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/NB930316

Text File | 1993-03-16 | 68KB | 1,495 lines

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BOS)(00001)

 ****Motorola Gets Into Virtual Reality 03/16/93
CARY, NORTH CAROLINA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- Motorola has
acquired a minority equity position in Virtus Corporation, a privately
held company that produces three dimensional (3D) and virtual reality
software.

In an interview with Newsbytes, David Sink, corporate vice president
for Virtus, confirmed that the business move on the part of
Motorola and Virtus is designed to leverage one another's expertise.

Sink told Newsbytes that the alliance will provide Motorola with
expertise in user interfaces and software development, and Virtus
with opportunities to move to new platforms. "Our expertise is in user
interfaces and software development, which is not exactly one of
Motorola's major thrusts per se," Sink said.

One current product from Virtus, Virtus Walkthough, lets the user
create a "virtual world" by working on 2D and 3D views simultaneously.
The program runs on the Mac and Windows. Another offering, Virtus
Voyager, allows runtime distribution of Virtus Walkthrough models.
Voyager is now available for the Mac, and a Windows edition is planned
for the future.

"We've been very much oriented to standard computer platforms in
the past," Sink told Newsbytes. "But we also see the world
changing very quickly."

Motorola's alliance with Apple and IBM to develop the
Power PC chip is one change that is in the works, he noted. Motorola
is also involved in hardware development outside of that alliance, he
added.

On the software side, the Taligent alliance between Apple and
IBM is expected to result in a new operating system, he said.

"Those are going to be the platforms of the future, and we intend to be
there at the forefront of that. We think our new strategic
relationship with Motorola is a good step in the right direction," he
said.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930316/Press contact: David Sink, Virtus
Corp., 1-800-VIRTUS-1 or 919-467-9700)


(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00002)

Wayzata World Factbook 1993 - CD-ROM Edition 03/16/93
GRAND RAPIDS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- Wayzata
Technology has announced the new 1993 edition of its geopolitical
reference CD-ROM based on unclassified data as published in the CIA
(US Central Intelligence Agency) World Factbook. Priced at $49, the
disc is now shipping.

The same disc can be used on both Apple Mac and IBM PC-compatible
machines, but each uses different search and retrieval software. The
Mac version uses TextWare for search and retrieval and can also be
navigated by geographic region using a Hypercard stack. The MS-DOS
version uses TextWare retrieval or a Windows Multimedia interface.

According to the company, the 1993 edition includes many new features
such as regional and time zone maps; improved search and retrieval
technology; and comparative statistics using bar charts.

From the US Department of State comes information on entry
requirements; travel advisories warning of dangerous areas; terrorist
group profiles; and medical tips for travelers. Also included on the
disc is statistical information on 264 geographic regions,
territories, and countries as well as images of important global
landmarks.

(John McCormick/19930316/Press and Public Contact: Wayzata
Technology, 800-735-7321, 218-326-0597, or fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00003)

Disk Technician Keeps Eye On Your Disk 03/16/93
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- As hard drives
become ever larger, the amount of information contained on one has
increased dramatically, especially with the common use of disk
compression utilities. This makes it more important than ever
that users not only make regular backups but also protect their
hard drives using programs that constantly watch for problems.

Disk Technician, a company well-known for its sophisticated hard disk
maintenance and repair software, has announced a new version of its
diagnostic program of the same name, known as Disk Technician Gold.
The key difference with this new version is that it runs in the
background. Earlier versions of Disk Technician required the user to
run the program in the foreground, to the exclusion of all other
applications. This meant that, even though the package could actually
detect when sections of a hard disk were beginning to show signs of
damage and move data to safe areas, it required a lot of time on the
part of the user to make effective use of it.

Disk Technician Gold is a memory resident device driver that takes up
only 14 kilobytes of memory, yet continuously monitors disk errors,
watches for virus infections, and runs system diagnostics in the
background of MS-DOS and Windows 3.1 systems.

Because it improves block transfers slightly, this software actually
does all this without impairing system performance at all, in fact
the company claims a tiny performance improvement.

Disk Technician Gold is tested, approved, and recommended by
Seagate and operates on all PC hard drives, including IDE, SCSI-
1, SCSI-2, Fast SCSI-2, ESDI, MFN, and RLL. It runs on a 640K
PC system using DR DOS or MS/PC-DOS and will support Windows 3.1. An
optional virus protection module occupies an additional 7K of memory.

(John McCormick/19930316/Press and Public Contact: Steve Luster,
VP Marketing Disk Technician, 619-274-5000, 800-847-5000, or fax
619-272-4008)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00004)

Hongkong - EDS Recruits Former Govt MIS Head 03/16/93
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- Stephen Lau, former head of
the Government Data Processing Agency (GDPA -- now known as the
Information Technology Services Department) of the Hong Kong
Government, has been appointed managing director of EDS Electronic
Data Systems (HK) Ltd with responsibility for the company's business
in Hong Kong and Macau.

Lau, a 24-year veteran of the Hong Kong computer industry, headed the
former GDPA for seven years, culminating a 12-year career in the
public sector. In that time, he helped draw up computerization
programs for departments within the Hong Kong Government, one of the
largest and most sophisticated users of information technology in the
Asian region.

Seven years ago, Lau resigned from government and joined Citicorp,
where he was director of information technology for the Asia Division
of Citicorp's International Finance and Banking Sector, and director
of the London-based Global Technology Group.

In addition to his post as Hong Kong and Macau chief, Lau is also a
member of the EDS Asia Pacific management team, responsible for
formulating and implementing regional strategy, with particular
emphasis on government.

"As a service company, EDS' expertise goes far beyond the realm of
information technology and Stephen Lau's appointment will further
leverage our vast pool of experience in this part of the world," said
Edward Yang, president of EDS' Asia Pacific Strategic Business Unit.

"Besides outsourcing, there is a growing recognition in the Asia
Pacific region of the strategic importance of systems integration,
business process re-engineering and management systems. EDS is the
acknowledged leader in these areas and Stephen Lau will help spearhead
this evolution," he added.

In 1984, Lau was awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British
Empire) for outstanding service to the community in the area of
information technology. He served as chairman of the Advisory Board to
the Department of Computing Studies at the City Polytechnic of Hong
Kong and in 1984 was chairman of the Organizing Committee for the
South East Asia Regional Computer Conference (SEARCC).

(Brett Cameron/19930216/Press Contact: Stuart Newell
Tel: [phone];HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00005)

Open E-mail On DEC Open VMS Platform 03/16/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- Innosoft International has
announced that PMDF e-Mail Interconnect version 4.2, the company's
store-and-forward electronic mail routing system for DEC's OpenVMS
platform, is about to ship.

The company says that, in addition to adding Alpha compatibility, it
has added support for X.400 and Novell MHS (Message Handling Service),
a new e-mail-to-alphanumeric pager channel, and enhanced routing
support for incoming faxes.

According to the company, a new e-mail user agent, PMDF MAIL, has been
developed as an extensible replacement for DEC's VMS Mail. PMDF MAIL
shows the same mailbox structure as VMS Mail, but adds support for
Internet mail and other formats. PMDF MAIL also adds support for MIME,
the Multimedia Internet Mail Extensions standard, so that OpenVMS
users can exchange multimedia mail and different file formats as mail
messages and attachments.

Support for X.400 is offered through PMDF-X400, a value-added package
that allows OpenVMS systems to communicate directly with X.400
platforms. According to the company, PMDF-X400 eliminates the need for
DEC Message Router for X.400 connectivity. PMDF-X400 also adds support
for X.400 messaging over TCP/IP (Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol) and OSI (Open Systems Interconnection).

PMDF 4.2 also includes a new Alphanumeric Pager Channel, so electronic
mail messages can be converted to pager messages. According to the
company, new fax print queue support now makes it possible to print a
file to a PMDF-fax gateway.

(Ian Stokell/19930316/Press Contact: Tom Woolf, 415-508-1554, Woolf
Media Relations, for Innosoft)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(NYC)(00006)

 ****Steve Jackson Wins Case Against Secret Service 03/16/93
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- Steve Jackson, president of
Austin-based Steve Jackson Games, has announced that Federal Judge Sam
Sparks has ruled in favor of Steve Jackson Games, Steve Jackson
himself, and three users of the Illuminati Bulletin Board in their
long-running law suit against the US Secret Service.

The Jackson lawsuit, supported with funding by the Electronic
Frontier Foundation (EFF), revolved around the seizure on March 1,
1990 of computer equipment, storage materials, files and other
material from Steve Jackson Games (SJ Games) by the Secret Service.
Although charges were never filled against the firm, Jackson, or an
employees, the equipment and materials were held for a matter of
months and, as claimed by Jackson, severely disrupted the operations
of the firm, causing a loss of revenue and a curtailing of operations.

At the time of the raid, Jackson was not informed of the underlying
reason for the search and seizure and, based on a comment from a
Secret Service agent, believed that the reason for the raid was
related to the contents of a game that was in development. Legal
action by EFF later showed that the raid was actually related to the
government case against Craig Neidorf, the publisher of the
underground electronic publication, Phrack.

Neidorf had published a copy of the "911 Document," a document
allegedly stolen from the computer files of BellSouth. (Charges against
Neidorf where eventually dropped when it was found that the document
was available in hard copy for under $20.)

In his decision, Judge Sparks that the Electronic Communications
Privacy Act (ECPA) had been violated by the agents' seizure of stored
electronic communications on the system. The judge awarded $1,000 per
plaintiff under the ECPA.

The judge also found that the Secret Service had violated Steve
Jackson Games's rights as a publisher under the Privacy Protection Act
of 1980 (PPA), a federal law designed to limit the ability of law-
enforcement agents to engage in searches and seizures of publishers.
Under the PPA, he awarded SJ Games $42,259 for lost profits in 1990
and out-of-pocket costs of $8,781.

The judge also awarded the cost of the plaintiffs' attorney fees as
items to be borne by the Secret Service. Jackson told Newsbytes that
the attorney fees involved in the case are in excess of $200,000.

Mike Godwin, legal services counsel for EFF, issued a statement
saying: "This case is a major step forward in protecting the rights of
those who use computers to send private mail to each other or who use
computers to create and disseminate publications. Judge Sparks has
made it eminently clear that the Secret Service acted irresponsibly.
This case should send a message to law-enforcement groups everywhere
that they can't ignore the rights of those who communicate by
computer."

Jackson told Newsbytes: "We stood up to them and we won. It is
important to realize that we had a first-rate legal team and without
them we never would have been able to challenge the government."

Commenting on the size of the award, Jackson said: "Fifty thousand
dollars is certainly better than a poke in the eye but it is only a
fraction of what we asked for or what we actually suffered in damages.
Money, however, was always secondary in this fight. We felt that a
point had to be made and we made it."

Jackson added: "I have incredible gratitude to EFF for making this
possible and I feel real satisfaction that it will recover its legal
fees. This award will allow it to defend others or to work with
Congress to insure that this type of thing is not repeated."

The Justice Department has not indicated whether it will appeal the
verdict. Jackson told Newsbytes: "I believe that the 5th Circuit, in
the event of an appeal, will uphold the decision and thereby
strengthen it. So, as far as I am concerned, let them appeal."

(Barbara E. McMullen/19930316/Press Contacts: Steve Jackson, Steve
Jackson Games, 512-447-7866, voice, 512-447-1144, fax; Mike Godwin,
Electronic Freedom Foundation, 617-576-4510, [e-mail])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00007)

Xerox Chooses SCO For DocuTech Storage System 03/16/93
SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- Santa Cruz
Operation (SCO) and Xerox have signed an OEM contract that calls
for SCO to supply the SCO Unix System as the standard operating
system component of the Xerox DocuTech Publishing Series
Extended Storage product.

In announcing the deal, Sam Spadafora, SCO's senior vice
president, general manager, worldwide field operations, said:
"Through this partnership, we can bring the flexibility and broad
compatibility of SCO open systems software to the high-volume
publishing marketplace that Xerox serves so well."

According to Xerox, the DocuTech Publishing Series is a modular
family of products designed for high-volume, high-speed
 production publishing. The company says that, as the multiuser
and multitasking operating system for the Extended Storage
product, the SCO Unix System enables Xerox DocuTech users to
store and access print-ready publishing files, including scanned
images and jobs created with desktop publishing applications.

The company says that, in the Xerox Extended Storage product,
the SCO Unix System runs on Compaq SystemPro/LT 486/33 PCs
with 8 megabytes (MB) of internal memory and two 1-gigabyte (GB) hard
disk drives. The SCO Unix system includes a 32-bit, multithreaded,
multitasking, multiuser kernel with virtual memory.

(Ian Stokell/19930316/Press Contact: Zee Zaballos,
408-427-7156, The Santa Cruz Operation Inc.)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(NYC)(00008)

 ****Phrack Newsletter To Be Reborn 03/16/93
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- Former Legion
of Doom (LOD) member Chis Coggans has announced that he will be
reviving the underground electronic newsletter Phrack as a commercial
enterprise.

Phrack was originally published by students Craig Neidorf and Randy
King but, following Neidorf's indictment after Phrack published the
Bell South "911 Document" in 1990, they withdrew from active
participation with the publication. After charges were dropped against
Neidorf, others picked up the publication of Phrack but according to
Coggans, they have since given up the publication.

Coggans said that the new Phrack will be protected by copyright laws
and will be paying contributors for their work. The subscription fees
for corporate, government, and the security industry will be $100 per
year, of which a portion will go toward the retirement of Neidorf's
still outstanding legal bills. The publication, will, according to
Coggans, still be free to "the people."

Coggans told Newsbytes: "I expect that Phrack will be of such quality
that subscribers will find it worth the annual charge."

(Barbara E McMullen & John F. McMullen/19930316/Press Contact: Chris
Coggans, Phrack Magazine, 512-448-5098; [e-mail])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00009)

Interactive Mac CD-ROMs - Rock, Rap 'N' Roll, Taste Mate 03/16/93
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- Macworld
means not just a Macintosh trade show and a magazine these days. It
also means Macintosh CD-ROM titles.

Macworld CD Ventures, a partnership between IDG's Macworld
Communications, and Medior of Half Moon Bay, California, is located in
San Francisco, California. The company has just issued two new
interactive CD-ROMs.

Rock, Rap 'N Roll offers an unique approach to music-making on the
Macintosh. The CD uses pre-composed original music combined in an
interactive interface to allow any user, with or without knowledge of
music, to have fun producing professional-quality songs. (A six-year-
old Newsbytes reviewer had no trouble navigating through the interface
and creating a rap recording.)

The CD features ten different styles of music each found in its own
interactive "room." Rock, Rap 'N Roll includes African, big band,
Latin, rap, soul, techno pop, reggae, rock, jazz and the blues.

Each room contains ten "song loops." These are various beats,
melodies and bass lines. The user forms the basis of their song
by dragging the song loops into the "Song-A-Lizer" in any order
they wish. The Song-A-Lizer will sequence the loops into a
song. The user can then add instrumentals, vocals, and sound
effects by using their mouse and keyboard. Custom sounds and
vocals can be added with a standard Macintosh microphone or
any other Macintosh sound input device.

The CD features a recording panel that lets the user record, playback,
save and load music sessions.

The music on Rock Rap 'N' Roll was produced with over 40 professional
musicians and vocalists.

Since there is no digital output, one's creations made with Rock
Rap 'N' Roll can't be used as the audio for presentations. However,
according to the company's spokeswoman, Amy Carroll, a utility
will be issued over the next couple of months that will make the
output MIDI-compatible, and therefore usable in multimedia
presentations.

Rock, Rap 'N Roll which retails for $59.95, will run on any
QuickTime-capable Mac with a minimum of 4 megabytes of RAM and System
6.0.7 or higher.

Rock, Rap 'N' Roll is one of two consumer titles just released by
Macworld CD Ventures. The other one is "Taste Mate," a CD-ROM
designed to help users find movies that they are likely to enjoy
from a database of 42,000 video titles.

The Taste Mate recommendation system was developed by polling
hundreds of movie-renters to get lists of their favorite movies,
the company says. To get a recommendation, the user selects movies
that represent their particular taste and mood (for instance, "2001"
or "The Wild Bunch"). The system responds with a recommendation
list which can be printed.

Users can set their preferences and search for any video title,
actor or director. Each video in the database includes a movie
summary, the stars, director, release date, rating, type of
movie and length of the movie.

A special feature called "warping" lets a user instantaneously
get an actor or director's full list of movies, then warp to
the information for any of those movies. This allows
a user to cruise through the 42,000 titles at very high speed.

Taste Mate includes large screen format QuickTime movie
previews of videos that have been recently released to video
rental stores. Alien 3, Basic Instinct, Beauty and the Beast,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, City of Joy, Encino Man, Far and Away,
My Cousin Vinny, Patriot Games, Prelude to a Kiss, Sister Act
and Universal Soldier are the movie trailers included on the CD.
Users may find it something of a shock to see these trailers
or previews playing on their Macintosh -- prior to this the only
way to view one was in a movie theater or on television.

Taste Mate which retails for $69.95, will run on any QuickTime-
capable Mac with a minimum of 4 megabytes of RAM and System 6.0.7
or higher.

Carroll says the company may make Windows versions of the products
if the Macintosh versions are successful.

Both titles can be purchased direct from Macworld CD Ventures
by calling 1-800-821-1177.

(Wendy Woods/19930316/Press Contact: Amy Carroll, 415-267-1778)


(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00010)

$120 Covox PC Voice Recognition System 03/16/93
EUGENE, OREGON, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- Covox, known for
its inexpensive 64/256-word recognition system for PCs, has
just announced a powerful enhanced speech recognition board and
software which will handle 1,000 spoken commands. Such systems have
long been available for several thousand dollars, but the new Covox
Voice Blaster only carries a list price of $120 even though it does
require that the user already have another sound board.

Both MS-DOS and Windows 3.1-compatible, Voice Blaster adds power to
games; eases control of complex operations for both disabled and non-
disabled workers; and provides new voice annotation software so the
user can add their own voice comments to programs or documents.

The system consists of a combination headphone/microphone for control
and recording as well as the memory-resident software. The headset
connects to a computer's parallel port or an existing computer
microphone can be used.

A compatible sound board such as Sound Blaster Pro, Media
Vision's Thunderboard, and the Tandy Sensation must be installed
in the computer, so this is not suitable for use with laptop or
notebook computers despite the fact that Voice Blaster actually
connects externally.

Some individual applications which the company says will
definitely work with Voice Blaster include: dBASE, Fox Pro,
Quattro Pro, Quicken, WordPerfect 5.1, and AutoCAD.

Games from Sir-Tech, Villa Crespo, Game-Tek, Lucas Arts
Entertainment, and Microprose all operate with voice control
using this system.

Other MS-DOS and Windows-based programs which allow access to the
keyboard BIOS are considered to be compatible with the program
and so the majority of business applications and popular game
programs should operate with Voice Blaster.

The terminate and stay resident (TSR) or memory-resident program
that allows Voice Blaster to control programs occupies as little
as 21 kilobytes (K) of memory and will run on an 80286 with only
640 K of memory. On more advanced systems the program loads a lot
of itself into EMS memory and works with memory managers like
QEMM-386.

Covox says that the Voice Blaster will appear in Computer City,
Comp USA, Electronic Boutique, and Software, Etc stores by the end
of March.

(John McCormick/19930316/Press Contact: Charles McHenry, McHenry
& Associates, 503-772-2382, MCI: 429-9248; Public Contact: Covox,
503-342-1271)


(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00011)

Dynavision CD-ROM Notebook 03/16/93
NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- Scenario, the
company which many years ago brought out the first portable computer
with a built-in CD-ROM drive, has just announced a new line of its
laptop systems with a CD-ROM. Two of the new computers are based on
Texas Instrument computers while the 386SL version is based on the
Sharp Electronics notebook.

Unlike the bulky and very heavy 286-based system which the
company originally marketed as the DynaBook, these new systems
are all standard keyboard-oriented computers. The original
DynaBook, which was renamed the DynaVision, used a highly
innovative touch screen user interface.

Prices for the integrated, battery-operated CD-ROM computers
begin as low as $3,000 and the company generally markets directly
to business and professional users such as sales staffs or
lawyers who need access to large amounts of data at remote
locations.

The 25 megahertz (MHz) Sharp notebook comes with 2 megabytes (MB)
of memory, an 80 MB hard drive, and a 200 millisecond Toshiba CD-
ROM drive, lists for $4,795 but carries a special price of $4,000
for orders placed before March 31.

The top-of-the-line Texas Instruments-based system runs an 486SLC
processor operating at 25 MHz. Various hard drive and memory
options are available, as are external SCSI ports, double speed
CD-ROM drives, and active-matrix color VGA displays.

All systems use Toshiba CD-ROMs that require a carrier and all
except the Sharp come with Windows 3.1. The Sharp notebook has a
PCMCIA 2.0 expansion slot. PCMCIA is a Personal Computer Memory
Card Interface Association slot for adding memory cards or
peripherals, especially to laptop or notebook computers.

These are not the light computers most people think of when a
company describes something as a notebook, with all of them
falling between 10.3- and 11.3-pounds including internal battery.

Operating times range from just under two to more than six hours
depending on the amount of memory chosen and how much the
hard and CD-ROM drives are accessed in normal use. Multimedia
operation is available for all models using an optional internal sound
card which provides AdLib and Sound Blaster card compatibility.

(John McCormick/19930316/Press and Public Contact: Scenario, 800-
468-1119 or fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00012)

Arkenstone DocuRead Systems For Disabled 03/16/93
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- Arkenstone,
the non-profit Silicon Valley organization which provides discounted
hardware and software to qualified disabled individuals, has announced
a range of new reader programs and even lower prices. These products
are only available to visually impaired or other people and to
designated non-profit groups like public libraries.

A special subsidy program for schools and non-profit agencies will
make Arkenstone's most sophisticated reading machine, An Open
Book, Deluxe Edition, available for half its normal $6,000 price.
The low price was made possible by a large anonymous donation and
is not just a result of the general drop in computer prices,
therefore it is a limited-time offer.

Arkenstone reader systems consist of a scanner and OCR software
which can convert printed text to speech output.

In addition, current Arkenstone Reader users will get an extra 10
percent discount on upgrades as well as a trade-in allowance on
old equipment.

Arkenstone is aggressively seeking to trade for its old TrueScan
boards so they can be reconditioned and sold to other disabled
users at a low price.

It is important to take advantage of the special prices and
trade-ins as soon as possible because Arkenstone expects the
program to end after April.

Arkenstone is a fully-qualified 501 (c)(3) non-profit
organization which works with a network of local distributors
which supply product, advice, and services to local disabled
individuals.

(John McCormick/19930316/Press and Public Contact: Roberta
Brosnahan, 800-444-4443, 415-858-1683 or fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00013)

Update -- Motorola Brings EMBARC Mail Service To Canada 03/16/93
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- Motorola Canada has
rolled out its EMBARC (Electronic Mail Broadcast to a Roaming
Computer) service to four Canadian cities and said it will extend the
service to about 10 other centers over the next few months.

Available initially in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and Halifax, EMBARC
makes it possible to send messages from a public or private electronic
mail system to a wireless receiver that can be attached to a portable
computer. The service does not allow messages to be sent from the
mobile unit to an e-mail network.

Don Smart, EMBARC project manager at Motorola Canada, said that the
company has no plans to add an upload capability. Doing so "would
substantially increase the size of the receiver, the cost of the whole
network, and I think would be competitive with services that are
already existing," he said. "We feel there is a niche for a one-way
service."

Service will be extended to Calgary and Vancouver later in March,
Motorola said, and to other areas across Canada between now and
midyear. Smart said about eight more cities will be added this
year, probably including Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg and Quebec City,
as well as London and Hamilton in Ontario.

"It is relatively simple to put transmitters in smaller centers
if the market is there for it," he said, but the first step
beyond coverage in major cities would probably be "corridor
coverage" along the heavily-travelled road and rail routes from
Quebec City through Montreal and Toronto to Windsor, Ontario,
across the river from Detroit.

Messages can be sent to EMBARC through the GE BusinessTalk, IBM
Mail Exchange, SprintMail, Pacific Bell Connection, and AT&T
EasyLink mail services, Motorola said. A link to The Net, an
electronic mail service run by the Mediatel arm of Canada's
Stentor telephone-company consortium, is due shortly -- "any day
now," Smart said.

A message can be sent to one person or to multiple recipients for
the same price, company officials said. Binary files as well as
text messages can be sent through the system, which uses radio
transmitters on the 931-megahertz frequency band.

EMBARC already operates in more than 200 cities in the United
States, and Steve Brendle, vice-president and general manager of
EMBARC Communication Services at Motorola, said in a prepared
statement that the Canadian launch is a first step in extending
the operation internationally.

The system currently allows Canadian or American users to send
messages to a receiver in any city the EMBARC network serves in
either country, Smart said.

The EMBARC receivers sell for C$495, and users pay a C$19-a-month
subscription fee for the service. Senders pay for messages at
rates from eight cents to C$2.50 per 100 characters, depending on
the priority of the message (there are four levels from immediate
to overnight) and whether it is broadcast to one transmission
area or the whole network.

(Grant Buckler/19930316/Press Contact: Joyce Toye, Motorola
Canada, 416-756-5612)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00014)

 ****President Clinton's E-mail Addresses 03/16/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- Following up on the
candidate's promise to be more accessible, the new Clinton-Gore
Administration has several electronic mail addresses. Although
the MCI Mail box address and bulletin board have received the
most publicity, Newsbytes has recently received an e-mail from
MCI itself which provided some further access points for those
without the ability to forward e-mail from their primary service
to MCI.

GEnie, of course, has the PF (Public Forum) section which Newsbytes
reported earlier as carrying MIT-generated files from White House
press briefings and speeches, but that forum offers no e-mail feedback
to the Clinton Administration. It serves the public interest by making
important text files and other public information widely available.

What if you really want to get a message through to Washington? In the
past this meant letters or telegrams, but now you can save paper and
make direct electronic contact if a number of ways -- all you need is
the right e-mail address.

The following mailbox addresses are for sending e-mail to the
White House and entering discussion/file areas related to the
new administration:

Compuserve: 75300,3115 (e-mail); GO: WHITE HOUSE (White House forum)

America OnLine: clinton pz (e-mail); KEYWORD: WHITEHOUSE (White House
area)

MCI; WHITE HOUSE (e-mail); VIEW WHITE HOUSE (views bulletin boards)

Internet e-mail address: [e-mail];
[e-mail]; [e-mail]

As you can see, only the first Internet address is really on Internet,
the others forward mail to Compuserve and AOL mailboxes.

Yesterday Newsbytes sent an e-mail request to the White House and
to MCI Mail for more access information. Although MCI responded
almost immediately with the above useful information we have not
heard anything back from the White House yet.

Just because they get your mail doesn't mean they will respond
immediately (if at all).

(John McCormick/19930316)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(NYC)(00015)

EFF 2nd Annual Pioneers Award Winners 03/16/93
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- The Electronic
Frontier Foundation (EFF) has announced that Paul Baran, Vinton Cerf,
Ward Christensen, Dave Hughes, and the USENET software developers have
been named as recipients of its Second Annual Pioneer Awards.

Paul Barun is credited with being the original inventor of the notion
of packet switching, the method of simultaneously transmitting many
messages from many sources to many destinations over the same circuit.
Baram co-founded Telebit, InterFax, and his current firm, Com21.

Dr. Vinton Cerf led the research project which developed the TCP/IP
protocol suite, the open system interconnection protocol that is used
by corporations, schools, government agencies and individuals to
communicate over the Internet. He participated in the development of
the ARPANET host protocols and managed the Internet, packet
communications, and networked security programs for DARPA. He is now
vice president of the Corporation for National Research Initiates and
is responsible for that company's projects involving the Internet,
electronic mail, and Knowledge Robot research.

Ward Christensen developed both the first bulletin board system (BBS)
and the file transfer protocol, XModem, that has long been the
standard for BBS file transfer. Christensen's BBS, CBBS/Chicago, is
still in operation, while Christensen is in his 25th year at IBM.

Dave Hughes, a retired Army colonel and self-styled "singer-of-ASCII-
songs," founded the Roger's Bar BBS and Old Colorado City
Communications as well as "Big Sky Telegraph," a personal computer
network connecting one-room rural schoolhouses in rural Montana to
worldwide information sources. He is currently involved in a project
in the former Soviet Union.

Tom Truscott, James Ellis, Steve Bellovin, Stephen Daniel and Dennis
Rockwell comprised the team involved in the development of USENET, the
ever-expanding collection of "newsgroups" that is presently carried by
networked sites throughout the world. The daily traffic is now
approximately 20,000 articles, or 50 million bites of data, posted to
2,000 newsgroups. Truscott, currently employed by IBM in Research
Triangle Park, North Carolina, and Ellis, manager of technical
development, Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), accepted the
award.

The awards were presented by Mitch Kapor & John Perry Barlow, co-
founders of EFF, and Esther Dyson, editor-and-publisher of RELease
1.0, and EFF board member and a member of the judging committee.
Others on the judges committee were Jim Warren, founder of InfoWorld
and a 1992 Pioneer Award winner, Steve Cisler of Apple Computer, and
Bob Metcalfe, founder of InfoWorld.

Dave Hughes concluded his acceptance speech by saying, "I have changed
my will to provide that upon my death, I will be buried with my laptop
computer, a cellular modem and a solar panel for lifetime power. Six
months after I'm gone, people in Southern California will see on their
screen 'Hi, it's Dave Hughes. Want to chat?'"

Dr. Cerf added, "That's a new definition of the eternal flame."

Hughes told Newsbytes that he was "gratified to receive the award and
had come almost directly from Russia to receive it. Electronic
communications can bring education and understanding to all parts of
the world and I'm happy just to be involved."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19930316/Press Contact: Cliff
Figallo, Electronic Frontier Foundation, 617-576-4506, [e-mail])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TOR)(00016)

HP Unix From Apollo Made Easier 03/16/93
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- In an effort to
encourage customers to migrate from the old proprietary workstation
platforms it inherited from Apollo Computer to its own HP-UX version
of Unix, Hewlett-Packard is offering customers a discount on software
that can restore files backed up under Apollo's Domain/OS onto HP
Apollo 900 Series 700 workstations running HP-UX.

HP and Workstation Solutions of Nashua, New Hampshire, have announced
an agreement to offer Workstation Solutions' RBAK for Unix software at
a 79-percent discount to HP customers migrating from Domain/OS to HP-
UX.

Customers upgrading from a Domain/OS-based HP Apollo 9000 Series
400 workstation to a Series 700 under the HP Open Migration
Program, or trading in an Apollo Series workstation toward the
purchase of a Series 700, are eligible for the discount if they
are on a software maintenance contract.

To qualifying HP customers, RBAK for Unix is available
immediately from Workstation Solutions for a list price of $400.
The product's non-discounted price is $1,950.

Jim Parsons, a spokesman for Workstation Solutions, said there
is no time limit on the offer. He added that RBAK for Unix will
work with backup tapes created under Domain/OS "since the very
early days" of the Apollo systems.

RBAK for Unix is a relatively new product, Parsons said. Workstation
Solutions has developed a variety of software for the Apollo systems
and other platforms, evolved from the original backup and management
tools for Domain/OS.

RBAK for Unix supports all HP-UX and Domain/OS WBAK tape formats and
media types as well as all Workstation Solutions WBAK extensions, the
companies said.

(Grant Buckler/19930316/Press Contact: Jimm Parsons, Workstation
Solutions, 603-880-0080; Jim Barbagallo, Hewlett-Packard,
508-436-5049)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00017)

Mitsubishi To Be Second Source For DEC Alpha Chips 03/16/93
MAYNARD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- Digital
Equipment Corporation has announced that Mitsubishi Electric has been
signed up as a second source for its Alpha AXP reduced-instruction-set
computing (RISC) processors.

Plans call for Mitsubishi to build chips designed by Digital,
spokesman Mark Fredrickson said. Later, the Japanese firm will design
its own implementations of the architecture, aimed at specific markets
where Mitsubishi is strong, such as embedded controllers.

But Mitsubishi will also sell Alpha chips to computer makers. "It's
wide open and we expect to compete with them," Fredrickson said.

Second-source arrangements are common in the semiconductor industry to
assure chip buyers of a reliable supply. "In the semiconductor
business security of supply is very important to customers," he added,

Introduced last year, the DEC Alpha chips are considered to be among
the world's fastest processors. A number of companies have said they
will use the chips in various types of hardware. Computer systems
suppliers who have publicly stated they will build around Alpha chips
include Cray Research, Kubota Pacific, Encore Computer, Olivetti,
military supplier Raytheon, Aeon Systems, and the European
supercomputer consortium Advanced Computer Research International
(ACRI).

While the Mitsubishi deal is the only second-source arrangement
unveiled so far for the Alpha AXP chips, Fredrickson said that "the
door is open" to the possibility of more such agreements.

(Grant Buckler/19930316/Press Contact: Mark Fredrickson, Digital
Equipment, 508-493-4930)


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

Zenith Cuts Notebook Prices 03/16/93
BUFFALO GROVE, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- Zenith Data
Systems has announced it is reducing the price of some of its notebook
PCs by as much as 13 percent. Systems with lowered prices include the
passive-matrix color Z-Note 386SL's, four versions of the Z-Sport, and
the Z-Sport docking station.

The color notebook units, powered by a 25 megahertz (MHz) 386SL, now
are priced at $2,499 for the 85-megabyte (MB) hard disk version and
$2,699 when configured with a 120MB hard drive. The Z-Note 386SL
comes with a built-in Ethernet-compatible communications port which
allows the system to be connected to a local area network, and is
upgradable. The color Z-Note was introduced in January of this year.

Z-Sport systems with 386 and 486 microprocessors were reduced the
most. A 325S Model 60, equipped with a 60MB hard drive, 2MB of
system memory and using a 25 MHz Intel 386SX chip was reduced 13
percent to $1,299. With an 85 MB hard drive the unit now carries a
price tag of $1,399.

The Z-Sport 420S Model 85, a 20 MHz 486SX-based notebook computer
configured with an 85MB hard drive and 4MB of system memory, now costs
$1,799, while the Model 120 using a 25 MHz 486SX chip and equipped
with a 120MB hard disk will sell for $2,099.

The Z-Sport docking station, equipped with three full-length 16-bit
ISA (industry standard architecture) expansion slots and two
half-height drive bays, was cut 10 percent, to $599.

(Jim Mallory/19930316/Press contact: John Bace, 708-808-4848; Reader
contact: Zenith Data Systems, 800-553-0331)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(DEN)(00019)

 ****MiniScribe Execs Indicted, Could Get Five Years 03/16/93
DENVER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- Two top-level executives
of the now defunct MiniScribe Corporation have been indicted on
federal charges that could eventually lead to jail terms of up to five
years and fines of $250,000.

The indictments of former chairman Q.T. Wiles and former chief
financial officer Patrick J. Schleibaum, are the result of an
investigation that started more than three years ago. MiniScribe
Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January 1990. Most of
the company's assets, but none of its liabilities, were purchased by
California-based Maxtor Corporation.

Wills is accused of falsely inflating the value of the Longmont,
Colorado-based company, falsely reporting income in shareholder
reports, and getting rich by allegedly dumping almost $2 million worth
of his MiniScribe shares while being aware that the company's
financial condition was worsening. Wills was also allegedly
responsible for the shipment of boxes that supposedly contained
inventory that were actually filled with bricks.

Schleibaum reported to be alleged to have ordered two company officers
to open locked trunks that contained working documents of auditors so
that the records could be altered. He is also alleged to have been
involved in the creation of false inventory. Falsified financial
statements were reportedly disseminated to the Securities and Exchange
Commission and MiniScribe shareholders, as well as at least one
financial institution that lent the company millions of dollars.

Last year a Texas jury assessed $250 million in damages against
Wiles in a stockholder suit against the company and its officers.
Both Wills and Schleibaum are reportedly now living in California.

(Jim Mallory/19930316)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00020)

Interop - B&W Unveils Windows NT Offerings 03/16/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- Microsoft's Windows
New Technology (NT) is not here yet, but that has not stopped Beame &
Whiteside Software from unveiling two software offerings for the
upcoming operating system.

At the Interop trade show in Washington, Beame & Whiteside, of Dundas,
Ontario, unveiled BW-Services for Windows NT, a package of
multi-user, multitasking, and electronic mail services.

The company said that BW-Services for NT will bring to NT the same
multitasking and multi-user services provided by its BW-Services
software for DOS and for the DOS version of Windows. This means an NT
workstation can be converted to a multi-user and multitasking host
supporting multiple Telnet sessions, FTP connections, and other
connectivity services.

Terry Woloszyn, manager of sales and marketing at Beame & Whiteside,
said that the initial release of BW-Services for Windows NT will offer
no additional capabilities based on NT's 32-bit architecture, although
B&W may well take advantage of the operating system's added power with
new features in future. NT's capabilities will allow the new version
of BW-Services to offer better performance than existing versions.

Beame & Whiteside also said the electronic mail component of the
new software will let users transfer mail among NT systems and
other hosts on a network using Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
(SMTP) and Post Office Protocol (POP2 and POP3).

Woloszyn said that his company expects to see NT installed mainly on
network servers, and will aim its product at that market.

Pricing and availability have not been determined. Woloszyn said
that B&W is waiting until Microsoft ships a commercial release of
Windows NT before beginning beta testing of BW-Services.

(Grant Buckler/19930316/Press Contact: Terry Woloszyn, Beame &
Whiteside, 416-765-0822)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00021)

 ****Compuadd Closes Retail Outlets, Will Sell Direct Only 03/16/93
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- Compuadd Computer
Corporation has announced plans to close its retail outlets and
concentrate solely on the direct marketing channel.

Chief Executive Officer Bill Hayden says the move reflects a
commitment to CompuAdd's core competency, direct marketing. "We were
at a strategic crossroads; either execute a plan to increase walk-in
business, which represents only 30 percent of our revenues, or
refocus everything on our core business," he said.

"We chose the most efficient channel and the one that consistently
yields the highest level of customer satisfaction," he added. Outbound
sales activities will be consolidated into the direct marketing
operations.

The company said that it will close its 110 retail stores by the year
end, and will lay off 600 people, about half of its workforce.

CompuAdd was founded in 1982 and was one of the first companies to
sell computer products by mail order. Since then competitors like
Dell Computer Corporation and Gateway 2000 have made their presence
felt in the direct marketing field, and computer giants like IBM,
Digital Equipment Corporation, Apple Computer, and Tandy Corporation
have all entered the mail order business. Last week Compaq Computer
joined the fray, announcing it will begin taking telephone and mail
orders later this month.

A source close to the company told Newsbytes that the move would have
no effect on CompuAdd Express, the consumer mail-order arm of the
company formed in 1992. CompuAdd Express handles the orders that don't
require any support of consulting support, while CompuAdd provides a
higher level of support sophistication such as networking advice and
custom system configuration.

The CompuAdd stores range from 2,500 to 16,000 square feet. CompuAdd
spokesperson John Pope told Newsbytes the company expects 1993
revenues to drop to between $300 million and $350 million due to the
reorganization. Pope said that 1992 revenues were about $524 million.

(Jim Mallory/19930316/Press contact: John Pope, CompuAdd,
512-250-2000; Reader contact: 800-456-3116)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00022)

 ****Dell Color Notebook Under $2,000 03/16/93
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- Dell Computer Corporation
is showing its first color notebook computer priced under $2,000 at
the Lap and Palmtop '93 show in New York this week.

Called the Dimension NL25C, the new unit is based on an Intel 386SL
microprocessor running at 25 megahertz (MHz), and is a color version
of the company's NL25 monochrome system. The basic unit is priced at
$1,999 and incorporates a 9-inch passive matrix color VGA display
that supports the use of 256 simultaneous colors. An external
monitor can be connected, and power is provided by a rechargable
nicad battery that Dell says will provide up to five hours of
operating time when used with the built-in power management
features.

The batteries will provide two hours of operation without power
management. Dell spokesperson Michelle Moore told Newsbytes the NL25C
can also run on a nickel metal hydride battery, which provides about
six hours of operation with power management, and about 2.5 hours when
power-saving is used. Three levels of power savings are provided,
including Dynamic Standby, Global Standby, and Suspend Mode. The
system weighs 6.6 pounds, has an 8.5 by 11 footprint, and is 2 inches
high.

The standard configuration includes two megabytes (MB) of RAM, or
system memory, 64 kilobytes (K) of cache memory, an 80MB hard drive,
and MS-DOS 5.0. Memory can be expanded up to 8MB, and hard drives of
120 or 200MB are available. The 120MB hard drive version will sell
for $2,199, while the 200MB model has a price tag of $2,399. Other
options include 2400/9600 and 14.4/9600 data fax modems.

Support is provided for an Intel 387SL 25 MHz math chip, and three
expansion slots are available for a data/fax modem and memory
expansion. One serial port and one enhanced parallel port, as well
as a PS/2 port for a mouse, external keyboard, or keypad. The 85-key
keyboard includes 12 dedicated function keys, an embedded numeric
keypad, separate screen navigation keys and an inverted-T cursor key
layout.

Dell says most configurations of the NL25C, like its other systems,
are available through its QuickShip program, which provides next-day
shipment if the order is received by noon Central Standard Time.

(Jim Mallory/19930316/Press contact: Lisa Rohlf, Dell Computer,
512-794-4100; Reader contact: Dell Computer, 800-289-3355)


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

 ****9600 BPS Modems Now Price Of 2400's Last Year 03/16/93
SKOKIE, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- The modem price
war continued as US Robotics said it was dramatically cutting
the prices of its Sportster fax and data modems. Motorola's UDS
unit had recently announced a similar price cut.

The price war is being driven by new technology which is
dramatically reducing the number of chips required to make a fast
modem. The new buzzword is digital signal processing, or DSPs.

DSP chips have multiple uses, which vary based only on programming.
Some people believe that DSPs can eventually become a general-purpose
add-in which acts like a sound board, a modem, or an answering
machine, depending on the software loaded onto them.

Sportster prices were dropped 42-52 percent, US Robotics said,
effective immediately. The company said the new prices for 9,600
baud products are similar to what 2,400 baud products were
selling for last year.

The company credited a new design for the price cuts. Its new
products are smaller, shorter, and with new cases. They use data
pumps based on digital signal processors, like the company's
Courier, Total Control and Shared Access products. They also are
compliant with CCITT standards for fax and data transmission.

Among the more spectacular price cuts are those on its Sportster
14,400 Data-Fax modem, which now costs $299, and a Macintosh
version of the same unit at $329. Prices on 9600 baud products
now range from $219-249, with prices for 2,400 baud products all
down as low as $119. The new products, in the new external
cases, are available immediately. Internal models will ship in
April.

(Dana Blankenhorn/199303016/Press Contact: Karen Novak, US
Robotics, 708/982-5244)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00024)

 ****But Does Your Broker Have a Power Deck? 03/16/93
ELMSFORD, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- First came the
power lunch, then the power tie and power breakfast. Now, at
last, the perfect accompaniment to an investment banker's
workstyle -- the Power Deck workstation.

Brokers, investment bankers, traders, and financial analysts have
long been involved in a high-tech arms race aimed at compiling,
digesting, and acting on financial information quickly. The
latest entry is a workstation from V Band Corp. called the Power
Deck.

The Power Deck is hailed by its maker as the ultimate power
workstation, ergonomically designed to be easy, efficient and
comfortable to use, with buttons logically arranged and the ones
used most often oversized. The station is designed so your power
broker can read the screen whether in front of it or off to the
side. Line-select keys, which link to phones or computer
networks, are placed so you won't accidentally hit the wrong key.

The keys are also precisely angled so they are easy to press. And, of
course, the whole system can be installed in any number of ways to fit
a banker's working style. A power pad, which controls critical
commands, can even be detached. It has a spin wheel and cursor keys
for quickly scrolling up to 320 lines of prices, and selecting them
for display and analysis.

Perhaps most important of all, the Power Deck is designed to work with
the company's VIAX DN backroom system, as well as ISDN and multimedia
applications which are coming to broker desks. Early installations
should be available this fall.

(Dana Blankenhorn/199303016/Press Contact: V Band, James A.
Lowell, Jr., 914/789-5000)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00025)

Videoconferencing Goes To Korea 03/16/93
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- While the world is holding
its breath in a confrontation between North and South Korea that may
involve nuclear weapons, maybe a videoconference would help.

If so, the Hyundai group has a deal for Kim Il Sung, North
Korea's strongman. Hyundai announced it will be selling the VTEL
videoconferencing system, formerly called VideoTelecom, in South
Korea through a reseller agreement. VTEL's system is a high-end
videoconferencing system sometimes called MediaMax.

Hyundai itself has problems, owing to its former chairman's decision
to run, unsuccessfully it turned out, for South Korea's presidency.
Since his decision to run, the company has been losing
domestic contracts. Since his loss, there have been rumors the
government of Kim Young Sam may seek to break up Hyundai, and other
of the region's conglomerates.

They are also manufacturing powerhouses. Hyundai is best known in
the US for its cars, but it has a combined annual turnover of
about $50 billion. And the company has been one of the driving forces
behind Korea's industrialization. They take on many of the
responsibilities, including importing and trading goods, taken in
Japan by trading giants like Mitsui. Parts of VTEL's MediaMax system
is sold throughout the Pacific Rim by Canon of Japan under the name
CanoMedia. That deal was announced last summer.

Under the agreement, Hyundai's Hyundai Electronics Industries unit
will offer product demonstrations at office and factory sites in
Seoul. HEI also operates a digital network known as HIVAN, which
connects six major cities in South Korea, and can thus combine network
and product offerings to provide a complete conferencing solution. HEI
has annual revenues of about $1.5 billion from semiconductor,
industrial electronics, telecommunications and information systems
products.

(Dana Blankenhorn/199303016/Press Contact: VTEL, Alison
Raffalovich, 512/834-3720)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00026)

HP Packs More Pounce In One-Ounce Kittyhawk Disk Drive 03/16/93
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- Hewlett-Packard
has unveiled the second generation of its HP Kittyhawk Personal
Storage Module (PSM), a tiny disk drive for handheld PCs,
digital cameras, and other computerized devices.

Designed with Windows-based sub-notebooks as a major target, the
HP Kittyhawk PSM II offers 42.8 MB of storage, or twice the
capacity of the PSM I, an HP spokesperson said. The new miniature
drive also provides greater shock resistance and more power savings
than its predecessor.

Announced last summer, the PSM I is already being used in the EO
Personal Communicator 440, the spokesperson told Newsbytes. The
PSM I will also appear in Dauphin's new DTR-1 pint-sized 486
pen/notebook, and in upcoming digital and infrared cameras.

On the future cameras, the PSM will serve as "film." One digital
device, a handheld still and video camera from the German
manufacturer Sheldonderry, will incorporate a full keyboard and
computer display, for use in adding words and symbols to photos.
Users will be able to print out the titled pictures on any standard
printer.

Dauphin will employ the PSM I for the first release of the DTR-1,
scheduled to ship in May, according to the spokesperson. A
transition will be made to the PSM II when the new drive, now
available in evaluation quantities only, is shipping in full
volume.

Like the PSM I, the new PSM II weighs only one ounce. To make
better use of the new 42.8 MB capacity, HP is working closely with
Microsoft to assure that the PSM II is compatible with DOS 6.0, an
operating system slated to include a 2:1 data compression ratio.
The data compression will give the PSM II an effective capacity of
80 MB, the spokesperson said.

The PSM II supplies 50% more shock resistance than the PSM I, a
drive capable of withstanding a three-foot fall. The new drive
also requires only 1 second of spin-up time, in contrast to the
industry average of 5 seconds.

The lower spin-up time translates into an "instant on," meaning that
users don't have to wait for the drive to respond when turning on
their computers. The new spin-up time will also help to preserve
battery power in portable computers and other mobile devices, she
said.

To further extend HP's power-saving efforts, the PSM II is able to
to turn off unused circuitry when the drive isn't reading or
writing.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930316/Press contact: Randi Braunwalder,
Hewlett-Packard, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00027)

 ****Macintosh "Workalike" Runs Mac, PC Software 03/16/93
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- Nutek
promised over two years ago, in February of 1991, it would
deliver a Macintosh-compatible computer to market, and the
company has now made good on that promise. However, Nutek has
gone a step further and says its motherboard and system
software will also run software designed for the IBM and
compatible personal computer (PC) platform as well.

The company says its new motherboard and system software
incorporate both Intel 80486 and Motorola 68030 microprocessors
in a single stand-alone desktop system. The system software is
based on the graphical Open Software Foundation's (OSF) Motif
interface.

Other companies have offered products for running Macintosh
software on PCs, such as Newport Beach, California based Hydra
Systems with its Andor Card for PCs, but Nutek is the first to
develop its own read-only memory (ROM) that is Macintosh
compatible. Hydra Systems produced its Mac compatible product by
cannibalizing old Macintosh computers for the ROM and installing
it on the Andor Card to allow PCs to run Macintosh applications.

Nutek says it has checked through the legal aspects and doesn't
expect Apple can stop it from producing the Duet. So far, Apple
Computer has made no formal attempts to stop the production or
distribution of the Duet although Nutek is certain Apple is
aware of the product, according to company president and
founder Benjamin Chou.

The Nutek Duet is not compatible with every software package on
the market for Macintoshes and PCs, but the company says it has
a list of hardware and software with which the Duet is
compatible. Chou calls the Duet a "workalike" and says of the
top thirteen software titles for the Macintosh, the Duet will
run all but Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Works. The company
lists over seventy software and hardware titles that work with
the Duet, including network cards by Farallon and Asante,
software from Adobe, Lotus, Microsoft, Aldus, Wordperfect, and
hardware from PLI, US Robotics, Hewlett-Packard, and Apple
Computer. Other popular software titles not working now are
under testing, Nutek said.

The company says it has orders from Europe and plans to sign up
US dealers this month. The system will be sold through
authorized dealers and will be available in volume within 90
days after receipt of orders, Nutek said. The list price to
dealers and resellers of $899 undercuts Apple Computer's
prices, but is higher than PC prices once components such as
hard and floppy drives, a monitor, and a case are added. The
Duet will support color however, in resolutions from 640 x 480
to 1024 x 768, Chou added.

NuTek will exhibit the Duet at the German Cebit trade show in
Hannover scheduled for March 24-31. The company's booth D9
(stand E36/F35), will be located on the first floor of Hall 8
in the USA Graphics, Imaging, and Multimedia Pavilion.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930316/Press Contact: Amelie Gardella,
Copithorne & Bellows for Nutek, tel [phone]; Benjamin
Chou, Nutek, tel [phone], fax [phone])


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

Radius' New Photorealistic Color Card, Display 03/16/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- Radius has
announced its new Precisioncolor 24x interface card for the
Macintosh and its new 20-inch, Trinitron-based Intellicolor
Display/20.

The Precisioncolor 24x interface is first to make full use of
the 7-inch Macintosh Nubus form factor introduced by Apple
Computer on the Macintosh Centris 610 computer. Radius says the
card provides 24-bit video and graphics acceleration at a
variety of resolutions, uses less power and produces less heat
than conventional cards.

Radius says tests by Ingram Laboratories of the Precisioncolor
and Supermac's Thunder card confirm the Precisioncolor delivers
photorealistic color faster than the Supermac Thunder card, but
is less than half the price.

The card is capable of displaying 16.7 million colors; offers
resolution changing from 640 by 480 detail or 1152 by 870, and
two-page viewing with a single mouse "on-the-fly;" offers
support for almost any 13-inch to 21-inch monitor; and
incorporates ASIC circuitry to accelerate commonly used graphic
functions.

The Radius PrecisionColor 24X interface card is available at a
suggested retail price of $1849, but for a limited time,
purchasers can also receive a $100 rebate by registering the
card with Radius by phone.

The new Intellicolor Display/20 offers bi-directional
communications between the microprocessor-controlled display
and the computer for more precise control of geometry, image
size, centering, and color temperature, Radius said. The
refresh rate of the Intellicolor is one of the highest at 160
hertz (Hz) and the monitor is capable of resolution of up to
1600 by 1200. The monitor is compatible with the built-in video
of both the Macintosh Quadra and Centris as well.

The monitor offers dark display glass, a bonded OCLI anti-glare
panel, and user-definable, computer-controlled color
temperature capabilities. The display also meets the Swedish
MPR-II safety standards for ultra-low electromagnetic field
emissions, Radius said. Software included with the Intellicolor
offers the ability for color and display management, including
control over convergence, image shape, size, positioning and
resolution switching on-the-fly.

Suggested list price for the Intellicolor is $3,199 and Radius
says it will be available through its resellers this month.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930316/Press Contact: James Strohecker,
Radius, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Customer
registration & service 800-227-2795 ext. 2B)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00029)

Ricoh To Intro Bubblejet Fax Machine 03/16/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- Taking a leaf out of Canon's book,
Ricoh has committed to integrating bubblejet printer technology with
other electronics products. Unlike Canon, which recently integrated a
bubblejet printer with a notebook PC, Ricoh has opted to include its
technology in a fax machine.

The move is doubly interesting, since Canon was the original developer
of bubblejet technology, so one is left wondering whether Canon may
yet release a bubblejet printer fax machine ahead of Ricoh. Ricoh, of
course, has to pay a licence fee for the bubblejet technology to
Canon.

Plain paper faxes are nothing new, but Ricoh claims that Canon's
bubblejet technology is a cheaper to integrate in a fax machine than a
laser printer.

The announcement of a bubblejet fax machine is a feather in the cap of
Canon. Other office equipment manufacturers are expected to follow
Ricoh's lead in the coming months with their own bubblejet integrated
technology devices.

Understandably, Ricoh remains coy on the subject of pricing on its
planned bubblejet fax machine. Sources suggest that the machine, which
will be sold in both the US and Japan, will be mid-way between the
existing thermal and laser printer types, making it straddle both low-
end and high-end consumer markets.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930316/Press Contact: Ricoh, +81-3-
3479-3014)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00030)

Apple Opens Company Store To The Public 03/16/93
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- You can't
buy a Mac at the Apple Computer Company Store, but you an buy that
Apple sweat-shirt you've always wanted, a toner cartridge for your
Apple laser printer, or a cable for your Mac. Previously only
available to employees of Apple Computer, the Cupertino, California
store full of Apple-logo merchandise and computer accessories is now
open to the public.

While Apple hardware products are not available at the store, you can
get information about Apple hardware and see the latest products
demonstrated. Apple says the store has been moved from its former
location at 10381 Banley Drive to the new Apple research and
development campus at 1 Infinite Loop in Cupertino, very near North De
Anza Boulevard. The store is open 10:00 am to 5:30 pm Monday through
Friday.

For those of you who cannot go to The Company Store, the store can
come to you in the form of the Apple Catalog. More merchandise is
available in the catalog than can be purchased at The Company Store,
because hardware, software, and peripherals are offered in the
catalog. The Apple Catalog is available without charge by request by
calling The Company Store.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930316/Press Contact: Eileen Caetano, Apple
Computer, tel [phone], fax [phone]; The Company Store
public contact 408-974-5050)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TOR)(00031)

IBM Launches DB2 For RS/6000, Other Products  03/16/93
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 16 (NB) -- IBM has
brought its DB2 relational database software to the RISC
System/6000 line of Unix-based workstations and servers, and
announced other new products and upgrades that it said will help
customers move to open systems and client/server computing.

At a press conference held during the Uniforum show and
conference here, IBM announced DB2/6000, which runs on its AIX
variant of Unix on the RS/6000 machines. IBM said DB2/6000 is
designed for client/server computing.

The company also launched a new version of the original DB2,
which runs on its proprietary Multiple Virtual Storage (MVS)
mainframe operating system.

And IBM indicated it will go farther, bringing DB2 to hardware
and software platforms from other vendors in the months to come.
These will include leading Unix platforms, she said, and she
hinted that Microsoft's upcoming Windows NT operating system -- a
rival to IBM's own OS/2 -- is also a candidate.

"You can expect to product deliveries every three to six months
as we build the database platform," said Janet Perna, director of
database technology at IBM's Toronto laboratory.

DB2/6000 will support client systems running AIX, OS/2, DOS, and
Microsoft Windows, Perna said. It will support Microsoft's Open
Database Connectivity (ODBC) specification, allowing Windows
software written to that specification to query data in the
RS/6000 database.

IBM also announced DDCS/6000, an RS/6000 version of its software
for querying data in databases on other platforms.

Both RS/6000 products are to ship in July, Perna said. She also
said a number of other software vendors will be launching
products to work with the new version of DB2, most of which will
be available in the second half of this year.

The new release of DB2 for MVS, Version 3, will offer improved
performance and availability, with a particular boost in
performance on large read-only queries thanks to new parallel
input/output capabilities, Perna said.  The new software will
also bring a reduction in disk-storage requirements of 40 to 50
percent, she said, and expand the distributed-processing
capability of DB2.

DB2 Version 3 for MVS is due to ship in June.

IBM also announced other new products and alliances related to
its Information Warehouse strategy, including plans to work with
decision support software vendors Comshare and UK-based
Intelligent Office Co.

Grant Buckler/19930316/Press Contact: Rachel Whitehouse, Brodeur
& Partners for IBM, 617-894-0003)