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/NB930623

Text File | 1993-06-24 | 74KB | 1,596 lines

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

CompuAdd Announces Pentium-Upgradable 486 PC Line 06/23/93
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- Compuadd has announced a
new line of 486-based personal computers that can be upgraded to
Intel's Pentium technology when that chip is ready to ship. The
Centura line includes 47 models, and represents the largest product
launch in the company's 11-year history.

The new models, available in four chassis styles, start at $1,295,
and are certified by Novell as network ready. Centura is available
in low profile, desktop, mini-tower, and tower models. The low
profile models have five available expansion slots and four drive
bays.

The basic configuration for the machines includes a CD-ROM drive for
all models except the low profile systems, local bus IDE hard drive
controllers, and local bus graphics based on color-capable ATI
68800XL chipsets. Also standard is one megabyte (MB) of video
memory, which can be expanded to 2 megabytes (MB), and support for
resolutions up to 1,280 by 1,024 pixels.

The new systems come with Windows 3.1, DOS 6.0, Netware Lite, a
Compuserve starter kit, and CloseUp 4.0 communications software. A
Zero Insertion Force socket supports all Intel SX, DX, and DX2
processors as well as the future Pentium chips. The company claims
that all models have cooling expandability and electromagnetic
interference shielding to accommodate future processors running at
speeds in excess of 100 megahertz (MHz). Two serial and one bi-
directional parallel port are standard on all models, as is a mouse.

An included program called Remote Rescue allows CompuAdd technical
support representatives to access a customers' PC if it has a modem
installed, in order to solve any set-up or configuration problems.
The company is also including one month of free hazard insurance
which covers non-warranted problems such as dropped PCs, theft,
water damage, and power surges.

The coverage can be extended for one year at $49 per Centura PC, and
is also available for Compuadd's notebook systems for $200 per year.
The company says it will refund the difference if they advertise the
same system you buy at a lower price within 30 days of purchase.

Compuadd says its bezels, the plates that mask openings around
drives, are made from recyclable plastic, and its shipping boxes are
plain brown, replacing the current non-recyclable boxes. It has also
teamed up with Dow Plastics to replace urethane cushioning material
with a low-density polyethylene foam.

The bottom of each Centura shipping carton converts to a return
shipping container if the buyer wants to send the foam cushioning
back for re-use instead of discarding it. The company says the new
packing will cut their overall packing and handling expenses by
about $185,000 annually, a saving it will pass on to buyers.

Service technicians and do-it-yourself upgraders will like the
Centura case. Its accessible by undoing two thumbscrews. The Centura
motherboards support up to 64MB of system memory, and the floppy
disk controller can handle drives up to 2.88MB in capacity. The low
profile models comes with a 14 inch non-interlaced 0.28 dot pitch
color monitor and 1MB of video RAM (random access memory) which can
be upgraded to 2MB.

The desktop and mini-tower models have eight expansion slots and
seven drive bays. Two of the expansion slots have VESA local bus
capability. Eight megabytes of system memory is standard, and can be
expanded to 64MB on ISA motherboards and 128MB on the EISA-based
systems. Both systems include a 15-inch non-interlaced 0.28 dot
pitch color monitor, a 200 watt power supply, and include the CD-ROM
drive.

The tower models use three thumbscrews to secure a removable side
panel for access to expansion slots, and the drive bays are
accessible from the front or rear of the chassis. A 300-watt power
supply, eight expansion slots, and nine drive bays are standard,
with two of the slots having VESA local bus capability. All models
are being shown at CompuAdd's booth at PC Expo in New York. The show
runs June 29th through July 1 at the Jacob Javits Center.

The company says that prices for the low profile models range from
$1,295 to $1,995. Desktop and mini-tower models carry price tags
that run from $2,095 to 44,295, while tower models go from $2,245 to
$4,445.

(Jim Mallory/19930623/Press contact: John Pope, CompuAdd,
512-250-2000; Reader contact: CompuAdd Computer Corporation,
800-627-1967)


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

 ****Packard Bell & Zenith Announce Alliance 06/23/93
CHATSWORTH, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- Packard Bell and
Zenith Data Systems have announced a strategic alliance. The two
companies say Packard Bell's expertise in desktop computers and
ZDS's expertise in notebook computers will complement each other in
a manufacturing economy of scale and in the distribution channel,
meaning lower prices for the consumer.

While no specific numbers were mentioned since Packard Bell is
a privately held company, ZDS says it has purchased a 19.9
percent share in Packard Bell as part of the agreement and will
be represented on Packard Bell's board of directors. ZDS is a
subsidiary of Bull, a company whose primary shareholder is the
French Government.

ZDS President Bernard Pache said he expects the alliance to
increase the sales volume of ZDS notebook and subnotebook
personal computers (PCs) through Packard Bell's wide
distribution network in the retail channel. Packard Bell boasts
1992 sales were $930 million with shipments up 40 percent and a
60 percent increase in unit sales over 1991. Before the ZDS
alliance, Packard Bell estimated sales in 1993 would top $1.2
billion. International Data

ZDS claims that its sales were $900 million world-wide in 1992. In
addition, ZDS was recently awarded the Desktop IV contract from the
Air Force which entails the purchase of 300,000 computers at an
estimated cost of $800,000. The company said that the alliance with
Packard Bell will offer it additional opportunity to produce and
service the Desktop IV contract.

Both companies are expecting to leverage their buying and
manufacturing power together to cut costs. Packard Bell President
Beny Alagem denied that Packard Bell was simply looking for an
infusion of cash after its failed initial public offering (IPO) last
year. Alagem said the IPO didn't happen because the price of the
stock was unacceptable to the company's board of directors.

While the core of the computers developed in the deal will be
the same, Packard Bell and ZDS say they plan to retain their
own labeling, although ZDS will supply Packard Bell with
private label versions of its notebook and subnotebook PCs.
Consumers can expect to see products developed as a result of
the alliance as soon as September of this year.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930623/Press Contact: Philip Little, The
Bohle Company for Packard Bell, tel [phone], fax 310-785-
0459)


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

Energy Saving Powerstrip Auto Controls Computers 06/23/93
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- Sequence Electronics
has developed a line of "smart" electrical power strips for your
computer that can actually turn your computer, monitor, printers,
and other peripherals on and off for you as you use them. The
company estimates energy savings gained from use of the Smartbar
family of products can make the products pay for themselves.

An estimated installed base of 65 million computers and several 100
million peripherals together use an about $8 billion per year in
electricity. Sequence Electronics estimates substantial savings can
be gained in energy costs if each computer is turned off after one
hour of non-use.

The company came up with the figures after doing a survey of 94
computers over an eight week period. An estimated 63 percent of the
time computers are not in use and that figure jumps to 85 percent
for monitors, according to Sequence. In the experiment the Smartbar
software and hardware was installed and set to shut down the
computers and monitors after one hour of non-use. The results were a
thirty-three percent reduction in energy use, or about $150 per year
per computer.

Much like an ordinary power strip, the Smartbar offers surge
protection, but is equipped with a reduced instruction set computing
(RISC) microprocessor that via a connection with the computer's
keyboard, can control the power to several outlets on the Smartbar.

The user controls when and what is turned on and off via the
software and a touch on the keyboard brings the monitor or computer
back on. The Smartbar itself works with any computer system and the
software to control the Smartbar is available for DOS, Macintosh,
and Unix systems. Company representatives added that OS/2 software
is in the works. The software is smart enough to save the work in
the last open application and bring it back up again as well, the
company added.

As for whether or not the Smartbar puts a drain on the
microprocessor in the computer, the company says no. Sequence
President William Kemp told Newsbytes that the RISC processor in the
power strip handles all the necessary polling and no interaction
with the system's microprocessor is needed.

Four main Smartbar products are available. Smartbar I offers
two outlets for a retail price of $149, Smartbar II offers six
outlets for $299, and Smartbar III which is software only for
the Macintosh is $59. In addition, a wall mounted motion
sensing device can be added to the Smartbar to automatically
turn on the computer when the room is occupied and turn the
computer off when the room is empty.

For remote communications, the Smart Remote connects between the
Smartbar and the modem and can power up the computer when a "ring"
or "off hook" signal comes through the phone lines. In addition, the
company says the products can make computers and peripherals qualify
the new Energy Star program officially implemented by the US
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

(Linda Rohrbough/19930623/Press Contact: William Kemp, Sequence
Electronics, tel [phone], fax [phone])


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

Indian Software Package Makes It Easier To Achieve Quality 06/23/93
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- Quality Systems and Resources
(QSP) Pvt., a Madras-based company, has unveiled Qualisys, a
software package that it claims makes it much easier for companies
to achieve the International Standards Organization (ISO) 9000
certification.

ISO 9000 certification is widely recognized by consumers as a "seal
of approval" for a company. It is used by companies as a means of
gauging whether a supply company will still be around in the longer
term, which helps in longer-term planning.

Qualisys is not alone in the Indian software market-place. Last
year, Sundram Information Systems (SIS), announced a package called
Ki-QMS. Ki-QMS stands for Knowledge Integrated Quality Management
System.

According to QSP, Qualisys provides around 75 percent of the
assistance required for the ISO 9001, 9002 and 9003 levels of
certification. This, QSP claims, leaves the interested company only
to seek external assistance in customizing the package for its
specific needs, plus advice on highly specialized needs.

The package takes a "tree and branch" approach to solving users'
queries and problems relating to ISO certification. In the ISO 9000
Series 1, for example, the package has split the 20 elements into
104 levels of detailed counseling, claiming to answer more than 499
questions relating to the subject.

Qualisys has several modules ranging from a control module to
utility and print modules. Each package comes with five user
licences for the software.

QSP is taking an innovative approach when it comes to pricing the
package. The base price for the software is Rs 15,000 ($500), but
this price is for medium-sized and large companies. For small
companies and "not for profit" organizations, a 50 percent reduction
is offered.

Ki-QMS, the Sunderam package, in comparison, costs Rs 40,000
($1,350) for a single user site licence. SIS claims to have sold
more than 500 copies of the software to date.

(C T Mahabharat/19930623)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00005)

Greek Phone Company Confirms Wiretapping Allegations 06/23/93
ATHENS, GREECE, 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- OTE, the Greek state telephone
company, has confirmed allegations that the phones of Socialist
politicians, as well as inner-party rivals of conservative Prime
Minister Constantine Mitsotakis, have been tapped.

A seven-member OTE committee, which probed Athens' phone network
throughout last month, has reported that evidence of eavesdropping
was found on many telephone lines. Among those wiretapped were
former prime minister Andreas Papandreou, the offices of his
Socialist party headquarters and former conservative minister
Miltiades Evert.

The committee's findings supported allegations by former OTE
employee Christos Mavrikis, who has said that, acting under orders
from senior conservative party officials, he tapped scores of phones
of rival politicians, judges and journalists from 1988 to 1990.

Mavrikis told the press and a state prosecutor investigating the
case that Mitsotakis' security chief at the time, general Nikos
Gryllakis, master-minded the phone tapping and that he worked under
the general's direct orders.

Gryllakis, who remains a senior adviser at the New Democracy party
headquarters, has denied being involved in the growing scandal. He
is reported to have testified before state prosecutor George Zorbas,
claiming that he hired Mavrikis merely to defend the New Democracy
party against phonetapping by the Socialists.

Mavrikis, meanwhile, has provided details on how he routinely tapped
phones between 1988-90, allegedly to help the conservatives
negotiate a string of alliances during a political crisis.

Reporting on the affair it had broken earlier this year, the
Kathimerini daily newspaper in Athens said that "until now the
citizen who read of the wiretapping case had every reason to be
reserved."

"Mavrikis's allegations, stunning as they were, remained without
proof. OTE's findings confirm the charges," the paper added in its
editorial on the affair.

Gryllakis has brought a civil law suit against Mavrikis, claiming
that he tried to blackmail him with the illegal tapes. Mavrikis is
now in jail pending trial.

OTE's findings were given to Zorbas and radio stations said
Gryllakis may be summoned for further testimony.

Mitsotakis has publicly denied any knowledge of wiretapping and
claimed that the accusations came from one jailed man, Mavrikis.
Despite protesting his innocence, he agreed in April to set up an
all-party parliamentary committee to investigate the phone tapping
allegations.

(Steve Gold/19930623)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00006)

US Survey Reports Large Users Hit Badly By Phone Fraud Losses 06/23/93
PORTLAND, OREGON, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- The results of a large user
survey on telecommunications security show that toll fraud is a more
far-reaching problem than even the most pessimistic of analysts
could have predicted.

Telecommunications Advisors, a Portland, Oregon-based research and
consulting firm that trains companies about the problems of toll
telephone fraud, has surveyed 624 users throughout the US on several
aspects of telecommunications security.

More than 70 percent of the 124 respondents have been hit by hackers
at least once during the past five years, with the average aggregate
loss per victim, many of whom were struck more than once, was an
amazing $125,000.

In the survey, users revealed how toll fraud was performed, who they
thought the perpetrators were, how much it cost them and how they
became aware that they were victims. In addition, they ranked the
effectiveness of local, state and national law enforcement groups in
dealing with toll fraud.

The respondents said that toll fraud losses primarily involved, in
order of importance, manipulation of their private branch exchange,
penetration of voice mail, abuse of the switch's maintenance ports,
misuse of remote access and so-called social engineering, where the
operator or staff is deceived into providing a dial tone to
unauthorized parties.

About 58 percent of the users reported that they believed the
primary culprits to be hackers; 11 percent blamed insiders; 9
percent -- employees or agents of interconnects, vendors or
suppliers; 9 percent -- so-called shoulder-surfers or dumpster-
divers, as well as people who fraudulently obtain a victim's long-
distance access code; 7 percent -- employees or agents of long-
distance service providers; and 6 percent -- employees or agents of
local telephone companies.

More than 17 percent of the survey respondents blamed free access to
systems through toll free services, while 14.6 percent said that
switch manipulation was to blame. 14.2 percent cited manipulation of
voice mail systems, 8.6 percent noted absence of or failure to use
call detail reports or station message detail reports, 8.5 percent
pointed to entry through remote maintenance ports, and 7.1 percent
said that remote access through direct-inward system access ports
was causing problems.

Toll fraud victims were also asked how they first learned that they
had a toll fraud problem. 25 percent of the respondents said that
their end users noticed problems with their switching systems, while
23 percent were notified by their interexchange carrier, and 22
percent found out they had a problem by reviewing their monthly
phone bills.

Another 18 percent noticed abnormal activity on call detail reports
generated by call accounting systems linked to their PABX, and eight
percent were alerted by their staff. The remaining four percent
received a call from their local phone company.

(Steve Gold/19930623/Press & Public Contact: Telecommunications
Advisors - 503/227-7878


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00007)

Fancard Cools The Inside Of Your PC 06/23/93
TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- For users who
are concerned about all the heat the new central processing units,
Windows accelerator cards, and television cards are generating
inside their PCs, T. S. Microtech has announced its Fancard family
of products.

The Fancards are simply fans in cards that help cool your PC by
moving the air flow inside the cabinet. One way to test if air
is moving at all inside your computer cabinet is to tape strips
of single-ply toilet tissue to the inside of the case and then
look in through on of the disk drive slots while the computer
is running.

If the toilet tissue is not moving, then neither is the air inside
your computer. Heat problems can cause errors such as the computer
locks up after a period of use, screen flickering, run-time errors
during program execution, and so on. The new Pentium microprocessor
from Intel is said to operate at temperatures near the boiling point
of water.

The company offers the Fancard-I, a half-slot card with a single
fan, and the Fancard-II, a full-slot card with two fans, each
blowing in a different direction. The cards use 1.2 watts of energy
per fan, are narrow enough not to touch any other cards in the
system, and are barely audible when running, the company claimed.

Simon Lindner of T. S. Microtech was careful to point out the fan
that cools the computer's power supply is critical to the power
supply and users whose power supply fans fail should not consider
the Fancard a substitute for a power supply fan unit that is causing
problems.

In an interesting twist, the company is also offering models of the
Fancard with a six volt power supply for computer users to plug in
their stereo speakers for multimedia PCs rather than using a
transformer and other power outlet. The company also makes Fancards
for Macintosh and IBM PS/2 (Microchannel) computers.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930623/Press Contact: Simon Lindner, T. S.
Microtech, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Public Contact
800-959-9419)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00008)

Creative Labs First To Ship Cinepak Codec 06/23/93
MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- Creative Labs
announced it is the first to ship the Cinepak
compression/decompression technology with the Videospigot for
Windows, its video capture card for PCs. The company claims it is
the only one shipping the Cinepak technology, developed by Supermac,
although it has licensed the technology to Microsoft, Sega, 3DO, and
Cirrus Logic.

Compression and decompression of video on-the-fly is critical
due to the enormous amount of physical storage space digitized
video information requires. One minute of uncompressed full-
motion digitized video can take up as much as 27 megabytes (MB)
of hard disk storage. Also, the video compression/decompression
scheme (codec) is important when distributing the video in
applications, as the codec that created the video is necessary
to play it.

Supermac, known for the development of the original Videospigot
for the Macintosh, claims the advantages to the Cinepak codec
is it requires little in the way of processing muscle from the
computer's central processing unit (CPU) for video playback.

This means it can be run on less powerful processors. In
addition, the video files are compact with a compression ratio
of 20:1, even with 24-bit full-color video, and average less
than 1.5 bits-per-picture-element (pixel). On a local bus
graphics card, Cinepak can playback as fast as 24 frames per
second at 320 by 240 resolution from a double-speed compact
disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) drive.

The Videospigot for Windows video capture board can capture 30
frames per second full-motion video from video cassette
recorders (VCRs), cameras, and laserdiscs. The captured
information is converted into Window's Audio Video Interleaved
(AVI) format files that can be edited using Microsoft's Video
for Windows.

Creative Labs is offering the Videospigot for Windows for
$499.95. The company says registered owners of the Videospigot
may receive the Cinepak upgrade at no extra cost by returning
the reply card enclosed in their original Videospigot package.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930623/Press Contact: Benita Kenn, Creative
Labs, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00009)

Windows On Wallstreet Debuts 06/23/93
RICHARDSON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- Texas-based
MarketArts has announced a software program that allows users to
monitor current and potential investments by creating their own
indicators or rules using the software's formula builder.

Called Windows on Wallstreet, the program runs under Microsoft
Windows 3.1 and includes an array of financial analysis and
productivity tools. The company says the formula builder can create
over 5,000 indicators containing multiple plots, trend lines, and
buy/sell signals. It can also combine multiple securities into
custom composite indices. Windows on Wallstreet is compatible with
MetaStock and Computrack, allowing Windows on Wallstreet to analyze
historical data collected over a period of time using those
programs.

The program comes with a data downloading system that works with a
variety of data vendors and can download data at the same time
charts are being displayed. MarketArts CEO John Jennings told
Newsbytes that repetitive tasks such as downloading historical end-
of-day security prices, printing chart analyses and other special
applications can be set up to occur automatically using the
program's Personal Investment Assistant.

Jennings said that PIA can also perform other unattended tasks such
as backing up files, and has the capability to do things like
printing charts only if the data download was successful. Scheduling
can be daily, weekly, or on a one-time basis. The built-in
communications software can either logon, download the financial
information, and log off automatically, or can automatically logon
and allow the user to manually navigate through the online service.

Jennings claims that the formula builder is designed more for the
advanced user, but does use cut-and-paste technology to build the
formulas that determine the best time to buy and sell stock.
Jennings says the indicator library contains a wide range of
standard indicators that have been in use for a number of years as
well as the more recent ones.

"Indicators play a very important role in doing technical analysis,"
said Jennings. Indicators study factors such as moving averages and
volume action. "The user can construct any indicator they want," he
said.

The program has a suggested retail price of $295, and comes with an
unconditional 30-day money-back guarantee. Jennings told Newsbytes
that the company is working on other software products for the
financial industry but said it was premature to discuss specifics.

(Jim Mallory/19930623/Press contact: Phil Hall, GS Schwartz & Co for
MarketArts, 212-696-4744; Reader contact: MarketArts, 214-783-6791
or
800-998-8439, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00010)

US Credit Card Fraud Growing, But Not So Fast 06/23/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- Credit card fraud
continues to grow at a double-digit rate, but much slower than the
alarming rates of recent years, Mastercard International has
revealed in its latest survey.

According to the international card issuer, the total fraud on
Mastercard credit cards world-wide grew 23 percent to $460 million
in 1992, down from a growth rate of 25 percent, or $375.5 million,
in 1991.

"This trend in slower growth is due, in part, to the co-operative
efforts of our members and law enforcement agencies," said Phillip
Verdi, Mastercard's executive vice president of electronic services.

Fraud due to lost cards rose by 29 percent in 1992, below the 60
percent growth rate in 1991 and 49 percent rate in 1990. Mail order
and telephone order fraud grew by 24 percent in 1992, down from 46.5
percent in 1991. Counterfeit card fraud, meanwhile, grew by 33
percent in 1992, down from a 75 percent rate in 1991.

Verdi credited "aggressive fraud prevention programs" that started
in Mastercard's Asia-Pacific region as responsible for the overall
decline, and plans to apply lessons learned in that region to its
world-wide anti-fraud efforts.

(Steve Gold/19930623/Press & Public Contact: Mastercard
International - 212/649-4600)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LON)(00011)

Woodside Technologies Intros Fortress Security For Unix 06/23/93
WOODSIDE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- Woodside
Technologies, the US security software house, has unveiled Fortress,
a graphical user interface (GUI) -equipped package for Unix computer
users. The company claims that the software is the first "shrink
wrapped" Unix solution for the computer industry.

According to the company, Fortress offers protection from Unix
security risks, such as Trojan horses, worms, viruses, file
tampering and weak passwords. The company claims that the intuitive
point-and-click user interface makes security easy, even for non-
technical users.

Announcing the package, Ken Ross, vice president of development for
Woodside said: "the standardisation of Unix has made it easier for
disruptive programs to spread. More holes have been opened for a
computer hacker and there is more opportunity for a disgruntled
employee to cause damage."

"In addition, increased use of Unix systems by commercial firms has
increased the average loss since these organisations have a greater
cost of downtime and/or lost data," he added.

Fortress includes several features that Woodside claims are unique
to its package, including:

[] Password Cracker -- The package attempts to hack all passwords to
ensure that those which are easy-to-guess do not threaten the
security of the system. If the program is successful, it informs the
user of its success without revealing user passwords. Passwords may
also be tested on an ad-hoc basis by users before they are changed.

[] Trojan Horse Detector -- A Trojan horse is a disruptive program
concealed within an ostensibly useful program. The Trojan Horse
Detector searches the user's path, the entire system or any portion
specified to locate duplicate copies of common Unix commands.

[] Worm-Proofer -- This module claims to intuitively detect and
eliminates weak security entry points that might allow unwanted
programs to log onto a remote system through network connections and
replicate themselves.

[] File Inoculation -- Inoculates files and protects against
unauthorised or accidental file modification by searching files and
adding a unique fingerprint in an encrypted format without changing
the files.

Pricing on Fortress depends on site licensing conditions, as well as
the variant Unix system the software is to run on.

(Steve Gold/19930623/Press & Public Contact: Woodside Technologies -
Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00012)

Dayna Ships SafeDeposit Backup For Mac 06/23/93
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- Dayna
Communications has started shipping SafeDeposit, an automated backup
application for the Apple Mac, at an introductory price of $99.

The company claims that the software is simple to install and walks
users through four set-up questions, creating a "backup plan" that
determines which files/folders to back up, where to back them up,
when to back them up, and how to back them up. File backup can occur
continuously, on command, at system shutdown, upon disk insertion,
or at a specified time. The SafeDeposit application is launched only
to create or modify a backup plan; it does not need to be launched
to make a backup since it runs unattended in the background, the
company says.

SafeDeposit will back up to any Macintosh-compatible medium that can
mount on the desktop including floppies, internal hard disks,
removable media like Bernoulli and Syquest drives, and any AFP-
compliant server volume including AppleShare, NetWare, PacerShare,
and KShare. It also supports magneto-optical drives, and tape drives
that can mount on the desktop. SafeDeposit works with Salient
Software's DiskDoubler compression software to automatically
compress files during backup.

David Romney, Dayna's president and CEO, said SafeDeposit is
especially suited to providing unique backup options while on the
road with a PowerBook. "SafeDeposit lets traveling PowerBook users
backup their home networks with a modem and ARA," he said.

The $99 introductory price is valid until July, when the suggested
retail price will go up to $189. Free demonstration copies are
available by calling 801/269-7311.

(Computer Currents/19930623)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEL)(00013)

Software Piracy Yet To Take Off In India -- Report 06/23/93
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- India seems to be the odd
country out in Asia as far as software piracy is concerned. While
the rest of Asia is reknowned for piracy, a report just out from the
Business Software Alliance (BSA) says that India is very much in the
minor league as far as piracy is concerned.

The news will a welcome relief to the Indian Government, which has
been steeling itself against a strong set of trading rules from the
US Government. Reports from the US suggest that the US might take
punitive action against India under its anti-piracy legislation.,

According to the BSA, a not-for-profit association of major software
vendors, around $12,000 million a year is lost in the software
industry globally. Of this, around $5,400 million is lost in Asia,
with China on its own accounting for $200 million in lost income.

The losses due to software piracy in Europe and the USA, meanwhile,
amount to $4,500 million and $1,900 million respectively.

The BSA's reports also indicate that, in 1992, about 99 percent of
the total software sold or used in Thailand was illegal. Japan came
next down the list with 92 percent followed by 86 percent in Spain
and 62 percent in Germany.

India's contribution to piracy losses seem negligible, judging from
the simple fact that it does not figure in the BSA table.

(C T Mahabharat/19930623)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00014)

Claris Intros Power To Go PowerBook Utilities 06/23/93
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- PowerBook users
can simplify the task of managing the power consumption and battery
life of their systems with Power To Go, now shipping from Claris
Clear Choice, the new software publishing unit of Claris
Corporation.

Claris recently acquired the exclusive world-wide marketing and
distribution rights to this product, formerly called Utilities
for the PowerBook, from the developer, ALSoft Inc. of Houston,
Texas.

Power To Go is a collection of utilities designed to extend the
PowerBook's operation time between battery charges and to
enhance overall usability of the PowerBook environment. The
software handles battery power consumption and offers security
for private data, screen saving, automatic menus, a choice of
animated cursor locators, modem/fax and hard disk activity
indicators, instant system sleep and a fast airport security
check feature. Power To Go also supports settings for multiple
users, as well as for different work environments.

"Power To Go provides a comprehensive group of power management
utilities, as well as the simplest and easiest-to-use tools for
PowerBooks. This allows users to maximize their PowerBook efficiency
without having to become versed in the technical trade-offs of power
management," said Bruce Chizen, vice president and general manager
of Claris Clear Choice.

Power To Go is compatible with all currently distributed PowerBooks.
It is now available through Claris resellers, its authorized
distributors and directly from Claris. The suggested retail price is
$89. For more information, call 300/3CLARIS.

(Computer Currents/19930623)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00015)

Graphics Add-In for Latest 1-2-3 Versions 06/23/93
NEEDHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- Intex
Solutions has announced a graphics add-in for users of Lotus
1-2-3 release 3.x and 1-2-3 for Windows.

In addition to a dozen innovative 2-D and 3-D graph types,
UltraGraphics is said to feature automatic range selection,
360-degree rotation, automatic scaling along all three axes,
and "live" graphs, which automatically update as spreadsheet
values change. The company says UltraGraphics offers many graph
types not available in any spreadsheet program.

One version of UltraGraphics is for 1-2-3 for DOS release 3.1,
3.1+ or 3.4. The other version is for 1-2-3 for Windows version
1.1 or higher (Windows 3.1 required). Approximately 2 megabytes (MB)
of RAM is required for either version, in addition to the normal
requirements of each spreadsheet.

UltraGraphics costs $159.95 plus $5 shipping and is available
directly from Intex by calling 617/449-6222.

(Marguerite Zientara, Computer Currents/19930623)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00016)

Touchstone Offers Free Disk Check Program To DOS 6.0 Users 06/23/93
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- Touchstone
Software has announced that it is offering a free licence for
Checkit Pro's CKMEDIA program to any PC user worried about the
integrity of his/her DOS 6.0 hard disk data. According to the
company, it is responding to reports of confusion and worry
surrounding the latest version of DOS from MIcrosoft.

Touchstone claims that tests carried out in its labs revealed
several elements of the data corruption problems reported with DOS
6.0 relate to latest media errors, with the FORMAT command in DOS
6.0 actually unmarking bad tracks. This means that data problems
that occurred after installing to DBLSPACE (Doublespace) program
module of DOS 6.0 were possibly caused by undetected or mismanaged
physical media defects on the disk's surface.

Touchstone also claims that, since DOS 6.0 reassigns those marginally
usable areas, many of which were marked as bad previously, for use
by the Doublespace volume, problems can occur.

Checkit Pro negates these problems, Touchstone claims, since marks
the bad sectors or clusters, independently to the DOS 6.0 format
etc., commands. In use, Checkit Pro uses the CKMEDIA utility to
verify the integrity of the data on the disk.

According to Touchstone, Checkit Pro succeeds where other programs
fail, since it supports a report-only format. The package creates a
report, but does not alter the disk recording.

(Steve Gold/19930623/Press & Public Contact: Touchstone Software -
Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone]; BBS: 714/969-0688)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00017)

After Dark Announces Display Contest 06/23/93
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- A $10,000 cash
Grand Prize will be awarded in the Third Annual After Dark Display
Contest, sponsored by Berkeley Systems. This year's contest includes
three entry categories: Windows Programmer, Macintosh Programmer and
Computer Artist.

To be eligible, programmers or artists must submit an original After
Dark module with an official entry form. To get an entry form, call
Berkeley Systems at 510/540-5535 ext. 600 or send a fax to 510/540-
5115.

Submissions must be received no later than midnight, July 15, 1993.
Entries will be judged on originality, appearance and functionality.
Berkeley Systems will undertake first-round judging, then the top 10
entries in each category will be judged on August 11 by a
distinguished panel of 22 industry experts.

The $10,000 Grand Prize will go to the best overall entry, while
First Prizes in each category are as follows: Windows --
Compaq Contura 3/25c Model 84 PC; Macintosh -- Fujitsu two-gigabyte
M2652SA Hard Drive; Computer Artist -- Epson ES800C Color
Scanner with Interface Kit.

The Second Prize in all categories is an NEC MultiSync 5FG 17-Inch
Monitor and the Third Prize is a Wacom Art Z (for Macintosh) or 6 x
9-inch Graphics Tablet (for Windows). All winners will receive an
engraved Flying Toaster trophy and T-shirts will be awarded for all
Honorable Mentions.

Everything a programmer needs to write an After Dark module
comes with the After Dark package, including programming
examples in C and Pascal. Artists must submit digitized artwork
in any Macintosh or Windows format, along with a script or
storyboard detailing the proposed display. Artists may also
submit animation loops or QuickTime sequences.

(Marguerite Zientara, Computer Currents/19930623)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00018)

 ****IBM Launches Major Collection Of Network Products 06/23/93
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- IBM has again
signalled its desire to be a full-range local-area network (LAN)
equipment supplier with the launch of 20 new LAN products covering
Ethernet, Token Ring, and Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI)
technologies.

The list of products includes Ethernet and Token Ring adapters,
Ethernet and multiprotocol hubs and an intelligent hub management
program, Token Ring bridge products, 10 FDDI adapters, and IBM's
first network adapter cards for the Extended Industry Standard
Architecture (EISA) bus, a rival to its own Micro Channel
Architecture.

Big Blue officials claim that a new member of its LANStreamer
product line, the EtherStreamer MC 32 Adapter, offers throughput at
the speed of the cabling media for all frame sizes. It runs in full-
or half-duplex, allowing 20-megabit-per-second (Mbps) or 10-Mbps
transmission speeds respectively. Auto-sensing sets the adapter for
the type of cabling used (10BaseT, 10Base2, or 10Base5). The adapter
is to be available July 30, at a list price of $595.

The 8222 Six Port Ethernet Workgroup Hub can connect as many as
seven workstations serving small work groups such as classrooms,
grocery stores, travel agencies, and branch banking offices. It
features six RJ45 jacks for 10BaseT media, plus one AUI connector.
Each port can connect to Ethernet segments or to another 8222 hub.
Due to be available July 30, the hub will list at $345.

Meant as an alternative to IBM's 32-bit LANStreamer Adapter for
high-end servers, the new LANStreamer MC 16 Adapter connects OS/2
Micro Channel client computers and low-end servers to the LAN.
According to the vendor, it can boost file-transfer performance
by as much as 44 percent over previous 16/4 MicroChannel client
adapters and cut CPU use by as much as 80 percent. Available June
25, it has a $645 price tag.

IBM claims that its new LANStreamer Token-Ring Bridge/DOS Version
1.0 software gives the best throughput in a Token-Ring environment
when used with the LANStreamer 32-bit adapter. Due to ship July 30,
the software is priced at $1,995.

IBM now offers its Token-Ring Network Bridge in local and remote
bridge versions. The Local Token-Ring Network Bridge/DOS has the
same functions as the current product at a lower price: $1,495.
The $2,495 Remote Token-Ring Network Bridge/DOS adds support for
full T1 line speeds. Both are slated to ship July 30, replacing
the current product.

The company has also announced a new Token-Ring Network Bridge
Manager, which it said will cut the cost of running large numbers of
IBM Token-Ring bridges. Version 1 for OS/2, due to be on the market
July 30, is priced at $495. There is also a DOS agent component,
also to ship July 30, for $95.

Again showing a new willingness to support non-IBM developments
even when they compete with its own products, IBM unveiled the
Token-Ring 16/4 Busmaster EISA Adapter. Compatible with the EISA
bus that several rival vendors launched in response to IBM's
Micro Channel Architecture, the adapter gives IBM products for
all three PC bus types. The Token-Ring 16/4 EISA Adapter,
available June 25, will cost $720.

The 8250 Intelligent Hub - Model 06S is a six-slot, entry-level
intelligent hub for multi-protocol concentration. IBM recommends
it where no redundant power supply is required. The price is
$1,780 and availability is July 16.

IBM has also launched an Automatic Update Service for all models of
the 8250, so users can ensure their hub's microcode is upgraded as
enhancements and extensions appear.

IBM officials said that the company's AIX Intelligent Hub Management
Program/6000 - Release 2 and IBM AIX Intelligent Hub Management
Program/6000 - Entry Release 2 provide point-and-click mouse access
to a graphical display of the 8250 hub's configuration and enhanced
configuration updating as new hubs are added to a network. Both are
to ship in late September. The fully-fledged version is $8,400 and
the Entry model $4,500.

Finally, IBM brought out 10 FDDI adapters, produced for IBM by
Schneider & Koch & Co. and SysKonnect, Inc. of Saratoga, California.
The new adapters are priced from $700 to $1,700, which IBM said is
80 percent lower than its first FDDI offering. They are to be
available July 30 in Micro Channel, EISA, and Industry Standard
Architecture (ISA) models for both optical fiber and copper wiring.

(Grant Buckler/19930623/Press Contact: Paul Warren, IBM,
914-642-5474)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00019)

Altia Intros Prototype And Design Software 06/23/93
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- A Colorado
software company has announced a new version of its human interface
design software the company says is used by product developers to
quickly create graphical prototypes and designs of custom user
interfaces without having to write graphics code or even have a
staff software specialist.

Altia claims that its product, Altia Design 1.2, isn't a Graphic
User interface (GUI) builder or a graphics toolkit, which use a
limited set of standard user interface components. Rather, Altia
Design enables designers to create fully custom dynamic user
interfaces that accurately simulate their physical counterparts and
display real-time data and information.

The company claims that current Altia users are using the program to
acquire customer feedback on product feature sets, functionality,
and human factors. They have also integrated the resultant dynamic
graphical prototype with their products' software and hardware to
test and verify its operations. In some instances the interface
created using Altia Design was embedded in the final product and
used as the man-machine interface and display graphics.

Altia Design was initially released in August 1992, and has been used
to design products and systems ranging from telecommunications
network simulators and critical care monitors to oscilloscopes,
ultrasound machines, as well as communications equipment. The company
says that its development team worked closely with several early
customers to obtain feature and usability feedback, which was then
used to refine the tool and create version 1.2.

The program includes a graphical editor that makes it easy to
assemble pre-built graphical components such as buttons, meters,
dials, CRT display, trackballs, and keypads. It can also be used to
create custom components, eliminating the need to have software
specialists write thousands of lines of graphics code to achieve the
same results.

A suite of interactive animation features is provided to make the
creation of dynamic components easier. Designers also have full
control over input stimulus, with interactive definition of input
areas, triggers, and actions, so users can manipulate components with
a mouse, a touchscreen, or other input devices. A record and playback
feature is included to capture user interaction and gather human
factors data, and can be used to create online training and automated
demos. Altia provides a runtime version of the software for software
integration into the finished product.

Version 1.2 supports the importing of color bitmaps from other design
systems or from a scanner. The program supports the Tadpole
SparcBook, a portable SPARC comparable workstation, and Altia designs
can be integrated with existing Motif or other X Windows
applications.

A complete Altia Design system costs $7,900 for a single license,
with multi-license discounts available.

(Jim Mallory/19930623/Press contact: Michael Juran, Altia - 719-598-
4299; Reader contact: Altia - 719-598-4299, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00020)

Paramount Buys Into Information America 06/23/93
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- Paramount is
transferring its legal software and information divisions to
Information America in a deal that will give Paramount 49 percent
of the Atlanta-based company.

Information America, currently publicly traded, was founded 10
years ago to deliver local legal records to Atlanta lawyers, and
now offers similar services in a number of states. It had 1992
revenues of about $18 million.

The units it is taking control of in the transaction include
Prentice Hall Legal and Financial Services, Prentice Hall Legal
Practice Management, and Prentice Hall Professional Software, which
had 1992 revenues of approximately $83 million. The first-named of
those units provides services like those of Information America, the
second provides office automation software for lawyers and a
database on intellectual property rights, the third offers software
to accountants, tax preparers and real estate property managers.

A complex of stock, preferred stock, and warrants are being used
to effect the transaction, and it does seem that Paramount is
most anxious to acquire Information America's managers, chairman
Burt Goldstein and president Mary Madden.

But the two may still have freedom of action to make other
acquisitions, which could dilute Paramount's stake somewhat. They
now have the chance to build a $110 million company which can take
its place as a third force in serving lawyers alongside Westlaw and
Lexis. The transaction must be approved by shareholders and both
sides, as well as regulators -- it's expected to close around the
end of the year.

At a teleconference on the transaction attended by Newsbytes,
Goldstein admitted that Paramount could, in time, increase its
ownership of Information America to 60 percent, using warrants
and other rights exercisable at a price higher than the current
market price.

A Paramount spokesman denied at the conference that Paramount was
"buying" Information America, saying "this is not an acquisition in
any way, where we manage the company." In the agreement, Goldstein
added, the management structure set-up to run the company must stay
in place "in excess of three years," which he considers adequate
protection of his freedom of action.

Assuming the deal gets done, Information America has hired Howard
A. Tullman, former CEO of COIN, an Atlanta company he turned around
and restructured. After the closing, he'll head the Prentice Hall
software and legal practice units, and help in integrating the third
unit into Information America.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930623/Press Contact: Mary A. Madden,
Information America, 404-892-1800)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00021)

Aldus Completes Acquisition Of After Hours Software 06/23/93
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- Aldus Corporation
announced this week that it has completed its acquisition of After
Hours Software. The deal was initially announced in mid-May of this
year when Aldus signed a letter of intent.

Aldus said that the purchase price included an initial payment of
about $4 million, and additional payments over the next three years,
the amount of those determined by performance.

Functions of Los Angeles-based After Hours Software will be merged
over the next several months into the San Diego facilities of the
Aldus Consumer Division. The acquisition is being accounted for as a
purchase, so the June financial results of After Hours will be
incorporated into Aldus' financial statement for the second quarter,
which ends July 2, 1993. The company says that the acquisition is
expected to result in a one-time charge against earnings of as much
as $2 million, or about $0.15 per share for the second quarter.

After Hours is the creator of Personal Information Manager (PIM)
software programs TouchBase Pro and DateBook Pro, both written for
Apple Computer's Macintosh platform. Aldus Consumer Division VP and
General Manager Steve Cullen says that the products are an important
strategic acquisition as Aldus expands its line of consumer oriented
software.

"We believe the personal information management category has the
potential for excellent growth, and this acquisition positions us
well to participate in this emerging category," he said.

After Hours released the latest versions of TouchBase and DateBook in
April, each with a suggested retail price of $79.95. Aldus
spokesperson Kathy Episcopo told Newsbytes Aldus hasn't made any
determination about continued pricing for the two programs. Episcopo
said Aldus is working with a majority of After Hours 33 employees to
either relocate to San Diego or will be offered a severance package.

Some employees have been working on a third After Hours product,
SalesBase. That product is now owned by the former After Hours
shareholders, who will decide the fate of the product and the
employees involved in its development.

(Jim Mallory/19930623/Press contact: Kathy Episcopo, Aldus
Corporation, 619-695-6956)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00022)

 ****It's Chapter 11 For CompuAdd's Retail Division 06/23/93
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- Compuadd Computer
Corporation announced this week that it has filed a voluntary Chapter
11 petition in order to settle claims by its creditors resulting from
the phasing out of the company's retail stores.

Several months ago Newsbytes reported that Compuadd planned to close
all of its 110 US. retail outlets and sell its product through the
direct market channel, using telemarketing and catalogs.

Compuadd CEO Bill Hayden said that the company has tried for three
months to reach an out-of-court settlement with creditors such as
landlords and suppliers on claims that resulted from the
discontinued retail operations.

"This process was consuming an unacceptable amount of management
attention that, when coupled with a substantial increase in our core
business, a strong backlog, and the need to preserve the company's
435 jobs, made bankruptcy court protection the most orderly way to
run our business in the short term," Hayden said.

"Strategically, we had to leave the market-place to focus on our
core business. In turn, we incurred liabilities we could not meet or
resolve in an out of court settlement. Our direct marketing sales
are strong, our customer and employee commitments will be met in a
business-as-usual manner, and we'll begin shipping a new generation
of products next month. We're mounting a full court press to emerge
from Chapter 11 as quickly as possible," he added.

Compuadd claims that it will continue to fulfil customer commitments
and expects to emerge from bankruptcy protection following the
filing of the requisite reorganization plan as soon as possible. The
company said its European unit is not expected to be affected.

Compuadd spokesperson John Pope told Newsbytes: "The toughest
challenge in a situation like this is to get over the negative
connotation. This is clearly not that type bankruptcy; it's a
reorganization. We are putting together a plan and have every
confidence that we will emerge quickly."

Major creditors in addition to owners of the property in which the
stores were located include Lexmark, IBM, Texas Instruments, and
Samsung. Pope said the inventory of the stores has been consolidated
in Dallas and Austin, Texas and Tulsa, Oklahoma for liquidation.

Details of the plan are still in draft stage, said Pope, and no
specifics are available, but he told Newsbytes that the plan is
expected to be submitted "very soon."

The company says it completed the closure of its retail store
division last week. Calls to the closed store's phone numbers are
now automatically routed to Compuadd's headquarters in Austin.

(Jim Mallory/19930623/Press contact: John Pope, Compuadd Computer
Corporation, 512-250-2000; Reader contact: Compuadd Computer,
512-250-2000)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00023)

Real Life Model For "Jurassic Park" -- A Sun Workstation User 06/23/93
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- The new hit
movie "Jurassic Park," which shows scientists bringing long-extinct
dinosaurs back to life, is not quite as mythical as audiences might
imagine, Sun Microsystems has disclosed.

According to the Mountain View, California-based workstation
vendor, the new cinematic adventure is based on the real life
research experiences of a real Sun user, paleontologist Jack
Horner.

Horner, who is curator of the Museum of the Rockies in Bozelman,
Montana, was not only the model for the lead character in the film,
but also director Stephen Spielberg's dinosaur advisor.

In his work at the museum, the scientist is employing a new
technique for scanning dinosaur fossils to learn more about what
they ancient beasts saw and heard, how they communicated, and how
intelligent they actually were.

Prior to CAT scanning, the fossils are wrapped in plastic bags for
protection, surrounded by layers of wet towels, water and
additional bags, and finally placed in a plastic bucket.

The wet towels are like the organs in the human body, and the
bucket like the skin, says Sun. When these items are manipulated
on a Sparcstation running CMAX medical imaging software, the
resulting images are clear and show extensive detail.

Commented Horner: "There are bones inside the skull that are just
paper thin. (Before the advent of this technique) they were
destroyed, because most people didn't even know they were there.
I would say that CAT scanning and reconstructing images is how most
research will be done in palaeontology in the next 20 years."

Sun officials have also pointed out that Dr. Raul Cano and his
colleagues -- who made news headlines the day before the release
of "Jurassic Park" for identifying DNA taken from a prehistoric
weevil -- do their work on Sun workstations, as well. The insect
had been trapped in amber, or hardened tree sap, for 135 million
years.

Cano and his associates performed a multi-step process to extract
a tiny strand of genetic information taken from inside the long-
dead insect, using a Sun workstation to speed up the time-consuming
process of analyzing this material.

Also according to Sun, Cano hopes this work will lead to actual
isolation and identification of dinosaur DNA in the near future.
In the meantime, his research also includes gene analysis of
ancient, amber-trapped plans and insects that could lead to
improved crop production and better protection for human beings
against infectious parasites.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930623/Press contact: Susan Hathaway, Sun, tel
415-336-7064)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00024)

Rolm Enhances PhoneMail 06/23/93
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- Siemens' Rolm
unit announced an enhanced version of its PhoneMail voice processing
software which improves its phone directory and links with more
private phone switches made by other companies.

The company also announced that PhoneMail will be available in the
United Kingdom in October, linked at first to GPT's iSDX and iSLX
PBXsm then to Siemens' Hicom 300 and MCX PBXs. PhoneMail will be
marketed in the United Kingdom by GPT, jointly owned by Siemens and
GEC of Great Britain.

The new software will be available August 2 in the US and connect to
PhoneMail Long Distance Networking services in Canada, Hong Kong,
Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and the United States. This lets
multinational companies use the same set of voice messaging commands
and features across all their sites. And a message can be recorded
on one machine and then sent via the network to multiple locations,
saving time and charges.

The new software also supports TDDs, or Telecommunications Devices
for the Deaf, for the first time, and supports enhancements to
PhoneSpell, ROLM's phone directory application.

ROLM plans to provide free software upgrades to customers migrating
from the current PhoneMail release to the new one. PhoneMail
customers will be charged a minimal installation fee of $200 for
the first four channels and $150 for each additional four.
Customers with the smaller PhoneMail SP will pay only the $200
installation fee.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930623/Press Contact: ROLM, Steve Bauer,
408/492-2171)


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

Zenith Data Intros Monitor That Goes To Sleep 06/23/93
BUFFALO GROVE, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- Zenith Data
Systems will introduce at PC Expo in New York next week a new
computer monitor that goes to sleep during periods of inactivity to
lower the level of power consumption.

The company claims that the 15-inch Super VGA multisync flicker-free
display unit offers resolution up to 1024 horizontal by 768 vertical
pixels and is intended for graphical applications, desktop
publishing, layout work, or other environments where users have to
look at the display for long periods of time.

Called the ZCM-1540, the non-interlaced monitor automatically
switches to lower levels of power consumption when not in use. ZDS
says any application that has the capability to blank the screen,
such as Microsoft Windows, or the multitude of "screen saver"
software available commercially or from public access bulletin boards
can automatically switch the monitor into its standby mode.

The company sats that energy consumption can be lowered by as much
as 30 percent, or to less than 30 watts in the standby mode. That
makes it eligible for the Energy Star designation, a voluntary
standard for computer equipment makers established by the US
Environmental Protection Agency.

After a further period of activity the 33 pound ZCM-1540 switches
into a "rest state" in which it uses only eight watts of power. A
touch of any key on the computer keyboard restores the monitor to
full activity.

ZDS spokesperson John Bace told Newsbytes features include 0.28 dot
pitch, auto synchronization, auto-sensing of the power voltage being
supplied, support for five different resolution modes, and
conformation with both US and European standards. The latter is
particularly important, says Bace.

The US Federal Communications Commission and European regulatory
agencies have established emissions standards, with some of the
European standards being particularly tough. "The European and
world-wide regulatories are absolute killers when it comes to
monitors. This unit meets the Swedish and Norwegian standards. To be
able to clear those Scandinavian regulations in particular is very
difficult, and this unit does," he said.

Price hasn't been established yet, but Bace says it will be about the
same as other 15-inch color monitors.

(Jim Mallory/19930623/Press contact: John Bace, Zenith Data Systems,
708-808-4855; Reader contact: Zenith Data Systems, 800-553-0331)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00026)

LDDS Moves Into Fax Services 06/23/93
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- LDDS has signed a deal
with Technology Solutions International of Atlanta to provide fax
services over its network, and to its customers.

Under the terms of the agreement, LDDS customers will be able to use
a variety of fax services including Broadcast Fax and Fax-On-Demand.
Toll-free 800 number access can be combined with Fax-On-Demand to
provide access from any location specified by the LDDS customer.

Newsbytes discussed all this with Mark McWilliams, vice president-
market and client services for TSI. He said the company provides
primarily fax broadcasting.

"There are a lot of companies in the enhanced fax services
market-place, but most are doing specialized work with fax on
demand," he said. "The major part of our business is broadcast, and
there may be 15 factors in that business nationwide.

"Primarily this brings us a distribution channel. They are a
well-recognized long distance company, with a good sales force.
Our products are complementary," he told Newsbytes.

"They can help us distribute and market to a broader market-place.
We've already been a customer of theirs for a while, and we're
pleased with the costs and quality of service. The more we sell, the
more opportunity we have for reduced rates, of course, so that goes
almost without saying," he said.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930623/Press Contact: Technology Solutions
International, Mark McWilliams, vice president-market and client
services, 404/843-5890)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00027)

Canada's New Telecom Act About To Become Law 06/23/93
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- Royal assent may be
given today to Canada's new Telecommunications Act, which would
replace 85-year-old legislation and unify a fragmented regulatory
structure.

A spokesman for the federal Department of Communications
confirmed that the act has been passed in the House of Commons
and gone through third reading in the Senate, and is expected to
be proclaimed very soon.

The bill asserts federal jurisdiction over telecommunications
across Canada. In the past many regional telephone companies were
provincially regulated, while others were regulated by the
federal government.

Some provincial phone companies have accepted federal jurisdiction
in the past three years, since a 1989 court decision that said the
federal government had the right to regulate all telecommunications
companies. That decision included companies owned by lower levels of
government, but said Ottawa must first assert its authority in
law. The new act will meet that requirement.

A hole in the legislation gives the province of Saskatchewan --
which owns its own phone company and has staunchly resisted federal
regulation -- five more years before it comes under federal control.

Joseph Schmidt, president of the Canadian Business
Telecommunications Alliance (CBTA), a lobby group of major
telecommunications users, criticized this provision, saying it gives
the province "five more years to shut out competition."

But Schmidt said his group is pleased with the law over all, and
accepts that some compromises were necessary.

The CBTA sees the bill as promoting competition, Schmidt said. It
"will help bring about a truly national dimension in
communications," he said, and will give policy-makers new tools
with which to do their jobs.

The Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC), also
supported the bill. A statement from ITAC said the law
"acknowledges that we are on the threshold of major telecom
transformations, and that Canada intends to be a leader in
telecom internationally." It also moves toward a more open
domestic market, ITAC said.

The original law, introduced in February, 1992, would have
required all telecommunications carriers in Canada to obtain
licenses from the federal government. It has since been amended
to remove the licensing provision, instead giving the Canadian
Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)
authority to enforce a rule limiting foreign ownership of
licensed carriers to 20 percent.

Earlier, Toronto telecommunications consultant Eamon Hoey said
the 20-percent limit on foreign ownership would effectively shut
out foreign investment, since no investor would want to pour
money into a venture in which it cannot hold a controlling
interest.

This is bad, Hoey said, because "we don't have enough investment
dollars in Canada ... to build the kind of facilities we're talking
about." The result, he predicted, will be that no new
telecommunications competitors will appear.

Under the new law, the CRTC would also be allowed to decide not
to regulate areas of telecommunications where it judged there was
enough competition to serve as an alternative to regulation.

(Grant Buckler/19930623/Press Contact: Paul Villeneuve, Dept. of
Communications, 613-990-4842; Joseph Schmidt, CBTA, 416-865-9993;
Bob Crow, ITAC, 416-602-8510 ext. 229)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00028)

 ****Color Hard Copy - BIS Details Study On Color Printers 06/23/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- A full 60 percent
of end users who now have a color printer will buy another within
the next 24 months, and the same is true for 38 percent of users who
haven't yet entered the color printing arena, according to Bill
Flynn, senior analyst at BIS Strategic Research.

Almost three-quarters, or 74 percent, of users who are buying their
first color printers plan to perform work in-house that is now being
done outside, said Flynn, detailing the results of a recent BIS
study at the Color Hard Copy Conference in Boston.

To the same question, which allowed for multiple responses, 28
percent of the first-time buyers mentioned "new work" as a reason
for buying a color printer, and 18 percent cited other factors.

As reported on Newsbytes May 17, the BIS' Color Hard Copy End-User
Survey projects a quadrupling of the color printer market over the
next four years, from 90,000 in 1991 to 2.4 million by 1995.

Speaking at the conference yesterday, Flynn suggested that purchase
motives are quite different among users who already have a color
printer. In this group, 66 percent said they are looking to replace
the current model with a better/newer model, 50 percent mentioned
more work or a need for more resources, and 12 percent pointed to
other factors.

In an interview with Newsbytes afterward, though, Flynn noted that,
in actual fact, most users with previously purchased color printers
are holding on to the older units after buying new models.

The survey presented yesterday was the second conducted by BIS on
the printer market, Flynn told Newsbytes. Both the 1991 and 1993
surveys had end user as well as high-end color graphics components.
Surprisingly, many of the end user findings remained roughly the
same in the 18 months that separated the two surveys.

For example, when asked to rank a series of five color printer
attributes, end users who already owned color printers gave these
responses in 1991: 4.4 for number of colors, 4.1 for color
matching, 4.6 for text quality, 4.5 for graphic quality, and 3.4
for photographic quality.

In 1993, responses for this category of users were as follows: 4.2
for number of colors, 4.0 for color matching, 4.4 for text quality,
4.4 for graphics quality, and 3.3 for photographic quality.

Of those who do not have a color printer now, and do not plan to
purchase one within the next two years, 87 percent of the 1993
respondents said they had no need for color output, as compared to
77 percent in 1991.

Also in this group of users, another 20 percent of the 1993
respondents said that color printers were too expensive, as opposed
to 17 percent in 1991. A total of 17 percent of the 1991
respondents and 12 percent of the 1993 respondents said that color
printing was too difficult. Exactly 23 percent of the 1993
respondents said they have their color printing done outside, as
opposed to 13 percent in 1991.

"Where we did see a big change was in the end users' ability to
give specific answers," Flynn told Newsbytes. "Instead of just
telling us that they had no need for a color printer, they were
able to tell us why." The analyst attributed this change to
greater awareness of color printing, derived from magazine articles
and advertising.

In another area of change, users' perceptions of the difficulty of
color printing dropped dramatically. In 1991, only 17 percent
mentioned "too difficult" as the most problematic aspect of color
printing, down from a considerable 40 percent in 1991. Flynn
pointed to a combination of improved software and greater product
familiarity for this situation.

"Colors not what expected" remained the most problematic area for
end users, drawing mentions from 61 percent of the survey
participants in 1991 and 62 percent in 1993.

In the third quarter of this year, BIS will launch a third and much
more extensive study of both the end user and high-end graphics
segments of the color printer market, Flynn told Newsbytes.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930623/Press contact: Martha Popoloski, BIS
Strategic Decisions, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00029)

Two Computer Exhibitions Held In Tokyo 06/23/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- Two large computer exhibitions --
Network '93 and Windows World Expo -- were/are being held held in
Tokyo.

Network '93 has just started at Harumi, Tokyo. This is the second
year the show has taken place and, as you can guess from its name,
majors on network-related products, including both hardware and
software.

A total of 87 companies are participating in the show this year,
including NEC, Sony, Fujitsu, IBM Japan, Oki Electric, Novell,
Microsoft, Lotus and Phoenix International. The majority of the
products on show are local area network-oriented, with a smattering
of Windows applications.

As with all exhibitions of this type, the real focus of interest was
on the conferences. Several industry leaders, including Microsoft's
Toru Furukawa and Novell's Jan Newman, were on hand to answer
delegate's queries. While Furukawa discussed the era of "corporate
resolution for Windows," Newman explained Novell's business strategy
for Netware version 4.0.

IDG World Expo, meanwhile, hosted Windows World Expo at the Makuhuri
Messe in Tokyo last year. This is another show celebrating its
second year, with 67,400 people -- twice those of last year --
flooding the show site during its three day run. Newsbytes notes
that a total of 119 companies were exhibiting from 593 booths at the
show this year.

The major highlight of this show was, unsurprisingly, Windows-
related packages such as Japanese Windows 3.1, Windows NT, Windows
for Workgroups, Windows for Pens, Windows for Video and Modular
Windows.

The hands-on section of the exhibition had between 50 to 60 PCs on
constant display. 27 overseas companies teamed up to create the
International Pavilion at the show entrance. The foreign companies
were keen to talk to distributors interested in stocking their
products.

At the keynote address, a tape of Microsoft's founder Bill Gates
greeted the audience. The real Furukawa from Microsoft, meanwhile,
introduced Japanese Windows 3.1 and Pen Windows.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930623/Press Contact: IDG World Expo,
 [phone], Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00030)

India: Microland Restructures, Moves Into Training 06/23/93
BANGALORE, INDIA, 1993 JUN 23 (NB) -- Microland Electronics, India's
master distributors for Compaq kit, has been working on establishing
alliances with other countries to create new profit vehicles.

The Bangalore-based distributor recently announced the creation of
two new divisions -- Micro Univ, a training division; and Microsell,
a distribution division. According to Pradeep Kar, the company's
chairman and managing director, plans call for the new operations to
be spun off into separate companies eventually.

Kar said that Micro Univ will draw on Microland's experience in
networking along with Computerland's methodologies and its status as
a Novell authorised training centre. Courses available from the
training division include programming skills specific to networking
and electronic mail.

Although Microland has been an authorised Novell training centre for
some time, it is only now that the company seems to be tackling
training for Netware seriously. It is currently holding training
sessions in three Indian cities -- Bangalore, Hyderabad and Madras -
- with plans to expand to a further three cities as the training
program progresses.

According to a spokesman for the company, Micro Univ aims to cater
for the corporate customers. "We are looking at people who have
invested in Windows and networking," he said.

Prior to Micro Univ's formation, Microland conducted several
training courses for major organizations such as Brooke Bond, Union
Carbide and ANZ Grindlays among several others. The company claims
that it is confident of potential demand for the course, with an
projected revenues of between Rs 75 lakh to 1 crore ($250,000
to $350,000) by the end of the financial year.

(C T Mahabharat/19930623)