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/NB120993

Text File | 1993-12-09 | 68KB | 1,531 lines

(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00001)

 ****Endeavor Astronauts Repair Hubble Telescope 12/09/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- In what many saw as a
make or break effort for NASA (National Aeronautics and Space
Administration), the Endeavor Space Shuttle Astronauts have
spent a record 35 hours in space in five separate space walks to
successfully repair the flawed Hubble Space Telescope.

Although several months of testing lie ahead before the space-
based Hubble Telescope can be pronounced totally repaired, NASA
mission specialists have proven that they can perform complex
repair and maintenance tasks in orbit, an absolute requirement if
NASA is to build and maintain a space station.

After replacing a piano-sized optical package, installing a
second set of corrective optics, new gyroscopes (several of the
critical Hubble positioning gyros had failed), new solar panels,
and making a last minute antenna adjustment to overcome a
critical computer glitch, Astronauts have only to release the
giant telescope back into its 300 mile-high orbit.

After many well-publicized space failures, few of any of which
actually involved Space Shuttle missions, public confidence in
NASA was at a near all-time low at the beginning of the mission
when a poll showed that the majority of people did not believe
that NASA could repair the Hubble.

Launched on April 25, 1990, without critical final testing which
should have shown that the telescope could not be focused
properly, the Hubble Telescope was a major failure in the US
space program which, rightly or wrongly, was blamed on NASA.

The total loss of other satellites had added to the public
impression that NASA was the agency which could not shoot straight
and, when combined with federal budget restrictions, NASA's new
"can't do" image was thought by many Washington insiders to be
about to end the agency's big plans for future expansion in space.

Whether the apparent success of the Hubble repair mission will
spur public enthusiasm for spending tens of billions of dollars
on a space station is not at all clear, but at least NASA has
dodged this bullet and is still seen by many as having a
potential for continued funding.

The success has also come at a time when the 20/20 news
magazine program is about to carry a story on the Space Shuttle
program which is expected to be highly critical of NASA safety
procedures.

(John McCormick/19931209)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00002)

Japan - World's Smallest Fax Machine Debuts 12/09/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- The Japanese game software
maker BPS is set to release an extremely small fax machine on
December 15. The firm claims that it is the smallest fax on the
market.

The retail price of the Alpha-X will be 79,800 yen ($798). It
measures just 28.5 centimeters (cm) by 6.5 cm by 3.5 cm, and
weighs only 650 grams.

It is claimed to be smaller than Canon's Canofax M1, which used
to be the smallest fax machine. As far as the weight is concerned,
the Alpha-X weighs only about half that of the Canon product.

The Alpha-X supports A4-sized documents under the G3 standard.
Transmission speed is an average 28 seconds per document. The
fax machine is equipped with an acoustic coupler and modular
phone jack connector. With these devices, users will be able to
hook into an ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) pay-phone.
With the battery pack, a maximum of 80 pages of the documents
can be sent at a time.

However, a major limitation of the machine is that it can only
be used to transmit a document, and not receive documents from
other fax machines.

The Alpha-X was originally developed by California-based joint
venture firm Bansai. A BPS spokesman told Newsbytes that
BPS has purchased the sales license of the machine.

BPS is a game software maker. The firm is well-known as the
maker of "Tetris" for Nintendo's Super Famicom. The Alpha-X
marks the company's debut into the fax machine market. The
firm hopes to ship 20,000 units in the first year. The company
is also planning to make the Alpha-X available to OEMs (original
equipment manufacturers) next year.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19931207/Press Contact: BPS,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


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

Japanese MS-DOS 6.2, Just System/Lotus/Borland Link 12/09/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- Microsoft, Tokyo, is set to
release the latest version of Japanese MS-DOS and an upgrade kit
on December 10. Meanwhile, Just System has linked with Lotus
and Borland on the sale of its best-selling Japanese word
processor, Ichitaro.

Microsoft plans to ship MS-DOS 6.2/V J to its OEM (original
equipment manufacturer) dealers this week. Japanese personal
computer makers, such as NEC and Seiko-Epson, are expected to
include the latest version of MS-DOS on their new PCs.

Microsoft will also release its MS-DOS 6.2/V Upgrade kit at
the same time. It will be sold for 12,800 yen ($128) and can be
used to upgrade IBM's DOSJ 5.0X/V or MS-DOS 5.0/V.

The new version has many improved features compared with the
previous version, including the well-publicized data compression
feature.

Meanwhile, Just System has tied up with Lotus and Borland
concerning the sales of its latest Windows version of Ichitaro.
Lotus and Borland plan to offer buyers of Ichitaro significant
discounts on their Lotus 1-2-3 and Quattro applications.

Lotus plans to offer a 57 percent discount on its Lotus 1-2-3 4J
Windows -- which cuts the price to 15,000 yen ($150). Borland
will cut its price 79 percent, making Quattro Pro For Windows
1.02J just 12,000 yen ($120). Also, Just System will offer a 50
percent discount on Ichitaro, making it 28,000 yen ($280),
during the campaign, which is set for December 17 to March 31.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19931207/Press Contact: Microsoft,
81-3-5454-8000, Just System, tel [phone], fax
81-886-25-1291)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00004)

New Brooktrout Voice/Fax Tools For NT, OS/2, Unixware 12/09/93
NEEDHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- Brooktrout
Technology has introduced a set of applications development tools
which software publishers can use to produce support software
for fax and voice boards.

Fax applications for the advanced Windows NT, OS/2, and Unixware
operating environments are generally intended for fax servers,
fax-mail systems, fax-on-demand systems, and fax broadcast, all
of which place heavy demands on a computer system.

As new operating systems become available, the need to develop
new applications software for those platforms generates a related
need for development tools which simplify the programming and
translation of applications from other operating systems.

Brooktrout's fax and voice API (application programming
interface) consists of high-level commands written in the C
language that provide control over making and answering fax
and voice calls as well as transferring data.

Brooktrout makes and sells voice and fax boards for developers
to customize using their software. NT support is for both Intel
platform computers and the new Digital Equipment Corp. Alpha
PC platform.

Brooktrout has also expanded its TR114 universal port card line
and now offers boards that handle from two to eight channels
per card.

A new $495 prompt development tool kit from Brooktrout
reportedly makes it easier for developers to add or modify
voice prompts in fax and voice response systems.

(John McCormick/19931207/Press Contact: Maria Doyle,
Rourke & Company, 617-267-0042 ext 314)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00005)

Northern Telecom Freezes Manager Salaries 12/09/93
MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- Northern
Telecom Ltd., which began restructuring in July after reporting a
second-quarter loss of US$1.03 billion, has told 3,000 top
managers they will get no salary increases in 1994.

A letter from Jean Monty, Northern's president, gave managers the
news last week, company spokeswoman Maureen O'Brien confirmed.
The freeze affects Northern's top executives, including Monty
himself, she said.

The restructuring announced in July will mean consolidating
manufacturing plants, including the closure of some operations,
and cutting its 60,000 work force by about 5,200. The plan is
expected to be complete by the end of 1994.

Northern has said it expects an annual loss in 1993. The company
chalked up record revenues and earnings in 1992, but the first
quarter of this year was disappointing though profitable, and it
slipped into the red in the second quarter.

The company has also just begun contract negotiations with 3,910
members of the Canadian Automotive Workers (CAW) union who
work at four plants in Ontario. Negotiations are also under way
with about 2,500 employees represented by the Canadian Office
Employees Union and the Union of Communication Workers, most of
whom work at manufacturing plants in Montreal. Northern does
about 40 percent of its manufacturing in Canada.

Separately, Northern announced the opening of a US$2.5-million
plant in Rabat, Morocco. The plant will make digital telephone
equipment for that country's state telecommunications agency.
Northern owns 75 percent of the facility and Moroccan investors
own the balance, officials said.

(Grant Buckler/19931209/Press Contact: Maureen O'Brien, Northern
Telecom, 905-238-7206)


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

Winware Ships Personal Info Manager For Windows 12/09/93
MARIETTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- Winware Inc., has
announced that it will have the newest version of its customizable
personal information manager (PIM) software package for
Windows-based PCs in general distribution by the end of the
month.

Winfo Pro includes a customizable phone book, calendar with
integrated to-do lists, and a print manager. The program can
track two addresses and seven separate phone numbers per
contact, and has the ability to add even more phone numbers by
using the custom design feature.

Winfo Pro allows the user to integrate their to-do list with the
calendar, and data can be printed in formats that match such hard-
copy planners as Day Runner, Day-Timer, Franklin, and Avery. The
program can print the address lists in a phone-book format, and it
will also print all sizes of labels, envelopes and rotary index
cards.

Winfo Pro can share its data with Delrina's Winfax through a
dynamic data exchange (DDE) link so fax numbers only have to
be entered once to be available to both Winfo Pro and Winfax.

The databases can be shared with other users on a network,
allowing other users to access your phone book or sales
prospect list, and many of the screens and reports can be
customized to show the data fields in any order. User-selectable
colors and fonts can be assigned to the fields, and the program
supports the use of multiple views.

Winfo Pro comes with 11 predefined databases, including a
phone book, mailing list, restaurant/hotel list, accounts,
inventory, recipes, business contacts, repairs, stock transactions,
and a music/video and software list. Each database comes with
its own selection of forms.

Other features include: calendar views in daily, two-day, weekly,
monthly, or yearly views; mail-merge capabilities; and musical
reminder alarms. There is also an auto dialer with up to 10 phone
and three credit card numbers, a three-tier priority system for the
to-do lists, and automatic rollover for tasks until they have been
completed.

Current users of Winfo, the predecessor to Winfo Pro, can
automatically transfer their existing lists to the newer version of
the program. However, Winware spokesperson Debbie Labinger
told Newsbytes the company is not offering any special price to
upgrade to the Pro version. Winfo Pro has a suggested retail
price of $99.95 and is available through Egghead Software,
Computer City, CompUSA and MicroCenter outlets.

(Jim Mallory/19931209/Press Contact: Debbie Labinger, S&S
Public Relations for Winware, 708-291-1616; Reader Contact:
WinWare Inc., 800-336-5985 or 404-993-3201)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEN)(00007)

Multi-Tech Intros Data/Fax Modem 12/09/93
MOUNDS VIEW, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- Multi-
Tech Systems Inc., has announced a new desktop data/fax
modem that comes bundled with data and fax software.

The company says the ZDX -- the full designation is the
MT1432ZDX -- is available for IBM-compatible and Apple Computer
Macintosh platforms. The ZDX is a CCITT V.32bis/V.32 data and
V/17/Group 3 fax modem that can handle data at transfer rates
from 300 to 14,400 bits-per-second (bps) and faxes at rates from
4,800, 9,600 or 14,400 bps.

The external modem comes bundled with the appropriate cabling
and software for IBM PCs or Macs and has a full array of light
emitting diodes (LEDs) to monitor operations. The unit weighs
eight ounces, and measures 4.5-inches wide by 5 and 5/8-inches
deep by one-inch high.

The modem provides V.42 error correction and V.42bis data
compression. It responds to the EIA class 2 command set for
fax software and the At command set for modem configuration
and dialing. The ZDX has a suggested retail price of $349 and
is shipping now.

(Jim Mallory/19931209/Press Contact: Paul Kraska, Multi-Tech
Systems, 612-785-3500; Reader Contact: Multi-Tech Systems,
tel [phone] or 800-328-9717, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(DEN)(00008)

EEOC Files Age Discrimination Suit Against TI 12/09/93
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- Texas Instruments
has confirmed that the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission has filed suit against the electronics company
charging it with age discrimination in conjunction with layoffs
that occurred in October of 1990.

TI spokesperson Kathy Sand told Newsbytes that the suit asks for
reinstatement, back-pay, damages, and retirement benefits for at
least four supervisors of the 450 Defense Systems employees
who were affected by the layoff. Sand said Texas Instruments
feels, "The EEOC is wrong in this case. We do not make decisions
on reductions in staff based on age, but by matching the skills,
abilities and performance of employees against the requirements
of the jobs that are available."

In June of 1990 the Defense Systems Group announced that it
would reduce its staffing by about 1,000 employees over the next
12 months. The 450 employees cut in October 1990 were part of
that group. Newsbytes reported in January 1991 that Defense
Systems would lay off about 475 people, but Sand was unable to
confirm if those cuts were part of the original 1,000. In January
1991 TI also cut about 125 positions from its Information
Technology Group and another 60 from the Semiconductor Group.

Sand told Newsbytes that the workload in the department where
the manufacturing supervisors involved in the current lawsuit
work has declined by 54 percent since 1988. "The number of
people employed in that department has dropped by a comparable
percentage," according to Sand.

She went on to explain that in that department 35 of the 45
manufacturing supervisors were over the age of 40. "It was
inevitable, therefore, that a reduction in force would impact
workers over the age if 40. (The reductions) were clearly not
based on age discriminations, but rather to matching their
skills and abilities."

The Defense systems and Electronics Group this week received
a $42.2 million contract increase from the US Naval Air Systems
Command for additional high-speed anti-radar missile hardware.
TI said the order is a modification to the original fiscal 1993
contract, which was worth about $182 million.

(Jim Mallory/19931209/Press contact: Texas Instruments
Media Relations, 214-995-3481)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00009)

 ****Canadians Go Online To Bypass Court Ban 12/09/93
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- Online news
services have put huge holes in a cloak of silence imposed on a
Canadian manslaughter trial. Users of on-line services in Canada
have used the technology to read, in American newspapers,
stories which are illegal for Canadian newspapers to publish.

On July 5, an Ontario judge ordered a ban on the publication of
any evidence or proceedings in the trial of Karla Homolka, 23,
charged in the murder of two Ontario girls, Kristen French, 15,
of S. Catharines, Ontario and Leslie Mahaffey, 14, of nearby
Burlington.

The publication ban is a rare but legal prohibition in Canada.
The judge's intention is to prevent publication of information
which could influence the trial of Homolka's husband, Paul
Teale, formerly Paul Bernardo, also charged in the two
murders. Homolka is expected to testify in that trial.

So far no Canadian newspapers have violated the publication
ban although an appeal against it will be heard in January.

The ban has proven a nightmare for librarians and cable
operators. Librarians have been clipping stories from
American newspapers before the public can see them, and cable
operators have been forced to monitor feeds from American
broadcasters to black out any items related to the trial.
In Toronto, special "Bernardo BBSs" have sprung up, devoted
to information and gossip leaked from those familiar with the
case.

All that can be published about the trial is that Homolka was
convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 12 years for her
role in the murders.

Canadians are not supposed to know her plea in court nor any
of the evidence presented at the trial, evidence so disturbing
that it left seasoned court observers sickened.

The Washington Post, however, has published some of the
evidence presented at the trial. The Post story was reprinted
November 28 in the Detroit News and Free Press and The
Buffalo News, border newspapers which have some circulation
in Canada.

At border crossings November 28, Canadian customs
agents turned back trucks delivering The Buffalo News and
confiscated hundreds of copies of the paper from individuals
who had purchased them in Buffalo. Some enterprising Canadians
had purchased as many as 25 copies of the newspaper, whose
November 28 press run was a record for its Sunday edition.

The Buffalo News and the Washington Post are archived in News
Source USA, operated by Telebase, and accessible from a number
of on-line systems, including Compuserve.

Canadian Compuserve members could access News Source USA and
by mid-week Telebase had even posted special instructions on
its opening menu, instructing users interested in the Canadian
murders to search "Unspeakable Crimes" in the Washington Post
dated November 23, or "Teale" Or "Homolka" Or "Grisly Details"
in The Buffalo News.

The special instructions came down December 3, however, after
Newsbytes asked Compuserve how much additional traffic had been
generated by Canadians accessing American newspaper databases.

Compuserve spokesperson Michelle Moran said the service was not
aware of the special menu, but when it confirmed its existence,
a Compuserve product manager asked Telebase to take it down on
the grounds of "poor taste." Moran added that, according to
Telebase, activity in News Source USA had risen 30-40 percent in
a few days following posting of the news stories in News Source
USA.

Canadians can also access some American news sources through
GEnie on-line service. Genie spokesman David McIntosh released
a statement saying that for legal reasons the service would not
discuss "possible mechanisms to reach that prohibited material."

(Paul De Groot/19931209)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00010)

 ****New TI Chip Could "Revolutionize" Computing 12/09/93
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- Texas Instruments
researchers have demonstrated a "revolutionary" new computer
chip that the company says operates over three times faster,
holds three times more functions than present chips, and
operates at room temperature.

The chip, which could be the key to development of future
generations of computers, operates on the principle of quantum
mechanics, a principle that says electronics will behave as a
wave and pass through classically impenetrable barriers under
certain conditions.

The theory was once considered to be just a laboratory novelty,
but TI researchers say they have demonstrated the quantum effect
chip at room temperature. Prior to the TI development, devices
based on quantum effects were limited to operating at -320
degrees Fahrenheit, conditions too cold for practical applications
such as desktop and portable computers.

Gary Frazier, nanoelectronics manager at TI, called the
demonstration "a significant breakthrough" and said the new
devices can now be designed into commercial systems without
the need for special cooling. TI says its scientists developed the
new chip using a technique called "resonant tunneling transistors."
The chip consists of 17 transistors which replace as many as
40 conventional transistors for the same type circuit on a
conventional chip.

TI says replacing conventional transistors with resonant tunneling
transistors would mean a significant leap in the number of
functions that could be performed by a single chip. Resonant
tunneling circuits perform an equivalent function with fewer
transistors than are currently used.

"This opens up the possibility for smaller computers that operate
faster than computers using today's technology," according to
Frazier. He said practical applications of quantum devices are
five to six years away. Applications include: microwave, X-band
analog-to-digital converter chips for military applications;
improved performance of digital cellular telephones; top of the
line computers and faster workstations; and high-bandwidth
digital video processing in high-resolution and high-definition
television (HDTV).

TI says farther down the road, extremely sophisticated quantum
effect ICs could turn today's computer dreams into reality,
predicting it might be possible to create a computer system that
can think, see, and speak as a human being does by putting all the
circuitry of a supercomputer on a single chip.

TI says its scientists have been working on quantum effect
devices since 1982. The work is funded in part by contracts
from the Air Force Wright Laboratories, the Advanced Research
Projects Agency, and the Office of Naval Research.

(Jim Mallory/19931209/Press Contact: Sheree Fitzpatrick,
Texas Instruments, 214-995-2984)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00011)

Bell Atlantic Details Wireless Data Offerings 12/09/93
BEDMINSTER, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- Bell Atlantic
Mobile has announced its wireless data offerings under the trade
name AirBridge.

Included are fax services, packet network services, and a service
which eliminates compatibility problems between modems used on
its wireless network, which covers the Bell Atlantic service
territory in the mid-Atlantic states as well as systems in the
Carolinas.

AirBridge fax and circuit-switched offerings are available
in all the company's markets, with the latter offering such
things as telemetry and "package tracking" as well as data
transfers.

The Gateway service, based on Microcom's MNP 10 data
compression and error correction protocol, is available in the
company's major markets of Philadelphia, Washington, and
Baltimore and will be available throughout the system by the
end of the first quarter of 1994. Packet service, under the
cellular digital packet data (CDPD) standard, will be available
throughout the system by the end of the year.

A statement from Benjamin Scott, the company's chief operating
officer, predicted that the volume of data traffic on his system
will equal the volume of voice traffic in just a few years. Today
just three percent of cellular traffic is data.

Applications include electronic mail, fleet management, alarm
systems, and telemetry. To support its systems, the company is
training sales representatives and setting up a "help desk" to
answer user questions.

Bell Atlantic is buying its CDPD equipment from AT&T, and that
company's Network Systems unit announced it has equipped
five cells and one switch with the system. AT&T said it expects
rapid deployment of CDPD technology because the network will
use the existing cellular infrastructure with more than 10,000
cells already in place nationally.

Bell Atlantic has nearly 800 sites. When first proposed by IBM
and a consortium of wireless companies, including Bell Atlantic,
CDPD was estimated to add five percent to the cost of the
cellular infrastructure, and deliver data at rates up to 19,200
bits-per-second.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931209/Press Contact: Bell Atlantic
Mobile, Karen Ann Kurlander, 908-306-7552)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00012)

Military Technology Going Into Cordless Phones 12/09/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- RF Micro Devices
has signed a deal with TRW that will permit it to use TRW military
technology in new chips for cordless phones and other wireless
communications systems. The first application will be in new
AT&T cordless phones, which could extend their range by 400
percent.

The technology, called heterojunction bipolar transistor, or HBT,
also allows wireless products to be smaller and lighter than
previous models, and could be used in security systems, wireless
local area networks (LANs) as well, according to RF Micro founder
William Pratt.

The technology was originally developed by TRW under grants from
the Advanced Research Projects Agency, or ARPA, the same agency
which helped fund the original research into what became the
Internet in the 1970s.

AT&T executive Ben Benjamin added that, in addition to allowing
greater range and lower weight, the TRW technology will allow
future phones to offer greater privacy.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931209/Press Contact: Scott MacIver,
for RF, 312-329-7563)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00013)

 ****Prodigy, NYNEX Announce Electronic Yellow Pages 12/09/93
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- NYNEX said it
will offer its 1.7 million business listings on the Prodigy service
next year and sell ads alongside those listings. The companies
said it is the first true electronic yellow pages offering,
including advertising, on an on-line service.

The deal is non-exclusive, executives with both companies said in
a press conference attended by Newsbytes, and Prodigy is actively
seeking other regional Bells to join the system. NYNEX has
offered a text version of its listings through Minitel terminals
since 1991.

"Imagine 300 directory books with 1.7 million listings in your
den, immediately searchable," said Prodigy President Ross
Glatzer. "And this is more than listings," he added, noting that
restaurants will be able to offer menus and photos, eventually
taking reservations on-line. "This is advertiser supported. There
is no extra charge to Prodigy users. They can use it for their
regular fee," he added.

Donald MacKenzie, president of NYNEX Information Resources Co.,
addressed the teleconference from Brussels, Belgium. "Technology
is offering the chance to build a deeper service for our
customers," he said. "There are many advantages, like the area
you can search. Yellow Page companies must get in this business
now or someone else will and we'll lose the business we have.
Prodigy makes sense to partner with. They have an extremely large
customer database, heavy development in the NYNEX area, and
they've spent a great deal of money to develop their system," he
added. "We have signed a contract and hope to have a service
on-line by the fourth quarter of 1994."

In response to questions from reporters, Glatzer said no new
programmers will be hired by Prodigy as a result of the deal,
since NYNEX will be joining in development of the product.

McKenzie added that the phone company may offer Prodigy ads
at a loss, at first, noting, "It's more important to get paying
customers at reasonable prices" than turn a quick profit. He
added, "We've got to sell advertising at a low enough price so
that people want to advertise, and it will be artificially low to
begin with because we don't have a lot of statistics that will
point to value."

However, he added that Prodigy has a great capability to get and
keep statistics on the effectiveness of ads, on which prices can
later be based. "I do believe we'll see a different pricing formula
in time, because you don't price by heading in the present product,
you price by space. It is likely that this product will have a
price-value relationship that changes heading to heading."

The NYNEX deal is just the latest in a series of deals for
Prodigy. Glatzer indicated that a local version of the service
will be on-line in Atlanta early next year, in conjunction with
Cox Enterprises' "Atlanta Journal-Constitution." The same
company's Cox Cable unit is also testing the deliver of Prodigy
over its San Diego cable system.

McKenzie declined to say how much NYNEX was investing in the
Prodigy development, but did say it will be "significantly more"
than the $30 million the company has so far invested in CD-ROMs
and other database formats.

Prodigy says that it has sold 232,000 copies of its new Windows-
based access software in the last 10 days through its
1-800-Prodigy offer. The software allow photographs to be viewed.
The offer involves a $4.95 handling charge that includes a months'
free service and the software. New customers in the promotion
can also get DOS or Macintosh software.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931209/Press Contact: Prodigy Services,
Carol Wallace, 914-993-2496; NYNEX Information Resources
Company, Wayne Mitchell, 508-762-2341)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00014)

HP To Hold Boston Enterprise App Development Conf 12/09/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- Hewlett-
Packard will hold the East Coast component of its Enterprise
Application Development Executive Strategy Conference on
December 14 at the World Trade Center in Boston.

Geared to individuals in charge of deploying enterprise business
and technical applications for their companies, the event will
feature a full day of conference sessions, plus an expo to begin
at 10:30 am.

The expo component of the show, to be open free of charge, will
include talks on 14 different vendors and products. Admission to
the conference component is $195. Admission may be paid at the
door, but by check only. Registration for the conference and expo
begins at 8:00 am.

The conference component of the show will kick off at 8:45 am.
with a morning keynote by Dr. Helene T. Roos, principal of HDA
Consulting, on "Managing Technological Change: Helping People and
Systems Work Together." Then, from 11:15 to noon, users will
deliver a series of industry-specific success stories.

From 1:30 to 2:15, conference attendees will have a choice of two
afternoon keynotes: "Objects in the Enterprise," by Robert
Weinberger, product marketing manager for Hewlett-Packard's
Workstation Systems Group; and "Enterprise Desktop," by Dan
Kara, technical editor for CASE Trends magazine.

During three other morning and afternoon time blocks, conference-
goers will be able to select from sessions in four different
tracks. Topics will range from "State of the Art Client/Server
Development Tools" and "Benchmarking IT Performance" to panels
on "Managing Enterprise Objects" and "Re-Engineering and Right-
Sizing."

Vendors and products to be discussed during the expo component of
the show will include Oracle, NeXT, Informix, ASK (Ingres), Texas
Instruments, IBI, Progress, Sybase, SoftBench, MPower, Frame,
SoftBench, Andersen Consulting, and Distributed Smalltalk.

The West Coast edition of HP's Enterprise Application
Development Executive Strategy Conference took place December
6 in San Jose, California.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931208/Reader & Press Contact:
Hewlett-Packard, 800-457-6298)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00015)

Unisys, Information Builders In Downsizing Alliance 12/09/93
BLUE BELL, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- Information
Builders Inc., and Unisys Corp., have announced an alliance aimed
at capitalizing on the trend towards downsizing applications
from large mainframes to Unix-based systems and client/server
computing.

The engineering and marketing alliance is intended to help IBM
mainframe customers "rightsize" decision support and other key
applications to the Unisys U 6000 Series Unix platform using
Information Builders' Focus fourth-generation language and
Enterprise Data Access/structured query language (EDA/SQL)
client/server software, the companies said.

Focus, which operates on mainframes and Unix systems, integrates
application development, reporting, and decision support tools
with a database management system. The EDA/SQL products provide
database access from more than 100 third-party front-end tools
and applications.

Unisys and Information Builders said their relationship will make
it easier for customers to take existing Focus applications from
IBM mainframes and move them to smaller Unix-based hardware
from Unisys.

The two firms' sales forces will work together to sell their
products to prospects identified by Information Builders, said
Brian Daly, a spokesman for Unisys. They will also exchange
technology information and engineering resources to fine-tune
Unisys U 6000 servers for use with Focus and EDA/SQL.

The firms said they will also work on early integration of
Unisys' microkernel Unix technology for scalable multiprocessing
into Information Builders products.

Third, they will provide services to help downsizing customers,
drawing on Information Builders' software development experience
and Unisys' expertise in systems and network integration and
maintenance, officials said.

Daly said this alliance will be the first of a number Unisys'
client/server group will announce with software vendors.

(Grant Buckler/19931209/Press Contact: Brian Daly, Unisys,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Pamela Haas, Information
Builders, 212-736-4433)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00016)

 ****Senate Hearing Spurs Video Game Ratings 12/09/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- As reported yesterday
by Newsbytes, pressure from interest groups and legislators has
spurred industry action on development of a rating system for
video games.

Scheduled just one hour before a joint Senate Judiciary and
Government Affairs Committee hearing on video game violence
was set to begin, an industry group has announced plans to self-
regulate by voluntary labeling of interactive games for violence
or sexual content. However, no further details were available by
Newsbytes deadline.

The Senate hearing, which was carried live on the C-SPAN cable
network, was held by Senators Joseph Lieberman (D. Conn.) and
Herbert H. Kohl (D Wisc.) who had joined television pioneer Bob
Keeshan, known to tens of millions as Captain Kangaroo, in
holding a December 1 press conference to criticize the graphic
violence found in some video games. Keeshan said at that time
that the fact that this violence is interactive, resulting
directly from the action of the player, is far more threatening
than mere passively viewed violence seen on television and in
movies.

A bill, jointly sponsored by Sen.'s Lieberman and Kohl, calls for
industry self-regulation but specifies that if game makers do not
come up with an acceptable plan within one year, the President
will have the power to appoint a panel to create and enforce
standards.

In his opening statement, Sen. Lieberman said that the time had
come to draw the line and that violence in video games had
reached a new generation which contains "the most horrible
depictions of violent crimes." They "teach a child to enjoy
inflicting torture," said the Senator.

Sen. Lieberman also chided Toys 'R' Us and other toy retailers for
failing to respond to his staff's requests for input on how these
violent games could be kept out of the hands of young children.

The committee hearing was scheduled to open by showing scenes
from Mortal Combat, the SEGA version of which shows blood
splatters. At the end of the game the player is instructed to rip
out heart or pull off the head of his or her opponent. Unfortunately,
the staff was unable to get the equipment working at the outset
but they got the display working later when two versions of
Mortal Combat and a particularly violent segment from Night
Trap were shown. Nintendo's version of Mortal Combat leaves out
blood and decapitation but is still a violent game according to
Senator Lieberman.

In another game, Night Trap, the object is to keep hooded men
from committing violent acts against women. Sen. Lieberman
called this graphic depiction of violence against women "deeply
offensive." Night Trap uses actual images of actors and actresses
rather than cartoon-like animations.

Senator Kohl showed an advertisement where the warning label
which is found on Lethal Enforcers, a game which uses an
oversized realistic gun as the controller, is, according to the
Senator, almost entirely obscured while it is replete with gun
images.

"Government regulation should be a last rather than a first
resort," stated Senator Herbert Kohl as he warned that the
industry must take immediate and purposeful steps on its own if
it wishes to avoid compulsion. "It is up to the industry whether
they become heros or grinches."

"Sick and disgusting," North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan called
Night Trap in his opening comments as he announced that he
wanted to be named as a co-sponsor of the bill on video game
violence.

Although an industry group announced just prior to the hearing
that there would be an industry self-regulation effort, both
Senators appeared to see it as less than responsive and asked for
more details, asking such questions as: Who will rate the games?
Will the industry spend money informing parents about the system?
Will all video game makers participate? How many age ratings
will be provided?

The coalition will start the process of determining how to rate
games and how to present this information to the public. The
SPA's legal representative Eileen Rosenthaul was scheduled to
speak at the Senate hearing, but not until after Newsbytes'
deadline.

The new coalition includes Sega, the SPA, Atari, 3DO, Electronic
Arts, and the Video Software Dealers Association. However, the
SPA's spokesperson emphasized to Newsbytes that 136 other
SPA members sent letters of support for the coalition.

(John McCormick/19931209/Press Contact: Jim Kennedy, Senator
Lieberman's Office, tel [phone], fax [phone];
Dave McClure, SPA, 202-452-1600 ext 320)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00017)

SPA Says 3Qtr European Software Sales Up 74% 12/09/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- The Software
Publishers Association, has released third quarter personal
computer software sales results showing a massive 74 percent
unit increase in Europe. However, there was only a nine percent
revenue increase for software publishers, due to heavy price
competition.

North American software sales were up 36 percent on unit volume,
with similar pricing pressure holding sales down to a moderate 16
percent increase in dollar volume.

Sales volume for the third quarter of 1993 verses the comparable
period of the previous year show strong sales increases in both
Europe and the North American region by volume. However, there
was only moderate increases by dollar value because of the price
wars which are ravaging the computer industry.

North American sales for the third quarter 1993 reached $1.65
billion, which was up by 16 percent over the same quarter of 1992
when the surveyed SPA members earned $1.42 billion.

North American sales of Windows applications grew by 74 percent
to $2.26 billion in the first three quarters of 1993, while DOS
applications declined by 22 percent over the same period compared
to the previous fiscal year. Mac software sales totaled $2.76
million for the third quarter, up 11 percent for the same period.

By category, word processors ($219 million) and spreadsheets
($182 million) were, as usual, the top applications sold in North
America. However, both had lower sales than they did in the
comparable third quarter or three-quarter periods in 1992.

Paint/draw software and desktop publishing programs were the
fastest growing segment in North America, growing by 110 percent
and 106 percent respectively, to $124 million and $67 million for
the quarter just ended.

Third quarter PC software sales in Europe totalled $413 million,
up a modest nine percent. Sales for the first three quarters of
1993 were $1.30 billion, up 13 percent from the equivalent
period for the previous year.

According to the SPA report, average prices for computer software
fell in Europe by 37 percent in the past year from an average
price of $211 to only $132. An average price decline of about 30
percent has been seen on a year-to-year basis for both DOS and
Macintosh operating systems.

Windows applications accounted for 73 percent of the total sales
in Europe, while DOS software sales plunged to only $70 million,
down by 42 percent over the third quarter of 1992.

The SPA also reports that Italy's crackdown on software piracy
has resulted in a massive jump in sales in that country where
legitimate PC software sales increased by 130 percent in the
third quarter.

(John McCormick/19931209/Press Contact: David Tremblay,
SPA, 202-452-1600)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00018)

Dataware Technologies Stock Plunges 12/09/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- Dataware Technologies
stock, which recently went public at about $14 and soon soared to
the low $20s, later falling back to $16, lost more than $8 or
half of its value in the market open this morning. The drop follows
the company's announcement that it would fail to meet the 11 cents
per share earnings estimates which analysts had projected for the
company's fourth quarter which ends on December 31.

In the announcement, made late yesterday after the market closed,
Kurt Mueller, chairman and chief executive officer of Dataware,
which is listed on NASDAQ under the symbol DWTI, stated that
"November sales were notably weaker than anticipated."

Dataware Technologies is a major supplier of CD-ROM indexing
and retrieval software as well as providing CD-ROM publishing
services to many companies and government agencies around
the world.

(John McCormick/19931209/Press Contact: G. Mead Wyman,
Dataware Technologies, 617-621-0820)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00019)

DEC Asia Announces New Thailand Head 12/09/93
TAI KOO SHING, HONG KONG, 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- Digital Equipment
Corp.'s sales and marketing manager in Korea, Don Carkeek, has
been appointed managing director for DEC in Thailand.

Carkeek held several key management positions in Korea prior to
his current role. In the 1993 fiscal year, Digital Korea finished
among the top countries in Asia in business performance.

"Don's knowledge of Asian business practices will bring added
value to Digital's on-going investment in Thailand," said Edmund
J. Reilly, president and managing director of Digital Asia. "We
believe the country has great growth potential and our operations
there will thrive under his leadership."

In Carkeek's 21 years with Digital, he has held several field
management positions, including district sales manager, sales
manager of corporate process accounts, international area sales
support manager and other staff positions in the corporate sales
organization.

Carkeek said, "This is a most exciting possibility for me to
manage one of Digital Asia's most successful operations. Thailand
continues to be one of the major growth areas for the Asian IT
(information technology) industry. With our leadership products,
I can focus in the Thai market on desktop computing with the
Alpha AXP workstations, our successful PC families, open
client/server computing and systems integration.

He continued: "The industries of greatest interest at the moment
include banking and finance, telecommunications, manufacturing
and the education markets, where we will be offering consulting
services and multivendor customer support."

Carkeek holds a BS degree in Petroleum Engineering from the
Montana School of Mines and a certificate from the Executive
Development Management program at the University of New
Hampshire.

(Keith Cameron/19931210/Press Contact: Bonnie Engel,
852-805-3510, DEC)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00020)

UK - Compuserve Cuts Mercury Packet Data Surcharge 12/09/93
BRISTOL, AVON, ENGLAND, 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- Compuserve has
announced that it has reduced its off-peak UK network surcharge
for the Mercury packet data network (PDN) by 40 percent. At the
same time, the on-line service has opened a new direct access
port in Edinburgh.

According to Compuserve, the rate for off-peak access to the Mercury
PDN will fall from $4.20 to $2.50 an hour for all speeds to 9,600
bits-per-second (bps). This is to encourage more users to access the
network for longer periods, the company claims. The prime time
network charge (applicable M-F 8am to 7pm) remains at $7.70 per
hour.

Compuserve claims that the rate reduction makes Mercury's PDN,
which is known under the brand name of Mercury 5000, the
cheapest access method for all UK members who are not within
a local dial area of a Compuserve node.

The new Edinburgh node for Compuserve is on-line immediately,
Newsbytes can be reveal. The company says that the new Edinburgh
node -- accessible on 031-557-5888 -- can be accessed at all
speeds to 9,600 bps.

Communication surcharges for use of the Edinburgh node are the
same as for all other Compuserve nodes in Europe: $0.00/hr off-peak
time and $7.70/hr prime time. Compuserve claims that its own
network is the most cost-effective way to connect to the service.

The Edinburgh node is the sixth Compuserve node in the UK, with
other nodes already operational in London, Reading, Bristol,
Manchester, and Birmingham.

(Steve Gold/19931209/Press & Public Contact: Compuserve,
44-272-760680)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00021)

UK - Wick Hill Intros "Reflection To Go" Comms Prgm 12/09/93
WOKING, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- Wick Hill IMX has
launched Reflection To Go, a customized version of its Reflection
1 for DOS terminal emulation package that links PC and Apple Mac
users to HP 3000 and HP 9000 host systems.

The UKP200 package, which comes on disk plus a PCMCIA
(Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) card,
has been specially designed to run on the HP 95LX and 100LX
series of portable computers from Hewlett-Packard.

According to the company, Reflection To Go provides terminal
emulation on the move, linking the user to HP 3000 and 9000
computers back in the office. The company claims that the package
is extremely useful for traveling executives, field sales forces and
employees working at remote sites. Typically, it might be used to
check electronic mail, look at host-based information or produce
quotes.

The package reportedly has the same core features as Wick Hill's
standard Reflection package, including file transfer, a powerful
command language, and keyboard mapping. It includes terminal
emulation that allows users to run all of their HP 3000 and 9000
applications from the palmtop.

Reflection To Go also supports enhanced modem dialing and screen
handling, and has been streamline coded to save on memory. Because
of the HP 95LX and 100LX's system memory, the package has been
adapted to allow "hot keying" between applications.

Announcing the package, Ian Kilpatrick, Wick Hill IMX's managing
director, said that, at the moment, there is nothing else for linking
the palmtop to HP 3000 and 9000 systems. "This product fills a gap
in the market. I believe that, as people come to appreciate its
potential, there will be a large number of applications written
for Reflection To Go."

(Steve Gold/19931209/Press & Public Contact: Wick Hill IMX,
[phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00022)

UK Education Group Plans Super Data Network 12/09/93
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- The Higher Education Funding
Councils for England, Scotland and Wales have agreed on funding for
the development of the second phase of Super JANET (the Joint
Academic Network), an advanced communications network.

JANET predates the majority of public and private packet data
networks (PDNs) in the UK. It was set up in the 1970s as a means
for educational and research establishments to move computer
data between themselves. As the Internet and Usenet grew, so
JANET was linked in those networks.

SuperJANET reportedly aims to build on the success of JANET.
According to British Telecommunications (BT), SuperJANET is
based on advanced broadband technology and is at least two years
ahead of any other network provided in the world in terms of its
speed and the types of applications it can support.

SuperJANET will, it is planned, run at 140 megabits-per-second,
which the Higher Education Funding Councils for England, Scotland,
and Wales claims is around 70 times faster than a traditional
network. For example, the network planners claim, a 5,500 page
report could be sent over SuperJANET in under a second.

To achieve this kind of speed, SuperJANET will use fiber optic
technology, rather than the usual coaxial cables that such networks
traditionally use. Installation of the network will take around
three years and will cost the Joint Information Systems
Committee (JISC) UKP13 million to implement.

A small pilot section of SuperJANET is already up and running. The
pilot system was installed between six sites -- Cambridge,
Edinburgh and Manchester Universities, Imperial College of Science,
Technology and Medicine, and London's University College, as well
as the Science and Energy Research Council's (SERCs) Rutherford
Appleton laboratory. By March of next year, plans call for a total
of 56 sites to be linked into SuperJANET.

Professor Graeme Davies, the chief executive of the Higher
Education Funding Council, said that the HEFC's for England,
Scotland and Wales recognize the need for a high performance
network to ensure that the UK maintains its position in the world.
"The advancement of SuperJANET will improve the efficiency of
current learning and research practices in order to help meet this
aim," he said.

(Steve Gold/19931209/Press Contact: Karen Evett, Penn
Communications, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00023)

Hayes Extends European Sysop Discount Program 12/09/93
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- Hayes Microcomputer
Products has announced the extension of its European Sysop Program
up to the end of January, 1994. The program allows qualified sysops
(system operators) the chance to buy selected Hayes modems at
heavily discounted prices.

Sysop is the widely accepted term for operators of a bulletin
board system (BBS). Modem manufacturers tend to offer sysops
their modem hardware at reduced and even subsidized cost, in
return for a mention on the sysop's bulletin board.

Hayes has been offering a special sysop program in the UK for some
time, but the scheme was, Newsbytes understands, due to finish at
the end of September. Because of demand, Hayes has extended the
program until the end of January, as well as allowing European BBS
sysops to qualify for the reduced prices.

Under the program, Hayes V-series Ultra Smartmodem 14400s, which
normally sell for UKP679, are available for just UKP200. The ESP
(enhanced serial port) communications coprocessor card, which
normally sells for UKP79, is available to sysops for UKP40.

"The sysop program is an idea that Hayes have been promoting for
some time now. It's a good program, since it allows sysops to get
their modems and associated hardware at very low prices. We
benefit. of course, as we get a mention on their BBS," said Sue
Starie, head of communications with Hayes, to Newsbytes.

European orders under the program should be sent to the sysop
coordinator at Hayes UK. As a "gesture of goodwill," Hayes has
agreed to offer free shipping and tax on scheme products shipped
within the European Community (EC). Outside the EC, some tax
and customs duty may be levied by governments, Newsbytes
understands.

(Steve Gold/19931209/Press & Public Contact: Hayes
Microcomputer Products, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(CORRECTION)(GENERAL)(LON)(00024)

Correction - "Clue" Insurance System On-line 12/09/93
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- In a story entitled "`Clue'
Insurance Anti-Fraud Computer System Comes Online In UK,"
this Tuesday, Newsbytes attributed several comments to Joe
Cash, senior vice president of Equifax, the company that supplied
the computer system to the Association of British Insurers (ABI).

These comments included that the system was just the start of an
information exchange between competing insurance companies, and
that an investigations service may be introduced to complement
computer screening. We also said that insurance fraud is a problem
which is costing insurance companies and their honest
policyholders several percentage points on the cost of their
policies.

We now understand that these comments should have been
attributed to the ABI rather than Cash, whose company maintains
an independent profile in the industry. Our apologies for any
embarrassment caused to Joe Cash and/or Equifax by our
mis-attribution.

(Steve Gold/19931209)


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

SIA Says Book-To-Bill Below 1.0 For November 12/09/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- The
Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) says the book-to-bill
ratio -- the ratio of orders to shipments for US semiconductor
companies -- is down for November to below 1.0. However, the
numbers themselves are still up significantly from the same
period last year.

The November book-to-bill is 0.99. November bookings (orders) for
the US market were $2.196 billion up 0.2 percent from the $2.192
billion in October and up 15 percent from the same period last
year. Billings were $2.068 billion, an increase of 2.6 percent
from the $2.015 billion in October and 24.7 percent higher than
last year.

Anything above 1.0 for a book-to-bill ratio is positive,
according to the SIA and there has been a small increase in
shipments. The statistics are collected by the World
Semiconductor Trade Statistics and are based on a three-month
moving average. The numbers released are also preliminary
figures, subject to revision, the SIA added.

The exceptionally high book-to-bill figures the industry has
experienced has been from a surge in the growth of the personal
computer (PC) market. However, financial analysts are beginning
to speculate that the boom is slowing and leading PC
semiconductor companies, such as Intel, may not sell as many
units as first anticipated. Apple Computer has also noticed a
slow down and has canceled $20 million in orders for integrated
circuit products from manufacturer VLSI.

In addition, some market analysts, in surveying companies, have
said to expect slow-downs worldwide in the sales of hardware,
based on the planned shift in corporations surveyed away from
hardware spending to focus on software and services.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931209/Press Contact: Doug Andrey, SIA,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00026)

Canon Starts Criterion Unit, Intros 3-D Developer Prgm 12/09/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- Canon says its
new Renderware three-dimensional (3-D) graphics software for
developers, marketed by its new subsidiary, Criterion Software
Limited, will change the way graphics are done on Windows-based
personal computers (PCs).

The company claims that Renderware will enable software
developers to deliver workstation-like graphics on PCs already
in the possession of consumers, without the addition of
graphics acceleration hardware.

The new company, Criterion, is based in Guildford, England, and is
the second company to be formed from the Canon Research Center
(CRE) there, the first being Canon Audio in 1990.

Dr. David Lau-Kee is the new president and Adam Billyard is vice
president of research and development, both formerly of CRE. Dr.
Mike King, formerly with Du Pont Pixel Systems, has taken the
role of vice president of marketing.

King said in a prepared statement: "Renderware is 3-D for Windows,
and provides, on low-cost personal computers, the 3-D graphics
performance and functionality of more expensive workstations.
This dramatically changes the dynamics of the multimedia market
for PCs because it allows for mid-range workstation performance
from a 486/DX at 50 megahertz (MHz)."

Renderware requires Windows 3.1 running on a 386SX-based PC
and at least 4 megabytes (MB) of random access memory (RAM).

Criterion describes Renderware as a device-independent 3-D
graphics application programming interface (API), with a simple
object-based interface consisting of a small number of object
types and a set of associated functions, such as advanced shading
and texturing of objects. Renderware is also available for the
Apple Computer Macintosh platform, on Unix (X11) and under IBM's
graphical operating system OS/2.

Typical applications where Renderware might be used include:
multimedia, visual simulation, scientific visualization, computer-
aided design (CAD), virtual reality, presentation graphics,
entertainment/games, and education/training products.

Concerning Renderware, Lau-Kee said: "This technology provides
the opportunity to put interactive 3-D where it counts -- in
hundreds of applications on millions of desktops."

Paul Allen, chairman and CEO of multimedia software tools
developer Asymetrix and co-founder of Microsoft, said Asymetrix
plans to incorporate Renderware into future versions of its
software products. "Renderware is truly an impressive product,
one that takes 3-D graphics to new performance levels," Allen
said.

Renderware is not cheap. The software development kit is
$10,000 and includes development library, debugging library,
documentation, examples, and demos. Criterion is offering the
product directly.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931209/Press Contact: Russell Marchetta,
Canon, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Alissa Blate,
The Rowland Company for Canon, 212-527-8852)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00027)

India - Microland To Sell Cisco's Network Products 12/09/93
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- Microland Ltd., has partnered
with Cisco Systems for the sale and support of the US-based
company's complete range of routers, bridges, communication
servers and network management software. The Bangalore-based
firm has already won its first order for Cisco routers from
Morgan Stanley.

Cisco products are not unknown in India. They were also being
distributed in the country by APT Technologies which has no
formal tie up with Cisco, but buys its products on a "case-by-case
basis," according to William Messer, director, Asia Pacific, Cisco.
Instead of setting up a subsidiary in India, Cisco preferred to forge
an alliance because "we wanted to come here quickly and setting
up a subsidiary takes time," says Messer.

Cisco claims to have 51 percent of the router market worldwide,
and grossed more than $1 billion in 1992-93. The Asia Pacific
region contributes about 10 percent of its revenues, while the US
and Mexico combine accord approximately 54 percent.

A few weeks ago, Microland also firmed up an alliance with
Motorola Inc. "All our collaborations work synergistically and
none overlap each other," said Pradeep Kar, chairman and managing
director of Microland.

The partnership with Motorola is for distributing its multiplexers
and switches in India. With these two tie ups, Microland has a
total of eight foreign collaborators, the others being: Compaq
Computer Corp., ComputerLand, Newport Systems, Novell Inc.,
SynOptics, and Hewlett-Packard.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19931209)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00028)

 ****1st Real-Time Video Codec Board For Mac AVs 12/09/93
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- New Video,
makers of the Eyeq series of video compression boards for the
Macintosh, have announced, what the company claims is, the first
compression and processing board for the Macintosh Audio/Visual
(AV) line of computers.

The company claims its new Eyeq AV board will allow real-time,
30 frames-per-second (fps) full-screen video recording
and full-screen playback at the same real-time frame rate.

New Video representatives said the Eyeq board has the advantage
of incorporating the Intel i750 chip for video compression and
playback. It is also claimed to be thousands of dollars less, at the
retail price of $1,895, than other video compression hardware
add-on products.

The board is specifically designed for use in the Quadra 840AV or
660AV and will interface directly with the AV's Digital Audio
Video (DAV) connector. It will allow for up to 16-bit graphics
over video, 16-bit stereo audio with a sampling rate of up to 48
kilohertz (KHz), supports displays up to 16-inches in size at 832
by 634 picture element (pixel) resolution, and supports the most
common video standards including NTSC (National Television
Standards Committee), PAL, and SECAM using the Macintosh AV's
built-in Composite and S-Video out.

The board is also fully compatible with Apple's multimedia
software extension Quicktime and most popular multimedia
authoring tools, offers resizable windows, software playback, and
supports algorithms that require an average of only nine megabytes
(MB)-per-minute of hard disk storage, company officials said. The
board can also produce files with data transfer rates that are
low enough to play back from a compact disc read-only memory
(CD-ROM) drive over a local area network (LAN) in real time with
full-motion and full-screen size.

The Eyeq board ships with: a Quicktime Player Utility; Quicktime
compression/decompression (codec) software; Director Object,
Quicktime support for capture, compression, editing, and playback
of audio and video; and an Eyeq utility for capture, compression,
editing and playback of video and audio.

The Eyeq AV requires a Macintosh Quadra 660AV or 840AV, any
Apple display up to 16-inches or any 832 by 634 pixel multisync
display, a hard disk drive with a recommended storage capacity of
200MB, 8MB of random access memory (RAM) is also recommended,
and the System 7.1 operating system.

New Media is offering the board directly and also said the company
will demonstrate the Eyeq AV at the Macworld show, January 5
through 9, 1994.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931209/Press Contact: Stefana Young for
New Media, 503-293-8171; Public Contact, New Media, 1526
Cloverfield Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90404, tel [phone],
fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00029)

Wang Offers Database Query Tool 12/09/93
LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- Wang
Laboratories Inc., has announced Open/Query Builder, decision
support and data retrieval software for client/server computing
systems.

Wang said the query tool can retrieve data from a variety of
databases, including Borland International Inc.'s dBase IV,
Microsoft Corp.'s SQL Server, Sybase, and Oracle, using the Open
Database Connectivity (ODBC) standard. It runs on personal
computers equipped with Microsoft Windows, and makes it
possible to bring retrieved data into other Windows applications.

Ease of use and integration with other Windows applications are
the software's main selling points, company spokeswoman Ann
Breslin said.

Wang said Open/Query Builder will help users develop ad-hoc
queries with a graphical, step-by-step approach. Users just point
and click on icons to build a query, officials said. At each
step, the software prompts for needed information, such as names
of tables, data selection criteria, and sort order. Since each
step of the query is documented, users can reuse, modify, and
share queries.

The software will also let users integrate query results into
mail-merged documents in the Microsoft Word for Windows,
WordPerfect for Windows, and Lotus Ami Pro word processors
using built-in macros. They can also link the information in the
Microsoft Excel and Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet packages, Wang said.

Support for Microsoft's dynamic data exchange (DDE) protocol
makes it possible to integrate query results into other desktop
applications that support DDE. The first release does not support
object linking and embedding (OLE), Breslin said, but the next
release will.

Data can be sent to others via electronic mail products including
Wang's Open/Office, Microsoft Mail, Lotus' cc:Mail and Notes, and
Da Vinci. An integrated graphics package allows users to graph
the results of their queries.

Open/Query Builder requires an Intel-based computer using an
80386 or higher microprocessor, a VGA or higher resolution
monitor, four megabytes (MB) of memory, one 1.2MB or 1.44MB
diskette drive, and five MB of available space on the hard disk
or network drive. It also needs DOS 5.0 or greater, Windows 3.1
or greater and an ODBC driver for the database to be queried.

Wang said the software is due to ship in February at a standard
retail price of $395, with a special introductory price of $99.
Wang announced that The Programmer's Shop will distribute the
software. Other distributors will be announced by February,
Breslin said, and the software will be available by mail order
from Wang.

(Grant Buckler/19931209/Press Contact: Ann Breslin, Wang,
508-967-4166; Public Contact: The Programmer's Shop,
800-421-8006)


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

SGML '93 -  User-Friendly SGML & IBM GML Tools 12/09/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 9 (NB) -- At SGML '93,
Grif SA has introduced a Windows edition of the Grif SGML
(Standard Generalized Markup Language) Editor. The company has
also announced a new application toolkit for its SGML Editor, and
a desktop authoring tool for IBM's legacy, SGML-like GML
(Generalized Markup Language) system.

Previously available for Unix only, the SGML Editor is designed to
allow even authors unfamiliar with SGML to work with the complex
document interchange language, said Marie-Christine Pichot,
product manager for the French-based company, in an interview
with Newsbytes at a product expo.

Grif's editing tool is based on a document model which specifies
the structure and presentations of an SGML document through a
series of screens called Logical Views.

When the user enters new SGML elements, the program inserts
them contextually, so that they conform to the document model by
default. As a result, the SGML document remains valid, according
to Pichot.

Five document type definitions (DTDs) are included in the package,
along with the following presentations: Chapter, Book, Letter,
Slide, and Sheet. DTDs define the rules for SGML documents.

Other capabilities in Grif's editing tool include SGML cut-and-
paste, automatic page and section numbering, active hypertext
links, a database interface module, a WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-
what-you-get) table, and mathematical formulae editing.

Import filters are optionally available for Word, WordPerfect,
Interleaf, DCA/RFT, DCF/BookMaster, and IGES.

The new development tool for the Grif SGML Editor is called GATE
(Grif Application Toolkit Environment). Available for Windows
as well as Unix, GATE is designed to let the developer integrate
the functionality of other tools into the Grif SGML Editor.

Functions that can be added include automatic text generation,
interactivity, element validity checking, updating a version
number, making parts of the text secure, according to Pichot.

Grif's third new product, CAT (Corporate Authoring Tool), is aimed
at providing a user-friendly environment for entering composite
documents such as tables, formulae and lists into IBM's legacy,
mainframe-based GML system.

Also available for Windows and Unix, CAT allows interactive
data input, with previews, on a local PC or workstation. Batch
composition is performed at the central site on a mainframe
using IBM's BookMaster.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931209/Press & Reader Contact: Grif SA,
tel [phone], fax [phone])