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/nb090293

Text File | 1993-09-02 | 67KB | 1,463 lines

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00001)

Cable Act Results In Studious Defiance 09/02/93
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- As they predicted,
cable operators have responded to the requirements of the 1992
Cable Reregulation Act by trying to force through new rate
increases, using the law's complexity as an excuse.

In Atlanta, for instance, where basic service formerly cost
$29.69 per month, the new charges total $33.15. These include
separate charges for a remote, a set-top converter, and a new
"value pack" tier of three formerly basic channels: WWOR, WGN,
and the Weather Channel. A spokesman for GCTV, the local
operator, blamed the requirements of the law. The company simply
raised the price of "basic-basic" service, then carried those
increases throughout the other tiers of service.

GCTV is far from alone. Most operators who quizzed FCC
Commissioner Ervin Duggan at a speech last week claimed they
would be "forced" to raise rates by the new law. Duggan claimed
the only rates to rise would be basic-basic rates, which were
formerly seen as "teaser" rates and thus subsidized. The
increases announced yesterday, however, may not be reflected on next
month's bills. Operators remain under a rate freeze ordered last
spring and extended through November.

But this is not the last word. Franchise holders like the City of
Atlanta may now file papers questioning the new rates. The result
will be a formal rate-making procedure which could result in a
city's demanding a roll-back. But the cable operator could then
appeal that order to the FCC, which would have to rule on whether
the roll-back is justified based on its own "benchmark" tests.

Duggan admitted in his Atlanta speech that rules for a second
test for rate-making, called the "costs" test, which rural
operators can use to justify higher rates, has yet to be
completed, and indicated he'd favor releasing small operators
from the requirements of the act. He also expressed the hope that
the new rates would not prompt a flood of complaints from
consumers, each of which would have to be investigated and
responses made at taxpayer expense.

The results of all this are open to dispute. Operators hope that
consumers will become angry at the law, and urge its repeal.
Consumer advocates will urge that consumers get angry at the
cable operators, and demand that the law be tightened further.

Ironically, all this is happening just as cable operators look at
new, unregulated opportunities. Larry Block, who works for a unit
of Wometco Cable, owner of GCTV, told an audience at the same
Eastern Show where Duggan spoke that he's making big profits by
linking Wometco's 12 operational "head-ends" with fiber cable,
then selling phone and data services where the fiber passes major
office buildings. The 200-mile fiber connection thus becomes the
primary competition for MFS Communications, which links
businesses to the central offices of their long distance
carriers, thus "bypassing" regulated phone monopolies like
Southern Bell in Atlanta.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930901/Press Contact: Nancy Horne, Cable TV
Association of Georgia, 404-252-4371)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00002)

Hong Kong - ICL Sells $1 Mil Retail Systems To China 09/02/93
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- Britain's largest computer
manufacturing and information technology company, ICL, has further
secured its position in the Peoples' Republic of China with two large
retail systems worth more than US$1 million.

ICL Retail Systems Asia has been contracted to supply a complete
in-store and back office system for Olympic Light, a joint venture
between state-owned venture capital firm China Venturetech
Corporation (CVIC) and France's huge retailer, Lafayette. When
opened in December this year, the store will boast about 2 million
square feet of shop floor area.

The system will include more than 80 intelligent POS terminals
linked to a Unix-based DRS 6000 computer system. Application software
has been localized by ICL China agent, Waveful & Co. It is a full
Chinese version of ICL's successful Profit package. The total
contract is worth more than US$1 million.

The second deal, though slightly smaller, is no less significant,
according to Paul Lynch, sales manager of ICL Retail Systems.
"Waveful clinched this deal with Shanghai Supermarkets with a
PC-based LAN driven by ICL-developed Chinese language supermarket
software," he said.

"The retail market in China is set to explode with over ten million
square feet of new retail space coming on-line by the end of 1994
and these two new sites, together with our huge sale to Beijing
Friendship Stores last year, should hold us in good stead for the
upcoming surge," says Scarborough.

(Keith Cameron/19930902/PRESS CONTACT: Garry Scraborough, ICL:
TEL: 852 - 586 2988 FAX: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00003)

Hong Kong - Digital Launches PC-Based POS System 09/02/93
TAI KOO SHING, HONG KONG, 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- Digital Equipment
Corporation has announced that the DECpos intelligent point-of-sale
(POS) terminal, the most recent addition to the company's integrated
suite of retail technology systems, is now available in Asia.

Designed for use in specialty, discount, department, grocery,
drug and convenience stores, and based on industry-standard
PC technology, the DECpos enables critical information to be
shared throughout a retail enterprise.

"Responding quickly and accurately to customer purchasing preferences
is vital for success in today's fiercely competitive retail
environment," said Bernard Fung, retail/wholesale market segment
manager for Digital's Asia region. "As part of Digital's commitment
to total retail solutions, the DECpos gives retailers immediate
access to, and control of, the information they need to make
correct business decisions.

"As Asia's economies boom, retail businesses in the region are
continuing to modernize their outlets and expand throughout the
area. We are finding that retail executives are also demanding
more cost-effective technology solutions. The DECpos meets this
need by combining next-generation technology with attractive
prices to help retailers keep costs under control."

Based on an Intel i386SX microprocessor, the DECpos has a modular,
low-profile design with a small footprint that maximizes available
counter space, the company reports, and creates a more friendly
environment for sales staff.

The DECpos supports industry-standard operating systems such as
MS-DOS, OS/2 and Unix, allowing it to run a wide variety of popular
applications. In addition, the DECpos supports FLEX as another
operating system platform. In features a reliable backup system
that prevents the loss of critical data during power failures.

Leading software products complementing Digital's DECpos system
tailored for the Asia market include retail applications from
Financial Tech Ltd and Sanyo Extended Data Systems Ltd in Hong Kong.

Financial Tech's product is a store-level application with the
DECpos responsible for all POS functionality. It connects to a
store PC for all inventory control, management functions, and
electronic mail. On-line credit card authorization and electronic
draft capture are available as options.

The DECpos/Financial Tech product is targeted at department, mass
merchandise, discount, specialty and grocery stores. This total
system supports both English and Chinese versions.

Sanyo Extended Data Systems offers a bilingual system for both
the retail industry and the wholesale/distribution industry.
The retail system includes POS for the store and a back office
system for the head office. The system is targeted at department,
mass merchandise, discount and specialty stores.

The DECpos can be tailored to any retail environment. Options include
nine-inch monochrome or 14-inch colour VGA display; up to 120 MB
hard disk capacity; magnetic stripe readers and optical scanners;
a Hayes-compatible modem; and interfaces to Ethernet, Token Ring
and spread spectrum networks.

(Keith Cameron 19930902 Press Contact: Bonnie Engel, Digital: 805
3510)


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

Delrina Ships FormFlow 09/02/93
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- Delrina Corp. has
begun shipping FormFlow, the work-flow automation software it
announced in May.

Originally due for shipment in June, the new software builds on
Delrina's PerForm forms software with links to electronic mail
creating a work-flow management package for personal computers
running Microsoft Windows.

Work-flow automation involves putting vital business information
and then using computer programs to control its movement through
the organization. BIS Strategic Decisions, a Norwell,
Massachusetts, research firm, predicts sales of mail-enabled
work-flow automation products will grow from US$19 million this
year to US$128 million in 1997.

FormFlow requires electronic-mail software, Delrina spokesman
Shelly Sofer said, and is compatible with the Vendor Independent
Messaging (VIM), Messaging Application Program Interface (MAPI),
and Message Handling Service (MHS) messaging specifications.

To use FormFlow, you create and fill out forms much as you would
in Delrina's existing forms software. An Intelligent Forms
Language (IFL) is used to create scripts that control what
happens once the form is filled in.

For instance, filling out an order form might trigger a check
against an inventory database. If enough inventory were on hand,
the form would go directly to the shipping department. If not,
one form would go to shipping for shipment of the inventory on
hand, while another would go to accounts receivable to modify the
invoice to reflect the back-order, and a third would tell
operations to build or order more inventory.

Scripts created with IFL are portable, Sofer said -- users can
change e-mail or database systems without having to rewrite their
scripts.

The software can also work with popular database management
packages, including Borland's dBase IV and others that follow the
Xbase standard, Borland's Paradox, IBM's DB2, Oracle, Microsoft's
SQL Server, and IBM's OS/2 Data Manager.

FormFlow consists of manager and user modules. The manager module
for developing applications costs US$399 or C$479. User packs are
available for five, 10, 25, or 50 users. A 10-user pack lists for
US$1,840 or C$2,280.

(Grant Buckler/19930901/Press Contact: Shelly Sofer or Josef
Zankowicz, Delrina, 416-441-3676, fax [phone]; Public
Contact: Delrina, 800-268-6082)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00005)

Borland Sets Aussie Prices 09/02/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- With the introduction
of the latest Quattro Pro for Windows and DOS, version 5.0, Borland
Australia has announced a new pricing structure. The prices are
significantly different from those in the US.

Quattro Pro 5.0 for Windows is the single-user version of this
popular spreadsheet product. It has a suggested retail price in the
US of US$49. The suggested Australian price is US$130 which is more
than twice what had been expected.

Borland MD Belinda Hanna said that the price had been set as a
commercial decision, after talking to Australian resellers. Press
reaction at today's launch event was vocal, many journalists
expressing surprise that the price was so high, especially in the
light of strong public feeling about excessive Aussie prices for
software from the US. Ms. Hanna said she felt that the
large differential would not encourage parallel importing (gray
marketing) of the product but admitted that her company would
fully support all Borland product, regardless of its travel
arrangements.

The next version of the product is the Workgroup Edition which is
essentially the same product but with connectivity and workgroup
functionality. It has a suggested price of US$460 which is
actually lower than the domestic US price of $495.95. Additional
user licenses cost $300 each.

A new licensing program, called Borland Advantage, allows large
users of Borland products to purchase product from their reseller
at discounts of up to 60 percent. Preferred Customer Status
gives corporate users access to strategic information briefings
and technical reviews from management and technical staff. Borland
Volume Licence Agreement VLS) rewards users by discounting
product on a sliding scale, depending on volume. Borland Maintenance
is a scheme to allow volume users to purchase upgrade products at
VLA prices.

Borland Site Licence gives customers unlimited use of a product,
anywhere within their organization.

(Paul Zucker/19930902)


(CORRECTION)(IBM)(LAX)(00006)

Correction - Fastest Optical, Not CD-ROM Drive 09/02/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- In the story
that ran August 17, 1993, "Fastest Rewritable CD-ROM Rivals Hard
Disks In Speed," Newsbytes was incorrect in referring to the
drive as a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) drive. It is
actually a magneto-optical (MO) multifunction drive.

While Maxoptix says many of its customers plan to use the new
T3-1300 drive with CD-ROM authoring workstations, the MO
multifunction drive is very different. It uses disks that
conform to the International Standards Organization 10089 and
ECMA 183,184 media standards. These disks look much like 3.5-
inch floppy disks in appearance as they are in a protective
cartridge and have a metal hub in the middle, according to Werner
Glinka of Maxoptix.

The CD-ROM format is based on the ISO 9660 standard and was
developed by Philips and Sony in 1983.

So while the T3-1300 is the world's fastest MO multifunction
drive and does rival a hard disk drive in speed with a 19-
millisecond (ms) average seek time, the T3-1300 is not a CD-ROM
drive. Newsbytes apologizes for this error and thanks a reader
for pointing it out.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930901/Press Contact: Werner Glinka,
Maxoptix, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(TYO)(00007)

NEC Supplies Color LCDs To Apple Computer 09/02/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- NEC will supply Apple Computer
with color TFT (thin film transistor)-type LCDs in what amounts
to the largest color LCD shipment to a third party firm for NEC.

NEC will ship 9.4-inch-type multi-color TFT LCDs to Apple Computer
in the US this October. This is a 640 x 480 pixel-type LCD.
NEC expects to ship 30,000 units to Apple's plants in
the US including the Fountain plant in Colorado. The color LCD
costs 120,000 yen ($1,200) per unit.

Apple Computer will use this LCD on its new color notebook-type
personal computer. Currently, Apple Computer obtains a supply
of color LCDs from Japan's Sharp. The units are shipped to
Apple's Irish plant.

NEC has been expanding its LCD business and has already
announced plans to set up additional LCD production lines at
its plant in Northern Japan. According to the firm's business
plan, NEC aims to gain 40 billion yen ($400 million) in sales
in fiscal 1994. This is 2.5 times more than what it expects to
make this year.

NEC currently sells only 10 percent of all its LCDs to
third party firms, but will increase this percentage to 30 percent
by the end of this fiscal year. NEC hopes its Apple deal will
go a long way toward achieving that goal.

NEC is also planning to manufacture the color LCDs at its US
plant in Roseville, California, in the near future. One
plan is to convert semiconductor chip production lines to LCD
production there.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930902/Press Contact: NEC, +81-3-
3451-2974, Fax, [phone])


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

Personal Recordable CDs Coming From Japan 09/02/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- Japanese audio producers and
makers of the CD medium say they will release what's called
a CD-R player and CD-R disks at the end of this year. CD-R is
compatible with current CDs but the big difference is that the
medium allows one-time recording by the user.

The CD-R player can play the same CD discs as any CD player
but users can also record new audio data on a blank CD disk.
Currently, a player will allow recording only one time on a blank
CD but the manufacturers hope to improve the player to allow it
to record more than once within a couple of years.

The players are already being sold for corporate users but they
cost about 1 million yen ($10,000). The new CD-R player
for the general consumer market will be sold at around 500,000
yen ($5,000), which is about half of the price of the corporate
user version. The price is expected to drop further in the future.
Observers, however, suggest that the player will not catch on
with the public until the price drops below 100,000 yen ($1,000).

The players will be released by Pioneer, Yamaha, Maranz Japan, and
Kenwood. Some 100,000 units are expected to be sold the first
year. CD blank discs will be made and sold by TDK, Mitsubishi,
Kasei, Taiyo Yuden, and Mitsui Toatsu Kagaku. The price of a
blank disc will be about 3,000 yen ($30) each. 200,000 to
300,000 units are expected to be shipped per annum.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930830/Press Contact: Pioneer, +81-3-
3494-1111, Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00009)

Japan - ASCII To Beef Up PC Network 09/02/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- Japan's ASCII plans to improve
its personal computer-based telecommunication network called
ASCII Net. The company will offer more free software to its
users and will provide multimedia tools and tips online.

ASCII Net currently has about 40 software makers participating in
a forum called "Soft Shop." ASCII wants to lure in another 60
software makers within a year. Also, the number of software
programs online will increase from 160 to 600 titles.

The firm is planning to offer multimedia tools, which
support animation and voice data, and tools to download the
multimedia programs. ASCII will set up a special conference
to exchange ideas on multimedia and to encourage the creation
of more multimedia programs by participating users.

ASCII Net currently has 82,000 users, most of them individuals
and not corporations.

ASCII Net was originally set up in 1985, immediately after the
deregulation of the Japanese telecom industry. Along with
Tokyo-based TeleStar network, it has been one of the two major PC
networks for hobbyists in Japan.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930830/Press Contact: ASCII, +81-3-
3797-6506, Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00010)

More Japanese Software Firms Hitch Up With Taiwan 09/02/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- More Japanese software
firms are enlisting the cooperation of Taiwanese makers to do
contract software work. Taiwan's software industry is
increasingly being employed to produce IBM PC versions
of Japanese language programs.

Kyushu-based Japanese software maker Riverhill Soft signed an
agreement with Taiwan's GOF to rewrite Riverhill's
role-playing game software, "Mineruba," from the NEC PC-9801 to
IBM's DOS/V PC. GOF will develop Japanese and Chinese
language versions of the software which will be sold
by GOF in Taiwan, and by Riverhill in Japan and the US market.

Other Japanese software makers -- Enix, System Soft, T & E
Soft and Koei -- are also thinking about linking with Taiwanese
software firms.

About 14 major Japanese software companies will participate in the
first game software trade show in Taiwan in early September. The
Taiwan Game Show will be held at Taihoku in Taiwan
starting tomorrow. The forum will give the Japanese firms a
chance to strengthen ties with their neighbors.

The arrangement is beneficial to both Japan and Taiwan.
The Japanese firms will be able to develop other versions
of their programs in a relatively short time period and at a
relatively low cost. Taiwanese counterparts can develop and sell
new programs without spending much on development.

Taiwanese hardware makers have already linked with Japan's
Mitsui Bussan and NKK concerning sales of their PCs in Japan.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930830/Press Contact: Enix, +81-3-
3366-4251)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(NYC)(00011)

Mandelbrot To Speak At Bard 09/01/93
ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- Bard
College has announced that Benoit Mandelbrot, known as the
"father of fractal geometry," will be the first lecturer in this
year's "Distinguished Scientist Lecture Series." Mandelbrot will
speak on Saturday, September 11th at 3:00PM on the campus of Bard.

Mandelbrot is an IBM Fellow at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center
in Yorktown Heights, New York and is a professor of Mathematics
at Yale University. He is a graduate of the Paris Ecole
Polytechnigue, the California Institute of Technology, and
The University of Paris. He has held positions at CNRS in Paris,
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Institute for
Advanced Study in Princeton, The Albert Einstein College of
Medicine, and the University of Paris-Sud.

Mandelbrot received the 1993 Wolff Prize in Physics for "having
changed our view of nature." He is the author of "Les Objets
Fractals" and "The Fractal Geometry of Nature."

Ginger Shore, Bard director of publications and public
relations, told Newsbytes "We have had 88 speakers since we began
the series in 1979. Of these, 44 have been Nobel Laureates.
We are looking forward to Dr. Mandelbrot's participation in
this tradition."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/Press Contact: Karen Becker,
Bard Center, 914-758-7508/19930901)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00012)

Video On Demand To Be Tested In Saskatchewan 09/02/93
REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA, 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- About 200
households in Sasketchewan will be able to watch current hit
movies whenever they want for the next year as part of a trial
of video-on-demand technology delivered through Saskatchewan
Telecommunications' fiber-optic network.

SaskTel, the telephone company serving the province, has joined
with Acme Video, a Regina videotape distributor and operator of
five video superstores in the city, to run a one-year trial of
the video-on-demand technology, which can deliver video signals
over optical fiber to individual subscribers.

Acme will offer 10 to 12 movies at a time, said Joel Steinberg,
vice-president of the video firm. They will be currently popular
releases from major studios. Subscribers will be able to see the
movies they request within five minutes of asking for them, the
companies said.

The service will compete with video-rental stores and its
offerings will be priced accordingly -- C$3.99 for a new release,
possibly with midweek specials and other incentives like those
that video stores sometimes offer, Steinberg said.

Acme Video hopes to launch a commercial video-on-demand service
in the city after the trial is completed, Steinberg said,
although of course that depends on the trial's success.

The service is unlikely to be extended to rural areas in the
foreseeable future, he said, as the cost of the technology today
requires a fairly dense population to support it.

SaskTel, which is provincially owned, was a pioneer among
Canadian telephone companies in installing optical fiber in the
1980s.

(Grant Buckler/19930902/Press Contact: Don Savaria, SaskTel,
306-777-4105; Joel Steinberg, Acme Video, 306-525-0571)


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

IBM Technology Products Renamed IBM Microelectronics 09/02/93
SOMERS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- In an effort to put
the focus more squarely on its main business, IBM's Technology
Products business unit has taken on a new name: IBM
Microelectronics.

The new name caps a move to an increasing public profile for the
operation, which until last year did little but develop
technology for IBM's internal use. Last fall, it began marketing
its wares to other manufacturers for use in their products.

In June, IBM Technology Products began limited manufacturing of
chip cubes, which fit more semiconductor power into the same
space on a circuit board by stacking the chips. The technology
was a joint project with Irvine Sensors Corp., of Irvine,
California.

In July, the unit launched a microcontroller for disk drives and
other board-level applications, and a range of wireless
communications adapters and data and facsimile modems meeting the
Personal Computer Memory Card Interface Association (PCMCIA)
standard for credit-card-sized peripherals.

And in August, it announced development of the ALDC 1-5S, the
first in a series of chips that will implement a new technique
for lossless data compression, expected to be used in a variety
of applications including medical imaging and communications.

Jim Monahan, a spokesman for IBM Microelectronics, said the new
identity does not signify any further change in the unit's status
within IBM. "Our relationship to IBM has not changed," he said.
"It remains the same and we don't anticipate a change."

However, IBM Microelectronics is not escaping the staff-cutting
that has been going on at IBM in recent years; its current
payroll is about 29,000 people and shrinking, Monahan said. The
organization is also in the midst of moving from Somers to nearby
Fishkill, New York, "in line with our efforts to reduce
expenses," Monahan said.

(Grant Buckler/19930902/Press Contact: Jim Monahan, IBM
Microelectronics, 914-766-4793)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00014)

New IBM Group To Focus On Ease Of Use 09/02/93
SOMERS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- By a combination of
pulling together existing work and launching new initiatives, the
IBM Personal Computer Co. is creating a Center for Natural
Computing that will focus on making computers easier to use.

The center, which starts its formal life with a staff of about 36
people, according to company spokesman Michael Corrado, will
explore ways to let computing build the innate and cognitive
aspects of human behavior, the company said. In other words, it
will try to make computers work more the way people naturally
expect them to work.

An example of the kind of thing the center will do is the
Trackpoint, a pointing device that IBM introduced a few months
ago for some of its notebook computers, Corrado said. It consists
of a tiny lever mounted in the middle of an ordinary computer
keyboard, and serves the purpose of a mouse while allowing the
user to keep his or her fingers on the keyboard.

The new center's function will be not only to do its own research
but to pull together research from a variety of sources and help
turn it into IBM products, Corrado added.

He would not say how much money IBM plans to put into the effort,
but "it's a big push here and it's coming from Bob Corrigan's
office down." Robert Corrigan is president and chief executive of
IBM Personal Computer Co., a business unit of IBM.

The center will investigate a variety of hardware and software
including mice, keyboards, touch screens, and pen computing.

(Grant Buckler/19930902/Press Contact: Michael Corrado, IBM,
914-766-1813)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00015)

PenExpo - Attendees Select "Best Of Show" Products 09/02/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- At PenExpo in
Boston this week, Pen Magazine announced the results of a
"Best of Show" contest, as voted upon by conference attendees.

In pen hardware categories, Dauphin's DTR-1 got the nod for Best
Palmtop Computer, AST's GRiD Convertible for Best Pen Convertible,
IBM ThinkPad 710T for Best Pen Tablet, and Kurta Tablet as Best
Desktop Tablet.

In the software arena, Microsoft's Windows for Pen was voted Best
Pen Operating System. PowerPenPal was selected the Best
Application Development Tool, and SimCity by Maxis the Best
Entertainment Product. Handwriting Recognition by CIC was the
attendees' choice for Best Handwriting Recognizer.

Other software winners were PenCell by PenWare for Best Numeric
Application, Contact Software's ACT! for Pens as Best PIM, CIC's
DSV as Best Pen Utility, and PenMagic's Numero as Best Unique Pen
Application.

Delrina's Winfax Pro was named Best Connectivity Product. Proxim's
RangeLAN won the award for Best Wireless Hardware Product, and
ARDIS for Best Wireless Service Product.

Also receiving honors were Wacom Meeting Staff for Best Wallboard,
and PenUltimate's PenEd and Hansen Field GIS (Geographic
Information System) for Best Industry-Specific Applications.

John Wagoner, editor and publisher, told Newsbytes that ballots
distributed at the show listed virtually every product offered in
each category. Readers were also allowed to write in their own
suggestions, he added.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930902/Reader and press contact: John Wagoner,
Pen Magazine, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00016)

US West Completes Sale of Rural Systems 09/02/93
ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- US West signed
a definitive agreement to sell some of its rural telephone
properties to Pacific Telecom of Washington.

The agreement represents something of a reversal among the
regional Bell companies, which have generally been anxious to
acquire additional territories within their service regions. US
West, however, announced some time ago its intention to divest
itself of some rural service areas, citing the high expense of
serving them.

Pacific Telecom is an experienced operator of rural systems, and
will pay about $207 million for 45 rural exchanges, based on
estimates of their book value at the time the deal closes, and
other minor adjustments.

A preliminary agreement to sell the territories was announced
July 28. There are about 48,000 customers. The deal hinges on
approval from the US Federal Communications Commission and the
Colorado Public Utilities Commission, but that is expected to be
given. In the past people in the affected area have complained
that US West has not been upgrading party lines rapidly enough,
or improving service with digital technology.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930902/Press Contact: Brian M. Wirkkala,
Pacific Telecom Inc., 206-696-0983)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(WAS)(00017)

 ****Cerritos, California Interactive TV Flops 09/02/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 SEPT 2 (NB) -- If the pundits are
watching the west coast for the lead on interactive television,
then they might soon be downgrading their rosy estimates of just
how hot the market is because the first full-scale test in the
Los Angeles suburb of Cerritos has been a resounding flop.

A Los Angeles Times story also carried in yesterday's Washington
Post reports that after a four-year trial GTE's two-way cable TV
experiment has had little impact on Southern California residents
who had access to the services.

Newsbytes has spoken with several affluent families in Cerritos,
California and has learned that not only do they not have
cable service, they never even heard of the GTE experiment.
Many people there just don't spend much time watching television,
not even retirees. Swimming pools and other outdoor activities
seem to take up the time of most adults' and teenagers' time.

Although this may not have been a good sample population on which
to test interactive multimedia cable services, the fact that only
about five percent of the cable subscribers even participated in
the interactive test should give pause to those cable companies
which are making big plans to invest in the new technology,
especially since another interactive cable test in Virginia
(suburban Washington) has also disappeared almost without a
trace.

The services offered in Cerritos include all of those which
have been hyped as having such a gigantic potential market:
banking services, movies on demand, shop-at-home services,
and an online encyclopedia.

(John McCormick/19930902/)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00018)

FedMicro Show Closes Today 09/02/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- Washington's
FedMicro show closes after a three-day run today with very little
news emerging in the way of new product announcements but
considerable excitement generated by already announced software
like Microsoft's Windows NT.

It was hard to tell by counting the number of uniforms present,
but Pentagon software and hardware budgets are down this year so
companies were leaning slightly more toward civilian agency
buyers because those budgets are up about ten percent, just about
equaling the drop in military spending.

More than 250 companies exhibited at this year's FedMicro, about
the same as last year, and the sponsor, National Trade
Productions of Alexandria, Virginia, expected a small increase
over last year's attendance numbers.

FedMicro includes a special CD-ROM Expo and takes up most of the
giant Washington Convention Center, which is located downtown,
about 10 blocks from the White House.

(John McCormick/19930902/Press Contact: National Trade
Productions, 800-638-8510 or 703-683-8500)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00019)

Identix Wins Fed Contract 09/02/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- Sunnyvale,
California-based Identix has received a $9.9 million contract
from the federal General Services Administration to provide
management services at East Coast regional GSA warehouses. The
actual contract, which will last for five years, was awarded to
Identix's wholly owned ANADAC division which is based in
Arlington, Virginia.

Identix is well known for its advanced biometric (biological
measurement) analysis and access control systems which measure
everything from an individual's mass to actual fingerprints to
verify identity.

Identix acquired the Arlington-based logistics and construction
company to increase its presence near federal agency
headquarters. ANADAC provides information technology, software
development, engineering, system integration and consulting
services to federal and civilian clients.

(John McCormick/19930902/Press Contact: Owen Daley, South Coast
Communications Group, 714-252-8440)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00020)

Compaq To Host Industry Tech Summit 09/02/93
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- Compaq Computer
Corporation will host a conference and exhibition this month that it
says will offer "the broadest and most unique array of technical
programs to take place at an industry gathering."

Called Innovate '93, the show will take place at the George R. Brown
Convention Center in Houston from September 13 through 17. Compaq
says more than 300 technology specialists, many from major
corporations, consulting firms, and the media will conduct the
seminars and tutorials. "The impressive line-up of technology
sessions offered at Innovate '93 truly demonstrates the spirit of
this worldwide technology summit - a gathering of the industry to
share thoughts, insight and information on the trends of today,
which are fast becoming the computing standards of tomorrow,"
says Joe Nahil, Compaq VP of corporate communications.

The 125 technical sessions will be divided across four tracks,
including enterprise and corporate strategies; operation, service
and support; technology development, and technology integration.
Compaq says some of the highlights of the event include a discussion
of mobile companion products, the engineering issues and marketing
impact of low energy, or "green" computing, and a roundtable
discussion of wireless computing issues. The implementation of
multimedia technologies on local area networks and future trends in
server technology will also be discussed.

Compaq spokesperson Mike Berman told Newsbytes Innovate '93 will
feature four keynote speakers. Compaq President Eckhard Pfeiffer
will be speaking at 9AM on Tuesday. Microsoft Executive VP Steve
Ballmar will speak Tuesday afternoon at 3 PM. Ballmar will discuss
the role partnerships play in Microsoft's strategic direction. On
Wednesday morning Intel President and CEO Andy Grove will talk about
how companies can re-engineer their corporations with advanced PCs
and microprocessors. Thursday morning Novell Chairman and CEO Ray
Norda will share his thoughts on how to survive in the decade of the
90s.

Berman said registration for the complete conference, including
keynote speeches, seminars, and exhibits costs $600 if the
registration is made prior to September 10. At the door the cost
will be $700. If you just want to attend the keynote speeches and
view the exhibits the cost is $10 for pre-registration and $20 at
the door.

(Jim Mallory/19930902/Press contact: John Sweney, Compaq Computer
Corporation, 713-374-0484; Reader contact: Compaq, 713-374-1459,
800-345-1518 (general information) or 800-235- 2133 (800-932-0804 in
Texas only) for show info or registration)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00021)

Intuit & ChipSoft To Merge 09/02/93
MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- Intuit Inc., and
ChipSoft Inc., have announced the signing of a definitive agreement
to merge.

The companies maintain that the merger is expected to be completed
by December, 1993. However, it is subject to approval by the
stockholders of each company and other "customary conditions."

Samantha Lagerlof, spokesperson for the companies, told Newsbytes
that the two companies thought it would be a "perfect merger"
because their product lines were "very complimentary." The
companies have been doing business with each other for some time.

Intuit's products include the Quicken personal finance software,
and the QuickBooks small business bookkeeping software. ChipSoft
markets the TurboTax and MacInTax individual tax preparation
software products and the TurboTax ProSeries tax preparation
software.

Lagerlof also told Newsbytes that the two companies have "been
bundling TurboTax and MacInTax with Quicken for sale during tax
season for four years."

According to the companies, ChipSoft will become a wholly owned
subsidiary of Intuit, with operations continuing in San Diego,
Tucson and Boca Raton. Intuit operations will continue in Menlo
Park, Palo Alto and London, England.

Under terms of the deal, the holders of ChipSoft common stock will
receive on a tax-free basis .446 of a share of Intuit common stock
for each share of ChipSoft common stock in a transaction valued by
the companies at about $225 million. Approximately 7,250,000
shares of Intuit stock will be exchanged for ChipSoft stock
representing approximately 39 percent of the combined company on
a pro forma basis. Intuit will also assume all outstanding ChipSoft
options. The transaction will be accounted for as a purchase.

In announcing the deal, Scott D. Cook, CEO and president of Intuit,
said: "We are excited about creating a complete financial software
and services company with this merger of equals. ChipSoft's
strengths in tax preparation software are extremely complementary
with Intuit's strengths in personal finance and accounting software
and related services."

Charles H. Gaylord Jr., chairman and CEO of ChipSoft, said: "We now
have the opportunity to develop seamlessly integrated products
which marry tax with personal finance and accounting."

According to the companies, Cook will continue as CEO of Intuit,
and Gaylord will continue as chairman of ChipSoft, remaining
responsible for ChipSoft's new business operations. He will also
become executive vice president of Intuit. William H. Harris Jr.,
currently president and COO of ChipSoft, will assume the title of
executive vice president of Intuit and general manager of the
ChipSoft subsidiary.

The plan is for Cook to remain chairman of the Intuit board of
directors, which will consist of three of the current Intuit
directors and two of the current ChipSoft directors.

The companies say that the holders of approximately 38 percent of
the outstanding ChipSoft common stock and about 48 percent of the
outstanding Intuit common stock have agreed to vote their shares
in favor of the merger. ChipSoft has also granted Intuit an option to
purchase newly-issued shares equal to approximately 19.9 percent
of its currently outstanding stock.

Lagerlof told Newsbytes that the companies do not expect any
products to be discontinued as a result of the merger. Also, she
added that they do not expect any layoffs. On the contrary, she
said, they expect "they will require in the future more technical
support staff."

(Ian Stokell/19930902/Press Contact: Eric Dunn,
415-329-2722, Intuit)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00022)

Apple Shipping Newton MessagePad In Quantity 09/02/93
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- Apple Computer
has announced that its Newton MessagePad personal digital
assistant (PDA) is shipping in quantity to dealers, computer
superstores, campus resellers and K-12 institutions nationwide.
The product is expected to be available by the Labor Day weekend,
priced from $699 to $949, depending on configuration.

The company says that the nationwide introduction follows a
a sell-out introduction in the New York and Boston areas, after its
introduction in Boston on August 2, 1993.

Apple claims that the Newton MessagePad's communications
capabilities - faxing, wireless messaging, electronic mail, beaming,
and printing - allow users to send, receive and share information
through telephone lines, wireless networks, and computer networks.

In announcing the quantity shipments, Ted Briscoe, general manager
of PIE Sales, Apple USA, said: "The MessagePad is the fastest-selling
new product Apple has ever offered. Our resellers in the Northeast
have been inundated with orders for the MessagePad. We have ramped
up our manufacturing and are excited about extending shipments to
all areas of the US."

MessagePads were first sold on the trade show floor at Macworld
Boston and then by resellers in the New York and Boston areas.

Apple says that the Newton products and accessories will carry
Apple's standard one-year limited warranty on parts and labor along
with mail-in service. The company also says that "built-in up-and-
running support is also provided for as long as the customer owns
their product." Up-and-running support includes set-up and
installation, Newton operating system support, and assistance with
configuration, compatibility and troubleshooting.

The company plans to provide all service and support through the
Apple Assistance Center at 800-SOS-APPL during the hours of
6 am to 6 pm Pacific Time, Monday through Friday.

As reported extensively by Newsbytes previously, the Messagepad is
7.25-inches high by 4.5-inches wide by 0.75-inches deep and weighs
0.9 pounds. It is powered by a Advanced RISC Machines reduced
instruction-set computing (RISC) 610 processor running at 20
megahertz (MHz), has 4 megabytes of read-only memory (ROM), 640
kilobytes (KB) of RAM, and offers Apple's own custom system
application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

The PDA has a low-power, reflective liquid crystal display
(LCD) display at a resolution of 336 by 240 picture elements
(pixels) covered by a transparent tablet with passive pen for
handwriting input. For communication and translation of data
between desktop machines the unit offers a Localtalk compatible
serial port; a single Personal Computer Memory Card
International Association (PCMCIA) 2 card slot; and a low-
power, half-duplex, infrared transceiver which can transfer
data from one Messagepad to another at 9600 baud from a
distance of no more than 1 meter.

(Ian Stokell/19930902/Press Contact: Eric Wee, 408-862-7797,
Apple Computer Inc.)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00023)

Upcoming IDC Conference To Focus On PC Marketplace 09/02/93
FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 2 (NB) --
Recognizing that the PC industry has become an increasingly global
market, International Data Corp., (IDC), is planning a one-day
conference in San Jose, California, which will examine the current
status of the PC marketplace and offer a preview of where that
market is headed.

IDC's PC Market Outlook will be held September 28 and, according
to the company, will provide "comprehensive market and technology
forecasts, fresh primary research on emerging markets, access to
IDC's expert analysts from around the globe, and a forum for
discussion about the hot topics in the PC market today."

A company spokesperson told Newsbytes that the conference
registration costs $495 for the whole day. IDC clients get a break
because it only costs them $295, the spokesperson said.

The company says that Compaq's recent introduction of the home
market-oriented Presario illustrates the new strategies vendors
are adopting to adjust to the shifting topography of the PC market.
According to IDC, "With Pentium chips becoming more available in
desktops and servers, and with IBM's expected new product launches
across the PS/1, PS/2, ValuePoint, and Thinkpad PC families, this
market will continue to evolve."

The ability to design, source, manufacture, deliver, and price
products competitively are the key factors contributing to success,
according to the company. It also says that PC Market Outlook will
offer "reliable, accurate, worldwide expertise to help identify and
target opportunities for growth."

In announcing the conference, John Gantz, IDC's senior vice president
for Personal Systems and Workgroup Applications, said: "One of our
goals is to make the conference as interactive as possible. PC and
peripheral hardware manufacturers, software vendors, marketing
executives, channel partners, end users, and anyone else who wants
access to the latest expert analysis of the PC market should attend."

More information about PC Market Outlook can be obtained from
Mike Ault at 800-343-4952.

(Ian Stokell/19930902/Press Contact: Mike Ault, 508-935-4055,
International Data Corp.)


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

Network General & 3Com In Net Mgt Deal 09/02/93
MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- Network
General Corp., has announced a joint technology and marketing
deal with 3Com Corp.

According to the companies, "Users of 3Com's STNM network
management tool for the LinkBuilder Focus and LinkBuilder TR
Series of intelligent hubs have the ability to interpret RMON
(remote monitoring) packet information with network analysis
applications from Network General."

Donna Stein, spokesperson for 3Com told Newsbytes that the
deal, "Allows us to tap into benefits of Network General's
network analyzer without having to have the whole analyzer."

In announcing the deal, Les Denend, president and chief executive
officer of Network General, said, "The announcement is the first in
a series of strategic partnerings that Network General is actively
pursuing with key network providers. By linking our products more
closely with those of companies like 3Com, we can complement our
customers' existing network management systems by providing
greater insight into their networks."

Network General says that its Expert Analysis software
automatically identifies common communication problems that
cause downtime and decrease performance and can then suggest
possible causes for the situation.

3Com maintains that the STNM (Star-Tek Network Management)
has an enhanced packet capture feature that lets users gather
and forward RMON packets to Network General's Expert Analysis
software for "comprehensive protocol decode and packet
analysis. The STNM automatically converts RMON packet captures
to the Sniffer format transparently."

Pete Williams, vice president and general manager of 3Com's
Star-Tek Division, said: "3Com has placed significant development
efforts behind network management to give our customers the
system solution they expect from a global data networking leader.
Combining Network General's industry leading Expert Analysis with
our full RMON management capabilities offers customers a truly
robust and unique solution for Token Ring chassis-based and
stackable hubs."

In April, Newsbytes reported that Network General had added to its
line of analysis products by shipping both the Distributed Sniffer
System (DSS) with Expert Analysis and the Expert Sniffer
Internetwork Analyzer.

At the time the company said that DSS with Expert Analysis is an
intelligent client-server analysis system that proactively and
automatically identifies problems on Ethernet and Token Ring local
area networks (LANs).

The Expert Sniffer Internetwork Analyzer (SIA) is designed for
router-based internetworks that incorporate different technologies.
The company says that, with real-time monitoring at speeds up to
2.048 Mbps, the SIA supports both router-based internetworks using
leased line, frame relay, or X.25 circuits and traditional terminal-
to-host networks such as async and Systems Network Architecture
(SNA).

(Ian Stokell/19930902/Press Contact: Mary Carlisle,
415-473-2627, Network General Corp; Donna Stein,
408-764-5960, 3Com Corp.)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00025)

 ****PenExpo - "FUI" ("Fun User Interface") For Upcoming Zoomer 09/02/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- "The user
interface to the Zoomer will be a FUI (`fooey')," said Donna
Dubinsky, president of Palm Computing, the development company that
is creating the ROM-based software for the upcoming PDA.

Palm Computing -- a partner in Zoomer with Tandy and Casio -- has
kept a "fun" interface in mind, Dubinsky explained, during a
special session at PenExpo last night that was sponsored by the
Boston Computer Society.

Written for the Geoworks graphical operating system environment,
the Zoomer software includes five components, said Dubinsky, who
was previously a cofounder of Claris.

After opening remarks, she demonstrated all five: a palm
calculator, a PIM, America Online, three games, a series of
pen-driven reference tools, and Pocket Quicken, a pen adaptation of
the Quicken financial package.

The Zoomer and its "FUI" will hit the retail stores this fall,
Dubinsky said. "Palm Computing's next focus for Zoomer will be
add-ons," she noted. The new software company, though, will not
stop with Zoomer. Palm Computing aims to become the leading
software vendor for PDAs, she stated.

Palm is already developing a desktop companion software for Zoomer,
and also has other Zoomer-related projects in the works, according
to the company president. But Palm is also interested in producing
software for other PDA hardware platforms and operating
environments, including the Apple Newton and GO's PenPoint, she
added.

Geoworks' file management capabilities played a strong role in the
selection of the operating environment for use with Zoomer,
Dubinsky said. To allow data exchange between Zoomer and desktop-
based spreadsheets, word processors, and other applications, Palm
is making the APIs to the Zoomer software available to outside
developers, she noted.

During the demo, Dubinsky showed how the software lets users enjoy
"hours of exploration" in a series of applications that combine
practical utility with sheer entertainment. The first application
shown, the PIM, consists of a datebook with a "to do list" feature,
an address book, and a notebook.

In developing the PIM, Palm Computing tried to minimize reliance on
handwriting recognition, letting users work mainly with a mix of
"electronic ink," which preserves the user's handwriting, and menu
choices, the company president said.

To access a name from the address book, for example, you can select
the first letter of the last name from a list of all letters of the
alphabet. A list of all entries under that letter then comes up.
You then tap on the specific name you want.

You can use the electronic ink to draw as well as jot down names,
addresses, notes, and "things to do." Palm Computing has arrived
at a technique that lets the user tap on a left arrow key to erase
mistakes made in electronic ink, Dubinsky said.

The "to do" list will automatically carry forward "to do" items
from one day to the next, until you check them off as done. The
notebook lets you organize their work by creating your own topic
indexes -- "books to read," for example, or "movies to see."

The palm calculator includes a standard calculator, as well as such
special features as a loan calculator, a currency calculator for
converting sums between monetary exchanges, and a "bill splitter"
for figuring out "who owes what" at restaurants.

Dubinsky told the audience that the "bill splitter" is her own
personal favorite. "That's my answer to wireless
communications...the `bill splitter,'" she commented.

Zoomer comes with the communications software needed to access
America Online, but an external or PCMCIA card modem is also
required, according to Dubinsky. Users can create messages either
offline or online.

Solitaire, Pyramid, and Uki are the three games that will ship with
Zoomer. Dubinsky provided a quick peek at Pyramid, a card game
based on a pyramid of cards. Uki is a version of Othello, she
explained.

Pocket Quicken, like its desktop counterpart, lets users perform
such tasks as recording expenses and keeping track of bank
balances. Components to the PDA version include a Wallet, a Bank,
and a File Cabinet.

The reference tools consist of such features as a standard
dictionary, translation dictionary, spell checker, thesaurus, world
map, and searchable travel information on restaurants, airports,
and other points of interest. Through a "world clock," you can
instantly find out what time it is anywhere in the world, simply by
tapping on a location on the map.

The translation dictionary covers 26 languages, including such
relatively rare tongues as Esperanto, Serbo Croatian, and
Indonesian. Dubinsky told the onlookers that she has been using
the translation dictionary to brush up on her French.

By the time Dubinsky had finished her talk, members of the audience
were ready to begin their "hours of exploration" immediately.
Large numbers of them stepped up to her right afterward, for an
even closer view of the Zoomer and its software.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930902)


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

 ****Rupert Murdoch Buys Delphi 09/02/93
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- Rupert
Murdoch's News Corp. has bought General Videotex, which runs the
Delphi and Bix services. The company will be renamed Delphi
Internet Services when the deal closes in about a month. Terms
were not disclosed. Delphi will become a part of News Corp.'s
news technology group.

Newsbytes discussed the deal with Rusty Williams, vice president
and general manager of Delphi. "It's a great opportunity for our
perspective," he said. "It gives us access to the name brand
content and technical expertise of News Corp. This will allow us
to grow at a much faster rate, and become a much bigger player, a
dominant player, in the interactive services future." Delphi
bases its service on Digital Equipment VAX computers.

Delphi, unlike larger competitors like America Online and
Prodigy, is not known for having a graphic interface. Williams
said that's being addressed. "There's some graphic interfaces
designed for Bix, and some we have for working with Delphi.
Primarily you use Delphi with a text interface, and that's part
of this News Corp. deal, we'll have access to the work they've
done in their electronic publishing division" to develop a
graphic interface.

Williams also claimed that Delphi didn't need Murdoch, that it's
doing well. "We've been growing at a rapid pace over the last
year or so, and have been doing quite well. Certainly their
assets and access to their muscle is attractive, and it will
allow us to put together a more aggressive business plan. We'll
be able to run a lot faster a lot sooner."

Change is already coming, he indicated. "We've actually talked
with a lot of different divisions. They publish 'TV Guide,' and
we'll work with them to develop interactive components. They also
publish the Boston Herald, NY Post and other newsppaers. We'll be
looking, in a generic sense, at developing the newspaper of the
future which can be used by us and other newspapers as well. I
would expect things will change very soon. There will be time
required for some of the development of these higher level
applications, but we'll soon have authors appear online, or set
up communities for different subjects of information, perhaps
with Harper Collins," Murdoch's book publishing arm. "We'll still
work with online communities complimenting what's done with other
forms of users."

Williams concluded, "I want to say the good news is we're an
entrepreneurial company, and we're fitting in with a company
which, while large, has a very entrepreneurial spirit. We think
this will allow us to become the dominant player in the
interactive services market, while continuing to have the
community feel people really cherish on Delphi. They're not
coming in to make a wholesale change -- they want to invest in
the value we have.

Market analyst Joshua Harris of Jupiter Communications has been
predicting for some time that major media companies like News
Corp. would buy into and dominate the online market in the
future, but he was surprised at the news of the Delphi purchase.

"News Corp. needed an engine, simple as that. And that was the
only one available," he said. But, "I'm not sure what they're
buying -- they might have been better served by building their
own" system. In Jupiter's recent reports on the online market,
Delphi was listed with a host of "others" in a market dominated
by Prodigy, CompuServe, America Online, and GEnie. Harris
commented on claims by Delphi, repeated by Murdoch at a London
news conference, that it's the fifth-largest and fastest-growing
online service. "They could be ahead of the Imagination
Network," of which AT&T recently bought control, but both
networks have far fewer than 100,000 subscribers each. "It's a
lot of hyperbole. I'm sure Murdoch didn't waste any time putting
his imprimatur on the company."

Why, then, would Murdoch move, Harris was asked. The answer is
in the company's new name, Delphi Internet. "They are pretty good
at doing the switching element. In that sense they understand how
to take a subscriber and switch him somewhere else. But you'd
might as well make your own. They're not the most technically
advanced service right now."

Harris speculated that Delphi is getting much the better of this
deal, even if it's not getting much cash up-front. Perhaps
they're getting "cigarette money," he speculated. Still, he said,
it's "entirely possible" that Delphi could become the largest
player in the US online market, as predicted by Murdoch in
London and Williams in Cambridge. "That is entirely possible. But
only because it's Rupert's Delphi. If Rupert wants to make this
his engine, and he decides to put a classy shell around it, he
could be the leader of the industry in two years."

Murdoch added in London that he's also going to unite his Sky
Television cable service into partnerships with other
communication companies, and launch a 14-channel service called
BSkyB using his Sky assets which includes many US networks,
including Viacom's MTV, Turner Broadcasting's TNT and The Movie
Channel. Theoretically, the digital signals could also be used
to extend one-way database service from Delphi around the world.
He is also reportedly working with British Telecom on new ways of
sending data, pictures and sound over phone lines, and that he's
working with the British Research and Telecommunications
Organization, Comstream of the US and his own data encryption
company, News Datacom to develop a digital satellite system for
Europe, Asia and the Americas.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930902/Press Contact: Schwartz
Communications, for Delphi, 617-431-0770; Jupiter
Communications, Josh Harris, 212-941-9252)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00027)

New Fiber Circuit Opens 09/02/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- Major long distance
phone companies worldwide announced that service has begun over
the APC fiber cable system.

APC links Japan with Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia,
a distance of 7,520-kilometes or 4,673-miles, and connects to
existing Trans-Pacific cables, such as the NPC and TPC-4 cable
systems which are already in service between the United States
and Japan. The system cost $354 million and has 7,560 basic
circuits capable of handling 30,240 simultaneous voice
conversations or any equivalent combination of voice, data and
video.

AT&T is the largest US investor in the system, followed by MCI
and Sprint. Sprint claims its investment is highest on a per-
subscriber basis. Other investors include Optus and Telstra of
Australia, Teleglobe of Canada, Telecom New Zealand, France
Telecom, British Telecom, the Deutsche Bundespost Telekom of
Germany, KDD, ITJ and IDC of Japan, and phone services from
Switzerland, Turkey, and Sri Lanka.

In time, the APC system will connect to TPC-5, a "self-healing"
ring system costing $1.4 billion linking the US to Japan by
1996, as well as the Asia Pacific Cable Network, which will
link the region around 1997.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930902/Press Contact: Janis Langley, Sprint,
202-828-7427; Alan Garratt MCI International, 914-934-6484)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00028)

LCI Sets Deal to Broadcast Sports for TRZ 09/02/93
CLEVELAND, OHIO, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- LCI took some
business from MCI, winning the contract to broadcast professional
and college sports for TRZ Communications Services. The contract
is valued at $1 million.

TRZ was founded by Thomas R. Zawistowski, and most of its feeds
go into sports bars, military bases, and the homes of displaced
sports fans who are willing to pay to hear home-town announcers
call the games of their favorite teams, explained Gary Heldt of
LCI. "You call in on an 800 number, plug in a 4-digit code for
the team, add the credit card number, and listen-in. That whole
process takes about a minute.

While LCI has helped bring TRZ' costs down, Heldt added, the
company is also working on other ventures. "That could happen in
the future as other applications are developed. He has
partnerships to expand this into the medical field, legal field
and financial field -- there are applications for it all over."
Costs range from 16 cents per minute to about 50 cents per
minute, depending on the length of time the call.

This year, TRZ is also taking its service abroad to Europe and
Canada to meet the demand there for coverage of football,
basketball and hockey in the US. LCI International, according to
the terms of the contract, will be TRZ's exclusive provider of
outbound and inbound long distance services via a direct connect
in LCI's Akron facilities. TRZ will also be implementing LCI's
new Broadcast Fax and Fax on Demand services through an
arrangement with affiliated colleges and universities. .

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930902/Press Contact: Gary Heldt, LCI, 216-
328-0688)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00029)

Greek Alleged Wiretapper Formally Charged 09/02/93
ATHENS, GREECE, 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- Christos Mavrikis, the telecom
engineer fired by OTE, Greece's telecom company, earlier this year
after selling his wiretapping for the government stories to the
press, has been formally charged with his exploits.

Mavrikis has claimed all along that his wiretapping was carried out
under the direct orders of retired general Nikos Gryllakis, who
acted as an aide to Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis. Newsbytes
notes that, of the case comes to court, both Gryllakis and
Mitsotakis may be called to testify.

According to the Greek press, Mavrikis sold his story in the spring
of this year to them, covering his exploits for the years 1988 to
1990. Since the revelations were published, other senior figures in
the government have confirmed much of Mavrikis' allegations.

According to a statement issued by the Greek Government earlier this
week, Gryllakis, who was employed by Mitsotakis as a security
advisor until the Prime Minister fired him late last week, has been
charged with supplying Mavrikis with false ID and papers to gain
access to various telephone exchanges.

The whole affair could explode in Mitsotakis' face if it transpires
that Gryllakis was in control of the whole affair. As with the
Watergate affair in the US, some speculate that it would be
highly unlikely that the Prime Minister would be unaware of the
affair.

(Steve Gold/19930902)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00030)

 ****Intel Loses ULSI Appeal, AMD New Trial Scheduled 09/02/93
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 2 (NB) -- In the
court battle saga between Intel and its microprocessor chip
rivals, two milestones have been announced. A date for a new
trial in the microcode case between Intel and Advanced Micro
Devices (AMD) case has been set and the United States Court of
Appeals in Washington DC has declined Intel's petition to
rehear the Intel versus ULSI patent infringement suit.

In the battle with AMD, Intel claims AMD does not have a right
to use microcode for its 80C287 processor. The battle is over
whether or not the statement "microcomputers and peripheral
products" in a 1976 agreement renewed in 1982 gives AMD the
right to Intel microcode. However, there is concern in the
computer industry that if AMD loses here, it could mean the end
of clones of Intel microprocessors.

It appeared late last year that AMD had lost until the company
convinced the court that Intel had withheld documents that would
have proven AMD's assumption that the original intent of the
statement included the microcode. Intel calls the documents
"press releases" which have no bearing on the case. AMD calls
the documents "key" to the case and claims the jury may have
decided differently had it seen the documents. The new trial
date has been set for November 1, 1993.

In the ULSI case, Intel lost in its claims that a former Intel
employee, who became an employee of ULSI, brought over
documents that were Intel's private property. In the trial that
ended in June, a jury ruled the documents were not private
property but were public documents, vindicating ULSI. However,
ULSI also denies the documents were used in the development of
its math coprocessor products.

Intel announced at that time it would take the case to the
United States Court of Appeals, but has now been denied. ULSI's
Vice President of Sales and Marketing Robert O'Brien said: "The
court mandate effectively slams the door shut on Intel's
attempt to restrain ULSI from selling it's Math Co family of
math co-processors for the 386 and 486-SLC/DLC systems." Intel
officials said it isn't over yet, however, as Intel has asked
the US Supreme Court to review the case. No word is forthcoming
as to whether or not the Supreme Court will agree to do so and
no time frame for a decision from the highest court is
available, Intel officials said.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930902/Press Contact: Sandra Duncan, Intel,
408-765-1433, fax [phone]; Robert O'Brien, ULSI, tel 408-
943-0562, fax [phone]; Scott Allen, AMD, tel [phone],
fax [phone])