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/NB111593

Text File | 1993-11-15 | 77KB | 1,680 lines

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00001)

Delrina Licenses Microsoft At Work 11/15/93
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- Delrina Corp., has
licensed the Microsoft At Work protocol from Microsoft for use in
its personal computer facsimile products. Delrina said it is the
first software vendor to incorporate Microsoft At Work into its
products.

The protocol is meant to let information flow among office
machines -- such as fax machines, photocopiers, and telephones --
and personal computers. It can transmit binary files and allow
for higher-quality fax transmission, the company said.

According to Microsoft, the software will also make it possible
to use the existing telephone network to share information across
distances, allowing easy digital communication between remote
offices, for instance.

Delrina said it will use Microsoft At Work in its WinFax Lite,
WinFax Pro, and the upcoming WinFax Pro for Networks software.

Company spokesman Josef Zankowicz said the benefits will include
the ability to send a data file, rather than simply a fax image,
from a PC running Delrina's fax software to a stand-alone fax
machine that supports the Microsoft At Work protocol. That will
mean the document can be sent with error correction -- not
available with regular faxes -- and the data file can carry
formatting with it so that the document printed out at the far
end is exactly as formatted on the sending PC.

Delrina plans to launch versions of its software using Microsoft
At Work early in 1994, Zankowicz said. He acknowledged, though,
that the real benefits will appear only when the software is
communicating with fax devices that also support the new
protocol.

Newsbytes reported in June that Microsoft expected to have
applications and development kits available for telephony, fax,
and handheld devices by the end of this year, and also expected
fax machines using Microsoft At Work to ship by year-end.

Delrina also recently signed alliances with MCI International,
Bell Canada subsidiary WorldLinx Telecommunications Inc., and
Vodata Ltd., a subsidiary of Vodaphone Group Plc in the United
Kingdom, as it seeks to strengthen its hand in communications.

(Grant Buckler/19931112/Press Contact: Josef Zankowicz or
Shelly Sofer, Delrina, 416-441-3676)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00002)

Logitech Intros ScanMan PowerPage Scanner 11/15/93
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- Hoping to entice
potential users with bundled software, Logitech Inc., has introduced
the ScanMan PowerPage boardless, 256-grayscale, full-page scanner.
According to the company, it features motorized control and sheet-
fed or hand-held scanning options.

Betty Skov,  spokesperson for the company, told Newsbytes that,
"The intended market is the small office or home office. Because
it (ScanMan PowerPage) performs multiple functions -- text and
image scanning, plus fax and copy -- with all the utilities
included in the software, we think that it is going to be very
desirable in that environment, where a more expensive flat-bed
scanner would take up a much larger foot-print, and not be a
personal desktop tool."

According to Skov, what differentiates the product from other
scanners on the market, "Is the integrated software that we
have bundled with it."

The company says that integrated software included with the
package offers image capture and editing, optical character
recognition, fax interface and a copy utility. ScanMan PowerPage
is set for availability in early 1994 at a suggested retail price
of $799.

Software applications shipping with ScanMan PowerPage will
include: Logitech's FotoTouch Color image editing software; Caere's
OmniPage Direct AnyFont OCR (optical character recognition)
software for Logitech; Delrina's WinFax LITE faxing software;
and a copy utility that the company says produces high-quality
gray-scale copies using a printer. The tools immediately appear
onscreen in a PowerPage "Control Center" when the scanner is
activated upon contact with a document.

PowerPage communicates with the computer by means of the
parallel port and requires no interface card. It can be used as a
sheet-fed, full-page scanner or in hand-held mode, with the
motorized scanning head detached from its base. An optional
document feeder is also available.

The company says that additional product features include: TWAIN-
and Microsoft OLE (object linking and embedding)-compliance for
direct scanning into applications; software-controlled
communication between computer and scanner head; 25 - 400
dots-per-inch (dpi); and special thresholding and dithering features
to automatically adjust contrast for text and images for producing
high-quality copies and faxes.

According to Patricia Smith, product marketing manager, "It offers
the control and full-page capability of a flatbed scanner while
retaining the flexibility of a hand-held unit. Its small form factor
means it is ideal as a personal unit for both desktop and travel,
while the software included makes it a truly complete
'plug-and-play' solution."

In September, Newsbytes reported that Logitech had announced
a product called Cyberman in the UK. At the time, Logitech claimed
it is the world's first interactive three dimensional (3D) controller
for PC-based computer games. The product was first announced in
the US on August 18.

Also in September, the company introduced the Soundman Games
stereo sound card, which is compatible with Soundblaster,
Soundblaster Pro and Ad Lib boards.

(Ian Stokell/19931112/Press Contact: Betty Skov,
510-713-4463, Logitech Inc.)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00003)

Cabletron & Horizons Target Japanese LAN Market 11/15/93
ROCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- Like
everywhere else, the local area network (LAN) market in Japan
is growing rapidly. Now, in two unconnected announcements,
both Cabletron Systems Inc., and Horizons Technology Inc., have
announced deals targeting the Japanese LAN marketplace.

Cabletron has signed an agreement with Itochu Corp., to resell
Cabletron's products throughout Japan. The deal calls for Itochu,
through its subsidiary C'Itoch Techno-Science Company Ltd (CTC),
to resell Cabletron's full product line. The move will result in
CTC being able to provide an extensive array of networking
products and services, including hardware, network management,
service, support, network design and installation, and training
throughout the Japanese market, says the company.

In announcing the deal, Gary Davis, Cabletron's vice-president of
international operations, said: "CTC views customer satisfaction
and high quality product offering as top priority. Cabletron intends
to offer the same customer service and support through its
resellers in Japan as it does in the United States and throughout
the world."

Cabletron develops, manufactures, and markets Ethernet, Token
Ring, FDDI (fiber distributed data interface) and ATM (asynchronous
transfer mode) networking products based on its Integrated
Network Architecture (INA). The company maintains that its INA
strategy provides standards-based products and services
necessary to build and manage a global, distributed platform of
interconnected local and wide area networks (WANs).

Horizons Technology Inc. (HTI), meanwhile, has signed an agreement
with Nettool Inc., to "localize" and resell its LANauditor inventory-
management software in Japan. The product automates tracking of
all hardware configurations and software applications on a local
area network (LAN).

As part of that deal, Nettool will begin immediate distribution
of the English version of LANauditor and will release the Japanese
version by the second quarter of next year.

Nettool maintains that it is currently signing major software
distributors and resellers throughout Japan to carry LANauditor.

LANauditor 3.0 has been newly upgraded to include auditing for
Macintosh, OS/2, and Windows for Workgroups workstations and,
according to the company, provide more comprehensive
information on DOS/Windows workstations and file servers.

Said Yukio Iida, president of Nettool, "HTI's LANauditor allows
Nettool to enter one of the fastest-growing segments of the
Japanese market -- network inventory management. LANauditor is
a comprehensive, 'localized' solution. HTI provides a mature
product along with the  support and service that the Japanese
market demands."

Research firm International Data Corp., reportedly values the
Japanese LAN market at over $120 million and expects
Japan to have the largest network concentrator market by 1996.

At the end of October, Newsbytes reported that, as part of its
three-phase network management strategy, Cabletron had
announced Spectrum Data Gateways., designed to provide a link
between the firm's Spectrum enterprise management platform
and other network managers, permitting cross-platform network
information exchange.

At the time, Michael Skubisz, Cabletron's director of product
management, told Newsbytes that, "Spectrum is our network
management platform. It competes in some ways with HP
OpenView and SunNet Manager. What Spectrum Data Gateways
allows us to do is interoperate at a very high level with those
products. It essentially allows us to become the manager of
managers."

In August Newsbytes reported that Horizons had begun shipping
a tool that the company claimed was designed to let developers
quickly and cost effectively embed "fuzzy search" as a native
feature in DOS- and Windows-based applications - called the
Fuzzy Search Engine Developer's Kit.

(Ian Stokell/19931112/Press Contact: Lesley Johnson,
603-337-1635, Cabletron Systems Inc.; Lisa Fisher,
619-277-7100, Horizons Technology Inc.)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00004)

AMD Intros Single-Chip Ethernet Controllers 11/15/93
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- As the
move towards networking becomes even more popular, hardware
vendors seek to include local area network (LAN) technology as
part of their products. Along those lines, Advanced Micro Devices
has added three new PCnet single-chip Ethernet controllers for
PC motherboards.

The company claims that the PCnet product line now supports all
local bus standards as well as Microsoft's new ISA (Industry
Standard Architecture) Plug and Play configuration technology.
According to the company, PCnet devices include all the
functionality of bus-mastered, Ethernet adapter boards on one
chip.

The PCnet-PCI and PCnet-32 are claimed to be the first single-
chip Ethernet controllers supporting high-speed PCI (Peripheral
Component Interconnect) and VL local bus designs, and the
PCnet-ISA+ is the first Microsoft ISA Plug and Play compatible
Ethernet chip. Software drivers are also provided by AMD,
supporting virtually all local area network operating (LAN)
systems. A single set of drivers is compatible across the entire
PCnet product line.

In announcing the new devices, Andy Robin, director of marketing
and operations for AMD's I/O (input/output) and network products
division, said: "AMD now has a complete high-performance hardware
and software Ethernet solution for any PC platform, including ISA,
EISA (Extended ISA), VL, 486 local bus or PCI bus."

Local buses provide a high-bandwidth link for connection of
high-performance peripherals such as video, storage, and
networking. PCI is a new high-speed, 32- or  64-bit local bus
technology supported by several leading manufacturers. The
VL-Bus is from the Video Electronics Standards Association
(VESA).

The company maintains that all PCnet products use a high-
performance bus-master architecture based on Novell
NE2100/1500T adapter cards. As a result, the company says that
a single set of software drivers can be used across the entire
PCnet product line regardless of whether the device is connected
to the ISA bus, or the PCI, and VL local buses.

Network operating systems supported include: Novell's NetWare
2, 3 & 4; Microsoft's LANManager, Windows NT, and Windows for
Workgroups; IBM's LANServer; Banyan Vines; SCO Unix; and
Artisoft's LANtastic. AMD says that it licenses all of its drivers
with royalty-free distribution rights after payment of a "nominal,
one-time fee."

PCnet-PCI, PCnet-32 and PCnet-ISA+ are currently available in
sample quantities with volume shipments set for the first quarter
of 1994.  PCnet-PCI ships in a 132-pin PQFP package, priced at
$29.95 in quantities of 1,000. PCnet-32 ships in a 160-pin PQFP
and is priced at $29.95 in quantities of 1,000. PCnet-ISA+ ships
in a 132-pin PQFP, priced at $25.75 in quantities of 1,000.

(Ian Stokell/19931112/Press Contact: Jim Lochmiller,
408-982-7880, Advanced Micro Devices)


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

Sequent Intros Entry-Level Winserver 11/15/93
BEAVERTON, OREGON, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- Sequent
Computer Systems has introduced Winserver 500, an entry-level
member of its Winserver family of application and database
servers running the Microsoft Windows NT operating system.

Winserver 500 is a deskside system that runs on one 60 megahertz
(MHz) Intel Pentium processor. Sequent says Winserver 500 will be
upgraded to two Pentium processors in the first quarter of 1994.

The company says Winserver 500 is positioned as a departmental
database server of local area network (LAN) consolidation server
as well as for small workgroups.

Winserver 500 comes with a five-year warranty that covers all
system components and provides next day response for the first
two years and return-to-factory coverage for the following three
years. The warranty can be upgraded at additional cost to a
four-hour response, and users will have access to a new integrated
support program that Sequent says will be introduced later this
quarter. That program will offer a consolidated package of
technical support, consulting services, information by fax and a
dedicated Winserver technical support team.

In September, Sequent took its Winserver on the road, equipping a
semi-trailer with several members of the line and a number of
PCs acting as clients on the servers.

Winserver 500 configurations can be from 24 megabytes (MB) to
384MB of system memory with parity checking, two integrated fast
SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface) channels, disk storage
from one gigabyte (GB) to 18.9GB, and pre-installed Microsoft
Windows NT Advanced Server software. Pricing starts at $13,200
for the base configuration, and tops out at $61,900.

(Jim Mallory/19931115/Press and reader contact:  Sequent
Computer Systems, 503-626-5700)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00006)

American Intros DesignCAD Windows 11/15/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- One of the
companies showing new products at Comdex, the computer
industry's equivalent of a New York fashion show, is American
Small Business Computers with its DesignCAD Windows.

The program is a Windows version of American's computer-aided
design DesignCAD 2D (two-dimensional) with a number of new
features added. DesignCAD Windows can open an unlimited number
of views at any size and placement, if enough RAM is available. It
also uses scroll bars at the side and bottom of a window that
allows the user to see more of the drawing.

Users can draw, setting points from view to view and you can open
multiple DesignCAD Windows so you can work on both a floor plan
and an elevation simultaneously. The on-line help can call up
information about any DesignCAD Windows command, and a Hot
Tool Box feature allows users to place their most-used commands
in the tool box for instant use with a mouse click.

Bitmapped image files loaded in CAD drawings stay linked so users
can place bitmapped scenery from other programs into their CAD
images. Users can copy, cut and paste, using either the real CAD
entities or bitmapped (BMP) images. Clicking twice on an object
displays a dialog box to change color, layer, line width, line type,
text, dimension and other features. With the proper monitor users
can display 256 named layers and 256 colors from a user-definable
palette and text manipulation allows text to fit around an arc. The
program also supports the use of macros, recorded keystrokes that
can be played back at will.

In addition to being offered as a stand-alone product, DesignCAD
Windows is available bundled with DesignCAD - The Expert Series,
which combines DesignCAD Windows or DOS, DesignCAD 3D,
ScanPro, and DesignSYM. The latter program is a library of 6,700
pre-drawn architectural and industrial symbols, while ScanPRO is
a raster-to-vector conversion program.

Pryor, Oklahoma-based American says DesignCAD Windows will
sell for $349, the same price as the DOS version. DesignCAD Expert
has a suggested retail price of $995.

(Jim Mallory/19931115/Press contact: Keith Campbell, American
SBC, 918-825-4985; Reader contact: American Small Business
Computers, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00007)

Industry Standard Plug-and-Play BIOS Finalized 11/15/93
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- A coalition of more
than 20 computer hardware and software companies have released
the final Plug and Play BIOS (basic input/output services)
specification, and say it is a milestone in the drive to make
personal computers easier to use.

Compaq Computer Corp., and Phoenix Technologies co-developed
the new specification as part of a working group of companies.
It is reportedly available at no cost to the entire industry.
Microsoft and Intel provided interface specifications to make
the first implementation of Plug and Play available for Windows
3.1 and Windows For Workgroups 3.11.

Plug-and-play is a concept that allows the computer to adapt
itself to a variety of standard hardware and software products,
as well as add-on cards, making configuration of new devices or
programs much easier for the user. One example cited by the
consortium is inserting a notebook computer into its docking
station while the PC is running. When the PC is removed from
the docking station, the system would automatically re-configure
itself to recognize the undocked state, without the user having
to re-start the PC.

On the drawing boards is reportedly a system that would allow a
plug-and-play capable notebook computer that is infrared capable
to automatically set up a printer and inform applications the
new printer is available.

The first implementation to come to market is expected to be
the next generation of Windows, and the first plug-and-play
computers are expected to ship in early 1994. Compaq says its
new Compaq Deskpro XE, introduced earlier this month, is
plug-and-play compatible with future operating systems.
Specifications of the system are posted on a Compuserve forum
(GO PLUGPLAY).

(Jim Mallory/19931115/Press contact: Nora Hahn, Compaq,
713-374-8316; Dave Ramey, Intel Corp., 916-356-2746; Collins
Hemingway, Microsoft, 206-882-8080; Albert Saraie, Phoenix
Technologies, 714-440-8000)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00008)

Microbase Software Helps Users Be Eco-Friendly 11/15/93
TEMPE, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- Computer software
does lots of things - processes words, crunches numbers, keeps
track of information, communicates, and plays games. Now you
can use your PC to make sure your home of office is "eco-friendly."

Microbase Inc., has introduced Green Explorer a software package
the company calls "Your blueprint to an eco-friendly world." The
program begins with a home tour that takes the user through a
typical home to unveil the environmental potential of commonly
used household items.

The Project section is a how-to guide for thousands of actions
ranging from contacting recycling hot-lines or writing to a
legislator, to setting up a curb-side collection program and the
proper way to dispose of hazardous household waste.

Users who are concerned about the environmental impact of
specific products can use the Quick Find feature to look up
information. An address base contains the names and addresses
of thousands of organizations associated with the environment.

There is also a history section which details the past, present and
future of environmental concerns such as waste disposal, consumer
action, garbage collection and product packaging, and you can even
take a test of your newly acquired environmental knowledge.

Microbase says the Green Explorer triangular packaging is made
of recycled paper. Green Explorer runs on a 80286-based or higher
IBM-compatible PC with at least two megabytes (MB) of memory
and 4.5MB of available disk space, Microsoft Windows 3.1 or higher,
EGA or better monitor, and a mouse. Microbase will be
demonstrating Green Explorer in its booth  at Comdex in Las Vegas.
The program has a suggested retail price of $79.95

(Jim Mallory/19931112/Press contact: Stephanie Silverman,
Microbase Inc, 602-897-7800; Reader contact: Microbase,
602-897-7800 or 800-897-3637, fax [phone].


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00009)

Canadian Product Launch Update 11/15/93
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- This regular
feature, appearing every Monday or Tuesday, provides further
details for the Canadian market on announcements by international
companies that Newsbytes has already covered. This week:
Autodesk's AutoVision, Compaq's new PC models, HP's OmniBook
425, and Toshiba's T3400 and T4700.

Autodesk Canada Inc., of Markham, Ontario, unveiled the
AutoVision photorealistic rendering software (Newsbytes,
October 4). Already shipping, the software has a suggested retail
price of C$1.049, and the company said there is a special promotion
for users of its AutoShade software, who should contact their
dealers for information.

Compaq Canada Inc., of Richmond Hill, Ontario, joined its US
parent recently (Newsbytes, November 1) in launching an assortment
of new models in its Deskpro, ProLinea, and Presario personal
computer lines.

The new ProLinea Net 1/25s comes in four models ranging in price
from C$1,749 to C$2,149. The ProLinea 4/33 Model 200/CDS is
C$2,499. Prices on the Prolinea MT line range from C$1,559 to
C$3,569. The new Deskpro XE models range from C$1,929 up to
$5,429. An assortment of monitors, hard drives, software, and
other accessories were also introduced. All the new products are
available right away, Compaq said.

Hewlett-Packard (Canada) Ltd., in Mississauga, Ontario, unveiled
the HP OmniBook 425, its first subnotebook with a 486 processor
(Newsbytes, November 9). The 2.9-pound unit will sell for C$3,019
with a 40 megabyte (MB) hard disk or C$3,374 with a 10MB
flash-memory mass storage unit. Other accessories are also
available.

Toronto-based Toshiba of Canada Ltd. announced the T3400 series
of subnotebook computers and the T4700CT, a notebook computer
with a 486 processor and sound and graphics features (Newsbytes,
November 8). The T3400 and T3400CT are to be available in Canada
starting in January. List prices are C$3,999 for the T3400 and
C$5,999 for the color-display T3400CT. The T4700CT is to be
available in December at a suggested retail price of C$8,999.

(Grant Buckler/19931112/Press Contact: Al Steel, Autodesk Canada,
416-946-0928; Joh Robinson, Compaq Canada, 416-229-8808;
Martha Terdik, HP Canada, 905-206-3311; Jo-Ann Austin, Austin-
Tayshus Public Relations for Toshiba Canada, 416-596-1390;
Public Contact: Autodesk Canada, 800-879-4233)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00010)

QSound Licenses Virtual Audio To IBM 11/15/93
CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA, 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- QSound Labs
Inc., has announced that IBM Microelectronics has licensed
QSound's Virtual Audio technology for use in its Mwave technology
platform. According to QSound, this will mean the first use of
the multi-dimensional sound localization technology with musical
instrument digital interface (MIDI) technology.

IBM Microelectronics is now offering Virtual Audio as an upgrade
to existing Mwave-based products, and will use it in future
products to be sold by various IBM divisions and provided to
third-party original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). OEM
products should be available in the first quarter of 1994, said
QSound Labs spokeswoman Joanna Varvos, and IBM may be selling
its own products using QSound before the end of 1993.

The QSound technology is said to make sound appear to come from
anywhere in a room using only existing stereo speakers. QSound
has promoted it for a variety of purposes, including use in
production of audio compact disks and record albums. The company
also claims its technology adds realism to computer games.

While QSound technology has not been used in MIDI devices before,
it has been brought to the PC world through agreements between
QSound Labs and a variety of companies, Varvos said. Among those
deals is one with Creative Labs, which uses QSound in its ASP-16
sound board, and one with AT&T, which uses the technology in its
Multimedia Library.

Developed in the late 1980s, QSound gained attention in the
recording industry in 1990 when Madonna used it in recording her
Immaculate Collection album.

David Gallagher, president of QSound Labs, said in a prepared
statement that the deal with IBM "provides further credibility to
the fact that QSound is indeed becoming the industry standard in
high-quality spatialized sound technology."

Varvos could not comment on what the deal means to QSound in
financial terms.

(Grant Buckler/19931112/Press Contact: Christine Anderson,
QSound Labs, 403-291-2492; Jim Smith, IBM Microelectronics,
914-892-5389)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(ATL)(00011)

 ****Comdex Preview - Bigger, But Better? 11/15/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- Comdex has
become so large it is hard to tell what the big story or
announcement will be. Will it be the battle between Novell's
UnixWare and Windows NT? Will it be the Apple Newton, or some
other personal digital assistant (PDA)? Will it be multimedia, by
whatever name it is going by these days?

In fact, it will be all that, and more. The user base is so
splintered, with different types of people in different types of
situations requiring radically different tools, that it is hard to
tell what will happen. This at a time when Microsoft Windows is
as big a standard as DOS once was -- the DOS market is drying up.

For now, it seems that PDAs, personal communicators or hand-held
mobile devices are giving Microsoft's rivals one last chance to
shine. Devices running Microsoft at Work, a stripped-down version
of Windows, are not due until next year. Meanwhile there are three
versions of the Zoomer under Geoworks -- from AST, Tandy, and
Casio -- the Apple Newton, and the AT&T Personal Communicator
with its PenPoint operating system. All will try to get a piece of
the market before the 800-pound gorilla, now known as Bill Gates,
decides where to sit down.

Speaking of Microsoft, many are featuring the Microsoft Office
suite of applications -- including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint --
which is putting pressure on Borland, WordPerfect and single-
purpose programs. By selling a collection of applications at a
discount, all of which work together, some argue that Microsoft
is making major application software into a two-horse race --
with itself and Lotus, with help from Notes, being the two
horses.

The show itself will be housed in four venues -- the Las
Vegas Convention Center, the Las Vegas Hilton next-door, the
Sands Expo Center, and Bally's -- but that does not mean it is
getting smaller.

Instead, cozy tents have been set up, some for exhibits, others
for functions like the press center. Parking will be impossible,
but at least there will not be the long rides to the Tropicana or
Riviera to worry over. Speaking of long rides, however, many
people are literally staying 50 miles or more from the show,
and cabbies are taking people in suits to hotels they would be
scared to visit most days. The official noise is 170,000 expected,
although the word on the street is more like 185,000.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931914/Press Contact: Cheryl DelGreco,
The Interface Group, 617-449-6600)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(ATL)(00012)

Comdex - Shareware Association Markets Wares 11/15/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- The Software
Trade Association And Resources, or STAR, is the latest group to
try and serve shareware authors, and it hosted a party at the
Excalibur.

Unlike other groups serving the shareware community, however,
STAR is open to commercial publishers. Like Ted Gruber Software,
which showed its Fastgraph graphics library for programmers.

It used to write games and educational programs, Gruber explained,
and was originally developed so Gruber himself could produce an
IBM PC version of his Apollo 18 for Accolade in 1987. Today
hundreds of shareware authors use the product, Gruber said, which
retails at $199. "A lot of people don't like to go through publishers.
We've gone both ways," he added. And right now the way he is going
is commercial -- the only shareware version of Fastgraph available
is a glorified demo called Fastgraph Lite.

The problem was explained by Morrie Wilson, president of Wilson
Windoware. "With shareware, the buyers understand it. They're
computer literate. Technical support and retail discount costs
are lower. We decided commercial wasn't what we wanted to do."
But the risks remain. Wilson has been recently making extra money
sending "out of business" notices to customers of Quicksoft,
makers of PC Write.  "They didn't move with the times. The DOS
word processing market is hard. There weren't enough new users
to pay the bills," he explained.

Wilson makes Windows shareware. His best-sellers are: WinBatch,
a batch-file writer at $69.95; and WinEdit, a Windows text editor
in versions selling for $30-$90. The latter is not a true word
processor, he adds, but it is fine for most users and delivers
straight ASCII output. It was suggested he might want to offer it
as an upgrade to PC Write users, while providing whatever minimal
technical support they still need. He said he and his 12-person
staff were considering it.

The party was put together by George Campbell of Ososoft. Campbell
has long pushed shareware as a good deal for users and developers
both. Users get bargains, while developers get the chance to try out
new ideas with low risk. Campbell's current catalog includes:
Rockford, which designs business cards; WinClip, which handles bit-
mapped clip art; Burnin, which tests new computer components; and
MicroText, which prints word processing files in very small print
so they can be stored.

Campbell also has some freeware in his catalog. At the party,
where there were a total of 12 developers, he was ebullient.
"Shareware is finally becoming accepted as a viable alternative
marketing method," he said. "And it was my idea for this first
party. It's true. I suggested it."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931914/Press Contact: George Campbell,
Ososoft, 805-528-1759; Morrie Wilson, Wilson WindoWare,
800-762-8383; Ted Gruber, Ted Gruber Software, 702-735-1980)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00013)

Get A Headstart On 1993 Taxes With $10 Software 11/15/93
FAIRFIELD, CONNECTICUT, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- It is not too
early to start preparing your 1993 taxes, even though the federal
tax forms have yet to be printed. A $10 software package for
DOS, Windows and the Mac, already available in stores and
elsewhere, can help you to do your financial leg work now.

When tax time comes near, you can use a coupon included in the
Headstart Edition of Andrew Tobias' TaxCut to get a $10 rebate on
the Final Edition, a product with a street price of around $40.

"The Headstart Edition contains everything the Final Edition does
except the final forms," explained Eric Jacobsen, director of
marketing for MECA, the company that produces TaxCut. "You can
input your data now on Headstart, install the Final Edition when it
becomes available, and then simply file your taxes electronically
or print out your return in hard copy," he told Newsbytes.

MECA plans to release the Final Edition of TaxCut in mid- or late-
January, after the IRS has approved the final layout of the 1993
federal tax forms.

Beyond preventing a last-minute tax crunch, the Headstart Edition
lets you assess your tax situation before the year ends and take
financially favorable action while you still can, Jacobsen told
Newsbytes.

"You might find, for example, that you can reduce your tax
liability by selling some of your capital loss stocks, or by making
charitable contributions," he illustrated. "You can't do those
things after December 31."

Both editions of TaxCut have been enhanced this year with a new
user interface called "Navigator," along with other embellishments
aimed at making it painless to prepare even the most complex tax
return.

Jacobsen told Newsbytes that TaxCut starts out with a simple
interview that asks questions about personal finances. The program
then chooses the appropriate forms and worksheets for the return.
You can work step-by-step through the whole program, or skip steps
that do not apply. You can also go back to review sections already
completed.

At each step along the way, TaxCut does all calculations and
assigns inputted data to the appropriate sections. TaxCut also
aims to assure that users receive the most deductions possible for
their particular tax scenarios. Ultimately, the program audits the
entire return and highlights any sections with missing, inaccurate,
or questionable data, Jacobsen said.

The new Navigator interface represents the various program modules
in TaxCut with buttons that lead directly to specific program
functions. Always visible down the left-hand side of the screen,
Navigator informs users where they are in the program and advises
them on what to do next, Newsbytes was told.

Aside from Navigator, TaxCut contains several other new features
designed for greater ease of use. A capability called Helpful User
Reports shows last year's and this year's returns on the same
screen, and allows information to be imported to the current forms.

Also on a split screen, you can import data from most other
financial programs, including Quicken, Managing Your Money,
TurboTax, and any program that supports the tax exchange format.

Another new feature in TaxCut, Keyed-Entry Quick Check, is a
central report that lists each fact and figure keyed into the
program. The feature lets you double-check individual items
against original W-2 receipts. Corrections made in the Quick Check
report are automatically entered into the appropriate locations on
the tax return.

Further, said the marketing director, the Interview section has
been updated with branching logic that intuitively determines what
to ask next, explains how to answer each question, and enters the
responses in every place required in the appropriate forms.

MECA Software specializes in financial productivity products, and
has been putting out TaxCut for the past five years. The company
recently agreed to be purchased by H&R Block.

The Macintosh version of this year's Headstart Edition of TaxCut
has already started shipping. The Windows and DOS versions have
been available since earlier this fall.

Jacobsen told Newsbytes that sales of TaxCut are up 400 percent
over last year, a fact he attributes to Navigator and the other
ease-of-user enhancements, together with the rebate coupon, a
marketing promotion introduced this year. When users mail in the
rebate coupon with proof of purchase of the Final Edition, they will
receive a check for $10.

TaxCut for Windows requires an IBM-compatible PC, Windows 3.1,
5.5 megabytes (MB) of disk space, 2MB of memory, a 3.5-inch
high-density disk drive, and a VGA monitor or better. TaxCut for
DOS requires a 640 kilobyte (KB) PC with a hard drive, DOS 3.3 or
later, and a VGA monitor or better.

TaxCut for Macintosh requires System 6.0.2 or later, Mac Plus or
later, and a hard drive with 2 MB of memory. The Mac edition is
System 7 compatible.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931112/Reader contact: MECA,
800-820-7461 ext 446; Press Contacts: Lydia Trettis or Bob
Bogard, Connors Communications for MECA, 212-995-2200)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00014)

UK - Insurance Fraud Computer System 11/15/93
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- If ever you were tempted
to try and cheat your insurance company out of extra cash by either
claiming more than you should, or even falsifying a claim entirely,
think again. If you are caught, you may never get insurance again
or, even worse, you may find yourself on the receiving end of a
prosecution if the insurance company realizes what you are up to.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has commissioned a
computer that links the computers of all British insurance
companies for the first time from ABI and Equifax.

According to the ABI, the computer system will be the biggest
anti-fraud initiative of its kind ever when it goes on-line early
next year. ABI executives claim that insurance claims have more
than doubled in the last four years, forcing them to raise
insurance premiums and lose customers in the processor.

The ABI claims that the fraudulent element of these claims has
also more than doubled and is now costing them around UKP400
million a year - around UKP13-50 a year for one of the 30 million
every policyholders in the UK today.

The ABI also claims that, because of the high incidence of fraud,
around 12 percent of insurance claims out of a total of eight
million claims paid out every year, is fraudulent in one way or
another.

The ABI's computer project will be known as the Company Register
for Identifying Potentially Dishonest Insurance Claims (CRIPDIC).
According to officials with the ABI, the incidence of fraud in
insurance claims has been accelerated by the recession generally.

Officials with the ABI claim that the CRIPDIC project will slow down
or even reverse the growth in insurance fraud experienced over the
last four years and, as a result, will ease the upward pressure on
insurance premiums.

Will this mean that insurance premiums will fall? Not quite, the
ABI hedges. It claims that its members have had to trim costs and
profits drastically over the last few years in order to restrain
premium increases to tolerable levels for policyholders. CRIPDIC
will restore the balance, it claims, although it could prevent
increases for a short while and even minimize possible increases
for some time to come.

The ABI has admitted to the media that the sheer scale and
centralized nature of the CRIPDIC computer system has implications
for civil libertarians, but officials claim that: "insurers would be
failing their honest policyholders were they not to proceed."

Newsbytes understands that CRIPDIC is simply a computerized log
of all present and pass insurance claims, spanning back three years.
The system, which will go live early next year, will take several
months to get up to speed.

Initially, Lloyds syndicates, an area of the insurance market that
is highly computerized, will feed details of their client's claims
for the last three years in the home contents and building insurance
categories. Other insurance companies will do likewise as 1994
progresses.

Only when the entire UK home contents and building insurance
claims registers are entered for the past three years, will the
insurers be asked to enter details of travel, bank, life and motor
insurance details of their clients.

As each claim is entered into the computer, so a giant cross-
matched register of all claims will be created, using fuzzy logic
so that slightly different names can be matched up.

Although the aim of the system initially is to prevent new insurance
frauds, especially multiple claims on the same incident, the ABI
plans to backtrack its computer matching so as to identify any
previous potentially fraudulent or duplicated claims on different
insurance companies.

According to Tony Baker, head of public affairs with the ABI, said
that CRIPDIC will quickly spot fraudulent claims that have occurred
in the last three years. Officials say they have not yet decided
what action to take on frauds that have already occurred, but said
that people may take this opportunity of confessing previous
crimes to the ABI.

"We are keeping the precise details of what we intend to with do
with these people quiet until the launch, but you can assume we will
take the detection of any fraud very seriously. Insurance companies
have a clear duty to their honest policyholders to come down hard on
those who push up premiums by making fraudulent claims," he said.

One other area of claims that will come under investigation very
quickly with CRIPDIC are those people who make frequent insurance
claims. The ABI says that such claimants may just be genuinely
unlucky, but all incidents will be investigated.

Another area of claims where the CRIPDIC computer will pay off is
in establishing patterns and averages for given crimes in certain
areas. For example, "opportunist" thieves frequently break into
suburban houses in the evenings and steal a TV and a video recorder.
This makes the average claim for such a break-in around the
UKP600 mark.

The ABI says that if, for example, a policy holder tried to claim
UKP1,500 for such an incident, then the insurance company might be
advised to send an employee round to discuss the matter with the
claimant.

(Steve Gold/19931112/Press & Public Contact: Association of
British Insurers, 44-71-248-4477)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00015)

Superstore Expo Lines Up Major Exhibitors 11/15/93
HUNTINGTON STATION, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 15 (NB) --
Superstore Expo Inc., has lined up major exhibitors, launched a
massive ad campaign, and selected the exact sites for a series of
computer shows set to roll into large US cities after the New Year.

The five new Computer Authority shows will have the "look and feel"
of a PC Expo or MacWorld, except that visitors will be able to buy
computer hardware and software as well as browse, said Marc
Winkler, vice president of sales and marketing for SuperStore
Expo, the company that is hosting the events.

Each show will encompass a huge superstore, along with conference
sessions, keynote speeches, product demos, and on-site "help desks"
for attendees. Attendees will benefit by having a store and a
trade show under one roof, and exhibitors will gain from the chance
to sell their products as well as expose the items to 30,000 or
40,000 users at each site, he told Newsbytes.

About 75 exhibitors have already signed up, including IBM, DEC,
NEC, WordPerfect, Borland, NEC, Peachtree, Texas Instruments, and
Computer Associates. Other leading vendors will be joining them
soon, he asserted.

Computer Associates plans to give away its Simply Money program,
Winkler added. SoftBank, a CD-ROM arm of Merisel, will be
supplying a CD-ROM disk "at either no cost or for a couple of
dollars." Set to be announced at Fall Comdex, the disk will
contain locked and unlocked versions of 100 to 125 applications,
including WordPerfect and programs from Microsoft and Borland.

The unlocked versions will be full working editions of these
programs, except that users will not be able to save or print
documents. "If a user decides to buy a program, he can call up and
purchase an unlocking number," he explained.

About 70 percent of the Computer Authority exhibitors have signed
for all five shows. "That shows a lot of trust in what we're doing
and how it's working," Winkler commented. SuperStore Expo has
also lined up major distributors, the latest of which is Merisel.

In addition, SuperStore Expo is making a strong effort to help,
rather than hinder, local resellers, he emphasized. Arrangements
will be made for the resellers to provide follow-up service and
support on products sold at the shows.

"And in cooperation with the distributors we're working with,
we'll be holding a 'Vendors' Night,' in which the local dealers will
be invited to get together with the manufacturers," he said.

The new trade show venture has purchased a quarter of a million
dollars of advertising for each of the five shows, including 210
radio spots, 115 TV commercials, and 42 pages of advertising in
major newspapers, plus 20 pages of four-color inserts in Sunday
papers.

The Computer Authority shows for 1994 will be held at the
following sites: the Moscone Center in San Francisco, February 18
to 20; the Anaheim Center in Los Angeles, May 13 to 15; the
Rosemont in Chicago, August 26 to 28; the Bayside Exposition
Center, Boston, September 23 to 25; and the New Pennsylvania
Center, Philadelphia, December 2 to 4.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931113/Press and public contact:
Victoria Spedale, SuperStore Expo Inc., 516-321-4008)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00016)

Active Matrix Touch Panel For Desktops/Kiosks 11/15/93
METHUEN, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- MicroTouch
has unveiled the TruePoint SP-30, an active matrix color touch
panel aimed at eliminating the need for bulky monitors, keyboards
and mice on the desktop and in point-of-sale kiosks.

The touch flat panel comes in a compact enclosure only 2.5-inches
deep, and is ideally suited to graphics as well as applications
requiring extended use or rapid data entry, said Janet Pannier,
director of marketing, in an interview with Newsbytes.

The TruePoint SP-30 is the first touch monitor to combine an active
matrix color LCD (liquid crystal display) with capacitive-sensing
technology, she added. The panel uses an active matrix LC-10CIU
LCD display from Sharp, together with a ClearTek capacitive touch
screen from MicroTouch.

An active matrix LCD provides higher contrast than the passive
matrix LCDs commonly used in color touch monitors, Pannier told
Newsbytes. Moreover, capacitive technology offers greater
precision than the two types of screens that appear most
frequently in flat panel touch monitors, she maintained.

One of the other touch technologies, resistive membrane, consists
of a membrane of plastic sheets that is highly prone to scratching
and general wear-and-tear, the marketing director said. Another
alternative -- the infrared screen -- relies on a grid of criss-
crossing infrared beams that can tend to overreact, misinterpreting
movements above the screen for touch commands, Newsbytes was
told.

In contrast to the wireless radio signals detected by the infrared
screen, the capacitive screen senses a voltage field that is
generated by the user's body, Pannier explained. Further, the
capacitive screen offers an all-glass construction that is
impervious to scratches and environmental contaminants, she
added. "So capacitative screens are much more accurate than any
other type of touch technology," she asserted.

Measuring 12.5-inches-wide by 9.56-inches-high by 2.31-inches-
deep, the new SP-30 flat panel display comes with an adjustable,
tiltable stand for use on the desktop. The device can also be
mounted on a wall, placed on a store shelf, or built into a
countertop.

The panel displays up to 4,096 colors at 640-by-480 standard VGA
resolution. The product also provides a resolution of 1,024-by-
1,024 touch points, a level that works well even with demanding
graphics applications, according to Pannier.

The panel's precision allows accurate registration of even a light
touch, so users can work on the desktop for long periods of time
without tiring as easily as they might with a mouse or keyboard,
she told Newsbytes. "Touch down detection time" is only eight
milliseconds, for the rapid data entry needed in many point-of-sale
and desktop applications.

The TruePoint SP30 active matrix color touch panel is available
immediately through Sharp's Professional LCD Products Dealer
Network, as well as directly from MicroTouch.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931115/Reader contact: MicroTouch, 508-
659-9000; Press contacts: Mirena Reilly or Janice Rosen, The
Weber Group for MicroTouch Systems, 617-661-7900)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00017)

Stac Intros Stacker 1.1 For OS/2 & DOS 11/15/93
CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- Stac
Electronics said it is releasing a new version of its data
compression product for OS/2. The company says Stacker 1.1 for
OS/2 and DOS will allow users to convert to Stacker drives
compressed with Microsoft's technology or IBM's Superstore/DS.

Since Stacker is compatible with OS/2 and the new OS/2 for
Windows, the company said users will be able to access both
DOS and OS/2 applications and data with Stacker installed.

The procedure is to first install Stacker, which converts the
existing compression scheme to the proprietary LZS scheme,
then install the OS/2 product.

In addition, this new Stacker allows network users to install
the LZS data compression scheme on any computer connected to a
network. Stac says that, previously, users had to use floppy disks
to install Stacker on each computer on the network. No checking
for license numbers or copy protection is implemented in the
software, representatives for Stac added.

However, the software is licensed on a per machine basis, but
at discounted prices as low as $30 per machine for an installed
base of 5,000 or more personal computers (PCs). A single manual
and set of disks is offered with each site license, and users
can expand the number of computers under the license by paying
the additional fees under its Enterprise License Program, Stac
said.

The new Stacker 1.1 for OS/2 and DOS will be available near the
end of November and is retail priced at $119. However, current
users of version 1.0 may upgrade for $19.95. Ninety days of
free technical support is offered as well, the company said.

Like the other data compression companies on the market, Stac
is benefiting from Microsoft's endorsement of data compression
by its inclusion of the technology in MS-DOS 6.0. However, Stac
has taken on a legal battle with Microsoft that is sapping its
increased sales revenue.

The Carlsbad, California-based data compression company filed
suit against Microsoft claiming Microsoft has infringed on its
compression technology, and Microsoft has filed a counter suit.
Stac reported higher revenues, but said its fight with the
software giant left its net income plummeting 95 percent
compared to the same period last year.

Ironically, Stac was one of the companies whose technology
was considered by Microsoft for inclusion in DOS 6.0. However,
Microsoft ended up making a deal with Verisoft, authors of
Doubledisk. IBM has a similar deal with disk compression maker
Addstor for the Superstore/DS compression in its PC-DOS 6.1
product.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931115/Press Contact: Lois Leslie, Stac
Electronics, tel [phone]; Gregory Spector, Jennings & Co.
415-974-6200, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(DEL)(00018)

Indian Govt's VSNL Free To Form Joint Ventures 11/15/93
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- The Videsh Sanchar Nigam
Ltd. (VSNL) the public sector corporation, solely responsible for
overseas communications, has been permitted to form joint
ventures.

The permission becomes significant in the light of the fact that
VSNL wants to introduce a host of business services such as
electronic mail, video conferencing and globally managed data
network services. VSNL will also be allowed to choose its
transmission mediums and establish its own link for
interconnecting its international gateways.

VSNL will also be allowed to interconnect its gateways with its
earth stations. The VSNL can install its own point-to-multipoint
transmission system if the Department of Telecommunications
does not provide digital access at fast enough speeds.

The VSNL operates gateways in the metropolitan cities and also
satellite earth stations at Arvi near Pune, Dehradun and Bangalore,
besides the four metros. It provides high-speed, digital leased
lines with speeds ranging from 64 kilobits-per-second to two
million bits per second. Around 50 such high-speed data links
enable real-time transmission between host computers abroad
and clients in India.

VSNL also wants to participate in the multinational undersea
fiber optic digital cable system (SEA-ME-WE) costing $1 billion.
VSNL will have to seek prior approval from the government for
each joint venture it plans to enter into, such as in projects with
INMARSAT and Iridium.

The international telecom circuits are derived from the INTELSAT
and INMARSAT satellites and wide-band submarine telephone
cables across the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. INTELSAT and
INMARSAT are government consortia where the VSNL is the tenth
and eighth largest operators respectively. VSNL also provides
direct dialing services to 233 countries.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19931115)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SYD)(00019)

Australia - PDAs Compete For Market 11/15/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- Casio's Zoomer PDA
(personal digital assistant) is now available in Australia. The
device is up against Sharp's Expert Pad, Apple's Newton
MessagePad, and Amstrad's Pen Pad.

The Zoomer has a list price of AUS$1,695 (around US$1,100) and
will be sold in the Dick Smith Electronics chain and other retail
outlets. Distributor Mobex claims its features include long battery
life (up to 100 hours from three AAA batteries versus around 20
hours for the Newton), more built-in applications and hand-writing
recognition to convert written characters to text.

The Zoomer uses a seven megahertz (MHz) NEC V20 processor
(essentially the same as the Intel 8088/8086 from the earliest
IBM PC), has an infra-red beamer, PCMCIA (Personal Computer
Memory Card Industry Association) slot and the GEOS multi-
threaded, multitasking, graphical operating system.

Applications include an address book, a date book, a note book, a
calculator, a world clock, a 26-language translator, a spelling-
checker, three games, and an expense tracking feature.

Meanwhile, Apple is still having trouble getting its Newton
communicating in Australia. There is nothing wrong with the
machine, just regulations. The Newton's fax/modem is still
going through Austel's authorization processing, but Apple
expects good news by year end. Also, the PCMCIA radio pager
cards that are available in the US are unusable in Australia where
the band is a much lower -- 150 MHz compared to the 930 MHz
US band.

(Paul Zucker/19931112)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00020)

 ****Supreme Court Gives RBOCs OK On Data Delivery 11/15/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- The US Supreme
Court has cut the ground from beneath publishers wishing
to block the regional Bell operating companies (RBOCs) from
delivering data directly to consumers. By letting stand an
earlier decision by a lower federal court, the Supreme Court
effectively gave the green light to the Baby Bells which want to
offer such basic services as electronic yellow pages or even
advertising directly to the home.

Challenged by computer on-line services, cable television
operators, newspaper publishers, MCI Communications, and
broadcast television and data services, the telephone companies
had won a 1991 decision by federal judge Harold Greene who
ruled that the Bells could provide all sorts of data and not
violate various monopoly rulings.

Since the telephone companies were broken up by the federal
courts, they have taken aim at profitable cable television and
other information services, resulting recently in major mergers
and discussions between radio and cable operators.

The existing information delivery services see the telephone
company's entry into the data delivery market as providing an
opening for a new monopoly grip because the Bells already own the
wires and telephone switching networks which are used by on-line
services.

Some analysts argue that the Supreme Court's failure to overturn
Judge Greene's ruling which made it legal for the Bells to enter
the data delivery field, makes it inevitable that the telephone
companies will continue to expand their presence in this market.

(John McCormick/19931115)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00021)

 ****Wash Post Says On-line Will Compliment Print 11/15/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- In an exclusive
interview with Donald K. Brazeal, Washington Post Editor and
newly named Publisher/Editor of Digital Ink, the Post's forthcoming
on-line information service, Newsbytes has learned that beta
testing of the prototype system will begin early in the second
quarter of 1994 with 100-200 users. Although the pricing
has not been set, it is expected to be very reasonable.

Brazeal told Newsbytes that he sees the new on-line daily
publication of the Post's stories, with additional supporting files
and advertisements, as complimenting the print version of the
paper. He thinks it will provide far more value to local readers
than simple story listings found on CompuServe and other
information providers.

Images will be a part of the final package, according to the
publisher, but the bandwidth does not exist currently for real-
time animation, so more sophisticated graphics will be
downloadable in files.

While pricing has not been determined yet, Brazeal told
Newsbytes that the cost would be kept as low as possible,
competitive with any other on-line information service, and
comparable to the $0.25 daily cost for the paper.

He also said that the company wanted to make this service as
widely available as possible, but that certain graphics
requirements would be an important part of the decision as to
which platform would be needed to run the Post-supplied
software.

The publisher also told Newsbytes that a basic platform had not
yet been selected, but named both Windows and Macintosh systems
as definite targets of the service. He also said that if appropriate
software could be located, the new Post service would also be
made available to DOS users.

According to Brazeal, the potential market for a local
enhanced electronic version of the Washington Post is quite
large, with about 50 percent of the local households having a
computer and a full 30 percent having both a computer and
modem, making the possible market for Digital Ink about
150,000.

Just as the final presentation platform has not yet been chosen,
the new service may or may not contain archives of Washington
Post articles. Brazeal said that he hopes to include access
to Post story archives, but that there are some technical problems
interfacing to what he admits is the less than user friendly
search engine that is now used to internally access the Post's
Morgue.

(John McCormick/19931115/Press Contact: Donald K. Brazeal,
Washington Post, 202-334-6000)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00022)

Cyrix Intros Clock-Doubled 486SLC2 11/15/93
RICHARDSON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- Cyrix Corp.,
has followed its recent announcement of a clock-doubled
386SX upgrade chip, with its clock doubled Cx486SLC2-50,
a 50 megahertz (MHz) microprocessor for the entry level
notebook computer market.

The newest chip utilizes the "green PC" power management
features such as static mode operation, and on-the-fly stop clock
operation. The chip operates at five volts and is currently
available in volume shipments. Pricing is $89 per unit in 1,000
unit lots. A companion math coprocessor, the Cx87SLC, is also
available.

Cyrix says the new chip will be used in Epson's new ActionNote
series notebook computers, which are available in monochrome
and color models. Epson Product Marketing Manager Sanford
Weisman says the new ActionNote 4SLC2-50 and 500C clock
doubled models will be offered at the same price as the earlier
Cx486SLC-33 systems.

(Jim Mallory/199311/15/Press Contact: Michelle Moody, Cyrix
Corporation, 214-994-8302)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(ATL)(00023)

 ****Comdex - The Luxor High-Tech Casino 11/15/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- The center of
gravity in Las Vegas' casino district has made a big move south.
A year ago Flamingo Road, where the Dunes, Caesars Palace, the
Flamingo Hilton and Bally's met, held the worst traffic jams.
Now they are a mile further south, at Tropicana Blvd.

There the Trop sits opposite Excalibur, and the new MGM Grand
will open soon on opposite. But the big excitement now is Luxor,
which opened a week ago next to Excalibur and is owned by the
same company, Circus-Circus Enterprises.

The casino and hotel are both contained in a giant black pyramid.
At night a white searchlight points straight up from its top,
while the Las Vegas Boulevard front is dominated by a stone Sphinx
and Obelisk, which play a laser show every 15 minutes. It is the
hottest show in town since the Mirage Volcano, and it has the
same intent, to draw crowds to the waterfalls and building --
Luxor's waterfalls are a Las Vegan's idea of ancient Egyptian
irrigation systems.

The Egyptian theme is also played out in the architecture, the
uniforms of workers, and the names of bars like "Tut's Hut." The
kick here, however, is technology. At that bar, for instance,
workers use a touchscreen-based cash register with its own
integrated mag-stripe reader -- all the registers are networked.

Nearby is a booth called "Pharoah's Photos." It is really owned by
a unit of Kodak, and customers can have their photos taken with
any of eight computer-driven backgrounds. However, what they are
really in front of is a green screen. Four monitors show passersby
what the prospective photos look like -- live. Manager Jim Baxter
said his staff gets three days of training on the four Kodak 7720
electronic printers, which can have finished work back in just a
minute. He is proud of the fact that the cash register is actually
tied-into the computer imaging system.

The big news is that Luxor's main floor, with its striking
atrium, is not the casino, but a funway you can take the kids
through. It features theaters with short films on archeological
and technology themes using technology similar to Caesar's
Omnimax, and a Pioneer "video wall" in one corner. But more
important there is "Sega World," a theme area developed by the
video game company. You walk into "Sega World" through
advertising, and inside kids can play either videogames or
carnival games, winning tickets they can redeem for toys, just
like at "Circus Circus" and dozens of other theme parks around
the country, such as Atlanta's "American Adventures.

Perhaps the best ride is "Virtual Formula" car racing. There are
eight replicas of Formula 1 racing cars lined up across from big
movie-like screens. Each player races the other seven inside a
cartoon universe on the screens, and the winner gets their picture
taken.

Each screen shows that driver's own race, giving spectators a lot
to look at. If a player takes a turn hard, the car pivots, and it
jerks if the player crashes. Spectators and drivers also get
constant data on the standings of each 2.5-minute race, and four
small monitors display the leading players' faces as they play.
There are two larger monitors above all this, with an overhead
view of the whole race and an announcer talking about the contest.
It costs $4 to play, but you can watch free.

Up an escalator is "Virtual Land." It is mainly conventional video
games, with two notable exceptions. R-360 is a gyroscopic ride,
controlled by the rider through a television screen and controls. It
really does rotate 360 degrees in multiple directions, and people
must empty their pockets before climbing in and being strapped-
down tight. The second ride, called AS-1, is a fully-enclosed car
that holds eight people -- there are two of them.

Inside, players become the "crew" of a futuristic shuttle. The ride
is "hosted" by Michael Jackson, who narrates, gives directions, and
warns players of danger. After shooting at invaders for a few
minutes, the crew member who does the best gets the chance to
land for everyone -- solo. Like the cars, the AS-1 moves a bit, in
time to its programming.

The Casino itself has just a few innovations. There are change
machines at most tables, not just buttons that call people, and
the "sports book" is filled with little TVs on which bettors can
watch the events they want -- if you want to see Baylor knock the
stuffing out of Rice while all around you people are cheering
Florida State and Notre Dame, that's your privilege.

Luxor is the start of a new direction for Las Vegas, which faces
a loss of its gambling market share thanks to new casinos on
Indian reservations, on riverboats, and even in New Orleans.
While remaining the only city which can host a huge trade show
like Comdex, Las Vegas now wants to take on Orlando as a family
vacation center.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931115)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(ATL)(00024)

 ****Comdex - Apple Announces Newton Add-Ons 11/15/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- The PDA
(personal digital assistant) race may be won by the company which
most quickly brings out valuable applications, so Apple has made
a number of Newton announcements at Comdex.

First is the Newton Connection kit for Windows, which will start
shipping November 22. It lets Newton users exchange information
with any Windows-based PC. If this sounds like Laplink, it was
indeed done as a joint development with Laplink maker Traveling
Software. The product costs $165 and comes with a free upgrade
to the next version. It allows databases on the PDA and PC to be
jointly updated and synchronized whenever they are connected.

Apple said it will make its NewtonMail service available in the
next 60 days, which it calls the first of a series of new on-line
services being developed by Apple Online Services, another part
of its PIE unit which created Newton. NewtonMail will be
connected directly to all major mail systems, including
CompuServe, America Online, MCI Mail, AppleLink, SprintMail,
EasyLink and the Internet.

All Newton products sold so far have been packaged with a
response card that can bring NewtonMail Starter kits. Service
costs $8.95 per month with two free hours, plus additional hours
at $4.95, plus a $2.95 per hour prime-time surcharge for all US
usage. There are no start-up fees, and the Internet gateway
comes at no extra charge.

Finally, Apple has announced it is shipping its Newton FaxModem
card, developed with Megahertz Corp., on a PC Card under the
PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card Industry Association)
Type II standard. The card runs a data line at 2,400 bits-per-second,
and a four page-per-minute fax line. It is compatible with the
Hayes AT command set, Group 3 fax standard, and MNP 2,4,5, as
well as V.42bis error correction standards. The retail price is $220.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931115/Press Contact: Jennie Shikashio,
for Apple, 408-974-4104)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(ATL)(00025)

Comdex - Data Race Intros 19,200 Bps PCMCIA Modem 11/15/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- Data Race has
announced what it calls, the first 19,200 bits-per-second (bps)
data and 14,400 bps fax modem on a PC Card under the PCMCIA
Type II standard, supporting the V.32terbo standard. PCMCIA cards
are credit card-sized plug-in modules developed a few years ago
to add memory, software, and features to mobile computers.

V.32terbo is an enhancement to the CCITT's current V.32bis
standard used on conventional 14,400 bps modems. It supports
additional speeds of 16,800 bps and 19,200 bps, as well as
slower speeds supported by V.32bis.

Many modem makers, however, are skipping V.32terbo in favor of
faster standards like V.Fast, which can run data at up to 28,800
bps. The RediCARD 1914 will retail at $449, and send six blank
fax pages-per-minute (ppm) when connected to a fax machine
supporting that speed. It will ship in the first quarter of 1994.

Data Race also announced a half-card version of the same modem
for standard PCs with ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) slots
at $399. It, too, will ship early next year.

Data Race's main product at Comdex, however, will remain its
cellular phone-modem connector cards. Spectrum Information
Technologies insists in a lawsuit that its patent covers all such
connectors, but Data Race is seeking a patent for this connector's
technology, which it calls "markedly different." Data Race decided
not to license Spectrum's patents, saying at the time that the
terms were too high.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931115/Press Contact: Garrick Colwell,
Data Race, 210-558-1900)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00026)

Hitachi To Reduce Business Fax Machine Production 11/15/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- Hitachi says it has stopped
the development of new business fax machines because of a
downturn in the market. The firm will now concentrate on
developing fax machines for individual home use.

The firm plans to transfer the 50 engineers to other departments.
About half of the engineers will move to the telecommunication
device department and the other half will go to multimedia-
related operations.

Hitachi is currently shipping 2,000 units of business fax machines
per month from its plant in Japan. The firm used to ship 10,000
units per month during its busy seasons. Hitachi plans to cut that
to 1,000 units this month.

Hitachi will now focus on the sale of fax machines for individual
use at home. These fax machines costs around 100,000 yen
($1,000). Only a reported five percent of households currently
have fax machines.

Hitachi is currently producing 4,000 fax machines per month for
home use. The firm wants to raise this production level by about
1.5 times.

Japan's business fax machine market suffered an eight percent
loss in units shipped last year -- down to a total of 1.17 million
units. It will decrease further this year. Hitachi reportedly has
about a five to six percent share of the business fax machine
market.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19931115/Press Contact: Hitachi,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(00027)

ALR Supplies Siemens Nixdorf With PCs 11/15/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- Advanced Logic
Research has announced that the it has been chosen to supply
Siemens Nixdorf Information Systems with a full line of
high-performance personal computers, including the Evolution
VQ Pentium processor-based system.

As part of the two-year agreement, Siemens will be allowed to
sell ALR hardware in the US under both the ALR and Siemens
Nixdorf brand names.

Siemens Nixdorf is already a major supplier of RISC (reduced
instruction-set computers)-based workstations in the US. The
deal with ALR is seen by many as a simple way to expand into
the low- to high-end PC marketplace. ALR will provide Siemens
with everything from entry level 386SX systems to the fastest Pentium-
based file servers.

Siemens Nixdorf Information Systems is a wholly owned
subsidiary of Siemens AG, a European company with total sales
over $49 billion last year.

(John McCormick/19931115/Press Contact: Dave Kirkey,
Advanced Logic Research, 714-581-6770)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LON)(00028)

 ****Comdex - Apple Steals 1st Day With Quadra 610/DOS 11/15/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A. 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- Comdex opened
today and, despite IBM and Microsoft's best intentions, Apple stole
at least the first morning, with a raft of new product and strategy
announcements, centering on opening up the Mac operating system
environment into Intel territory, as well as enhancing its
networking product range.

Spearheading the new product announcement is a DOS-compatible
Mac Quadra 610 that is based, in part, around a 25 megahertz (MHz)
Intel 486 microprocessor. The idea is that the machine will run
Mac, DOS, and Windows applications with minimal effort in
switching between environments.

The idea of integrating an Intel processor into a Mac environment is
nothing new, but Apple is claiming that its implementation is the
fastest and best available to date, requiring the user to press just
two keys to flip between the disparate environments.

The convergence between the Mac and PC environments is not one
way either. Apple CEO Mike Spindler says he is considering licensing
an "Intelized" version of the Mac's System software to third party
(PC) companies for bundling with their machines. The aim is to
mimic Microsoft's success in promoting Windows on multiple
platforms.

"We don't want compatibility to be an issue with our customers,"
explained Ian Diery, executive VP of Apple's personal computer
division. "By developing its most compatible PC, Apple intends to
provide its users with all of the advantages of the Mac platform
while protecting their investment in DOS and Windows-based
software. Our plans for the Mac Quadra 610, DOS-compatible
version, are just part of Apple's overall effort to provide
multiple-platform compatibility," he added.

The most fascinating feature of the new Quadra is its ability to
run a DOS/Windows environment concurrently with the Mac's
System operating system. The last time Newsbytes saw true
concurrency of this type was on the Commodore Amiga 3000 a
few years back.

Newsbytes notes that machines such as the Bluemaq, a PC/Mac hybrid
released two years ago, required the use of extensive TSR (terminate-
and-stay-resident) packages under DOS to achieve concurrency. The
Quadra 610/DOS does not appear to require such system tweaking for
dual environment concurrency.

Shipment and pricing information for the Quadra 610/DOS was not
available by Newsbytes' press time.

So what about existing Mac users? Apple officials are not leaving
them out of the frame. The company says it hopes to have a DOS
compatibility card for the Quadra 610 and Centris 610 series
shortly with a projected price tag of under $500.

(Steve Gold/19931215/Press Contact: Apple Computer,
415-354-4460)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LON)(00029)

 ****Comdex - Apple Enhances Networking Range 11/15/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- Apple has greatly
enhanced its range of Apple Remote Access (ARA) products. One
client and two server packages were unveiled at Comdex, allowing
Mac users to remotely access Localtalk, Ethernet, and Token Ring
networks. The bad news is that ARA 2.0, which ships next spring,
is not backwards-compatible with existing versions (1.0) of ARA
technology.

The new ARA range includes the Multiport Server ($1.799 for a
server/4 port configuration) and the Personal Server ($249 for a
client/server system plus $79 per node) , as well as the Client
package ($69 per user, $599 for a ten pack, $29 for existing user
upgrade). The new ARA series replaces the existing ARA v1.0
series of products, Newsbytes understands.

Morris Taradalsky, vice president and general manager for the
Apple Business System division, said that the aim of these new
networking products is to give mobile workers and telecommuters
the same access to resources as they would have had in their
offices, but out in the field -- accessible using modem, network
(local and wide area) plus X.25 data networking links.

"Growth in the mobile workforce, including business travelers and
telecommuters, means remote users increasingly need to access
pertinent information no matter where they are -- in the office, at
home or traveling abroad. Our new remote access product family
allows them to easily perform anytime, anywhere computing with
the flexibility and improved security our customers have asked for,"
he explained.

All three of the new ARA 2.0 products are already shipping in
the US. Worldwide shipment follows around the turn of the year.
Extension products, such as the X.25 upgrade, will ship early in
1994, Newsbytes understands.

(Steve Gold/19931215/Press Contact: Apple Computer,
415-354-4460)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00030)

Supercomputer Conf To Pit Old Guard Against Upstarts 11/15/93
PORTLAND, OREGON, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 15 (NB) -- Some observers see
this year's largest supercomputer conference -- Supercomputing'93 --
co-sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM),
as the first major head-to-head battleground between the old-style
vector-based supercomputer makers and companies which build
very high-performance systems based, not on single high-speed
processors, but a massive array of relatively slow parallel
processors, each of which can simultaneously work on a tiny
piece of a problem.

According to the current issue of ACM's flagship publication --
Communications -- massively parallel computers (MPPs) have
caught the industry by surprise by  proving much more versatile
than had been previously expected. Early views of the MPPs saw
them as having a minor supplementary role in the supercomputing
field, taking some of the load off the much more sophisticated
vector processors.

Now, MPPs are being used for everything from neural-network
processing to modeling global warming and even transaction
processing tasks. However, while it is relatively easy to build
a massively parallel computer, programming it has proven a
major challenge.

Operating systems which make the most of such systems just
do not exist yet, while languages and compilers which can easily
break up a program or problem into tiny pieces which can be
efficiently processed by MPPs, are still under development.

Meanwhile, as the US continues to argue open markets with
Japan, Cray Research has apparently become the only bidder on a
major superconductor project for MITI, the Japanese Ministry of
International Trade and Industry.

(John McCormick/19931115/Press Contact: John A. Osmundsen,
ACM, 212-626-0531)