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/NB930126

Text File | 1993-01-26 | 73KB | 1,560 lines

(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00001)

UK - Microsoft Mail Remote Due In February 01/26/93
WOKINGHAM, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- Microsoft has
announced Microsoft Mail Remote for Windows, which it claims is the
industry's first remote electronic mail client for Windows.

According to Microsoft, Mail Remote/Win allows PC users to exchange
information across local area networks (LANs), electronic mail
services, and other communications services.

In use, the software's e-mail client uses the same interface as
the Windows 3.x version of Mail for PC Networks. The idea behind his
is to avoid the need for extra training, Microsoft officials
claim.

"Microsoft Mail for PC Networks is a leader because it allows users to
easily communicate electronically throughout an organization. Today's
users want to access and share information wherever and whenever they
choose," explained Mark Hassall, product manager for Microsoft's
workgroup applications.

"As the first remote Windows-based client for e-mail applications,
Mail Remote for Windows provides our users with the flexibility and
freedom to work anywhere," he said.

One interesting by-product of the Remote Windows Client is that it can
be used as a front end to AT&T Easylink services, the AT&T-run
electronic mail service. Microsoft claims that this facility is due to
the package's transport-independent architecture which, in plain
English, means it operates independent of the network protocols used.

Remote Mail for Windows is scheduled for formal launch and
availability in February '93 with a suggested retail price of UKP 135.
Registered users of MS-Mail for DOS can upgrade to the Remote Windows
version for UKP 35.

The package requires an 80386-based or better PC with two megabytes
of memory and Windows. A single disk drive and a modem
are also required.

(Steve Gold/19930126/Press & Public Contact: Microsoft UK - Tel: 0734-
270001)


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

UK - Apricot's Global Maths Software 01/26/93
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- Apricot Computers has
launched Global Maths, a PC package that it claims is the first
interactive multimedia computer system specifically designed to "make
the learning of the math national curriculum exciting, stimulating,
and challenging for kids aged 5 to 16."

The national curriculum was launched by the British Government a few
years ago as a standard teaching course, leading up to a series of
examinations, in a variety of subjects. The "NC" as teachers call it,
replaced regional differences in qualifications and courses -- the
idea was to set out the framework for a basic education in main
subjects for teachers. The NC means, in theory at least,
that a child moving among schools within the UK should be able to
quickly pick up where s/he left off at their old school.

Global Maths claims to cover all of the Maths NC and, according to
Apricot, has been designed in conjunction with educators from
Birmingham City Council and Global Learning Systems, an educational
software specialist.

Announcing Global Maths, Dr Peter Horne, Apricot's group managing
director, said that the package is the result of a close collaboration
between industry and education "that has brought technology into the
classroom, not as a distraction but as a valuable teaching tool."

"It's designed specifically to enhance children's interest in learning
and to automate much of the repetitive administration in the NC," he
said, adding that the extensive use of multimedia means that even the
most difficult (and boring) parts of the curriculum can be made
interesting.

"With Global Maths, students are taking control of their own progress
rate and are not held back by the difficulty of learning in a group
where a teacher's time must be focused on the needs of the "average"
child. Bright students can progress quickly while those who have
special needs and require more contact time with the teacher, can be
adequately provided for in the same class," he said.

The Global Maths software system is currently being offered to 200
schools in the UK at a more than 50 percent reduction in retail
pricing. According to Apricot, the price of the software depends on
the size of the school concerned.

(Steve Gold/19930126/Press & Public Contact: Apricot Computers - Tel:
021-717-7171)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00003)

UK - Tulip's New Warranties, Prices, Support 01/26/93
CRAWLEY, WEST SUSSEX, ENGLAND, 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- Tulip has shuffled
its PC and peripherals pricing with immediate effect, as well as
extended warranties to three years.

The idea of the changes, according to Steve McCall, Tulip's managing
director, is to explain to customers that there is a lot more to
buying a PC than just price, although the company's new prices are
very competitive.

"Factors such as product features and support are equally as
important, and those who choose to ignore these factors now, will end
up paying for them five-fold in the future," he said.

McCall added that, while other manufacturers are being hit by the
tough economic climate in the UK, "Tulip is in a position to
provide competitive prices, feature enhancements, and a three-year
warranty, ensuring that our customers are making a smart computing
investment for the future."

Despite all this rhetoric, Tulip appears to have slashed pricing on
its existing high end Vision Line range of 386 ad 486-based PCs. The
cuts range up to 30.99 percent.

Tulip has also unveiled two new machines, the 486dx/50 and 486dx/66,
two new high power/processor speed PCs. The 486dx/50, a 486DX2
processor-based system running at 50 megahertz (MHz), equipped with a
120 megabyte (MB) hard drive, costs UKP 1,450. The 66MHz version of
the machine, the 486dx/66, costs UKP 1,750. These prices include a
14-inch VGA monochrome monitor, plus copies of MS-DOS 5.1, Windows 3.1,
and a serial mouse.

Newsbytes notes that the price cuts and warranty extension make
Tulip's already price competitive PCs even more appealing. However,
the recent spate of companies experiencing financial trouble in the PC
sector may make the choice of a system more dependent on the potential
longevity of a company rather than its rock-bottom price. This appears
to be the message that Tulip is trying to get across with its new
pricing and support strategy.

(Steve Gold/19930126/Press & Public Contact: Tulip Computers - Tel:
0293-562323; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00004)

Microsoft Windows NT Gets Support From Cirrus Logic 01/26/93
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- As Microsoft's
32-bit Windows NT operating system nears release, more and more
vendors are announcing support. Cirrus Logic is one such vendor,
claiming that its graphics controller chips, and associated
software drivers, fully support the NT, enabling them to work in any
forthcoming NT-based system.

Bob Brummer, senior product marketing manager for the Cirrus Logic's
desktop group, told Newsbytes that, "When NT is released as an
official product, then we will be supplying our OEMs with these
drivers, and users will be able to download from our bulletin board.
Currently this will be included in the next release of NT from
Microsoft, the beta kit. So beta developers will be able to get that
directly from Microsoft until it is officially released."

Windows NT is creating a considerable amount of interest in the
industry as it nears completion. However, it has been delayed by
Microsoft, prompting some analysts to speculate that the
company may be having compatibility problems.

Microsoft is aiming the product at the high-end corporate environment,
particularly at the Unix operating system, because of its advanced
features and high hardware requirements. The product requires at least
eight megabytes of RAM to run on a desktop computer.

Douglas J. Bartek, vice president and general manager, Cirrus Logic
User Interface Division, said: "The era of advanced operating systems,
such as Windows NT, that can take advantage of the new generation of
powerful microprocessors ... and customers are asking for
compatible graphics solutions.

"In response, we've developed high-performance Windows NT-compatible
software drivers for our current products, and will provide enhanced
support in future chips. This assures our customers that the products
they design today will support Windows NT when released, and that we
will continue to provide Windows NT-related features and performance
enhancements for their next-generation products," he added.

Bartek claims that the software drivers will be available with Cirrus
Logic graphics controllers beginning in the second quarter of 1993. To
upgrade Cirrus Logic graphics chips, users can contact the company, or
one of its OEMs, or use the Cirrus Logic bulletin board.

Brummer told Newsbytes that he views NT as an important market for
Cirrus: "The importance of this is that Cirrus Logic is a leader in
desktop graphics and we see Windows NT as a significant software
product for customers, just as Windows 3.0/3.1 is and OS/2 is for many
of our customers. So we think NT will also play a strong role in 1993.
That is why we have put the development efforts in early, before the
product is released."

(Ian Stokell/19930126/Press Contact: Joe Fowler, Cirrus Logic - Tel:
510-226-2239)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(PAR)(00005)

Olivetti In Norwegian Service Station Deal 01/26/93
IVREA, ITALY, 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- Ing. C. Olivetti & Co. SpA, the
Italian computer manufacturer, has announced it has signed a deal with
Statoil A/S to automate 500 service stations in Norway and Denmark.

Olivetti officials say that the value of the deal is 15 billion lire
(about $10 million). Officials added that the accord would increase
Olivetti's presence in the field of consumer retailing following its
contracts with such companies as Woolworth in Britain, Kaufhof in
Germany, Franprix in France, and Standa in Italy.

Under terms of the accord, Olivetti will supply each station with its
Ors 500 system, which will manage not only the gasoline pumps but also
the small shops usually found in the gasoline stations. Each terminal
will be linked to a communications network so that customers using
credit or debit cards for their purchases can be debited in real time.

Statoil is Norway's national oil company. With operations in 18
countries, Statoil has annual sales of about $12 billion and profit of
$780 million.

Olivetti is Italy's largest manufacturer of computers and office
automation equipment.

(Andrew Rosenbaum/19930126/Press Contact: Linda Cena, Olivetti, (39-
125) 522-639, Olivetti Relazioni Esterne, Ivrea, TO Italy)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(PAR)(00006)

France Telecom Extends ISDN Links To Italy 01/26/93
PARIS, FRANCE, 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- France Telecom, France's state-
owned telephone and telecommunications monopoly, has opened full
international ISDN (integrated services digital network) links between
France and Italy.

The link between the two networks -- Numeris in France and SIP's ISDN
service in Italy -- is important, since country ISDN services are
notoriously difficult at linking together. ISDN may be a standard, but
different country telecom companies seem to have different ways of
interpreting the "standard."

France Telecom claims that international ISDN links offer performance
benefits for such applications as file transfer, group IV facsimile,
128 Kbps videoconferencing or 7 Khz audio transmissions.

International ISDN connections are currently available from France to
five intercontinental and 11 European destinations.

In a separate announcement, France Telecom said that it will showcase
its broadcasting resources at the International Music Mart, Midem 93.
The French company can transmit radio signals throughout Europe and,
thanks to recently established satellite links, to the United States.

The France Telecom booth at Midem 93 will feature live broadcasts of
US, British, and French radio stations, the company said.

(Andrew Rosenbaum/19920126/Press Contact: Stephanie Barbe, France
Telecom International Press Office, tel [phone], fax (331)
4253-9140; France Telecom, Direction Generale, 7 Boulevard Roamin-
Rolland, 92128 Montrouge Cedex)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(PAR)(00007)

Siemens Forms Telecom Joint Venture In Bulgaria 01/26/93
MUNICH, GERMANY, 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- Siemens AG, the German
electronics and telecommunications concern, has formed a joint venture
with Bulgaria's largest producer of telecommunications systems, the
Sofia-based Incoms Telecom Holding.

The venture, which is called Digicom, will produce digital public
switching and transmissions systems, according to Siemens. Starting
next year, Digicom, which will be 60 percent owned by the Bulgarian
partner and 40 percent owned by Siemens, will produce both the EWSD
public switching system developed by Siemens and the transmission
systems. The company plans to produce 100,000 EWSD line units in its
first year; over the medium term, it expects the annual production to
increase to 250,000 units.

Digicom, which will be headquartered in Sofia, is the ninth
telecommunications joint venture formed by Siemens in Eastern Europe
to produce public switching systems. The German company has already
launched ventures in the Ukraine, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary,
Romania, and Russia.

(Andrew Rosenbaum/19930126/Press Contact: Dr. Frank Hafner, Public
Communication Networks, tel. [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00008)

Truevision Bundles HSC With Bravado Video Boards 01/26/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- Truevision, a
division of Rasterops, has announced plans to bundle HSC Software's
multimedia authoring tool for Microsoft Windows, HSC Interactive, with
its Bravado8 and Bravado16 multimedia hardware.

The Bravado family of add-on boards for personal computers (PCs)
offers users the ability to integrate graphics with audio and video,
Truevision officials said.

The $1,295 Bravado16 offers 16-bit/pixel video graphics array (VGA)
display capability, full color video-in-a-window, and audio pass-through
with control. The Bravado8 is priced at $895 and is an 8-bit/pixel VGA
card with video-in-a-window, audio pass-through controls, and multiple
composite video inputs. Both boards offer a "cascade" feature for
multiple video windows using multiple Bravado boards.

HSC describes HSC Interactive as a multimedia authoring tool for non-
programmers that is completely icon-based, so there's no scripting
language to learn.

Last year Santa Clara, California-based Rasterops acquired Truevision.
In the recently released Rasterops second quarter earnings statement,
the company points to 5 percent lower sales and the $3.6 million
Truevision merger as part of the reason for posting losses of $5.9
million for the first half of its 1993 fiscal year.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930126/Press Contact: Lora Goodpasture, HSC
Software, tel [phone], fax [phone])


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

Gateway 2000 Promises To Improve Poor Phone Support 01/26/93
NORTH SIOUX CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- Gateway
2000 has admitted it's having difficulty handling calls for technical
support, but says it's getting a handle on the problem.

Most companies probably wish they had Gateway's problems. The
company reported earnings were up 120 percent in the first quarter,
and up 53 percent in the third quarter over the previous year.
"People are buying computers faster than we can make them," Gateway
spokesperson Glynis Gibson told Newsbytes.

Gateway President Ted Waitt told Newsbytes in December that the
company planned to hire 300 additional employees by the end of the
year. Gibson told Newsbytes that the company has more than 250
employees involved in technical support. While some of the are
administrators, about 200 are handling customer calls.

The company installed a new phone system in December and Gibson said
that this, plus a reorganization and expansion of the support staff, has
reduced the amount of time a customer has to spend on the phone from
18 minutes to 14 minutes.

Ten groups of 15-18 technical support personnel in each team, plus a
supervisor, now handle incoming calls. If the tech support staffer
can't handle the question, the supervisor gets a technician on the
phone line to handle the problem, rather than transfer the call.
Gibson said 60 additional support specialists and 65 technicians are
being added to the staff.

Calls to Gateway's support line are toll-free, and the company
operates its own computer bulletin board. The company also
provides support forums on CompuServe, GEnie, America Online,
BIX, Online BBS, and Prodigy.

(Jim Mallory/19930126/Press contact: Glynis Gibson, Gibson
Communications for Gateway 2000, 312-868-9403, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00010)

Computer Helps Identify Killer 01/26/93
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- Minneapolis
police were at a standstill in their investigation of the rape and
murder of a 23-year old woman. Then they decided to check their
newest crime fighting tool, a one-year-old genetic data bank of DNA
samples.

It turned out that the blood and semen samples found in the victim's
apartment matched those of a man who had been released from prison
in 1991 after serving six years for rape. He had been deported to
Mexico after his release from prison, but had returned to the state
illegally and was being held in the Hennepin County jail on an
unrelated burglary charge. He was charged with murder, and is
awaiting trial next month. It turns out that the suspect lived just
10 blocks from the scene of the crime.

"This was the fruit of everything we had been planning here. It
was, to say the least, an exciting time for the forensic scientists
involved," said Dr. Lowell Van Berkom, director of the Minnesota
state crime lab.

Prosecutor Steve Redding said DNA was the crucial evidence in the
case. "We never would have gotten to the point of looking at him as
a suspect without this (DNA)," he said.

(Jim Mallory/19930126/Press contact: Minnesota Department of
Public Safety, 612-296-6642)


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

 ****Motorola Enters Cellular Phone-Cancer Fight 01/26/93
SCHAUMBURG, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- The story of a
Florida woman whose husband blamed her death from brain cancer on a
hand-held NEC cellular phone, as reported by Newsbytes earlier this
month, has turned into a major public health scare.

The scare was fuelled on January 21 when it was learned that
Reginald Lewis, head of the US' largest black-owned corporation, TLC
Beatrice International Holdings Inc., had also died of brain cancer,
and that new Tenneco head Michael Walsh revealed that he, too,
has brain cancer.

Chief executives are among the biggest users of hand-held cellular
phones. Then, plaintiff David Reynard of Madeira Beach, Florida, and
"Microwave News" Editor Louis Slesin, appeared on CNN's "Larry King
Live" to attack the phones, while a physician gave what some observers
called an inadequate defense.

By the next day, January 22, the stocks of companies making cellular
phones, like Motorola, and selling cellular service, like McCaw
Cellular, were falling fast.

So, on January 25, Motorola counter-attacked. It started with a
conference call to the media, and continued with the setting-up of a
toll-free number -- 800-331-6456 -- through which consumers can get
its side of the story. Meanwhile, medical professionals weighed-in
with the general view that the phones cannot be the cause of cancer.
Most hand-held phones emit between 0.4 and 0.6 watts of power, at the
antenna, and Federal Communication Commission standards allow exposure
of up to seven watts, 10 times that level.

Car-based phones are not part of the scare -- while they emit three
watts of power at the antenna, users are farther away from them.
Motorola's Edward Staiano, president of Motorola's general systems
sector, and Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association spokesman
Ron Nessen, a former press secretary to former President Gerald Ford,
also said that "there have been thousands of studies" of the subject
over the last decades, all coming down on their side. Police walkie-
talkies also emit more radiation than hand-held cellular phones, and
there has been no rash of cancer cases among police, phone defenders
said.

But Slesin was also sticking to his guns, saying Motorola
misrepresented the evidence, and there has been little research
on long-term, low-level exposure to high frequency waves below
the FCC thresholds. Some analysts agreed, noting that the health
risks of living near the electromagnetic fields of high-voltage
power lines have only recently been discovered.

Others called such talk nonsense, noting the US Department of Labor
has called those studies, like those involving computer TV screens or
VDTs, inconclusive. The problem for the cellular industry is that if
it accepts the need for another study it would, by its nature, be a
long-term project, threatening a current growth rate of 40 percent per
year. And the results of any study could still be challenged, casting
a pall over the industry for the next decade if it accepts the need
for such a study.

Reynard's lawsuit, observers concluded, has now taken a back-seat to a
trial of the case before public opinion. Such a trial is unscientific,
and based less on the exercise of law than of public relations. While
Motorola's counter-attack appears to have succeeded for now -- prices
on stocks affected by the scare had recovered by the end of January 25
-- it was by no means clear at this writing a conclusion has been
reached.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930126)


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

AT&T Scores Another Win In Business Tariff Case 01/26/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- The US Court of
Appeals has ruled, in an appeal of a suit first filed by AT&T,
that every long-distance carrier must file its rates with the
Federal Communications Commission.

Most small long distance carriers, like LCI International,
already file tariffs routinely. The case really revolves around
special deals with large business customers. The FCC had ruled that
AT&T, as the "dominant" long distance carrier, had to file details of
its special deals, while smaller competitors, most notably MCI, did
not. AT&T felt this was unfair, under the 1934 Communications Act, and
finally appealed the order to the courts, which seem to be agreeing
with it.

MCI, which could lose millions in deals if it does not get the
chance to meet or beat AT&T's terms because it does not know what
they are, said it would appeal the case to the US Supreme Court. But
it is expected to lose there as well.

"We also file tariffs for most of our products already," said MCI
spokesman Jim Collins. "It won't create an enormous burden" if they
have to file special tariffs on business deals. "But at the same time
we believe it's counter-productive to the deregulation in the
industry" to be forced to file, "and it would create an administrative
burden for the FCC."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930126/Press Contact: MCI, Jim Collins, 800-
289-0074; LCI, Jim Fette, 614-798-6272)


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

BellSouth Bottom Line Hit By Hurricane Andrew 01/26/93
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- The quarterly earnings
parade wound down for the nation's phone companies, and Hurricane
Andrew was once again raised its ugly head.

BellSouth said its earnings fell almost 9 percent, to $353
million from $387 million, because Hurricane Andrew cost it $45
million in damage during the last half of the year. The company
said its revenues were still up substantially during the quarter,
to $3.91 billion from $3.69 billion a year ago.

The company's stock was down on the news, despite the fact that total
annual earnings were up almost 10 percent, on a revenue gain of 5
percent. Also, the company's BellSouth Telecommunications
financing unit said it would redeem some of its notes, which had an
annual interest rate of over 8 percent, using proceeds from the recent
sale of new 7 and 12-year notes.

Also, Southwestern Bell said its earnings were up 10.8 percent in
the fourth quarter, to $350 million, and 21 percent for all of
1992, due in part to the growing cellular phone market. The
company's Mobile Systems group added 192,000 customers in the
fourth quarter of 1992. The company also owns a piece of the
Telmex phone company in Mexico. In a statement, the company
reiterated its confidence in the future of the wireless market.

Pacific Telesis confirmed it will spend an average of $200 million a
year, over the next five years, in order to convert its entire network
to digital switching. Most urban centers already have such switches,
but companies which make the devices have recently begun making
smaller units.

The change will also hasten the deployment of digital services under
ISDN standards -- the company said every home in California will have
access to ISDN by the end of 1997. Currently, about 60 percent of
PacBell switches remain analog. Northern Telecom and AT&T will supply
most of the new gear -- they already have a commanding lead in the
US market generally.

Finally, Southern New England Telephone, which is seeking a
large rate increase and restructuring based on the state of
Connecticut's poor economy and its own small size, said its
earnings rose to $40 million for the quarter, from $33.2
million, on revenues of $405.9 million.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930126)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00014)

 ****IBM Intros New Windows/DOS Computers 01/26/93
SOMERS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- Acknowledging the
popularity of Microsoft's Windows operating environment, the IBM
Personal Computer Company has launched five new models in its
PS/ValuePoint line that run Windows along with the DOS operating
system.

IBM has also upgraded one of the ValuePoint models that runs the OS/2
operating system, replacing the 80-megabyte (MB) hard drive on the
OS/2-based 425SX with a 120MB drive while leaving the
price unchanged at $1,699.

IBM announced five new models of the PS/ValuePoint, all to ship
with four MB of memory (expandable to eight), DOS 5.0 and Windows 3.1.
The DOS-based 425SX machine uses a 25 megahertz (MHz) Intel 486SX
microprocessor. It comes with a 120MB hard drive for a base price of
$1,629, or with a 170MB hard drive for $1,799.

The PS/ValuePoint 433DX has a 33MHz Intel 486DX chip. With a 120MB
hard drive, it sells for $1,999. With a 212MB drive, the price is
$2,199.

The most powerful of the new models is the 466DX2, which uses a
66-megahertz clock-doubling Intel 486DX2 processor. It costs
$2,869 with a 212MB hard drive.

All the above prices include IBM's 6312 Super VGA monitor, the
spokeswoman said. Upgrades such as additional memory and graphics
accelerators are extra.

All PS/ValuePoint models have five expansion slots and five bays
for storage devices such as disk and tape drives. Customers can
order them direct from IBM through the company's toll-free
telephone number, or through dealers.

(Grant Buckler/19930126/Press Contact: Liz Arends, IBM,
914-642-5408; Public Contact: IBM Direct Marketing, 800-426-2968)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00015)

Identity Bundles Picture Publisher, Scanners 01/26/93
RICHARDSON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- Identity Systems
will bundle Micrografx' Picture Publisher Limited Edition (LE)
with two of its hand-held scanners, at no additional
cost.

The company said Picture Publisher LE will be available with its
IDSCAN-400 and the IDSCAN-GS. The 400 is a black-and-white scanner
that reproduces 32 shades of grey, while the GS model scans
256 grey shades.

Hand scanners allow users to scan documents and images into a
computer for editing. The scanners read a four-inch wide image,
providing a full-page scan with two passes. A feature called
"stitching" merges the two passes into a seamless picture.

Picture Publisher is a 24-bit photo image scanning and editing
program that supports TWAIN, OLE, and Kodak's Photo CD system. LE
has most of the features of its bigger sibling except that some of
the features have been reduced. For instance, the visual thumbnail
feature during file open or save is not available, some of the
masking tools are not available, and the retouching tools and
filters have been reduced, Product Manager Grant Wickes told
Newsbytes.

TWAIN is an imaging applications program interface and protocol for
integration of software programs that use images, with peripherals
such as scanners, video boards, and cameras. The desired peripheral
can be selected from within the application. OLE (object linking
and embedding) is a program interface that allows images and sound
to be embedded into files such as text documents.

Computer users who purchase the bundled hardware and software
receive an upgrade offer which allows them to purchase the full
edition of Picture Publisher for $129. Picture Publisher has a
suggested retail price of $495.

Identity Systems markets a line of peripherals and upgrade kits
through the mass merchandising channel that allow users of Apple
Computer's Macintosh and IBM-compatible PCs to add to their systems
without having to take the computer to a technician. Most of the
upgrade kits, such as math co-processor add-ons hard drive upgrades,
and memory upgrades, come with an instructional video.

Identity has also announced a partnership agreement with Maxtor
Corporation to distribute Maxtor's 3.5-inch hard drives. The drives
come in 120-megabyte (MB) and 213MB models, and will be marketed as
Identity hard disk upgrade kits for end users.

(Jim Mallory/19930126/Press contact: Troy Cooper, Identity Systems,
214-235-3330; Reader contact: Identity Systems, 2214-235-3330, fax
214-907-9227)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00016)

Silicon Graphics' Huge Revenues, Workstations, Supercomputers 01/26/93
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- After
reporting historically high, quarter-of-a-billion dollar revenues
for the last quarter of 1992, Silicon Graphics has rolled out
two extensions of its top-selling Indigo workstation line, along
with a new brand of supercomputers called Onyx.

SGI's new Onyx supercomputer family includes models ranging from
two-processor deskside workstations to 24-processor rack systems.
The new Indigo XZ and Indigo2 Extreme, a workstation with an
expandable 64-bit bus architecture, are aimed at boosting the
performance of Indigo, the product family that now accounts for the
bulk of SGI's sales. Onyx and Indigo2 Extreme are the first
computers to be unveiled that are based on the new MIPS R4400 RISC
processor.

Even before last year's merger between SGI and MIPS, SGI was always
the first to use new MIPS semiconductor technology, and SGI's newly
released financial results prove that the merger has benefitted
both SGI and the chip manufacturer, said company officials in a
series of interviews with Newsbytes.

The new quarterly statement shows net revenues of $270 million for
the last calendar quarter, an increase of 15% over revenues for the
same quarter the previous year, and net income of $24 million, or
33 cents per share, up from $17 million, or 23 cents per share, for
the comparable quarter in 1991. SGI also reported an 11% operating
profit for the last quarter of calendar 1992.

The $270 million in quarterly revenues places SGI, for the first
time ever, at a "billion dollar run rate," meaning that if
quarterly revenues were multiplied by four, annual revenues would
equal $1 billion or more, said Marilyn Lattin, director of investor
relations for SGI. The Indigo line accounted for the lion's share
of revenues, but MIPS semiconductors, still being sold to outside
vendors, also played a role.

The rise in SGI's quarterly earnings signifies that SGI and MIPS
are carrying out a pledge to the industry that the merger would be
"non dilutive," meaning that shareholders' interests would not be
jeopardized, noted another company representative. "In fact,
shareholders are already gaining substantially, and SGI's position
excellent position in the marketplace can only be improved by the
new workstations," he noted.

In the suite of new workstations, SGI is using color and packaging
to help differentiate the Onyx supercomputers and Indigo2 Extreme
from the traditional Indigo product line, first brought out in
1991. A company spokesperson told Newsbytes that the Indigo XZ,
like other workstations in the mainstream Indigo family, is a
desktop model, similar in configuration to a Macintosh SE but
midnight blue in color. In contrast, The Indigo2 Extreme is a
pizza box configuration produced in teal blue, and the Onyx
supercomputers are black in color.

The Indigo XZ uses the same R4000 MIPS RISC (reduced instruction set
computer) processor as the previously released Indigo models XS, XS24,
XS24Z and Elan Graphics. But the new Iris workstation is also
outfitted with a pair of Geometry Engine processors meant to
double graphics performance. The system comes standard with 16MB
of memory, a 432MB system disk, DAT-quality audio, a 19-inch monitor,
and Irix, the Silicon Graphics version of Unix.

The Indigo2 Extreme is constructed to raise performance across all
parameters. The "pizza box" workstation offers either the R4000 or
the new R4400, a chip that brings a faster clock speed of up to 150
Hz and doubles the 8 KB cache memory of the R4000 to 16KB. The 64-
bit bus architecture and two built-in fast SCSI-II channels are
designed to raise throughput. The 64-bit bus also supports
expansion to EISA and GIO buses, giving users access to a wider
range of hardware adapters. The Indigo2 Extreme is bundled with
Indigo Magic, a set of tools for the development of digital media
applications.

Members of the new Onyx supercomputer family are equipped with two
new graphics subsystems, ReaalityEngine 2 and VIX, as well as
multiple MIPS 4400 chips. Target application areas include digital
film and video production, computational fluid dynamics, virtual
reality, and visual simulation.

The Indigo XZ is priced at $23,000, and shipping now. The
Indigo2 Extreme with an R4000 processor is slated for first quarter
availability at a starting price of $35,000. An R4400 upgrade to
the Indigo2, priced at $6,000, is scheduled to ship in the third
quarter. A two-processor Onyx workstation, priced at $114,900, and
a 24-processor RealityEngine2 rack system, priced at $643,900, are
due out this quarter. In the second quarter, SGI plans to release
an Onyx rack system with up to three RealityEngine2 graphics
subsystems in a single chassis.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930126/Press contact: Carl Furry, SGI, tel
415-390-3365)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00017)

 ****Pen-Based PC From Sanyo 01/26/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- Sanyo has developed a rock-bottom-
priced pen-based personal computer known as the MBC P100J. The unit
supports multimedia and voice processing, and has been pencilled
in for a February 1 launch date.

The MBC P100J has been nicknamed the Pen ACT and retails for a fairly
hefty 475,000 yen (around $3,800). Powered by a 25 megahertz (MHz)
386SL processor, the machine comes with four megabytes (MB) of memory
(expandable to 20MB internally) and a VGA (640 x 480 pixels) backlit
liquid crystal display.

The focus of interest on the portable is, of course, its cordless
electronic pen. This is driven by a Japanese/English version of DOS
and Microsoft Pen Windows. The Pen ACT also features a 40MB hard disk,
twin serial ports, and a card-based memory drive.

When used as a multimedia machine, the Pen ACT can accept a microphone,
an earphone, and a speaker. Optional extras include a compact disc read-
only memory (CD-ROM) drive, a 3.5-inch floppy drive, and a 21-inch
color display unit.

Despite all the features, the Pen ACT measures 29.7 x 22.5 x 2.85 cm
and tips the scales at 1.7 kilos. The charger for the rechargable
batteries, which last three hours, can work from almost any AC
power source in the world.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930126/Press Contact: Sanyo, +81-3-
3837-6206, Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(ATL)(00018)

 ****British Telecom Reportedly Aiming For EDS Stake 01/26/93
DETROIT, MICHIGAN, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- Reports that
General Motors may sell a stake in its EDS subsidiary to British
Telecom (BT) are drawing favorable response from most analysts,
although the reports were not confirmed as this went to press. Both
companies issued a stern "no comment" in response to press inquiries.

Electronic Data Systems (EDS) is the computer operations company that
Ross Perot founded and sold to GM early in the 1980s for stock. His
stock was later purchased, for a reported $2.5 billion, after he
became a nuisance to GM's board. The cash, plus the tale of how
he was right about GM's quality problems, helped fuel a Perot run for
the presidency in 1992 in which he drew the highest third-party
support of any third-party run since 1912 when "Bull Moose" Theodore
Roosevelt finished second to Woodrow Wilson and trounced incumbent
William Howard Taft.

Under GM, EDS, which retains its own publicly traded shares known as
GM-E Series stock, has prospered. The company has steadily bought
other companies, in part because of a growth mandate to retain its
independence, and has steadily gained market share in its chosen
specialty -- running computer systems for other companies and
governments.

British Telecom has a similar outfit, Syncordia Corp., dedicated
to providing international network links as well as data processing
services. But its grand design, to make Syncordia a grand consortium
among major international network operators, has yet to bear fruit --
it remains wholly owned. The lack of size has hurt Syncordia in its
bid for market share. A stake in EDS might bring a lot of service
business to its Global Network Services, or GNS offering, and make
Syncordia itself redundant. BT also got $1.8 billion in cash from its
sale of 20 percent of McCaw Cellular Communications to AT&T last year.

GM needs to look at selling part of EDS to raise cash, analysts say,
as it seeks to roll out new models and regain lost market share in the
automotive business. GM's car business has lost $13 billion over the
last two years, and thus EDS' success has not impacted the GM bottom
line. GM still has $6.3 billion in cash, but it has raised as much as
it dares in new stock -- $7 billion -- and much of the remaining cash
is committed to closing plants and releasing workers. GM owns 40
percent of the GM-E common, worth about $2.9 billion, and 100 percent
of its system integration and data processing unit. EDS reported
profits of over $450 million for the nine months ending last
September.

How much of EDS could BT buy? It was limited to 25 percent of McCaw by
US laws, but that would not apply to any stake in EDS, which does not
hold radio licenses. BT could also borrow whatever it needed to buy a
lot of EDS, and GM counts its cash needs in the billions, so a stake
of as much as 50 percent or more is possible, according to analysts.

In any case, the British Government's remaining holding in BT, plus
GM's greater incentive to do a deal, could mean it will take some time
before a final decision is reached.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931026)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00019)

 ****IBM To Oust Akers As CEO 01/26/93
ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- After months of
speculation as the company's fortunes sagged, IBM has announced it
will seek a replacement for John Akers as chief executive. Akers is to
remain as chairman.

At the same time, President Jack Kuehler has been shunted aside to the
post of vice-chairman, and IBM announced the retirement of Frank Metz,
senior vice-president of finance and planning. Paul Rizzo, a retired
vice-chairman of the company who was called back in December, becomes
chief financial officer and a vice-chairman.

A search committee of directors from outside IBM has been set up
to search for a new chief executive. In a change from past
practice, the board said it would consider candidates from
outside as well as inside the company, and industry observers
predicted the new chief executive will come from outside IBM.

The announcement followed an IBM board meeting at which directors
also decided to cut the company's quarterly dividend by more than
half, from $1.21 per share to 54 cents.

It comes close on the heels of financial results which Akers
himself said were "unacceptable."

For the year ended December 31, the company reported a net loss
of $4,965 million, after changes in accounting principles, on
revenues of $64,423 million, down slightly from 1991.

In the fourth quarter of 1992, IBM recorded its first-ever
quarterly loss from regular operations, losing $45 million before
adding special charges for capacity and work-force reductions.
The total quarterly loss after special charges was $5,463
million.

In December, IBM announced plans to cut another 25,000 jobs
worldwide this year, in addition to about 40,000 positions
removed from its payroll during 1992. The company also admitted
it might not be able to maintain its long-standing policy of
avoiding involuntary layoffs. Some 70,000 employees have left IBM
in the past two years.

Industry analysts have been calling for changes in IBM management
for some time, and the reaction to today's announcement was
cautiously positive.

"It's probably positive news for the stock price," said Curt
Rohrman, an analyst who follows IBM for the investment firm First
Boston in New York. "The general consensus view was that they
needed a change of command at the top."

Robert Djurdjevic, editor of Annex Computer Report in Phoenix,
Arizona, said Akers' departure was "long overdue," but added that
the announcement was "not a time for rejoicing" until it becomes
clear who will replace Akers and whether the new people in the
executive suite will result in any real change of direction at
IBM.

But the announcements at least seem to provide for the
possibility of major changes. William Milton, who follows IBM for
Brown Brothers Harriman in New York, said Kuehler's departure as
president and Metz's retirement clearly follow from the
replacement of Akers as chief executive. Those moves will leave
Akers' successor free to assume the title of president as well as
that of CEO, or to appoint his or her own choice to the job, he
said.

Noting that Rizzo had previously retired and is 64 years old, Milton
added that he is clearly an interim chief financial officer, and will
probably hand over the job in a couple of years. "We're going to have
an entirely new management team," he said.

Milton added that he expects the new chief executive will come
from outside IBM. Djurdjevic agreed, noting that the search
committee is made up of outside directors, and "even the very
fact that they're looking outside is unprecedented in IBM
history."

A statement from IBM said the search for a new chief executive is
expected to take about 90 days.

(Grant Buckler/19930126/Press Contact: Rob Wilson, IBM,
914-765-6565)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00020)

Has PC Quality Dropped With Prices? 01/26/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- As prices have fallen over
the past year computers have become much more affordable, but have the
reduced margins caused companies to lower quality and service?

According to the results of a survey of 17,000 buyers as published in
the February 9 PC Magazine, the answer is yes "overall system
reliability and customer satisfaction with technical support and
repair experience have dropped significantly."

Of course, not all companies have slighted their customers -- those
which previously scored high in PC Magazine surveys are generally
still at the top of the heap and not because everyone has dropped in
quality -- top companies have pretty much retained their same high
customer satisfaction ratings, distancing themselves from those on the
bottom rung, not just staying on top of a sinking field.

Since PC Magazine started its massive surveys of end user
satisfaction with PCs it has been widely followed by both the
industry and knowledgeable buyers and the results of the survey
fill 8 pages of the February 9 issue.

Desktop system brands rated as excellent were AST Research, Dell
Computer, Digital Equipment, Gateway 2000, Northgate Computer
Systems, Swan, and Zeos International.

Only two companies received top ratings for their laptops, Compaq
and Zeos.

These companies all scored high in satisfaction with repairs and
technical support as well as future likelihood of buying another
system from the same vendor.

At the bottom in overall rankings for desktops were Acer America,
AT&T, Hyundai Electronics, Tandy/Grid, Wyse, and French-owned
Zenith Data Systems. Zenith Data Systems and Bondwell Industrial
shared the dubious honor of receiving the lowest overall rankings
for their laptops.

(John McCormick/19930126)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00021)

Government Users Rate 25 MHz 80386 Workhorses 01/26/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- In a report that at
first appears to be in conflict with the new PC Magazine user
survey, readers of Government Computer News have rated Zenith
Data Systems desktop computers just below CompuAdd at number two
for overall satisfaction. A closer look however shows something
different.

The regular Government Computer surveys go to several thousand
federal users and the results published in the January 18 issue
come from 315 respondents who ranked 25 MHz, 386 systems in the
following order: CompuADD 325, ZDS Z-386/25, Everex Step 386/25,
Compaq Deskpro 386/25, Everex 3000R, and the Unisys PW2 series.

It is worth noting that Everex recently declared Chapter 11
bankruptcy and that the low-rated Unisys systems are the only
ones available to federal buyers under the now ancient Desktop
III contract.

What makes this survey particularly interesting is the fact that
the February 9 PC Magazine survey rated Zenith Data Systems
desktops and laptops at the very bottom on user satisfaction.

A close look at the PC Magazine numbers shows something about ZDS
which may be significant for a company which is currently among
those fighting for the massive Desktop IV Air Force contract.
Although the PC Magazine overall ratings put ZDS dead last, seven
companies actually scored below the company in terms of overall
reliability, six scored lower in repairs, and several did worse
on technical support.

With so few respondents to the GCN survey it might just be that
the results are statistically skewed, but it may also be that
ZDS's Federal division does a better job of servicing its
government customers than the general public.

The fact that now-bankrupt Everex shows up so well on the GCN
survey, with one system ranked above Compaq, may also reflect
Everex Federal Division's level of support. If so, it will be
interesting to see how Swan Computer, State College, PA, fairs
with the federal government now that the company's traditionally
high PC Magazine survey ratings are combined with Robert Guerra,
former president of Everex Federal Systems' Government skills.

(John McCormick/19930126)


(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00022)

New For PC - Hopkins Technology Herbalist CD-ROM 01/26/93
HOPKINS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- In line with the
growing interest in natural foods and holistic or herbal medicine,
Hopkins Technology has brought out a $50 CD-ROM (compact disc read
only memory) crammed with information on holistic cures and
health maintenance. Buyers of The Herbalist CD-ROM will also receive
sample literature and history CD-ROM free of charge.

Often viewed as "oriental" in nature because China still depends
heavily on such medicine, holistic treatment focuses not on the
disease but on the patient and often makes use of herbal
remedies.

Known as Phytotherapy in Europe, herbal therapy is explained on
this disc by well-known European practitioner, David L. Hoffmann,
who also publishes The Herbalist Newsletter, a subscription to
which is included with the CD-ROM purchase.

The free disc bundled with The Herbalist is the Micro Home
Library which contains several plays by Shakespeare, a selection
of US historical documents, and stories by Edgar Allan Poe and
Conan Doyle. This is just a teaser or sample of the more than a
thousand such full-text novels and records published on World
Library's Library of The Future CD-ROM.

Hopkins is known for its interest in health and nutrition, and
has also published "Sante," a personal diet guide on CD-ROM
which contains nutrient data on 14,600 brand name foods and
hundreds of recipes, as well as diet, exercise, and
weight control guides.

(John McCormick/19930126/Press and Consumer Contact: Hopkins
Technology, 612-931-9376 or fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00023)

Meridian Bank Expands Home Banking 01/26/93
READING, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- Meridian
Bank, which already has a substantial presence on Prodigy, has
expanded its electronic banking options to the humble telephone.

Advantage Phone Banking lets customers pay bills, transfer money
between accounts, check account balances and learn if a
particular check has cleared, using a touchtone telephone call
to a toll-free number. The service is already being heavily
advertised, through newspaper, radio, television, and in-branch
posters, with the tag-line "Call Us On It." Meridian is the
fourth-largest bank based in Pennsylvania.

Michael L. Ritter, Meridian assistant vice president for
electronic banking, told Newsbytes "Meridian Bank's strategy is
providing convenience. Electronic banking is part of the
strategy. Letting the customer bank from home, if they choose,
with whatever method they choose, is key to us." He indicated
the company is also looking at other banking methods, including
the use of TVs.

Meridian's first move in this area was Advantage Home Banking, on
the Prodigy service. "We're very pleased with the Prodigy link,"
Ritter said. "We've had it 14 months. It's available nationally.
We do have some customers from as far as California. We have
retired customers in Florida who find it very convenient to keep
us when they retire." The costs of producing the Prodigy link are
also being recouped through the phone system, he added. "We have
one platform. What we built for Prodigy we're using for phone
banking, and it's what we intend to use for future methods as
well."

Among those new methods are Telecommunication Devices for the
Deaf, or TDDs. Audio brochures on its services have also been
produced for the blind. The company is also converting its
automatic tellers to a height which will make them more
accessible to people in wheelchairs, and last year it began a
program called "Partners in Equal Access" designed to train
employees to be sensitive to the needs of disabled customers.
Customers of Meridian Bank or Delaware Trust Company, both
subsidiaries of Meridian Bancorp Inc., can join Advantage Phone
Banking by calling 1-800-842-4020.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931026/Press Contact: Bob Shade, Meridian
Bancorp, 215-655-2463)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00024)

Chip Development At Sun Speeding Up 01/26/93
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- Sun
Microsystems will use Quickturn Systems' emulation products to aid
in development and testing of its microprocessors. The company has
purchased $1 million worth of emulation systems from Quickturn for
delivery to several of its development sites.

Quickturn representatives told Newsbytes emulation is replacing
simulation because it speeds up the testing and verification
processes in microcomputer chip development. As integrated
circuits (ICs) and application specific integrated circuits
(ASICs) become more complex, testing times get longer and it
becomes more difficult to get competitive products out the
door.

The "market window" or the period of time a product is salable
has shrunk from 2 or 3 years down to 6 months to one year. In
order to get products out the door, shortening the testing
phase is critical.

Emulation is a much faster process than simulation, Quickturn
says, as it brings the testing process much closer to real time
so 10 to 15 minutes of running time can be reproduced in a
couple of hours, as opposed to days or weeks.

Quickturn says that customers used to design a chip, test it, and then
prototype it, meaning actually manufacture it, an expensive and time
consuming task, then test again to make sure it worked. If there was
a problem, the process started practically over from scratch.
Quickturn representatives say some of their clients, using the
company's emulation products to test, have cut out the prototyping
step all together.

Besides testing to see if new ASICs and ICs work, Quickturn
says testing can be done to determine if the chip designed will
work in a newly designed system, and customers can verify that
software which worked with the previous system will work with
the new chip.

Sun, developer of the SPARCstation workstation computer, has
purchased Quickturn's Enterprise Emulation System and Verilog
Co-Simulation Interface products.

Howard Lee, vice president of Sun's SPARC Technology Division, said
that he plans to use the Quickturn equipment as a major development
and verification tool for Sun's next generation of SPARC
microprocessors and workstations.

"Although our current simulations utilize virtually infinite CPU
resources -- thousands of MIPS -- emulation affords us a new dimension
of verification which significantly increases the types and number of
applications we can run. This in turn builds confidence both before
and after tape-out."

Headquartered near Sun in Mountain View, California, Quickturn
claims it developed the first reprogrammable IC and ASIC
emulation system.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930126/Press Contact: Nanette Sisk,
Quickturn Systems, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Marion
Kenefick, Public Relations for Quickturn, 408-354-1183)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(ATL)(00025)

New For Mac -- Spider Island Updates BBS Software 01/26/93
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- Spider Island
Software has released version 3.0 of its Group Edition Host
software, part of its TeleFinder bulletin board system for the
Macintosh.

The new version offers total AppleEvent implementation, and a
multi-server architecture, said spokesman Bill Gram-Reefer to
Newsbytes. The first capability means that system integration
can be customized easily. The second feature means that a single
system can run multiple nodes of the same BBS on separate
Macintosh units within a local area network, dramatically
increasing the number of telephone lines which are supported.

The new version can also handle up to 32,000 users. Support for
the product is available on the company's own support BBS, on
CompuServe, via America Online, and on AppleLink.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931026/Press Contact: Bill Gram-Reefer, for
Spider Island, 510-676-4733; Customer Contact; 714-669-9260; fax,
714-669-1383; BBS, 714-730-5785; AppleLink, D4955; America
Online, SpiderIsla; CompuServe, 73457,2756)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00026)

 ****Compaq Sees Supply Meeting Demand, Promises New Products 01/26/93
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- Compaq Computer
Corporation said today that it expects to balance supply with demand
for most of its products by the end of the present quarter.

The company also announced that it plans to introduce "an impressive"
number of new products, including entry level to high-end desktop
and notebook personal computers, printers, and servers. Among those
new products is expected to be a line of PCs using Intel
Corporation's Pentium microprocessor, PCs with full-motion video and
stereo sound, pen-based PCs, and what the company described as
"small form-factor devices."

Compaq said it shipped more than twice the number of systems in the
fourth quarter of 1992 as it did in the same period the previous
year, but still has a backlog. As reported earlier by Newsbytes, the
company has added additional production lines, has increased its
parts inventory, and added additional work shifts in its Houston,
Singapore, and Scotland factories.

The company said it will continue to expand into other parts of the
world, as well as expand its presence in Japan, Latin America, the
Pacific Rim, and China. Compaq entered the consumer retail channel
recently, and expects a growing percentage of its sales to come from
consumer-oriented distribution channels such as superstores, mass
merchandisers and consumer electronics stores.

Compaq reported fourth quarter '92 earnings of $89.5 million, up
from $66.6 million from the previous year, on record sales of $1.42
billion, a 63 percent jump. Sales for the year were also a record
at $4.1 billion, a 23 percent increase over the previous year.
Stockholders earned $1.49 per share on a fully diluted basis.

Compaq President Eckhard Pfeiffer said the company launched 80 new
product models during the year, doubled the locations where Compaq
products are sold, and revamped its support system.

(Jim Mallory/19930126/Press contact: John Sweney, Compaq,
713-374-1564)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00027)

 ****Microsoft, Infonet In System Mgt Venture 01/26/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- Microsoft
Corporation and Infonet Services Corporation have announced that
they will jointly develop a new family of enterprise-wide desktop
system management services that would allow local and wide area
network administrators to track hardware and software inventories and
electronically update installed software.

Under the agreement, Infonet will integrate Microsoft's Windows NT
operating system into its global communications services product
line, allowing worldwide distribution of new applications.

"These tools will allow MIS managers to better synchronize ongoing
software updates and system configuration changes on a global scale,"
explained Infonet Executive VP of Corporate Marketing Randy Lintecum.

Microsoft spokesperson Collins Hemingway told Newsbytes that using
Microsoft technology presently under development network
administrators could query the network for all the workstations that
met certain criteria, such as all 386-based systems that had more than
4 megabytes of system memory. The administrator could then
electronically update all those systems to the latest version of a
particular software application.

The technology was demonstrated at Microsoft's Strategy Day last
September and uses SQL Server as the database repository, but checks
the network nodes interactively on a real time basis. The system
could also track how many software licenses a company had purchased
for a particular application, and deny a user access if the number
of current users of that product exceeded the number of licenses.

"Somewhere down the road it might even be set up to automatically
send a query to the applications publisher to purchase additional
licenses," Hemingway told Newsbytes. No shipping date for the
Microsoft product has been set, but Hemingway said it is presently
"in solid beta state."

A report by Yankee Group recently said that worldwide LAN
management, including the file server, is often the single largest
system management expense incurred by multinational firms. One
reason is that the average global enterprise requires one
administrator per 40 workstations. As a result of the new system,
says Lintecum, "In many cases, an administrator's workload may be
reduced by as much as 45 percent. Thereafter, such firms will only
need a fraction of their existing administrator head count."

In addition to Windows NT, the operating system it hopes to ship
before the end of the year, Microsoft is developing a desktop system
management system that will perform centralized, automated software
distribution and installation as well as maintain a running
inventory of all software and hardware.

Hemingway told Newsbytes that, because the technology is
sophisticated, Microsoft hasn't decided how to package it, and no
pricing has been determined. "We might sell it as a stand-alone
product, or make it part of other advanced services that we're
providing for Windows NT." Look for the product to be provided only
to OEM's and sophisticated service providers such as Infonet.

(Jim Mallory/19930126/Press contact: Randy Lintecum, Infonet,
310-335-2860; Collins Hemingway, Microsoft, 206-882-8080)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00028)

Radius Low-Emission Mono Displays 01/26/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- The health questions
surrounding computer monitor emissions have led to a growing market
for "health-conscious" products. In keeping with the trend, Radius
has announced a series of new monochrome displays that are
designed to meet the guidelines of the Swedish MPR II specification
for display system emissions.

According to the company, the new units also include built in anti-
reflective, anti-static monitor screens.

In introducing the monitors, Mary Coleman, Radius' vice president
of marketing, said: "This new series of low-emission monochrome
display systems are specifically designed for those display users
interested in low emissions and anti-glare, anti-static displays.
These systems meet or exceed the guidelines of the Swedish MPR
II specification for monitor emissions, one of the most
comprehensive specifications for emission characteristics.

Three low emission monochrome displays have been introduced: a
full-page display, a pivoting full-page display, and a 21-inch
two-page display.

Robert Angus, a spokesperson for the company, told Newsbytes that the
target markets for the displays are really, "anyone that uses display
systems, especially those people that are concerned with emission.
There has never been any real evidence that emissions are harmful, but
in Europe, in some cases, they are mandated by law. We offer them here
as a choice to people. The displays will fit into monochrome or color
applications, and in a very general marketplace."

The Radius Full Page Display (FPD) is a high-resolution
monochrome display that provides a full-page view of text or
graphics without reduction or scrolling.

The Radius Pivot Display offers a full-page view in both landscape
and portrait orientation. RadiusWare's Dynamic Desktop software
redraws the screen image to match the screen's orientation in
real-time. The Radius Pivot can display images in up to 256
shades of gray (depending on the installed interface).

According to the company, the Radius 21-inch Two Page Display
(TPD) provides "paper-like images that maintain superior
brightness, contrast and focus across the entire screen." The
display offers a resolution of 1152 by 882 pixels.

Speaking of the general demand for low-emission systems,
Angus told Newsbytes that, "I would suggest that it is still a
niche market (although) there has been more public sensitivity
about emissions. There has been numerous articles written
about them. Still, there has been no conclusive evidence that
emissions are present or harmful. None-the-less, it makes
sense to offer choices to people."

Pricing on the three displays is $849 for the Radius Pivot Display
(Low Emissions); $699 for the Radius Full Page Display (Low
Emissions); and $1,599 for the Radius Two Page Display/21E
(Low Emissions). The company says it will continue to supply
the standard Two Page Display/21 at $1,399.

(Ian Stokell/19930126/ Press Contact: James Strohecker,
408-954-6828, Radius Inc; Robert Angus, 415-363-0982,
A & R Partners)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00029)

 ****Stac Sues Microsoft Over Compression Product 01/26/93
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- Stac
Electronics, maker of the data compression product Stacker,
says it is suing Microsoft, alleging Doublespace, the data
compression planned for release in the next version of MS-DOS,
version 6.0, violates Stac's patent on the technology.

Data compression is gaining popularity because it can often
nearly double the amount of information that can be stored in
the same physical storage space on a hard disk drive. Often
compression is completely transparent to the user because the
amount of time it takes the computer to uncompress the data on
the fly is offset by the time saved in reading and writing less
data to the disk.

In beta test stages now, Microsoft's next release of the text-
oriented operating system MS-DOS 6.0 is to include Doublespace
compression technology. Microsoft has been releasing beta test
copies of MS-DOS 6.0 for some time, but representatives for
Stac told Newsbytes the data compression technology was not
incorporated into the beta test versions until the last couple
of months.

Stac says the patents in question are US Patent No. 5,016,009
entitled "Data Compression Apparatus and Method" and No.
4,701,745 entitled "Data Compression System." The company is
seeking to stop Microsoft from releasing MS-DOS 6.0 as it is
now, and is also asking for an unnamed amount of monetary
compensation.

Newsbytes talked with Collins Hemmingway of Microsoft's Systems
Public Relations who said the Stac suit was a surprise to
Microsoft. Hemmingway said Microsoft has been in contact with
all the main compression vendors, including Stac, concerning
the data compression products planned for MS-DOS 6.0. In
addition, the data compression planned for MS-DOS 6.0 has been
public knowledge for 4 or 5 months as the product itself was
released by an alpha tester who uploaded it on "...practically
every bulletin board in the world," Hemmingway said.

Stac was also to participate in Microsoft's announcement
concerning the Microsoft Real-time Compression Interface (MRCI)
standard for MS-DOS 6.0, but pulled out at the last minute,
Hemmingway said. Peter Norton, Central Point Software, and
Fifth Generation Systems have been quoted in the Microsoft
announcement as well. The standard is designed to allow
developers to handle compressed data, which is now problematic
in operations such as data back-up, disk repair, and disk
caches.

In order for compression to work smoothly, it needs to be
integrated into the operating system, Hemmingway said. The
integration of compression technology into MS-DOS 6.0 will
allow developers to design products that will back up
compressed data without having to uncompress it, as is the
situation now. Having to uncompress data before a backup can be
a difficult, if not impossible, situation depending on the
amount of data that's compressed and the amount of disk space
available. If a user wants to back up 50 megabytes (MB) of data
compressed to 25 MB, and has only 20 MB of space available on
the drive, that user has a problem.

Allowing developers to access a compression standard would mean
that 25 MB of compressed data can be moved to disks or tape for
back up without having to be uncompressed first.

Stac has also just announced its own interface standard for
release to developers it calls Stacker API, aimed at the same
set of problems. Stac describes Stacker API as a linkable
software compression engine based on technology used in Stac's
software for doubling the storage capacity of DOS, Windows,
OS/2, and Macintosh computing platforms. Stac claims it has
over 4 million users worldwide.

Both Microsoft and Stac have said licenses of each company's
interface standard are available at no fee to qualified
independent software vendors (ISVs).

When asked if MS-DOS 6.0 threatens Stac's existence, as
compression is the company's only product, Hemmingway said
similar questions were asked concerning utility vendors when
memory management was added to the operating system in MS-DOS
5.0. However, the market has expanded for memory management
products and products such as QEMM from Quarterdeck's have
enjoyed a larger market share than before the release of MS-DOS
5.0. It is Microsoft's opinion that inclusion of these capabilities
in the operating system offer more opportunities for vendors to
build add-ons and stimulate the market for add-ons in general.

Competition and improvement are also part of the business,
Hemmingway said. Microsoft is competing with other products as
well as other platforms and operating systems and users'
two biggest concerns are memory and disk space. "We have to address
those issues for our customers," Hemmingway added.

As to whether or not the suit will delay the shipment of MS-DOS
6.0, Microsoft says it is business as usual for now. While no
specific date has been set for release of MS-DOS 6.0, the
product has been announced for spring of this year and
Microsoft sources told Newsbytes it appears the release may be
close to April.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930126/Press Contact: LeeAnne French,
Jennings & Co. for Stac Electronics, tel [phone], fax 415-
349-1445; Collins Hemmingway, Microsoft, tel [phone])


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

Nat'l Semi To Enter Consumer Wireless Market 01/26/93
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 26 (NB) -- National
Semiconductor, which recently forayed into the consumer market
with a low-priced fax/modem/voice mail add-on board for
personal computers (PCs), says it will now enter the wireless
communications market.

The company says it will develop new a family of silicon radio
frequency (SiRF) chips aimed at use in portable and cellular
phones, pocket communicators, personal digital assistants,
private mobile radios, wireless local area networks (LANs),
and wireless switchboards (PBXs).

Russ Johnsen, director of National's Wireless Communications
Group, said in a prepared statement: "What National has to offer
the world is the enabling technology that will make 'anytime,
anywhere' communications a reality."

Johnsen also said the products the company's entrepreneurial
Innovative Products Division has announced will be the first to
support a two-gigahertz radio product.

Estimates are the worldwide wireless silicon market will grow
from $375 million in 1991 to $978 million in 1996, according to
predictions made by BIS Strategic Decisions and National
Semiconductor itself. The growth, even in a recessive economy,
in cellular phone use, backs up those predictions.

According to the company, these new chips, dubbed the Platinum
series, will be instrumental in the development of a number of
applications. The initial members of the Platinum series are the
LMX1501A, the LMX1511, the LMX2315, and the LMX2320. They are
fabricated using National's ABiC IV BiCMOS process, which integrates all
radio frequency, digital and analog functions onto a single, low
power integrated circuit.

Curtis Schmidek, product marketing manager, with National's
wireless communications group, told Newsbytes that, "We are
studying the stage for the next generation of wireless
communications, what we are calling PCS. We are going to see a
merging of today's cellular systems and tomorrow's advanced
cordless systems into a network that can really serve the mass
market. That's going to roll out in a number of different ways.
(It's going to happen) where a whole variety of niches evolve and
fall under this PCS umbrella."

He continued, "In the long term, probably 10 years from now, we
are going to see a common standard, especially in the United
States, for pocket phones, for a real personal communicator, that
may be, not only voice, but also data. PDAs (personal digital
assistants) fall into that." He also anticipated a common
standard for LANs.

According to National, the products will operate over a wide
supply voltage ranging from 2.7 to 5.5 volts and are offered in a
variety of plastic package options, including: a 16-pin .150-inch
wide JEDEC SO; a 16-pin .209 EIAJ SO; and a 20-pin .173 wide
TSSOP package.

Russ Johnsen, director of National's Wireless Communications
Group, said, "The products we've just announced in the SiRF
family will be the first to market to support a two gigahertz
radio product. This means that National's customers can be first
to market with competitive consumer products like pocket
communicators, higher quality cordless phones and personal
digital assistants, which will operate in the high-frequency
bands that have recently been allocated throughout the world
for personal communications."

In terms of availability, Laura Ruthenbeck, spokeswoman,
told Newsbytes that the products were, "in pre-production now, and
will be in full production in March." Pricing, she said, would be
"$4.25 each in 1,000 quantities." She added that the chips would
be made in the company's Santa Clara, California, facility.

(Ian Stokell & Linda Rohrbough/19930126/Press Contact: National
Semiconductor Corporation, tel [phone], fax 408-
245-9655)