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/nb091593

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(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00001)

EIS Conference Underway This Week In Boston 09/15/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- How can EIS
(Executive Information Systems) be used to improve organizational
effectiveness, and what are the pitfalls? These and related
questions are being explored this week at "Enterprise-Wide
Information Delivery," a conference and expo going on in Boston.

Sponsored by the EIS Institute Inc. (EISI), the three-day event is
aimed at illustrating the myriad possibilities that EIS presents,
and at arming participants with the specific strategies and
products they need to solve issues and problems within their own
organizations.

In the first of three keynote sessions, for example, speakers
showed how EIS is being used to enhance Pratt & Whitney's customer
responsiveness, distribute facts and figures on the petroleum
market to Conoco executives, and give officials of the Texas
Employment Commission instant access to up-to-date unemployment
statistics.

This week's conference is the latest in a series that extends back
to 1988, said Peggy Kilburn, executive director of EISI, in an
interview with Newsbytes. The initial conferences took place in
Washington, DC, and focused on government applications.

Since then, the emphasis has expanded into many other areas, she
told Newsbytes. The current conference, for instance, incorporates
sessions on how to integrate mobile computing, multimedia, and
client/server technologies into EIS.

This week's event also provides an exhibition area, an aspect that
Kilburn said proved highly successful at EISI's first conference in
Boston, held last year, and at a similar show staged in San
Francisco last April.

This week's exhibitors include Cognos, SAS Institute, Comshare,
Information Resources, Holistic Systems, Xenos, Planning Sciences,
MicroStrategy, Pilot Software, the Boston Computer Society, and the
Intelligent Office Company.

Attendees encompass everyone from CIOs and EIS directors to MIS
specialists, financial executives, decision support managers, and
more. AT&T, Aetna Life & Casualty, Bank of Boston, Con Edison,
Hewlett-Packard, Federal Reserve System, Hallmark Cards, Unisys,
and Xerox are just a handful of the thousands of organizations that
have sent representatives to this and other EISI events, according
to Kilburn.

Activities started out this week with a get-acquainted session, in
which participants flocked to special tables set up for EIS
Beginners, EIS Veterans, EIS in Government, EIS in Insurance, EIS
in Financial Institutions, EIS in Health Care, and Planners Who
Have Built Their Own EISes.

Then began a series of keynotes and conference sessions organized
around the following tracks: Essentials of EIS, EIS How-Tos,
Disaster Recoveries/Success Stories, Client/Server in EIS/ID
(information delivery), What Multimedia Can Do, Long-Distance
Connectivity, and Information Delivery Tutorials.

EISI, an information clearinghouse for EIS, also produces a
newsletter. Kilburn told Newsbytes that the newsletter, "EIS
World," recently started to accept paid ads.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930915/Press and reader contact: Elizabeth
Simpson, EISI, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00002)

Japan - Aiwa Releases Low-cost Fax Modem 09/15/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- Tokyo-based electronics firm Aiwa
has developed low-cost fax modems which can send data at up to 14,400
bps and support G3 fax transmissions. The two models will be sold
for 44,800 yen ($448) each this month.

Aiwa's latest fax modems come in a "pocket" type, the PV-PF144, and
a card modem type, the PV-CAF144. The pocket fax is offered with a
battery that can continuously be used for 6 hours, the company says.
The card type modem is for the IBM PC/AT and the PS/V. It is a
half-size extension board type device which can be inserted
into the ISA extension socket.

Both fax modems support CCITT V.32bis. Data errors can be corrected
with the CCITT V.42 (LAP/M, MNP Class4), and MNP Class 10 protocols.
The data transmission speed of these fax modems is 14,400 bps, 12,000 bps,
9,600 bps, 7,200 bps, 4,800 bps, 2,400 bps, 1,200 bps and 300 bps.
Faxes can be sent at the 9,600 bps speed with commands based on
EIA-578 Class 1 standards.

Fax modems have gradually gained popularity in the Japanese market.
Other modem firms such as Omron are also planning to release low-cost
fax modems in the near future.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930913/Press Contact: Aiwa, +81-3-
3371-7930)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00003)

UK - Hitachi Unveils Software-Controlled Color Monitors 09/15/93
HAYES, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- Hitachi New Media has
announced a new high performance 21-inch color monitor with a
software control system, plus color temperature adjustment and
power saving facilities.

Hitachi claims that the CM2188 is ideal for the most demanding
graphics applications, including computer-aided design (CAD),
desktop publishing, and image pre-processing.

The key feature of the monitor is its software control system that
links to the PC by a serial port. Using special Windows software
on the PC, one can select and adjust the size, position,
and color temperature of the image on screen.

As if all this wasn't enough, the CM2188 incorporates a new power
saving function which reduces power consumption when the monitor is
in standby mode. Hitachi claims that, under ideal conditions, its
new monitor can save up to 80 percent of normal power consumption.

In use, the CM2188 automatically scans between 30 and 85 kilohertz
horizontally with refresh rates of between 50 and 150 cycles per
second. It supports a wide range of graphics standards, including
VGA, super VGA, XGA and 8514/A, with resolutions up to 1,600 x 1,200
pixels in non-interlaced, flicker-free mode.

Announcing the UKP 2,199 monitor, Mark Wilkin, Hitachi New Media's
sales manager, said: "With its excellent performance, new software
control, color temperature and RGB adjustment capability, as well as
power saving functions, we believe that the CM2188 will provide
users with a far more versatile monitor with significant
environmental and cost benefits."

(Steve Gold/19930914/Press & Public Contact: HItachi New Media -
Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00004)

UK - "Totally Secure" PC Security System 09/15/93
LEEDS, YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- Real Time Systems
(RTS), the PC security specialist, has unveiled PC Lock, a secure
"dongle" system to restrict access to DOS and Windows-based PCs.

According to Neil Richardson RTS' sales and marketing director, the
UKP 99 PC security system is the first of its type on the market
for Windows-based PCs. As well as using a dongle, which plugs into
the PC's printer port, the system has a security token based on
the Dallas Semiconductor "button" technology, which provides a
higher degree of security, the company asserts.

A dongle is a security device that plugs into a computer's serial
or parallel port and prevents software from running until it is
present. Dongle technology used to be used as a software protection
device, but recently has gained favor among PC security companies.

The PC Lock system consists of DOS/Windows software, a parallel port
dongle and a cable-linked token system. The idea is that, when the
user is in the office, s/he plugs the dongle into the PC's parallel
port and, only when access is required, is the token plugged into
the holder linked to the dongle.

When the user is away from his/her PC, the dongle is removed. This
means that a potential hacker would have to produce a dongle with
the same characteristics and codes as the PC Lock system (which
allows the dongle codes to be modified), as well simulate the token.

"To the best of my knowledge, the Dallas Semiconductor system is
virtually uncrackable," Richardson told Newsbytes, adding that
anyone who decided to try to crack PC Lock would have to have the
resources of government agencies.

In use, PC Lock actually encrypts files on the PC's hard disk as and
when required. The company claims that the algorithms used by the
package are very fast and that, on a typical 25 megahertz (MHz)
80386SX-based PC with a 17 millisecond access hard disk, a one-
megabyte file can be encrypted or decrypted in seconds.

(Steve Gold/19930914/Press & Public Contact: RTS - Tel: [phone];
Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00005)

Artisoft LANtastic Interchange Software 09/15/93
TUCSON, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- Artisoft Inc., has
developed a new software product that provides bridging and
routing capabilities for LANtastic local area network version
5.0 users.

According to the company, the LANtastic Interchange software will
link LANtastic networks that are running over dissimilar hardware,
cabling and topologies, including Ethernet, Arcnet and Token Ring.
The new software is scheduled to be shipped this fall and will be
priced at $199 per segment.

Newsbytes notes that LANtastic is one of the leading peer-to-peer
network operating systems (NOS). Peer-to-peer NOS do not require a
dedicated server to operate. Fully fledged NOS such as the market
leading NetWare, do. Peer-to-peers, such as LANtastic, are becoming
increasingly popular because of their ease of use and management.
However, they lack some of the more advanced features such as
extensive security.

Another area of concern is in backing up vital data. With a
dedicated server set up, all the data would be on the server, and
therefore easy to back up. However, backing up is more complicated
with a peer-to-peer NOS because user hard drives can be accessed
by other users. With peer-to-peer NOS users can be either a client,
a server, or both. As a result, important data can be spread out
over a number of hard drives on the network. However, more
advanced features and support are being added to the leading
peer-to-peers.

In announcing the new product, Dave Hallmen, vice president of
sales and marketing for Artisoft, said: "This new software will
offer an extended level of connectivity for our LANtastic network
users. Not only can they segment their existing networks to
reduce traffic and improve performance, but they can also link two
separate networks into a single network to share information,
peripherals and resources."

The company says that LANtastic Interchange will enable network
interconnectivity between dissimilar hardware and cable types,
as well as all supported LANtastic network topologies including
2Mbps, Ethernet, Arcnet, Token Ring and the LANtastic Z network.

As an example, the company says that this connectivity can provide
a growth path for users of Artisoft's original 2Mbps LANtastic
network by allowing them to expand their existing network with
Ethernet nodes. To achieve this bridging capability, users simply
install the LANtastic Interchange software, a 2Mbps network
adapter and an Ethernet network adapter on a designated network
PC, which can be either a workstation or a server. This will enable
the two dissimilar topologies to communicate on a single network,
claims the company.

The LANtastic Interchange software also reportedly extends the
LANtastic Z network from a two-user network to a fully functional
node on the network - either locally or remotely. Once connected,
this node will have full access to all resources on the network.
The LANtastic Interchange software also lets LANtastic Z network
users to achieve simple wide area networking between remote sites.

Using source and destination addresses to differentiate between
networks, the LANtastic Interchange software reportedly routes
data packets between networks, sending each packet to the
appropriate network segment along the fastest and most efficient
path, thereby reducing network traffic and improving performance.

A Learning mode lets addresses be grouped into different tables that
can be edited. Administrators can add or remove node addresses
from a table, save the table after edits, or remove all addresses in
order to build a new table, says the company.

Administrators can also assign a password to the table to provide
a level of security and isolate nodes on the network to prevent them
from forwarding packets. A Statistics feature allows administrators
to monitor network traffic by showing the number of packets sent,
received and discharged.

(Ian Stokell/19930914/Press Contact: Joe Stunkard,
602-670-7145, Artisoft Inc.)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00006)

McAfee Intros NETShield 1.5 NetWare Anti-virus Pgrm 09/15/93
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- Client-server
computing may have improved efficiency and the management of
corporate data, but it has highlighted the need for comprehensive
security and anti-virus measures. Now McAfee Associates Inc., has
introduced version 1.5 of its NETShield anti-virus software for
NetWare file servers.

Network servers act as central data resource centers for a number of
client users. This may make such operations as backing up vital
information easier, but if a virus obtains access to the server,
the network could go down completely, unless adequate fault-tolerant
precautions were taken. The server could even expedite the virus
infection by making the program available to all users quicker.

However, according to the company, version 1.5 incorporates over
20 new performance, virus detection technology, and system
management features. NETShield 1.5 is claimed to detect 2,017
known file server viruses. The company says that that is more than
any other leading anti-virus NetWare Loadable Module (NLM) on
the market.

NETShield is 100 percent server-based, and incorporates McAfee
Associate's ViruScan virus detection technology.

The company says that NETShield can detect all virus types,
including encrypted, memory resident, multipartite, overwriting,
parasitic, polymorphic, and stealth viruses. The program uses
checksumming, scanning, string scanning, filtering, and
fingerprinting techniques.

NETShield is also claimed to compliment the security offered by
typical workstation anti-virus software products by providing
"complete" monitoring of all network services that access or
execute server-based files, including files that are moved or
copied to the server.

NETShield also monitors all NetWare commands in order to protect
file server data resources. In addition, NETShield cannot be
overridden or aborted by end-users, even if they have disabled
their workstation-based anti-virus protection.

In announcing the new version, Bill Larson, McAfee's president and
chief executive officer, said: "Network security is the top concern
of LAN managers today. The increasing reliance on servers as the
keeper of mission-critical data has raised awareness of the risk
posed by viruses being distributed across networks. Given this
environment, it is critical that file servers be protected against
all viruses, known and unknown. NETShield 1.5 meets this challenge
by implementing several first-of-their-kind proprietary virus
detection technologies that allow us to detect more viruses than
any other vendor."

NETShield 1.5 uses proprietary algorithms and protection mechanisms
to protect against new, undiscovered viruses. The company says
that NETShield assigns a CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) value to all
executable files and monitors that value for changes that would
indicate virus infection.

The new version is claimed to offer broader and faster scanning
capabilities. It also allows administrators to increase scanning
speed by specifying the CPU (central processing unit) usage priority
and by specifying the scanning mode, such as on-demand,
on-file-access, periodic scans.

An automatic anti-virus NLM synchronization feature automatically
installs the most recent NETShield version, which saves the system
manager having to update manually each server.

The company also says that system administration capabilities have
also been improved with a "redesigned C-Worthy interface" to make
the product easier to install and use. New pick lists have also been
added to speed up the selection of installation setup options. All
current settings are viewed from a system management console
screen.

NETShield runs on any NetWare 3.11 file server and requires 600
kilobytes (KB) of server RAM. It is priced at $495 for the first file
server and includes two years of free updates. Site and volume
discount licenses are available and site license holders of
competing anti-virus NLMs can receive a 50 percent discount by
upgrading to NETShield under McAfee's Competitive Upgrade
Program.

Readers can download a fully functional version of NETShield for
a five day free trial through the McAfee BBS at 408-988-4004
(8-N-1), Compuserve (Go McAfee), America Online (McAfee) or
Internet (McAfee.com).

(Ian Stokell/19930914/Press Contact: Phil Talsky,
408-980-3629, McAfee Associates)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00007)

Tube Topper Cuts Down On Paper Clutter 09/15/93
MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- Many computer
users frame their monitor screens with Post-It reminders, phone
numbers, instructions and other scraps of information. The Tube
Topper from SSC is designed to organize the clutter by providing
a permeable fabric (tackable) or dry-erase fascia within view
of the screen.

"The Tube Topper is an all-new product designed to enhance
productivity and protect expensive computer equipment," says John
Mason, president of the Muskegon, Michigan-based company. "In
addition to streamlining desktop references, it discourages workers
from placing Post-It notes, adhesive labels and tape directly onto
sensitive components."

Ergonomically designed to keep references at eye level, the Tube
Topper is mounted to the housing of the monitor and is adjustable to
fit many different sizes of screens. It is non-magnetic and safe for
use around computer media. The suggested retail price is $29.95,
and it is available directly from the company by calling 800/825-
SSC1 or 616/733-2191 or 800-622-4497.

(Computer Currents/19930915)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00008)

Mac Book Targets "The Reluctant Computer User" 09/15/93
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- Though the
Apple Computer Mac is usually billed as the "easier-to-use"
computer, its increasing complexity and the growing number of
novice buyers have created a ready market for basic information.
With that in mind, veteran computer book author Danny Goodman
and Brady Books have introduced Fear Macs No More.

This debut title is the first in a series of Fear... No More
books that Goodman is writing, which includes Fear Windows No
More, and similar titles on Excel for Mac and Excel for
Windows. The Fear... No More series addresses the needs of reluctant
beginning computer users, the publisher says.

"Being a smart computer user involves knowing basic skills and
knowing where to turn when you don't know what to do," says Goodman.
"Fear Macs No More replaces the sub-novice user's mystery of computing
with hard and fast practical skills."

Retail price is $15.95. All Brady Publishing titles can be ordered
directly by calling 800/428-5331 or through major book store chains and
independent book dealers.

(Computer Currents/19930915)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00009)

Ipswitch Unveils TCP/IP Software For DOS, Windows 09/15/93
READING, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- Ipswitch,
Inc., has announced Piper/IP, a TCP/IP product for DOS and
Windows, said to use less than one percent of conventional memory.

Piper/IP reportedly can run in DOS protected mode, above 1MB. The
software is said to use less than 6K of lower DOS memory, leaving all
of upper memory and more than 634K of lower DOS memory for DOS,
Windows and applications.

Typically, on 386 PCs, Piper/IP exceeds 100K per second on file
transfers. The software comes with a full suite of TCP/IP utilities for
file transfer, terminal emulation, mail and backup.

Piper/IP is compatible with all popular networks, including
NetWare, VINES, LAN Manager, LAN Server and Windows for
Workgroups. The installation program is network-aware, automatically
configuring Piper/IP to share the installed network driver and to run
concurrently with the LAN.

Piper/IP's Telnet server -- said to be an invaluable tool for network
administrators -- lets any TCP/IP host Telnet into a Piper/IP PC. Once
connected, users can run programs, execute commands and look at files.
Priced at $375 per copy, Piper/IP is also available in a five-pack for
$1,195, a ten-pack for $1,995, a 20-user site license for $170/user, a 50-
user site license for $150/user, and a 100-user site license for $125
per user.

Existing applications can be ported to Piper/IP with the Ipswitch
Developer's Kit priced at $475.

Ipswitch is at 580 Main Street, Reading, MA 01867. Telephone
617/942-0621.

(Computer Currents/19930915)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00010)

Western Digital's Rocketchip In Thinkpad, 540 MB HD 09/15/93
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- Western Digital
has announced its Rocketchip video graphics liquid crystal
display (LCD) controller has been designed into IBM's new
Thinkpad 750 notebook computer. The company also said it is
shipping a one-inch high, 540-megabyte (MB), 3.5-inch form
factor hard disk drive and has passed the one million mark on
shipments of its 340 MB Caviar AC2340 hard disk drive
introduced a year ago.

Western Digital boasts the Rocketchip WD24 is the first video
accelerator for portable computers. The Rocketchip is designed
to operate in the low power 3.3 volts necessary for portable
computers. The company claims the video accelerator speeds up
Windows from 5 to 6 times over competing products by offering
hardware-integrated, commonly used functions such as bit block
transfer, line drawing, area fill, color expansion, and
hardware cursor. Western Digital pointed out its Rocketchip
products have been previously selected by IBM for integration
into the Thinkpad 500, 700, and 720 product lines.

In the hard disk drive arena, Western Digital says its 540 MB
(formatted capacity) Caviar AC2540 is aimed at the Pentium,
Power PC, and 486-based personal computer market. Features of
the drive include an average seek time of less than 11
milliseconds (ms) as well as an adaptive multisegmented read
cache and write cache. In addition, the drive supports enhanced
integrated drive electronics (IDE) features including support
for high host transfer rates via input/output Channel Ready
(IORDY) operation and Type B and Type F direct memory access
(DMA).

Western Digital says these enhanced IDE features make
the drive very competitive with features available on the
higher-cost small computer systems interface (SCSI) drives.
Gateway 2000 is reportedly the first adopter of the new 540 MB
drive.

The company also said it has shipped nearly 3 million of its
Caviar Architecture I-based drives in a year's time. Of the
drives shipped, one third were the 340 MB Caviar AC2340, the
first 340 MB two-platter, 3.5-inch hard disk drive. Western
Digital is making nothing in a 3.5-inch form factor smaller
than 170 MB and no 5.25-inch hard disk drives at all, company
officials said. Consumers can expect to pay about a dollar a
megabyte for hard disk storage. Smaller sizes with larger
capacities will continue to be the trend, officials added.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930915/Press Contact: Letty Ledbetter,
Western Digital, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00011)

More on Microsoft Ballpoint Mouse, Software 09/15/93
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- Microsoft
announced that it put two years of research into the new
version 2.0 of its Ballpoint Mouse aimed at portable
computers.

The Ballpoint Mouse 2.0 comes in two versions, both designed
to work in Microsoft Windows, although they will work in DOS
as well. One version has a cord and the other has a Quickport
connector for direct connection to Quickport equipped
keyboards. The Quickport is both the electrical and mechanical
interface for the mouse so a cord is not needed and the mouse
can be easily removed. Both Toshiba America Information Systems
(TAIS) and Texas Instruments (TI) have adopted both the
Quickport and the Ballpoint Mouse 2.0 for their portable
computer systems.

Although the corded version of the mouse is designed for
portable computers, it can be attached to the keyboard of a
desktop computer as well. Two metal clips that may be adjusted
in length allow the corded version to connect to the side of
the keyboard, and downward pressure detaches the mouse from the
connector. The corded mouse may be attached to either side of
the keyboard, a thoughtful design left-handed users will
appreciate.

Two buttons, one on each side of the mouse, allow the user to
move the mouse to one of five angles and position it there. The
idea is to minimize small, repetitive movements by allowing the
user to position the mouse so the wrist is straight and the
index finger curves comfortably around the end of the mouse.

The trackball is still the large 28-millimeter size, but the
overall shape of the mouse is more compact and the buttons are
larger. Three buttons are on the mouse that can be configured
to user preferences. Two of the buttons are around the upper
outside edge for use with the index finger, and one is below
the track ball for use by the thumb. The mouse may also be
turned over and moved against a flat surface and a padded
surface is available for the users' fingers to rest on in the
ball-side down position.

The new mouse software, version 9.01, is designed to address
the problems associated with laptop or notebook computer mouse
use and also works with any Microsoft-compatible mouse. The
option of controlling the size of the pointer is included as
well as an option to automatically enlarge the mouse when it is
being moved quickly. The color of the pointer can be chosen as
well. A trail or comet-effect for the mouse as it moves may
also be selected.

Another new feature, called magnify, only comes into action
once enabled. A key press accompanied by a mouse click creates
a rectangular frame around the pointer and enlarges the area
inside that frame. Microsoft says this feature is useful for
precise cursor positioning during detailed tasks, such as
placing the I-beam between two letters.

Should you lose the cursor, the locate function returns it to
the center of the screen. The orientation function allows the
user to tell the mouse software which direction of rolling the
trackball is the most natural "up" or "north" direction. And a
"snap to" function automatically puts the mouse at the default
button in active dialog boxes.

The mouse software works with either MS-DOS or Windows or both.
For DOS only it requires 415 kilobytes (K) of disk space, for
Windows only it needs 1467 K, and for use in DOS and Windows
the total is 1558 K. The MOUSE.EXE is 93 K in size, but can be
loaded into high memory, Microsoft officials said. A tutorial
is available to show users how to select and use the new
features of version 9.01 of the mouse software and the
Ballpoint Mouse 2.0 itself.

The new Ballpoint Mouse 2.0 with its software, manual, and
zippered carrying case, is retail priced at $129. Registered
Ballpoint Mouse 1.0 users may upgrade for $50.00 and registered
Microsoft Mouse users may upgrade to the 9.01 software for
$19.95.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930915/Press Contact: Julie Basnaw,
Microsoft, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Deborah
Caldwell, Waggener Edstrom, tel [phone], fax [phone];
Public Contact, Microsoft, 800-426-9400)


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

International Telecom Update 09/15/93
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- Telephone
privatization has brought down its first government. The Greek
government of Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis fell
September 10 over the issue of selling 35 percent of the state-
owned phone company, OTE, plus operating control to foreign
interests. Elections are scheduled for October, and the
opposition Socialists have already announced plans to cancel the
sale if they win the day.

Elsewhere in Europe, the Deutsche Bundespost Telekom continued
moving toward a privatization which has been agreed to, in
principle, by all major parties. It set plans to drop 60,000 jobs
by 1998, mainly through attrition, cut transfers of profit to
the post office, and set a joint-venture with Russian phone units
which plan to build data transmission networks in 20 cities
there.

Also, Nokia of Finland won another big contract from
Romania, Amstrad of the UK took over a bankrupt Danish wireless
phone maker with plans to rehire some workers, British Telecom
set up a joint venture in Spain with Banco Santandar, and Spain's
Telefonica de Espana, facing this new competition, was downgraded
by US brokers.

European modem makers will also get new competition from
Megahertz of the US, which won government approvals to sell
its PCMCIA "PC Card" and portable modems in the United
Kingdom and Sweden.

In the "capital" of Europe, Brussels, Belgium, the European
Commission cleared the purchase of the French Alcatel Cable
submarine systems business by a unit of Canada's Northern
Telecom, and heard another lecture from British Telecom on faster
market liberalization. The latest lecture came in the form of a
survey taken of 500 executives in 8 countries. The EC also agreed
to seek a digital standard for HDTV, which could be in place by
1995. Analog HDTV standards were blown out of the water by US
competition.

In Brazil, which is under increasing criticism from US
economists over the slow pace of its privatization and market
liberalization, Ericsson of Sweden won another big cellular
contract, this time from Telpe in Pernambuco. Ericsson claims it
has nearly half of the rapidly growing Latin cellular equipment
market. The strength of the market is seen in results from
Telebras unit Telesp, which runs phone and cellular networks in
that nation's largest city, Sao Paolo. It claimed net profits of
$1.7 billion will be achieved for this year.

Finally, in Chile, Banctec of the US took one-third of
Servibanca, a local check processing company considered a
leader in the market. Digital Equipment Corp. of the US
also holds a stake, through a distributor. Banctec sells
Servibanca much of its equipment.

Even without such new contracts and contacts, communications to
and from the US should continue to approve thanks to US
government action. The Federal Communications Commission
gave Satellite Technology Management Inc., of Costa Mesa,
California, approval to link its earth stations to both Intelsat
and competing PanAmSat satellites for voice, data, and television
services.

Two important events occurred in Africa, relating to
telecommunications. Sweden dropped its trade sanctions against
South Africa, opening Ericsson's way into that market. For now,
investment sanctions remain in place, but they will drop once a
Transitional Executive Council, with non-white participation,
comes into being. Non-racial elections, expected to be won by the
African National Congress under Nelson Mandela, are scheduled for
next April. Also, TRI of Malaysia entered a joint-venture to
improve Tanzania's telecommunications network, which could
improve the outlook for business there. Asian-based
telecommunications companies have been willing to take risks in
Africa which European, American, and even Japanese firms have
been unwilling to take.

Speaking of Asia, Korea signed two important contracts. Its
Taihan Electric Wire established a strategic alliance to re-sell
fiber-based digital telephone equipment from Broadband Technology
of the US, which can also offer video services to homes. Taihan
is a major supplier of Korea Telephone.

And four major Korean manufacturers -- Goldstar, Hyundai,
Maxon, and Samsung -- signed to make digital wireless
equipment under Code Division Multiple Access, or CDMA,
standards from Qualcomm of the US. The deal gives Qualcomm
an inexpensive supply of phones as it fights for market
share at home, while giving Korea access to new technology
it can use to open other cellular markets.

Finally in China, which should learn in about a week whether it
will host the 2000 Olympics, the Chinese Research Institute for
Space Technology set plans to launch five satellites in the next
year, and the government began tightening controls on mobile
phones and other wireless devices.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930915/Press Contact: Ericsson, Kathy Egan
212-685-4030; Gary Robinson, BancTec, Inc., 214-450-7753;
Satellite Technology Management, Emil Youssefzadeh, 714/557-2400;
Beverlee Hanley, BroadBand Technologies, Inc. 919-544-0015;
Qualcomm, Thomas Crawford, 619-597-5715)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00013)

GEnie Sets Multimedia, Virtual Reality RoundTable 09/15/93
ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- GEnie, which has
been quietly growing rapidly in the US online services business,
and has added some technical "news groups" from the Internet,
made another move for the technically literate by creating a
roundtable for multimedia, desktop video and virtual reality.

Peggy Herrington, who edits a disk-based multimedia publication
from New Mexico, and Denny Atkin, interactive entertainment
editor for Compute Magazine, will comanage the new roundtable. A
roundtable is similar to what CompuServe calls a forum, and
features message bases, a collection of files which can be
downloaded, and live, interactive "chat" sessions which users can
dial into through their keyboards. To reach the new roundtable,
GEnie users need only type Cyberspace or Move 2000 from any major
prompt.

As part of a "Grand Opening" celebration in October, the service
will host live conferences with Noah Falstein of the 3DO Company,
Lou Wallace of DeskTop Video World magazine, and Howard
Rheingold, author of books called "Virtual Reality" and "The
Virtual Community," as well as "Babylon 5" computer graphics
producer J. Michael Straczynski. Product support from leading
hardware and software developers, weekly industry newscasts, and
an extensive software library available for downloading will also
be featured. Finally, there will be a contest with products and
free time online as prizes. The new roundtable will cover all
major platforms, including PCs, Macintoshes, and the Commodore
Amiga.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930915/Press Contact: Peggy Herrington,
505/344-9074, FAX [phone], e-mail, P.HERRINGTON on GEnie,
[e-mail] on Internet)


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

PCS Showdown Nears Before FCC 09/15/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- In about one week,
on September 23, the Federal Communications Commission is due to
set rules for auctioning spectrum space for microwave-based
wireless phone networks called personal communication networks.
Advice is pouring in.

The National Telecommunications and Information Agency, an arm of
the Administration, weighed in with a paper urging that the FCC
create 30 MHz frequency bands and give out three local licenses
in each of 183 markets, based on Commerce Department definitions
of "market areas." It also wants to keep cellular operators
limited in getting PCN licenses where they already provide
cellular services, and wants new entrants into wireless
communications to be given priority in licensing. The goal is to
assure that people have at least five choices for wireless service
in each major urban market.

MCI, which wants a national license for a consortium of 255
companies it's created, ran an ad in the Washington Post on its
proposal. Newsbytes discussed the proposal with Steve Zecola,
MCI's vice president for the technology. "Originally we proposed
three national licenses. We've since backed off to two national
and two local," and the 255 companies in the consortium
signed its ad.

The most important name in that list is a new one, Viacom Cable.
Viacom announced earlier this week it will buy Paramount
Communications, making it a premier player in both creating
and distributing entertainment. "We've talked to Viacom for
a while, and have been organizing the consortium for several
months," said Zecola, downplaying the move.

Zecola also addressed the NTIA paper. "I think it's inconsistent
with what we've been talking about. It recommends 30 MHz per
licensee, while we believe 40 MHz is needed. It also doesn't
support a nationwide approach, but splinters the market into
smaller geographic areas. It's clear here, based on what AT&T and
the regional Bells have done with Mobilink, that this is a
national market. We're concerned that if the FCC splintered the
spectrum, competition couldn't develop."

He added, "It took 10 years to get national cellular
licenses. The cellular industry, and the seven regional Bells,
can't even agree on a digital cellular standard. If you can
imagine 183 people sitting around trying to decide on a standard
it would be like AM stereo -- the FCC decided not to adopt
standards, and last year they asked for one, because nothing
happened. Without a national license on how this will work,"
national PCS networks "will never happen."

Why? "To build out just one band across the US would cost about
$8-9 billion. For the NTIA to suggest five bands of licenses you're
talking about $40-45 billion to build the networks, which is
absurd in our opinion. Two national licenses can get funded. If
you look at what happened in the UK they awarded 2 PCS licenses
and they're getting built. We're saying two national and two
local, so if entities want to have smaller niche services they
can build them out. We're not high on the prospect of local
licenses getting funding -- Bank of America has shown that's
difficult."

The NTIA paper, while it may reflect the opinions of President
Clinton, is far from the final word. The current FCC consists of
three commissioners, Nixon appointee and Chairman James Quello,
Reagan appointee Andrew Barrett and Bush appointee Ervin Duggan.
Hearings have just been set on Clinton nominee Reed Hundt, due to
become the new chairman, but he's unlikely to be in place before
the final decisions are made. The FCC is, by definition, an
independent agency -- any Administration's influence on it is
limited.

Zecola told Newsbytes the FCC has been urged to also consider how
much it will get in spectrum fees for the licenses, and the
Office of Technology Assessment, an arm of the Congress, has said
the national licensees would bring more money into the treasury.
Still, "There's three commissioners, and two will decide what
happens here. You can guarantee there will be an unbelievable
number of lawsuits no matter what happens."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930915/Press Contact: MCI Debra Shriver,
800/436-9749)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00015)

Sprint To Serve Kinko's Videoconferencing Chain 09/15/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- The Kinko's copying
chain, which started with Paul Orfalea serving college campuses
in 1970 and now bills itself as every company's "branch office,"
announced it will build a videoconferencing network for all its
600 stores using Sprint digital services.

The new network will be the largest public retail video system
ever constructed, according to Sprint, and will use equipment
from PictureTel Corp., of Danvers, Massachusetts. Once on-line, a
Kinko's customer will be able to open a video link with another
store or with another public or private room by dialing a toll-
free 800 phone number and pushing a few buttons, using Sprint's
Meeting Manager dial-up videoconference system.

During the initial rollout period, Kinko's will feature an
introductory price of $20 per half hour. This is common in
Kinko's pricing. When it began using plastic cards in its
copiers, it set a price of 5 cents per copy. It now charges 6
cents, and adds charges for re-charging the plastic card with
cash. In addition to copying, Kinko's offers desktop publishing,
photo-finishing and computer rental services, and some offices
offer passport photos.

Newsbytes discussed the contract with Sprint's Norman Black.
"The first phase, which is already contracted, is activation of
the first 100 sites by April 1. Beyond that, the plan is to
complete the build out in two years' time," he said.

While PictureTel is best-known for slow-speed digital
videoconferencing, as slow as 112,000 bits/second, the new
Kinko's network will be high-end, Black added. "Every store is
going to begin with a minimum T-1 installation," a 1.544 million
bit/second trunk line. "All the video will begin at 384 kbps.
Kinko's has said that they can envision different video equipment
functioning at different speeds. If they believe, for example,
that you can get a PC desktop unit with a 112, they'll do that.
But we're starting with T-1 and 384." Sprint's video network will
allow a Kinko's customer to connect with 3,000 public and private
rooms in 38 countries.

PictureTel equipment to be installed includes the PictureTel
System 1000, a standards-based room video system designed to
accommodate a multi-person videoconference, and a new unit,
called the PictureTel Live, which will allow customers to see
correspondents on another Kinko's PC and at the same time to work
on shared files. Kinko's Copy Centers is privately held and
based in Ventura, California.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930915/Press Contact: Tammy Gentry, Kinko's,
805-652-4129; Norman Black, Sprint, 404-859-6096, Ron Taylor
PictureTel, 508-762-5178)


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

Qualcomm Fighting Latest InterDigital CDMA Move 09/15/93
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- Qualcomm said
it will oppose InterDigital's move to add a patent to its legal
fight over the Code Division Multiple Access, or CDMA, digital
cellular standard.

The company said it examined Patent No. 5,119,375, which
InterDigital asked the US District Court for the Eastern
District of Pennsylvania to add to its infringement claims
against Qualcomm and Oki, but concluded it has no application to
the equipment at issue, namely Qualcomm-designed gear built in
compliance with the Telecommunications Industry Association's
CDMA standard IS-95. Qualcomm will also continue to defend
itself against InterDigital's other infringement claims.

All this started a year ago when InterDigital, best-known for its
work in Time Division Multiple Access, or TDMA, a competing
digital cellular standard, bought SCS MobilCom, which had patent
rights on what InterDigital called "Broadband CDMA" technology.

TDMA, embraced by the Cellular Telecommunications Industry
Association as a way to increase capacity on members' networks in
1991, has since been challenged heavily by CDMA, which offers
more capacity. While McCaw and Southwestern Bell plan to install
TDMA, regional Bells like US West and Bell Atlantic have endorsed
CDMA. While InterDigital is fighting for control of CDMA in its
lawsuit against Qualcomm, it recently began defending itself
against Ericsson in a suit regarding its rights to TDMA.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930915/Press Contact: Richard F. Grannis,
Qualcomm, 619-597-5146)


(CORRECTION)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00017)

Correction - America Online SW Installed On Sharp's "Newton" 09/15/93
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- In a recent story
on Sharp personal digital assistants, Newsbytes called the Sharp
PT-9000 "Sharp's version of the Apple Newton." Later in the same
story, we noted that Sharp considers them totally different
products.

A day earlier, in fact, Los Angeles editor Linda Rohrbough had
done a detailed story on the PT-9000, which is in fact a quite
different animal from the ExpertPad, Sharp's version of the
Newton. The ExpertPad has some differences with the Newton, like
a cover for the screen, but the PT-9000 uses a separate design,
what a Sharp spokesman called a "cross between a PDA and a sub-
notebook," with an optional keyboard. Also, the PT-9000 will run
Geos' operating system, not the Newton system, and it will
include software to access the America Online service.

Newsbytes regrets its errors in this regard, and wishes to thank
Alexander Brian Abacus, a reader, for bringing it to
our attention.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930915/Press Contact: Dorf & Stanton, for
Sharp, 212-420-8100)


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

Virtual Wearality T-Shirts Available 09/15/93
NORTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 15 (NB) --
Ever wonder what happened to the guys who came up with the
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? You'd think they would have
taken their millions and retired to a South Sea island
while they're still young enough to enjoy it.

But, no. One of them, Peter Laird, has started a new company in
Northampton, Mass., to manufacture what he calls "Cybertunics" (a.k.a.
T-shirts). Virtual Wearality is the name of the company and the name
of a line of clothing based on the concept of virtual reality.

All four models of the "Brain Samba Cybertunics" sport original
computer graphic designs created using state-of-the-art equipment and
software. Designs were transferred onto the shirts in a completely
paperless process.

The company's promotional literature is one of the best things about
the whole project. "At last sportswear with the fit, function and
philosophical edge to stand up to your computer adventures," it reads.

"These 100 percent cotton shirts are made tough to handle the
stresses of prolonged mouse jousting.

"Guaranteed to resist the fading commonly associated with extended
exposure to VDTs [video display terminals]. Most importantly, they
have that cool Virtual Wearality look. The look that says, 'Fire up
the computer, dude, I'm ready to jam!'"

The colorful Cybertunics cost $16.95 each, plus shipping and handling,
from Virtual Wearality. Telephone 800/Go-Cyber (800/462-9237), 413-
586-4000.

The Boston Trade Center is featuring an exhibit called "The Other
Side" this month where the T-shirts are on sale in the gift shop,
a company spokeswoman tells Newsbytes. The T-shirts are also
in national distribution in T-shirt emporiums.

(Computer Currents/19930914)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SFO)(00019)

Octel, Tandem In Systems Integration Deal 09/15/93
MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- Hoping to take
advantage of the increasing number of telecommunications users
worldwide seeking enhanced service applications, Octel
Communications Corp., and Tandem Computers Inc., have signed
a systems integrator deal.

An Octel source told Newsbytes that the company will combine
its voice information processing systems and Tandem NonStop
servers in a "cooperative processing environment."

According to the companies, the deal is designed to "respond to
the needs of telecommunications companies for reliable hardware
platforms on which to introduce applications that involve large
database manipulation and processing."

One application identified by the company to Newsbytes is
to be voice information services. Others will include call and
message delivery services, fax processing, and audiotex.

In announcing the deal, Dan Patyk, vice president, general manager
of the Voice Information Services Division at Octel Communications,
said: "As a leading system supplier to providers of voice information
services, and consistent with Octel's goal of providing Total Service
Solutions, it was essential that Octel join forces with a partner who
delivers the same product integrity and reliability. This new
relationship with Tandem allows us to expand existing markets and
provide customers with a flexible, fault-tolerant environment for
the introduction of exciting new revenue-generating services and
customized applications."

The deal also allows Octel to purchase and resell Tandem
equipment to its customers and act as a systems integrator.

Don Fowler, senior vice president and general manager of Tandem's
solutions products group, said: "As the rate of transactions
increase from technology developments in areas such as cellular
communications, imaging and personal digital assistants, the
importance of reliable enhanced services solutions increases.
Our relationship with Octel extends our commitment to the
telecommunications market."

The two companies maintain they will work together to provide
high quality systems integration services, business planning and
software development support services to the telecommunications
industry. The companies will also collaborate on future product
development.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Octel and
Tandem will target customers in North and South America, Europe
and the Pacific Rim.

The company source told Newsbytes that targeted companies
will include telephone companies, cellular service providers,
and service bureaus.

This is the second deal involving Tandem's NonStop server range
this week. Newsbytes also reported that Tandem had signed a
deal with the Boston Software Works under which Tandem
will offer BSW's messaging integration products on the Tandem
NonStop Himalaya range of servers.

Tandem said that the new product combination - its Message
Integrator family - combines the Boston Software Works'
InterOFFICE Message Exchange with Tandem's NonStop Himalaya
range of parallel-processing servers to provide "messaging
interoperation and directory synchronization between multiple
commonly used electronic mail systems."

(Ian Stokell/19930915/Press Contact: Diane Sink,
408-321-3338, Octel Communications)


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

Novell Makes NetWare Btrieve 6.1 Available 09/15/93
PROVO, UTAH, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- Novell has made NetWare
Btrieve 6.1b available on NetWire. NetWare Btrieve is Novell's
record management system which runs on NetWare 3.11 and later
network operating systems.

According to the company, version 6.1 of NetWare Btrieve has
several new features and performance enhancements over the
previous 5.15 version 5.15, which is included with the NetWare
3.11 operating system.

NetWare Btrieve 6.1 was shipped with the company's new high-end
NetWare 4.0. NetWare Btrieve 6.1a is shipped with NetWare 4.01.

The company says that performance enhancements have been
obtained by implementing a new file format, improving the caching
algorithms and introducing index balancing and shadow paging.

The company also says that Online Backups allow backups to be
accomplished while files are in use. Concurrent Transactions allow
one or more applications to run multiple transactions at the same
time for the same file.

Also, the number of key segments allowed per file has been increased
from 24 to 119, and it is also possible to add and drop any index no
matter when it was created.

Additionally, large record support has been enhanced by removing
the 64-kilobyte (KB) limitation on record size. This allows operations
to act on portions of a record instead of on the entire record, which
increases the efficiency of accessing very long records.

NetWare Btrieve 6.1b is available on NetWire at no charge to US and
international customers.

The company says that the relevant files located in Library 7 have
been compressed using PKZIP, and that, at 9600 baud, it should take
approximately 30 minutes to download the files. BTR61.EXE (707 KB)
contains the software files; and BTR61M.EXE (128 KB) contains the
Installation and operation manual in ASCII format.

The files are also available on diskettes - both 5.25-inch and
3.5-inch - and with a printed manual, by calling 800-UPDATE1
for US users or 317-364-7276 for international users.
The product costs $49.95 US plus shipping and handling. Users
can also place orders by fax by calling 317-364-0787.

Just this week, Newsbytes reported that Novell had introduced
its newest 3.12 version of the market leading NetWare network
operating system. NetWare commands nearly 70 percent of the
NOS market. Version 3.11 has been the de facto industry standard,
albeit proprietary, for some time, and the product that most other
networking applications try to support. NetWare 3.12 includes
Basic MHS (Message Handling Service) and NetWare for Macintosh
at no additional cost. It also includes version 6.1 of Btrieve.

(Ian Stokell/19930915/Press Contact: Claire Campbell,
512-794-1442, Novell Inc.)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00021)

Microsoft Expands Certified Professional Program 09/15/93
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- Microsoft
Corporation has expanded its Certified Professional Program,
introducing three separate levels of certification for
designating qualified product support personnel.

The software company says the three levels, System Engineer,
Product Specialist, and Trainer, validate the specific level
of expertise of individuals supporting its various products.
The new Certified Systems Engineer certification designates
an individual who implements, maintains and supports systems
incorporating the Microsoft Windows NT operating system,
Windows NT Advanced Server, and other Microsoft systems and
workgroup products.

Microsoft says the program enhancement is in response to
customer requests for assurance of the level of expertise of
the people who provide system and product support and
application training. Certification as a Microsoft Certified
Professional at one of the levels is a yardstick both
customers can use when seeking support and companies
providing system integration, support and training can use
to hire qualified personnel. To qualify as a Microsoft
Solution Providers, companies providing integration,
development, training and support for Microsoft products,
are required to have a Microsoft Certified Professional on
their staff. Attaining certification requires passing a
series of examinations.

A Microsoft Certified Product Specialist designation
qualified the individual to support, tune, and customize a
specific Microsoft product. Individuals have to pass an
operating system exam on either Microsoft Windows 3.1 or
Window NT. They can also elect to demonstrate additional
skills through one of more elective desktop application
exams. Microsoft says existing Microsoft Certified
Professionals will be shifted into the expanded program
as Product Specialists.

Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers are qualified to
implement, maintain and support information systems with
Windows NT, Windows NT Advanced Server, and other advanced
systems and workgroup products. Certified Trainers can teach
specific Microsoft Education Services courses, and requires
demonstration of both technical knowledge and teaching
skills. All Microsoft Solution Provider Authorized Training
Centers are required to have a certified trainer on staff.

Microsoft publishes and distributes a Certified Professional
Program information kit that contains an outline of the exam
topics and lists of training resources as well as sample
exams. The company also offers instructor-led and self-paced
courses to help candidates prepare for certification. Exams
are administered by Drake Training and Technologies, a
worldwide independent testing organization.

(Jim Mallory/19930915/Press contact: Bev Auld, Microsoft
Corporation, 206-882-8080)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00022)

Big Iron Software Companies Will Port To Windows NT 09/15/93
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- Microsoft
Corporation said this week that more than 20 companies that
produce software for minicomputers and mainframe systems
will port their tools and applications to Microsoft Windows
NT within the next 12 months.

Included in the list of companies porting to Windows NT are
Cincom Systems Inc., Computer Associates International, Synon
Inc., system Software Associates Inc., The ASK Group Inc.,
Trilogy Enterprises, VMark Software Inc., Computron
Technologies Corporation, Dun & Bradstreet Software Services
Inc., Information Builders Inc., Informix Software Inc., J.D.
Edwards & Co, Lawson Software, Legent Corporation, Oracle
Corporation, PeopleSoft Inc., Ross Systems Inc., Software 2000
Inc., and SAP America Inc.

Microsoft says products for enterprise computing will be
available for vertical line-of-business, systems management,
CASE, client-server, development tools, databases, human
resources, general ledger, accounting, and manufacturing
resources planning. "The companies offering products for
Windows NT as part of their product lines read like the
Who's Who of the enterprise software market," says Doug
Henrich, director of developer relations at Microsoft.

Microsoft has formed what it calls the ISV Enterprise for
Windows Advisory Board to obtain feedback on technology and
other issues from the ISV community. The board met for the
first time in mid-August and will meet again in late
October. "Advice from these leading developers is exactly
what we need to insure that Windows NT is on target for both
them and our customers," according to Microsoft Executive VP
Mike Maples. He is also the Microsoft representative on the
board.

(Jim Mallory/19930915/Press contact: Beverley Flower,
Microsoft Corporation, 206-882-8080; Reader contact:
Microsoft, 800-426-9400 or 206-882-8080)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00023)

 ****Companies Team Up To Develop Hand-Held Mobile PCs 09/15/93
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- Saying its no
longer possible for a single vendor to offer the whole
solution, Compaq Computer Corporation President Eckhard
Pfeiffer announced this week Compaq will team up with two
other companies to develop a class of hand-held mobile
computers that will allow the user to tap into their
personal computers and networks anytime, anywhere.

Pfeiffer said the number-three PC maker has joined with software
company Microsoft Corporation, chipmakers Intel Corporation,
and VLSI Technology to develop what Compaq calls "a
hand-held mobile companion device."

Compaq said the devices, which could be available as early
as next year, will be powered by VLSI's Polar chip set,
which is based on designs by Intel. Microsoft will support
the chip sets with its Microsoft At Work operating system.
Compaq will integrate the chip set and the software into a
machine.

Pfeiffer said he sees the venture as a survival strategy in
which computer firms and component suppliers must work
together. "We must integrate. No vendor can offer the whole
solution any more. Alliances, powerful alliances, are the
answer." Pfieffer declined to provide details about the new
device's content.

(Jim Mallory/19930915/Press contact: John Sweney, Compaq
Computer Corporation, 713-374-1564; Reader contact: Compaq,
713-374-1459 or 800-348-1518)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00024)

EIS Conference - Planning Sciences Intros Gentium 1.0 09/15/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- At the
Enterprise-Wide Information Delivery Conference in Boston, Planning
Sciences has announced an object-oriented, multiplatform
"analytical applications development environment."

Gentium 1.0 lets end users and developers create EIS (Executive
Information System) applications, and port these applications among
six different platforms, all by following easy drag-and-drop steps,
said William S. Hopkins, vice president of marketing for Planning
Sciences Inc.

To further simplify development, the new environment is organized
around a "book and page" metaphor, Hopkins added, in an interview
with Newsbytes.

Upon release in November, Gentium will run on Windows 3.1, Windows
NT, OS/2, Macintosh, NextStep 486, and most major Unix platforms,
he told Newsbytes.

Gentium is also "workgroup aware," meaning that applications
created with the software will allow the same information to be
shared among members of a workgroup who are using any of these
operating environments, he noted.

In a demo on the show floor, Ian Rawlings, product manager at
Planning Sciences PLC, explained that Gentium is the result of a
decision by the London-based EIS specialist to redesign its long-
time product from top to bottom.

Over the past couple of years, the company has established Planning
Sciences Inc., to expand distribution and other activities into
North America, Rawlings added.

The Gentium architecture consists of GUIs (graphical user
interfaces) for the various operating systems, resting on top of an
ORB (object request broker) that sits above information retrieval
and database layers, he said.

The ORB allows client and server components of an application to
reside anywhere on a network, according to Rawlings. In one
application that might be created, for example, the server
component would analyze a sales database, and send out alarms to
client components when sales performance falls outside of user-
specified thresholds, he illustrated.

The ORB conforms to CORBA (Common Object Request Broker
Architecture), so it is interchangeable with CORBA-compliant ORBs
from other software vendors.

The information retrieval layer in Gentium allows read-and-write
access to Gentium's own database, as well as to databases in Q&E
software and SQL (Standard Query Language) interfaces to DB2,
Oracle, Ingres and Sybase, Rawlings said.

Any user who has worked with spreadsheets can create applications
with Gentium, he replied, in answer to a question from Newsbytes.
The kinds of EIS applications that can be produced include
multidimensional databases, data modeling, "drill down," "slice and
dice," matrix reporting, charts and graphs, hot spots, and
exception reporting, as well as applications with intelligent
hypertext links.

In addition, unlike other application development environments for
EIS, Gentium permits creation of "what if" and forecasting
applications, the product manager maintained.

Gentium's book-and-page interface revolves around a "contents
list," with shared books, sections, chapters, pages, and portions
of pages.

The application "author" can set up and disband workgroups, and
move users from workgroup to workgroup, by dragging and dropping
names of users and groups over icons on the screen. The author can
also choose to restrict application access to specified users.

Gentium will be priced in the range of $1,000 per user, depending
on configuration, according to Planning Sciences.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930915/Reader contact: Planning Sciences Inc.,
tel [phone]; Press contact: Alexandra Ballantine, Information
Counselors for Planning Sciences, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00025)

Logitech Intros SoundMan Audio PC Boards 09/15/93
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- Targeting new
users of PC games, Logitech Inc., has announced the SoundMan
Games 8-bit stereo sound card. The company has also announced the
SoundMan 16 Superpack, as well as a newly upgraded version of
SoundMan 16.

Logitech says SoundMan Games is specifically developed for
newcomers to the game market, and carries a suggested retail price
of $139. The board is compatible with both Sound Blaster Pro and
AdLib.

According to the company, SoundMan Games card has a CD-quality
sampling frequency of 44.1 (kilohertz) KHz and is equipped with a
six-watt stereo amplifier and an OPL-3 Yamaha synthesizer chip.
The chip offers four-operator sound and 20-voice stereo support.

The board also includes a built-in Sony CD-ROM interface allowing
the user to install both single and multi-session CD-ROM drives. It
is MPC and MPU-401 compatible.

The company also says that the board is designed for PC game
players. A "smart" installation program identifies the user's system
setup and helps configure the board. It comes with DOS software, a
new game, and MCS MusicRack from Animotion, featuring sound
recording and editing software for Windows.

The board also offers an interface for one or two joysticks, a
microphone or CD-audio line-in for recording, an output jack for
stereo speakers or headphones, and Windows and DOS software for
sound recording and playback sound. It also comes with a two-year
guarantee and unlimited product support.

SoundMan Games is set to begin shipping in Europe in late October,
and will be available in North America in November.

Logitech is also shipping an upgraded version of its SoundMan 16
16-bit stereo sound card for the IBM PC. SoundMan 16 incorporates
a Yamaha OPL-3 synthesizer chip with 20-voice stereo support, up
to 44.1 KHz sampling and playback, a four-watt stereo amplifier, a
joystick port and MIDI (musical instrument digital interface)
interface, and Sound Blaster, AdLib, MPC (1 and 2), and MPU-401
compatibility. SoundMan 16 is priced at $199.

The user installation of SoundMan 16 has been improved by the
addition of sound and graphics. The company says that SoundMan 16
has no jumpers so users can install the product without having to
set on-board options first and the installation software
automatically selects the correct settings for the system.

The SoundMan 16 Superpack includes a SoundMan 16 sound board,
Labtec speakers and microphone, and several software packages.
The same software titles included in the SoundMan 16 upgrade is
included in the SoundMan 16 Superpack, plus Soft Karaoke for
Windows from Tune 1000. The Superpack is available in mid-
October priced at $229.

As reported in Newsbytes previously, Soundman 16 was originally
introduced in February. At the time, Dave Pelton, Soundman 16
product manager, claimed that the automated installation process
was a key advantage. "We leveraged our vast experience from
scanner and mouse bus board installation and design to produce
a board virtually anyone can install," he said.

Logitech offers seven day-a-week support for all of the SoundMan
products. SoundMan 16 and SoundMan 16 Superpack come with a
three-year warranty.

(Ian Stokell/19930915/Press Contact: Amy Rupley,
510-713-4516, Logitech Inc.)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00026)

Sybase To Resell/Support Microsoft SQL Server For NT 09/15/93
EMERYVILLE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- Sybase Inc.,
says it will resell and support the Microsoft SQL Server for
Windows NT.

The Microsoft SQL Server is the Sybase SQL Server, version 4.2, for
Microsoft operating systems. It is a relational database
management system that enables customers to build departmental
and workgroup client/server applications on Windows NT.

Sybase says it supplements this offering by providing Sybase SQL
Server to enterprise customers who have heterogeneous computing
environments.

Sybase says that its Open Client/Server Interfaces allow customers
to "seamlessly connect from clients and the Microsoft SQL Server
running on Windows NT to Sybase SQL Server running on Unix, VMS,
OS/2, or Novell NetWare."

The company claims that Sybase enterprise customers also benefit
from the ability to access Sybase System 10 components such as
Replication Server, Navigation Server, and OmnisSQL Gateway.

According to Stewart Schuster, Sybase vice president of marketing,
"Customers have a need for different kind of products, prices, and
levels of support depending upon whether they are workgroup,
departmental or enterprise users. Sybase will continue to directly
service the enterprise Client/Server market by providing products
and services for on-line distributed and mission critical
applications."

Newsbytes has been reporting on the SQL Server for Windows NT
product since its beta testing at the end of 1992. At the time,
Microsoft said that it was an essential member of the 32-bit
Microsoft Windows NT networking family, and as such leveraged
the features of Windows NT for advanced client-server applications.

Microsoft has maintained previously that SQL Server for Windows
NT is designed for large scale, mission-critical database
applications and utilizes many of the features and services of
Windows NT, including pre-emptive multitasking, high performance
multithreading, symmetric multiprocessing, high level security,
and integrated administration.

(Ian Stokell/19930915/Press Contact: Holly McArthur,
510-596-3500, Sybase Inc.)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00027)

UK - "Ideal" Windows Monitor 09/15/93
THAME, OXON, ENGLAND, 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- SPEA, the graphics cards
specialist, has launches the CM1764MS, a 17-inch color monitor
aimed at the professional Windows user.

The monitor is capable of a very high resolution (1,024 x 1,024
pixels) and screen refresh rates of 100 cycles per second. These
features, the company claims, make it ideal for use as Windows
monitor.

The UKP 995 monitor was, in fact, designed for use with SPEA's Video
Seven Windows accelerator cards, so as to create what the company
describes as the most effective display solution for Windows users.

Hugh Bishop, SPEA'a managing director, said that, traditionally,
monitors have been either 14 inches for the business user or 21
inches for the professional graphics user.

"However, the graphical interface of Windows, with its use of color
and icons, has created the need for a medium-sized screen which can
fully display graphics intensive Windows applications without taking
over the users desk at the same time," he said.

Bishop argues that a 17-inch monitor is the perfect solution and
that his company has responded to this with the CM1764MS monitor.

"The new monitor is capable of displaying even the most graphics-
intensive Windows applications, such as presentation, software or
desktop publishing, at the advanced resolutions they require," he
said.

The new monitor is based around a Trinitron tube and has a
horizontal frequency range of 30 to 64,000 cycles per second, as
well as a vertical frequency range of 50 to 100 cycles per second,
with an auto-adjustment facility for signals from most computers.

(Steve Gold/19930915/Press & Public Contact: SPEA - Tel: 0844-
261886)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LON)(00028)

UK - Hewlett-Packard's 1st Software-Only Package 09/15/93
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- Hewlett-Packard
has announced the immediate availability of its first software-only
product, Postscript Software. The Apple Computer Macintosh
package has been designed for use with HP Deskwriter series of
printers and sells for UKP 165.

For the money, Deskwriter printer users get what HP claims is true
Adobe Postscript Level 2 printing capabilities on the Deskwriter
550C budget color printer.

According to Andrew Gunyon, HP's Inkjet printer program manager,
this is the company's first foray into the computer software market-
place. "It's the first HP product to use Adobe's configurable
Postscript interpreter software and the first color Postscript
solution that is truly affordable for most small office/home office
(SOHO) users," he said.

Gunyon claims that users whose business environments have
standardized on Postscript will be especially attracted to the
package which gives them Postscript compatibility at home. "The
package also enables graphic artists and desktop publishers to have
inexpensive prepress proofing capabilities," he said.

On a technical level, Newsbytes notes that the Postscript software
is a raster image processor that, when coupled with the Deskwriter
550C printer, is the lowest cost Adobe Postscript Level 2 color
printer system currently on the market.

The software supports 35 standard Postscript printer and screen
fonts, as well as Adobe Type 1 and Truetype fronts. In use, it
calibrates colors and various media types to provide what HP claims
is consistent color matching among output devices.

The package is quite heavy in terms of required computer resources,
requiring a 68030-based Mac or better, equipped with at least 8
megabytes (MB) of memory, 5MB of free hard disk space and System 7.0
or later on the Mac.

(Steve Gold/19930915/Press & Public Contact: Hewlett-Packard - Tel:
0344-369222)


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

Borland Workgroup Products 09/15/93
SCOTTS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- Borland
International is getting into the workgroup game. The company
announced products and strategies for introducing its own
workgroup computing products into the market.

Borland says its approach is built around a "middleware"
software technology product called the Object Exchange (OBEX)
engine, that interacts with the operating system to provide
workgroup and communication services among applications, and
across multiple messaging services and local area networks. The
user interface for this technology is the company's newly
announced Workgroup Desktop.

At the heart of the Workgroup Desktop capability is a process
Borland calls "publish and subscribe," terms coined on Apple
Computer Macintosh machines with System 7, which are a way to
establish ongoing data-sharing relationships among workgroup
local and remote users. Borland describes publishing as a means
of making a data object -- e.g., a file, a document, a piece
of information -- available to other workgroup members.

Subscribing is defined as a means of using the published data
object remotely, in another application or in another file of
the same application.

The concept revolves around the ownership of the data. Someone
who has information to share can publish the information,
sending it to those who subscribe, and the movement and
eligibility of subscribers is determined by the publisher.
Borland claims this will allow users to retain control over
their own information.

Users access the OBEX technology through the Workgroup Desktop,
which can be accessed through a main menu or the Speedbar
available in an application. The Speedbar looks and feels
different for each application, depending on the features
available in the application.

OBEX installs locally on the computer of each workgroup member
and makes objects available to applications globally, so that
multiple applications can share data components, or objects,
globally. Because OBEX stores shared objects on each workgroup
member's computer, Borland claims OBEX provides continuous
access to the objects it contains without requiring users to
be continuously connected to a communications network so
members of the workgroup can use shared data even when the
connection to other workgroup member is not available.

The Workgroup Desktop ships with individual products. Borland
announced the first of those products as Paradox 4.5 For
Windows Workgroup Edition and Quattro Pro 5.0 Workgroup
Edition. For programmers, Borland announced the Workgroup
Enabling Kit, to allow users of off-the-shelf Windows
applications such as Microsoft Word, Wordperfect and Lotus 1-2-
3 to use Borland's workgroup capabilities.

The Workgroup Enabling Kit is scheduled to be available in a
beta test version by the end of the year as part of Borland's
Developer Relations Early Experience Program. Quattro Pro 5.0
is available now for $495 although a competitive upgrade is
$99.95 and with a $20 rebate coupon the price is $79.95.
Paradox for Windows Workgroup Edition is expected in 30 days
for $495, but the competitive upgrade price is $149.95, and a
$20 coupon is available there as well.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930915/Press Contact: Steve Grady, Borland,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00030)

 ****Apple Taps Fast-Growing Chinese Market 09/15/93
BEIJING, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 15 (NB) -- Apple
Computer's chief executive officer (CEO), Michael Spindler, was
in the People's Republic of China at today's opening of Apple's
Beijing office. Spindler said Apple is planning a strong move
into the fast-growing Chinese computer market.

Apple has signed a distribution agreement with the Legend
Computer Group, one of the largest distributors of computer
hardware in China. The Legend Group offers its own line of IBM-
compatible personal computers (PCs) and PC add-on cards and
also distributes hardware from AST, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Sun
Microsystems, and Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). The
company boasts 1992 sales revenues in excess of RMD 2.8 billion
and claims it holds over 20 percent of the market in China.

The Chinese personal computer market is estimated to grow at an
annual rate of more than 20 percent between now and the year
2000, according to The International Data Corporation (IDC) of
China/Hong Kong. China will also regain control of Hong Kong
in 1997.

While the Chinese market is strongly PC oriented, Apple hopes
to gain a foot-hold with the Legend distribution agreement and
by sponsoring a Macintosh-based computing center at Beijing's
Tsinghua University. Apple has traditionally worked through the
higher education channels as a way to reach the more affluent
members of society who have more resources to buy its higher-
priced computing products.

As part of the Apple/Legend agreement, Legend will market and
service Apple desktop and notebook computers, as well as
printers and other peripherals, through its nationwide network
of 18 sales offices, more than 200 dealers and 50 service
centers. Apple is offering the its Chinese System 7.1S operating
system, Truetype Chinese fonts, and four input methods.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930915/Press Contact: Nancy Keith Kelly,
Apple Computer, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Renee
Austin, Regis McKenna for Apple, 408-862-6689)