of the National Information Infrastructure,"
which many took to mean a re-write of the 1934 Communications
Act.

That act, first passed under the New Deal but since subject to
numerous amendments, is the basic law under which all
telecommunications companies operate. It is based on the idea of
scarce frequency and the public interest, and many inside and
outside of Washington, including powerful Democrats like Oklahoma
Representative Mike Synar, have urged a re-write for the 21st
century.

In remarks announcing the Council, Commerce Secretary Brown
mentioned the idea of revising regulations. Republicans quickly
charged he is trying to shake down the industry for campaign
contributions. Many in Washington, like FCC Commissioner Ervin
Duggan, a Bush appointee, have advised against any rewrite,
fearing a feeding frenzy by special interests.

At a press conference announcing the Council, Vice President
Gore emphasized the idea of "universal access" to the NII, saying
schools and homes, not just businesses, should be able to get
fast-data services and access to large databases. Cable and
telephone companies are already building what will become the
NII, based on the still-unformed asynchronous transfer mode
protocol, but all the work is going on in urban centers, suburbs
and around university campuses, where there are lots of potential
customers. Only the regional Bells, so far, have publicly
expressed concern about universal access, and critics quickly
charged they are mainly interested in universal subsidies for
serving rural communities.

Meanwhile a number of companies and colleges, including AT&T,
Digital Equipment, Hewlett-Packard, Novell, Sprint, Sun and
SynOptics, along with Oregon State, UC Berkeley, Ohio State, the
University of New Hampshire, and the US Department of Energy's
Sandia National Laboratory in New Mexico, announced a grouping
called Earth Data Systems, which will link nine states in a fast-
data network aimed at studying deforestation and ocean pollution.
That effort could start in November, and help in defining
standards for the NII. SynOptics is a leader in ATM technology.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930917/Press Contact: White House Press
Office, 202-456-1414)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(ATL)(00015)

 ****1992 Cable Act Upheld 09/17/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 SEP 17 (NB) -- US District Court
Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson has upheld most of the 1992 Cable
Act, rejecting cable industry arguments that the "retransmission
consent" rule under which stations can negotiate with cable on
carrying their signals, violates the First Amendment right to
free speech. The decision was a loss for Time Warner
Entertainment Co., which brought suit.

The retransmission rules were a cornerstone of broadcasters'
support for the act, which also re-imposes rate regulation on the
industry for the first time in a decade. Broadcasters have
watched as cable services like CNN won fees of about 25 cents
per subscriber per month from cable operators, and wanted in.

Negotiations between networks and operators, however, have
resulted in deals without cash changing hands. Instead, networks
are creating their own new cable channels and, some analysts
contend, using the act to force local cable operators to carry them,
even if that means bumping off other channels.

A legal challenge to the "must carry" rule, under which operators
must carry all local broadcast signals - even if they are just
home shopping channels - is pending before the Supreme Court.
The original decision in that case was also written by Judge
Jackson.

Jackson did strike down some rules, however, based on the
Constitution. He said that there can be no limits on the number
of subscribers a cable operator serves. He ruled there can be no
guaranteed quote on satellites for non-commercial, educational
programming. He also said a rule forcing operators to give 30
days notice before offering free previews of premium channels
offering R-rated movies - or tougher stuff - is also
unconstitutional.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930917)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(ATL)(00016)

InterDigital Works For Expedited Patent Hearing 09/17/93
KING OF PRUSSIA, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 17 (NB) --
InterDigital Technology expects expedited trials, perhaps as
early as January, on its patent infringement suits involving the
digital cellular technologies known as time division multiple
access, or TDMA, and code division multiple access, or CDMA.

Spokesman Dave Buckingham told Newsbytes the company filed its
TDMA complaint against Ericsson in Virginia because that court
has a "rocket docket" which aims to bring such cases to trial
quickly. Ericsson has also counter-sued, in a different court,
arguing the TDMA patents should be held invalid. InterDigital is
best known for its TDMA technology.

The company is also engaged in lawsuits over CDMA with
Qualcomm. Buckingham told Newsbytes that the Eastern District of
Pennsylvania, where InterDigital filed its CDMA suits, also has
expedited procedures. Qualcomm, in which regional Bells NYNEX
and Pacific Telesis both hold interests, recently said it won
authorization of its version of the technology as a standard
before the Telecommunications Industry Association.

It has also convinced such major cellular operators as US West
and Bell Atlantic to switch to CDMA instead of TDMA, arguing it
offers more capacity. It has also convinced a number of Korean
manufacturers to make CDMA equipment, both for their home
market and for export.

InterDigital sued Qualcomm in June, after acquiring the patent
portfolio of SCS Mobilecom, which has done much of its work on
CDMA in conjunction with military contracts aimed at making
battlefield order transmissions impossible to jam. Recently,
InterDigital sought to add another patent, which underlies both
TDMA and CDMA - it involves how files are set-up before they are
digitally encoded, according to Buckingham - to its complaint.
Qualcomm is fighting that move. Oki Electric Industry Company
Ltd., and Oki America, which has signed to make CDMA equipment,
are also parties to the suits.

Over the long run, CDMA is considered a far more important
technology than TDMA by many analysts, although in the short-run
TDMA is being installed in some US cellular systems, notably by
McCaw Cellular. CDMA is expected to be the basis for microwave-
based cellular service called personal communication networks, or
PCNs, which could result in a flood of royalties to whomever the
courts rule owns the technology. The 800 megahertz networks being
developed using specialized mobile radio, or SMR, frequencies,
also depend on a version of CDMA technology.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930917/Press Contact: Dave Buckingham,
InterDigital Technology, 215-278-7910)


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

Tokyo Firm Intros CD-ROM Recordable System 09/17/93
CARVER, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 17 (NB) -- A  Japanese
firm is now shipping a CD-ROM recordable system that is being
distributed by Carver, Minnesota-based Microboards.

Called Playwrite, the CD-ROM data recording system ships as a
turnkey system that includes a Ricoh CD-Recordable drive, Dataware
Technologies CD-Record software, a SCSI (small computer systems
interface) cable, two blank disks, and one hour of free customer
support from national computer services provider National Computer
Systems.

The system sells for $3,899 and is compatible with PCs running
MS-DOS or Unix as well as Apple Computer's Macintosh platform.
Additional disks are available from Rorke Data, Consan Systems,
High Technology Inc., and CD Data as well as from Microboards.
Disk prices are dependent on the quantity purchased. In lots of 100
they sell for $18 each.

Ricoh Executive Vice President Dr. Mondo Onoe said Ricoh's decision
to get into the CD business was motivated by two factors. "First,
the market promises to expand dramatically in the future since the
CD is one of the best media for recording a mixture of images and
text. Second, Ricoh already possesses the technologies needed to
enter this market - including optomechatronics, photoconductor
organic pigment technologies, and semiconductor technologies."
Ricoh  already manufactures copiers, cameras, printers, optical
disk drives, and disks.

M. Craig Hanson, US general manager at Microboards, told Newsbytes
optomechatronics is a term that refers to a mixture of optical,
mechanical and electronic technology combined into a single device.
"Ricoh is a vertically integrated company that makes their own
optical, mechanical, and electronic devices," he told Newsbytes.

The software from Dataware is its recently enhanced CD-Record
version 2.0 multi-format program. The drive has an incremental
write capability, which allows data sets of variable and/or fixed
lengths to be written on the disk, in the same way external PC
storage devices work.

"Playwrite has all the attributes, formats and platforms required
by the business marketplace," according to M. Craig Hanson, US
general manager for Microboards Inc. The software was designed to
be used with a broad range of CD-ROM applications from mastering
audio CDs and developing CD-I (CD-Interactive) titles to preparing
multimedia business presentations, directories, catalogs, desktop
publishing, and archival storage.

(Jim Mallory/19930917/Press contact: M. Craig Hanson, Microboards
Inc, 612-448-9800' Reader contact: Microboards, 800-225-4414)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00018)

Gateway 2000 Intros Pentium-Powered Local Bus PC 09/17/93
NORTH SIOUX CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 17 (NB) --
Gateway 2000 has announced that it is now accepting orders for a
Pentium-based PC that uses PCI local bus architecture. The unit is
scheduled to ship in mid-October.

The company says that the P5-60, is available in volume. Base
configuration includes a 424 megabyte (MB) hard drive, 16MB of
system memory, a 2MB video card, a double speed CD-ROM drive that
Gateway says transfers data at the rate of 300 kilobytes (KB) per
second, a 1.44MB 3.5-inch floppy disk drive, 16 KB of internal cache
memory, a 15-inch non-interlaced CrystalScan color monitor, a
mouse, MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, and a choice of application
software. Gateway says the P5-60 is more economical than
comparably configured systems that are powered by a 66 megahertz
(MHz) 486DX2 chip.

The P5-60 uses a 32-bit PCI local bus that Gateway says can move
data up to 15 percent faster than through existing VESA (Video
Electronics STandards Association) local bus designs. If the user
adds peripherals such as modems or network cards, the system
BIOS (basic input/output) recognizes and automatically configures
them. Gateway says peripherals running on the PCI bus run at a
33MHz clock speed, more than four times the rate used on standard
ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) bus expansion slots.

The unit comes in a tower style case that accommodates five external
drive bays, six internal drive bays, two fans, and a 300 watt power
supply. Gateway will install Microsoft Excel spreadsheet program,
the CD-ROM edition of Microsoft Word and Bookshelf, MS Powerpoint
presentation software, Microsoft Project project management,
Microsoft Entrepreneur Pack, or Borland's Paradox/Quattro package
at no charge. The user can also elect to have a second application
installed, including several CD-ROM titles. Gateway says those are
available at competitive pricing and include Microsoft Encarta,
Microsoft Dinosaurs, Jazz: A Multimedia History, Microsoft
Cinemania and the TIME Almanac 1993.

(Jim Mallory/19930917/Press contact: Glynnis Gibson, Gibson
Communications for Gateway 2000, 312-868-9400; Reader contact:
Gateway 2000, 605-232-2000 or 800-846-2000, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00019)

Identity Bundles Keyboard/Check-Print Acct Software 09/17/93
RICHARDSON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 17 (NB) -- Identity systems
Technology Inc., says it will market a keyboard that can be used with
IBM-compatible or IBM PS/2 personal computers and will come with
Check-Print accounting and check printing software.

The keyboard comes with an adapter that makes it compatible with
either type of PC. Check-Print accounting software can be configured
to print twelve different business or personal checks, available from
Deluxe Corp.

The software was developed by CPA Gary Stetzer, owner of Tremplo
Software, and is designed for personal or business bookkeeping. The
menus include a Main Menu with choices for setup of income and
expense categories, checkbook, checkbook reconciliation, correction
of checks and transactions, batch printing of checks, reports,
additional features, and ordering of checks and supplies. You can
choose a personal, retail sales, contractor, apartment rental,
farmer or services format.

Available reports include check register, transaction listing, and
income and expense reports. The sample chart of accounts can be
customized to fit the user's needs, and the program supports wide
and standard carriage printers and laser printers. Tremplo provides
free technical support.

Stetzer says he developed Check-Print because he was unable to find
a software program that would give his clients the information they
needed in a format they could understand. "Using my 15 years of
experience as a college accounting instructor and my background in
systems and design, I developed my own software." He claims
Check-Print is superior to Quicken, another personal and small
business accounting program, citing Check- Print's superior
flexibility and ease-of-use.

Identity spokesperson Alan Weinkrantz told Newsbytes
hardware-software bundles such as this represent an opportunity
for the end user to get a good piece of hardware with immediate
gratification. Speaking about Check-Print, Weinkrantz said, "If they
like the idea of doing their books on a computer, they can continue
to use what essentially amounts to a free program or can upgrade to
a high end product."

The keyboard-software bundle has a suggested retail price of
$89.95. Identity markets its products through mass merchandisers
such as Walmart, Price Club, and Lechmere.

(Jim Mallory/19930917/Press contact: Alan Weinkrantz for
Identity, 210-820-3070; Reader contact: Identity Systems
Technology, 214-235-3330)


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

Microfield Intros Softboard For Mac 09/17/93
PORTLAND, OREGON, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 17 (NB) -- First came overhead
slides for business projections. Next came projection screens that
projected images displayed on an attached personal computer. Now
a Portland, Oregon, company has taken a different approach,
introducing a technology that captures to a computer everything
written on a whiteboard, where it can be saved, printed or even
shared with viewers in other locations simultaneously.

Microboard Graphics Inc., has introduced Softboard, a peripheral
device that combines the ubiquitous whiteboard and its colored
markers with computer technology. Softboard uses special dry-erase
markers in a variety of colors that use encoded sleeves to sends
information about the marker's color and position on the board  to a
digital signal processor (DSP). A special circular eraser about the
size of a softball causes information erased from Softboard to be
erased from the computer display.

Softboard connects to a Apple Computer Macintosh using a standard
serial cable. The user loads the software and the unit automatically
configures itself. A special program called SB Remote can also be
loaded to assist in setting up a multi-site real-time session using
a modem.

Laser beams are the key to the technology. Two of the beams
continuously scan the entire area of the whiteboard about
one-quarter of an inch above the surface. When the user writes on
the board the lasers locate, identify and track the positions of the
markers in real time and translate the data onto the computer
display.

"The need to record the ideas, concepts, and solutions created by
the collaboration of individuals has always been important," says
Microfield President and CEO John Conroy. "Until now the recording
and dissemination of this newly created information has been
cumbersome at best. Softboard, quite simply, solves this problem."

Microfield says a 54-inch by 60-inch model of Softboard is
scheduled to ship in November, priced at $2,995. Additional sizes
and models are in development. Softboard is also compatible with
IBM-compatible PCs.

(Jim Mallory/19930917/Press contact: Peter Zinsli, Microfield
Graphics, 503- 626-9393; Reader contact: Microfield Graphics,
503-626-9393 or 800-334- 4922, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEN)(00021)

 ****US West To Cut 9,000 Jobs 09/17/93
DENVER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 17 (NB) -- US West
Communications plans to cut 9,000 jobs over the next three years,
citing the need to become more competitive.

A subsidiary of telephone and exchange access services provider
US West Inc, the communications company employs about 63,700
people.

"We're announcing our plans now to give employees - and the
communities in which they lie and work - as much advance notice
as possible," said a company spokesperson.

US West said it plans to "re-engineer" its internal operations and
will continue to streamline every part of the business to make it
more efficient. The company said the labor union was involved in
the re-engineering. Some employees will receive outplacement
services and additional training to help them find jobs. Others will
be offered relocation. "We'll also work with affected communities
on economic development issues, including new uses for facilities
that we will vacate," the spokesperson said.

The company said the layoff decision will result in the shifting of
work from several smaller offices scattered across 14 states to 26
new centers in Albuquerque, Boise, the Denver area, Des Moines, the
Minneapolis-St Paul area, Omaha, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City,
and the Seattle area. Current centers will close gradually over an
18 month period beginning in mid-1994 as the new centers come on
line.

(Jim Mallory/19930917/Press contact: Abel Chavez, US West
Communications, 719-636-4596)


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

Phoenix Intros File Finder For Windows 09/17/93
NORWOOD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 17 (NB) -- Continuing
an attempt to establish itself as a vendor of software for end users
as well as systems software used by computer makers, Phoenix
Technologies Ltd., has announced a program meant to help Microsoft
Windows users find files.

Eclipse Find, from Phoenix's recently created Eclipse division,
maintains a full-text index of files so that users can search for
files containing one or more words, the company said. It can also
sort files by date and time of creation, so that a user can look
for a file created, say, last Thursday afternoon.

Also, like other file management programs, Eclipse Find can
perform operations - such as moving and deleting - on single
files or selected groups of files. And it can "launch" the
application in which the file was originally created.

Find runs in the background while other Windows applications are
in use and indexes files as they are created. Company spokeswoman
Jessica Chipkin said this does not affect the performance of the
foreground application. Users can also index files that were on
their disks before they installed Find, she said.

Searching capabilities include the ability to search for files
containing a given word, plus "and," "or," and "not" searches.
Proximity searching, which finds files where one word occurs
within a specified number of words from another word, is not
available in this release, Chipkin said.

Phoenix claimed the software will find any document on a hard
drive in less than three seconds. Users can also create folders, with
names longer than those allowed in the DOS file system, to organize
their files.

The suggested retail price is $89, with an introductory price of
$39.95, and the software is available now, Phoenix said.

Phoenix bought Chicago-based Eclipse Systems Inc., which also
makes personal computer facsimile software, in mid-May.

(Grant Buckler/19930917/Press Contact: Jessica Chipkin,
312-541-0260; Michael Deutsch, Phoenix, 617-551-4184)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00023)

Lotus Intros Approach 2.1, SmartSuite 2.1 For Windows 09/17/93
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 17 (NB) -- Having
put its own stamp on the database software it bought in the spring,
Lotus Development Corp., has announced the new version as a
stand-alone package and as part of its SmartSuite applications
bundle for Microsoft Windows.

The new Approach 2.1 adds the SmartIcons that Lotus uses to
provide quick access to common functions in its other
applications. It also can read files created by the company's
1-2-3 spreadsheet program, and the latest version of 1-2-3,
Release 4, can read Approach files, said company spokesman
Paul Santinelli, Jr.

Lotus bought Approach in June, when it acquired Approach
Software Corp., of Redwood City, California.

The new Release 2.1 of Approach also adds direct access to tables
created by the Oracle database software, versions 6 and 7, and it
complies with Microsoft Corp.'s Open Database Connectivity (ODBC)
standard, meaning Approach can serve as a front end to server
databases that also comply with ODBC, Santinelli said.

Other new features include batch reading of structured query
language (SQL) files and support for graphics interchange (.GIF)
and Targa (.TGA) graphics files.

Approach 2.1 has a list price of $395, but there is a $99
introductory price until December 31. Anyone who bought
Approach 2.0 can upgrade for a $10 shipping and handling fee.

In SmartSuite 2.1 for Windows, Approach will replace the license
option for Lotus' cc:Mail electronic software. The company
claimed that it found customers buy communications products
separately from desktop applications. However, Lotus continues
to offer discounts for volume purchases of SmartSuite combined
with Notes, its work-group software.

Substituting Approach for cc:Mail means the price of SmartSuite
remains the same at $795. Upgrades from any Lotus or competing
application are $595, but Lotus is offering them at a special
promotional price of $299 until the end of this year.

(Grant Buckler/19930917/Press Contact: Jaleh Bisharat, Lotus,
415-306-7887; Paul Santinelli Jr., Lotus, 415-306-1705; Peter
Cohen, Lotus, 617-693-1283)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00024)

Lotus Announces Network Of European Training Centers 09/17/93
STAINES, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1993 SEP 17 (NB) -- Lotus has
launched a Europe-wide network of education centers for Notes
and cc:Mail.

The aim of the centers is to prepare the way for the expected growth
(according to Lotus) in the European groupware market. Lotus claims
that the market for this type of software is expected to quadruple
by 1988, backing up its claim with a report by Ovum, the market
research company.

According to the companies, the Lotus Authorized Education Centers
(LAECs) will provide training for system administrators, application
developers and end users across Europe. To date, 16 European
organizations have been certified as LAECs in Europe.

In the UK, Azlan, Britech, Computacenter, Computerland Edinburgh,
KPMG, P&P Training, and QA Training have joined the network. In
Scandinavia, the list incudes IBM Sweden, Scribona, Fintronic, Cinet
and Damagaard Data. In Germany it includes Peacock and What's Up,
while in the Netherlands it is Appligate. In Italy, the LAEC is
Infoservice.

Announcing the setting up of the LAECs, Colin Stanley, European
Manager for Lotus CSG Education Services, said that the company is
committed to providing education and training programs which meet
the requirements of the Lotus' fast-growing base of Notes and
cc:Mail users.

"Under the program, we've created a broad-based alliance of
organizations devoted to delivering quality education services to
our customers in Europe. The LAECs we have chosen to work with
all have a solid track record in providing training for advanced
technology products. By authorizing these new training centers,
Lotus is bringing Notes' strengths to an even wider base of
developers and users in the UK," he said.

So how does a center qualify to become an LAEC? Lotus says that
companies must have permanent training facilities and a proven
background in providing courses on software, networks and
operating systems. The reason for the LAECs having to meet such
high standards is, Lotus claims, because of the need to provide
the training for the Lotus certification (LCE) program.

(Steve Gold/19930917/Press & Public Contact: Lotus
Development Corp., 0784-455445)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00025)

Dataquest LIsts Compaq In #2 European PC Sales Slot 09/17/93
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 SEP 17 (NB) -- The turnaround for Compaq
in Europe now looks complete. Two years ago the company seemed
to be at a low point. Now, according to figures just released by
Dataquest on European PC sales, it is almost at the top of the pile
with only IBM to beat.

According to the latest Dataquest/Wall Street Journal report,
Compaq's percentage share of the Europe market continues to climb.
During the second quarter, it held 11.1 percent - up 0.4 percent (in
points terms) on the 10.7 percent reported for the first quarter.
IBM is holding on to pole position with 13.1 percent - up 0.5
percentage points from 12.6 percent during the first quarter.

Apple brought up third position, losing 0.6 percentage points to end
up at 7.1 percent during the second quarter. The only real winner
was Olivetti with a 0.7 percent percentage points increase to 6.6
percent of the market, pushing the company into fourth position.

Eckhard Pfieffer is the man who has dragged Compaq back from
the edge over the last few years. His strategy for the company has
been simple - dropping and dropping prices continually until profit
margins are razor thin. Newsbytes notes that the result has been an
astonishing turnaround for the company - over the last year, the
company has doubled its UK market share from five to more than 11
percent.

Analysts now recognize that, in the past quarter, when many
companies have made a loss, and IBM barely broke even, Compaq
has doubled its sales and tripled its profits to $102 million. It has
also reported a 150 percent increase in the number of computers
sold over the year before. The industry average, meanwhile, was
a relatively modest 25 percent.

According to Dataquest, European PC sales fell throughout Europe
during the second quarter of this year. Unit shipments rose 11.2
percent to 2.17 million units over the same period a year ago. They
fell 12 percent from the 2.5 million units shipped in the first
quarter of this year.

The UK PC sales channel appears to have taken the brunt of the sales
reduction. During the second quarter, PC sales were 421,000, a 30
percent reduction from the 602,000 reported during the first
quarter of the year.

(Steve Gold/19930917/Press & Public Contact: Dataquest,
0895-835050)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00026)

SPC Cuts UK Pricing On Harvard Graphics For Windows 09/17/93
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 SEP 17 (NB) -- Software Publishing Corp.,
(SPC) has announced a price cut on Harvard Graphics for Windows 2.0
from UKP415 to UKP295. At the same time, the company is offering
what it calls a UKP95 competitive price upgrade path for users of
competing software, as well as earlier editions.

Steve Paul, SPC's international graphics marketing manager,
announcing the changed arrangements, said that he expects a large
increase in sales, both to new users and those upgrading.

On the upgrade offer, Paul said that users have a real choice.
"Price is no longer a barrier to using the best of breed product,"
he said, adding: "If you have a suite on your PC, you can justify
upgrading to the best presentation graphics product to use with
the rest of your applications."

SPC says it is expecting a UKP199 street price point for the
package. The upgrade offer runs until the beginning of December.
To assist customers interested in Harvard Graphics for Windows
2.0, SPC has set up a toll-free helpline on 0800-616606.

(Steve Gold/19930917/Press & Public Contact: SPC,
0344-867100)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00027)

Shiva Lures Ingari From Lotus 09/17/93
BURLINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 17 (NB) -- Remote
networking vendor Shiva Corp., has hired Frank Ingari away from
his post as vice-president of marketing at Lotus Development
Corp., to become Shiva's president and chief executive.

Ingari will take over those titles from Dan Schwinn, founder of
Shiva, who continues as chairman of the company.

Schwinn told Newsbytes the remote networking market is taking off
and Shiva officials believe the company has "the right products,
the right technology in the right market area." The remaining
issue was "how well we could execute," he said, and "we set out
to find someone who could help us execute incredibly well."

Schwinn believes he has found that person in Ingari, who has both
a technical and a marketing background in large and small
companies.

Before becoming vice-president of marketing at Lotus, Ingari
was chairman and chief executive of Ontos Inc., a maker of
object-oriented database software also based in Burlington.
Before that he was vice-president of Lotus' spreadsheet division,
and spent six years in management jobs at Atex Inc., a maker of
electronic publishing systems.

Schwinn said he will spend more of his own time on the technical
aspect of the company and on promoting Shiva to customers and
potential partners. "I have been running at probably 170 percent
of capacity for the last nine months since this thing took off,"
he noted.

Shiva recently announced a deal with IBM, under which the two
firms will develop remote networking equipment for IBM networks,
and a deal with Apple Computer to create remote access software.

The company currently has about 160 employees and annual
revenues of about $30 million, Schwinn said, and is expecting
50-to-100-percent annual growth in the next couple of years.

Lotus has not yet named a replacement for Ingari, company
spokesman Richard Eckel said, and until it does staff who had
reported to him will report directly to Bob Weiler, senior
vice-president of the company's North American business group.

(Grant Buckler/19930917/Press Contact: Carol McGarry, Schwartz
Communications for Shiva, 617-431-0770; Richard Eckel, Lotus
Development, 617-693-1284)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00028)

Canada's Unitel Prepares To Offer 800 Service 09/17/93
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 SEP 17 (NB) -- If federal
regulators give their approval, Unitel Communications Inc., will
offer toll-free 800-number service in competition with the
established phone companies in nine of the 10 Canadian provinces
starting in January.

Unitel said its Unitel800 service will be built on intelligent
network technology from AT&T, which owns 20 percent of Unitel.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
(CRTC) must approve the service before Unitel can go ahead. As
the CRTC has shown itself in favor of telephone competition -
particularly with its decision last year to let Unitel and a
coalition of Toronto-based Lightel Inc., and Vancouver-based BC
Rail Telecommunications compete with the regional phone
companies - that approval is likely to be given.

Unitel still faces one obstacle, though. By year end, the company
expects to be offering long-distance service in all of Canada
except the province of Saskatchewan, where telecommunications
remains provincially regulated. The Saskatchewan government -
which owns the telephone company, Saskatchewan
Telecommunications (SaskTel) - has shown no sign of allowing
competition. New federal telecom legislation that became law
earlier this year will eventually put the province's
telecommunications under federal authority, but not for another
five years.

In the meantime, Unitel spokesman Ken Stewart said, it appears
callers in Saskatchewan will not be able to call Unitel800
numbers elsewhere in Canada. And Unitel's competitors, the
regional phone companies making up the Stentor consortium, are
refusing to provide multi-carrier portability, in which a
customer could use a single 800 number but have service provided
by Unitel in some areas and a Stentor company in another. So, a
national customer that wanted to use Unitel800 in the nine
provinces where it will be available would have to publish a
different number for service provided by SaskTel to Saskatchewan
callers.

However, Unitel and Stentor are negotiating on this point and
"we're confident that we can resolve the Saskatchewan problem,"
Stewart said.

He added that Canadians will have 800-number portability in the
sense that customers will be able to switch carriers without
changing numbers. This issue gained attention this year in the
United States, where until recently, a block of numbers was
reserved for each long-distance carrier and a customer who
switched had to take a new number, possibly at a substantial cost
for reprinting stationery, promotional materials and the like.

(Grant Buckler/19930917/Press Contact: Ken Stewart, Unitel,
416-345-2094; Claire Fiset, Unitel, 514-395-5259)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00029)

Electronic Imaging '93 - Smallest CCD Camera Module 09/17/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 17 (NB) -- At Electronic
Imaging '93 this week, Sony introduced a product billed as the
smallest CCD camera module ever made, along with an ultra-tiny
color liquid crystal display (LCD) display.

Both products will be used for professional broadcasting and film
applications, and the CCD camera module might also be used in
desktop peripherals, said Jim Trumpp, national sales manager, in
an interview with Newsbytes on the show floor.

Several Sony customers will be taking the camera and LCD, encased
in protective enclosures, on underwater ocean filming expeditions,
Trumpp told Newsbytes. Customers in this market segment include
Osprey and Deep Sea Power & Light, he added. Many land-based
applications are also on the way, he said.

The 1.7- by 1.1- by 3.1-inch XC-MO7 monitor is designed to
function as a "portable viewfinder," and is ideal for testing camera
installations, he explained.  The miniature monitor weighs only 4.2
ounces, requires only a 12-volt power supply, and has a total power
consumption of only 2-watts. The display area is just 0.7-inch wide.

The RGB (red, green, blue) pixels of the LCD are arranged in a
delta pattern, which is aimed at providing exceptional picture
quality compared to the fixed color pattern found in vertical
stripe and mosaic pattern arrangements.

According to Trumpp, the LCD is the first of its size to offer zero
retention time, meaning that a shadow of a previous image is not
retained by the panel.

The new "subminiature" XC-777 CCD module measures less than
four-inches in height and under one-inch in both height and width,
making it one-third smaller than Sony's previously released
XC-999 module, he told Newsbytes.

The module outputs stand color video signals, either NTSC
composite or Y/C, producing horizontal resolution of 470 TV lines.
The use of Sony's Hyper HAD (Hole Accumulated Diode) technology
has reduced light sensitivity to 4.5 lux, said Trumpp. Signal-to-
noise ratio has been improved to more than 48dB.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930917/Reader contact:  Sony Electronics, tel
708-773-7604; Press contacts:  Manny Vara, Sony, tel [phone];
Jim Leal, Technology Solutions for Sony, tel [phone]; Barbara
Hagin, Technology Solutions for Sony, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00030)

Electronic Imaging '93 - 3D Eyewear For Kubota Workstations 09/17/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 17 (NB) -- At Electronic
Imaging '93, StereoGraphics has announced a $2 million agreement
to supply Kubota-Pacific Computer with its CrystalEyes active
shuttering eyewear and other 3D (three-dimensional) stereographic
products.

Used for virtual reality applications, flybys, and industrial
purposes, the CrystalEyes eyewear is synchronized with the monitor,
according to the company. The monitor alternately displays the
left and right images of each stereo pair at 120 frames-per-second,
resulting in a "true stereo 3D image."

Kubota plans to offer the eyewear with Kubota Kenai ("keen eye")
workstations, which are based on DEC's Alpha AXP processor
and Kubota's scalable Denali graphics subsystem, as well as
with Kubota's own Denali workstations.

Silicon Graphics, another workstation vendor, has been providing
the eyewear with its workstations for the past six or seven years,
said Paul D. Wait, sales engineer, speaking with Newsbytes at the
StereoGraphics booth.

In the booth, StereoGraphics ran a demo on a Kubota workstation of
a 3D flyby of Orange County. StereoGraphics has also produced a
demo of Autodesk, Wait told Newsbytes. The company hopes to have
applications based on StereoGraphic equipment accessible from an
icon in an upcoming edition of Autodesk's 3D studio, he noted.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930917/Press and reader contact:
StereoGraphics, tel [phone])