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/NB930518

Text File | 1993-05-18 | 63KB | 1,386 lines

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00001)

ATV Calls In SAS To Track Expenditure 05/18/93
KOWLOON, HONG KONG, MAY 18 1993 -- Asia Television Limited (ATV) has
chosen software from the SAS Institute to monitor advertising
expenditure in Hong Kong across all leading media.

The SAS System, integrated software for accessing, managing,
analysing and presenting data, is used by ATV's marketing research
department to analyse the expenditure of ATV's existing and
prospective advertisers. The reports cover TV, radio, newspapers,
magazines, the MTR and cinema.

"The SAS-based system is literally essential to our business,"
explained Vincent Lam, ATV's marketing research manager. "In Hong
Kong, where there is keen competition for every advertising dollar,
it is vital to keep in touch with customer preferences. The SAS
System has the power and flexibility to rapidly sift vast amounts of
data to tell us who spent what, where and how," he said.

The SAS System runs on an IBM RISC/6000 computer which is connected
to an IBM AS/400 mid-range system. Users access the system via
X-Windows and dumb terminals to produce a wide range of regular and
ad hoc reports for sales management, budgeting, competitive
analysis, monitoring of advertising trends, management reporting and
sales presentations.

The main source of external information is ADEX, a member of the
Survey Research Group. The raw data, which is delivered on disk in
ASCII text files, details the pattern of the previous week's
advertising in more than 20 different types of media.

SAS software is used to read the data into the system and to analyze
it by a wide range of criteria, including advertiser, agency,
medium, product, date, size, length, and frequency. "With more than
160,000 records of over 20 fields covering 365 days a year, it was
essential to choose software that is powerful, fast and flexible to
different reporting needs," Lam said.

Lam added that, using the previous PC-based system, it could take
several hours to produce a report as data from many different
sources had to be combined. "Now, using the SAS System, we can
access and analyse information from many different files to produce
the same report in just a couple of minutes," he said.

"Also, SAS' ability to rapidly and easily set up different reporting
formats is vital in enabling us to respond quickly to changing
requirements. If we need to produce a special proposal for one
advertiser or a new type of report for ATV management, we can
rapidly identify and sort the relevant information," he said.

In future, ATV plans to combine the information from ADEX with its
own internal data to provide a better service to the sales
department, their clients and advertising agencies, and will
evaluate other modules within the SAS System to widen the scope of
its research.

In addition, Lam is exploring the SAS System's graphical
capabilities. "Our job is to deliver mission critical information
that helps the sales force to sell more and management to run the
company efficiently," he said.

"By helping us to deliver reports that are clear, relevant and
attractive, the SAS System can play an important competitive role,"
he added.

The SAS Institute is the world's ninth largest software company,
with 1991 revenues of $295 million. SAS software is installed at
25,000 sites in 105 countries, including 90 percent of the Fortune
1000 companies. SAS Institute has subsidiaries or distributors in 40
countries and employs more than 2,500 people worldwide.

(Brett Cameron/19930518/Press Contact: Nigel Gasper (SAS): Tel:
[phone];HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00002)

Tiara Intros EtherTrek Ethernet Network Adapter 05/18/93
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- The price of
Ethernet networking boards continues to come down. Now Tiara Computer
Systems has introduced the EtherTrek network adapter for $149.

The Ethernet adapter card is software configurable, Novell certified,
and comes with a lifetime warranty.

According to the company, the EtherTrek adapter can be used with any
8-bit or 16-bit Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) computer, and
provides connectivity in either star or bus topologies via thick and
thin Ethernet and unshielded twisted pair (UTP) wiring schemes.

Announcing the new board, Andrei Glasberg, president and CEO of
Tiara, said: "We are pleased to offer the first combination network
adapter card of this quality for the list price of $149. The
EtherTrek is the next step in the revolution of networking boards.
It offers resellers a single solution that fulfils a variety of
networking needs."

Each adapter is accompanied by a single fold-out installation card
and diskette. Although the adapters are software configurable, they
may be manually configured. The adapter contains an optional boot
PROM socket for diskless workstation communication, and it is both
FCC Class A and B certified.

The board can be purchased in single units, six-packs and 20-packs.

(Ian Stokell/19930518/Press Contact: Susan Hara, 415-965-1700,
Tiara Computer Systems Inc.)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00003)

Norton Backup For Windows Supports Network Users 05/18/93
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- Symantec has
announced a new version of Norton Backup for Windows -- Norton
Backup 2.2 for Windows - which is aimed at users on networks with
DOS and Windows based machines. The new package supports DOS 6.0, as
well as several tape backup drives, and is cross-compatible with the
Norton Backup for DOS.

Norton Backup was licensed by Microsoft for inclusion in DOS 6.0.
However, Symantec claims that version 2.2 offers more than DOS 6.0
upgrade users received. Calling the product a "superset" of the
backup features in DOS 6.0, Symantec claims that version 2.2 for
Windows offers restoration of DOS 6.0 backups and vice-versa.

The package can also restore backups made by its DOS version and, on
a network, system administrators can standardize backup routines
that all users can use.

The package continues to offer a built-in scheduler for attended or
unattended backups, calculates the time to backup files, can format
floppy disks "on-the-fly" rejecting bad disks, and can backup
multiple drives in a single session. Symantec also boasts that
Norton Backup can even restore files from damaged diskettes.

In addition the product supports popular tape backup drives such as
those from Colorado Memory Systems and Iomega as well as QIC 40/80
compliant tape drives.

The new Norton Backup for Windows requires a minimum of a 286-based
IBM or compatible personal computer, Windows 3.0 or higher, DOS 3.1
or higher, 2 megabytes (MB) of random access memory (RAM), and a
hard disk drive.

Retail price for the Norton Backup 2.2 for Windows is $149, but
anyone purchasing the DOS 6.0 Upgrade can get the product for $69,
Symantec said. Upgrades to owners of previous versions of the Norton
Backup for DOS or Windows can upgrade for $19.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930518/Press Contact: Lori Cross, Symantec,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Customer Information 800-
441-7234 or 408-252-3570)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00004)

PictureTel Officially Meets ISO 9002 Standard 05/18/93
DANVERS, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- PictureTel has
announced it has received International Standards Organization (ISO)
9002 certification. ISO-9002 is a system model for quality assurance
relating to production and installation operations and was recently
adopted by the European Commission (EC).

The certification should give PictureTel an easier time selling its
videoconferencing systems in Europe. PictureTel executives said it
is becoming increasingly hard to sell equipment without ISO
certification in the EC.

A total of 40 countries have adopted ISO-9000 certification as their
official quality measure. The certification requires a thorough
program of internal quality audits and training, as well as
effective use of statistical process controls.

PictureTel is one of the "big three" in the US videoconferencing
industry, along with Compression Labs and VideoTelecom, and is
generally thought to be the market leader. PictureTel systems work
on digital lines as slow as 64,000 bits/second.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930518/Press Contact: Ron Taylor, PictureTel,
508-762-5178)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00005)

Bronx Moves To 718 From 212 05/18/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- New York Telephone
officially switched the Bronx from the 212 area code to 718, the
same area code used by Brooklyn and Queens, in order to free-up
numbers for the 212 area code used by Manhattan.

Despite the move, 212 is filling up quickly. Company spokesmen
estimated that 5.2 million of the 7 million available numbers in
Manhattan are spoken for, even though extensive use is being made of
exchanges prefixes such as 510, which look like area codes. Fax
machines, computer data networks, and other communication devices
all get some blame. Cellular phones don't, because cellular phones
throughout the area are being progressively switched to yet another
area code, 917.

The use of a separate area code for cellular phones has gotten some
attention from other phone companies, although New York Telephone
officials admit it was done after an attempt to give the Bronx the
917 designation was razzed by local officials. Despite the move,
it's expected that northern areas of Manhattan may have to move from
212 from 917 within a few years, as demand continues for numbers.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930518)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00006)

LDDS, Resurgens, Metromedia Finalize Merger 05/18/93
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- LDDS
Communications, Metromedia Communications Corp. (MCC), and the
Resurgens Communications Group, have finalized their previously-
announced merger, which will make Mississippi the home of the clear
number four in US long distance services.

MCC and Resurgens had originally announced a definitive agreement to
merge. Then LDDS, fresh from swallowing Advanced Telecommunications
of Atlanta, joined the grouping.

Under terms of the agreement, shareholders of LDDS will receive
about 68.5 percent and shareholders of MCC/Resurgens will receive
about 31.5 percent of the new company. Resurgens will technically be
the surviving entity and will be renamed LDDS-Metro Communications,
and known as LDDS-Metro. LDDS shareholders will receive 0.9595 shares
of common stock of LDDS-Metro for each share of LDDS common stock,
subject to certain adjustments.

Metromedia is controlled by billionaire investor John W. Kluge, who
will be chairman of the new company. He had been looking for a
mechanism to take the telephone element of his company public, and
found it in Resurgens. But LDDS head Bernard J. Ebbers, who will be
President and CEO of LDDS-Metro, is really the key man.

Through acquisitions, he has transformed LDDS in just a few years
from a small regional carrier to a strong fourth force in US long
distance, while retaining management and financial control. LDDS-
Metro will have anticipated annual revenues in excess of $1.5
billion, but that's still far behind third-place Sprint.

In a separate announcement, LDDS said it earned $16.376 million for
the quarter ending in March, up 33 percent from a year earlier.
Results were restated to reflect the ATC acquisition. Ebbers said in
a statement that even better results can be anticipated going
forward as the two companies continue to integrate their operations.
Two other small companies, Dial-Net and Touch 1 Long Distance, will
also be integrated into the operation this coming quarter.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930518/Press Contact: LDDS Communications,
Bernard J. Ebbers, 601/364-7000; Metromedia Communications, Howard
Finkelstein, 201-804-6500; Resurgens Communications, John D.
Phillips, 404-261-6190)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00007)

SoftLinx Spins Off Replix Fax Software From SSA 05/18/93
WESTFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A, 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- The former
president and CEO of Samsung Software America (SSA), Dr. Hikyu Lee,
has acquired the rights to SSA's Replix fax software and established
a new company called SoftLinx.

The new SoftLinx spin-off will market Replix in a nimble way that is
tightly focused on emerging corporate needs for Unix-based fax
solutions, John Doyle, vice president of marketing and sales for
SoftLinx, told Newsbytes in an interview.

Doyle said that the first activities on the SoftLinx agenda include
porting Replix software from its current Hewlett-Packard, IBM and
Sun OS (Operating System) platforms to Solaris 2.X, Sun Sparc
OpenWindows and SCO Unix, as well as releasing a client version of
the software for Microsoft Windows.

In conjunction with Lee's acquisition of the Replix rights, other
activities of SSA are being absorbed into the broader operations of
the Samsung Group of Seoul, Korea, Doyle explained. SSA, a research
and development unit of the Samsung Group, has also created such
products as a RISC-based X terminal and a 10BaseT hub.

SoftLinx has established a new facility in Westford, MA, and SSA's
headquarters in nearby Andover, MA are being disbanded, he said.
Many SSA employees who had been working on Replix have been hired by
SoftLinx, while additional SSA staff members will stay with on with
Samsung in other capacities.

Strong demand is arising for Unix-based fax server solutions now
that corporations have completed the first wave of downsizing,
according to Doyle.

"Organizations are recognizing that many mainframe applications are
old by today's standards, and that other mainframe applications
don't port especially well to Unix. Unix-based applications that
can be used straight out of the box are starting to make a lot of
sense," he said.

At the same time, corporations that want to automate their fax
operations are discovering that most of the available packaged
software is PC-based, he added.

By running on Unix, Replix provides a robustness that is still out
of reach for other operating systems, he maintained. Replix can be
used, for example, to broadcast 1000 faxes at a time. "Right now,
PC-based packages just don't have enough horsepower to do something
like that," he commented. Unix also offers multitasking capabilities
that are still lacking in most PC-based systems, he said.

SoftLinx is currently working with several systems integrators to
develop a fax-on-demand system that will be marketed to telephone
companies, according to the vice president.

"Basically, what we bring to the table is a very intuitive and yet
powerful user interface," he said. The currently shipping Replix
software is based on an X-Windows Motif GUI with icons for send,
receive, status, phone book, view file, exit, and system
administration. A command-line interface is also provided.

Replix lets end users send faxes directly from PostScript and
Applix applications, send and receive faxes directly from Unix e-
mail, attach custom cover sheets with logos and signatures,
maintain schedules of faxes sent, scheduled and received, and keep
public, private and custom phone books.

Automatic fax retry, an automatic text editor for generating quick
faxes, hooks for integrating Replix with outside applications, and
many other capabilities are included, as well.

Doyle told Newsbytes that localized versions of Replix are also now
in the works, and so are collaborative efforts with outside
hardware companies to provide automated, attendant-free routing.

According to analyst Peter Davidson, the multitasking capabilities
of Unix are important in the fax server environment for two
reasons. First, Unix is much less likely than a single-tasking
environment such as DOS to bog down under the weight of high volume
fax transactions.

Second, Unix-based software such as Replix carries the potential
for attachment to LAN (local area network) environments such as
Novell NetWare. "If SoftLinx is able to address this issue, they
could be the first," said Davidson, who is president of Davidson
Consulting, a Burbank, CA-based company that specializes in the fax
server market.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930518/Press contact: Gail Smart, Sterling Hager
for SoftLinx, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00008)

BT Annual Profits Take A Dive; But Share Sales Go On 05/18/93
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- Citing the cost of laying off
large quantities of its workforce in an expensive redundancy program,
British Telecom (BT) has reported a savage cutback in profits for
its full year to March 31, 1993.

Analysts had been predicting a slump in profits of around UKP 1,000
million, but the company reported profits of UKP 1,972 million for
the year, compared with profits of UKP 3,073 million for the year
before.

Iain Vallance, BT's chairman, said that the decline in profits was
attributable to "substantial redundancy and non-recurring charges,"
despite continuing efforts to maintain sales and cut costs.

BT has already announced plans to cut around 30,000 jobs over the
next two years. Some sources have suggested that this figure could
rise to 50,000 jobs in the face of increasing competition. New
technology has forced the former state-controlled telecoms company to
slash its work force from 245,000 to 170,000 over the past three
years.

"The benefits of good cost control and the slight improvement in
volume growth that has arisen since last summer, have come through in
a strong fourth quarter operating performance before redundancy
changes," Vallance said, adding that the company is now "positioned
to take advantage of an upturn in the economy."

The reduction in profits may put a dampener on the British
Government's plans to sell off its remaining 22 percent stake in the
telecoms company. Industry sources suggest that the amount of money
at stake -- UKP 5,500 million -- in the share sell-off will not
dissuade the Government from carrying out the sell-off this summer,
however.

(Steve Gold/19930518)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00009)

Greek Telecoms Race Heats Up 05/18/93
ATHENS, GREECE, 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- Anyone struggling to place an
international direct dial call from an Athens payphone this summer
may find it hard to believe, but no less than six international
telecoms companies are competing to buy a 35 percent stake in OTE,
Greece's state telecoms giant.

According to a communique released by the Greek Government, the six
companies in the running are France Telecom, GTE (US), Korea Telecom,
NTT (Japan), Stet (Italy) and Telefonica (Spain). These six are the
remains of the original 13 who were interested in the sell-off.

Interestingly, Korea Telecom was not in the original group of 13
companies, but joined in the tendering procedure last month. Sources
in the Greek daily press suggest that the sale may be split between
two or more companies, but only if they form a joint venture company
to handle the shares.

Although the sell-off will be the first stage in the privatization of
Greece's telecoms company, OTE has no plans to change its day to day
operation. The investment deal will allow the successful company the
right to sell its hardware, software and telecoms services in the
country, but only on the international telecoms front, Newsbytes
notes.

(Steve Gold/19930518)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LON)(00010)

France Telecom To Unveil Powerbop Version Of Mac Powerbook 05/18/93
PARIS, FRANCE, 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- France Telecom has revealed plans
to sell a special version of the Apple Computer's Powerbook 180
portable Mac computer. The machine, which will be known as the
Powerbop, will include software suitable for use with the French
Minitel online service, as well as a France Telecom modem.

This will be no ordinary portable/modem combo, Newsbytes has learned.
The Powerbop modem is designed to work with France Telecom's CT-2
(cordless telephone type 2) digital mobile phone network, Bibop.

The Bibop service, which is similar to the Rabbit CT-2 network in the
UK, allows outgoing calls to be made when the user is within 200
yards of a public base station. The French Bibop network, which has
been operational for around a month, has 12,000 subscribers, despite
the fact that base stations are only available in Paris and
Strasbourg.

Plans call for France Telecom to roll out the Bibop network across
France over the coming months. In addition, in September, mobile
Bibop phone users will be able to register their phones on local
base stations for incoming calls.

(Steve Gold/19930518)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00011)

BBSCON Convention And Expo Set For End Of August 05/18/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- Online Networking
Expositions (ONE) will present a five-day series of seminars on
network and bulletin board system (BBS) technologies August 25 to
August 29 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Seminars, or "tracks," will cover these and other topics: "How to
Run a BBS for Profit;" "Internet Connectivity;" "Technology Track;"
"Education and Government Track;" "Survey of BBS Software;"
"Legal/Social Issues;" "General Connectivity Track;" and
"Application Track."

Internet membership is growing at a phenomenal 15 percent each
month; there are more than 45,000 public dial-up BBS systems now
operating in the US, with the number doubling every 18 months; and
150,000 systems are operated privately or by government and
businesses. Those are the numbers used by Jack Rickard to describe
the growing popularity of what he calls the  "secret" computer
activity.

Electronic bulletin board systems are used by hundreds of thousands
of people each day to order products, share information, and
socialize, but until very recently this aspect of the computer
revolution has remained very much an "inside" story, one which is
only now becoming more widely known due, in part, to Mr. Rickard's
Boardwatch Magazine which covers the BBS industry.

Well-known speakers appearing at BBSCON will include BBS guru and
publisher Jack Rickard; Philip Becker, author of TBBS; and Lance
Rose, attorney and author of "Syslaw." Creators of the X-Modem and
Z-Modem file transfer protocols, FidoNet, Wildcat!, PCBoard, The
Major BBS, and other communications products will be attending the
conference to share ideas.

Communications-technologies vendors will offer hands-on
demonstrations of hardware and software on August 27 and 28.

Preregistration from May 2 to August 1 is $250 and after August 1
registration costs $325. More than 1,000 BBS operators attended last
year's conference, and this year's maximum attendance is limited to
2,000 attendees.

Jack will once again be presenting his very popular series on
running a BBS for profit; other major seminar topics will cover
legal and social issues related to BBS operation, educational uses
of a BBS, Internet connectivity issues, and a look at new
telecommunications technology.

Other sessions will explain what Fidonet and other networking
alliances are, what they do, and how to join them. All in all there
will be more than 100 separate educational sessions.

BBSCON 93 will be held at the Colorado Springs, Colo., Broadmoor
Hotel and Golf Resort, so it isn't surprising that a golf tournament
is also scheduled.

(John McCormick and Rick Bender/19930518/Press Contact: Peg
Coniglio, ONE Incorporated, 303-693-5253, fax [phone], BBS 303-
693-5432)


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

Reaction Positive To Time Warner-US West Deal 05/18/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- Reaction was
generally favorable to the announcement that US West will pay $2.5
billion for a stake in Time Warner's cable television operations.

Time Warner stock rose sharply on US exchanges, while US West fell
only slightly, and Standard & Poor's put it on a credit watch for
possible downgrading. Analysts were happy to see any deal which will
help pay-down Time Warner's $16 billion in debt, most of it incurred
through the merger of Time with Warner Brothers engineered by the
late Steve Ross.

About 60 percent of US West's investment will go directly to Time
Warner, while the other $1 billion will be a capital investment in
the cable network, which reaches 7.1 million customers. The net
impact of that will be to cut in half the time needed by Time Warner
to finance the improvements, so the build-out will be done by 1998
instead of 2003.

US West is paying about 11 times cash flow for its stake in Time
Warner Entertainment, which also includes such properties as Home
Box Office and the Warner Brothers studio. TWE was created to handle
a $1 billion investment from Itochu and Toshiba. US West becomes the
third regional Bell to heavily invest in cable, following
Southwestern Bell's purchase of Hauser Cable and Bell Atlantic's
moves to offer video on demand in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and
Virginia.

Most reaction was positive. MCI and TCI were among those applauding
it, and Ameritech cited it as one more piece of evidence that
regulation should be ended. But such deals could create new media
monopolies, said groups like the Center for Media Education.

Rep. Edward Markey, who heads the House telecommunications
subcommittee, demanded that the government look into the public
interest implications of phone and cable companies teaming up. To
head off such talk, top executives from US West and Time Warner are
planning to discuss it with interim FCC chairman James Quello,
arguing that nearly all Time Warner cable subscribers are outside US
West's service territory.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930518)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00013)

 ****Informix & IBM In Marketing Development Deal 05/18/93
MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- In an effort to
make their respective products more appealing to companies
implementing client-server networking environments, Informix
Software and IBM have entered a market development relationship that
calls for the two companies to provide co-operative marketing of
specific hardware and software.

Under terms of the deal, IBM and Informix will participate in the
joint education, demonstrations, technical assistance, and marketing
of IBM's RISC System/6000 workstations and Informix's database
information management products.

Announcing the deal, Tim Shetler, vice president, product marketing
at Informix, said: "Co-ordination of marketing support is a vital
factor in open systems computing. Our relationship with IBM will
provide a greater level of knowledge to both sales forces and
improved technical training. The ultimate value of this program is
better customer service and satisfaction."

The two companies claim to have developed a marketing plan which is
jointly funded to emphasize the "understanding and presentation of
the value of their respective product families."

The companies have a history of supporting each other's products. In
September of 1992, Informix announced its support of several new IBM
products, which included IBM Encina for AIX/6000. Informix recently
introduced Informix-Gateway with IBM's Distributed Relational
Database Architecture, which allows interconnectivity to IBM SAA
relational databases, such as DB2 and SQL/400.

According to Steve Hill, Informix's vice president of strategic
planning and corporate development, "We have a strong relationship
with IBM. What makes this new relationship important is the special
executive-level tie we now have to one another to educate, train,
install, and seek out the best possible way to provide the customer
with a solution he really needs. This program will give us a well-
equipped sales staff that can help our customer through the complete
lifecycle process, from building, deploying, running and evolving
their applications."

(Ian Stokell/19930518/Press Contact: Jaye Prosser, 415-926-6316,
Informix)


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

MCI Offers New Services 05/18/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- MCI expanded its
relationship with PictureTel, offering a multi-point video
conferencing service and equipment package. To start the ball
rolling, the nation's second-largest long distance operator placed a
$3.25 million order for PictureTel equipment.

Perot Systems and Johnson Controls have already placed orders for
the new MCI service, called VideoNet, which will become available
June 1. VideoNet lets businesses buy digital bandwidth as needed
specifically for video conferencing, using MCI's Switched 56 service
which runs data at speeds from 56,000 to 336,000 bits/second.

MCI also extended its HyperStream Frame Relay data service to the
United Kingdom. MCI was not a major factor in that market for 1992,
according to Joe Noel of Dataquest, but it hopes that international
links will help it catch market-leader WilTel. MCI said it plans to
offer frame relay to Japan through KDD soon, and it's already
integrating the service with Canada's Stentor consortium.
HyperStream offers digital services at speeds from 16,000 to 128,000
bits/second under the frame relay standard, which moves data in
frames which can be repeated if errors are found.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930518/Press Contact: Pam Small, MCI, 800-
289-0073)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00015)

StrataCom Expands Asia/Pacific Distribution 05/18/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- In an effort to
expand further into the Asia/Pacific markets, fast packet switching
company StrataCom has signed agreements with Teledata and TN
Incorporated. According to the company, the deals will expand the
availability of StrataCom's FastPacket T1/E1 cell and frame relay
switch in Singapore and Thailand, with both agreements being
effective immediately.

Teledata is based in Singapore, while TN is based in Bangkok,
Thailand. The deals will add frame relay and cell switching
capabilities to the telecommunications and datacommunications
products they offer. Both companies plan to sell the IPX for
implementation in corporate and public networks.

StrataCom claims that its IPX FastPacket T1/E1 switch forms the
backbone for more than 220 private networks worldwide and for most
of the world's public frame relay networks. A primary application
for frame relay is local area network (LAN) to LAN connectivity. the
company claims that public frame relay networks employing StrataCom
technology include AT&T, British Telecommunication, CompuServe, New
Zealand Telecom, Telecom Finland, Unitel, and WilTel.

Teledata Pte is the architect of voice and data communications
systems and a service provider in Singapore and the region. TN
Incorporated was established in 1946 and is an affiliate of the TN
Group.

(Ian Stokell/19930518/Press Contact: Margaret Parkinson,
408-494-2270, StrataCom USA)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00016)

Rock Mountain Computer Conference Set For August 05/18/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- National Trade
Productions has announced it will sponsor The Rocky Mountain
Computer Conference and Exposition August 25 and 26 at Currigan Hall
in Denver, Colorado.

Besides the usual exhibits, four all-day seminars will cover these
topics: "Putting Multimedia to Work for You;" "How to Implement Your
First LAN;" "Microsoft Windows Technical Overview;" and "Improved
Customer Service with Interactive Voice Response Technology."

In addition to the seminars, companies represented, including
Microsoft, Silicon Graphics, and Adams Computers, will show examples
of their software and computer technology successfully applied to
business and government environments. At additional special features
during the conference, vendors of windows, networking, and software
technologies will demonstrate their innovations.

The seminars, which run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on August 25, cost
$199 per person; the exposition, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., is
free to pre-registered attendees and will cost $10 for those not
pre-registered.

(Rick Bender and John McCormick/19930518/Press Contact: Tom
Lauterback, National Trade Productions, 703-683-8500 or fax 703-836-
4486)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00017)

CompuServe to Offer Full Access from Internet 05/18/93
COLUMBUS, OHIO, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- CompuServe is working on
a plan to offer access to its service from the Internet starting
later this year.

This direct access should solve some of the speed problems that some
Internet users have had when accessing Compuserve over the Internet,
but through onwards gateways into packet data networks, Newsbytes
notes.

Newsbytes learned of the new plans for CompuServe through a public
note posted by Jim Cameron, who runs the service's Journalism Forum.
We followed up by discussing the plans with CompuServe spokesman
Dave Kishler.

Kishler said that links from the Internet would be at regular
CompuServe speeds of 2,400 and 9,600 bits/second. The intent is to
to beef-up CompuServe forums with input from regular Internet
subscribers.

However, Kishler emphasized, CompuServe users are not being offered
direct access to the Internet, although they will continue to be
able to send e-mail to and receive mail from Internet addresses for
a small surcharge.

Delphi, owned by General Videotex, will remain the only major
consumer online service offering full access to the Internet,
including membership in news groups and the ability to search remote
databases through services like Gopher, WAIS and remote ftp.

Some bulletin boards, like Canada Remote, also offer some types of
Internet services, including mail and news groups, while most other
major online services, including GEnie, offer mail service to and
from Internet addresses.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930518/Press Contact: Dave Kishler,
CompuServe, 614-457-8600)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00018)

Maxtor Intros Hard Drive With Networking Pre-Installed 05/18/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- Large drives are
usually implemented in networking environments. In an effort to make
it easier to add the hard disk drive to a network, Maxtor has
announced enhanced networking capabilities for its new 1.24 gigabyte
(GB) MXT-1240SN.

The drive features Novell NetWare Runtime 3.11 pre-loaded on the
drive. The company also says that, as a result of a partnership with
Novell, the MXT-1240SN expedites installation for NetWare 3.11.

In announcing the features, Ralph Dickman, Maxtor's director of MXT
products, said: "Maxtor's high performance MXT products are designed
for transaction-intensive environments, such as servers,
workstations and disk arrays."

"These demanding environments are where the high performance
features of the MXT-1240SN are most apparent. Now, with the added
enhancement of pre-loaded Novell NetWare through our partnership
with Novell, the MXT-1240SN is better suited than ever for the needs
of the Novell NetWare marketplace," he added.

The company claims that, with NetWare Runtime 3.11 pre-loaded on the
MXT-1240SN, software installation time and effort are dramatically
reduced, because 95 percent of the network operating system already
exists on the drive. The user only has to insert one floppy disk to
get NetWare up and running. The drive also includes Novell's NetWare
Management Agents, which are used with Novell's NetWare Services
Manager.

According to Bob Young, vice president of marketing for Novell's
NetWare Products Division, "Using computer systems with the MXT-
1240SN will make it easier for network administrators to set up and
manage a NetWare network." The MXT-1240SN is available immediately.

(Ian Stokell/19930518/Press Contact: Andrea Mace, 408-432-4498,
Maxtor Corporation)


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

Variety Secures Online Deal with Reuters 05/18/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- Reuters chose the
Cannes Film Festival as the venue to announce it has jointly
launched an online news service in conjunction with the Variety
entertainment trade paper.

The Reuters-Variety Entertainment Report will be a real-time news
service covering all aspects of the international entertainment
industry, available to newspapers and broadcasters throughout North
America as well as other analysts and professionals served by
Variety. The two companies intend to take the service to Europe
later this year.

The service will offer news, features, columns, reviews and industry
listings from the Daily Variety news staff as well as Reuters
stories relating to the industry. Among the Variety features to be
offered are reviews of films and TV programs, lists of top-grossing
films, film and TV production reports, and Army Archerd's popular
daily column of show business news.

Among the reports to come from the Reuters side are news from the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and other regulatory bodies,
as well as financial coverage of media and entertainment company
mergers, acquisitions, and market-moving deals, and its own coverage
from Hollywood.

Subscribers can access the service either through an FM sideband,
a VSAT antenna dish, a high-speed printer or through a computer
database hook-up via modem.

While the new service is innovative, it's not completely unique. A
number of trade papers, like Electronic Media, have offered
electronic and fax access to their news reports for some time.
Reuters also has had deals with third-party service providers like
Bob Messenger of "Food Business" magazine, who offers Reuters report
on the industry as part of his Messenger Food and Beverage Network,
a subscription-based BBS-based service in Palatine, Illinois.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930518/Press Contact: Robert Crooke, Reuters
America, 212-603-3587, Jennifer Ware, Variety, 212-545-5463)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TOR)(00020)

Sun Launches SPARCserver 1000 05/18/93
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- Sun
Microsystems has filled a gap in its product line with the launch of
the SPARCserver 1000, a mid-range server the company said will fit
between its SPARCserver 10 machines and the high-end SPARCcenter
2000 series.

Based on Sun's existing high-end server technology, the new server
is packed into a box about the size of big laser printer. It can be
set up with from one to eight central processors, as much as two
gigabytes of memory, and a maximum of 100 gigabytes of disk storage
using Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) hard disk drives.

At a press conference in Toronto, Everett Anstey, president of
subsidiary Sun Microsystems of Canada Inc., said the new machine
offers one fiftieth the price and 10 times the computing power of
the average mainframe computer shipped in 1991.

He said that client/server computing, which relies on networks of
smaller systems to do the jobs once done by single large mainframes,
is creating "the new economics of computing."

The new SPARCserver 1000 was introduced simultaneously in the United
States and Canada. It uses the 50-megahertz SPARC processor and
comes with Sun's Solaris 2.2 operating system, which includes
symmetric multiprocessing and multi-threading.

Sun quoted performance figures of 125 transactions per second for
the two-CPU version and 380 for the eight-CPU version. The company
also quoted, based on its own tests, SPECrate 92 benchmark figures
of 2,730 for the integer benchmark and 3,681 for the floating-point
benchmark on the two-CPU system, and 10,113 and 12,710 for the
eight-CPU machine.

Sun officials demonstrated how the systems components, including
disk drives and the power supply, snap in and out, a feature meant
to make repairs and upgrades as quick as possible.

The SPARCserver 1000 is available now.

Sun also unveiled a new 20-processor model of the SPARCcenter 2000
server. This new top-of-the-line unit delivers 30-percent better
performance than the previous fastest SPARCcenter 2000, according to
Sun.

(Grant Buckler/19930518/Press Contact: Michael Douglas, Sun
Canada, 416-477-6745, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00021)

Madge Networks Opens Canadian Unit; Intros Card Software 05/18/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- Hoping to
strengthen and expand its presence in North America, networking
vendor Madge Networks has opened a new subsidiary in Canada, called
Madge Canada, Inc. The company has also introduced version 4.0 of
its network adapter card software, Smart LAN Support Software,
designed for use with its Smart 16/4 Ringnode adapters.

According to the company, the new subsidiary hopes to provide Token
Ring local area network (LAN) users with "a more responsive, local
organization that can address the sales and support needs of the
Canadian market."

The company has also announced the appointment of Gloria Coviello as
general manager of Madge Canada. Coviello has been working in the
computer and networking sales market in Canada for 10 years.
Previously, she ran the Canadian subsidiary for Digital
Communications Associates in Ontario.

Madge products are currently distributed by Crown Tek Business
Centers, Ingram Micro Canada, and Tech Data Canada.

According to Madge, Smart LAN Support Software 4.0 provides users
with enhanced support for on-board multiple protocol processing and
unique fault tolerance capabilities.

The company says that the new release also marks the introduction of
Madge's new Smart II Software architecture.

Announcing the new software, Stephen Thomas, vice president of
product and technology, said: "Token Ring adapter card users will
continue to benefit from Madge's unique software-based approach to
enhancing performance and functionality."

"Madge pioneered on-board multiprotocol processing four years ago
with the original Smart Software architecture and delivered users a
unique combination of performance enhancements and DOS memory
savings. The Smart II Software has been completely restructured to
provide even greater flexibility and can run three or more protocols
simultaneously without a reduction in performance," he said.

Madge claims it has enhanced the functionality of its adapter cards
in the areas of on-board protocol processing, server support and
ease-of-installation.

The new Smart protocol module providing the Novell Open Data Link
Interface (ODI) has been developed to complement the existing
internetwork packet exchange (IPX), logical link control (LLC), and
network basic input/output system (NetBIOS) modules, claims the
company. The new Smart ODI module provides workstation users with
the capability to run Novell's IPX protocol over the ODI interface
with simultaneous support for LLC and NetBIOS protocols, without the
need for interface mapping modules.

The latest version of Madge's server driver for Novell NetWare 3.x
features a new fault tolerance feature called server card mirroring,
which allows two Smart 16/4 Ringnodes in a server to be connected to
the same ring, with one designated as the primary connection, the
other as a back-up.

Version 4.0 also includes a driver for Novell's new NetWare 4.0
network operating system, which also supports Novell's NetWare for
SAA 1.3. A driver for Microsoft Windows NT is available for beta
test.

Current Madge Smart 16/4 Ringnode customers can receive Smart LAN
Support Software 4.0 and/or beta software for Windows NT by calling
the company's technical support hotline at 800-876-2343. All Smart
16/4 Ringnodes will begin shipping with Smart Software 4.0 in June.

(Ian Stokell/19930518/Press Contact: Marina Donovan Ekman, or
Teresa Camera, 408-383-1420, Madge Networks Inc.)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00022)

Scanfone Available In Southeastern US 05/18/93
HERNDON, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- BellSouth has reached
a deal with Worldcorp and US Order to offer its ScanFone service
throughout the nine southeastern states it serves. BellSouth has
about 18 million customers, US Order about 10,000.

ScanFone is a screen-based telephone which offers transaction
services as well as regular phone services, based on point-of-sale
technology from VeriFone Inc., which also makes the device. US Order
has been seeking markets for the phone for some time. BellSouth sees
the ScanFone as a handy way to add value to Caller ID, since
merchants will use incoming numbers to help secure and set-up
transactions.

While most of the regional Bell companies have de-emphasized Caller
ID and similar services, following a slow ramp-up of the market and
regulatory problems caused by privacy concerns, BellSouth is
actively marketing Caller ID throughout its service area. The
alliance plans to make the new ScanFone services available on a
limited basis in late 1993, with broader regional distribution in
1994.

BellSouth Marketing President Jere Drummond said that the ScanFone
can be a time-effective way for two-job families to do things like
buy goods and write checks. He also emphasized the phone's link to
the company's Caller ID services.

WorldCorp, which now owns 51 percent of US Order and all of
WorldGames, which licenses the ScanFone technology for the gaming
industry, is also a provider of flight crews to foreign airlines and
air services to business and government.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930518/Press Contact: WorldCorp, A. Scott
Andrews, 703/834-9291)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEN)(00023)

CORRECTION: Motorola Expands Paging Operations 05/18/93
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- A Newsbytes story
with the above headline that ran on May 14, 1993 contained a factual
error. In reporting that Motorola will expand its Paging Products
operations in Fort Worth, Texas, Newsbytes reported that the existing
Paging Products unit at Boynton Beach, Florida employs about 2,200
people. The correct number is 2,700.

The story also reported that Motorola has opened a day care facility
called KidStop in Boynton Beach. That facility is operated by KidStop
Early Learning Centers of Lake Worth, Florida, and is scheduled to
open in late August, Motorola spokesperson Ken Countess told
Newsbytes.

(Jim Mallory/19930518/Press contact: Ken Countess, Motorola,
407-364-3940)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00024)

Acculogic Ships HomePort/HD External Hard Disk For PCs 05/18/93
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- Acculogic has
released HomePort/HD, a 120 megabyte (MB) external hard disk
subsystem that plugs in to the parallel port of any PC. According to
Mike Zachan, company president, unit is a cost-effective and space
saving alternative to docking stations for users of notebook and
laptop PCs.

HomePort/HD is part of a new family of compatible peripheral
devices, all based on small computer systems interface (SCSI) bus
technology, that are designed to be stacked on a desk. HomePort/CD,
a CD-ROM subsystem, is slated to ship this week. Acculogic expects
to deliver a HomePort optical disk drive subsystem within the next
three to four weeks.

The new external hard disk subsystem can be used to store large data
files or systems applications, for file back-up, or to transfer
files between desktop and portable PCs. HomePort/HD includes a
printer pass-through port that allows printing to be carried out
while the unit is connected.

According to Zachan, the use of SCSI bus technology brings
significant gains in power and performance over competing products
that are built around AT components.

The use of SCSI technology also permits up to seven HomePort/HDs to
be connected to any single PC, he noted. In addition, HomePort/HDs
can be mixed and matched with other HomePort devices on the same
system.

List priced at $799, HomePort/HD comes with self-installing
software, power supply, cabling and documentation. A one-year
warranty on parts and labor is included.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930518/Reader contact: Acculogic, tel 800-234-
7811; Press contact: Les Goldberg Public Relations for Acculogic,
tel [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00025)

Microsoft Ships Japanese Edition Of Windows 05/18/93
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- In a style that has
become commonplace Microsoft Corporation rolled out its Japanese
language version of Microsoft Windows this week with a full-size
orchestra, giant projector screens showing Windows TV commercials,
as well as purple and green laser beams to an audience of about
2,000.

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates took the stage alongside the
presidents of several Japanese PC manufacturers, Intel Senior VP for
Corporate Strategy David House, and Compaq Computer Corporation
President Eckhard Pfeiffer to tell the packed house "Windows is the
future."

The Japanese language version of Windows (pronounced "Ween-doe-zoo"
in Japan) will reportedly be available as standard equipment on most
Japanese made PCs as well as IBM and Compaq models sold there. The
Japanese version looks and works pretty much like the American
version except for a few cultural changes.

One of those is the replacement of the "flying toasters" screen
saver image with cherry blossoms drifting down the screen. Also, the
list of fonts on the pull down menus include type styles not only
for Roman letters but also for Japanese Kanji characters. The
Japanese version also includes more on-screen instructions for
users, such as explaining what the "Restore" command will do if you
choose it.

Some of the companies who have pledged support for the Japanese
version Windows 3.1 include Fujitsu Limited, NEC Corporation,
Compaq, Dell Computer Corporation, and IBM. OEM's participating in
the Windows Ready To Run program include Acer, AST Research, Compaq,
Digital Equipment Corporation, Dell, Epson, Gateway 2000, Hitachi
Limited, Sony, Panasonic, and Sharp.

Microsoft spokesperson Christine Santucci told Newsbytes that the
Japanese edition of Windows has a suggested retail price of 19,800
yen, which she says is comparable to the domestic version's price.

(Jim Mallory/19930518/Press contact: Collins Hemingway, Microsoft
Corporation, 206-882-8080; Reader contact: Microsoft Corporation,
800-826-9400 or 206-882-8080)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00026)

Delrina Launches WinFax Pro For Networks 05/18/93
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- Delrina has added
support for local-area networks (LANs) to its WinFax Pro fax
software for personal computers. A new version of the software,
WinFax Pro for Networks, lets WinFax users on a LAN share fax
modems.

Delrina claims that its software does not require a dedicated server
and works with standard fax modems. Users run the WinFax Pro
software, which requires a PC running Microsoft Windows, on their
own machines. However, company spokesman Josef Zankowicz said that
current users will need an upgrade, which he said will be offered at
"nominal" cost, to use their software as a client with the network
version.

Through WinFax Pro for Networks, users can share as many as 16
fax modems per work group -- four fax modems per network server
with a maximum of four servers in a work group. There is no limit
on the number of work groups or the number of clients or servers
on the over-all network.

The software works with Novell's NetWare or NetWare Lite,
Artisoft's LANtastic, or Microsoft's Windows for Workgroups.

The base package includes the server software and two copies of
WinFax Pro 3.0. Single client packages, a 10-user package, and
additional server packages will also be available.

The package can also work with electronic mail software, including
Lotus' cc:Mail, Microsoft Mail, and any system built on Novell's MHS
system. The electronic mail software can be used to route faxes and
to integrate them with other Windows applications, Delrina said --
for example, a purchase order received by fax might be attached to
an order-entry work-flow application. Incoming faxes must be routed
manually using electronic mail,

The company said it plans to provide an application program
interface (API) for third-party add-ons. No date has been set yet
for delivering this; Zankowicz said that a shipping date will be
announced when Delrina is closer to shipping the software.

The suggested retail price is $399, and WinFax Pro for Networks
is scheduled for release in the third quarter.

(Grant Buckler/19930518/Press Contact: Josef Zankowicz, Delrina,
416-441-3676, fax [phone]; Public Contact: Delrina,
800-268-6082)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00027)

 ****IBM Launches OS/2 2.1 Ahead Of Windows NT 05/18/93
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- Hoping to
steal rival Microsoft's thunder, IBM held press conferences on both
US coasts today to unveil OS/2 2.1, the latest release of its 32-bit
personal computer operating system.

By making the announcement today, IBM is getting the jump on
Microsoft's announcement of Windows NT -- by a matter of six
days, since the unveiling of NT is expected at the Comdex/Spring
show in Atlanta on May 24.

Highlights of the new release include availability of the
software on compact-disk read-only memory (CD_ROM), built-in
multimedia features, the ability to run software written for
Microsoft Windows 3.1 and to launch new applications from within a
Windows session, and support for the Advanced Power Management (APM)
standard designed to increase the battery life of portable
computers.

The software also has built-in support for the Personal Computer
Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) standard for
credit-card-sized memory cards and peripherals. Enabling code for
PCMCIA 2.0 is built into OS/2 2.1, and allows users to insert and
remove cards with drivers that support OS/2 2.1 without turning
off the computer.

IBM has also added 32-bit graphics support, with 32-bit display
drivers for the Super VGA, 8514/A, XGA, XGA-2, and VGA display
adapters.

IBM officials demonstrated the new OS/2 release at a New York
press conference beamed by satellite to reporters in San
Francisco.

Software vendors Computer Associates, Information Builders, Lotus
Development and WordPerfect also announced versions of their
applications packages to run on the new version of OS/2. AST also
took part in the announcement.

IBM said that OS/2 2.1 will be generally available June 14 at a list
price of $249. For 90 days, IBM will offer the CD-ROM version for
$99 and the diskette version for $119 to users who order an upgrade
through its toll-free order number, 1-800-3IBM-OS2.

In addition, OS/2 users who upgrade to 2.1 can get a $30 rebate
by filling out a coupon in the 2.1 box and mailing it to IBM with
the first page of the OS/2 2.0 manual.

(Grant Buckler/19930518/Press Contact: Diane Karsch or Susan
Garvey, Jennings & Co. for IBM, 914-251-5950; Public Contact:
IBM, 800-343-6672)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00028)

 ****Next Autocad Release Late Summer On Windows NT 05/18/93
SAUSALITO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- Autodesk has
announced it plans to focus on Windows New Technology (NT) upgrades
to its flagship computer aided design product, Autocad. The company
says it is committed to platform independence, but is announcing
support for the Windows NT platform.

Microsoft Windows NT is Microsoft's next generation graphical
user interface that will run on both Intel microprocessor-based
personal computers (PCs) and reduced instruction set computing
(RISC)-based computers. While much talk has been circulating
about Windows NT and Microsoft has demonstrated it publicly, it
is still officially an unannounced product.

Microsoft is expected to "announce" NT within a week and it is
expected to be available sometime this summer, although no official
release dates have been announced.

Autodesk said it plans to ship a release of Autocad for Windows
NT shortly after Windows NT ships and told Newsbytes it expects
that will be at the end of this summer. A tool kit for third
party Autocad developers, the Autocad for NT Developer Release,
is being prepared to allow interested developers to begin
preliminary work on new products aimed at the Windows NT
version of Autocad.

Autodesk offers its latest release, Autocad Release 12, on a variety
of platforms, including the Microsoft Windows 3.1, DOS, Apple
Computer's Macintosh as well as on Unix workstations such as those
made by Sun, Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), and Silicon
Graphics.

While supporting and even developing in Windows NT, Autodesk
representatives told Newsbytes the company plans to continue to keep
Autocad platform independent and will consider support for new
platforms as they become available.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930518/Press Contact: Andrew Mackles,
Autodesk, tel [phone], fax 415-; Public Contact 415-332-
2344)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00029)

 ****Intel's Grove Predicts PC "Field Of Dreams" 05/18/93
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- Intel's
Andrew Grove told software developers at Borland's fourth
annual International Conference and Exhibition that adding more
and more features to spreadsheets and word processors was not
going to solve industry problems. Grove predicted, over the
next two years, tremendous opportunity exists in the software
market.

Grove defined the key business problem as speed and immediacy
and called the installed base of an estimated 250 million
upgradeable personal computers (PCs) the "Field of Dreams," a
reference to one of Kevin Costner's early movies in which he has a
far-fetched vision that a field can become a baseball stadium.

Grove also mentioned new operating system software designed for the
enterprise, offering desktop support for video and voice, and low-
cost wide and local area networks. Newsbytes notes this could be a
reference to the forthcoming Windows NT official announcement which
is expected next week from Microsoft.

According to Grove, the existing PC base and the coming operating
system software provide the infrastructure and "...the software
challenge in this field of dreams is to write applications that use
the infrastructure to provide just-in-time business."

Grove is president and chief executive officer of Intel, the number
one semiconductor manufacturing company in the world. Computers
based on Intel's next generation Pentium processor were announced
yesterday by major manufacturers. Intel has also been involved in
promoting new applications for PCs, as it developed and released
Indeo, a software compression/decompression (CODEC) for video in
Microsoft Windows 3.1.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930518/Press Contact: Pam Pollace, Intel,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


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

Atari Licenses Supermac Codec For Product 05/18/93
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- Supermac
Technology has licensed its Cinepak video compression technology to
Atari, a division of Time Warner. Atari plans to use the technology
in one of its upcoming products, company officials said.

The Cinepak, formerly Compactvideo, has been licensed by Apple
Computer for its Quicktime multimedia extensions to its System 7
operating system for the Macintosh. Creative Labs has also licensed
it for its digital-video developments products on the IBM compatible
personal computer arena and 3DO licensed the technology for use in
the Interactive Multiplayer multimedia system expected from
Panasonic this summer.

Supermac claims its video compression-decompression (codec) scheme
in Cinepak is superior to others because it retains accurate colors
and image quality while still squeezing space-hungry video to take
up less disk space. Cinepak has the ability to compress a movie down
enough to fit on a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) disk and
yet stay closer to the original source material than other codecs
available, Supermac maintains.

Atari officials were unwilling to say what new title the
company licensed the codec for. Time Warner recently announced
a deal with Sega to start the Sega Channel this fall to allow
Sega home entertainment system users to buy a special
attachment to their system and play games via interactive cable
television. Atari also makes video games, but Atari officials
told Newsbytes as far as the company knows, there are no plans
to use the codec on the Sega Channel.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930518/Press Contact: Laury Scott, Atari,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Deborah Doyle, Supermac,
408-541-5372)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00031)

 ****TI Announces Fast New Inkjet Printer, Color Notebook 05/18/93
TEMPLE, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 18 (NB) -- Texas Instruments has
announced a new inkjet printer it says is a replacement for a dot
matrix printer, and a new 50 megahertz (MHz) active matrix color
notebook PC based on Intel's 486DX2 microprocessor.

The microMarc inkjet printer provides 300 dot per inch resolution,
PCL level 3 compatibility, three built-in font families, and several
methods of handling paper.

TI calls the microMarc "an entry level printer for users who are
concerned with quality and cost," according Printer Products
Marketing Manager Aubrey Brickhouse. The microMarc uses a drop on
demand thermal inkjet print engine with 128 nozzles, which TI claims
is more than twice the number used in Hewlett Packard's Deskjet
printhead.

The microMarc prints at a fast 300 characters per second. TI
spokesperson Mindy Chanaud told Newsbytes that works out to about
three to four pages per minute, the standard against which page
printers are usually judged.

The company says the inkjet cartridge is good for up to 1,300 pages
under normal use. The unit includes an automatic sheet feeder that
can handle up to 100 sheets, and the microMarc can print letter,
legal and A4 paper sizes as well as envelopes.

The three resident fonts are Letter Gothic, Courier, and Dutch SWC.
It can also print TrueType software-resident fonts included with most
Windows applications.

The microMarc weighs 12.1 pounds, and has a 15.7 inch wide by 13 inch
deep footprint. It's 5.6 inches high, connects to your PC via its
parallel port, and has a suggested retail price of $419.

TI's new active matrix thin-film transistor color display notebook is
designated the TravelMate 4000E, a 486DX2-based system running at 50
MHz. The company says the active matrix color display can display 256
colors simultaneously in 640 by 480 VGA resolution, and has a port
for simultaneous use of an external monitor.

The unit ships with 4MB of main memory, which can be expanded to
20MB, 1MB of video RAM,and has a 200MB hard drive installed in the
standard configuration. The keyboard has 12 dedicated function keys
as well as separate page up, page down, home, and end keys for
navigation. It comes with MS-DOS 6.0, Windows 3.1, battery saving
software, and some TI utilities programs already installed, and
weighs 6.2 pounds including the battery. The suggested retail is
$4,999.

TI says with battery management software activated, the battery can
be expected to run the system for about three hours. Options include
snap-on modules for connection to Ethernet or Token Ring local area
networks (LANs) or SCSI-compatible devices. An optional internal
14.4K bps V.32 bis data/9600 bps fax modem is available.

(Jim Mallory/19930518/Press contact: Jerry Rycaj, Texas Instruments,
817-774-6110; Reader contact: Texas Instruments, 800-527-3500)