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/NB111793

Text File | 1993-11-17 | 68KB | 1,507 lines

(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00001)

 ****Compton's Claims Ownership Of Multimedia 11/17/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- Does anyone own
multimedia? Compton's New Media, a wholly owned subsidiary of
Tribune Publishing, claims it does and it has the patent to prove it.

According to the company, anyone selling information in a
multimedia format will need to pay license fees to Compton's no
matter what the device used to distribute multimedia. Company
officials say interactive television services like those announced
by Time Warner and GTE, graphical on-line services such as
America Online and Prodigy, and compact disc read-only memory
(CD-ROM) title developers will all be obligated to pay or face
legal action.

The US Patent Number is 5,241,671 titled: "Multimedia
Search System Using A Plurality Of Entry Path Means Which
Indicate Inter-relatedness Of Information." The patent was
issued on August 31, 1993, and describes the technology as: "A
database search system that retrieves multimedia information
in a flexible, user friendly system. The search system uses a
multimedia database consisting of text, picture, audio, and
animated data. That database is searched through multiple
graphical and textual entry paths."

Compton's was purchased by Tribune around the time the patent
was issued. When asked why wait so long to make the patent
announcement, Norm Bastine, executive vice president and
general manager of Compton's said the company wanted to
complete the sale first.

Tribune Publishing describes itself as an information and
entertainment company with six daily newspapers, seven
television, and six radio stations, as well as offering
syndicated information and programming to a variety of print,
electronic, and broadcast media.

The announcement has angered a variety of multimedia
developers, some of whom claim they developed the same
technology before Compton's development of its multimedia
encyclopedia, on which the patent is based. Brower Murphy of
The Library Corporation in Inwood, West Virginia, claims he
was using similar technology in 1984.

Bastine says Compton's should be compensated for its
"pioneering work" which it submitted for patent in the mid-
1980's and was granted patent pending status in 1989.

Four ways were enumerated for the licensing: one percent of the
net profits, rising to three percent for those who do not comply
by June 30, 1994; a strategic licensing agreement; distribution
of multimedia information which it will buy for resale at a 65
percent discount; or purchase of a Compton's tool set for title
development with accompanying run-time fees for distribution.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931117/Press Contact: Pat Meier, Pat Meier
Associates for Compton's, 415-957-5999; Christina Germscheid,
Compton's New Media, 618-929-2500)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00002)

Japan - Quattro May Link With WordPerfect & Ichitaro 11/17/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- Borland (Tokyo) has been
talking with WordPerfect Japan and Just System concerning
a possible link between their application programs. If an
agreement is reached, three major application programs --
Quattro Pro for Windows, WordPerfect for Windows, and
Ichitaro -- may be linked with each other.

Discussions between the three companies are going on at
present, according to the Nikkei Personal Computing magazine.

In the US, Borland has already entered into an agreement and has
been selling a software bundle which includes Quattro Pro 5.0
Workgroup Edition and WordPerfect 6.0 for Windows.

The link with Just System is seen as significant because that
company's Ichitaro has the largest share in the Japanese PC
word processing market. Bundling Quattro along with Ichitaro
in Japan will benefit Borland a great deal. Just Systems does
not have a powerful spreadsheet program for Windows.

The three firms are also reportedly considering the development
of similar macro features for their application programs. However,
initially, Borland may just sell the three programs in a single
bundle.

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


(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00003)

Japan - Dell Offers Low-Cost PC 11/17/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- Dell Computer, Tokyo, has
begun a major sales campaign marketing a personal computer
package that involves Canon, Just System, and Intel Japan.

The package includes a powerful Dell PC, Just System's
best-selling Ichitaro Japanese word processor, and a Canon
printer -- at a total cost of only 298,000 yen ($2,980).

Dell Computer's sales campaign is intended to compete with
Japanese word processing machines, which are sold for
slightly less.

The package consists of Dell's NetPlex 425s/P, which is based
on a 25 megahertz (MHz) 486SX processor. It has an eight
megabytes (MB) of memory, a 3.5-inch floppy disk, a 5.25-inch
floppy disk, and a 120MB hard drive.

DOS/V 5.0 is already installed on the PC. Also, Ichitaro and the
Sanshiro spreadsheet program are bundled with the system.
Japanese Windows 3.1 is also included. Ichitaro can be upgraded
to the Windows version free of charge.

The PC package is also equipped with Canon's BJ-10V Lite
bubble-jet printer.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19931115/Press Contact: Dell
Computer, Tokyo, 81-3-5420-5353)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00004)

India - Public Telecom Firm Seeks Funding 11/17/93
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- Mahangar Telephone Nigam
Ltd. (MTNL), the profitable public sector company that manages
Delhi and Bombay telecommunications circuits, is seeking to
generate greater resources at lower costs.

There are a number of ways for the company to achieve its goals,
including: strategic investment alliances with multinational
telecommunications firms and raising Euro-issues of global
depository receipts (GDRs). MTNL is also considering going ahead
with the debt issue alone, instead of an equity-cum-debt issue
of Rs. 1,800 crore it had slated for release in the Indian market
by the end of 1993.

The shift comes in view of the higher premium that MTNL can
gross from the multinationals. During the disinvestment of
MTNL's equity by the government last year, the Indian financial
institutions valued its scrips based on its net asset value at
Rs. 64 per share (face value Rs. 10).

The maximum premium that the Indian capital market can fetch
the company is Rs. 100 for a Rs. 10 equity share -- much less
than the premia (Rs. 250) offered by the MNCs for a Rs. 10 share.

MNCs evaluate MTNL's equity by the profit earning capital value
(PECV) method, based on which was also the evaluation of other
international merchant bankers. Salomon Brothers and Lehmann
Securities informally valued the shares at between Rs. 250 and
Rs. 300. The former had also offered earlier to underwrite a
minimum amount of $750 million (Rs. 450 crore) for an equity
issue of Rs. 100 crore.

With Bombay Telephone acquiring the distinction of being the
first telecommunications carrier in the country to have an
installed base of one million lines, a milestone was reached
with the recent expansion of exchange equipment at Mulund.

Bombay has come a long way since the half-million lines-capacity
had been transferred to MTNL in 1986. Also the first city to get a
10,000-line state-of-the-art digital telephone exchange from
Fujitsu of Japan earlier this year, Bombay was also the first to
have an alphanumeric radio paging service.

The latest challenge for MTNL is providing a telephone line
within two days of a request for service.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19931117)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00005)

Wang Finally Posts Profit For Quarter 11/17/93
LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- Wang
Laboratories Inc., has finally managed to post a profit - for the
first quarter of fiscal year, 1994, ended September 30, 1993.

The company reported operating income for the quarter of $12.4
million on revenues of $210.9 million. First-quarter income before
gain on debt discharge and reorganization items was $11.9 million.
First-quarter operating income included "non-recurring income" of
about $5 million from settlements under licensing agreements
regarding single in-line memory modules (SIMMs) that are
protected by two Wang patents.

In announcing the results, Joseph M. Tucci, chairman and chief
executive officer, said, "The new Wang is profitable. As a result
of our new cost structure and sharpened business focus, Wang
achieved positive operating  results on a lower revenue base.
These results confirm our belief that the company's cost reduction
programs have been effective."

Net income for the quarter was $306.3 million, reflecting "an
extraordinary" gain of $329.3 million and reorganization expenses
of $34.9 million. According to the company, the one-time
extraordinary gain and reorganization expenses relate to
implementation of the company's reorganization plan,
restructuring initiatives, and the adoption of "fresh-start"
accounting, which applies to companies that have emerged from
Chapter 11.

The company says that, as a result of the one-time extraordinary
gain, net  income for the quarter is "not comparable to prior
quarters or indicative of future period results."

As reported previously by Newsbytes, Wang emerged from
Chapter 11 protection on September 21, 1993, when its
reorganization plan was confirmed by the Court.

(Ian Stokell/19931117/Press Contact: Frank Ryan,
508-967-7038, Wang)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SFO)(00006)

Infonet Extends World Network To More European Cities 11/17/93
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- Infonet Services Corp.,
has extended its World Network to 11 additional cities in Europe,
including Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain, and Italy.

Infonet claims that its World Network serves multinational
companies at 10,000 sites worldwide, and is accessible in about
150 countries for data, file transfer, store and forward,
electronic-mail, and facsimile transmissions.

Infonet has recently installed new high-speed communication
facilities in various European locations: Hamburg, Berlin,
Dusseldorf, Stuttgart, and Munich, in Germany; Lyon and Lille in
France; Lausanne and Zurich in Switzerland; Barcelona in Spain;
and Rome in Italy.

The company claims that, as a result, multinational enterprises
with offices in these cities can now gain access to Infonet's
World Network by making an inexpensive local phone call.
Multinational users based in other countries can just to log onto
the World Network, using a laptop and modem, when visiting
other others of Europe.

The company maintains that it has local sales, service, and
support organizations in all countries where it has World
Network communication facilities, and regional "support centers"
in Belgium and North America to assist worldwide users.

(Ian Stokell/19931117/Press Contact: Mike Radice,
310-335-2877, Infonet Services Corp.)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00007)

Comdex - DEC, Microsoft Partnership Strengthened 11/17/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- Digital
Equipment Corp., and Microsoft Corp., have strengthened their
partnership, with DEC showing Comdex showgoers an Alpha-based
notebook computer running at 320 megahertz (MHz) that can run
Windows NT.

DEC's Jesse Lipcon, VP of systems marketing, calls the DEC Low
End AXP Notebook (LEAN) system "The fastest PC in the world." It
is one of the two DEC systems that run on DEC 21066 chips. LEAN
has two PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card Industry
Association) slots, an estimated two-hour battery life, a color
monitor, and up to 64 megabytes (MB) of system memory in 16MB
increments. It weighs in at less than seven pounds.

DEC is also showing the DEC 2000 server model 500 which has
started shipping. The 2000/500 runs Windows NT, Unix, and Open
VMS.

Paul Maritz, Microsoft senior vice president, systems division, said
there are well over 100 Win32 applications already available that
run on the Alpha system, and that over 700 developers -- including
Autodesk, Intergraph, and Microsoft -- have committed to Win32
Alpha applications. Several hundred of those are expected by year
end.

Maritz says over 200,000 copies of Windows NT have already
shipped, but called that "ridiculously low" when you consider the
number of  PCs in use. He says Microsoft has devoted tens of
millions of dollars to the development of Windows NT, and says
the next version will include enhanced object oriented and
distributed computing.

(Jim Mallory/19931117/Press Contact: Alan Ryan, Creamer
Dickson Basford, Digital Equipment Corp., 401-456-1697)


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

Comdex - Metz Intros Phones 5.0 For Windows 11/17/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A. 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- Metz Software
previewed its Metz Phones 5.0 for Windows for Newsbytes at
Comdex, the computer industry's annual fall trade show.

Metz Phones is a Windows-based address and telephone manager,
but has a number of features that set it apart from the multitude
of contact programs now available.

One of those features is the low system resources required. Metz
told Newsbytes Phones 5.0 only requires about nine percent of the
system resources when running, and that drops to about three
percent when the application is minimized to an icon.

Metz says Phones can function as a replacement for Windows
Cardfile, the simple database that comes with Windows, but his
program offers some advantages over Cardfile. It has a freeform
text field that can hold a lot of data, and Phones can be sorted and
searched by various assigned categories. It will also attempt to
anticipate what the user wants by examining the database as you
enter a particular retrieval criteria.

Installed on a network, Phones 5.0 for Windows can allow all
network users access to a common phone book, and each user can
also maintain an individualized listing. The program also offers
a brief explanation of each icon on the button bar as the mouse
is passed over it.

The Metz Phones 5.0 for Windows database screen has a clean
appearance, with the selected record appearing in the lower right
two-thirds, the iconized menu across the top, an alphabetical menu
below that takes you to any letter of the alphabet by clicking
on the appropriate letter, and a list of the names in the database at
the left side of the screen. Today's date, the current time, and
the number of selected records appears across the bottom of the
screen.

Metz can also operate as a pop-up application invoked by a hot key
combination from within another application. Pointing at any phone
number in the application and clicking dials that number. Phones
will automatically format and print envelopes and mailing labels of
varying preset sizes, or you can edit the label sizes to meet your
own needs.

Art Metz, president of the company and also the developer of the
software, says there is a growing need to simply and effectively
manage common address and telephone databases on networked
PCs. "We developed Metz Phones to fill the need, giving workgroups
and networked offices easy access to shared database information."

Metz Phones is ready to ship except for completion of the packaging,
which is expected to be ready by the end of the year. In the
meantime, beginning December 1, 1993, you can download Phones
from Compuserve or America Online by typing GO METZ on either
service. Metz says registered users of any other Metz products can
purchase Phones 5.0 for $29.

(Jim Mallory/19931117/Press contact: Ann Revell-Pechar, Reed,
Revell-Pechar for Metz Software, 206-462-4777; Reader contact:
Metz Software, 206-641-4525, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00009)

 ****Comdex - Gates Keynote Looks At The Future 11/17/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- Bill Gates looked
at the future of computing in his keynote speech at Comdex. He
said he sees the walls coming down between applications.

From Gates' perspective, the future of computing, not surprisingly,
is based on present and future versions of Microsoft Windows.
Gates claims there are currently 50 million personal computers in
use today and 40 million of them are using Windows.

Gates cheerfully spoke the lines of the script he and some fellow
actors had learned, even donning a hard hat as he was shown how
more powerful computers running Windows NT (New Technology),
Microsoft's second generation of Windows that no longer relies
on an underlying operating system, to run computer controlled
machines in factories and other applications.

Gates predicts that within the next two years, a CD-ROM drive
will be as commonplace in all PCs as hard drives are now. He also
said the use of sound will expand greatly in the next few years
and PCs will be used to run interactive movies and act as
terminals for videoconferencing.

Gates teased his audience, some of whom saw the speech via closed
circuit television in various venues, with a glimpse behind the veil
that currently surrounds "Chicago" -- the current project name
under which the next version of Microsoft Windows is being
developed.

Chicago will support plug-and-play, one of the better technologies
to emerge recently as far as the user is concerned -- which
allows the operating system and the base hardware to recognize
peripherals and applications that are added, automatically
reconfiguring the base system to work with those add-ons. Chicago
even allows the changes to take place while the system is running.

Gates also spoke briefly about Cairo, the next generation of
Microsoft Windows NT. Cairo, expected to ship in 1995, will make
much greater use of object-oriented and distributed computing.

Gates cautions that all these developments will take time, but
says by the end of the decade most will be a reality.

(Jim Mallory/19931117)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00010)

Comdex - Microrim's "In The Black" Windows Accounting 11/17/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- Microrim Inc., has
introduced In The Black, a Windows-based accounting program for
small business and home use.

In The Black includes small business accounting, a personal finance
manager, and a contact management system based on Microrim's
database technology. A unique feature of In The Black is the ability
to switch between accounting terminology and plain English, such
as substituting "categories" for GL Accounts. The program uses
generally accepted accounting principles and a double-entry system
with an audit trail.

In The Black arrives with a chart of accounts already set up,
a daunting task for many do-it-yourself accountants. Accounts-
payable and receivable, invoicing, budgeting, financial analysis using
about 20 pre-formatted reports, income statements, balance sheets,
asset and liability tracking, and graphing are all supported.

The program also includes some special features for use as a home
accounting package. You can keep track of credit cards, manage your
bank accounts, and do financial planning for college, loans, savings,
and retirement, or compute your net worth.

There is also a Task Minder that works in tandem with the built-in
contact manager to prompt the user when is time to pay bills,
collect money, or even return phone calls. The contact manager
permits an unlimited number of records.

The company maintains that, what makes In The Black different
from other double-entry accounting packages is the way the
various elements work together. Information in the accounting
modules is the available to the Task Minder. Accounts Payable can
be filtered to decide which invoices to pay based on the available
cash, and In The Black displays how much money is currently in
the bank.

Icons to activate various functions are placed at the top and
bottom of the well-designed screens and their descriptions are
easy to read, says the company. Passing the mouse pointer over
an icon causes an explanation of the icon's function to be displayed.
In The Black has a suggested retail price of $89.95. Microrim
spokesperson Peter Card says the product is expected to ship by
the end of the year.

(Jim Mallory/19931117/Press contact: Peter Card, Microrim,
206-649-2551; Reader contact: Microrim, tel [phone],
fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00011)

Comdex - IBM Pushing "Natural Computing" 11/17/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- IBM has offered up
a new buzzword to Comdex/Fall attendees -- "natural computing."

The phrase is a marketing umbrella for a variety of features
IBM is adding to its personal computers to address such issues
as ease-of-use, ergonomics, energy efficiency, and esthetics.

At a customer briefing during Comdex, Bob Corrigan, president of
the IBM Personal Computer Co., said his company intends to make its
products easier to use, safer, and more efficient. As examples of
this direction, he pointed to several products launched in recent
months, including: the PS/2E energy-saving computer; the TrackPoint
pointing device used in the company's ThinkPad and PS/Note notebook
computers; the Rapid Resume feature that automatically saves a
user's work when a computer is turned off; and new speech
recognition technology.

"We're not alone in the effort to put people in control their
computers," Corrigan said, "but we believe we have a unique
advantage." That advantage, he said, is the technical expertise of
IBM's research operations.

That expertise is behind speech recognition technology and an
automated language translation program that can recognize a
spoken phrase in one language, and then speak the translated
phrase in another language.

To build on that knowledge, IBM earlier announced the creation of a
Center for Natural Computing in Somers, New York, which is also the
home base of the Personal Computer Co.

As Newsbytes reported in early September, the center, which starts
its formal life with a staff of about 36 people, is to explore ways
to make computers work more the way people naturally expect
them to work.

Bill McCracken, who heads the Personal Computer Co.'s operations
in Europe, Africa, and the Far- and Middle-East, said the average
person's expectations of computers is based largely on science
fiction movies and television programs. Today's computers do not
meet those expectations, he said, but they will move in that
direction in coming years. However, he said, "Just because we're
talking simple, doesn't mean it will simply happen." The
developments will take time.

Besides ease-of-use features, IBM trumpeted environmental
responsibility, pointing to the energy-efficient PS/2E computer it
launched earlier this year. The PS/2E was one of the first of a now
substantial number of energy-efficient computers, a trend driven
mainly by the United States government's decision to buy only PCs
that meet a new standard called Energy Star.

Recycling is another aspect of IBM's Natural Computing platform.
The company said it is using recycled materials to make the
casings of new machines, and is designing them so that they can
be disassembled easily for later recycling.

(Grant Buckler/19931116/Press Contact: Michael Corrado,
IBM, 914-766-1813)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00012)

Comdex - ATI Aims At High-End Video, Low-End Graphics 11/17/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- Three new
products from ATI Technologies Inc., of Markham, Ontario, are out
to attract visitors at Comdex/Fall who want better video capture
and video processing or low-end graphics acceleration.

The Video Wonder card captures, compresses, and plays back motion
video. Company spokesman Andrew Clarke said that unlike other
cards, it allows users to play back compressed video from their
hard drives at full motion and using the entire screen. Most would
only be able to display such video in a window, Clarke said.

The Video Wonder is among the first devices to use the Shared Frame
Buffer Interconnect specification developed by ATI and Intel Corp.
This allows various video and graphics functions to share the same
memory, simplifying interaction among different functions.

It comes with two megabytes (MB) of video RAM, and can be upgraded
with 2MB of dynamic RAM. With the DRAM added, Clarke said,
video capture functions can use the added DRAM, leaving the full
2MB of VRAM free for compression.

The new Video It card is a video capture device, essentially a
subset of the Video Wonder for those who already have the video
accelerator, Clarke said. The Graphics Wonder card is a low-end
graphics accelerator designed to work with VGA graphics adapters.

The Graphics Wonder card is to be available in January for $199.
The Video It card is to ship in March at $499, and the Video Wonder
is to be available in April for $999.

(Grant Buckler/19931116/Press Contact: Andrew Clarke, ATI
Technologies, tel [phone] ext 8491, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(TOR)(00013)

Comdex - Mac Version Of Street Atlas USA 11/17/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- Delorme Mapping,
of Freeport, Maine, has launched a version of its Street Atlas USA
software for the Apple Macintosh. The company also unveiled at
Comdex/Fall a new release of the existing Windows version of
Street Atlas USA.

Dave Eshelman, sales manager at Delorme, said the Macintosh version
is essentially like the Windows version except that, in its first
release at least, it lacks the overview map and legend found in the
Windows version. That was due to time constraints as the company
tried to get the software out in time for the Christmas buying
season, he said, and the features may be added in future versions.

Delorme expects the Macintosh version of the software to generate
in the neighborhood of 20 percent of the sales volume the Windows
version chalks up, Eshelman said.

Demonstrated at Delorme's booth at Comdex, Street Atlas USA lets
a user select any location in the United States -- including rural
areas, the vendor said -- and display a detailed road or street
map. The maps can be zoomed in or out to get the desired level of
detail. Users can search by place name, zip code, or telephone
number, the company said.

Delorme offered both the Windows and the Macintosh version of
Street Atlas U.S.A. during Comdex at a special show price of $99.

(Grant Buckler/19931116/Press Contact: David Purcell, Delorme
Mapping, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00014)

Comdex - Sharp Intros "Personal Information Assistant" 11/17/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- Sharp Electronics
Corp., unveiled the anticipated high-end addition to its line of
organizers and personal digital assistants at Comdex/Fall.

The new PT-9000, which Sharp calls a personal information
assistant, accepts input from a pen but also has a detachable
keyboard. It uses the GEOS operating system and applications
from Geoworks of Berkeley, California.

The unit also comes with communications software meant to provide
access to the America Online service. It has two Personal Computer
Memory Card Industry Association (PCMCIA) slots -- one Type II
and one Type III -- plus serial, parallel, and diskette connectors.
It weighs 2.5 pounds and its grey plastic case is 9.2- by 6.4- by
1.4-inches.

The PT-9000 will run on batteries for 22 hours of continuous use,
said Fran Caracciolo, national marketing manager. It is expected to
be available early in the first quarter of 1994, she said, and will
be sold in several different bundles, with a typical package
costing about $1,300. That price is likely to drop as the unit gets
into volume production, Caracciolo said.

According to Sharp, the new unit fits into the gap between personal
digital assistants -- including Sharp's earlier PI-7000 Expert Pad
-- and sub-notebook computers.

The PT-9000 is the second such device to use Geoworks' GEOS, the
first being the Zoomer PDA sold by Casio and Tandy. Stewart Noyce,
product manager at Geoworks, said one of the system's strengths is
the ability to exchange data with a personal computer. The PT-9000
can import text, data, and graphics files in a variety of popular
PC formats, Noyce said.

(Grant Buckler/19931116/Press Contact: Ray Vincenzo or James
Sciales, Dorf & Stanton for Sharp Electronics, tel [phone]
or 800-223-2121, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00015)

Comdex - New Notebooks, Lasers From Sharp 11/17/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 17 (NB) --  Sharp Electronics
Corp., has unveiled a pair of new notebook computers and two new
laser printers with 600 dots-per-inch (dpi) resolution. One of the
laser printers has a suggested retail price of $1,199, and Sharp
officials said they expect its street price will be less than $1,000.

Both of Sharp's new notebooks have color screens. The PC-8650 has
an active-matrix screen, while the PC-8150 uses dual-scan passive
matrix technology -- a relatively new development that improves on
the quality of existing passive-matrix screens but is cheaper and
easier to make than active-matrix.

Fran Caracciolo, Sharp's national marketing manager, said her
company is not having the supply problems with active-matrix
screens that many other vendors are, because Sharp is among the
handful of companies that actually manufacture the screens. But
she said the dual-scan passive-matrix screen offers customers a
lower-priced alternative.

Both units weight 6.4 pounds, use 33 megahertz (MHz) 486
processors, and have Personal Computer Memory Card Industry
Association (PCMCIA) Type II slots, 200 megabyte (MB) hard
drive, 4MB of memory, and power management software. Both
are available now. Suggested retail prices are $3,199 for the
PC-8150 and $3,699 for the PC-8650.

The two new laser printers differ in print speed, six pages-per-
minute (ppm) with the JX-9460PS and eight ppm with the
JX-9660PS, and in a second paper tray provided with the 9660.
Both support the PostScript page description language.

A company spokesman said Sharp's SoftBand memory technology
allows the printers to do with 2MB of memory what would
otherwise take four, and that is one reason for the low prices.
The JX-9460PS lists at $1,199, the JX9660PS at $1,399.

(Grant Buckler/19931117/Press Contact: Ray Vincenzo or James
Sciales, Dorf & Stanton for Sharp Electronics, tel [phone]
or 800-223-2121, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00016)

Comdex - VRex Offers Notebook With 3-D Display 11/17/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- Now that color
screens have grown fairly common, what can notebook computer
makers do next? VRex Inc., a Hawthorne, New York, company thinks
it knows the answer, by offering three-dimensional (3-D) graphics.

The technology works somewhat like the 3-D movies for which
viewers wore colored glasses in the 1950s. VRex software
processes display information from ordinary computer applications,
separating each image into two -- one for each eye. A special filter
fits over the computer screen, and the user wears special glasses
to view the display.

VRex demonstrated the products at its booth at Comdex/Fall
along with an earlier product from the company -- an overhead
projection unit that also produces 3-D displays. Newsbytes found
the devices do create a 3-D effect, though with slightly less
clarity than a normal display.

VRex resells Apple PowerBook and Panasonic notebooks fitted
with the special screen filters and software, said David Swift,
the company's engineering manager. Swift said the notebooks
can display ordinary two-dimensional (2-D) images as well.

The PowerBook version, called the CyberBook-Mac, costs $4,250 or
$4,450, depending on the size of hard disk. The CyberBook-PC is
$4,950. VRex also sells an upgrade package that converts notebooks
with active-matrix color screens to 3-D for $1,500. The special
glasses are $5 for the basic version, $10 for clip-ons, and $18 for
"Deluxe Executive-Style" spectacles. VRex's projection panel is
$8,995.

(Grant Buckler/19931117/Press Contact: Suzanne K. McBride,
VRex, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00017)

Comdex - Sony Intros Storage Devices, 1st PCMCIA Cards 11/17/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- At Comdex, Sony has
announced its first foray into the PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory
Card Industry Association) market, along with the development of
two brand new storage mechanisms -- "metal servo micro floppy disk"
and "QIC Wide tape."

As another component in Sony's extensive suite of storage product
introductions, Sony added an entry-level PhotoCD-compliant model,
priced at only $199.95, to its double-speed CD-ROM line.

Sony's new storage products are geared to a broad range of
computer systems, from PDAs (personal digital assistants) to high-
end workstations, and from individual PCs to network servers,
officials said in making the announcements at a press briefing.

The company's PCMCIA card launch encompasses ten different
Type I flash memory cards and static RAM (SRAM) cards with
capacities ranging from 256 kilobytes (KB) to 16 megabytes (MB).

The new metal servo micro floppy disks are capable of storing
21MB of data on a single 3.5-inch disk. With their high storage
capacity, the new disks are designed for such applications as
backing up hard disk drives and storing graphics files.

"Sony invented the 3.5-inch floppy disk in 1980. Today we have
responded to market demands for larger capacity micro floppy disks
with the development of a 21MB model," stated Art Rancs, vice
president, data media products for the Sony Recording Media
Products Group.

The metal servo micro floppy disks offer three times the linear
density and four times the track density of conventional double-
sided high density disks, Ron Crowley, marketing manager for data
media, told the journalists. This is made possible chiefly by two
new technologies from which "meal servo" draws its name: "metal
magnetic particle technology" and "sector servo tracking
technology."

Two other technologies also help to achieve 21 MB formatted
capacity, Crowley added.  "Zone management" is aimed at allowing
more efficient storage of data on the outer portion of the disk.
The second technology, "2-7 RLL (Run Length Limited) coding"
increases the density of data encoding.

The second brand new storage mechanism, QIC Wide tape, is a Sony-
developed, QIC Committee-approved minicartridge tape product
billed as achieving a 27 percent higher storage capacity than
existing minicartridges of the same length.

The higher capacity is achieved by using a standard .315-inch tape
that is wider than the previous .25-inch tape, but is housed in a
shell with the same exterior dimensions, according to Crowley.
The wider tape is initially being supported by QIC drive
manufacturers Tandberg Data Storage and Conner Peripherals.

Sony's new entry-level double-speed CD-ROM drive -- the CDU-33A
-- is able to read Photo CD-compliant multisession disks, explained
Jackie Cao, another Sony representative. Images on a Photo CD disks
can be viewed on a computer monitor via the CDU-33A.

The CDU-33A can also play audio compact disks. The new CD-ROM
drive is slated to be available through standard retail channels in
December for a suggested retail price of $199.95.

Also in the booth at Comdex, Sony is demonstrating a Digital Data
Storage (DDS) autoloader system that stacks four DDS-2 cartridges
for up to 16 gigabytes (GB) of storage, new CD mastering systems,
and new storage options in high capacity magnetic, write once, and
rewritable optical hardware and media.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931116/Reader Contact: Sony, 201-930-7669;
Press Contacts: Manny Vara or Brian Levine, Sony Electronics,
201-930-6432; Patricia Mozzillo, Technology Solutions for Sony,
212-505-9900 ext 221)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00018)

Comdex - Ricoh Intros PC-Connective Office Peripherals 11/17/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- In a press
conference at Comdex, Ricoh Corp., has officially stepped beyond the
world of traditional office machines and into the emerging universe
of PC-connective multifunctional peripherals.

In this new product category, the capabilities of a copier, fax,
printer, and scanner are rolled into a single piece of equipment,
officials said in making the announcement.

Eric Steenburgh, president of Ricoh, explained that the
multifunctional peripherals will save time for users by changing
the usual office scenario from copying first and distributing later
to distributing first and then copying, but only as needed.

HIroshi Hamada, president of Ricoh's parent company, Ricoh
Company Ltd., noted that Ricoh has been marketing a digital
multifunctional copying system which offers (PC) connectivity
since 1987. "We have been eagerly awaiting the shift toward PC-
connective office machines in the US. Now this trend has started,
and we are confident that Ticoh will play a major role in this new
market," he added.

One of Ricoh's new machines -- the FAX3500L -- integrates the
functionality of plain paper facsimile, a copier, and laser
printing into a single desktop unit. An optional computer
interface, with RS232C and Centronics parallel ports and auto
switching, provides 10 page-per-minute (ppm) printing at 300
dots-per-inch (dpi) from IBM-compatible PCs.

Another new device, the FAX800, brings together plain paper fax, a
copier, an ink jet printer, and an auto-switching telephone into a
single unit.

The FAX800 is aimed at allowing functions such as printing and fax
receiving and sending to be performed simultaneously. Incoming fax
and voice calls are automatically routed to either the fax or an
attached phone or phone answering machine.

For high-end office applications, Ricoh's new MB715 combines the
capabilities of a high-speed laser fax hub, digital copying, and
optional 10 ppm printing.

A high-speed modem transmits documents to other 14.4 kbps
devices at a rate of six seconds per page, officials said. Documents
can be scanned into memory for later transmission while the unit
is printing, receiving or sending documents from memory.

The device is also an advanced digital copier that provides 400 dpi
resolution, along with such features as reduction and enlargement
from 25 to 400 percent, directional magnification, and series
copying.

A fourth device, the IFS66, is specifically designed for
compatibility with Microsoft at Work. The IFS66 is both a walk-up
fax machine and PC fax server that transmits to other 14.4 kbps
devices, also at six seconds per page. The unit provides 10 ppm
laser printing at 300 dpi resolution, utilizing new Microsoft At
Work print rendering technology.

The IFS66 also allows documents to be scanned into a connected PC.
Bit-mapped scanned images can be downloaded to Windows or DOS
applications and saved in TIFF, PCX or DCX file formats.

The IFS66 can also be used as a communication server for fax
transmissions, electronic mail, and PC file transfer. Text and
graphics files can be exchanged locally --through users' "in" and
"out" mailbox locations -- or through a remotely connected wide
area network.

(Jacqueline Emigh/111693/Reader Contact: Ricoh Corp., 201-882-
2000; Press Contact: Gil O'Brien, Robert Wick Public Relations for
Ricoh, 212-727-2500)


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

Comdex - Traveling Software's Laplink Wireless 11/17/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- These are good
times for Mark Eppley's Traveling Software Inc. The company's new
Commworks communications program is getting good reviews, and
copies are being bundled on a new Toshiba laptop. A version of the
company's flagship Laplink file transfer product was demonstrated
by Apple Chairman Michael Spindler in his keynote address, and his
company now has well over 100 employees.

Eppley demonstrated Traveling Software's newest product, Laplink
Wireless, to Newsbytes at the company's booth at Comdex. The
recently announced Laplink Wireless comes with a small piece
of hardware from National Semiconductor. It can move data
through the air at up to 115,000 bits-per-second (bps).

Drawing a crowd around him, Eppley closed the notebook computer
he was holding and walked away. The crowd stood looking at a
Windows screen on which nothing was happening, while Eppley
marched around the adjacent booths. Then he returned, saying,
"Let's just come back to our office."

"Oh, what's this?" he cried, pointing to the screen. "My files
are automatically synchronizing!" He whipped out the notebook,
and there was Laplink Wireless running. The action of lifting the
computer's cover put the Nat Semi device on top of it into a
line of sight with another such device on the wall, linked by a
cable to the desktop machine at its left.

The display showed a number of files which were slightly altered
on the notebook, and then pop-up windows began asking questions
about which copy should be kept. "I could do all this automatically,
just walking into the room," he said. In moments, about 50
kilobytes of data had moved from one computer to the other.
"List price $229," he added. "Show special $179. Step right up."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931117/Press Contact: Elaina Dulaney,
Traveling Software, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00020)

 ****Comdex - Briefing On The Govt's NII Infrastructure 11/17/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- The man in
charge of the government's National Information Infrastructure
(NII) initiative, Larry Irving Jr., was scheduled to come by Byte's
press breakfast at the Alexis Park Hotel. However, he was suddenly
called into a meeting with the Vice President and Secretary of
Commerce, and could not make the trip.

As a result, he appeared live via satellite, in an interactive
videoconferencing link. There was one humorous note, as the
crowd watched an assistant put make-up on his face while they
had breakfast. But he was eventually introduced, and launched
into his spiel.

"We don't want to own, operate and maintain an information
superhighway," he said. "We want to help the private sector get
it built and use it." The NII will be "as ubiquitous as the
telephone system, able to carry information 1,000 times faster."

Irving touted uses for the NII in education and medicine, and
pointed to $1 billion in grants for NII projects, most of which
are claimed to be continued from the Bush Administration, that
the new government has won funding for. Irving also said it is
important that everyone get access to the NII, noting that while
he had noticed on a recent trip to California that students in
Cupertino had vast computer experience, but that poor students
in San Jose had none.

Then he got to the points which have proven controversial. "We
think there's a role for the government," he said, citing the
grants, the need for regulatory reform, and the need for
universal access, among his concerns. "There will be a clash of
cultures between those who are used to getting data free on the
Internet and content providers who want to be compensated for
their copyright. We have to start looking at these issues."
Hearings on that will start Comdex week in Crystal City,
Virginia, across the river from Washington.

Then Irving made a pitch, not for money or political support, but
for advice. "It's important that we communicate honestly and
completely over the next year. It's vital that government and
industry work together to make sure that information is
transferrable on disparate networks, without compromising
content."

He insisted that the real decisions and control of the NII must be
private, noting that in his life he had bought a Betamax, an eight-
track tape player, even a Quadraphonic stereo system. "We can't
outforecast the market, and we're not going to try. What we want
to do is understand this and work closely with you," he concluded.
"Believe this. I'm here from the government and I need your help.

(Dana Blankenhorn/199931117/Press Contact: Larry irving Jr.,
Internet: [e-mail])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00021)

Comdex - Sigma Designs Intros Mac Reelmagic, Dell Deal 11/17/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- Sigma Designs
believes consumers will jump at the chance to get its low-cost
video playback board in their personal computers. Dell Computer
has even committed offer the Reelmagic board pre-installed
option on its high-end PCs.

Sigma has also announced that Radius, known for its video
display products, will develop a version of the board for the
Apple Macintosh.

The Reelmagic board has created a stir in the multimedia
industry since its recent announcement, because it offers the
playback quality of boards that cost four to five times more,
yet is priced at about $400. The board delivers television
quality playback of Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG)-1
compressed files from slower and less expensive single-speed
compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) drives and works
with a standard video graphics array (VGA) card.

The playback is good quality, but not as good as consumers
would see if they install a television card in their PC and
playback video from an analog input, such as a video cassette
recorder (VCR). However, Bill Crow, director of technology at
Sierra Online said Sierra believes the consumer market is
hungry for and will invest in better quality video playback
sooner than they will spring for better quality sound.

"Consumers are still buying the cheapest eight-bit sound card they
can find. (However) we saw the entire extended graphics array
(EGA) display market disappear in a matter of 12 months once
the VGA became available -- and VGA is not cheap," said Crow.

Sierra, Aris Entertainment, and Compton's New Media have all
announced CD-ROM educational and game titles that will work
with the Reelmagic product. Three Aris titles, World View, MPC
Wizard, and Video Cube, are being bundled by Sigma Designs with
the Reelmagic product.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931117)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00022)

Nynex To Enter Japanese Cable TV Market 11/17/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- US-based telephone carrier
Nynex is planning to begin cable television services in Japan.

The firm will provide service in cooperation with a major
conglomerate, Tomen. It is reported that the firm has already
submitted an application form for the business draft plan to the
Japanese Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications.

Nynex is planning to begin service in the spring of 1995. The firm
will start an experimental service next spring, which will be
accomplished with the help of Nikki and Fujitsu, as well as Tomen.
It will be handled by the Yokohama TV Station, which is backed
by Fujitsu and Nikki.

The firms will install optical fiber cable to about 100 households
in the Yokohama area, which will provide cable TV programs as
well as a telephone service. The telephone lines will be connected
with NTT's phones lines. Users will be able to make telephone calls
throughout Japan. An estimated 200 million yen ($2 million) will
be spent to lay out the optical cable.

Nynex has reportedly already begun a similar service in the United
Kingdom through a subsidiary company. Nynex may also create a
joint venture firm with Tomen, Fujitsu, and Nikki. Nynex and
Tomen will reportedly contribute, respectively, 15 to 16 percent
of the capitalization in the new firm.

Through the new cable service, Japanese users will be able
to get telephone shopping along with "video on-demand." The
Japanese government is currently discussing the deregulation
of telecommunication laws which would make these services
possible.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19931117/Press Contact: Tomen,
81-3-3588-7111)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00023)

German Privatization Agency Hit By Computer Fraud? 11/17/93
BONN, GERMANY, 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- Prosecutors have raided a
series of offices and private apartments in 10 cities across
Germany, on suspicion of an organized fraud against the Treuhand
privatization agency.

According to media reports in Germany, several packets of
documents were confiscated during the raids, which were in
connection with allegations that Funk und Zenkner, the investment
house, used computers to manipulate the costs of cleaning up
environmental damage when it acquired East German-based Plasta,
Kunstharz und Perssmassenfabrik Erkner from the agency.

Prosecutors in Germany say they are also investigating an official
at Treuhand and an executive of Funk und Zenkner who used to work
for Treuhand. Sources suggest that the privatization agency may
have lost as much as DM 10 million on the contract.

(Sylvia Dennis/19931117/Press & Public Contact: Der Treuhand,
49-228-355682)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00024)

Europe Falling Behind US In Info Superhighway? 11/17/93
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- As momentum gathers in
the US for President Clinton's plans for a data superhighway for
companies to use across the US and beyond, British
Telecommunications (BT) Chairman Iain Vallance has lambasted
the British government for failing to respond.

According to the BT head, Europe, and in particular, the UK,
stands a good chance of being left behind in the race to build the
superhighway, with the probable result that Europe's trade will
be left behind when it comes to the multimedia revolution.

Speaking at the Confederation of British Industry's (CBI's)
conference, Vallance said that: "We, as Europeans, are in danger of
being left behind by the Americans and Japanese where plans are
well underway for information superhighways,"

Vallance conceded that the British government was doing all it
could to spur interest in a similar data superhighway to the
proposed US and Japanese networks, but was being met with
indifference from the rest of Europe, notably the European
Commission.

Europe's problem, Newsbytes notes, is that while most of Western
Europe has a good telecoms infrastructure, Eastern Europe, which is
being drawn in the European web, has an out-of-date infrastructure.

The result is, Newsbytes notes, that any possible funding that could
be used to finance a superhighway for data in Western Europe is
being diverted to meet the needs of Eastern Europe, so as to
facilitate trade between all of Europe.

(Steve Gold/19931217)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00025)

 ****Major French-German Telecoms Deal Firming Up 11/17/93
BONN, GERMANY, 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- Plans for a major telecoms
alliance between France and Germany are now firming up, despite
intense pressure from other European telecoms administrations.

As reported recently, both countries' telecoms companies have been
discussing the possibility of a joint venture firm being formed
to offer Europe an even worldwide telecoms services on a similar
scale to the British Telecommunications/MCI alliance.

According to reports in Sueddeutsche Zeitung, the German daily
newspaper, the alliance could go a lot further than this, with both
companies effectively merging their operations for all matters
except "local loop" phone calls.

The paper asserts that a draft "memorandum for a strategic
partnership" has been presented to the European Commission, in
preparation for the implementation of the plan over the next five
years. TV sources in Germany, meanwhile, have reported that the
EC has given a provisional thumbs up to the deal, claiming that no
problems over lack of competition apply to the deal.

Newsbytes notes that this is almost certainly due to the fact
that, by the time 1998 rolls around, the EC has mandated that all
telecoms services in Europe will be on at least a partial free
market basis. This perhaps explains why the French/German
telecoms deal has been implemented on a five year plan basis.

Although DBT, the German telecoms administration, has confirmed
that discussions are taking place at a high level, and that seniors
from France Telecom and DBT have been to Brussels, no further
comments have been forthcoming.

Sueddeutsche Zeitung, meanwhile, has gone as far as publishing
alleged extracts from the memorandum, which show that the
memorandum lays down a number of stages in the joint initiative.
The first stage, Newsbytes understands, involves the setting up of
a European-wide data communications network to service major
international companies' telecoms needs. BT's Syncordia operation
is currently the only major competitor in this field, Newsbytes
notes.

By the time 1998 rolls around, when the EC telecoms market is due
to be liberalized, DBT and France Telecom are aiming to have a joint
voice and data comms network spanning Europe, with only local
calls serviced by their local country operations.

The German paper quotes the memorandum as saying that the two
companies admit that they do need a third partner to stave off the
competition. Sources suggest, the paper asserts, that the companies'
Eunetcom initiative will be used as the basis for expansion of the
proposed European network.

(Sylvia Dennis & Steve Gold/19931117/Press & Public Contact:
France Telecom, tel [phone], fax [phone])


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

Comdex - More On Mobile Comms Industry Discussion 11/17/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- This is part two
of a three part report on a conference on mobile communications
with several of the industry majors attending at the Comdex Fall
computer show. Today, we report on what Jack Bartlett, worldwide
product line executive with IBM's mobile computing operations,
had to say.

In his speech, Bartlett cited the interesting analogy of the current
states of the mobile comms industry with the famous Peanuts
cartoon, where Lucy -- on board a cruise ship with Charlie Brown --
asked Charlie whether he is looking forward or backward from the
ship. Charlie Brown replies that he cannot get to that stage
because, "I can't even get my deck-chair open."

This situation, though comical, sums up the current state of the
mobile comms industry, he asserted, adding that, fortunately for
everyone, things are starting to change, albeit on a localized scale.
He said that some elements of the industry making enormous
strides, while other stagnate.

The mobile comms industry, according to Bartlett, is highly
fragmented, mainly on account of the vast number of variables
restricting the technology. These variables are: keyboards, pen-
stylus systems, display, power availability, need for paper
output, and voice telecoms facilities.

On the portable computing front, he said, there are four major
growth areas: notebooks, sub-notebooks, holdables, and pocketables.
All four categories, he claimed, are very different in their
approach to the needs of the user.

"Every month it seems that one or another manufacturer makes a
breakthrough in portable computing technology. This trend will
continue, with companies like IBM producing innovative machines
such as the Thinkpad 750/750C series meeting users' needs," he
said.

Bartlett claimed, however, that portable computing still has an
enormous way to go before users are satisfied. What the industry is
looking for, he said, is a "no compromise solution." This solution,
he said, is not around at the moment, as subnotebook technology
still has a long way to go in maintaining full power while reducing
the weight of the portable.

"Ideally, what every wants is a Power PC system with minimal battery
requirements that fits on the wrist in a watch casing. We're still a
little way off that, but the industry is moving towards that goal,"
he said, adding that the main problem in achieving this goal was not
one of miniaturization, but power.

The current trends may conquer this limitation, he asserted, adding
that 2.5-inch hard disk technology is reducing the bulk of portable
PCs. "Next year we're looking at 500 megabytes (MB) on a PCMCIA
(Personal Computer Memory Card Industry Association) card, while
1 gigabyte will be attained in 1995/96," he said.

Bartlett places great store in PCMCIA technology. He claims that
color screen technology is also advancing very quickly, with the
arrival of hand portable color machines expected within two years.

Battery technology continues to bug the industry, he told the
audience. At the moment, where lead-acid rated 35 and nicad 40,
new technologies such as lithium ion could 100 points, and lithium
polymer could achieve 200 points.

Once the problems of power weight ratios are solved in the portable
computing marketplace, he said, then technology will leap-frog
ahead.

In the third and final report on mobile computing tomorrow,
Newsbytes will report what Pradeep Singh of Microsoft and Larry
Crume of Lotus have to say.

(Steve Gold/19931117)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00027)

Comdex - Motorola's Emarc Systems Examined 11/17/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- There is fierce
competition underway between the manufacturers of
personal digital assistants (PDAs), from such companies as Apple,
Casio, and Tandy.

Central to the success of the respective products is wireless
communications technology. Newsbytes stopped by the Motorola
stand at Comdex to speak with Brad Davies, director of strategic
marketing with Motorola's Embarc communications service.

Emarc is an extension of Motorola's paging technology, which
operates in the 900 megahertz (MHz) waveband. Operating at 1,200
bits-per-second (bps), Embarc uses a $249 PCMCIA (Personal
Computer memory Card Industry Association)-style pager that
slots in to several PDAs, notably the Apple Newton and the
Casio/Tandy Zoomer series.

Contrary to popular belief, Davis said, Emarc is a simplex (one-way)
transmission system that uses existing paging technology and
frequencies -- hence the relatively pedestrian 1,200 bps.

This is not a limiting factor, he said, since the transmissions can
include selective routing information to one or all Embarc receiver
units. "Software on the user's PDA then interrogates these
transmissions," he explained.

Aside from the obvious use of transmitting pager-style electronic-
mail to the PDA user on the move, Embarc also introduces the
concept of selective information publishing. Davis said that
Motorola is currently feeding copies of USA Today on-line and
Reuters news feeds over its network, with the PDA downloading
the information into memory.

The advantage of this method of transmission is that only one
transmission needs to be made to all users, with the users' Embarc
unit selecting what information to take. Furthermore, Motorola can
send various control signals over its network to configure an
Embarc unit on the fly.

"Not only can we control what data we transmit, but we can control
what information the user actually receives on his individual Embarc
system. It's that precise," Davis said.

Each issue of USA Today, the wireless edition, is around 700
kilobytes long. Since only one edition is transmitted to all users,
and it is up to the user to select which stories he wants to read,
either by flipping between "pages" and "stories" or programming the
computer to look for certain key words and mark them for reading.

The number of possible private groups on Embarc is also very wide.
Davis explained that there are 256 possible sub-groups on the Emarc
system, meaning that special interest groups -- set up over the
Embarc network -- can be set up on a permanent, semi-permanent or
even a single transmission basis.

Emarc, as a system, has been running since July of last year. The
technology, Davis said, has several applications, notably in
information publishing and corporate applications. Although Davis
acknowledges the technical and administrative issues, he wants
Emarc to go global, so that users can receive their news and
messages on the move, wherever they are.

Does Davis have a message to get across to the industry? "I want
to say that Embarc is not paging. It's not two-way - it's a new
broadcast technology that all mobile users should be looking at,"
he told Newsbytes.

How much does Embarc cost to use? Aside from the $249 buy-in for
the PCMCIA paging unit itself, the usage charges are $18 a month plus
data charges for messaging. "Included within that $18 a month charge
is free access to publishing services such as USA Today," Davis said.

(Steve Gold/19931117/Press & Public Contact: Motorola Emarc
Communication Services, tel [phone], fax [phone])


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

India - Telco Intros Relational Tool 11/17/93
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- After the success of its
CASE (computer-aided software engineering) workbench, Turbo
Analyst, Telco's Management Services Division has introduced
Relational Designer, a Windows-based relational design tool.

Relational designer provides functionality for entity relationship
modeling, schema diagram generation, normalization, transaction
analysis, denormalization and performance tuning through optimal
index selection while converting files from a third-generation
language environment to tables in a database.

While creating entities and their inter-dependencies with key and
non-key attributes, it supports two conventions -- Chen's and
Martin's. The schema diagram depicts tables and foreign key
relationships, indexes on tables, transactions with their SQL
(structured query language) statements and storage requirements
of various database structures.

Designer checks the current normalization status of tables, and
identifies dependencies between data elements. The transaction
analysis module generates a consolidated matrix showing, not
only logical costs of various transactions, but also of accessing
the various tables on specific keys. These matrices are taken as
inputs in making various trade off decisions between performance
improvement of the system and data inconsistencies.

The user selects the transactions based on which indexing is to
be done. It will generate a set of SQL statements to be executed
on the target machine to evaluate the relative access cost. Using
this relative cost data, a cost matrix depicting actual execution
cost against the corresponding index for each transaction is
generated.

Priced at Rs 25,000 (about $820), Relational Designer supports
RDBMS platforms like Oracle, Ingres, Unify, Sybase, RDB, DB2,
Adabas and Informix.

(C. T. Mahabharat/19931112)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00029)

India - Bringing IT and Biodiversity Together 11/17/93
MADRAS, INDIA, 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- The Madras-based Center for
Research on Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development
(CRSARD), belonging to M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, has
developed a database package on mangroves aimed at helping
preservation of global biodiversity and ecological balance. M.S.
Swaminathan is a renowned agricultural scientist.

Mangrove Ecosystem Information Service (MEIS) is an integrated
package of four databases namely: Mangrove Experts Directory
(MANEXP), Mangrove Bibliography (MANBIB), Mangrove Resources
and Inventorying Database (MANRES), and Mangrove Genetic
Variability Database (MANVAR).

MANEXP contains a directory of around 500 experts in the field
from 54 countries including the entire membership of the
International Society of Mangrove Ecosystem (ISME). The database
presents the biodata of all these experts with their areas of
specialization and their achievements.

MANBIB is a database on the bibliography of mangrove literature
published by the UNESCO covering the period 1600-1975 and
further covers another 2,100 bibliographic entries updated till
1993.

MANRES provides information on mangrove ecosystems at
different levels ranging from the national to the site level.
Further, MANRES provides visuals of sites, which can be enlarged
using high resolution.

MANVAR consists of information on variability at three levels,
namely: ecosystem, species (interspecific), and intraspecific. The
database is a compilation of the morphological variations of
mangrove fauna reported so far in journals and indexed.

Originally designed to have six databases, MEIS package now offers
five databases. The database consisting of mangrove sites named
Mangrove Visual (MANVIS) has been merged with MANRES. The
fifth one, named Mangrove Socio-Economic (MANSOC), will be
ready soon. MANSOC is a database on the survey of socio-economic
information related to human population who live in the vicinity on
mangroves worldwide.

MANEXP and MANBIB have been developed on microcomputer version
of CDS/ISIS, a package developed and distributed by UNESCO, so
that these databases can be used worldwide. The other two
databases MANVAR and MANRES were developed using Dbase IV.

MEIS has two design components. One is the design of databases
and the other is the design of a software platform to enable on-line
access, integration of CD-ROM components and image-editing
software. The second component of software integration through a
Unix server is being carried out in collaboration with Indian
Institute of Technology, Madras.

Says M.S. Swaminathan, chief of the foundation, "MEIS is aimed
at converting generalized information into a relevant need-based
application by bringing in more effectiveness." MEIS is targeted
at policy makers, researchers and foresters.

Sponsored by the International Tropical Timber Organization
(ITTO), Japan, the project is being supported by the India's
Department of Biotechnology, along with the Ministry of
Environment and Forests.

CRSARD has recently installed a 10 KVA solar photovoltaic
generator, the biggest in South India, designed and developed by
Central Electronics Ltd. The Center will be soon equipped with a
computer center named the Honda Informatics Center (HIC), after
the sponsor Honda Motors of Japan, which will be the first
computer center in the country to function on solar power.

HIC will be have two 486- and five 386-based systems, supported
by a variety of peripherals, including a color scanner and image
printer, with CD-ROM drive and a modem as add-on features.
The CD-ROMs have been made available by Commonwealth
Agricultural Bureau International (CABI), UK. Further, the center
has obtained on-line connection to over 300 databases through
Dialog Corp. CRSARD has also plan to establish a CD-ROM library
in collaboration with CABI, that would have a local area network,
an on-line information system, CD-ROM information services and
an electronic database in the field of agriculture and allied areas.
Also on the cards is the full-fledged training program on
CD-ROM.

(C. T. Mahabharat/19931112)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00030)

India - Management Education Via Satellite 11/17/93
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 NOV 17 (NB) -- Delhi-based All India
Management Association (AIMA) has taken management education
to distant locations in the country, thanks to modern satellite
communication technologies.

In a three-day pilot experiment, experts in Delhi recently reached
out to 500 students in 10 centers spread all over the country. The
students could seek clarifications by means of a telephone link
satellite interactive channel using a one-way video and a
two-way audio instruction technology.

Conducted in collaboration with the Indian Space Research
Organization (ISRO) and Indira Gandhi National Open University
(IGNOU), AIMA's Center for Management Education (CME) used
Extended C band transponder on board Insat-2B.

Named Satellite-based Network for Education and Training (SINET),
the entire program was recorded from the teaching end (studio in
IGNOU) over a satellite earth station to broadcast live or taped
programs and received by means of a dish antenna, slightly
modified for the purpose. Another unique feature of the program
was the simultaneous transmission of fax, using the satellite
route to multiple receive stations.

The program was beamed from a small studio with an uplink
transportable remote area communication terminal (TRACT) at
the IGNOU Complex. Live or specially pre-recorded cassettes
would be transmitted from the studio.

Costs involved in making this experiment a reality are, however,
prohibitive. AIMA hopes to bring in institutions like the Indira
Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), the Institution of
Engineers and the Institution of Chartered Accountants of India
among others to share time and cost.

(C. T. Mahabharat/19931112)