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/NB930414

Text File | 1993-04-14 | 68KB | 1,493 lines

(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00001)

Texas Company Upgrades Laptop Hard Drives 04/14/93
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- When you bought your
laptop or notebook computer with a 20 megabyte (MB) or 40MB hard
drive, you may have wondered what you would ever do with all that
space. For many users though, the available space quickly
disappeared.

But what to do? You don't want to buy a new computer just to get
more storage space for data and programs. That is where a Houston,
Texas-based company comes in. Laptop Solutions says it will
replace the current drive in your laptop or notebook computer with
a higher speed, higher capacity drive, and send you back a machine
that is in better condition that when it arrived at their factory.

Ken Duckman, Laptop Solutions president, stresses the company's
standards of care and quality control when making the upgrade. "We
have a rigorous quality control program," says Duckman. "We pride
ourselves on our zero percent defect policy - every machine must go
back to the client in better condition than when we received it."

A Laptop Solutions spokesperson told Newsbytes the company offers
48-hour turnaround time for upgrades. During the first 24 hours a
complete diagnostics procedure is done to make sure the unit is
running to factory specifications. Next, the unit is cleaned,
vacuumed, and components on the motherboard are reseated.

Finally, the new internal hard disk is installed. The company can
also increase RAM capacity and even upgrade the processing chip
in some machines if that is what the customer wants. During the
second 24 hours the machine is put through, what the company
describes as, "an intense burn-in and test period." exercising the
hard disk through a variety of software applications and
environments.

Even though laptop makers are continually introducing bigger and
better machines, Duckman says his company is determined to stay in
front of the pack. "We've been offering up to one gigabyte (of hard
disk capacity) upgrades for some laptops for about six months now.
We're constantly pushing the edge on drives."

Laptop Solutions recently announced a $1,495 260MB hard disk
upgrade for notebook computers which is scheduled to be available
on May 1, and Duckman says the company is currently working on
a 340 megabyte upgrade for notebook systems. He says between
eight and 12 products are in research and development at all times.
The company says it expects to announce upgrade availability for
five new products in the next 30 days.

Laptop Solutions has licensing agreements with Toshiba and Compaq,
and can also upgrade Sanyo, Texas Instruments, Tandy, CompuAdd,
AT&T, and Zeos systems. Duckman says laptop upgrading is coming
into greater demand during the current decade, especially by large
corporations. As storage-intensive software like graphics and
multimedia take up more disk space, he says upgrading is an
attractive, cost-effective answer.

Also in the works is a read-write optical disk for Compaq's
486-based laptops which will replace the internal floppy drive.
The disks for the $2,495 optical drives have a formatted capacity
of 128MB. The company offers hard drive upgrades in 130, 212,
245, 250, 340, and 525MB capacities, with prices ranging from
$795 to $1,995. Processor upgrade prices range from $395 to $895.
However, a Laptop Solutions spokesperson told Newsbytes prices
are continually adjusted, usually downward, as better supplier
prices are realized.

The company also offers AC and battery powered external hard disk
adapters for the removed drives that connect them to the system
through the parallel port. Back up and restore service for moving
data from the original drive to the new one is also available.

(Jim Mallory/19930413/Press contact: Erica Swerdlow,
708-291-1616; Reader contact: Laptop Solutions, 713-789-0878
or 800-683-6839)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00002)

Zillion Kajillion Rhyming Dictionary For Mac 04/14/93
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- Eccentric
Software is shipping A Zillion Kajillion Rhymes - a rhyming
dictionary for Apple Computer's Macintosh.

Eccentric Software Marketing Director Maureen Judge describes the
product as a thesaurus for rhymes, but a lot more fun. "Just type a
word and click (on it), then scroll through the rhymes," says Judge.

The company says the program is designed for use at home, in school,
and at work, and has a proprietary dictionary that includes common,
technical, literary, and slang words, as well as thousands of proper
and place names. The search engine uses intelligent suffix and
prefix stripping to find single, double, and triple rhymes on
millions of words. The program also offers syllable matching,
linked hints, and an integrated text editor.

A Zillion Kajillion Rhymes was developed by the
songwriting/programming team of Neil Radisch and David
Goldstein. Their previous credits include commercial software
published by four different companies, and the 1991
off-Broadway musical "The Duan Juan and the Non-Don Juan,"
which the company says was praised by the New York Daily
News for "the elegant sophistication of the lyrics."

The authors describe the program as a piece of art as much as
a piece of software. "We didn't just license a dictionary and
slap a search engine on it," says Goldstein, who is also Eccentric
Software's president. He says the authors drew on their
experience both as songwriters and computer users to produce
a rhyming dictionary in electronic form.

With tongue in cheek, Judge says "Nearly everyone rhymes from
time to time." She says rhyming dictionaries in paper form are
standard equipment on most reference book shelves, and the
company would like to make them standard on the Macintosh
desktop as well.

Goldstein told Newsbytes the program has a suggested retail
price of $49.95, but it is available direct from the company until
the end of May for $34.95. A Windows version is planned for the
fall, which Goldstein said will sell for the same price as the Mac
edition. Presently "Zillion" is available direct from the company,
and Goldstein expects it to appear in several direct mail catalogs
shortly. The company is also negotiating for distribution through
retail outlets.

Interested parties can get a flavor of the program via demo
versions available on several on-line services. On CompuServe,
the program ia available in the Macintosh Applications Forum
(GO MACAP), Library 15. On America Online, it is in the Education,
Music, and Utility Forums.

To run A Zillion Kajillion Rhymes, a Macintosh Plus or newer
model running System 6.05 or later is required. The program is
also System 7-compatible, and includes support for Apple's
Balloon Help. It uses 200 kilobytes (KB) of system memory and
occupies 675KB of disk space. The company strongly recommends
a hard disk for optimum performance.

(Jim Mallory/19930413/Press and reader contact: Eccentric
Software, 206-628-2687 or 800-436-6758, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00003)

Japan - Camcorder Sales Recover 04/14/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- Sales of camcorders seem to
be recovering in the Japanese market, according to research
conducted by the Japan Electronics Machinery Industry Association.
This is good news for electronics firms, which have been suffering
from a slump in the sale of electronics products.

According to the Association, total shipment units of camcorders
in March went up by 24 percent over the same month in the previous
year. An estimated 128,000 camcorders were shipped this past
March. It is the third consecutive monthly increase. In January,
shipments went up by 15.2 percent. In February, shipments went
up by 3.6 percent over the same period last year.

The increase in sales is due mainly to the popularity of new
models, such as Sharp's Viewcam, which has a built-in four-inch
LCD (liquid crystal display). Matsushita's Pattoru is also popular,
and is intended for novice users.

The sales of VCR players are not recovering, but it has the
tendency of recovery. Total shipments for January were down
14.8 percent over the previous year, down 15.0 percent for
February, and down 10.4 percent for March. Total shipments
for March were about 398,000 units.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930413)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00004)

TGS Plans Windows Prograph Visual Programming Tool 04/14/93
HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA, 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- TGS Systems
plans to release a version of Prograph, its visual programming
tool, for Microsoft Windows by the end of this year.

Company spokeswoman Peggy Eyre confirmed the company is working
on a Windows version of the software, which currently runs on
Apple Computer's Macintosh. Prograph uses an object-oriented
scripting language based on icons and a flowchart to create
applications. Programmers create programs by selecting icons
that represent standard program operations, such as an "if-then"
decision.

Capabilities of the new Windows version will be similar to those
of an updated Macintosh version also under development, Eyre
said. The shipment dates are not definite, but the Windows
version should be available by year-end, she said.

Prograph was launched in 1989 and won MacUser magazine's
Editor's Choice award as best programming tool for that year.

(Grant Buckler/19930413/Press Contact: Peggy Eyre, TGS,
902-429-5642)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(HKG)(00005)

Hong Kong - Mass Transit Adopts SoftSolutions Doc Mgt 04/14/93
KOWLOON BAY, HONG KONG, 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- In a move designed
to create a more efficient working environment, Hong Kong's
Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC) has chosen to use
SoftSolutions Advanced Document Management Software (DMS).

The software is to be installed onto 13 file servers across the
corporation and will manage, initially, documents of more than
1,200 PCs. The number of PCs is expected to grow to 3,000 within
the next two years. MTRC will take delivery of the software this
week. The complete implementation is expected to take six months.

"We wanted to keep our computer system consistent with the paper
filing system," H.K. Tsang, computers services manager for MTRC
told Newsbytes. "So we looked for a system that was flexible
enough to allow us to maintain our existing indexing system. We
found that SoftSolutions allowed us to have the paper and computer
system side by side."

The MTRC is reported to be Hong Kong's largest WordPerfect Office
user. "We are serious users of electronic mail and therefore require
an efficient, indexing, and storage system that allows fast
document filing and retrieval," said Tsang.

The MTRC has also purchased the application programmer interface
(API) module that will allow the computer department to customize
the way SoftSolutions integrates with WordPerfect and electronic
mail.

"SoftSolutions has a close relationship with WordPerfect and
WordPerfect Office," said Tsang. "With a certain keystroke sequence
documents can be imported from WordPerfect and entered directly
into our e-mail system. Document profiles and formats are easy to
design and quick to retrieve, with file reference and date of
creation generated automatically." said Tsang.

Orchard Software (HK), which is supplying the software, has
provided training and knowledge transfer. SoftSolutions will be
launched from WordPerfect Office and will control WordPerfect
5.1 documents, Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheets and electronic mail.

"The MTRC have their own technical staff, who are highly skilled
and are very good to work with," said Meyer.

"As corporations move towards networking, there becomes a greater
demand by management and users for immediate and secure access to
corporate information." Andre Meyer, marketing director of Orchard
Software, told Newsbytes. "The ability to search, locate and retrieve
the required information quickly is now paramount in today's business
environment."

"SoftSolutions offers the flexibility, speed and functionality that
meet the current requirements of the MTRC," said H.K. Tsang. "We are
confident that it will our meet needs well into the future."

SoftSolutions is available under DOS, Windows, Unix and VAX/VMS
and supports Netware, Banyan VINES, LAN Manager, DEC Pathworks,
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) and other
networks.

SIS (HK) has recently been appointed as the local distributor of
Softsolutions. Orchard Software (HK), which has installed the
software at over 10 sites in Hong Kong, is currently the only
authorized reseller.

"We see the MTRC as leading the path towards SoftSolutions
becoming the document management system choice of Hong Kong,
within the next twelve months," K.M. Lim, managing director of
SIS told Newsbytes.

"With the current large scale project's going on in Hong Kong,
document management systems are essential," said Hugh Blaik,
managing director of Orchard Software. Orchard Software has also
installed SoftSolutions at the Lantau Fixed Crossing (LFC) division,
of the Hong Kong Government's Highways Department in Wan Chai.
The LFC division currently uses two servers and 40 nodes. The
Highways Department is also considering the use of SoftSolutions
at all other divisions throughout Hong Kong.

Other optional modules include image processing, intelligent
search, and a server enhancement module.

(Brett Cameron/19930413/Press Contact: Andre Meyer, Orchard
Software, Tel [phone];HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00006)

Seybold Seminars: SGML Open Consortium Announced 04/14/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- SGML Open,
a new consortium of over 30 vendors and users of document-based
information systems, made its formal debut at the Seybold
Seminars in Boston.

At a press briefing held to mark the event, officials detailed the
new group's plans to accelerate the adoption, application and
implementation of SGML (Standard Genetic Markup Language), an
emerging protocol for the interchange of content-rich documents.

Yuri Rubinsky, acting chair of SGML Open and president of SoftQuad,
said that the forum's objectives include building recognition of
SGML as an international standard, boosting awareness of SGML's
benefits in the commercial market, harnessing levels of
interoperability, and strengthening the market for structured
information technologies.

Already experiencing widespread use in the government, automotive,
aerospace and telecommunications industry, SGML describes a common
standard that allows information in documents to be easily shared
among applications, regardless of software of hardware platform.
The protocol is also designed to enable easy retrieval and reuse of
data.

"SGML does for documents and rich information what object
orientation will do for code - it allows data to be created once
and reused in different forms and applications," commented
another speaker, Esther Dyson, publisher of Release 1.0 and a
member of SGML Open's newly appointed Board of Industry Advisors.

In the marketplace today, interest in SGML is still much higher
than actual adoption, stated Larry Bohn, acting president of SGML
Open and senior vice president at Interleaf. "We want to address
that gap," he said.

Over the next two to three years, adoption of SGML will continue
to rise among high-end publishers, Bohn predicted. In addition,
usage will soar in the strong market of desktop publishing,
he added.

Bohn explained that SGML Open will promote adoption through a
multi-pronged program that includes a beginner's kit, case
studies, a vendor newsletter, a log, an imprinted line of books,
and continuing public relations efforts.

On the technical side, the first priority of the new group will be
to articulate a clear definition of SGML, said Haviland Wright,
chief technologist for SGML Open and president of Avalanche
Development Company.

SGML Open will establish a set of technical committees to handle
these and other interoperability issues. Additional goals for
the next 12 months include providing guidelines to proposal
writers for specifying SGML systems and agreeing on vendor-
neutral ways of interchanging text files, graphics, video, and
other constituent parts of compound documents.

Novell, a new member of SGML Open, sees other benefits to SGML
outside of data reuse and retrieval, said Jon Bosak, information
architect for the company. Novell is not as large as traditional
SGML user organizations, so data reuse is not as important to
the company, he elaborated. Format independence, platform
independence, vendor independence, and open interchange are
some of SGML's chief advantages to Novell.

Format independence enables dynamic sizing - meaning that
windows, for example, can be resized to meet varying needs.
Vendor independence allows Novell to choose among multiple
authoring and delivery systems, Bosak said.

SGML divides documents into three types of information: format
refers to boldface, italics and other aspects of how the document
looks; data includes such information as text, graphics, images,
video and sound; and structure refers to the relationships among
data elements, such as the subheads and paragraphs in text.

SGML preserves the data and structure of documents.  Format,
however, is not preserved, enabling developers to tailor the
format to user requirements at the time of delivery.

The protocol supports data reuse and retrieval by tagging data
with its role and other identifiers. The tags enable the automatic
creation of hypertext and other documents out of databases of
information.

Document interchange is furthered by SGML's use of document
type definitions (DTDs) that specify rules for the structure of
a document. For example, a DTD might specify that the document
must have a chapter title and cannot have any part numbers that
are not immediately followed by a part-description paragraph.
Several industries have started to standardize on various DTDs
for types of documents that are shared among companies.

Newly announced members of SGML Open's Board of Advisors include
Dyson; Jonathan Seybold, president of the Seybold Seminars; Charles
Goldfarb, inventor of the SGML language, and Frank Gilbane,
president of Publishing Technologies Management.

The following companies have agreed to join SGML Open: Advanced
Information Systems, ArborText, ATLIS Consulting Group, Avalanche
Development Company, Computer Task Group, Database Publishing
Systems, Data Conversion Laboratories, Electronic Book
Technologies, Exoterica, Fujitsu, Frame Technology, Fulcrum,
InContext, InfoDesign Corp., Information Dimensions Inc.,
Information Mapping, InterCAP Graphics, Intergraph, Interleaf,
Novell, Object Design, Officesmith/CTMG, Open Text, Oracle,
O'Reilly and Associates, Recording for the Blind, SoftQuad,
Synergy Group, Texcel, Wang KEYOPS, Westinghouse, XSoft, and
Xyvision.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930414/Press contact: Barbara Ewen,
McGlinchey & Paul for SGML Open, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00007)

Seybold Seminars: Desktop Sys Simulates Color Pages 04/14/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- At Seybold,
R.R. Donnelly, the world's largest printer, and Electronics for
Imaging (EFI), the top supplier of color management solutions,
have announced a system that allows completely composed pages,
including color photos, to be accurately simulated on the desktop.

The first customer for the system, Ameritech Publishing Inc. (API),
is using it to produce the Yellow Pages over a network that
includes Macintoshes at 25 API field offices in four states, four
regional API VAXes, a VAX-based system at the API Corporate
Graphicenter in Troy, Michigan, and the R.R. Donnelly Printing
Plant in Dwight, Illinois.

At a press conference, officials of Donnelly, EFI, Ameritech, and
Quark explained that the new system provides increased
productivity at the desktop level, greater control over color,
and significant cost savings.

In the API field offices, artists are responsible for composing
Yellow Pages ads that meet the specifications of clients. Before
the system was implemented, the initial ads rendered by the
artists had to be electronically recreated at the central office
before printing. Any photos that had been specified could not be
inserted until the time of printing, so clients were forced to
"sign off" on ads without proofing photographic reproduction
quality. The new system allows an ad to be accurately simulated
on a desktop printer, and then approved by the client before going
to press.

Jeffrey Relick, vice president of new products, R.R. Donnelly
Telecommunications Group, noted that preparing color photos for
printing on directory presses has always been challenging, due to
the yellow news print and unique combination of blue, red, green
and black inks used in the Yellow Pages. "Judging color accurately
early in the process has been nearly impossible," he stated.

Efi Arazi, founder and CEO of EFI, said that EFI and Donnelly will
be extending the system to other companies in the directory
printing market. "This is just the first step," he told journalists.

For API, the process starts out at the field office, where the
artist scans the photo to be used at low resolution. Then, on the
Mac, the artist balances color images with the use of EfiColor
scanner profiles and either EFI Cachet or Adobe Photoshop.
Next, line art is created in Adobe Illustrator, and photos, line
art and text are integrated into a single ad with the use of
QuarkXpress 3.2 and the EfiColor XTension.

After the ad is composed, the system confirms that it is designed
to specification. The ad is then proofed to a Tektronix Phaser III
PXi digital color printer using an EfiColor device profile. Finally,
the ad is forwarded to the regional VAX for storage, to the
Graphicenter for final separation and processing, and to Donnelly
for printing.

Before the system was implemented, Donnelly was solely
responsible for separating color photos and manually stripping
them into API pages. "This system is very cost efficient,"
emphasized Relick.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930414/Press contacts: Rochelle Schiffman,
EFI, tel [phone]; Susan Vander Mast, R.R. Donnelly, tel
312-326-8795; Laurie McLean, McLean Public Relations,
tel [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00008)

Japan - NEC Plans Hobbit-based Pen-Input Telecom Device 04/14/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- NEC is preparing to release a
hand-held pen-input device this fall. It will be equipped with
AT&T's Hobbit microprocessor.

It is also equipped with a radio modem. It will be the first
hand-held telecom device based on the Hobbit in Japan.

NEC has already developed the prototype version of the hand-held
radio terminal. It is small enough to fit a woman's handbag. It is
equipped with a monochrome LCD (liquid crystal display), which
accepts hand-written letters and figures at over 90 percent
accuracy.

NEC is using California-based Go Corporation's Penpoint
operating system with the device. It is the Japanese language
version which supports Kanji letters.

A major selling point of the device is the radio modem. Users
will be able to transmit data to its host system via Japan
City Media's packet telecommunication network, which is
already in operation in Tokyo area.

The retail price of the device is still unknown, but it is
expected to become between 200,000 yen ($1,740) and 300,000
yen ($2,600). NEC says it aims to initially target the device at
sales people of insurance firms or banks, or commodity delivery
firms.

Other Japanese electronics firms, such as Toshiba and
Matsushita Electric, are also planning to release the Hobbit-
based radio modem terminal in the near future.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930414/Press Contact: NEC,
[phone], Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00009)

Sega To Link With Time-Warner/TCI On Cable TV Plan? 04/14/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- Sega Enterprises says it
will tie up with US cable TV firms and it will start business
using cable TV networks in the US.

Under terms of the deal, these firms will transmit game
software to individual users. The official agreement is
expected to be signed in the near future.

Three firms are involved in the deal: Sega, Time-Warner and
Telecommunications (TCI). They will jointly set up a new firm
this summer, according to a Sega spokeswoman. The new firm
will start a business to transmit Sega's game software via
cable TV networks of Time-Warner and TCI. It is claimed that
about 20 million users are currently using the cable TV
networks of Time-Warner and TCI.

Through the cable TV network, Sega will begin by providing about
50 kinds of game software for its game device, called Genesis.
Users will need to purchase the proprietary adaptor. They will
then have to download game programs into the adaptor. The
monthly charge of the game delivery service will be around $20.

The Genesis is called the Mega Drive in Japan, and it has been
gaining popularity following Nintendo's Super Famicom. Sega
has sold about 7.5 million units of the Genesis in the US.

The new firm will start the service to about 2,000 users on an
experimental basis. It hopes to gain one million users by the
end of 1994, and two million users by the end of 1996. The
new firm expects to earn $30 million in 1994.

The new firm is also planning to transmit other entertainment
software, such as videos and music, through its cable TV network
in the future.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930414/Press Contact: Sega
Enterprises, [phone], Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00010)

Japan - Toshiba Increases LCD Production 04/14/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- Toshiba says it has decided
to triple the production of its LCDs (liquid crystal displays). The
firm will spend 30 billion yen ($260 million) to create LCD
production lines and hopes to increase production within a year.

Toshiba has been getting ready to output more LCDs, especially
the firm's TFT (thin film transistor)-type devices. Toshiba is
currently shipping about 30,000 units of this 9.5-inch product
per month. The firm wants to raise this rate to 100,000 units
per month as early as next summer.

Toshiba will not only create the new production lines, but it
will install various devices to control the quality of the products.
With these strict quality control methods, the firm wants to
raise the production rate.

Toshiba's TFT-type LCDs are mainly used on personal computers.
The company's color version of its TFT-type LCDs is becoming
increasingly popular because of the increase of multimedia
devices.

The LCD market is apparently showing signs of recovery. Other
LCD firms such as Casio and Sharp are also preparing to raise
production. Casio, for example,  will spend 28 billion yen ($240
million) to create LCD production lines. The firm expects to
gain 50 billion yen ($430 million) in sales next year, and 100
billion yen ($860 million) in 1996.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930414/Press Contact:
Toshiba, [phone])


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

BT Improves Electronic Invoicing 04/14/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- British
Telecommunications has announced a number of new options for its
Electronic Data Interchange service, EDI Net, allowing companies to
send  important business documents between different systems
and using fax machines.

EDI messages, unlike regular electronic-mail, can act as invoices
or other important documents, and must have some authentication
attached to them. BT began its EDI Net service in 1981, but only in
recent years has EDI become a boom market, as large companies
insist that suppliers use it.

X.400 capability will allow messages to be transferred between
different mail systems with a complex routing scheme starting in
June, Fax service from EDI Net will also start in June IBM's
3770 SNA mainframe protocol will be available in November. The
Odette File Transfer Protocol, known as OFTP, an error-correction
system, is available immediately.

BT says the aim is to allow its EDI Net to be used regardless of
the invoicing system being used by a company, its suppliers or
customers. In a press statement, Martha  Hanlon, director of
application services product management for BT North America,
said: "Technology must take a backseat to the  business
decisions governing electronic commerce."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930414/Press Contact: BT North America,
Jeannie Slone, 408/922-7602 )


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

AT&T, MCI Battle Over Fresh Look 04/14/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- The "Fresh Look"
period, under which companies get to change their toll-free
carriers without penalty as the numbers become portable, has
already become a bone of contention between AT&T and MCI.

MCI issued a press release stating that Ceridian of Minneapolis
had become the first company to exercise its "Fresh Look" right
and sign with MCI in a $15 million contract. AT&T replied that,
in fact, Kemper Service Company had been the first, announcing
for AT&T on March 10. AT&T Spokesman Bob Nersesian called
the MCI release "typical MCI disinformation," and included
in his release a copy of the original March 10 release on Kemper.

MCI spokesman Frank Walter replied to Newsbytes that his
company stands behind its claim. "Kemper waived its Fresh Look
right," he added, by staying with AT&T. "We think there's a
difference between a company that stays with its carrier and
one which switches," he said. "Any customer that stays with
AT&T is waiving its Fresh Look right."

Fresh Look is the term given to an order from the Federal
Communications Commission that lets AT&T customers under
certain agreements to quit those contracts without financial
penalty during the 90 days following the start of 800
portability on May 3.

In other news from the long distance front, AT&T asked the FCC
for permission to provide long distance  services to Alaska,
discontinuing an agreement with Alascom. The company said it
will spend $200 million linking Alaska to its domestic network.

The company also announced it has an agreement with Claims
Plus to jointly market that company's electronic health care
transaction network for health insurance claims.

Finally, AT&T has announced a new software toolkit for its
CallVisor product, which will let companies link their
computers to its Definity PBXs more easily.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930414/Press Contact: AT&T CallVisor,
Laura Williams, 908/658-2604; AT&T Fresh Look, Bob Nersesian,
908-221-2305; Frank J. Walter, MCI, 212-326-4389)


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

SW Bell Announces Frame Relay Customers 04/14/93
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, U.S.A., 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- Southwestern
Bell announced the first customers for its frame relay service,
which sends data at speeds from 56,000 bits-per-second (bps)
to 1.544 million bps.

Frame relay is considered a potential replacement for leased
digital lines, a multi-billion dollar business according to
Dataquest analyst Joe Noel. Frame relay networks are better than
leased lines because they are more flexible, especially as needs
change. But regional Bell companies like Southwestern Bell are
hampered in their battle for the business by the fact they cannot
get into the long distance market, meaning they cannot take calls
between cities.

Thus, all the early customers announced by Southwestern Bell
are municipalities which do not need the long distance services.
They are the St. Louis County  Water Company in Missouri, the
Tulsa Police Department in Oklahoma, and the City of San
Antonio in Texas. San Antonio was the first to have the new
service activated.

Southwestern Bell offers frame relay in 12 cities in its five-
state territory, at speeds of 56,000 bps, 384,000 bps, and
1.536 million bps. Frame relay services are often used to
connect local area networks.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930414/Press Contact: Southwestern
Bell Telephone, Scott Hilgeman, 314/247-4613)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00014)

NYNEX Announces Enterprise Services 04/14/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- NYNEX has
announced what it calls Enterprise Services, a bandwidth-on-
demand offering designed to win back private line business it
has lost to companies like Metropolitan Fiber.

In a New York City press conference, company officials were able
to transfer T-1 circuits up to 1.5 million bits-per-second (bps)
between two locations with the click of a mouse button.

A spokesman told the media that, when the company was first
divested from AT&T in 1984, it took nine months to provision such
a line. A total of 30 different services are part o the offering, and
Manhattan customers will be served by a single service center
open 24 hours a day." Before you could only get this with experts
and equipment. We offer complete end-to-end management with no
capital investment or installation charge," the spokesman said.

NYNEX executives also commented during the conference on
President Clinton's technological highway plans. "The promise of
the technological highway is to make bandwidth available to
everyone, when in reality it only goes to local hubs. It will be
up to local companies to carry that the last mile to a customer.
And only a company our size can handle the requirements. This is
the first time a local telephone company has received approval
from the FCC to deliver fiber services to a customer's premises.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930414/Press Contact: Betsy Ricci, NYNEX,
914-644-5014)


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

 ****Compaq/Microsoft Ally To Build Easier To Use PCs 04/14/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 APR 14 (NB) --  Compaq Computer
and Microsoft say they will work together to make personal
computers easier to use and to further the development of new
products. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates called the deal "the most
significant agreement we have done with a PC company for four
or five years."

Speaking to reporters via telephone hookup from the FOSE (Federal
Office Systems Expo) trade show in the nation's capital, Compaq
President Eckhard Pfeiffer and Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates
stressed the plug-and-play aspect of personal computing's future.

The two companies say the comprehensive agreement, called the
Frontline Partnership, "details a commitment from both companies
to work together to develop products that are the easiest to use
and the simplest to install, with the best performance and value in
the industry." Gates said the opportunity to introduce the personal
computer and Microsoft Windows software to new users in the
office and the home has never been greater.

The deal calls for the two companies to work together on the next
generation of operating system software and hardware, including
desktop PCs, portable PCs, docking stations, handheld computers,
and "other new PC form factors." They also hope to breath some
life into the pen computing market, which has not lived up to its
expectations.

Plug and Play, a concept that allows the user to remove a computer
system from the box, connect the necessary cables, and have
everything work correctly through automatic recognition and
configuration of the hardware and software, received a lot of
attention. Earlier this month the Plug and Play ISA (Industry
Standard Architecture) specification, developed by companies that
include Compaq, Intel, and Microsoft, was announced. Gates told
reporters Plug and Play might even include automatic recognition
of peripherals such as printers via an infrared connection.

The announcement stopped short of predicting any specific
breakthroughs in hardware or software, saying only that Compaq
plans to provide "a range of new Compaq products that provide true
ease-of-use features" which will exploit Microsoft's family of
Windows operating systems and will be optimized for running
Windows applications. Compaq said its systems will feature
integrated hardware components such as networking, CD-ROM and
audio capabilities and will be pre-installed with Windows.

The two leaders also said their companies will participate in mutual
support and marketing programs, including the sharing of technical
support information, cross-training of the respective sales
organizations, and the assignment of full-time marketing managers.
Gates said the two companies will maintain a joint database to track
support calls received from Microsoft and Compaq customers, which
could lead to suggestions for new features in either company's
products. The two companies already make joint sales calls on
corporate customers, and Gates said more of that will be done in the
future.

Gates and Pfeiffer declined to predict specifically when new
products will appear as a result of the deal, but according to Gates,
"Within the next six months you will see several things that are a
result of this relationship." He said some of the concepts to come
out of this agreement could eventually influence the entire
direction of industry.

Gates said the plug and play initiative will go beyond anything
available on the market, and will benefit corporate users. "They
(corporate users) will be more open-minded about having people add
new features to their PC." Many companies pre-configure newly
purchased PCs and are reluctant to let users add to that system,
because of the possibility the add-ons might cause problems. "That
keeps the user from taking advantage of the expandability, which is
one of the great things about the PC architecture," said Gates.

Pfeiffer said Compaq is currently working on handheld devices,
apparently including systems similar to Apple's recently announced
Newton device. Asked if that would include wireless capability, he
said "That's certainly part of it." With regard to telecommunications,
Gates said he expects some of the jointly developed systems
products will give access to the new work going on in the
telecommunications industry.

Both leaders said the agreement is non-exclusive, allowing new
products to be used with other manufacturers. Both Pfeiffer and
Gates said their companies will continue movement toward open
systems architecture. "The beauty of the agreement is the focus on
new opportunities rather than eliminating possibilities for either
company," according to Gates.

(Jim Mallory/19930414)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LON)(00016)

UK - Wordperfect Ships WP For Mac With Grammatik 5 04/14/93
ADDLESTONE, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- Wordperfect
has announced it is about to ship an interim version of Wordperfect
for the Macintosh with a free copy of Grammatik 5. Existing users
of the company's Mac word processor are being invited to upgrade
for UKP 25.

Announcing version 2.1.3, David Godwin, Wordperfect UK's general
manager of sales and marketing, said that the enhancements,
together with the bundling of Grammatik 5, is something that the
company's users have been asking for. "Our acquisition of Reference
Software lets us offer them the best grammar checking technology,
helping them write and work more effectively," he explained.

According to Godwin, Grammatik 5 has now been integrated into
the Wordperfect Installer, allowing users to make use of grammar
checker and style checker after closing Wordperfect files. Plans
call for future revisions of WP for the Mac to include Grammatik
5 as a pull-down integral feature of the software.

Newsbytes notes that WP 2.1.3 for the Mac also includes a version
of Aladdin Systems' Stuffit file compression/decompression
software. The main aim of the package has been to reduce the
number of installation disks from seven to four, although it can
also be used to compress and decompress files on the Mac.

WP 2.1.3 runs on any Apple Mac with a hard drive. The package
requires a Mac equipped with one megabyte (MB) of memory (for
System 6.0.5 or later) or 2MB for use with System 7.0.x.

(Steve Gold/19930414/Press & Public Contact: Wordperfect
UK - Tel: [phone]; fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00017)

Central Point Intros Safe Six Anti-Virus For MS-DOS 6.0 04/14/93
UXBRIDGE, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- Central Point
Software has announced the immediate shipment of Safe Six, an
upgrade package for the anti-virus facilities in Microsoft's newly-
released MS-DOS 6.0.

While Microsoft DOS 6.0 includes an anti-viral utility that was
coded by Central Point, the time taken between Central Point
supplying the program code and the actual shipment of DOS 6.0 has
meant that new viruses are not protected against. According to
Central Point, Safe Six enhances and upgrades DOS 6.0 to take
account of these new viruses.

Included in the UKP 39.99 package is a subscription for three
updates to cope with future and undiscovered viruses. Newsbytes
notes that shipping versions of MS-DOS 6.0 include a voucher for
one or two anti-viral updates at UKP 14.95 each. According to
Central Point, one of the UKP 14.95 vouchers can also be used on
Safe Six, pushing the number of upgrades to four.

"The fact that MS-DOS 6 contains an anti-virus utility represents
a major step forward in the continuing fight against viruses,"
explained Jim Horsborough, Central Point's managing director
Northern and International regions.

"Unfortunately, it is immediately out of date. With more than 100
new viruses appearing monthly, users need a way to stay current
if they are to stay protected. Safe Six offers MS-DOS 6 users the
only way to ensure comprehensive and continuous protection
against viruses," he added.

According to Central Point, DOS 6's anti-virus utility is capable
of detecting and dealing with more than 1,200 viruses. The
company claims that Safe Six boosts this facility considerably.

(Steve Gold/19930414/Press & Public Contact: Central Point
Software - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LON)(00018)

Wick Hill Broadens Reflection's Networking Support 04/14/93
WOKING, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- Wick Hill has
announced that its WRQ Reflection Network series has been
updated to include support for Hewlett-Packard's socket interface.
This means that the Unix database package can now interconnect
with other applications using a variety of network protocols,
including the popular TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/
Internet Protocol) format.

The Sockets API (application programming interface) is a standard
specification that allows DOS applications software to run over
TCP/IP networks. According to Evan Kaplan, the company's WRQ
product marketing manager, the inclusion of support for HP sockets
means that virtually any application written to run over TCP/IP
will run over a network straight out of the box.

Plans call for Wick Hill to enhance its support for sockets in
Reflection by releasing a socket development kit in the next few
months. This, the company claims, will allow programmers to
create custom applications for the package.

Reflection 2.01's pricing runs on a Unix plus network environment.
Pricing of the package depends on site licensing requirements.

(Steve Gold/19930414/Press & Public Contact: Wick Hill IMX - Tel:
0483-772280; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00019)

Macky Sac Wrist Rest Is Full Of Beans 04/14/93
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- Wysi Z Wyg
Design has developed the original Macky Sac, a wrist rest that
can be used with any computer system that requires a mouse,
trackball, or keyboard.

The Macky Sac System provides support and comfort to the hand,
wrist, elbow and upper arm. Paul Zurlini, principal of Wysi Z
Wig and inventor of the Macky Sac, explains, "The foam and plastic
rests on the market were more restraining and awkward than
practical and are just as stiff as the desktop." So he filled a
cloth sack with beans, sewed it up, and the Macky Sac was born.

The patent pending design of Macky Sac Systems features Velcro
fasteners that allow for the sacs to be customized to the users'
personal specifications and to be placed on the desktop where
they are needed.

The Macky Sacs, available in purple, blue, black or hot pink, are
suggested retail priced at $7.50 each.

(Computer Currents/19930414)


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

Touch Edit Keyboard Cuts Keying Time 04/14/93
EDINA, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- Key Innovations
says its new PC keyboard, the Touch Edit keyboard, cuts keying
time by up to 33 percent.

The keyboard has all the standard keys in their usual locations,
plus eight extra keys added below the spacebar, to be touch-typed
by the thumbs. Five of these are standard editing keys (arrow and
delete keys) but three are new keys not found on any other keyboard.
With a single keystroke the cursor can move one whole word in
either direction or delete a whole word.

The company says the Touch Edit keyboard is faster for two
reasons. First, the edit keys on a standard keyboard are poorly
located; they must be hunt and pecked, in spite of the fact that
the edit keys are used more often than any of the alphabet keys.
Second, the new word keys are more efficient than character
edit keys, cutting the required edit keystrokes in some cases by
a factor of five. In word processing, spreadsheet, database and
math programs, a large percentage of keystrokes are editing
strokes which can be reduced by using this keyboard.

The Touch Edit is a 109-key full-travel keyboard with click.
It is available with a full money-back guaranty and a one-year
warranty for $120 from Key Innovations.

(Computer Currents/19930414)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SFO)(00021)

Share View Plus Video Telecoms System 04/14/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- ShareVision
Technology has announced ShareView Plus, claimed to be the
first integrated desktop video telephony and collaboration
system that lets users simultaneously communicate voice,
video, data and documents over a single standard telephone line.

Manufacturer's suggested retail price is $4,499.

The first product in a new category that ShareVision calls desktop
visual communications (DVC), ShareView Plus allows NuBus
Macintosh users to simultaneously share application programs
such as Excel, MacWrite and PageMaker, and exchange data, while
engaging in a video phone call. All this takes place over one
standard phone line.

The company says that, unlike existing video conferencing products,
ShareView Plus does not require special switched 56 or digital
telephone service such as ISDN (Integrated Services Digital
Networks).

ShareView Plus transforms an Apple Computer Macintosh into a
person-to-person DVC system, according to the company. The
integrated hardware and software combines two NuBus
cards, a color video camera, a Plantronics Mirage headset for
hands-free two-way audio, a telephone receiver, and ShareVision's
OnSight software.

The integrated system provides video telephone service,  real-time
document and application sharing, voice and video store-and-
forward, video and still image capture, sound digitizing, fax
software, Group 3 send and receive facsimile, and V.32bis data
modem functionality.

In addition to an auto dialer and visual phone directory,
ShareVision's telephone management software also automatically
recognized and connects ordinary phone calls to and from
standard telephones.

(Computer Currents/19930414)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00022)

Increased Lotus Presence Set For LotusWorld 04/14/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- Lotus
Development will be more in evidence this year at the May
trade show that focuses on its products, organizers say.
Lotus Publishing said senior Lotus executives will give three
keynote addresses at LotusWorld '93, and a group of product
directors will take part in a panel discussion with users and
developers.

Lotus Publishing - which is a subsidiary of worldwide publishing
firm IDG Communications, not of Lotus Development - said Jim
Manzi, president and chief executive of the software firm, John
Landry, senior vice-president of software development and chief
technology officer, and Frank Ingari, vice-president of
marketing, will deliver keynote addresses at this year's
LotusWorld, to be held May 3-6 at the Hynes Convention Center
in Boston.

Other keynote addresses will be presented by Dr. Norman E. Gaut,
president, chief executive and chairman of PictureTel, and
Ron Whittier, senior vice-president and general manager of
Intel's Architecture and Software Technology Group.

Eileen Rudden, Lotus' vice president of product marketing, will
moderate a panel discussion entitled "Lotus is Listening." This
interactive session is designed to let developers and users meet
Lotus executives representing each major product area. It will
include a seven-minute video on usability and a chance for
audience members to ask questions of the panel.

Lotus will also demonstrate the newest releases of its products,
including Lotus Notes 3.0 and its dynamic spreadsheet, Improv,
which recently became available for Microsoft Windows.

There will also be product demonstrations and presentations by
other hardware and software companies, including Digital
Equipment, IBM, Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, WordPerfect, and
Santa Cruz Operation, show organizers said. Elizabeth Tucker, a
spokeswoman for Lotus Publishing, said about 70 exhibitors have
signed up for the event, and three to four thousand people are
expected to visit the show.

(Grant Buckler/19930414/Press Contact: Elizabeth Tucker,
Lotus Publishing, 617-422-8029)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00023)

Lotus 1-2-3 3.4a Simplifies Installation 04/14/93
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 APR 14 (NB) --
Spreadsheet users with sizeable networks will be interested in
a new update to Lotus Development's three-dimensional
spreadsheet for DOS. The new 1-2-3 Release 3.4a is the same
as the four-month-old Release 3.4, which it replaces, in every
way except a simplified network installation procedure.

A network administrator can install Release 3.4a once on the
network server, the company said, and users can then download
the files they need on their local hard disks. With Release 3.4,
the file server and local PC components of the package shipped
separately.

Lotus' simplified consolidated installation procedure was first
introduced with Ami Pro, the company's word processor for
Microsoft Windows, and will soon be incorporated into the
entire suite of Lotus products, officials said.

On a stand-alone PC, 1-2-3 for DOS Release 3.4a requires a 286
or higher microprocessor, one megabyte (MB) of available system
memory, a hard disk with 6MB available, and DOS 3.0 or higher.
For network or server installation, 11MB of available system
memory is needed. For all installations, WYSIWYG (what-you-see-
is-what-you-get) display requires 1.5MB of available system
memory.

Release 3.4a works with DOS 3.1-compatible network operating
systems, Lotus said, including: Novell NetWare 386 Version 3.11;
Microsoft LAN Manager (OS/2) Version 2.1; IBM LAN Server (OS/2)
Version 3; Banyan VINES Version 5.0; DEC Pathworks Version 4.1;
and NCR StarGroup Version 2.1a.

The suggested retail price of 1-2-3 for DOS Release 3.4a,
which is available now, is $595. A license without disk and
documentation costs $535.

All users of 1-2-3 and Borland International's competing
Quattro Pro for DOS can upgrade to the new release for a
suggested retail price of $129. Release 3.4 owners can upgrade
to Release 3.4a for a $10 shipping and handling charge through
Lotus Customer Service at 1-800-343-5414. Customers who
have purchased any other DOS version of 1-2-3 between October
1, 1992 and February 15, 1993 qualify for the Technology
Guarantee Upgrade at $49.

French, German, and International English versions are
immediately available. Spanish, Dutch, and Italian versions
will ship within 30 to 60 days, Lotus said.

(Grant Buckler/19930414/Press Contact: Peter A. Cohen, Lotus,
617-693-1283)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00024)

Wordperfect For Mac Supports Japanese Language Kit 04/14/93
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- Wordperfect says both
the US and Japanese versions of its popular word processing
program for Apple Computer's Macintosh will support Apple's
Japanese Language kit.

The Apple system extension enables Japanese language input on
a non-Japanese operating system, and provides a multi-language
capability for users of Wordperfect 2.1 for Macintosh and
Japanese Wordperfect 2.2 for the Mac. Using the new kit users
can have both English and Japanese text in their documents.

Wordperfect introduced an IBM-compatible version of Wordperfect
for Japanese PCs in February 1991, and a two-language version
of the program for the Macintosh in November 1992. That version
uses a front-end processor that converts phonetically entered
text into Japanese characters.

The Japanese Language kit is designed for users in countries where
Japanese is a second language. Its users can use Apple's English
operating system to access Wordperfect, input Japanese text, and
read KanjiTalk (the Japanese operating system) files that contain
two-byte characters.

Wordperfect spokesperson Dave Terran told Newsbytes the
Japanese Language kit, which works with Apple Computer's System
7 operating system, is an advantage for US users who wish to
correspond with Japanese users, since KanjiTalk is not generally
available in the US.

Terran explained the difference between Japanese Wordperfect
2.2 for Mac and the new system. "WP 2.2 runs on KanjiTalk and has
Japanese menus and prompts. With the language kit you can run
the English version of WP on the Apple operating system but still
input Japanese characters or in English in a single document," he
said.

Nolan Larsen, director of Wordperfect for Mac development, says
it is important for the company to provide multi-language
computing for both business and government users who need to
use Japanese in their documents. "Apple's system-level support
incorporates Worldscript technology, which provides a uniform
platform to efficiently develop Wordperfect for worldwide
markets," according to Larsen.

(Jim Mallory/19940414/Press contact: Dave Terran, Wordperfect
Corporation, 801-228-5013; Reader contact: 800-451-5151, fax
801-228-5077)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00025)

CompuAdd Launches SPARC Workstation 04/14/93
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- CompuAdd has
unveiled its fourth generation SPARC workstation, the SS-10,
at the Federal Office Systems Expo being held in Washington, DC.

The company says the SS-10 is 100-percent binary compatible with
the Sun SPARCstation 10, incorporating two M-bus and four S-bus
slots. It uses the SPARC 10 M-Bus chipset designed by Sun
Microsystems and manufactured by LSI Logic, and supports
Sun-specific SIMMs (single in-line memory modules) for a total
of 512 megabytes (MB) of memory.

Compuadd says its in-house designed motherboard supports currently
available Texas Instruments SuperSPARC processor modules
operating at 33, 36 and 40 megahertz (MHz), and will also support
higher clock speeds implemented on module boards. With a 36MHz
processor module the SS-10 clocks in at 86.1 million instructions
per second (MIPS). The 40MHz module reaches 96.2 MIPS.

The company says a typical SS-10 configuration, with 32MB of RAM,
a 525MB SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface) hard drive, a
19-inch monochrome monitor, and one 3.5-inch floppy drive, has a
suggested a retail price of $15,495. Additional memory, higher
capacity hard drives, CD ROM drives, tape drives, and color monitors
are also available as options.

The SS-10 supports a SCSI-2 port, ISDN (Integrated Services Digital
Networks), parallel port, audio port, 10-base-T Ethernet port,
Ethernet AUI port, and a multiplexed serial port that allows two
serial connections. The Y-cable for the dual serial connections is
included. The AUI port uses a 15-pin D-connector which does not
require a special cable. Up to three half-height 3.5-inch SCSI hard
drives are supported, or one 5.25-inch half height device and one
half-height 3.5-inch device.

Other features include a 165-watt power supply with a built-in
thermostatically controlled fan, automatic adaptation to line
voltages, and support of remote on/off control. The 107-key keyboard
is identical in layout to the Sun type 4 keyboard, but about 20
percent smaller. A Sun type 5 keyboard can also be used. The system
comes with an opto-mechanical mouse and a choice of Solaris 1.1 or
2.1 operating system, which is pre-loaded. A built in audio speaker
is disabled when an optional external speaker is plugged in. The
system measures 16.9-inches wide by 17.7-inches deep by
2.9-inches high.

(Jim Mallory/19930414/Press contact: Wendell Watson, Compuadd
Corporation, 512-250-2530; Reader contact: Compuadd Corporation,
800-688-6380)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(DEN)(00026)

Air Force "Zoomies" Get Compuadd PCs Again 04/14/93
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- Compuadd has
announced that it has landed the contract to provide personal
computers for the next class of "Zoomies".

"Zoomies" is the name often applied to cadets at the United States
Air Force Academy located at the foot of Pikes Peak in Colorado
Springs, Colorado. The Academy started providing all incoming
freshmen with personal computers several years ago. Cadets pay
for the computers through payroll deduction and keep them when
they graduate.

This is the second year that the contract has gone to Compuadd.
The Academy will purchase about 1,200 multimedia-equipped
systems under the new contract, estimated to be worth about $2
million. The systems will be Cyrix 433DLC-based PCs equipped
with TV/video and network adapter cards. Last year cadets
received 386-based systems.

According to Air Force Academy spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel
Larry Bryant, Compuadd was selected based on last year's on-time
delivery, the reliability of the PCs, and a strong service and
support program.

An Air Force spokesperson told Newsbytes the PCs are installed in
the cadet's rooms and are connected to an academy-wide local
area network and shared printers. Using the systems' multimedia
capabilities, instructors and cadets will be able to capture
"freeze" frames from TV or video and combine them with images,
sound, and graphics for instructional purposes. The cadets use the
system to receive training, prepare homework, and monitor
schedules through the Air Force's 37 local cable stations. They
can also get input from video tapes and other digital input devices.
The PCs also have Microsoft Windows installed.

(Jim Mallory/19930414/Press contact: Wendell Watson,
Compuadd, 512-250-2530)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00027)

 ****"Smart" Monitor Cuts Energy Use If Screen Saver Is On 04/14/93
TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 14 (NB) -- Nanao is
offering its first "smart" power-saving monitors beginning this
month. The Flexscan 17-inch and 21-inch monitors have their own
internal microprocessor that knows when the screen saver in
Windows has come on and can cut energy use by the monitor
more than 80 percent.

The first monitors in the Environmental Protection Agency's
(EPA) Energy Star program, the Flexscan monitors are designed
to work with screen savers such as those in Microsoft Windows
3.1 or those in the product After Dark. While Nanao will not
disclose the brand of microprocessor at work in the new energy
saving models, company officials did say an eight-bit
microprocessor controls the horizontal and vertical scanning,
the changes in frequency , and polls the Windows Control Panel
to see if the screen saver has been activated.

The catch is the screen saver has to be set to turn the screen
to complete black or the microprocessor can't tell when to
power-down the monitor. Activity in the form of flying
toasters, or stars moving past is currently indistinguishable
to the microprocessor from when a user is active.

Two power saving levels are offered. The first comes into play
when the monitor "senses" the screen saver has gone to black,
and it shuts down the sweep circuits and the high voltage,
reducing energy consumption by eighty percent. However, the
monitor is ready, at a keystroke, to present a visual image as
the cathode ray tube (CRT) and the microprocessors are kept
warm.

The user can determine how long until the second stage occurs,
where power is cut to an absolute minimum and once a keystroke
occurs the monitor has to warm up again. Since the second stage
costs warm-up time, Nanao says a user adjustable time interval
from 0 to 60 minutes can be selected for the activation of the
stage two power conservation.

Since the 17-inch F550iW Flexscan consumes between 110 and
120 watts and the 21-inch F760iW uses about 160 watts, the
energy savings is substantial. Especially since the company
estimates users spend only twenty to thirty percent of their
time operating their machine during a normal work day. Also,
wear and tear on the components of the monitor can conceivably
be decreased so the monitor might actually have a longer life
span, company officials added.

The monitors also offer a flat-square display surface,
resolution up to 1280 by 1024 pixels, an anti-reflective
coating on the CRT, and are compliant with the Swedish MPR II
guidelines for reduction of electrostatic emissions. The 17-
inch model has a dot pitch of .28 millimeters (mm) with a
scanning rate of 30-to-65 hertz vertically and 55-to-90 hertz
horizontally. The 21-inch unit offers a .31 mm dot pitch 30-to-
78 hertz vertically and 55-to-90 hertz horizontally.

The monitors also allow adjustment of the screen colors to
match the printed output of a color printer or other color
device, Nanao added. Built-in memory stores the information on
the screen configurations and display modes the user prefers
and automatically recall those settings each time the monitor
is switched on. In fact, the company says the monitors can
automatically recall up to 28 different signal combinations for
various single sources such as multiple computers or graphics
boards.

The new Flexscan monitors are expected to ship at the end of
this month. Retail price for the 17-inch F550iW is $1,599 and
the 21-inch F760iW is priced at $2,999.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930414/Press Contact: Kevin Shi, Nanao, tel
310-325-5202 ext 115, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00028)

Intel Promotes Sound Capability In Pentium-based PCs 04/14/93
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- Intel is
promoting sound capability in its design specifications for the
motherboards of Pentium-based computers which began shipping
volume in March.

The specifications were shipped with the next-generation Pentium
microprocessor to original equipment manufacturers (OEM) in the
Open Design Guide for the Pentium, a reference design guide which
includes complete, debugged motherboard designs that computer
makers are free to copy or modify.

Norwood, Massachusetts-based Analog Devices announced its
AD1848 analog Soundport codec (coder/decoder) was included in
one of the reference designs for the new Pentium
microprocessor. Dubbed "business audio" the AD1848 was
developed by Analog Devices in partnership with Compaq
Computer and Microsoft and is on the motherboard of Compaq's
486-based Deskpro/i personal computer (PC). The Soundport is
also used Microsoft's plug-in board for its Windows Sound System.

According to the Open Design Guide Intel feels incorporation of
sound into the basic design of future systems is important.
Intel said sound in the Open Design Guide that sound is
becoming a well established as a standard data type for
business workstations as well as multimedia PCs. OEMs are
being encouraged by Intel to incorporate sound on the
motherboard, claiming it is less expensive for the user than
purchasing an add-in sound board.

Compaq is expected to continue with its addition of business
audio to motherboards of its Pentium systems as are other OEMs.
However, nobody's saying much more than Intel is about the
Pentium, or designs surrounding the chip. OEMs have told
Newsbytes they are under strict non-disclosure agreements with
Intel concerning the Pentium and related issues until mid-May.

Pentium-based PCs are expected in mid-May or early June and
Intel says the new chip will be 3,000 times faster than the
original 8088 microprocessor used in the first IBM PC. An
estimated 3.1 million transistors make up the Pentium and
street prices for Pentium-based PCs are expected to be in the
$8,000 range.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930414/Press Contact: Jim Fishbeck,
Analog Devices, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00029)

New Mac Laserwriter Drivers Offer More Control/Speed 04/14/93
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- Apple says
it is introducing new printer drivers, version 8.0, for its
Laserwriter printer geared toward the support of Adobe's new
Postscript Level 2 page description language. The company says
the new drivers will offer more control and faster printing to
Laserwriter users.

The new software driver includes everything the previous driver
did, including compatibility with applications, support for
Truetype fonts, and Postscript Level 1 compatibility. However,
Apple says the version 8.0 driver adds support for features
specific to certain printers such as multiple paper trays,
optional envelope trays, printer resolution, and Photograde --
features called Postscript Printer Description (PPD) files.

Users will have more control with PPD, according to Apple,
which said version 8.0 will offer the ability to do things like
print page one of a document on letterhead and the rest of the
document on regular bond paper in a printer equipped with two
or more paper trays. Up to 30 percent faster background
printing performance is also a benefit of the version 8.0
drivers, which offers support for Postscript Level 2 features
such as data compression, real-time error reporting, patterns
and pattern-caching, and color.

The version 8.0 drivers will be bundled with Apple's Postscript
Level 2 Laserwriters, the Personal Laserwriter NTR and
Laserwriter Pro 600 and 630 later this month. Adobe, who co-
developed the drivers with Apple Computer, will ship the 8.0
drivers separately under the brand name of PSPrinter version
8.0. Once the new drivers are available, current Laserwriter
owners will be able to purchase the new printer driver and
user's guide directly from Apple by calling the company's toll
free software line.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930414/Press Contact: Amy Bonetti, Apple
Computer; Public Contact Software Line 800-769-2775, ext
7873)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00030)

 ****PCs Credited For Record Semiconductor Shipments 04/14/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 APR 14 (NB) -- The
Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) says growth in the
semiconductor industry is at an all time high, and credits the
surge to the personal computer (PC) market.

The SIA tracks bookings (orders) and billings (products
shipped) for each month by polling all the major semiconductor
manufacturers. While the March book-to-bill ratio is down to
1.17 (meaning for every $100 of shipments there were $117
worth of orders), March booking numbers were at record highs.
February's book-to-bill was finalized at 1.19.

The March bookings of $2.194 billion are 46.5 percent higher
than the $1.498 reported by semiconductor manufacturers a year
ago. Billings or shipments for March were at $2.256 billion up
26.5 percent over the $1.398 billion in shipments for March a
year ago.

Angela Newlove of the SIA said increasing demand in the PC
market is fueling the growth and credits the current PC price
wars. Demand has been consistently high, as the book-to-bill
ratio has been over 1.0 for well over a year now, even in
seasonally slow periods. January's book-to-bill was the highest
this year at 1.20.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930414/Press Contact: Angela Newlove,
Semiconductor Industry Association, tel [phone],
fax [phone])