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/NB930519

Text File | 1993-05-25 | 70KB | 1,524 lines

(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00001)

Super Fast Graphics Workstations Based On Alpha AXP 05/19/93
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- Kubota Pacific
has introduced a series of super fast desktop computers for 3D
graphics and imaging, to be built around Digital Equipment
Corporation's Alpha AXP architecture.

The new Kubota Kenai ("keen eye") series will bring together DEC's
Alpha AXP processors with Kubota's scalable Denali graphics
subsystems in workstations that can be expanded modularly to a
SPECfp92 rating of 127.

In parallel with the rollout, Kubota and DEC have unveiled plans to
reference-sell one another's products, with Kubota's Denali becoming
the high performance entry in a line of 3D graphics and imaging
solutions for DEC's Alpha AXP family.

Announcing the joint selling effort, William Demmer, vice president
of DEC's Computer Systems Group, said: "The combination of Kubota's
Denali graphics and Alpha's AXP gives customers the fastest solution
in the industry for imaging and 3D graphics, and the only off-the-
shelf integrated desktop solution for high-end imaging."

"The Digital/Kubota relationship opens up a broad new set of
customers and applications for both companies, positioning us as a
formidable competitor in this market," he added.

Ben Wegbreit, chairman and CEO of Kubota, noted that the arrangement
between DEC and Kubota emerged out of strong technological and
marketing synergies. "Alpha AXP offers the perfect complement to
Denali because applications that demand imaging and 3D graphics
absolutely require high performance computing," he said.

High graphics performance is especially important for such
applications as mechanical design, molecular modeling, GIS
(geographic information systems), visualization, medical imaging,
and government procurement, he added.

Under the terms of the agreement, both companies will collaborate in
sales training and trade show support, and Kubota will become a
member of DEC's ISV (Independent Software Vendor) program, under
which more than 1100 companies are porting over 2000 applications to
AXP.

The new Kenai systems provide binary compatibility with DEC's 64-
bit Alpha AXP OSF/1 operating system, meaning that all software
applications ported to Alpha AXP OSF/1 will run on Kenai
workstations without modification, according to officials.

The Denali graphics subsystem connects to a 1000 Mbps open I/O bus
in the Kenai workstation that makes the full computational power of
the AXP processor available for data manipulation, allowing the
system to handle heavy compute loads without degradation in graphics
performance.

Each Denali graphics subsystem can be configured with up to six
transform engine modules (TEMs). The modules perform floating point
operations, imaging and geometry processing. Systems can be expanded
to support applications of advancing complexity by adding more TEMs.

The Kenai workstations support such image processing functions as
cine loops, image zooms, rotates and warps, convolutions, contrast
stretching, plus 3D graphics and volume rendering.

Rendering operations that can be performed include geometry
transformation, lighting and reflectance calculations, smooth-
shading and depth-cueing interpolations, alpha (color value)
composition, full-scene anti-aliasing (smoothing lines and edges),
transparency, texture mapping, and Z-buffer occlusion for
representing opaque objects.

Officials said that the Kenai system offers twice the floating point
performance of a Silicon Graphics Crimson Extreme workstation and
almost twice the graphics performance of a Hewlett-Packard 735-
CRX48Z, as well as functionality equivalent to or better than that
of specialized imaging accelerators.

The system copies from the frame buffer at 70 million 8-bit pixels
per second, performs bi-linear zooms at 30 million pixels per
second, and accomplishes tri-linear interpolations on 3D pixels
(voxels) at 12 million voxels per second.

A patented "Zero-Time Clear" feature reduces the time needed to
change scenes by simultaneously clearing data in the frame buffer as
it is displayed, resulting in faster animation rates.

Another technique developed by Kubuta, orthoginality, allows
advanced graphics operations such as texture mapping and
transparency to exist simultaneously in the same scene.

Pricing for the new Kubota Kenai workstations starts at $14,795
for an entry-level system with a SPECfp92 rating of 112.

Santa Clara, CA-based Kubota Pacific Computer, Inc. is a wholly
owned subsidiary of Kubota Corp., a highly diversified $7 billion
company based in Osaka, Japan.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930519/Press contacts: William Orrange and
Janis Ulevich, Ulevich & Orrange Inc., for Kubota Pacific, tel 415-
329-1590; Lizabeth Worley, Kubota Pacific, tel [phone]; Glen
Zimmerman, Digital Equipment Corporation, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00002)

Xerox Intros Liveboard Electronic Chalkboard 05/19/93
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- You're in a
meeting and you draw your idea, but your colleague comes over and
draws over it, changing the drawing to illustrate his idea. Sounds
ordinary, until you realize you could be using Xerox's new Liveboard
from your location in Chicago while your colleague sees your drawing
on his Liveboard in Los Angeles.

Using ordinary telephone lines, Xerox says business teams can share
ideas by drawing and writing on its new five-foot electronic
chalkboard. Liveboard allows images to be edited, colored, erased,
saved, retrieved and printed. The electronic chalkboard uses an
wireless pen on a 67-inch interactive surface and is powered by a
486 Intel microprocessor.

A rear-projection system offers the display which the company says
has been specially engineered with a liquid crystal display (LCD) to
be viewable in brightly-lit rooms and easily viewed at any angle,
including standing close enough to write on the board. Also, the
product has been built so it can be upgraded as more sophisticated
LCD technology becomes available.

But Liveboard does more. Xerox claims that the board can also
function as a large interactive computer display, or it can display
full-motion, color video with sound. Extra adaptive equipment and an
ISDN phone line is needed to use the Liveboard for live video
conferencing. However, Xerox representatives said that the board
cannot be used for video conferencing and interactive writing at the
same time. Also, a second telephone line is needed to carry sound if
the Liveboard is being used as an interactive chalkboard.

As a computer display, the Liveboard uses Microsoft Windows,
allowing users to share documents, images, and presentations which
can be created in ordinary Windows applications, Xerox officials
added.

According to Xerox, Liveboard has been produced to solve problems
that video conferencing appeared it would allow groups to meet
without travel, but fell short of.

"Videoconferencing tried to solve the problem, but lots of
videoconferencing time is spent watching your co-workers read the
faxes you just sent them. That's not productive," explained Richard
Bruce, president of Xerox Group Communications.

"We designed LiveBoard to be as simple and natural to use as a
whiteboard or flipchart. As a result, teams in different locations
can focus their attention on a common document surface and not be
distracted by technology."

The LiveBoard can also be used by single site groups as a meeting
support tool. By using Microsoft's Pen Extensions for Windows
changes can be made in the meeting that all in attendance can see.
For example, new figures can be written into a Microsoft Excel
spreadsheet and re-calculated. These documents or images can then be
copied onto Liveboard sheets for remote group annotation.

Liveboard retails for $49,500 and is available from Xerox's
Group Communications Division.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930519/Press Contact: Heidi Borror, Xerox, tel
415-812-5032; Andrew McCarthy, Niehaus Ryan Haller Public Relations,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Public Contact, Sherry
Giorgetti, Group Communications, 415-812-5003)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00003)

Indus Packs Its CASEs For Germany 05/19/93
PUNE, INDIA, 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- Indus Software has sold 50 copies
of German edition of version 2.0 of its computer aided software
engineering (CASE) tool to Ubridge Synthesis, in Germany.

The consignment, a part of a 300 unit export order, follows on from
a marketing tie-up between the Pune-based software house and Altos
India, the manufacturing arm of PCL in Delhi. The company claims
that Ubridge Synthesis is the first Indian CASE package to be sold
in Germany in German. Indus is now looking towards Czechoslovakia,
from where more orders for the German version are expected.

Version 2.0, the international version of Ubridge Synthesis, can be
adapted to any foreign language, the company claims. Indus will
shortly be launching an Indian version in English with specific
emphasis on documentation activities of the system development life
cycle.

The package includes a word processor that can accommodate any size
of document and query language, as well as being capable of
integrating with a document to invoke the contents of the data
dictionary. Other features of the package include an improved data
dictionary and a more powerful application program interface for
"reverse engineering."

Indus is a three year old company, whose software, Ubridge
Synthesis, has has an installed base of more than 100 users in India
with version 1.1.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19930519)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00004)

SRC's Auto Identification Products Available In India 05/19/93
BANGALORE, INDIA, 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- Digital Equipment India
Limited (DEIL) has entered into a distribution agreement with
Massachusetts-based Systems Research Corporation (SRC), to market
SRC's auto identification products in India.

Mike Shah, DEIL's managing director, said that the agreement will
strengthen his company's image as a systems integrator in the Indian
marketplace. Plans call for several packages to be marketed in
India, including fixed position laser scanners, thermal transfer
printers, hand-held scanners and terminals, as well as laser and
colour barcode printers, plus high speed unidirectional and
omni-directional scanners.

Auto ID technologies are used to automate data collection activities
by providing an electronic method of automatically capturing
information at the source of transactions, then communicating that
data in batch or in real time mode to host computer systems.

According to Samir Desai, chief executive of Systems Research
Corporation, auto ID technologies enhance the capabilities of
information systems in manufacturing, distributing, retailing,
transportation and numerous other emerging applications in India and
neighbouring countries.

SRC was recently named one of the fastest growing 500 privately-held
companies in the US, by INC. magazine. The company specialises in
command, control and communication, intelligence information systems
and in applied research in this area. One of its major clients is
the US Department of Defence. The company expects to rake in $28
million in revenues this year.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19930519)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00005)

Peachtree Unveils Accounting Release 2 For Windows 05/19/93
NORCROSS, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- Peachtree Software
has announced it will begin shipping a new release of its Peachtree
Accounting for Windows during the last week of this month (May).

Peachtree Windows Product Manager Karen Hanrahan said that the new
features and the new look of the program are a direct result of user
comments and extensive usability testing. "We've talked to current
users and other small businesses to find out how we could make the
program even better. After getting their feedback from actual use of
the product, our end result is an easier to use accounting program,"
she said.

Hanrahan added that the new release includes a "friendly accountant"
feature that walks users through set-up and installation, as well as
"smart guides" that help explain data fields. There's also a flow
chart feature that the company says is a graphical alternative to
the traditional menu. The flow charts show the user the order of
information flow through the program.

The company also claims it has made the accounting process easier to
understand by substituting everyday terms for sometimes hard to
understand accounting terms. In addition, many of the screens now
resemble forms used in daily business activity. New reports have
also been added.

A Manager Series has been added that provides analytical
interpretations and graphical overviews of the user's cash flow,
collections, and payment status. The user can go down three levels
to see detailed information about Accounts Payable, Accounts
Receivable, and cash flow. The series also provides for the printing
of collection letters.

Available modules include General Ledger, Accounts Receivable,
Accounts Payable, Payroll, Inventory, Job/Project Tracking, a
Financial Report Writer, Custom Forms Design, Bank Reconciliation,
and Import/Export. The program also offers a conversion plan for
Peachtree Complete Accounting users who want to move to the Windows
environment, as well as conversion for Quicken users.

Peachtree Accounting for Windows utilizes Microsoft's OLE (object
linking and embedding and DDE (dynamic data exchange) for automatic
interfacing with other programs, and the Windows interface has been
expanded to utilize MDI (multiple document interface), allowing the
display of multiple reports, maintenance and task screens
simultaneously. Reports are automatically updated as data changes.

Other features include the ability to enter beginning balances,
sales tax reporting and tracking capabilities, sales force
profitability tracking, pending sales logs and the logging and
printing of purchase orders. The program also tracks vacation and
sick leave for employees.

Peachtree says that current Peachtree Accounting for Windows users
can upgrade to this latest edition for $79.

(Jim Mallory/19930519/Press contact: Brad MacAfee, Alexander
Communications for Peachtree Software, 404-325-7555, fax 404-325-
8041; Reader contact: Peachtree Software, 800-228-0068 or 404-564-
5700)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LAX)(00006)

CA-Unicenter/125 Offered On Apollo 700 Series 05/19/93
ISLANDIA, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- Computer Associates
(CA) has announced it will offer its integrated systems management
product, CA-Unicenter/125, on the Hewlett-Packard (HP) Apollo 9000
series 700 workstations. The company's CA-Unicenter/325 package is
already is available on the HP Apollo 9000 Series 800 workstation
servers.

According to the company, the CA-Unicenter/125 offers control of
open systems and client/server computing environments, CA
representatives said. The product includes security, file
management, and automation features in addition to working with HP's
Openview operating system.

According to CA, the CA-Unicenter/325 product has received broad
acceptance on the HP platform, but company officials declined to
offer any specific figures regarding sales or the installed user
base.

The HP Apollo 9000 Series 700 workstations begin at $4,995, less
than half the price of the Apollo 9000 Series 800, which begins at
$11,014. CA claims that, by offering a version of its CA-
Unicenter product on the 700 Series offers a more cost-effective
distributed system to users.

HP has been successful in the workstation market, second in
installed user base only to Sun Microsystems. According to
Dataquest, the market research firm, the company's workstation
business grew at three times the rate of other workstation
manufacturers in 1992. Company revenues for 1992 were $16.4 billion.

CA describes itself as a software company focused on systems
integration, database management, business, and application
development tools. The company's fiscal revenue for 1992 was
approximately $1.5 billion.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930519/Press Contact: Bob Gordon, Computer
Associates, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Jim Barbagallo,
Hewlett-Packard, 508-436-5049)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(MOW)(00007)

First East European Quantel Video Composition System Debuts 05/19/93
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- Quantel is a video composition
system familiar to most TV viewers but, until now, the technology
has not been seen in Eastern Europe. Now Quantel, a British digital
video editing company, has supplied a system for use by BS Graphics,
a Moscow-based advertising company.

In use, Quantel allows digital images to be edited in real time,
providing that the clip is limited to 75 seconds. Individual clips
can, of course, be chained together to achieve a continuous program.

BS Graphics' Quantel system has been customized for used in Russia.
The machine has 99 linear keys, a colour correction scheme, a
caption generator, various frame effects plus a video and audio
processing system.

A digital composition system known as "Hall" can split the image
into 99 layers or image segments. Hall can also lift single frames
from most video sources, including video films. Because the Quantel
system operates in a digital format, it can "move" frames between TV
formats, including Secam, NTSC and PAL. This is especially important
in the Russian media marketplace, where different TV systems are in
constant usage.

BS Graphics is well known in Russia as the producer of TV segments
for Ostankino, the TV production company, as well as a series of TV
commercials. The arrival of Quantel in Russia is a milestone in
computing power, BS Graphics claims. Until now, the most powerful
systems used for TV editing were Silicon Graphics workstations.

The Quantel computer was supplied by Elbor, Quantel's dealer in
Moscow. The machine was demonstrated to the public at the recent
Anigra[h '93 show in Moscow.

(Eugene Peskin & Kirill Tchashchin/19930519/Press Contact: Elbor
Ltd, tel. [phone]; BS Graphics, tel. [phone], +7 095
235-5572)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00008)

Electronic Data Interchange Debuts In India 05/19/93
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- HCL Hewlett-Packard is joining
forces with Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL), the government
telecoms company that handles integrated service digital network
(ISDN) operations in India, to set up the country's first Electronic
Data Interchange (EDI) service for commerce, industry and public
administration.

The service, which will be known as Gedis Tradenet (GT), will be
operational by July of this year. As in the West, all manner of
claims for the technology are being made, including the fact that
the need for reams of paperwork required previously for trading will
be removed.

According to the two companies, GT will exporters and importers,
traders, transporters, financiers, investors, customs and insurances
authorities to electronically process documents such as bills of
landing, bank statements and transfers, letters of credit, and
excise permits.

The pilot installation of GT will be at the Port of Bombay. The main
node, an HP 9000 series server based at the VSNL offices in Bombay,
will link to a variety of organisations around the country using an
ISDN link.

To run the network HCL HP has obtained a special EDI package from
INS, the UK-based subsidiary of General Electric. The software is
being customised to meet local requirements.

VSNL is aggressively promoting the GT system, which is estimated to
have cost around $800,000 to get off the ground. To ensure that
businesses who would benefit from the technology get to know about
the service, the company is staging a series of seminars at the four
main cities -- Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi and Madras.

The service is not cheap, even by Western standards, costing around
$6,000 for a PC plus front end software and hardware. The good news
is that the EDI service can interface with international networks,
thanks to VSNL's gateway packet data network (PDN).

"Almost all exporters will subscribe to Gedis Tradenet and this will
open up newer potentials for both VSNL and HCL HP," said a confident
Ajay Choudhary, the director of marketing for HCL HP.

According to Choudhary, who anticipates that the popularity of EDI
will boost demand for his company's supply of HP Vectras, the
profitability of the project will depend entirely on VSNL's
marketing skills.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19930519)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(MOW)(00009)

France Telecom Opens Office In Moscow 05/19/93
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- France Telecom, the French state
telecoms company, has opened an office in Moscow. The office joins
the growing number of Western telecoms companies who have opened
offices in Russia to cope with the flood of enquiries from
prospective customers fed up with the limits placed on international
facilities from Russia.

France Telecom has one prestigious project under its belt in Russia,
the rebuilding of the communications infrastructure in the Kalingrad
region, a Russian enclave on the Baltic sea that used to be known as
Koengsberg. The project is worth around $100 million to the French
telecoms giant.

Marcel Roulet, the president of France Telecom, who officially
opened the office in Paris, said that his company is currently
discussing a number of similar undertakings in consultation with
local phone companies. He declined, however, to give any further
details of these special projects.

France Telecom is fast becoming a world force in telecommunications,
The state-controlled operation now has offices in 21 countries
around the world.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19930519/Press Contact: France Telecom Moscow,
phone [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MOW)(00010)

Cellular Communications Arrive In Uzbekistan 05/19/93
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- The first cellular phone system
in the ex-Soviet Central Asian Republics has opened for business.
The Tashkent-based enterprise is known as Uzdunorbita, a joint US-
Uzbek project set up Uzbek Telecom and ICJ of the US.

According to Jury Snezhkov, Uzdunorbita's director, the US partners
in the business has invested around $2.2 million, mostly by
supplying three ready to run mobile base stations and an electronic
mobile exchange. Uzbek Telecom, meanwhile, has supplied the
necessary buildings and office space, as well servicing the required
frequencies, which are in the old 450MHz wave band.

As with the first cellular systems in the West, the sheer cost of
the service prohibits many businesses from signing up. Sign-up to
the service, which includes the supply and installation of a mobile
phone, costs $1,200, with ongoing fees of $20 a month, before even a
single call can be made. As a result, most of the subscribers are
foreign companies.

Russian business can have a phone at their disposal when they need
it -- the new company offers a short-term rental and leasing option
on its phones.

(Eugene Peskin & Kirill Tchashchin/19930519/Press Contact:
Uzdunorbita, Jury Snezhkov, [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00011)

Unisys Hops Aboard Pentium Bandwagon 05/19/93
BLUE BELL, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- Unisys has
joined the Pentium parade with the announcement of two PCs and a
Unix server based on Intel's new top-of-the-line microprocessor.
Shipments of the new machines will start in the third quarter.

At this week's Pentium launch, Unisys announced the Pentium-based
PW2 Advantage Plus 5606 and 5608 personal computers and two U 6000
departmental servers, one of which uses a Pentium chip.

The 5608 and U 6000 machines are expected to sell mostly as network
servers, said company spokesman Oliver Picher. The smaller 5606 PC
will be used as a small server but also as a desktop machine,
primarily for power-hungry applications such as computer-aided
design (CAD) at first, he said.

In the past, computers based on new and more powerful chips have
usually sold first as network servers and to users of power-hungry
desktop applications. With time, as prices came down, they have
migrated into the mainstream.

All the machines come with eight megabytes (MB) of memory, which can
be expanded to as much as 192MB, Picher said. The 5606 PC
is offered with a 340MB hard disk or in a disk-only version; the
5608 comes with a 525-megabyte hard disk or diskette only.

The new machines are built on what Unisys calls its universal
platform, a common hardware design regardless of the operating
system used. The 5608 PC and the two Unix servers all use the same
tower-type chassis with eight expansion slots, Picher said. The 5608
is a six-slot desktop system.

Unisys said it will use the universal platform for systems running
DOS, Microsoft Windows, Windows NT, Unix System V Release 4,
UnixWare, Novell NetWare, its own CTOS operating system, and on
customer request IBM's OS/2 and Santa Cruz Operation's SCO Unix.

The Unix servers come in two models: the U 6000/300 uses the 60-
megahertz version of the Pentium chip, while the U 6000/100 has a
66-megahertz Intel 486DX2 chip. The U 6000/100 can be upgraded to a
Pentium-based 6000/300, Unisys officials said. Other specifications
haven't been determined, Picher said.

Prices of all the models also have yet to be set, Picher added.
These will be determined closer to the shipment date this fall, he
said.

Unisys also noted that its A7 entry-level enterprise server and
several of its existing PW2 Advantage and PW2 Advantage Plus PCs are
designed to be upgradable to the Pentium.

(Grant Buckler/19930519/Press Contact: Oliver Picher, Unisys,
215-986-5367; Brian Daly, Unisys, 215-986-2214)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00012)

US Trade Deficit Soars; Protectionist Sentiment Gains 05/19/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- Although the US economy
seems to be anything but booming, it must be doing a lot better than
most of the rest of the world, if any weight can be given to the
latest trade numbers which see both imports and exports surging.

Unfortunately for US trade partners such as Japan which have large
surpluses with the US, the value of goods imported increased twice
as much as the value of goods exported, further widening the already
massive US trade deficit.

February's revised trade deficit was pegged today at $7.8 billion,
but the big surprise was in the preliminary March number of $10.21
billion. A stagnant or failing economy does not increase either its
imports or exports, but the US trade numbers show that imports
were up by 9.7 percent in March and the sole reason the trade
deficit only increased by 30 percent was that US exports also
surged, but only by about half as much as imports increased.

These numbers are actually good news for the Clinton Administration
on two fronts because President Clinton can use the total increased
trade as a strong indication that the economy is growing, while
Trade Representative Mickey Kantor can use the surging trade
imbalance as further leverage against Japan and China.

Actually most of the increase in the Japanese trade surplus with the
US which brought the deficit to a five-year-high in March was due to
the recent increased value of the Yen versus the Dollar -- that is,
it was due, not to an actual increase in the volume of imported
items, but to just an increase in the value of each individual item
as paid for in US dollars.

Nonetheless, Commerce Secretary Ron Brown has already called for a
"market driven exchange rate adjustment," better known in Washington
as "jawboning the dollar down in value." Although depreciation in
the value of the dollar causes these short-term jumps in the deficit
because it raises the prices US companies and consumers must pay
for Yen-denominated goods, the past three US governments have
acted on the belief that, in the long run, raising the cost of
Japanese goods and lowering the cost of US goods sold to Japan
will lower the trade deficit.

Unfortunately the dollar has dropped in value nearly every year for
the past eight years while Japanese trade deficits have remained
stubbornly high.

In today's early currency trading, currency markets responded to
Secretary Brown's comments by pushing the US dollar lower against
every major currency in Asia and Europe.

(John McCormick/19930519)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00013)

IBM Adds Seven RS/6000 Models To Its Stable 05/19/93
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- IBM has further
extended its RISC System/6000 line of workstations and servers with
four new entry-level models, two technical workstations, and a desk-
side server. Big Blue has also announced a new pointing device for
the RS/6000 line, a channel emulator aimed at making RS/6000
machines work better with IBM's mainframe computers, and new
customization services.

IBM claims that its new entry-level workstations offer 35 to 40
percent better performance than previous low-end systems. They
include the Powerstation and Powerserver 230, Powerstation 23T,
Powerstation 23W, and Powerstation 23S. All of these use a 45
megahertz (MHz) processor and come with a 128K-byte second-level
cache.

The 230 can be set up, either as a stand-alone workstation, as a
network client, or as a server. The Powerstation 23T is a pre-
configured graphics workstation, while the Powerstation 23W is
essentially the same machine without a display included -- aimed at
customers who already have a suitable display. The Powerserver 23S
is an entry-level server meant mainly for commercial use in areas
such as retailing, banking, and insurance.

None of these machines replace existing models, a company
spokeswoman said; the present entry-level Powerserver and
Powerstation 220 will continue to be sold.

The Powerstation 36T and 37T are technical workstations, meant for
work such as electrical design, circuit design, and technical
desktop publishing, the spokeswoman said. They come with 50MHz and
62MHz processors respectively, and with 32MB of memory, expandable
to 256MB. Disk capacity of 400MB is also standard, and can be
upgraded to two gigabytes, IBM said.

These models join the Powerstation 355, 365, and 375 introduced in
February. These are also technical workstations, but the earlier
models support only two-dimensional modelling, while the new models
have three-dimensional capability.

IBM also launched the Powerserver 550L, an entry-level desk-side
server that comes with a 41.6MHz processor, 32MB of memory
expandable to 256MB, two gigabytes of disk expandable to 7.2
gigabytes, and integrated Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI)
and Ethernet adapters.

The entry-level models are to ship at the end of May, except for
the Powerstation 23T which is scheduled for early June delivery.
Prices will range from $5,445 for the Powerstation/Powerserver
230 to $9,545 for the Powerserver 23S.

The Powerstation 36T and 37T are due to ship in early June, at
list prices of $24,720 and $27,720 respectively. The Powerserver
550L, also due for early-June availability, has a list price of
$27,450.

The company also said its Austin, Texas-based Center for Customer
Solutions will offer new customization services for RS/6000
users. The services include installing IBM and non-IBM hardware
and software, and even painting systems to suit customers'
tastes.

IBM's new 6094 Model 030 Spaceball is a trackball-like input
device that can be used with any RS/6000 Powerstation. Due to
ship in early June, it lists at $1,599.

The System/370 Channel Emulator/A lets users of IBM mainframes
offload functions like print jobs or data access programs to an
RS/6000. It is due to ship in late June at a list price of
$3,000.

Finally, IBM announced the GT1x graphics adapter, an eight-bit,
two-dimension adapter for the Powerstation 220 and 230 that does
not require a Micro Channel Architecture expansion slot. Listing
at $1,250, it is slated to ship in mid-July.

(Grant Buckler/19930519/Press Contact: Gregory Golden, IBM,
914-642-5463)


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

Judge Further Narrows Apple Versus Microsoft Case 05/19/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- CNBC (the Consumer News
and Business Channel -- owned by GE) is reporting that late
yesterday the federal judge hearing Apple Computer's claims that
Microsoft violated Apple software patents in developing Microsoft
Windows, has once more narrowed that case, making it even more
difficult for Apple's lawyers to prevail.

As this suit has dragged on through the years, Apple has seen both
ups and downs, but most of the recent news has been down as the
courts steadily narrowed the Apple case and made it much more
difficult for the company to prevail.

According to reports, the latest decision handed down from the bench
indicated that Windows consists only of elements in the public
domain or previously covered by licensing agreements and that the
popular graphical user interface "lacks significant similarity to
Apple's" Macintosh operating environment.

On the heels of these reports the Leyman Brothers investment firm
raised Microsoft's stock from a positive to an outright "buy" and
the stock was up more than a point in early New York trading while
Apple's stock price dropped about one percent.

Apple has challenged Microsoft's use of certain graphical elements
in the hot Microsoft Windows interface, claiming that the Redmond,
Washington-based company had infringed on Apple's work. Microsoft
says that the elements under litigation are either common design
elements which can be used by anyone or are covered by some earlier
technology sharing agreements between the companies.

Many industry insiders feel that the basic graphical user interface
design work was done by computer industry pioneers at the Xerox Palo
Alto Research Corp (PARC) and later incorporated into both Apple and
Microsoft designs. Xerox designers at the California think tank came
up with such basic ideas as the mouse, but the copier company failed
to take advantage of its early design concept lead and has never
held any significant portion of the personal computer market.

Newsbytes was unable to obtain a comment from either company
before today's deadline.

(John McCormick/19930519)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00015)

DEC Claims Alpha Beating Pentium, But No Major Profits Yet 05/19/93
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- Digital Equipment Corporation
(DEC) has revealed it does not expect any major amounts of income
from its Alpha processor-based systems until next year.

Speaking with analysts in London earlier this week, Bradley Allen,
DEC's director of investor relations, said that he was making no
projections on fourth quarter profits. He added that he does not
envisage any "significant" contribution to company profits until the
1994 financial year.

Allen was in London to explain to investors about DEC's plans to
return to profitability using a variety of methods, including cist-
cutting and switches in technology. Curiously, while unable to make
any statement on profits for the current financial year, he did
point out to analysts that their US counterparts expect the company
to get back in the black by the fourth quarter of this year.

DEC first launched its Alpha-based systems at the end of last year.
Since then, Allen said, five database suppliers had committed to
developing applications for the Alpha environment. In the
mainstream, the systems had attracted considerable attention, he
added.

(Steve Gold/19930519)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00016)

US/Indian Joint Print Head Venture Established 05/19/93
MADRAS, INDIA, 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- Transmatic Systems of Madras has
set up a joint venture with Dot Shop in the US. Plans call for the
joint venture -- Transdot Electronics Pvt. Limited (TEPL) -- to
manufacture print heads for dot matrix printers. Dot Shop is the
fifth largest company in the print head field in the US, and will
take a 51 percent stake in the new company.

The new company will be based at the Technopark in
Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the southern Indian state of
Kerala. As well as producing the print heads, the company will also
undertake print head refurbishment, which will involve dismantling
and replacing worn parts of the head to prolong its life.

According to TSL's managing director, M R Narayanan, the new
operation can handle print heads for Epson, Godrej and Larsen &
Toubro printers. Plans call for the new company to cater for Citizen
printer users, such as those offered by TVS Electronics, another
Madras-based company.

According to Narayanan, India now has a printer population of
150,000 units, out of which the failure rate is about 10 per cent.
This, he said, is the market segment which readily presents itself
for print head remanufacture.

(C T Mahabharat/19930519)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00017)

Olivetti's De Benedetti Drawn Into Political Bribes Scandal 05/19/93
MILAN, ITALY, 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- Carlo De Benedetti, the head of
Olivetti, has been admitted to having been involved in Italy's major
political bribes scandal.

According to reports in the Italian daily papers this week, De
Benedetti was summoned before Italian magistrates last Sunday and
confessed that his company has paid money to politicians in return
for contracts from the government.

As a result of this confession, De Benedetti has had his name logged
in the enquiry books as being under active investigation. According
to the Italian press, this logging of names is not as serious as a
charge of "avviso di garanzia," an official warning of an
investigation, which carries with it a recommendation that a
solicitor should be hired, but it is still a blot on his copybook.

In response to mounting press reports on Olivetti's involvement,
company lawyers have issued a statement noting that De Benedetti
went to the magistrates of his own free will. As a result, he is
under no formal investigation.

De Benedetti, who has been chief executive of Olivetti since 1978,
is reported to have told magistrates that his company had to pay the
money over to the political parties in order to secure contracts.

"I was forced to give in (to the system) but only when I was faced
with having to defend the survival of the company and the interests
of tens of thousands of workers and shareholders," he said in an
official statement from the company.

(Steve Gold/19930519)


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

Compaq Announced New LTE Notebook Models 05/19/93
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- Compaq Computer
Corporation has announced three new members of its LTE Lite family
of notebooks, including one with an active matrix black and white
VGA display.

The new models include the 4/33C, 4/25C and 4/25, and all based on a
486DX microprocessor, with a footprint the same size as a standard
sheet of typing paper, 8.5 inches by 11 inches. The heaviest unit
weighs 6.5 pounds. All the new systems include a trackball
integrated into the keyboard and have expansion base capabilities
making them capable of becoming a desktop system connected to an
Ethernet network, SCSI device, or other external peripheral. Each
comes with Compaq's version of MS-DOS 6, Microsoft Windows 3.1, and
EZ Help Online Library and User programs pre-installed.

Compaq says the LTE Lite 4/33C is based on Intel's 33 megahertz (MHz)
486SL chip and has an active matrix color VGA display that will
support display of 256 colors simultaneously. The standard
configuration includes 4 megabytes (MB) of system memory which can be
expanded to 20MB. A 209MB or 120MB hard drive is available.

The LTE Lite 4/25E is a 486SL-based 25MHz system that offers an
active matrix black and white VGA display, 4MB of RAM (random access
memory) expandable to 20MB, and either a 120 or 209MB hard drive. The
system will run for up to five hours on its battery, according to
Compaq.

The third unit being announced is the LTE Lite 4/25, a 25MHz
486SL-based monochrome display notebook computer with a VGA monitor
that can 16 shades of gray. Hard drive and memory configurations for
the 4/25 are the same as the other units being announced.

All of the new notebooks offer as options the Compaq Desktop
Expansion Base Support, QuickConnect and Enhanced QuickConnect,
active matrix display kit, and various modems including Compaq's
SpeedPAQ 144, a high speed cellular and data/fax modem. Prices for
the new LTE Lite units start at $2,699. Compaq says the 4/25E and
4/25 are shipping immediately, while the 4/33C is expected to ship
in volume by the end of May.

The Enhanced QuickConnect is a new product from Compaq which enables
LTE Lite users to connect up to 10 peripherals, such as a monitor,
mouse, external keyboard, network interface devices and printers. The
1.25 by 11 by 3.5 inch device weighs 1.6 pounds and is prices at
$299.

It's little brother, QuickConnect, was introduced in late 1992 and
provides connection to parallel and serial devices, external
monitors, external storage modules, and AC adapters. It does not
provide connections for SCSI devices or network interface devices.

The company has also announced price reductions on other LTE
systems, with prices being cut as much as 13 percent on three LTE
Lite models.

(Jim Mallory/19930519/Press contact: John Sweney, Compaq Computer
Corporation, 713-374-0484; Reader contact: Compaq Computer
Corporation, 800-345-1518)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00019)

Closest To Paper Flat Panel Displays From Xerox PARC 05/19/93
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- Scientists at
Xerox' Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) say they will demonstrate
what they describe as a break-through in flat panel displays at the
Society for Information Display conference next week. The two new
flat panel display units, claimed to be the closest yet to looking
at paper, offer resolution capabilities as high as 6 million by 3
million pixels on a 13-inch display.

Both a color display and a black and white display will be
demonstrated, with the color display at one fourth the resolution,
as it takes 4 pixels to make the color pixels, representatives at
PARC told Newsbytes. The flat panels are back-lit transmissive
displays and it takes the horsepower of a Sun Sparcstation to drive
the still images shown on the display at a refresh rate of 30 frames
per second. At that rate, researchers say the computer is displaying
200 million pixels per second.

When asked if full-motion video could be displayed, Leonard Fennell,
an area manager on the flat panel display project explained the
amount of information being processed for the stills is all the flat
panel display can handle at the present. PARC is working on using
schemes like the MPEG video compression schemes used in some video
production, to decrease the amount of information that has to be
processed. MPEG offers the advantage of only throwing up on the
display the changes on a frame to frame basis, instead of requiring
each frame to be fully refreshed each time.

To give users an idea of the resolution of this flat panel display,
Fennell said a 13-inch video graphics array (VGA) color display has
300,000 pixels, while the new color flat panel display has over 20
times that number of pixels in the same physical space.

The PARC researchers have been working on the flat panel displays
for two years now. Xerox officials said the company is talking to
several companies looking for a manufacturing partnership for the
displays, but no official announcements have been made.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930519/Press Contact: Cathy Middo, Xerox
PARC, tel [phone], fax [phone])


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

CLI Intros Eclipse Low-End Videoconferencing 05/19/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- The cost of
videoconferencing equipment and services continues to decline. Now
Compression Labs has introduced the Eclipse small group
videoconferencing system for international markets, which will begin
shipping in July 1993, priced at $24,900.

The company claims that this is a saving of up to 50 percent
on comparable systems currently available on the market. The
eclipse 8100i is designed for departmental environments and
smaller locations of large, multinational companies, as well
as small and mid-sized organizations, says the company.

CLI also says that the Eclipse 8100i was specifically designed to
support international markets and is easily modified to support
local language on screen messages by including menu driven multiple
language choices, a custom designed camera module, PAL monitor, and
country specific ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Networks) basic
rate network interfaces.

The Eclipse supports both the px64 CCITT international standard
as well as CLI's own proprietary CTX algorithm.

The company says that the eclipse models are shipped fully
assembled, and can be installed in minutes by plugging in two
cables. A wireless remote control unit and graphical user interface
(GUI) make the system as easy to operate as a television, claims the
company.

Announcing the product, Wayne R. Lasson, senior vice president and
general manager, videoconferencing products group, said: "To further
increase the use of videoconferencing worldwide, eclipse 8100i comes
with all features necessary for an international/multinational
working group videoconference. Also, to assist multinational
corporations in their global purchasing, eclipse 8100i is being
introduced at one international price."

CLI claims that it has reduced several key components to single
boards, including the codec, audio system with echo cancellation,
and network interfaces, which are all housed in an Intel 486-based
personal computer chassis with both a 40 megabyte (MB) hard disk and
3.5-inch 1.5 MB floppy disk for software updates.

(Ian Stokell/19930519/Press Contact: Mia Bradway, 408-428-6735,
Compression Labs Incorporated)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BOS)(00021)

 ****Psion Names New US Chief, Plans Expansion 05/19/93
CONCORD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- London-based
Psion has named David Elder, who was formerly managing director of
Psion GmbH in Germany and export director for Psion in the UK, to
the presidency of the company's US subsidiary, Psion Incorporated

According to Psion's chairman, David Potter, Elder's appointment
signals an escalation of Psion's efforts to capitalize on US market
opportunities.

"We are the market leader for palmtop computers in Europe, and have
had an encouraging response to our initial tests in the USA. Our
products are state of the art, and with a major rollout of
distribution and marketing, we aim to be a significant player in the
palmtop and PDA markets here," he said.

Elder is being called upon to leverage Psion's established US
infrastructure and distribution channels, consisting of over 600
valued-added resellers and more than 300 retail outlets nationwide,
into expanded corporate and consumer business operations in North
America.

US companies currently selling Psion handheld computers include Best
Buy, Good Guys, Lechmere, The Wiz, J & R Computer World, Silo, and
Circuit City Impulse Stores. US corporate users include Caldor,
McGraw-Hill, Martin-Marietta, Exxon, The Foxboro Company, and Philip
Morris.

As head of Psion's German subsidiary, Elder increased sales by more
than 100% in less than two years to gain a 20% market share. He also
established corporate distribution channels through computer
wholesalers, distributors, systems houses, and VARS, and created
retail outlets through department store chains.

Corporate accounts won in Germany under Elder's direction included
Lufthansa, Siemens, IBM, BMW, and the Volkswagen-Audi Group.

In his previous post as export director in the UK, Elder oversaw the
growth of Psion's export base to more than 45 international partners
by 1990. These exporters amounted over 45% of the company's total
sales at the time. He was recognized for his accomplishments with
the Queen's Award for Export Achievement in 1990.

Psion has also appointed Barry Balcourt, who joined Psion in 1987,
to the position of vice president, Consumer Sales Division. The
company said that Balcourt will work closely with Elder in this new
role, while continuing to manage Psion's Consumer Business Group.
Balcourt established the Consumer Sales Division for Psion's Series
3 pocket computers.

Psion Plc has annual worldwide revenues of $70 million. Its US
subsidiary is headquartered in Concord, MA. In addition to handheld
PCs, the company produces applications software, communications
interfaces, and peripherals for mobile computing.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930519/Press contact: David Thompson, Duval &
Partners Inc. for Psion Inc., tel [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00022)

IBM Plans Aggressive Marketing For OS/2 2.1 05/19/93
SOMERS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- Look out Microsoft.
IBM isn't going to pussyfoot around in marketing OS/2 2.1. At least,
that's what the company claims.

Wally Casey, director of marketing for IBM's Personal Software
Products operation, told Newsbytes in an interview after the
launch of the new OS/2 release that IBM's operating system has a
technical advantage over Microsoft's Windows NT, which is due for
release at Comdex/Spring next week.

Casey also admitted that, from a marketing point of view, the wide
acceptance of Microsoft's Windows operating environment for the
DOS operating system has given it a lead. But if you're talking
about 32-bit operating systems, he said, "OS/2 in fact has a huge
head start on everybody else."

According to Casey, that's because it is a full-fledged operating
system, which the DOS version of Windows is not. Windows NT is, but
it is brand new. "The score right now is OS/2 two million and NT
zero," said Casey, referring to the installed base IBM claims for
OS/2 2.0.

He also contended that there are enough differences between
Windows and Windows NT that it is a mistake to think of them as
the same product. IBM will be making much of that point in its
marketing of OS/2 2.1, he added.

IBM has already hinted at a new aggressiveness in launching a
series of ads in major computer magazines that tie the initials
NT to "Nice Try."

IBM's plan is "not just to be negative" but to point out OS/2's
technical advantages over NT, Casey said. The issue is "how do we
become much more aggressive in taking on the myths of the
Microsoft marketing machine," he said.

"We've got a little bit of a job ahead of us," he said, "but for
the first time in a while we've got a very clear idea what we
have to do."

Casey said that one thing that has hurt OS/2 in the past has been
the fact that separate groups handled marketing, sales, and
development of the software. This was the reason for creating the
Personal Software Products unit, of which Casey has been director of
marketing for several months now.

Casey also said that IBM is aiming OS/2 not just at the high-end
market where many observers have traditionally seen its brightest
prospects, but at PC users of all levels.

On that point he emphasized OS/2 2.1's hardware requirements,
which are less demanding than those of Windows NT. OS/2 2.1, like
its predecessor, will require four megabytes of memory, and IBM
recommends six. Depending on the features installed, the software
needs 20 to 40 megabytes of free disk space.

According to Microsoft documents, the final release of Windows NT
will need eight megabytes of memory and some 66 megabytes of free
disk space.

(Grant Buckler/19930519/Press Contact: Steven Malkiewicz, IBM,
914-642-5449)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00023)

 ****HP & Microsoft Sign Windows NT Support Deal 05/19/93
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- While some
sections of the industry begin to tout Microsoft's not-yet-released
Windows NT operating systems as the most hyped vapor-ware ever, the
company continues to sign up major vendors to support it. Now
Hewlett-Packard has signed a deal with Microsoft that calls for HP
to provide worldwide support services for NT.

Under terms of the deal, HP will have direct access to Microsoft's
technical resources in order to provide support services to the
NT computing environment. The companies say that specific "processes
and systems put in place to facilitate the exchange of information
include escalation procedures for problem resolution and direct
access to Microsoft's technical resources."

While Microsoft has been targeting Unix environments, claiming
that NT will take away its market share, HP says it plans to
"extend the breadth and depth of its open-systems, client/server
support-services offering to include the Windows NT environment."

HP says that it plans to offer such services as information
technology (IT) architecture consulting, migration and
interoperability planning, education/training, custom application
development, applications and operating-system support,
implementation/deployment assistance, network consulting
and support, and its own HP Help Desk.

Announcing the deal, Dwayne Walker, Microsoft's director for Windows
NT and networking products, said: "Two years ago we established one
of our first service-focused agreements with HP. Today, HP's
continued support through both its worldwide service organization
and knowledge of the reseller channel is critical to ensuring the
effectiveness of Windows NT in the marketplace."

Microsoft also hopes it will be able to "leverage" HP's presence
in the reseller community to build support for Windows NT.

HP has also introduced a new line of network servers -- HP NetServer
LE and LM -- that will support Windows NT.

(Ian Stokell/19930519/Press Contact: Emily Cobb, 415-691-5902,
Hewlett-Packard Co.)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00024)

Computer Associates, MCI Announce Licensing Deal 05/19/93
ISLANDIA, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- MCI Communications
has joined the short list of major companies that have publicly
signed enterprise licensing agreements with Computer Associates
International. The deal lets MCI pay the software firm a flat fee
for unlimited worldwide use of specific CA software.

The deal comes under CA's Enterprise Licensing policy, a departure
from the traditional tiered-pricing model in which companies pay a
mainframe software vendor according to the number and power of the
systems on which they run the software.

CA had earlier announced such deals with the United States Postal
Service and Citicorp, a New York financial services firm.

The companies will not discuss the dollar value or the exact
terms of the contract. Richard Chiarello, senior vice-president
of CA, told Newsbytes that the deal covers a fixed term -- which
he would not disclose -- and that there are provisions for
renegotiating at the end of that time.

Chiarello said traditional approaches to software licensing have
been awkward for both vendors and users to manage, and the
Enterprise Licensing option is more convenient for many large
customers.

He also said the deal with MCI represents a vote of confidence in
CA's products from the communications company, which is best
known as a provider of long-distance telephone service in the
United States.

(Grant Buckler/19930519/Press Contact: Bob Gordon, Computer
Associates, 516-342-2391, fax [phone])


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

HP Revenue Up 22 Percent In Second Quarter 05/19/93
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- Hewlett-Packard
continues to be a safe bet for its shareholders and investors. Now
the company has reported a 28 percent increase in orders and 22
percent growth in net revenue for the 1993 fiscal year's second
quarter, ended April 30.

According to the company, net earnings totaled $1.38 per share,
up nine percent from a strong year-ago quarter.

Announcing the earnings, Lewis E. Platt, HP president and chief
executive officer, said: "Our order and revenue growth were
terrific, and earnings were good. Growth was strong in all
geographies and reasonably balanced across product areas."

The company reported that orders for the quarter were a record $5.4
billion, compared with $4.2 billion in the second quarter of 1992.
US orders totaled $2.4 billion, up 28 percent over 1992, while
orders from outside the United States also grew by 28 percent to
$3.0 billion.

Quarterly net revenue totaled $5.1 billion, compared with $4.2
billion in the like quarter a year ago. Net revenue in the US was
reported at $2.2 billion, up 24 percent compared with the year-ago
quarter, with net revenue from outside the US rising 20 percent to
$2.9 billion.

Net earnings for the quarter were $347 million, or $1.38 per share
on an average of 253 million shares of common stock outstanding.

The company says that orders in the its computer business increased
33 percent over the year-ago period. Of particular note were sales
of the company's HP DeskJet and HP LaserJet printers, personal
computers and PC-LAN (local area network) products, HP-UX multi-user
systems, HP 9000 Series 700 PA-RISC-based workstations, mass-storage
products and X-terminals, HP SoftBench CASE (computer-aided software
engineering) software, and HP OpenView network management products.

The company also said that total employment for the quarter
increased by 700 people to 93,800. HP's computer products business
increased recruitment to support its growing printer businesses,
with the majority of these hires in manufacturing. However,
employment levels declined in most other businesses, with
approximately 450 people leaving the company under the terms of its
voluntary-severance incentive.

(Ian Stokell/19930519/Press Contact: Steve Beitler, 415-857-2387,
Hewlett-Packard)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00026)

NCR Intros Upgradable Notebooks 05/19/93
DAYTON, OHIO, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- NCR Corporation has
introduced three new 486-based notebook computers that feature
upgradable displays, hard disk drives, batteries, and memory, with
prices starting under $2,000.

The three 486SX-based NCR 3150 models are certified for use with
NCR's WaveLAN7/8PCMCIA card, also being announced today. The credit
card-sized device allows computer users to connect their notebook
systems to wired local area networks (LANs) or wireless WaveLAN
networks. The company says WaveLAN/PCMCIA can also be used to set up
"instant" wireless LANs for temporary projects.

All three models use Intel's low power 486SX 25 megahertz (MHz)
microprocessor with 8 kilobytes (K) of cache memory, a 9.5 inch
(measured diagonally) display screen, a PCMCIA Type II slot,
internal 3.5 inch 1.44MB floppy drive, external trackball and local
bus video. The standard 4MB of system memory can be upgraded to as
much as 20MB.

NCR says that all three systems can use either NiCad or nickel metal
hydride battery, with the system automatically sensing which battery
type is installed and using the appropriate battery charging
algorithm. Removable hard drives of 80, 120 and 170 are available.

The new model is available with monochrome, double scan passive
matrix color, or thin film transistor active matrix color display.
"Customers who by the base model now can later move from monochrome
to color displays, increase memory five-fold and more than double
storage," says Alok Mohan, NCR Workstation Products Division VP.

All systems hip with DOS 6.0, Windows 3.1, and on-line user
documentation, and BitFax 2.0 fax software that allows the user to
send a fax from any Windows application. AT&T's Mail AccessPlus 2.4
for Windows, an electronic mail software package that provides access
to AT&T Mail is also pre-loaded. A version of the monochrome model
that includes only DOS 6 software is also available, which doesn't
include the external trackball.

NCR says that a number of options are available, including PCMCIA
Ethernet LAN adapters, an external charger, and an auto cable and
cable manager. A 14.4K bps data/9600 bps fax modem is expected to be
available in the third quarter. The monochrome and active matrix
color systems are scheduled for shipment in June, while the double
scan passive matrix color system will be available in July. European
availability for all three models in about the same. Prices range
from $1,925 to $3,805.

(Jim Mallory/19930519/Press contact: Jeni Cozart, NCR, 513-445-5648;
Reader contact: 800-225-5627)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00027)

 ****Aldus to Acquire After Hours Software 05/19/93
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- Aldus Corporation
has signed a letter of intent to acquire After Hours Software, the
Van Nuys, California-based company that created the TouchBase and
DateBook personal information management software programs for Apple
Computer's Mac range.

The deal is subject to the usual due diligence review and other
unspecified conditions. Aldus declined to comment on the details of
the acquisition, however Aldus spokesperson Brad Stevens told
Newsbytes that although no personnel cuts were planned at present,
the company will integrate the 33 After Hours employees into Aldus'
Consumer Division, located in San Diego.

"The plan is to find positions for After Hours employees as
appropriate," he said, declining to comment specifically on other
possible acquisitions being actively considered, but told Newsbytes
"acquisitions are one of the ways we've identified for our consumer
division to grow. There's always a base level of interest going on."

After Hours Software was founded in 1986 by Richard Wolpert as a
consulting firm, and later developed and marketed its personal
information management (PIM) software program. The company says it's
annual revenues have more than tripled in the last three years.

Steve Cullen, Aldus VP and GM of the consumer division, said that
Aldus intends to grow through both acquisition and internal
development, and PIM software is a ready market. "Personal
information products are poised for rapid growth, and this
acquisition is a significant step forward in building our portfolio
of consumer products."

TouchBase, a contact management program, was released in 1991,
followed by DateBook, an integrated calendar and to-do list package
the following year. Pro versions of both programs were released in
April. You can currently find both products bundled with certain
models of the Macintosh Performa series at some outlets.

(Jim Mallory/19930519/Press contact: Brad Stevens, Aldus Corporation,
206-628-2361; Reader contact: Aldus Corporation, 206-622-5500, fax
206-343-4240)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00028)

 ****Atari Plans To Fight Judge's Decision For Nintendo 05/19/93
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- In the big
money legal wars between video game makers, the Atari unit of Time
Warner has lost the last round to Nintendo. District Court Judge
Fern Smith, of the US District Court in San Francisco, said that
Atari did infringe on Nintendo's patents.

This is the same Judge, who in March of last year, issued an
injunction against Atari, saying Atari "decided to make its
cartridges functionally indistinguishable from Nintendo's own games
by admittedly copying more than was needed to make a game work on
the NES console."

The battles between the two companies started in 1988 when Atari
Games broke off a licensing agreement which had allowed it to sell
Nintendo-compatible game cartridges. Atari engineers found a way to
break the security code of the Nintendo chip, a so-called lock-out
chip, and have been using it ever since. Nintendo sued, charging
patent infringement. Atari countersued, charging the Japanese
entertainment giant with illegal monopoly of the game business.

Paul Liu, chairman of American Video Entertainment (AVE), told
Newsbytes that Nintendo changed the internal design of its hardware
so the machines will no longer play his company's game cartridges.
Liu is in the process of suing Nintendo for $105 million.

While Nintendo is winning in the courts, the Federal Trade
Commission has been pursing the game giant. In 1991 alone, reports
from industry insiders indicate Nintendo may have paid as much as
$25 million in FTC fines for anti-trust violations.

The entire computer industry is watching these video game maker
battles because they could set a legal precedent that prohibits
software developers from producing compatible applications for a
computer without a license from the designer of the computer
hardware. A similar, long-term battle between Sega and Accolade,
also expected to be a precedent setting one, was just settled out-
of-court last month.

Atari officials say that the company will continue to fight and is
planning an appeal of Judge Smith's decision.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930519/Press Contact: Karen Kaplin, Nintendo
of America, tel [phone]; Barry Cane, Atari Games, tel 408-
434-3700)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00029)

Mitel Reports Strong Year-End, Opens Far East Unit 05/19/93
KANATA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- Convinced that Asia
and the Pacific Rim hold significant growth opportunities for its
telecommunications equipment business, Mitel has created a separate
business unit in the region. Mitel has carved out Mitel (Far East)
from its former European Middle East and Asia region.

The company also reported net income of C$2.6 million for the year
ended March 26, a turnaround from last year's C$5.7-million net
loss. Revenue was up four percent to C$423.4 million from last
year's C$406.1 million.

Mitel named Bill Chang, general manager of Mitel (Far East) since
July of last year, becomes vice-president and general manager and
will now report directly to John Millard, Mitel's president and
chief executive. Chang's territory includes Thailand, Hong Kong, and
China. Mitel said it expects annual growth of more than 10 percent
in the Chinese telecommunications market for the next few years.

Mitel private branch exchange (PBX) business has little presence in
Japan at the moment, though the company has a one-person office
representing its semiconductor business there, company spokeswoman
Bonnie Perrigard said, but it does see Japan as a potential growth
market.

Mitel recorded C$15 million in sales in the Far East in 1993,
Perrigard said, up from C$8 million in 1992. At present Mitel has
about 30 employees in the Far East.

The company said that its Far East operation has increased sales by
more than 50 percent since Chang took over last July.

Mitel's profit for 1993 includes interest income, and a closer look
at the financial report shows an operating loss of C$1 million.
However, Mitel officials said this is a major improvement over the
1992 operating loss of C$8.1 million, not to mention 1991's C$115.3-
million operating deficit.

After several money-losing quarters, Mitel returned to profitability
when it posted a profit of C$1.4 million for its third quarter,
which ended December 25. Its annual revenues are more than
C$400,000. In the fourth quarter, the company recorded a profit of
C$11.9 million on revenue of $118.1 million.

(Grant Buckler/19930519/Press Contact: Bonnie Perrigard, Mitel,
613-592-2122)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00030)

IBM, BPSI Launch Wireless Access To AS/400 05/19/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 19 (NB) -- Aiming at an
increasingly mobile work force in areas such as transportation,
sales, and health care, IBM and Illinois-based Business Partner
Solutions have announced AS/400 Mobile Network Access. The new
software will let people using portable computers and other mobile
devices communicate with an IBM AS/400 computer over mobile networks
such as Ardis.

Mark Even, manager of application technology introduction at IBM's
Rochester, Minnesota laboratory, said the software can handle both
one-way and two-way communication. It will allow wireless
communications to be integrated with AS/400 applications, he said,
and might be used for purposes such as letting mobile sales people
check inventory data from customers' offices, tracking the movement
of a trucking fleet, or providing communications between hospitals
and home care providers.

He noted that AS/400 Mobile Network Access also supports
OfficeVision/400, IBM's office automation offering for the AS/400,
which includes electronic mail. The AS/400 can also work as a
gateway to let mobile users get at data on other systems, company
officials said.

IBM launched PagerPac/400, which provides one-way wireless
communications, and RadioPac/400, which supports two-way
communications. Both work through radio-frequency data networks
in the United States and Canada, including Ardis, Bell Ardis, RAM
Mobile Data, and Cantel.

BPSI developed the technology, which it calls MobilEra, and has
been marketing it for about two and a half years, said Brian
Derr, president and chief executive of BPSI. The agreement with
IBM provides for the giant computer company to sell the
technology under its own name. Derr said that the deal is an
endorsement for BPSI's technology and the partnership with IBM
will ensure an "end-to-end solution" for customers.

Derr said that BPSI chose the AS/400 as a server because of its
popularity in the markets the company is addressing, but plans to
adapt its technology to other hardware as well.

BPSI also plans to adapt its technology to support different
types of wireless communications, such as cellular packet
communication, he added.

Two software vendors, Imrex Computer Systems and Orion Network
Solutions, announced plans to provide software that will work within
the IBM AS/400 Mobile Network Access architecture.

AS/400 Mobile Network Access will be available in August in North
America. Even said IBM is exploring ways of making the technology
work with wireless networks in other parts of the world and hopes
to make announcements before the end of 1993.

PagerPac/400 will cost $4,000 plus $8 per user, while
RadioPac/400 will be $20,000 plus $40 per user, IBM said.

(Grant Buckler/19930519/Press Contact: Jeff Cross, IBM,
914-642-5358; Barbara McNair, IBM, 914-642-5357; Gregg Fraley,
BPSI, 708-323-9292)