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/NB930511

Text File | 1993-05-11 | 69KB | 1,540 lines

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00001)

Fujitsu To Sell Canon Bubble-jet Printers 05/11/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- Fujitsu will receive a supply
of bubble-jet printers from Canon on an OEM (original equipment
manufacturer) basis. Fujitsu will bundle these bubble-jet printers
with its own personal computers and workstations. Fujitsu is
expected to receive about 10,000 printers per year to start.

Canon's printer, an ink-jet variation, prints relatively
high quality type at a cost lower than that of a conventional
laser printer. Although the quality is slightly inferior
to that of a laser printer, the bubble-jet printer is also
smaller in size and lighter, making it easy to carry along
with a computer.

Fujitsu will bundle Canon's bubble-jet printer with its
FM-R series and other Fujitsu workstations. Fujitsu has been
selling thermal or laser printers with these computers.
Thermal printers offer poor quality although they
are cheap, and laser printers provide high quality but
they are expensive and bulky. Given these considerations,
Fujitsu has settled on the bubble-jet printer as the best
solution. Also, by receiving a supply from Canon, Fujitsu
need not spend the money to create an ink-jet printer of its
own.

Fujitsu officers are mulling over the idea of also releasing
a personal computer equipped with a bubble-jet. IBM Japan has
done this already -- the ThinkPad -- and it has been received
well in the market.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930510/Press Contact: Fujitsu, +81-3-
3215-5236, Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00002)

IBM Japan Multimedia Services 05/11/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- IBM Japan is providing a
series of multimedia-related services to its users, including
a Multimedia Solution Service and a Multimedia Creation
Center. IBM Japan is planning to hold a national Japanese
user symposium next week.

Multimedia Solutions consists of three major categories: common
services, planning, and structure services. The service is further
divided into 37 subspecialties, such as multimedia system
consultation, system designing, development support, system
integration, and multimedia seminars. IBM hopes its services
will draw more users into the world of multimedia by
demonstrating how multimedia works, and can be useful.

Multimedia Solution service, for instance, will allow users to
see and try out actual systems, and will be the division that
conducts multimedia seminars.

IBM Japan's Multimedia Creation Center is equipped with top-of-
the-line multimedia equipment, and is designed to provide
production and editing of multimedia objects including computer
graphics, voice, music, and motion pictures.

IBM Japan's first user seminar will be held on May 20 and
21 in Nigata, a city in Northwest Japan. IBM Japan reports
about 3,000 are registered to attend this seminar. Experts
will discuss their actual experience in the application of
software and the hardware on PC Netware LANs (local area networks),
OS/2 workstations, PC-based low-cost systems, and AS/400-based
expert systems.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930510/Press Contact: IBM Japan, +81-
3-5563-4297, Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TYO)(00003)

Canon Hires Next's Staff On Workstation Project 05/11/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- Canon is finally coming
through in its plan to pick up the pieces of Next's hardware
development. Canon, promising to develop a new, powerful
workstation in the US, will hire many of Next's hardware
engineers. Canon is an equity owner in Next, and the exclusive
dealer for Next workstations in Southeast Asia.

In June, Canon expects to transfer 15 of Next's current engineers
to a new firm which will employ a total of 50 people, many of
whom will come from Canon. The firm will be located
in Redwood City, California. 80 percent of the new firm's equity
will be from Canon and the rest will come from Next's engineers.

The new firm will develop a workstation equipped with
RISC-based (reduced instruction set computing) chips, and
which has Next's original operating system, Next Step. The new
workstation will hit the market next spring and will be aimed
at universities, financial markets, and engineering markets.
Also, Canon plans to develop a super-fast workstation
with the processing speed of 100 MIPS (million instructions per
second).

Canon will release the new workstations under its own brand name
and plans to make them for other firms on an OEM (original
equipment manufacturer) basis.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930510/Press Contact: Canon, +81-3-
3348-2121, [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00004)

More On Matsushita, 3DO's Multimedia Entertainment Device 05/11/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- Matsushita Electric is preparing
a powerful multimedia device jointly with 3DO in California.
The CD-ROM-based, 32-bit device will support music and game
software, and will connect to a TV set.

The software planned for the device ranges from games to music
to education. Different from others on the market, this one
will support high-quality sound, voice, and motion
pictures, according to Matsushita. The retail price of this
device is expected to hover around $700 to $800.

The main processor boards for this device will be
manufactured at Matsushita's Kobe plant this August, but the
product isn't expected to hit the market until Christmas,
according to Matsushita's executive Mikio Azuma, who was
quoted by the Nikkei newspaper.

The big advantage of this multimedia device is the software.
3DO will be a major producer of quality game software for this new
device, as 3DO is backed up by Electronics Arts' Trip Hawkins.
Interestingly, 3DO stock is also owned by AT&T, Time-Warner,
and Namcot. Matsushita is reportedly sounding out the possibility
that MCA could also produce quality entertainment software for
the unit. Matsushita purchased MCA in 1991.

Matsushita is currently selling a multimedia hand-held device,
which is licensed by Sony. It is mainly aimed at the educational
market, so Matsushita's new multimedia device will not compete
with it.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930510/Press Contact: Matsushita
Electric, [phone], Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00005)

NEC To Increase Chip Production 05/11/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- NEC Electronics will increase
production of semiconductors at its California plant. The
firm is planning to triple production at its Roseville,
California plant within a year, thanks to a sudden surge
in chip demand for the chips as well as to the rapid appreciation
of the Japanese yen.

NEC Electronics is currently producing 256K-bit memory chips,
1-megabit memory chips, 4-megabit memory chips, and application
specific (ASIC) chips. Some 10,000 units of 1-megabit to
16-megabit memory chips are currently produced per month at
this plant. By the middle of next year, the firm wants to raise
output to 30,000 units per month. ASIC production will also
increase.

The cost of this ramp-up will be 20 billion yen ($180
million), according to NEC Electronics, and the cost will
be spread out over the next two years.

NEC Electronics will also start producing 16-megabit memory chips
at this plant in September and the goal is to produce
300,000 units of this chip per month by the end of this
year.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930511/Press Contact: NEC, +81-3-
3451-2974, Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00006)

Lotus Ships Notes 3.0 05/11/93
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- Lotus
Development Corp. has begun shipping Release 3.0 of Notes, its
work-group applications development software. The new release,
announced in March, comes with a new user interface and improved
data-exchange capabilities.

Along with the upgrade, Lotus has revised its sales strategy for
Notes, shifting the emphasis from direct to indirect sales.

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

Lotus has also 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.

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.

"We are dramatically broadening the availability of the product,"
said Brenda Kelly, Notes product marketing manager. There are
plans to add more distributors in North America and around the
world, she added.

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 incorporating some
features found in other Lotus software, such as the SmartIcons
that let users perform common operations with one click of the
mouse.

Support for Microsoft's Object Linking and Embedding (OLE), which
lets one application call another, will let Notes users use a
familiar application such as Lotus' 1-2-3 spreadsheet or a word
processing package to create documents within Notes, said George
Gilbert, a Lotus product marketing manager. Notes will handle
these documents just as if they had been created with its own
editor, he said.

Lotus has also added client software for the Apple Macintosh and
a server for Microsoft Windows to the existing Windows client and
server for IBM's OS/2 operating system. Support for AppleTalk
networks and remote administration was also added.

Support for Unix and Microsoft's upcoming Windows NT is in the
works, Lotus said, as is a NetWare Loadable Module version to
work with Novell's NetWare local-area network operating system.

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.

The suggested retail price of Notes 3.0 is $495 for any client or
server. A Starter Pack, with two Notes clients and a Notes server
for Windows, is $995. Users who have Notes Release 2.1 or earlier
and have bought the standard maintenance package are entitled to
free upgrades.

French and German versions of the new release will ship in June,
Lotus said, with 10 more languages planned for later this year.

(Grant Buckler/19930510/Press Contact: Nancy Scott or Diane
Horak, McGlinchey & Paul for Lotus, 617-862-4514)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00007)

New PC Card Modems 05/11/93
SKOKIE, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- Following-up on its
acquisition of P.N.B., s.a., based on Suresnes, France, US
Robotics has launched its own line of PC card modems under PCMCIA
standards, under its Worldport brand name.

The company said a V.32 bis data-fax modem running at 14,400
bits/second, retailing for $649, and a V.22 bis data-fax modem
running at 2,400 bits/second, retailing at $349, will both ship
in June using the PCMCIA format, called a PC Card by the trade
group. The 14,400 bit/second modem will send six blank fax pages
per minute, the 2,400 bit/second modem will send four blank fax
pages per minute, when connected to a fax machine or modem
running at the same or greater speed. PC cards are about the size
of a few credit cards stacked together, and plug into a special
connector. Dozens of companies in the US and Japan support an
identical standard, called PCMCIA 2.0, which allows chips on the
cards to act as discrete devices, like modems, as well as
software modules or memory modules.

In July, US Robotics plans to ship an HST modem in the
PC card format. HST is the company's proprietary modulation
standard which, the company says, allows for data throughputs of
16,800 bits/second.

All the modems are designed for laptop or palmtop computers,
although desktop units are also expected to get PCMCIA slots in
time. US Robotics says the PC card market is due to grow
quickly, citing AP Research figures estimating nearly 3.4
million PC card fax-data modems will be shipped in 1995, a 200
percent increase over estimated 1993 industry sales.

US Robotics acquired P.N.B. earlier this year. The company was,
according to the company, the largest supplier of PCMCIA PC Card
products, having developed modems for, among others, IBM, Dell,
AST Research and Zenith. One big advantage of the USR version of
the PC card modems, the company said, is their "Smart Data Access
Arrangement" technology, which automatically configures itself to
the requirements of local telephone networks. The designs are
already approved for use in 20 countries, including the US.

US Robotics has a history of acquiring companies for their
innovative technology. The company's WorldPort brand of laptop
modems was part of its acquisition of Touchbase Systems a
number of years ago. The company also announced new products
following its acquisition of a United Kingdom company called
Microcom. Spokesman Karen Novak told Newsbytes those companies no
longer exist as separate entities. "It's all US Robotics now,"
she said. But, at least for now, P.N.B. continues to do business
under its old name.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930511/Press Contact: U.S. Robotics, Karen
Novak, 708-982-5244)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00008)

US West, PacTel Continue Along CDMA Path 05/11/93
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- US West's
cellular phone operating unit, US West NewVector Group, signed
a letter of intent with Qualcomm for delivery of Code Division
Multiple Access, or CDMA, digital cellular phones, while Pacific
Telesis, a part-owner of Qualcomm, signed a deal to bring the
technology to Los Angeles.

Under the US West deal, Qualcomm will delivery at least 36,000
CDMA phones, most of them starting in 1994. It follows an
agreement NewVector signed with Motorola Nortel last September
for CDMA cellular base stations and other equipment. That system
is due to be turned on in late 1994.

The agreement sets up a market test of digital cellular standards
in Seattle, where NewVector will introduce the technology first.
McCaw Cellular, which currently does business as Cellular One but
is expected to switch to the AT&T brand name, is already
installing digital cellular equipment under the competing Time
Division Multiple Access, or TDMA, system first endorsed by the
industry's trade group two years ago. This means that any Seattle
cellular user who, in order to get more security or a clearer
signal, purchases a digital cellular phone, will become "locked
into" their chosen carrier, since the "dual-standard" analog-
digital phones being bought by the two local carriers are
incompatible when they go digital.

TDMA splits a calling channel up into pieces, and sends digitized
voice signals over each piece. CDMA sends many digitized calls
over the same channel, using computer controls to pull-out
individual calls at each end of the link. Current versions of the
TDMA standard supply three times the calling capacity of analogy
systems, although GM's Hughes division offers an enhanced version
which claims 15 times analog capacity. The version of CDMA being
bought by US West offers 10 times the capacity of an analog
system.

Qualcomm is now engaged in a court fight with
InterDigital Communications, a patent holder on TDMA, over rights
to CDMA technology. Qualcomm released its first analog-CDMA
phone, the CD-7000, at the industry's trade show earlier this
year in Dallas, and has since signed manufacturing agreements
with a number of Korean manufacturers. Qualcomm is owned in part
by Pacific Telesis and NYNEX, and Bell Atlantic has also endorsed
its CDMA technology.

PacTel's deal is an agreement in principle to install Motorola
SC 9600 CDMA base stations in the Los Angeles market, and
Northern Telecom SuperNode switches. The company also revealed it
may extend the roll-out, which begins in early 1995 in Los
Angeles, to San Diego, Atlanta and Sacramento. BellSouth, which
holds the other Atlanta cellular license, has not yet revealed
its cellular upgrade plans. PacTel had been trialing CDMA
equipment with Qualcomm in San Diego since 1990, so its decision
to go with the system was not unexpected. PacTel also has an
agreement with Oki Telecom for delivery of 30,000 CDMA-analog
phones, and said it expects other agreements with phone makers.

The PacTel deal is the largest CDMA agreement to date, with a
network of over 100 cell sites. It's the third CDMA deal for
Motorola, following the US West agreement and a similar deal
with Bell Atlantic Mobile. The SC 9600 was also chosen by Tu-Ka
of Tokyo for deployment in Japan, using the 1.5 GHz frequency
band. In its press release, PacTel said it expects its competitor
in Los Angeles, controlled by McCaw, to deploy TDMA, and said it
will continue to improve its analog network.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930511/Press Contact: Qualcomm, Tom Crawford,
619/597-5715; PacTel, Amy L. Damianakes, 510/210-3645; Motorola
Nortel, Trish Cusack, 708/762-7047; Motorola, Judy SoHoo,
708/632-4474; Northern Telecom, Mark Buford, 214/684-8512)


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

PictureTel Upgrades Videoconferencing 05/11/93
DANVERS, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- PictureTel
upgraded its line of videoconferencing equipment by announcing
support for the standard known as H.320, cutting prices, and
offering new features and functions in its System 4000 family of
products.

The company said its H.320 compliant M-8000 Multipoint bridge
follows what's called the px64 version of the standard, meaning
it runs on digital lines as slow as 64,000 bits/second. A new
entry-level version of the system now serves as few as three
phones at just $45,000. The units can be upgraded in the field so
the investment is not lost.

The company's new E-Series provides new features under what are
called the Link-64E and SG3 systems, including support for H.320
freeze-frame graphics and annotation when used in the SG3 mode.
Lower-level models can be inexpensively upgraded to E-Series
functions under a 90-day promotion, at factory installed prices.
To help promote the use of H.320, PictureTel is reducing the
price of support for both SG3 and H.320 on its systems from
$5,000 to $2,500. Customers will be able to bundle the purchase
of the second algorithm with VideoSlate annotation for only
$6,000.

PictureTel is a leader in the videoconferencing market, competing
most closely with Compression Labs. The market took off during
the run-up to the 1991 Gulf War, and continues to expand.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930511/Press Contact: Ron Taylor, PictureTel,
508-762-5178)


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

America Online Opens San Jose Version 05/11/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- Continuing its
policy of offering local versions of its online service, America
Online opened Mercury Center, in conjunction with the San Jose
Mercury News. Chicago Online, a version of the service created in
conjunction with the Chicago Tribune, went online a year ago. The
Mercury News is owned by Knight-Ridder, the Tribune by the
Tribune Co.

Like the regular version of America Online, Mercury Center costs
$9.95 per month for five hours of online time, plus $3.50 per
hour for additional hours. Like Chicago Online, the San Jose
system offers content which is of special interest to San Jose
readers, including news dating back to 1985 from the paper's
library, or "morgue."

America Online's parent company, which is publicly traded, has
been the subject of takeover talk in recent weeks, spurred by the
purchase of a major stake by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, now
head of Asymetrix. The company approved a "poison pill" provision
designed to thwart an unfriendly takeover, but no meeting has
been held with Mr. Allen, who holds 24.9 percent of the common,
just short of the stake needed to trigger the provision.

Despite the potential for higher profits in a takeover battle, top
executives of the company continue to exercise their stock
options and sell the stakes. President Stephen Case is among the
latest, filing May 3 to sell 6,000 shares through Alex Brown and
Sons. Audrey Weil also filed to sell 4,000 shares. Company
officials have told Newsbytes in the past that these
announcements do not represent a lack of confidence in the
company, and that the options are part of a normal compensation
package.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930511/Press Contact: America Online, 703-
448-8700)


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

Sierra Takes NTN Games - QB1 Not Included 05/11/93
OAKHURST, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- The Sierra
Network will offer the interactive games of NTN Communications,
but QB1, a football game, is not part of the agreement.

NTN's agreement with Sierra covers over 12 programs including
"Showdown," "Countdown" and two trivia-based games. Sierra
recently signed an agreement to offer live questions to John
Dvorak's radio show, a move it says does not conflict with
Dvorak's columns for Ziff-Davis publications, since
Ziff's Ziffnet service does not offer live chat services like
those used to deliver questions to the Dvorak show.

In related news, NTN was sued by Interactive Network last week
which wants to have NTN's QB1 license revoked in time for the 1993 US
football season. NTN counter-sued for $10 million, alleging
that Interactive is falsely stating NTN cannot legally deliver
QB1. About 435,000 people have access to the service through
GEnie, cable systems in California and Massachusetts, and bars.

Interactive says it originally patented the technology for QB1,
licensing it to NTN in 1987 for football, baseball and hockey --
NTN ceased using the other two sport licenses. It claims that NTN
has misrepresented the two companies' relationship and disparaged
the patent in violation of agreements. Interactive Network said
it is also talking about licensing its own football game in bars,
hotels, hospitals and other venues. NTN has over 850 such
customers.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930511/Press Contact: The Sierra Network,
Jeff Leibowitz, 209/642-0700x2715; Dean Bender, for NTN, 310/473-
4147)


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

Spectrum Wins Megahertz License 05/11/93
MANHASSET, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- Spectrum
Information Technologies said it has licensed its cellular data
connector and transmission technologies to Megahertz Corporation
for an upfront payment of $1.5 million, plus royalties.

Spectrum is presently in litigation with a number of companies
concerning the broad claims it makes under its patents, which it
says cover all connectors between cellular phones and modems,
and all error-correction protocols used on such networks.
Spectrum also has filed patents on a technology which can let
cellular operators discern whether a caller is talking or sending
data, allowing them to charge different prices.

Megahertz supplies modems to Toshiba, Compaq and IBM on an OEM
basis, among other companies. It's a non-exclusive license, under
which the company can make modems connecting to all regular and
cellular telephones, and it follows an agreement in principle
announced April 29. In addition to the up-front payment and
royalty, Spectrum will also get a royalty on software drivers
that let Megahertz customers use the same modems with future
models of cellular telephones and with other emerging types of
mobile telephone networks.

In a press statement Spectrum President Peter Caserta called the
agreement an "endorsement and validation of Spectrum's cellular
data patents by the industry's leader." VyStar Group of
Salt Lake City owns 47 percent of Megahertz, and recently
announced the company earned $2.236 million on sales of $14.912
million for the quarter ending in March. VyStar has an agreement
to acquire all of Megarhertz and follow that up with a public
offering of stock in the combined companies.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930511/Press Contact: VyStar Group; Kenneth
M. Woolley, 801/562-5556; Megahertz Corp., David E. Hardy,
801/273-6610; Spectrum Information Technologies Inc., Peter T.
Caserta, 516/627-8992)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00013)

Wordperfect Supports PowerPC-Based Macs 05/11/93
SAN JOSE CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- Wordperfect
Corporation will support Apple Computer's PowerPC-based Macintosh
computers.

"We will support Wordperfect for the PowerPC-based Macintosh computer
because it will provide our customers with more power and
compatibility with Wordperfect on other platforms," says Dave Moon,
senior VP for development at Wordperfect Corporation. Moon says
Apple's new technology will provide an excellent platform on
which Wordperfect can build tools that will help users process,
share, and present information across multiple platforms.

The company didn't discuss specific dates or features of a
PowerPC-based Macintosh version of its popular word processing
program, which has long held one of the top three positions in the
best-selling software lists of various software distributors.
However, Wordperfect spokesperson Dave Terran told Newsbytes the most
substantial improvement would be in speed and power. "That will
enable us to enhance Wordperfect with next generation features."
Asked what those features might be, Terran mentioned speech
recognition, text-to-speech sound, different types of
three-dimensional renderings and animation, modeling, and analysis
as possibilities.

"You might have a model that could be manipulated for business
calculations, although it wouldn't be as sophisticated as
CAD (computer-aided design)," said Terran. He also mentioned video
running under Apple's Quicktime. "These are the types of things we
would be able to add," Terran told Newsbytes. "What enables us to do
these types of things is the raw speed and power (of PowerPC). Even
the basic requirements for the average user will be greatly
increased."

PowerPC-based Macintosh personal computers are expected to be
available some time next year. Apple Computer demonstrated a
prototype running at 80 megahertz (about 20 percent faster than the
fastest current generation Intel chip) recently, and says it will
incorporate the faster chip into its Macintosh line of personal
computers beginning in the first half of 1994. The RISC (reduced
instruction set computing) chip was developed by an
IBM-Apple-Motorola technology alliance. Apple says it will offer
upgrades to the PowerPC for several of its current models of
Macintosh. So far that list includes the Mac Centris 610 and 650, the
Macintosh IIvx and IIvi, the Performa 600, and the Quadra 800.

Terran said the company will probably develop other products for the
PowerPC at a later date.

Wordperfect Corporation also announced this week that everything is
in place for an initial public offering sometime in the future, but
declined to exactly when that might happen. Ever since Wordperfect
hired a chief financial officer and said it was changing its
accounting methods, Wall Street watchers have been anticipating what
some analysts think will be one of the biggest technology stock
offerings ever, with as much as 20 percent of the Orem, Utah-based
software company up for sale.

(Jim Mallory/19930510/Press contact: Dave Terran, Wordperfect
Corporation, 801-228-5013, fax [phone]; Reader contact:
Wordperfect Corporation, 800-451-5151)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00014)

Microsoft's Gates Wins Award 05/11/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- Microsoft Chairman
and co-founder Bill Gates has been selected as the 1993 recipient of
the Price Waterhouse Information Technology Leadership Award for
Lifetime Achievement.

Price Waterhouse said Gates was selected "for expanding the frontiers
of software technology for the betterment of mankind." The award
presentation will be made at the 5th Annual Computerworld Smithsonian
Awards Dinner at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC June
7, 1993.

Microsoft was founded by Gates and Paul Allen in 1975 and is now a
multimillion dollar company and considered by many to be the leader
in the computer software industry. Gates is considered to be one of
the richest people in the United States. The company's Microsoft Disk
Operating System (MS-DOS) is the basic operating system used by about
20 million of the personal computers sold annually. The Business
Software Alliance says software sales exceeded $39 billion in 1991.

In receiving the award Gates joins such information technology
industry luminaries as H. Ross Perot, founder of EDS and a candidate
for President of the United States in 1992; Thomas Watson Jr.,
chairman emeritus of IBM; and the late Robert Noyce, co-developer of
the integrated circuit and co-founder of Fairchild and Intel
Corporation. Gates' award will be memorialized in a permanent
exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution.

Price Waterhouse says it initiated the award in 1991 "to recognize
individuals who, over a lifetime and against great odds, have made an
outstanding contribution to society through the use of information
technology." The Computerworld Smithsonian Awards program was created
in 1989 to honor those men and women who are using information
technology across a broad range of fields to make the world a more
human, healthy and cooperative place to live. The program attracts
hundreds of nominations each year from around the world. Its category
winners will also be announced at the event on June 7th.

(Jim Mallory/19930511/Press contact: Ralph Gonzalez, Price
Waterhouse, 201-261-7000; Marty Taucher, Microsoft, 206-882-8080)


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

 ****What's In The Future For Microsoft Products 05/11/93
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- Microsoft
Corporation made several announcements about the future,
and some of them bring the company's Macintosh and DOS/Windows
versions closer together.

The company said that later this year it will introduce a new version
of its popular word processing program Word for Windows, which will
be the first step in moving core code between Word for Windows and
Word for the Macintosh. In the upcoming core code versions both
platform versions will carry the designation Version 6.0 and will
have the same file format, commands and look. Presently the Windows
version is release 2.0 while the Mac edition is version 5.1.

Microsoft says sharing the core code in the two products means that
more than 90 percent of the core base will be the same. The remaining
10 percent will be used to take advantage of platform-specific
capabilities. Core code similarity is designed to allow users to
streamline support and training resources as well as exchange files
more easily. The company says the consistent numbering system will
also eliminate confusion for users who have Word on both platforms.
Microsoft already offers core code versions of Microsoft Excel, its
spreadsheet program; PowerPoint presentation graphics; and Microsoft
Project, a project management application.

The software giant also announced that EIS (enterprise information
systems) Pak for the Macintosh is now available. The Microsoft Open
EIS Pak is a set of tools designed to help customers build enterprise
information systems using software such as Excel and other
applications. Included in the Pak is the Microsoft Excel EIS builder,
a sample application created with the Builder, and extensive online
and hard copy information for potential EIS application designers.
The Builder is a new add-in software development tool that allows
users and developers to create Excel-based EIS applications without
having to write any macro code. The EIS Pak carries an introductory
price of $99. There's also a Windows version. To run the Open EIS
Pak, you need a copy of Microsoft Excel version 4.0, which has a
suggested retail price of $495.

Microsoft also announced it is now shipping a CD-ROM only version of
its Visual C++ Professional Edition, its integrated visual
development environment that streamlines the development of C++
applications for Windows.

The company says this is the first major development tool available
entirely on CD-ROM, where 20 product disks have been consolidated
onto a single compact disc read-only memory medium. The disc also
contains a full-text indexing system and complete online
documentation. Quarterly updates of the disc are available to
developers who participate in Microsoft's Developer Network. Because
the CD-ROM version eliminates the need to print more than 100,000
pages of documentation, Microsoft staffers dubbed the program "Tree
Saver." The CD-only version is available for $395 until August 1,
1993. After that the price jumps to $499. Present users of Microsoft
C/C++ version 7.0 can upgrade for $139, while programmers using other
compilers can upgrade for $199. It costs $195 annually to be a member
of the developer network.

(Jim Mallory/19930511/Press contact: Microsoft Public Relations,
206-882-8080; Reader contact: Microsoft, 206-882-8080 or
800-426-9400)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(DEN)(00016)

Desktop IV Appeals Denied - GTSI and Zenith Win 05/11/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- "We're ecstatic,"
GTSI's director of corporate communications, Bob Capozzi, told
Newsbytes today when asked how it felt to finally have the Air
Force "fast track" Desktop IV microcomputer contract awarded.

Although there is technically a chance for the contract award to
be blocked even at this stage, yesterday's announcement by the
General Services Administration Board of Contract Appeals
virtually guarantees that the years-long battle over Desktop IV
has finally been settled.

The contract, which has an estimated value of more than $700 million,
was initially awarded to CompuAdd Corporation and Sysorex Information
Systems in May 1991. However other bidders, including ZDS, disputed
the award and in late 1991 the General Services Administration's
Board of Contract Appeals overturned the award.

The contract was then given to ZDS, but the other bidders appealed
that decision, and in February ZDS was ordered to share the award
with Government Technology Service, based in Chantilly, Virginia.
This week's decision sets aside all remaining protests. Ironically,
Desktop IV was supposed to be a "fast track" contract, intended to
speed up the usual slow pace of government purchases.

ZDS says deliveries could start as early as June, and are expected to
increase the company's federal revenues by as much as $100 million
over 1992. The PCs to be delivered will be Intel 486-based systems
that can be later upgraded using Intel's clock-doubling Overdrive
technology. The systems will ship Ethernet network-ready and will
have Novell's Netware client shell already installed. The latest
versions of Microsoft's MS-DOS operating system and Microsoft Windows
graphical user interface will also be factory-installed. Software
upgrades will be automatically distributed at no cost to the Air
Force through February 2, 1996.

The road to Desktop IV, a contract under which the two companies
will supply as many as 300,000 high performance desktop computers
to various military buyers over the next three years, has been
strewn with casualties.

Large government contract awards are almost routinely protested,
but Desktop IV, because of its size and because of the large
numbers of computers being acquired from a number of suppliers by
agencies buying off of the General Services Administration's
Microcomputer Contract Schedule while the government buyers are
waiting for a final Desktop IV contract, has seen an unusual
number of protests, some probably motivated by the fact that
until the contract was awarded there would be extra purchases
made from all companies with GSA multiple award contracts.

Desktop IV began as a gleam in the Air Force's eye sometime near
the end of 1990 and made its first public appearance in the May
30, 1991 issue of the Commerce Business Daily and was formally
announced with an RFP (request for proposals) on July 3, 1991.

Initially this was meant to be a fast track procurement because
Unisys was having major problems delivering computers and also
because the computers available under Desktop III were rather
slow.

(John McCormick & Jim Mallory/19930511/Press Contact: Bob Capozzi,
GTSI, 703-631-3333 ext. 1035)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00017)

NSF STIS Information Network 05/11/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- Ever wondered what
all your tax money goes to pay for these days? Sure, we all have,
and it is getting easier every day with the Federal government
opening up more and more of its files to easy public access. The
National Science Foundation's Science & Technology Information
System or STIS, is one case in point because the agency's goal,
as stated in its publications is "for all printed publications to
be available electronically."

Although that goal is still far from being fully realized,
dialing the STIS electronic bulletin board system at 202-357-0359
or accessing the agency files through Internet
([e-mail]) or BITNET (stis-req@NSF), will immediately
give you access to a wealth of information taxpayers have
already paid for.

Want to know more about the International Human Genome Research
Project which aims to completely analyze the specifications
nature uses to build people? Download the 100K nsf92112 file, or
the four-times larger PostScript version.

How about information on who has been awarded educational
research grants? There are dozens of those files.

Also to be found in the electronic publications are advisory
committee meeting notes, NSF Bulletins for the past few months,
blank forms for those wishing to apply for grants, policy
manuals, and phone directories of individuals involved with NSF
projects.

Unfortunately for researchers, few of these files contain much if
any scientific data. There are many files relating to scientific
discoveries such as "Midwife Galaxies May Trigger Star Formation,"
but these are so brief, many only 4K in size, that they don't
provide much more than hints at what research has been done.

Documents on STIS can be retrieved simply by sending a properly
formatted electronic mail message. You can order an index of the
files available, to help in finding documents. This service is
known as "Stisserv." To retrieve STIS files using e-mail, send a
message to: [e-mail](Internet) or stisserv@NSF (BITNET).

Requests for printed publications should be sent to [e-mail]
(Internet) or pubs@NSF (BITNET) and include the document name,
number, and your postal address.

All the necessary access information is provided online in the 60
kilobyte NSF9119 - STIS User's Guide which can be downloaded from
the STIS BBS that supports modem speeds up to 9600 baud. Set
communications software to 7-E-1 and call 202-357-0359 or 202-
357-0360, 24-hours, and be certain to set terminal emulation to
VT100.

Of special interest to those with the ability to access the files
online through the BBS directly by modem or through the Internet
(BITNET only provides e-mail, not online access) is the
availability of the sophisticated, full-text, search program
known as TOPIC which can be used to locate very specific
information. This can be very useful since there are more than
40,000 documents in STIS.

At least TOPIC is useful when it is available. Several times when
Newsbytes attempted to download files from the STIS BBS there was
no access to TOPIC and thus no way to download files even though
the file names were known.

To access the online system from Internet use: your-prompt>
telnet stis.nsf.gov and at the login prompt use "public" (lower
case, no quotes).

You can also obtain information about accessing NSF electronic
documents by writing to STIS, Division of Information Systems,
Room 401, National Science Foundation, 1800 G. Street, N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20550. Phone [phone] or TDD 202-357-7492.

(John McCormick/19930511/Press Contact: NSF, Internet E-
mail:[e-mail], BITNET E-mail:stis-req@NSF, 202-357-
7555)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00018)

BellSouth Depending Heavily on Fujitsu Switches 05/11/93
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- New fast-
data switches from Fujitsu are at the heart of BellSouth's plan
to offer multimedia services on its Southeastern network.

The company, which serves most of a nine-state area, announced a
purchasing agreement for 30 Fujitsu FETEX-150 switches,
adding it will re-sell Wellfleet routers to its customers for use
with service from the switches. The FETEX-150 switches run data
at up to 622 million bits/second under an emerging standard
called Asynchronous Transfer Mode, or ATM.

BellSouth says its ATM switches will complement the existing
voice network and allow the transfer of graphics, data and video
thousands of times faster than today's equipment. Applications
are seen in education, medical research and diagnostics, in
government and police work. The company has a $3 billion per year
capital budget.

The first cities to receive the switches will all be in North
Carolina, in Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh and
Wilmington, which will be part of what the company calls the
North Carolina Information Highway. Atlanta, Birmingham,
Alabama and Nashville will all get the switches
within three years, the company promised.

The FETEX switches could also be used within the company's home
region to distribute television signals. The company plans to
participate in a trial of interactive television next month with
AT&T and Viacom, according to reports in the Los Angeles Times
last week. AT&T's system allows people to dial-up video
information just as they dial each other on the phone. The system
reportedly works with existing cable television networks or phone
networks. The technology was developed at AT&T's Bell Labs unit.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930511/Press Contact: Bob Morrow, BellSouth,
404-529-8169)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00019)

Wireless Credit Card Transactions 05/11/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- RAM Mobile Data
announced a wireless credit card authorization service in
conjunction with TransNet Inc.

The service is well-suited to locations where terminals are not
usually present due to a lack of phone lines, as when sales occur
from cars, trucks, boats, or concession stands. The technology
allows transactions to be received in 6-12 seconds, even faster
than the speed available over regular phone lines. The faster
speed means the company will attempt to sell the service to
supermarkets, movie theaters and other high-volume locations that
have access to phone lines. The only hardware required in
addition to a terminal, like the magnetic-stripe terminals made
by Verifone, is a protocol converter and Ericsson GE radio modem,
which accesses the RAM network.

The system was first used in souvenir stands at Texas Stadium
during the NFL champion Dallas Cowboy's last regular season, and
during the playoffs. It was also used at six temporary souvenir
stands during the team's parade following its victory over the
Buffalo Bills. Zebra Air, which provides sightseeing helicopter
trips over Dallas, also uses the system.

TransNet is a unit of Transaction Processing of Tampa, and
is a point of sale and electronic draft processor. RAM is a joint
venture of RAM Broadcasting and BellSouth. Its radio data network
competes in the US with the ARDIS network owned by Motorola and
IBM.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930511/Press Contact: John Chester, for RAM,
212-995-6780)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00020)

 ****Computerland US Layoffs, Expansion In Eastern Europe 05/11/93
PLEASANTON, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- While
expanding in Russia and the Baltic, Computerland has announced
it will lay off 6.5 percent of its work force, or about 170
workers. The company says previous reports that the company
would layoff 220 workers were incorrect.

Computerland describes itself as the world's largest
computer dealer and has expanded in the technology-starved
Eastern European states over the last three years.

The US cutbacks are to centralize and reduced costs, company
officials said. PC price wars have cut the profit margins of
both dealers and manufacturers, but Computerland has placed its
hope in being able to serve the US corporate market. Last May
Computerland acquired the computer repair division of TRW in an
effort to offer service and support to corporate customers in
addition to computer products. It estimated the computer repair
business at a corporate level would grow over 50 percent by
1995 from the current level of $2.25 billion to $3.8 billion
annually.

Most of the estimated 360 Computerland outlets are franchise
locations. Computerland said it told its US retail outlets they
would face competition from superstores and should get out of
retail and into specialized markets. The employees laid off
were serving low-volume customers and that service has been
consolidated in a central location. The company estimates it
will employ just under 2,400 after the layoffs are completed.

In Eastern Europe, Computerland is represented by its
franchisee company, MBL International East Inc./ComputerLand.
The company opened two additional offices just last month, one
in St. Petersburg (Russia) and the other in Riga (Latvia), for
a total of fourteen.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930511/Press Contact: Kit Robinson,
Computerland, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00021)

 ****PC Boom Slows, According To Semi Industry 05/11/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- The
Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) announced April
semiconductor shipments are significantly down from March
levels, but shipments are still 28.6 percent higher than in the
same period a year ago. Acceleration credited to the personal
computer (PC) market is beginning to slow, according to the
SIA.

Last month, semiconductor industry growth was reported to be at
an all-time high with new orders (bookings) reported at $2.194
billion, or 46.5 percent higher than the same period a year
before. The personal computer (PC) industry was credited with
the big numbers, and SIA officials said it was especially
impressive during the traditionally soft period in the
semiconductor market. However, that boom is starting to
decelerate, though the numbers are still very strong, according
to Angela Newlove of the SIA.

April's new orders (bookings) of $2.166 billion are down less
than one percent from March record levels and 35.1 percent
higher than a year ago. April billings were $1.919 billion, up
3.5 percent from March and 34.3 percent from the year before.

The book-to-bill ratio in April is reported to be 1.13, which
means for every $100 of products shipped, $113 were ordered.
The month before, in March, the ratio was 1.17. The book-to-
bill ration reached its highest level in a year in January at
1.20.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930511/Press Contact: Angela Newlove,
Semiconductor Industry Association, tel [phone],
fax [phone])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LON)(00022)

Unix Anti-Piracy Group Sets Up Accreditation Scheme 05/11/93
ASHFORD, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- In an effort to
combat software piracy in the open systems industry, the recently
established FAST (Federation Against Software Theft) Unix piracy sub-
committee has announced plans to develop and implement a formal
reseller accreditation scheme.

In addition, the sub-committee plans to sponsor marketing initiatives
aimed at increasing end user awareness of the piracy issue, as well
as the benefits that accrue from reseller accreditation.

Plans call for the accreditation and marketing scheme to be based on
a published code of practice that is being developed by a FAST task
group.

According to Malcolm Padina, Informix UK's managing director, who is
a board member of FAST, as well as the chairman of the sub-committee,
the bulk of dealers and distributors will welcome the accreditation
system.

"Most open systems piracy is committed by a very small proportion of
the (reseller) channel. Furthermore, we want the end user to demand
accreditation from dealers and, ultimately, refuse to do business
with those that are not accredited," he said.

On the distributor front, Nick Harding, Frontline's chairman, said he
fully supported the initiative. "We are backing this initiative 100
percent. We welcome the responsible approach the FAST Unix sub-
committee is taking to this growing problem," he said.

John Ellis at Exel, another distributor, said that piracy is bad news
for both suppliers and customers. Agreeing with the FAST scheme, he
said that "this initiative can only help the open systems channel."

The FAST Unix piracy sub-committee is composed of representative from
several Unix companies, Including Informix, Ingres, Novell, Oracle,
Progress, Santa Cruz Operation, Sunsoft, Uniface, Uniforum, Unify and
Uniplex.

(Steve Gold/19930511/Press & Public Contact: Malcolm Padina, Informix
Software - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00023)

Britain Stymies Euro-HDTV Plans Again 05/11/93
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- The long-running saga of
Britain vs the rest of Europe on the subject of high definition
television (HDTV) has reared its ugly head again. This time around,
despite a number of changes and compromises to the HDTV investment
plan by the European Commission (EC), Britain has again vetoed the
scheme. Without a unanimous vote in favor of the plan, the $350
million investment cannot proceed.

British representatives say that, although the plan has been scaled
down to a third of its previous size, and the original plan to
mandate all large screen TV producers to adhere rigidly to the now
almost defunct D-Mac system, the plans is still not good enough.

Although the TV and satellite industry is beginning to get more than
a little upset with the British Government for stalling on what they
see as a very necessary scheme, Arne Melchior, who acted as chairman
of a recent meeting of EC telecoms ministers, has attempted to pour
oil on troubled waters.

Melchior said that both sides in the dispute have moved together. He
added that he optimistic that both sides would find a compromise at
the next meeting, which takes place next month. He said that he and
the rest of the committee are working on rewording the draft
proposals to accommodate Britain's wishes.

Reporting on the matter on Cable News Network International (CNNI),
EC ministers said that the plan should go through next month,
provided Britain agrees on what money the EC can invest. British
industry watchers have suggested that, if the EC cuts the amount of
money in half again, to $175 million, then the plan will be agreed.

(Steve Gold/19930511)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00024)

BoCoEx Index 05/11/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- Boston Computer
Exchange for the week ending May 7, 1993.

Machine                        Main  Closing     Price      Ask     Bid

                              Drive    Price    Change

IBM PS1 386SX/25            130 MgB      850                900     750

IBM PS/2 Model 70-A21       120 MgB      875                950     800

IBM PS/2 Model 50Z           30 MgB      425                500     400

IBM PS/2 Model 55SX          60 MgB      750                800     700

IBM ThinkPad 300             80 MgB     1400               1500    1325

IBM ThinkPad 700             80 MgB     2350               2400    2200

IBM ThinkPad 700C           120 MgB     3600               3500    3500

IBM V\P 3/25T MOD. 80        80 MgB     1500               1600    1500

IBM PS/2 Model 90-OH9       160 MgB     1700               1700    1600

IBM PS/2 Model 95-OJF       400 MgB     3000               3300    2700

Compaq Prolinea 4/50        120 MgB     1100               1150    1050

Compaq Prolinea 4/33        240 MgB     1050               1100    1000

Compaq Portable 386         100 MgB      650                800     600

Compaq SLT-386              120 MgB      925                950     850

Compaq LTE-286                40MgB      650                700     600

Compaq LTE-LITE 3/25         120MgB     1350               1450    1200

Compaq LTE-LITE\25C           120MB     2400               2600    2300

Compaq SysPro XL 486/50    1.02 Gig   13,100             13,500  13,000

Compaq Syspro 486/50          Mod 1     8700               9000    8500

Compaq Deskpro 486 /33I     120 MgB     1850               1900    1750

Compaq SysPro 486/33       2040 MgB     6800               7000    6300

Compaq DeskP 486DX2/66i     240 MgB     2100               2400    1900

AST Prem Exec 386SX20        40 MgB      700  down 200      800     700

NEC UltraLite Versa  25C    120 MgB     3300               3400    3300

NEC UltraLite Versa  20C     80 MgB     2850               2950    2800

Zenith Mastersprt-386SX      60 MgB      950               1100     900

Zenith SuperSport 386SX      40 MgB      750                900     650

Macintosh Classic            40 MgB      650                700     600

Macintosh Classic II         40 MgB      750                800     700

Macintosh SE                 40 MgB      625                650     600

Macintosh SE-30              80 MgB     1150               1250    1100

Macintosh LC                 40 MgB     1000               1300     800

Macintosh II                 40 MgB     1350               1400    1300

Macintosh II SI              80 MgB     1400               1500    1350

Macintosh II CX              80 MgB     1550               1650    1500

Macintosh II CI              80 MgB     2250               2350    2200

Macintosh II FX              80 MgB     2800               3000    2800

Macintosh Quadra 700        160 MgB     3250               3500    3200

Macintosh Quadra 900        160 MgB     4000               4300    3900

Macintosh Powerbk 165C       80 MgB     2750               2800    2500

Macintosh Powerbk  145       40 MgB     1650               1700    1550

Macintosh Powerbk 180        80 MgB     3100               3200    3000

Apple Imagewriter 2                      200                225     175

Apple Laserwriter IINT                   950               1000     900

HP Laserjet II                           750                800     750

HP Laserjet III                         1050               1100    1000

Toshiba T-1200 XE            20 MgB      550                600     500

Toshiba T-1600               40 MgB      525                575     500

Toshiba T-2000 SX            40 MgB      750  down 100      800     700

Toshiba T-2000 SXE           40 MgB      850  down 100      950     800

Toshiba T-2200 SX             80MgB     1000  down 150     1200     900

Toshiba T-3100 SX            80 MgB      800  down 200     1000     800

Toshiba T-3200               40 MgB      550                700     500

Toshiba T-3200 SX            40 MgB      750  down 100      850     700

Toshiba T-3200 SXC          120 MgB     2250               2400    2100

Toshiba T-6400SX            120 MgB     2400               2700    2200

Toshiba T-4400SX            120 MgB     1500  down 300     1800    1500

Toshiba T-5200              100 MgB     1400               1500    1400

BoCoEx Index data is compiled by Market Analyst, Gary M. Guhman

Here are some current retail-oriented Seats on the Exchange, presented in a
cyclic basis.

Dallas - Ft. Worth, TX - DFW Computer Exchange - M.B. Lee - 817-244-7833

Escondido, Ca. - Affordable Computer Solutions - Dean Jacobus - 619-738-
4980

New Orleans, Louisiana - Audubon Computer Rental - Mike Barry - 504-522-
0348

Detroit, Michigan - CompuCycle - Walt Hogan - 313-887-2600

Computer Exchange\\NorthWest - Dye Hawley - 206-820-1181

Albuquerque, NM, Western Computer Exchange - David Levin - 505-265-1330

Fresno, California - MacSource Computers - Mike Kurtz - 209-438-6227

BoCoEx Index prices are based on complete systems with keyboard, VGA
monitor and adapter, less the value of any software or peripherals.
Boston Computer Exchange is available at: 617-542-4414, Buyer's HotLine: 1-
800-262-6399, In Alaska and Canada 1-800-437-2470, FAX: [phone].The
BoCoEx Database is on the Delphi system: ME BO.

(BOCOEX/19930511)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00025)

Tandem Unit, Immedia Infomatic To Merge 05/11/93
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- Tandem
Computers and Immedia Infomatic have agreed in principle to
merge Tandem's MPACT EDI Systems subsidiary with Immedia
Infomatic.

According to the companies, Immedia will purchase all of
Tandem's MPACT EDI Systems common stock for cash and
approximately 1.85 million shares of Immedia Infomatic
common stock. That will give Tandem about 18 percent of
Immedia and representation on its board of directors.

Tom Waldrop, spokesman for Tandem, told Newsbytes that, "This
merger expands our partnership with MPACT to a three-way
partnership that includes Immedia, as Tandem will remain an
investor in this. We think the integration of MPACT's messaging
and EDI with Immedia's products will give them greater critical
mass in the marketplace."

The companies maintain that, subject to stockholder and
regulatory approval, Immedia Infomatic will issue about four
million new shares of common stock. This will take the form
of about 1.85 million shares issued to Tandem and about 2.1
million "special warrants" to purchase common shares. The
companies say that the proceeds from special warrants will be
used to effect the transaction and to provide working capital
for the merged company.

Immedia Infomatic says that it provides both software and
value-added network (VAN) services for electronic mail and
electronic data interchange (EDI) based on Tandem's NonStop
systems, which are continuously available computer systems for
online transaction processing. MPACT EDI Systems provides EDI
and messaging software for NonStop systems.

In announcing the merger, Brian Edwards, president of Immedia
Infomatic, said, "Immedia and MPACT see a growing market for
integration of e-mail and EDI in high-volume transaction
environments."

Tandem and Immedia Infomatic also plan to establish a
distribution and joint marketing relationship under agreement.

Waldrop also told Newsbytes that, "It will also enable us to
enhance shareholder value by taking on a partner in the
ownership of MPACT. It will help MPACT, while still enable
Tandem to participate in this growing market for messaging."

(Ian Stokell/19930511/Press Contact: W. Brian Edwards,
514-397-9747, Immedia Infomatic Corp.; Tom Waldrop,
408-285-7277, Tandem Computers Inc.)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00026)

Sun Expands Into Greece And Middle East 05/11/93
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 11 (NB) --
Increased demand for Unix-based systems has prompted Sun
Microsystems Computer Corporation's intercontinental division
to open a regional office in Athens, Greece.

The company says that the office supports distributors in more
than 20 countries, including Portugal, Cyprus, Turkey, Israel and
Africa. Additionally, a Middle East regional office has also been
opened in Dubai, UAE, which covers 10 countries, including Saudi
Arabia, Kuwait, and Egypt.

A company spokesperson told Newsbytes that "Sun's business
has been expanding globally overall. What we felt is that we
have a lot of distributors (in Greece) but we didn't
haven't someone essentially offering customer support and
service. One of the factors (influencing the decision) was the
fact that we could have more hands-on support."

In announcing the office openings, Tim Dwyer, vice president of
intercontinental operations, said: "We've seen a dramatic increase
in demand for Unix-based systems in this region, and this has
created a need for establishing a service and support organization
for Sun SPARC/Solaris systems."

According to the company, existing SMCC partners and the new
sales offices will focus on penetrating the banking/financial
services, education, telecommunications, earth resources and
government markets.

Sun says that more than 50 percent of its revenues come from
non-US markets.

SMCC says it also has offices in Australia, Belgium, Brazil,
Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, Japan,
Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, the People's Republic of
China, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and
the United Kingdom.

(Ian Stokell/19930511/Press Contact: Carol Hartzell,
415-336-0598, Sun Microsystems Computer Corp.)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00027)

Sun In Retail System Deal With Siemens Nixdorf 05/11/93
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- While
the high-focus end-user graphical user interface (GUI) products
grab all the headlines, vertical markets and point-of-sale (POS)
systems provide a substantial income for many large vendors.
Now Sun Microsystems Computer Corp. (SMCC) has announced
that Siemens Nixdorf USA will port its Calypso POS software
application to Sun's SPARC/Solaris platform.

According to the companies, this will create "a complete
high-performance, low-cost, in-store system for retail
organizations." The two companies plan to jointly market
their products in the US.

A company spokesperson told Newsbytes that the deal, "Teams
Sun with an industry leader. Siemens Nixdorf is well-known
globally and they are gaining momentum in the US. The goal
is to get closer to the customer."

The companies will combine Sun's SPARC workstations and
servers with Siemens' Intel-based POS terminals and software
applications. According to the companies, the combination
will give retailers the ability to add store-level applications,
such as sales tracking, inventory, and customer databases, all
on a single system within the store, or centrally at
headquarters.

Said the spokesperson to Newsbytes, "If you are able to access
data that is input at the point of sale directly through the Sun
system, then that's all the better."

Siemens Nixdorf USA says the new offering will be its first
open RISC-based in-store processing product.

In announcing the deal, Doug Kaewert, director of commercial
market development at SMCC, said: "We will offer customers
powerful back-end processing with multi-tasking, enterprise-
wide connectivity and expansion capabilities - all in a cost-
effective, integrated package."

The companies will initially focus on supermarkets, chain
drug stores, and selected specialty store retailers.

(Ian Stokell/19930511/Press Contact: Wendy Moro,
415-904-7000, Hi-Tech Communications; Ian Robb,
617-273-0480, Siemens Nixdorf)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SFO)(00028)

 ****US West/Oracle In On-line Service Deal 05/11/93
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- The
government ruling to allow telephone companies into the
information services market has opened up new opportunities
in telecommunications. Now US West and Oracle have entered
into an agreement that the companies claim, will "bring an
array of interactive multimedia services to homes, businesses
and schools."

The companies estimate that the first of the new services
could be available by the end of the year.

According to the companies, the idea is for the interactive
multimedia services to let customers perform their daily
activities - making purchases, watching video entertainment,
obtaining information and leaving or receiving messages -
using the different types of technology they already have in
their homes and businesses.

In announcing the deal, Chuck Lillis, US West executive vice
president and chief planning officer, said: "Our goal is to enable
customers around the world to get the information they want at
any time, from any place, in any form, using any equipment. To do
that, we're developing a kind of software 'engine' that will help
us quickly and cost-effectively create interactive multimedia
services to ride on today's information highways."

The deal calls for Oracle to develop the software framework the
new services require and for US West to partner with information
providers to bring the services to the marketplace.

Specific terms of the agreement were not disclosed. However,
the two companies said they plan to "aggressively develop a
common software infrastructure for multimedia and transaction
services."

Said Larry Ellison, Oracle president and CEO, "This agreement gives
us a chance to use our information management technology in the
development phase of the growing information providers market."

(Ian Stokell/19930511/Press Contact: Lois Leach,
303-793-6355, Blair Johnson, 303-649-4676, US West Inc.)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00029)

Epson's Quiet Dot Matrix Printers 05/11/93
TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- There's
nothing more annoying than trying to concentrate while a dot
matrix printer is whining away in the background. Now Epson
says it has introduced two new printers that feature "whisper
quiet operation."

The 24-pin LQ-570+ and AP-5000+ dot matrix printers are
claimed by the company to be up to seven percent faster than
their predecessors.

In announcing the new printers, Charles Gunderson, director of
imaging product management for Epson, said: "Users of the new
products will save time with the enhanced print speed, and the
reduction in sound levels makes them suitable for use in
noise-sensitive environments."

The products print 337 characters per second (cps) at 15
characters per inch (cpi) in draft mode. The new models have
been redesigned to reduce sound levels to 46.5 decibels, a
decrease of over 15 percent.

Each printer comes with 10 bit-mapped fonts and four scalable
fonts. The company claims that the scalable fonts allow users
to create professional quality documents. The printers use
Epson's own ESC/P 2 printer control language.

The printers feature automatic paper loading for single sheets and
continuous forms and paper parking. According to the company,
they also feature top, rear, bottom and front paper feed paths, as
well as a convertible push/pull tractor for precision forms
handling.

Both the LQ-570+ and AP-5000+ carry a suggested retail price
of $349 and are available immediately. They comes with a
limited two-year warranty.

(Ian Stokell/19930511/Press Contact: Jan Marciano,
310-782-5161, Epson America Inc.)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LAX)(00030)

 ****Apple Jumps On Unix-Compatibility Bandwagon  05/11/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 11 (NB) -- Apple has
announced it will offer a way for Unix users to run Macintosh
software applications on Unix systems. Since Unix workstations
are becoming the downsizing bridge in the move from expensive
and centralized mainframes to less expensive client/server
distributed systems, everyone is getting on the Unix bandwagon.

Just last week, Unix workstation leader Sun announced it would
offer Wabi, a software bridge to run DOS and Windows
applications on Unix systems without running DOS or Windows.
Sun also proposed the Public Windows Interface (PWI)
specification which it says will bring in a standard everyone
can follow and no particular company has control over.

Apple is making a similar statements, saying it plans to
provide open systems platforms, so Macintosh, Unix, and
Windows/DOS clients to access those services. Apple also said
it will provide an open, published set of Application
Programming Interfaces (APIs), so both Macintosh and Unix
developers can develop applications for getting to that
critical mainframe data.

The impetus for these announcements of planned products on the
part of Apple and Sun appears to be a desire to get a jump on
Microsoft, which is expected to announce Windows NT at Spring
COMDEX in Altanta, Georgia this month. While Windows NT may not
be ready to ship at the announcement, Microsoft has said the
product could ship shortly after Spring COMDEX.

Windows NT has already been demonstrated running on reduced
instruction set computing (RISC)-based workstations that
normally run Unix operating systems as well as on high-end 486-
based personal computers (PCs). The wide acceptance of
Microsoft Windows 3.1 and the strong compatibility between
Windows 3.1 and Windows NT could make Windows NT the candidate
for the bridge operating system product in the move to downsize.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930511/Press Contact: Emilio Robles,
Apple Computer, tel [phone])