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/NB930325

Text File | 1993-03-26 | 73KB | 1,598 lines

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00001)

Community College Computer Lab For Disabled 03/25/93
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 25 (NB) -- It looks
like any other small computer training center, equipped with a few
IBM-compatible PCs, but it can open up a whole world for some
of its users.

At the Computer Access Center for the Disabled, operated by Pikes
Peak Community College (PPCC) in Colorado Springs, Colorado,
instructors George Mahoney and Jerry Kabbe teach students who
are blind or otherwise physically challenged to use special software
that interfaces with off-the-shelf programs like Wordperfect. Those
special programs, along with hardware like page scanners, can make
the disabled productive in a way some of them may never have dared
dream about otherwise.

The center is funded through a joint effort between PPCC, the
Colorado Community Colleges occupational educational system, the
Colorado Rehabilitation Services, and the Governor's Job Training
Office. The program was established about 14 months ago with the
purchase of three computer workstations, a selection of software, a
screen reader, a voice synthesizer, and some peripheral equipment.

A program called Mastertouch, running in the background, allows the
voice synthesizer to read aloud on-screen text in text-oriented
programs for the computer user who is visually impaired. Text can be
read a word, line, or paragraph at a time, and the reading speed can
be controlled by the user. A touch of the "space bar" suspends the
reading until the user is ready to resume. The specially equipped
keyboards have Braille characters embossed on the keytops, which
also have large labels. An earphone jack provides privacy and
eliminates disturbing adjacent users. Mastertouch also speaks each
key action, such as "space" or even mouse actions such s "double
click." Multiple key combinations are assigned to specific keys,
much like macros - a feature that aids users with limited dexterity.
Mastertouch can also act as a spelling checker, sounding out words a
letter at a time.

A device called Morse WSKE, made by Words Plus, uses an interface
between a sending device similar to a telegrapher's key and the
computer, to perform keystrokes. The key can be pressed with an
elbow, finger, or even a pointing stick held in the teeth. Morse
WSKE users tap out each letter individually, and special code
combinations perform functions like carriage returns. The lab also
has a tool called Mind Reader, a program used in conjunction with
Morse WSKE that makes typing easier by predicting the next word the
student wants to type. It seems slow, but as Mahoney told Newsbytes,
"For some people it might be a Godsend."

Another piece of equipment to aid the visually impaired can scan
printed documents onto digital tape. The tape can then be played in
a conventional tape player, allowing a blind or partially blind
person to hear the text. Kabbe told Newsbytes two chapters of an
average textbook will fit on one tape. Kabbe says the device also
aids dyslexics, who can follow the text in the book as the tape
plays.

Six community colleges initially participated in the program, with
that number having expanded to 11. Students normally spend one to
four weeks learning the adaptive equipment, and an audio tape is
available to teach them key placement if they do not already know
the keyboard. The PPCC lab had eight students enrolled last semester,
and there are nine this semester. It is a two semester-hour course,
and students spend about 2.5 hours per week in the lab.

Mahoney says that from a practical point of view, the lab offers
adaptive technology and the accompanying instruction for the
physically challenged. "It helps severely disabled people access the
computer."

Both Mahoney and Kabbe are themselves disabled, so they can
appreciate the challenges their peers face. They say the ultimate goal
of the lab is to help the physically challenged become productive
members of society. "We want to help people achieve their vocational
and academic goals. By doing so, they enhance their employability. We
help them get the skills that will help them become employed, and
help them become competitive." Mahoney says his students often
do not realize they have the potential to do that.

(Jim Mallory/19930324/Press and reader contact: Jerry Mahoney,
Pikes Peak Community College, 719-540-7673)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00002)

Cray Research Intros Scaled-Down C90 Supercomputer 03/25/93
EAGAN, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 25 (NB) -- Cray Research says
it is now shipping a scaled down, lower priced version of its most
powerful supercomputer, the 16-processor C916.

The C916 was originally introduced in 1991 as the Y-MP C90, with
a price tag of $30.5 million. The smaller versions will offer from
one to eight processors at list prices starting at $3.25 million.
Lester Davis, Cray Research chief operating officer, says the new
systems were introduced due to strong customer demand. The
company claims it has already taken five orders for the new
systems, and has about another dozen prospects worldwide.

All the C90-series systems feature four megabit SRAM (static
random access memory), providing up to one gigaword, or one
billion words, of central memory. Cray says that is currently the
largest high-speed memory available in any supercomputer, and
four times the C90's previous capacity.

Larger memory is important to supercomputer users because of
the size of the problems scientists and engineers regularly work
on. It can also lead to faster problem solving.

The complete C90 product line now includes the C92A, an air-
cooled system available with one or two processors and priced
starting at $3.25 million. Not needing special cooling or a motor
generator set, the company says the C92A is suitable for
installation on ships and at remote processing sites.

The C94A is similar to the C92A, is also air-cooled, and comes
with two to four processors. The C94 is a liquid-cooled system
equipped with two to four processors, while its bigger brother,
the C98, provides up to eight processors.

The C90 series CPUs (central processing units) have the same
one-gigaflop (billion floating point operations per second) as the
original C916, which when fully configured has a peak
performance of 16 gigaflops.

Cray Research says it will begin shipping the Cray T3D, its first
massively parallel processing system later this year. Technology
VP Steve Nelson says MPP systems will overcome shortcomings
of present-day RISC (reduced instruction-set computing)
microprocessors by surrounding the RISC chips with powerful
communications hardware, and exploit supercomputer packaging
and cooling techniques.

"We plan to transform thousands of commodity RISC processors
into a supercomputer-class MPP system that can address terabytes
of memory, minimize communication overhead, and provide flexible,
lightweight synchronization. Programs running on our MPP system
will operate in a normal Unix environment," says Nelson.

(Jim Mallory/19930324/Press contact: Steve Conway, Cray
Research, 612-683-7133)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00003)

 ****Analyst Cuts IBM Earnings Estimate 03/25/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 25 (NB) -- Investment firm
Brown Brothers Harriman now expects a loss rather than a profit
from IBM in 1993, and less of a profit in 1994 than previously
forecast. William Milton, who follows IBM for Brown Brothers
Harriman, told Newsbytes he had several reasons for lowering his
estimates.

Milton has cut his forecast of IBM earnings in 1993 from a 35-
cent-per-share profit to a $1.10-per-share loss. For 1994, he has
reduced his earnings forecast from $2.55 per share to $2.10.
Milton added that the 1993 figures is "little more than a guess"
this far ahead.

"Information I'm getting from various people is that the decline
in demand for large systems is a little sharper than previously
expected," Milton said. Large mainframe computers still account
for a large part of IBM earnings.

Intense price competition across IBM's product line and the
impact of staff cuts on employee morale and productivity are
also factors, Milton said. "With the company remaining so
unsettled and adrift," he said, "there's been a noticeable decline
in employee productivity."

Economic weakness in Europe, particularly in Germany, is also
hurting IBM, Milton said.

Milton said he expects IBM to announce within about a week that
it will name Louis Gerstner, currently chairman of RJR Nabisco
Holding Corp., to replace John Akers as its chief executive
officer. However, he said the appointment is unlikely to make
much difference to IBM's immediate prospects.

Noting that IBM is already in the midst of a reorganization and
the company has been cutting jobs at a rapid rate, Milton said:
"There's no obvious action that a new CEO could take that's not
already being taken."

He questioned the choice of an executive from outside the
computer industry. "This is not the Oreo cookie business," he
said, though he added that John Sculley, who came from the soft
drink business to head Apple Computer, is a promising precedent.

(Grant Buckler/19930324/Press Contact: Brown Brothers
Harriman, 212-483-1818)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MOW)(00004)

Russia - Sprint Networks To Start Local Manufacturing 03/25/93
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 MAR 25 (NB) -- Sprint Networks and
the Central Communications Research Institute has announced
an agreement to manufacture Telenet packet switching
equipment in Russia.

The special laboratory and production facilities are to be
created within the Institute, which is the leading design
center for communications equipment in the former Soviet
Union, according to Sprint Network representatives.

The joint facility will make packet assemblers-
disassemblers (PADs) and network control centers,
producing the complete set of equipment to set up an
X.25 network.

According to Mikhail Muraev of Sprint Moscow, production
should reach the local market in mid-summer 1993, with
the resulting products being "attractively priced."

(Kirill Tchashchin/19930323/Press Contact: Sprint
Networks Moscow, phone [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00005)

Lotus "Dramatically Broadening" Notes Market 03/25/93
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 25 (NB) -- The real
news in Lotus Development's announcement of Notes 3.0 is not the
changes to the software itself, but in changes to the way Lotus
plans to sell and support it.

Notes, a work-group applications environment, started life as
high-priced software for a select few large organizations. In the
early days, the simplest configuration Lotus sold cost more than
$50,000 and was designed to serve a large number of users. That
has changed gradually, to the point where a single Notes client
can now be had for $495.

Completing the change, Lotus has now authorized two major
software distributors and several resellers to carry the product,
and has announced a Starter Pack for Microsoft Windows that will
let a customer get started with Notes for less than $1,000.

"We are dramatically broadening the availability of the product,"
said Brenda Kelly, Notes product marketing manager at Lotus.

As reports had speculated, Lotus is moving to two-tier distribution
for Notes, which it formerly sold direct. Merisel and Ingram
Micro, two of the largest North American software distributors,
have been authorized to carry the software in the United States
and Canada. Resellers Corporate Software, Egghead Software,
Softmart, and Software Spectrum were also named to handle it.
"There are plans in the works for additional distributors" in
North America and around the world, Kelly said.

Because Notes is a complex product, Lotus wants to back the new
broader sales strategy with more education and support for
customers. So the company also announced new education and
support plans. The new Notes Open Education Program will
authorize 15 additional independent centers by midsummer to
provide Notes training.

Lotus also announced four support programs. "Automated
Support" will provide technical information by fax on demand.
"Basic Telephone Support," is aimed at users with just one Notes
server, and will deal with questions about installation, commands
and functions, desktop application integration, client-to-server
communication, and remote access.

"Premium Telephone Support," for customers with more
complicated installations, will deal with issues such as
server-to-server data replication and multiple networks.
"On-Site Services" will offer Lotus engineers on the customer
site to help with installation and use of the software.

Basic and Premium Telephone Support will be available on a
subscription or per-call basis. In the United States, Basic
support is $295 per year or $50 per call and Premium is $2,500
per year or $150 per call.

New features meant to make Notes easier to use may also
contribute to broadening the software's use. Among these, Kelly
said, is an updated graphical user interface that adds some of
the features found in other Lotus software, such as the
SmartIcons that allow common operations to take place with
one click of the mouse.

Familiar applications - whether from Lotus or otherwise - will
play another role in the new version. Support for Microsoft's
object linking and embedding (OLE) - which allows one application
to call another - will let Notes users utilize a familiar application
such as Lotus' 1-2-3 spreadsheet or a word processing package to
create documents within Notes, said George Gilbert, a product
marketing manager. Notes will handle these documents exactly as
if they had been created with its own editor, he said.

To build on Notes, Lotus is setting out to encourage third-party
developers to create their own applications around the software.
Kelly said existing third-party applications include some
designed for specific industries, such as financial services, and
some that are more general, such as work-flow automation
applications. More than 400 Notes "partners" are already
developing Notes applications for resale, Kelly said.

Notes 3.0 is to ship in April in the United States and Canada,
with English language versions also shipping in other parts of
the world at about that time. Work will begin on translation into
other languages immediately, Kelly said.

(Grant Buckler/19930325/Press Contact: Nancy Scott or Diane
Horak, McGlinchey & Paul for Lotus, 617-862-4514)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00006)

IBM's CADAM Subsidiary Becomes Altium 03/25/93
BURBANK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 25 (NB) -- CADAM, the
design-automation software subsidiary of IBM, has changed its
name and said it will pursue a broader market.

The newly named Altium, a $150-million subsidiary known for its
design-automation software, will now consider itself to be in the
business of selling desktop software related to manufacturing,
said spokeswoman Antonia Inman. That means the company will
not limit itself to design software but will consider any
opportunity with a connection to manufacturing, she said.

"We want Altium to be known for more than just the best design-
automation software tools for the desktop," said Lee Murray,
president of the company, in a press release. "We want to be
recognized as the people who redefined the way industry
conceives, engineers, builds, and supports products of all
kinds."

Officials said Altium is working on improvements to existing
products, including design-automation software sold under the
Micro CADAM, IBM CAD, and P-CAD brand names. The company
said it invested more than 30 percent of its revenues in product-
related development efforts in 1992, and resulting new products
will be announced throughout this year.

Altium has already been showing its independence by acquiring
rights to sell software developed by other companies and
adapting its own software to run on hardware from companies
other than IBM. "In the old IBM, these events may never have
occurred," said Murray.

The company's new name was chosen by employees and derives
from the Latin for "mountain," Inman said.

(Grant Buckler/19930325/Press Contact: Larry Rugh or
Antonia Inman, Altium, 818-841-9470)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SFO)(00007)

 ****Cypress CEO To Testify Against Clinton's "Data Highway" 03/25/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 25 (NB) -- The planned
high-speed "data superhighway" is a mainstay of President Clinton's
information technology strategy. However, T.J. Rodgers, president and
chief executive officer of Cypress Semiconductor, is scheduled to
testify against the idea at the Congressional Subcommittee hearing
on high-performance computing today.

According to a company press release, "Rodgers' testimony will
convey the growing mood of discontent among many of Silicon Valley's
prominent leaders regarding President Bill  Clinton's recently unveiled
technology policy, including the 'data  superhighway' initiative."

Rodgers' also plans to "challenge the perception that all high-
technology chief executive officers are in accord with the Clinton
administration's technology agenda." His testimony is also set to
include comments from other prominent chief executive officers
who support Rodgers' stance.

The hearing is being conducted by the House Subcommittee on
Science, Space and Technology.

Other witnesses include Dr. Donald A.B. Lindberg, director, National
Coordination Office for High Performance Computing and
Communications; Salim A.L. Bhatia, president, BroadBand
Technologies; Dr. Sidney Karin, director, San Diego Supercomputer
Center; and  Dr. Stephen Gage, president, Cleveland Advanced
Manufacturing Program.

Dr. Rodgers founded Cypress Semiconductor in 1982. The company
has now grown to become a $300 million firm.

Rodgers was previously invited to testify at the July 1991 hearings
of the House Subcommittees on "Critical Technologies: Semiconductors."

As reported already by Newsbytes this week, a number of industry
leaders have come out in support of the Clinton telecommunications
plan. Executives and lobbyists from AT&T, Bellcore, Sprint,
Ameritech Bell Atlantic, BellSouth, Cincinnati Bell, GTE, MCI, Nynex,
Pacific Telesis Group, Southwestern Bell, Southern New England
Telephone, and US West, have all signed a statement endorsing the
plan's goals. However, they claim that private industry, not the
government, should run the resulting networks.

(Ian Stokell/19930325)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00008)

SCO Wins Unix Awards; Gets Marketing VP 03/25/93
SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 25 (NB) -- SCO won
two awards in the industry-wide Unix Awards ceremony held at
the UniForum Trade Show in San Francisco's. The company has
also announced the appointment of Michael Skelton as vice
president of marketing, the Americas and Northeast Asia.

SCO received the Business Commitment Vendor Award for its
"longstanding commitment" to Unix System technology, and Doug
Michels, SCO's executive vice president and chief technical
officer, received the Lifetime Achievement Award for service
to the industry.

AT&T and Unix System Laboratories sponsored the Unix Awards to
"recognize individuals and organizations from across the industry
who have contributed to the development and commercialization of
the Unix System." The Awards Selection Committee included leading
journalists, market and securities analysts, and user group
representatives from throughout the worldwide Unix System
community.

According to the Awards Selection Committee, the Business
Commitment Vendor Award went to SCO for "building their business
around Unix technology, for being early to adopt the Unix operating
system, and for remaining committed to the technology as the basis
for solutions they provide to their customers."

The Lifetime Achievement Award, given to Doug Michels, recognizes
"individuals who have distinguished themselves in the Unix
community through their dedication and lifelong commitment. They
have given selflessly, and have frequently accepted increased
responsibilities for the good of the industry. They represent the
best of the Unix culture."

Michael Skelton will oversee SCO's expanding, multi-channel
marketing programs in the United States, Canada, Northeast Asia,
Mexico, and throughout Latin America.

Skelton is reported to have 15 years of marketing and sales
management experience in the international computer industry.
Most recently, he served as vice president and general manager
of the Laser-Optic Filing Systems Division of TAB Products Co.

(Ian Stokell/19930325/Press Contact: Zee Zaballos,
408-427-7156, The Santa Cruz Operation Inc.)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00009)

 ****Telecom Execs Spar With Congress, Each Other 03/25/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 MAR 25 (NB) -- A day after issuing
a press statement endorsing the Clinton Administration's telecom
policy as one, top telephone industry executives were back at
each others' throats in a hearing before Rep. Edward Markey's
House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on telecommunications
and finance.

At issue was whether the Regional Bell Operating Companies have
invested heavily enough in their local loops to make fast data
networks useful, and when they should get the authority over
pricing they seek.

Ameritech has proposed the most far-reaching plan in this
area, offering to open its network to local competition if it can
immediately enter the long distance business and set prices as it
sees fit. However, AT&T Chairman Robert Allen, in his opening
statement, questioned whether the plan goes far enough. "Local
exchanges are locked tighter than a drum," he said.

Spokesman Jim McGann later confirmed the view to Newsbytes.
"He said the local network needs to be wider, faster, more
responsive, and at some point not a monopoly." AT&T's view on
the Ameritech proposal remains that it is encouraging, but
doesn't go far enough. "You can't declare competition.
Competition has to arrive" before pricing restrictions are
removed.

Of course, Ameritech Vice Chairman Richard Brown did not see
it that way. He called present regulations, "outmoded" and
"antiquated," and the assumption that his company even holds a
monopoly today false.

Comcast President Brian Roberts agreed with Allen, however, and
disagreed with Brown, stating that the regional Bells do indeed
hold monopolies that stifle competition. McCaw Chairman Craig
McCaw said the whole emphasis on who controls wiring is
misplaced. With 200 megahertz of new frequency being opened up,
and highly-advanced services operating at even higher frequencies
between 18-20 gigahertz, they are more like a "leash that
chokes us" than anything else.

All four agreed on one thing, however, McGann said. "They agreed
that the government should not mandate" new services like ISDN
(Integrated Services Digital Networks), no matter how desirable.
If local phone companies follow through on their present
commitments, to make ISDN standard on most phone lines by 1995,
doing nothing will appear to be a sage policy.

Doing nothing seemed to be Markey's conclusion, too. "The role of
government in actually building a telecommunications
infrastructure for the country is limited," he said. "There is a
lot of consensus on the government's role," added McGann. Funding
for experiments will continue, mandates on investment will not
start soon.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930324/Press Contact: AT&T, Jim McGann,
202-457-3942)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00010)

Fleet Call Becomes Nextel 03/25/93
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 25 (NB) -- Fleet Call,
which has been working to turn a series of radio licenses into a
competitor to local cellular services, said it is changing its
name to Nextel Communications.

The company has no effective date for the change, but it will
likely happen in a few months or so. Nextel said it will have an
all-digital, fully integrated wireless service later this year,
with service throughout most of California by January, 1994.

Nextel owns a number of, what are called, "Specialized Mobile
Radio" licenses in major markets. These are frequency channels
close to those of cellular service providers. The licenses were
first given out in the early 1980s, mainly for use by local
ambulance and taxi companies, with one antenna and calling
channel per license.

Nextel is using a Motorola technology called Enhanced
SMR, related to TDMA, which transforms those frequencies into
digital networks capable of handling both voice and data. The
company is also adding antennae to its service areas to extend
the reach of its service, and linking its licensed service areas
with the same roaming technology used by cellular companies.
The result, it hopes, is a full competitor to cellular, fully-
digital now instead of at some future date.

Once the California market is linked-up, the company expects to
put New York and Chicago on-line in mid-1994, with its Texas
markets of Dallas and Houston being activated in mid-1995. The
advantages for customers, the company says, include one billing
for such services as vehicle dispatch and paging, as well as
wireless telephone service. The disadvantage, however, is reach.

Most cellular service providers allow nationwide roaming, so
customers can get the service from anywhere. Nextel's system
will not be able to do that for years, since many SMR licensees
still run standard analog networks, or digital systems using
different schemes, like one sold by Racotek of Minneapolis.

"We are part of what's known as the Digital Mobile Network
Roaming Consortium, which will cover the major population
centers, starting with the top 30 markets," spokesman John
Hayden told Newsbytes. "That consists of companies like
ourselves in the SMR business who will join together and form
roaming capabilities in major cities. Discom, which is the
third-largest SMR provider, is being merged with us, and we
should then provide a single seamless network from Maine to
Virginia. We'll also get into Minneapolis, Phoenix, and Tucson."

Motorola plans on installing similar systems, but their final
role has yet to be determined, Hayden said.

As Nextel rolls-out, he added, its marketing thrust will change.
"We see because we'll offer a robust inter-connect we can
broaden our audience. But our initial target will be commercial
and business-oriented."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930325/Press Contact: Fleet Call, John
Hayden, 201/438-1400)


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

Rolm To Resell Intervoice Applications 03/25/93
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 25 (NB) -- InterVoice has
announced that Siemens' Rolm unit will re-sell its RobotOperator
interactive voice response system with its software and flagship
CBX private branch exchange (PBX).

It is the second major win in a month for Intervoice. Earlier, MCI
had said it will buy $4 million-worth of the company's equipment
for use in its voice response systems.

RobotOperator is based on the IBM PS/2 platform, but interfaces
with any computer and/or PBX. It offers voice recognition and
fax-back capabilities, and can connect to digital lines and trunks,
handle Caller ID data, and send calls to multiple locations.

Many companies are interested in marrying the reliability of
their PBXs with the processing power of their computer systems,
noted spokesman Dorothy Botnick to Newsbytes. The problem in
the past was that PBXs lacked intelligence while the computers
lacked reliability.

"Our system is extremely reliable," she said, using industry-
standard hardware from a third party. We have maintenance
agreements with IBM for on-site maintenance. We've installed
over 3,000 systems, everything from call-ins in Istanbul to
replacing time cards at Northrop. Simon & Schuster is using us
for order entry, and the list of applications goes on and on."
That includes many overseas sites. Intervoice has sales
offices in Paris and Singapore.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930325/Press Contact: InterVoice,
Dorothy Botnick, 214/497-8771)


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

 ****IBM, Lotus Expand Notes Marketing Pact 03/25/93
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 25 (NB) -- As Lotus
Development was announcing an updated version of Notes - its
work-group application environment - IBM announced plans to
offer its customers three add-on options for Notes by expanding
a marketing agreement with the Cambridge, Massachusetts,
software firm.

The companies said their existing joint US marketing agreement
will be expanded to include Lotus Notes: Document Imaging, Lotus
Notes Optical Character Recognition (OCR) Server, and Lotus Notes
Inbound Fax Gateway. Notes is already available through IBM,
along with Lotus' cc:Mail electronic mail software, as part of
IBM's OfficeVision suite of software.

Under terms of the new agreement, IBM and Lotus will co-market
Lotus Notes: Document Imaging, OCR Server, and Inbound Fax
Gateway. The add-on products are designed to be used with Notes
Release 2.x and the new Release 3.0.

Developed by Lotus and Imagery Software, a subsidiary of
Eastman Kodak, Lotus Notes: Document Imaging lets users
capture documents as images, then manipulate, store, and
display them in Notes.

Lotus Notes OCR Server, developed with Calera Recognition
Systems, will convert scanned documents or incoming faxes
to editable text and store them as Notes documents that can be
edited or searched.

The In-bound Fax Gateway, developed using GammaLink technology,
complements the Notes outbound fax facility. The gateway can
route received fax messages to the OCR server or the document
imaging product, or store them in a Notes database. It will also
support Direct Inward Dialing, routing incoming faxes directly to
individual users.

Lotus began shipping the document imaging product and announced
the other two add-ons last September, saying that when taken
together they open up new work-group application possibilities.
For example, a spokeswoman said, an organization might use Notes
to implement an enterprise-wide resume tracking system that
captures faxed resumes, searches them for key skills and archives
them.

(Grant Buckler/19930325/Press Contact: Steven Malkiewicz, IBM,
914-642-5449; McGlinchey & Paul for Lotus, 617-862-4514)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00013)

Oracle Intros GenerAda Code Generator 03/25/93
REDWOOD SHORES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 25 (NB) -- Oracle's
Federal Division has introduced GenerAda 1.0, an Ada code
generator developed jointly with Meridian and Verdix.

According to the company, GenerAda makes it realistic for
software developers to generate Ada code directly from system
design information created using Oracle computer-aided software
engineering (CASE) tools.

GenerAda reportedly reduces development time and maintenance
costs by eliminating most of the tedious and error prone work
associated with manually coding applications. Also, new
development efforts take advantage of code and design work
from existing applications. Maintenance costs decrease due to
fewer program coding errors and through the use of CASE
technology on the front end of a project.

GenerAda translates into Ada an Oracle Dictionary description of
a database and the related functions and modules for accessing
the database. The company says that version 2.0, planned for
release later this year, will "build on the functionality of version
1.0 to provide full-functioned graphical user interface-based
management information systems (MIS) screens and reports
in Ada."

In announcing the product, Jack Pellicci, vice president, strategic
plans and business development for Oracle's Federal Division, said:
"As an industry leader in providing MIS software solutions, Oracle
recognizes the importance of supporting the US Department of
Defense in its drive to more fully utilize Ada in its MIS systems."

GenerAda costs $50,000 for a six user license and, according to
the company, runs on virtually any hardware platform.

(Ian Stokell/19930325/Press Contact: Michelle Bertnick,
415-506-4176, Oracle Corp.)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00014)

 ****Microsoft To Intro MS-DOS 6.0 Next Week 03/25/93
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 25 (NB) -- Microsoft
Chairman Bill Gates will take time out from planning his wedding
to attend the unveiling of version 6.0 of MS-DOS next week.

As reported recently by Newsbytes, Microsoft is planning a $7
million ad campaign called "Upgrade Your World" to encourage
software users to upgrade to the newest version of the operating
system that is the heart of nearly 120 million personal computers.
The campaign also promotes upgrading to the latest version of
other Microsoft programs.

The introduction will be made at a special meeting of PC User
Group members nationwide March 30 in a 6pm PST satellite-fed
rollout from San Francisco's Moscony Center to sites around the
country. A Microsoft spokesperson told Newsbytes that Gates
will speak at the San Francisco meeting.

Microsoft stock rose 3-1/8 yesterday, closing at 86-1/4. Analysts
attributed the upswing to optimism about the DOS 6 rollout as well
as the Windows NT operating system, which will probably ship
before the end of the second quarter. Windows NT will reportedly
be introduced to the public in May.

The introduction of DOS 6 is not without controversy. One of the
features of the new operating system is said to include data
compression capabilities, allowing users to store more data on
their hard disks without having to install a higher-capacity drive.
However Carlsbad, California-based Stac Electronics has filed
suit against Microsoft claiming the compression features of DOS
6 infringes on data compression technology used in Stac's popular
program Stacker. The two companies are reportedly discussing
ways of settling the dispute, but no settlement has been
announced yet.

Undoubtedly millions of users of DOS 6 will be rushing to their
retailers to buy the new DOS, even though its new features may not
have any real benefit to them, particularly if they are standalone
PC users. However, every time an upgrade is offered to a major
software program, large numbers of users feel they have to have
the latest edition. Microsoft says it expects the street price for
DOS 6  to be "under $50" during the initial promotional period.

(Jim Mallory/19930325/Press contact: Wendy Slawter, Waggener
Edstrom for Microsoft Corporation, 503-245-0905; Reader contact:
Microsoft, 800-426-9400)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(DEN)(00015)

Micrografx Shareholders Charge Securities Violations 03/25/93
RICHARDSON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 25 (NB) -- Micrografx
shareholders have filed at least one, and possibly two suits in a
Texas district court charging the company and some of its
officers and directors with securities violations.

The suits, which seeks class action status, allegedly charge the
company published misleading financial reports and public
statements. Micrografx stock dropped from a March high of 9-1/8
to close yesterday at 4.75 after the company announced earlier
this week that it expected to report a loss of over $1.5 million
for the fourth quarter, which ends March 31. The company also
said it is instituting a major cost cutting program that will
include staff cuts of 20 percent. The company has also reported
that it has uncovered mismanagement of corporate funds at its
Japan subsidiary that could result in a loss of as much as
$500,000.

This is not the first time Micrografx has been sued for allegedly
violating securities laws. In August 1991 Newsbytes reported a
similar suit filed by shareholders in a New York district court.
That suit alleged misleading information was disseminated
through press releases, communications with financial analysts,
and interviews when the some of the company's officers and
directors knew they were issuing misleading information.

No-one at Micrografx was unavailable for comment by
Newsbytes press time.

(Jim Mallory/19930325/Press contact: Pete McLaughlin,
214-994-6192)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00016)

Tandy To Open Third European Computer City Store 03/25/93
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 25 (NB) -- Tandy says it
will open its third Computer City superstore in Europe. The
company declined to reveal the location, but a company
spokesperson told Newsbytes the opening will be in the fall.

Computer City already operates two European stores, one in
Stockholm, Sweden, and another in Copenhagen, Denmark. Both of
those outlets were opened in May 1992, average about 25,000
square feet of display and warehouse space, and handle products
from Apple, Commodore, Compaq, Canon, Hewlett-Packard, IBM,
Victor, and Tandy.

Computer City President Alan Bush says the company is pleased
with the performance of its Stockholm and Copenhagen outlets,
and will continue to analyze the market for other growth
opportunities in Europe.

In a related announcement, Bush said Computer City's US
headquarters has assumed control over the European stores, a
function formerly provided by Victor. Victor is now part of
Tandy spinoff TE Electronics which was formed in 1992 to take
over all of Tandy's manufacturing units including O-Sullivan
Industries, Memtek Products, Grid Systems, and Tandy Grid
Europe.

A spokesperson told Newsbytes Tandy does not publish sales
figures, but industry watchers estimate that the combined units
had sales of about $1.5 billion for the fiscal year ending last
June. Spokesperson Ron Trumbla told Newsbytes US Computer
City stores annual sales average $25 million each, but cautioned
that the figure cannot be translated to European sales because
of market differences.

(Jim Mallory/19930325/Press contact: Ron Trumbla, Computer City,
817-878-4969; Reader contact: Computer City, 17-390-3000, fax
817-390-2700)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00017)

Chinese Univ Installs Hong Kong's First Supercomputer 03/25/93
SHATIN, HONG KONG, 1993 MAR 25 (NB) -- The Chinese University
is currently installing a Digital Equipment massively parallel
multi-processor supercomputer, worth over $1.5 million. The
inauguration was held at the Chinese University in Shatin.

Attending the celebration were Professor David Todd, of the
Research Grants Council, Professor Charles Kao, vice chancellor,
Chinese University, and Bruce Dahl, general manager of Digital.

The machine, a DECmmp 12000 8B, is reported to have 8,000
processor elements and runs at 1,300 millions of instructions
per second.

Although physically located at the Chinese University, the
computer is to be used by six other institutions in the territory,
including the Hong Kong University, Hong Kong Polytechnic, and
the new University of Science and Technology.

"The introduction of this supercomputer signifies a major step in
our drive to become a center of high technology research and
development," said Prof. Charles Kao, vice-chancellor at the Chinese
University. "It will help our universities to launch forefront
research for the benefit of the scientific and economic
developments of Hong Kong."

An intelligent Chinese information processing project and text
retrieval system will be among the first projects that the Chinese
University takes on, utilizing the power of the supercomputer.

As part of Digital's External Research Program (ERP), Digital will
oversee the funding and management of the research conducted in
partnership with the university. Digital is offering support in the
form of equipment allowances and technical and business
expertise.

The Chinese text retrieval system is spread across two phases.
The first phase will produce a database package that can provide the
Chinese mathematical processing required to search and retrieve
Chinese text. The second phase will develop a Chinese text
prototype for the DECmpp with high level text and query capabilities.

"Digital is committed to concentrating its efforts on product
research and development," said Bruce Dahl, general manager, Digital
(HK). One of Digital's aims is to enhance its competitiveness for
conducting "outstanding" external research and development around
the world.

Digital have given the University a significant discount of more
than 60 percent. The balance of funding came from the Hong Kong
government appointed Research Grants Council. The Chinese
University and the six other institutions that will share the
resources have also contributed.

Other projects include simulation and design of very large scale
integrated circuits, simulation of neural networks, artificial
intelligence, and three dimensional image processing.

It is also intended that the supercomputer aid in tackling some of
Hong Kong's environmental issues. The computer will be used to
provide mathematical analysis of the water pollution in Hong
Kong's harbor and predict landslides and floods. It will model
wind shears in the vicinity of the new airport to achieve optimum
design safety.

"These areas of academic research have exciting possibilities and
immense potential benefits to the social, industrial and economic
development of Hong Kong," said Professor  David Todd, chairman
of the RGC. "The new facility will support research collaborations
in a diverse variety of fields from engineering, medicine, social
sciences, and the Arts."

(Brett Cameron/19930324/Press Contact: Shirley Mok, Chinese
University, Tel: [phone];HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00018)

Hong Kong - First High-Speed Leased Circuit To Beijing 03/25/93
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, 1993 MAR 25 (NB) -- The first high-speed
digital leased circuit between Beijing and Hong Kong has been
inaugurated by the Beijing Telecommunications Administration,
Hongkong Telecom, and China Hewlett-Packard, the circuit's user.

China Hewlett-Packard (CHP) is a joint venture between Hewlett-
Packard and the China Electronic Import & Export Corporation. CHP
is leasing the 64,000 bits-per-second (Kbps) circuit to connect its
internal voice and data network with Hewlett-Packard's global
network via the company's Asia Pacific regional headquarters in
Hong Kong.

"By upgrading our link through the regional office to the global
network we are removing a significant operational bottle-neck,"
said CHP General Manager Terry Cheng.

In 1992, due to an increase in demand for computer products in
China, CHP's business grew significantly. "With the pace at which
our business has been expanding it became obvious that we needed
a better communications infrastructure in order to be able to
sustain our growth and maintain our level of customer services,"
said Cheng.

Beijing Telecommunications Administration (BTA) laid a fiber-
optic cable between its international gateway exchange and the
China World Trade Center, where China Hewlett-Packard's offices
are located along with those of a number of other multinational
companies. The cable has ample capacity to satisfy the private
network demands of other customers.

"The commissioning of this link represents a high level of
cooperation between Beijing Telecommunications Administration
and Hongkong Telecom," said BTA Deputy Director Ni Yilin. "As a
result of this cooperation, a growing number of multinational
companies with offices in Beijing and Hong Kong will be able to
enjoy the advanced telecommunication services that we can
now provide."

The BTA plans to extend its fiber optic network to connect other
well-known business centers in Beijing. providing greater
customer access to high-speed digital communication service.

"There are many companies like Hewlett-Packard that have chosen
Hong Kong as the regional hub for their international private
networks. We therefore believe that there is great potential for
growth in the business of providing private leased circuits
between Hong Kong, Beijing and other major Chinese cities," said
Con Conway, director of Hongkong Telecom's Managed Accounts
Group.

Hongkong Telecom was also involved with the first high-speed
leased circuits to Shanghai and Guangzhou last year. Shanghai
and Beijing have satellite connections to Hong Kong. Other cities
in China connect with Hong Kong via these gateways.

"Our relationship with BTA is particularly strong, said Conway.
"Under an agreement reached in September last year we have been
able to offer 'one-stop shopping' to customers who want to lease
a circuit to Beijing. This was the first such agreement ever made
between a Chinese telecommunications administration and an
overseas carrier."

Hongkong Telecom has also received an order from China Hewlett-
Packard to upgrade the leased circuit used to connect its Shenzhen
manufacturing plant to the Hong Kong hub. This will be upgraded
from a 9.6Kbps to a digital 64Kbps link. The circuit is expected
to be ready by the end of this year.

"We have quite a lot of customers using international private
leased circuits (IPLC) in China," said Gary Au Yeung, product
manager, Hongkong Telecom. "Despite the longer lead time needed
to implement the IPLCs to China we seldom receive complaints
from customers concerning the reliability of the service. Unless
the customer chooses a place that is not yet developed and far
away from town, local connections should not be a problem. Most
cities in China have fiber optic connections in their infrastructure
so the IPLC service is very reliable."

To the question of how a degradation of the Sino-Hong Kong political
situation could effect the service, a Au Yeung responded that the
two are not related and that Hongkong Telecom, being a business
organization is not in a position to comment.

(Brett Cameron/19930324/Press Contact: Virginia Chi, Hongkong
Telecom, Tel:[phone];HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00019)

SuperMac & Apple Ally On European Multimedia Sales 03/25/93
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 25 (NB) -- SuperMac
Technology has joined forces with Apple Europe to target
multimedia sales in western Europe. The two companies already
have a working relationship in the United States.

Under terms of the agreement, the VideoSpigot video-capture
board from SuperMac has been included with Apple's Quadra
computer. The bundle is already available to higher education
customers in Europe.

In announcing the deal, Michael  O'Leary, SuperMac's vice-president
of international sales, said, "The VideoSpigot/Quadra 950 bundle
has produced excellent results for both SuperMac and Apple in the
United States, and we believe it will help galvanize multimedia
sales in Europe, too. Our partnership with Apple Europe
underscores SuperMac's commitment both to Europe and to
multimedia in the education market. We also look forward to a
series of pan-European projects with Apple."

Along with a VideoSpigot NuBus card and Quadra 950 central
processing unit (CPU), the bundle also includes the AppleCD 300
CD-ROM player, Apple's QuickTime Starter Kit, the Voyager
Expanded Books Toolkit, Claris' HyperCard, and Adobe Premiere
video editing software.

VideoSpigot is a single-slot digital-video frame grabber that,
according to the company, enables users to make QuickTime
movies from the desktop.

(Ian Stokell/19930325/Press Contact: Craig Hill,
33-1-6461-6900,SuperMac Europe; Laurie McLean,
415-513-8800, McLean Public Relations)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00020)

Motorola, Kidstop Begin New Florida Child-Care Facility 03/25/93
BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 25 (NB) -- For parents
that have to work, convenient and reliable day-care facilities are
very important. Addressing the problem, Motorola's Paging
Products Group and Kidstop Early Learning Centers have broken
ground on a new child-care facility immediately adjacent to
Motorola's Boynton Beach facility.

Motorola says that the facility is "an integral part of a pilot
program addressing work and family needs." Motorola developed
the initiative with Kidstop to "create a curriculum and to identify
the features of the center." The center will be located on Congress
Avenue, within walking distance of Motorola's facility.

In announcing the plan, Hector Ruiz, senior vice president and
general manager of Motorola's Paging Products Group, said: "This
is part of our vision of becoming the area's premier employer. We're
listening to our associates, and are working hard to create an
environment which helps them to balance work and family more
effectively. We are proud to be one of the first major employers
in the area to offer the option of near-site child care to our
workforce."

Motorola says it provided guidance to Kidstop on identifying
desirable features for the center, including a group activities
center, parent/teacher conference rooms, and instructional
equipment. Expected to open by August 1993, the center will be
open to all area residents and to Boynton Beach-based Motorola
employees on a space-available basis.

(Ian Stokell/19930325)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00021)

 ****Ex-DEC's Olsen Acts As Advisor To Start-Up Venture 03/25/93
CONCORD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 25 (NB) -- Kenneth
H. Olsen is acting as "close friend and adviser" to a new start-up
venture. The former CEO/president of DEC might also be the
mystery "private investor" mentioned in a financial report as
contributing $1.44 million to the venture's parent company.

A spokesperson for Modular Computing Technologies has confirmed
a published statement in the Boston Globe that Olsen visits the
Concord, MA-based start-up often and provides technical advice.
She would neither confirm nor deny the Globe's contention that
Olsen is the "financial angel" behind the parent, Modular Group.

The spokesperson also confirmed statements by the Globe that
several top officials of Modular are former DEC employees, and
that the start-up plans to release a line of servers featuring a
modular, scalable architecture. In elaborating on the product
plans for Newsbytes, she added that the venture is also readying
modular client workstations.

Modular's first products, oriented to the general office market
and preloaded with MS-DOS, Windows, and NetWare, will enter
field testing soon, and will probably ship in volume within the
next couple of months, she told Newsbytes.

The company is also considering modular servers and
complementary products for other market segments, including a
"glass house," telecommunications, and video-on-demand, she
added.

Digital alumni who now work for Modular include Barry C.
Goldstein, CEO and chief technologist, Dan Lucky, vice president
of information services, Stanley R. Miloszewski, treasurer, and
Terry Potter, chief executive of Modular's parent.

Goldstein joined Modular in January, just one month after the
company was founded, after three years at Digital and a 21-year
stint at IBM before that, according to the spokesperson. Lucky
worked at DEC for 19 years, Miloszewski for nine years, and
Potter for 15 years. Olsen announced his resignation as CEO and
president of DEC last July, and two months later left his post on
the company's board of directors.

He founded Digital in 1957, while still a student at MIT. In the
early years, DEC pioneered the minicomputer, a type of hardware
that presented a revolutionary departure from the mainframes
that had held sway up to that time. Subsequently, though, the
minicomputer was overtaken by PCs, workstations, and the
client-server architecture.

In his later years at Digital, Olsen showed signs of strongly
embracing both the client-server architecture and modular
configurations. In a press conference at DECWorld last April, for
example, he proudly demonstrated a line of PCs with easily
expandable disk space. Each PC was able to fit neatly into a wall
cabinet, available in a choice of colors.

The company spokesperson told Newsbytes that Olsen is a close
personal friend of Goldstein's. "We're happy for (Olsen's) advice.
The man's a genius," she commented. However, Olsen does not
have an office at Modular Computing Technologies, and he is
not an employee or board member, she emphasized.

The financial report cited by the Globe stated that Modular
Computing Technologies was established after the Modular Group
raised $1.44 million from a private investor. That report was
issued by Dun & Bradstreet, the spokesperson told Newsbytes.

While acknowledging that the Dun & Bradstreet report is accurate,
she declined to elaborate much further on the grounds that the
Modular Group is a privately held company.

"The Modular Group is funded by private investors, and that's
about the limit of what we're allowed to or want to say. There's
been a lot of speculation (about financial backing), but so far
it's just speculation," she remarked. "The whole philosophy
behind the Modular Group is to look for companies with good
ideas that can become profitable. We're the first company that
they're funding, and they're looking for more."

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930325/Press contact:  Chris Macfarlane,
tel [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00022)

 ****Newton Clones Result Of Apple Technology License 03/25/93
HANNOVER, GERMANY, 1993 MAR 25 (NB) -- While Apple's
Macintosh technology has been jealously guarded, Apple Computer
announced at the Cebit show in Hanover, Germany, that it is
licensing the Newton technology to other companies. The move is
expected to create an entire class of second generation Newton-
clone personal digital assistants (PDAs).

Apple says the Newton was developed so key elements and
components can be licensed to other parties. Those parties
include Cirrus Logic, Sharp, VLSI, GEC-Plessey, ROLM, Kyushu
Matsushita Electric, and LSI Logic.

Cirrus Logic just announced an agreement with Apple to
begin work on Newton-compatible chipsets for use by
licensees of the Newton operating system. Apple plans to use
the Cirrus Newton chipsets as well. Cirrus said it plans to
leverage its knowledge of low-voltage and mixed-signal
processing for combining analog and digital signal processing
in one integrated circuit design, as well as its experience in
liquid crystal display (LCD) control, small-form-factor PCMCIA
interfacing, digital wireless communications, data and fax
modems, audio, and mass data storage to aid in its development
of the PDA chipsets.

Cirrus representatives told Newsbytes the company is just
beginning design work with Apple and doesn't expect to have
anything concrete until the end of this year. Cirrus said it is
working on second and third generation Newton designs. Apple
has already said consumers could expect to see the first
Newtons this summer. George Alexy, Cirrus Logic vice president
of marketing, said: "We're fully committed to working to
develop the specifications for and, eventually we believe, the
chip set to implement the next generation of the Newton
architecture platform."

Other companies have announced or are announcing licensing
plans with Apple. Sharp, VLSI, and GEC-Plessey have licensed
the reduced instruction-set computing (RISC) chip from
Advanced RISC Machines (ARM) which is to be the brains of the
Newton. Motorola is licensing a the Newton technology to produce
its own PDA with integrated, wireless communications
capabilities and based on the Newton operating system.

Siemens Private Communications Systems Group and its US
subsidiary ROLM announced the Notephone, a PDA device to allow
access to analog telephone and fax signals via telephone lines
and later in a wireless form. A prototype of the Notephone is
being demonstrated at the Cebit show.

Kyushu Matsushita Electric (KME) announced an agreement to
license the Newton operating system from Apple for use in its
future products and the two companies said they are considering
the possibility of using KME technology in future Newton family
products.

LSI Logic is also involved as it is manufacturing an
application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip for Newton
PDA's as the interface between the microprocessor, the memory,
and the user interface. LSI describes the ASIC chip as cell-
based, full-custom, and uses one-micron process technology.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930323/Press Contact: Tricia Chan, Apple
Computer, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Paula Jones,
Cirrus Logic, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LAX)(00023)

Tandem PBX Deal With Siemens/ROLM, Ericsson 03/25/93
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 25 (NB) -- Tandem
Computers says it will be able to deliver the promised
interfaces to integrate its computers with private branch
exchange (PBX) systems from Siemens/ROLM and Ericsson.

Tandem makes computers to handle the type of processing
behind bank automated teller machines, airline reservation
systems, and grocery store debit card transactions called
on-line transaction processing (OLTP).

Tandem says the PBX switches will be used in connection with
its Call Applications Manager (CAM) system for its OLTP
computers. When used in conjunction with the new automatic
number identification (ANI), which is known to consumers as
Caller ID, operators taking calls can have customer information
on their terminal screens at the same time inbound calls are
coming in.

Savings in 800 number charges and increased efficiency in
handling customers are the two main benefits of the system,
Tandem maintains.

The new Tandem CAM interface will provide connectivity between
Tandem Nonstop systems and Ericsson's MD110 PBX system via
the MD110 Applicationlink, an open standard interface for
integrating computer applications with this Ericsson switch.
The CAM interface will also work with ROLM's 9751 Computerized
Branch Exchanges (CBX) and Siemens' Hicom 300 PBX through the
Siemens and ROLM Callbridge software.

Tandem representatives said the company prefers to describe its
computer systems as OLTP instead of midrange- to mainframe-
sized computers. The systems are fault-tolerant, meaning backups
to the system components are functioning in case a component
fails so processing is uninterrupted.

Siemens is the third-largest computer switch maker in the US,
behind Northern Telecom and AT&T. ROLM is a US joint venture
between Siemens and IBM. Stockholm, Sweden-based Ericsson
Business Networks claims it has the world's best selling PBXs,
with more than 6 million lines installed or on order in over 50
countries.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930325/Press Contact: Judy Zimbelman,
Tandem, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Kathy Egan,
Ericsson, 212-685-4030; Carter Cromwell, ROLM, 408-492-2995)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SFO)(00024)

Interactive Phone Technology Alive And Growing 03/25/93
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 25 (NB) --
Conference  speakers and exhibitors at InfoText '93, a conference
and exposition directed toward the interactive telephone/fax
industry and held at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas recently,
pointed to the explosive growth experienced by this fledgling
industry.

This is evidenced by the huge influx of newspapers and other
publications utilizing this medium to help provide new, value-added
services for their readers, as well as new revenue streams for the
publishers. Also demonstrated was the mainstream acceptance of
pay-per-call and other forms of interactive audiotext by major
companies both here and abroad, including Pepsi-Cola, American
Express, Campbell's Soups, Columbia Pictures, McCormick/Schilling,
and Frito-Lay. Many of these companies use the technology for
marketing campaigns, technical support, market research, dealer
locator services, and the like.

Despite a temporary downturn in 900-number revenue experienced
in 1992, the 800-number and other segments of the industry are
experiencing rapid acceptance and growth. To date, more than
2,000,000 callers nationwide are using interactive audiotext
programs. From 1991 to 1992, there was a 23 percent increase in
pay-per-call singles ads.

Attesting to the large numbers of newspapers offering interactive
voice systems are San Francisco Chronicle, Atlanta Constitution,
Seattle Times, Chicago Sun Times, Los Angeles Times, Baltimore Sun,
New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Miami Herald, to name
a few.

San Jose-based Fax Limited which demonstrated its intelligent fax
networking product which allows users to remotely enter or access
data to and from a computer. Ibex Technologies from Placerville,
California full-featured, interactive voice/fax system for customer
service, literature fulfillment, forms distribution and other
automatic document retrieval applications.

(Stan Politi & Computer Currents/19930325/Press and Public
Contact: Jack Shembler, InfoText Publishing, 714/493-2434)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00025)

New Card Speeds SCSI Bus On Quadra, Centris 03/25/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 25 (NB) --  Conley
is shipping a Small Computer Systems Interface SCSI-2
accelerator card for the PDS (Processor-Direct-Slot) of the
Macintosh Quadra and Centris computers. The "SHA-100" card
offers a 10 megabyte-per-second SCSI-2 transfer rate,
intelligent caching and read-ahead, and SCSI-2 command
support, the firm says.

The card will accelerate both transaction-type applications,
such as servers and databases, and transfer rate-bound
applications like imaging, and audio/video editing. The Conley
SHA-100 driver software runs asynchronously, and includes such
SCSI-2 features as disconnect/reselect, tagged-command queuing,
and SCSI parity.

Conley President Ric Calvillo said, "This card represents a major
breakthrough in SCSI technology for the Macintosh. The higher
transfer rate, local '040 interface, read-ahead and caching
algorithms, and asynchronous command execution give the
Macintosh a state-of-the-art SCSI-2 interface."

The SHA-100 plugs into the PDS slot of the Quadra 700, 900, 950
and  the recently announced Quadra 800 and Centris 650. Since the
card connects directly to the 68040 processor bus, the I/O
(input/output) bottleneck, associated with Apple╒s built-in SCSI
port and Nubus cards, is eliminated. The card has DMA access to
motherboard memory at 25 megabytes-per-second, while other
third-party Nubus SCSI cards are limited to about six
megabytes-per-second.

Conley's SCSI accelerator raises the maximum transfer rate on
the SCSI bus to 10 megabytes-per-second. Current and future SCSI
devices, such as hard drives and disk arrays, can take advantage of
this faster transfer rate. Applications making large transfers,
such as imaging and digital video, will run faster, he contends.

The card is selectable for either single-ended or differential
SCSI-2 bus modes; the single-ended SCSI bus, like that of Apple's
built-in port, is limited to 18 feet; differential allows for cable
lengths of 82 feet. There are also many less termination and
cabling conflicts with a differential SCSI bus since every single
is duplicated. Both internal and external devices can be connected
to the card.

To reduce disk access time, Conley's SHA-100 card can allocate a
portion of motherboard RAM as a cache and read-ahead buffer.
An advanced caching architecture stores multiple data segments and
finds data in the cache. Intelligent read-ahead algorithms preload
the cache with data in anticipation of future requests. For many
applications, Conley's disk caching effectively reduces average
access time from 20 milliseconds (ms) to less than one ms, it is
claimed. The caching algorithms have been tuned for several
applications, including Adobe Photoshop and Appleshare. Users can
also fine-tune performance for their application.

Conley's driver software runs asynchronously to the Mac operating
system, interrupting the Mac only when necessary. This allows for
"multi-threaded I/O" or concurrent execution of multiple commands
on the SCSI bus, using SCSI-2 features such as disconnect/reselect
and tagged command queuing. Applications such as databases and
file servers, which typically make small-block transfers, are able
to process a higher number of transactions-per-second. Conley's
driver software is similar to Apple's future SCSI manager in that
they both follow the SCSI CAM (common access method) standard
and that they both run asynchronously, the company says.

The Conley SHA-100 has a suggested retail price of $995 and is
available now.

(Wendy Woods/119930325/Press and Public Contact: Ric Calvillo
Conley Corporation, 212-979-8824)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00026)

Symantec PC Cache Software Speeds CD-ROM Access 3000% 03/25/93
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 25 (NB) --  Symantec
has signed an exclusive agreement with Future Systems Solutions
to market the Norton Speedcache+ 4.0, an all-in-one cache for
hard disk drives, CD-ROM drives, and removable media drives in
both DOS and Windows.

"This is a dedicated caching product," Symantec spokeswoman Ana
Shannon tells Newsbytes, and adds that it operates independently of
Norton Utilities and other Norton products, and does not require
those software packages for its operation.

Norton Speedcache+ speeds up Windows performance by up to 1,000
percent, CD-ROMs by up to 3,000 percent, DOS applications by up
to 4,000  percent, and supports the  largest cache size, up to
23MB, according to Shannon.

The product is 100-percent compatible with virtually all CD-ROM
drives, Symantec guarantees, and is available now at a suggested
retail price of $99.

The larger the size of the cache, the better Norton Speedcache+
performs, speeding up PC performance to provide lightning fast
access to all data and programs, Symantec says. It reads only
the data needed.

"Norton Speedcache+ is another example of Symantec's efforts to
continuously enhance the operating environment with new utilities,"
said Rod Turner, Symantec's executive vice president of the Peter
Norton Group. "It also provides an opportunity to enter into new
and expanding markets such as CD-ROM and multimedia."

Although CD-ROM drives store a lot of information, data access
is about 25 times slower than with a hard disk.  Norton Speedcache+
lets the user zip through CD-ROM programs such as Microsoft
Bookshelf, Compton's Multimedia Encyclopedia for Windows, Atlas,
Corel Draw and other graphics and multimedia applications, Symantec
says. Benchmark tests show that a typical information search through
a Microsoft Bookshelf CD-ROM disk takes over three minutes compared
to just nine seconds with Norton Speedcache+ installed, according to
the company.

Norton Speedcache+ also  allows the user to multitask and continue
working while writing to disk. Norton Speedcache+ has also
incorporated several advanced technologies, including dynamic
read-ahead caching and intelligent write-back caching.

(Wendy Woods/19930325/Press Contact: Ana Shannon of Symantec,
310-449-4140; or Pam Barnett of Wilson McHenry, 415-592-7600)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00027)

Apple QuickTime Animated Interactive Presentations 03/25/93
SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 25 (NB) -- Interactive
Solutions is shipping MovieWorks, a group of Macintosh software
applications for creating QuickTime movies and interactive
animated presentations.

MovieWorks' time-based metaphor and its implementation of Apple
Events automatically passes data from the MovieWorks' Text,
Paint and Sound Editors to the MovieWorks' Composer application.
In Composer, media created in the MovieWorks Editors or imported
from other applications is combined into QuickTime movies.
These movies can then be connected together to form a
presentation.

In Composer's TimeView window, the media elements which make
up your movie, called tracks, can be precisely timed by resizing and
repositioning "timebars." Tools are provided for generating path
segments for both movies and tracks, scaling over time, varying
speed and selecting special effects for in and out transitions.

The TimeView window displays the timing relationship of these
effects and allows easy editing. In addition to Composer's
animation capabilities, movies and tracks can be "grouped" and
connected with unlimited flexibility by setting links. In this
manner, buttons can be linked to other tracks, movies or
presentations to create interactive presentations.

"Traditionally, there have been numbing barriers between the
end product and its component resources -- MovieWorks makes
integrating and composing these items easy," said John Sykes,
owner of Computer Attic.

Dan Sabo, former manager of the Interactive Media Lab at the Tech
Museum of Innovation, said, "MovieWorks allows the basic user to
easily create multimedia presentations with very little skill or
expense."

In addition to creating stand-alone interactive presentations,
MovieWorks can be used to make QuickTime movies which can
be "pasted" into QuickTime-friendly word processors, presentation
packages, databases and other applications. MovieWorks carries a
list price of $395.

(Computer Currents/19930325)


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

Double Your Workspace When Flying With A Laptop 03/25/93
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 25 (NB) -- Space
is usually at a premium when using laptops. However,
AirBrain's SkyDesk can double a laptop user's usable
workspace on airplanes.

It is claimed to be a lightweight plastic lectern that attaches
with hook-tape closure to the top of the seat in front of you,
above the tray table.

Users can prop a magazine or other material on the SkyDesk and
leave their hands free to type, write or eat. Available in a slate
gray color, it fits in any briefcase, weighs six ounces and holds
nearly any size or weight magazine or book, the company says.
SkyDesk is available for $15.45.

(Computer Currents/19930325)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00029)

Mac Show Slated For April 23-25 In San Francisco 03/25/93
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 25 (NB) -- Event
Specialists is sponsoring The Apple Expo West at Brooks Hall in
San Francisco April 23-25. The event is being held in conjunction
with Berkeley Macintosh Users Group, BMUG.

The Friday, April 23, Dr. Stephen Marcus will deliver a keynote
speech on "Virtual Realities from the Concrete to the Barely
Imaginable." He is on the faculty of the University of California,
Santa Barbara. He chairs the committee on future technologies
for the International Society for Technology in Education.

Saturday, the keynote speech will be delivered by Roger Wagner,
president of Wagner Publishing, who speaks on "Multimedia, the
Mouse is Mightier than the Pen."

Sunday, "Meet the Press" is the keynote and the moderator will
be Gina Smith, technology columnist for the San Francisco
Examiner, also of PC/Computing.

Also to be unveiled at the show is a new magazine from A+
Publishing called "MacComputing." The magazine is due to have
an initial circulation of 100,000 and will be aimed at home and
educational buyers and users of Apple computers, according to
Paul Boule, president of A+.

A "multimedia extravaganza" is also slated for the show featuring
artist Pamela Z and New Music Theater, according to Robert
Berkowitz, president of Event Specialists. He tells Newsbytes that
Macromind Director and the Video Machine from Fast Electronics
will be used in the presentation, which will run constantly
thoughout the three days of the show.

Admission is $20 for three days and includes all conferences.

(Wendy Woods/19930325/Press Contact: Event Specialists,
617-784-4531; fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00030)

Interactive PC "Tale of Peter Rabbit" For Kids 03/25/93
LA CRESCENTA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 25 (NB) --
Knowledge Adventure has released another talking storybook
offering children an interactive reading of Beatrix Potter's
children's classic, "The Tale of Peter Rabbit."

Knowledge Adventure offers sound, animation, and video in
its titles without requiring users have a compact disc read-
only memory (CD-ROM) drive.

With a point and click interface, Knowledge Adventure says
children as young as two years old can enjoy the watercolor
illustrations and sound effects. An original musical score was
developed for "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" and original
watercolor illustrations by children's book illustrator Lonni
Sue Johnson can be displayed in 256-color VGA.

Children can also click on objects in the illustrations and the
names of the objects will be spoken and spelled on the screen.
Some objects offer animation sequences as well, the company
said. Users who register will receive a free "Jr. Gardening
Kit" from the company including carrot, lettuce, and radish
seed packets for planting their own garden.

Suggested retail price is $24.95 and the company is offering a
complete money back guarantee if consumers are not completely
happy with the program. An IBM or compatible computer with a
hard disk drive and a VGA monitor is required and a mouse and
sound card are recommended. This is the second talking story
book from Knowledge Adventure, the first being "The Night
Before Christmas" released in December of last year.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930325/Press Contact: Lynda Orban,
Knowledge Adventure, tel [phone] ext 122, fax
818-542-4205)