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/nb930108

Text File | 1993-01-08 | 72KB | 1,651 lines

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00001)

New For PC: 3D Computer Sound 01/08/93
BURNABY, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1993 JAN 8 (NB) --
Advanced Gravis says it has come up with a new sound system
for PCs designed to immerse the user in the middle of an audio
environment for a kind of "virtual reality" effect. Its Gravis
UltraSound 3D for the PC, the next step for the Gravis UltraSound
card, is being introduced at the Winter Consumer Electronics
Show.

The technology, expected to be of special interest in game playing,
consists of a sound card with 512 kilobytes and a set of headphones,
for $249. The company says it is working with 25 developers who
are writing games for the new technology. They include Electronic
Arts, Accolade, and MidiSoft.

Advanced Gravis says its UltraSound 3D processes the audio
signal through a technique called "convolution." New right and
left binaural audio signals are generated to create a wraparound
sound effect to the human ear. The sound signal is actually a
stereo signal shaped electronically to make the listener hear
the sound as three-dimensional.

The company says that, when compared to an equalizer, binaural
processing adjusts the gain and phase of the frequency band. But
it would take two hundred sliders for gain and another two
hundred sliders for phase shift per ear and the ability to
change all of them in real-time to achieve the immersive virtual
reality audio effect of Gravis UltraSound 3D.

The product is a follow-up to the Gravis UltraSound card that
was introduced in October 1992. It has 16-bit, 32-voice
wave table synthesis and CD quality sound reproduction.

(Wendy Woods/19930107)


(CORRECTION)(APPLE)(LAX)(00002)

CORRECTION: Apple's New Low Priced, Ergo Keyboard, Mouse 01/08/93
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 8 (NB) -- Newsbytes
would like to correct an error in the report titled, "Macworld:
Apple's New Low Priced, Ergo Keyboard, Mouse" which ran on the
Newsbytes wire January 6.

The report incorrectly described the logic behind Apple's
Apple Adjustable Keyboard. In fact, Apple Computer, responded,
the new keyboard is hinged in two sections. Users can adjust to
an angle which is right for them - helping them to find a
comfortable neutral position where the hands and wrists are
placed in a straight line with the forearm.

Newsbytes apologizes for the error.

(Wendy Woods/19930108/Press Contact: Marianne L. Lettieri,
Apple Computer, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00003)

Color Powerbooks Due In February, Say Reports 01/08/93
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 8 (NB) -- Apple
Computer is widely expected to introduce its first color
Powerbook portable computers, along with six other systems,
including more powerful versions of existing computers,
February 10 at Macworld Japan.

The Powerbook 165c is reportedly a color version of the
Powerbook 160 and has a 640 by 400, nine-inch passive matrix,
color liquid crystal display (LCD) screen. A faster, more
responsive screen - an active matrix color display - on a
33 megahertz (MHz) Powerbook version called the 185c, is due
later in the year.

The basic configuration of the 165c is expected to be 4 megabytes
(MB) of RAM and an 80MB hard disk, for $3,600.

Along with the color Powerbooks, Apple is expected in February
to launch a color version of the Classic which should retail for
just $1,499. Also expected in the LCIII, a 25 MHz 68030-based
version of the LC which should bring the price of a color Mac
below $1,500, and three 68040-based systems including the
Quadra 800.

The introductions will cap off Apple's attempt to start the
new year with a bang. At Macworld Expo in San Francisco, Apple
announced two new laser printers, introduced a new color
matching software product, a 24-bit color scanner, and
software.

(Wendy Woods/19930108)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00004)

HP's Tiny 1.3-Inch Drives In Production 01/08/93
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 8 (NB) -- Hewlett-
Packard is now shipping its tiny disk drive in quantity and has
lined up distributors. The miniaturized, one-ounce data storage
unit is  as tiny as a matchbox yet is designed to hold 21.4
megabytes (MB) of information. Its first application is set to
be the EO Personal Communicator 440.

Hewlett-Packard introduced the tiny drive, called the HP
Kittyhawk PSM (for Personal Storage Module) in June of last year,
claiming it was the ideal device for systems requiring shock-
proof storage in a tiny package. The shock resistance in the
Kittyhawk PSM uses a similar shock sensing mechanism as used
in cars fitted with airbags. When a sudden movement is sensed,
systems shut down to prevent damage in the event of an impact
occurring.

According to HP, the Kittyhawk is around a quarter of the cost of
similar solid state data storage technology, which costs $50 a
MB. The Kittyhawk PSM costs $12 per MB.

In use, the unit has a mean-time-between-failures (MTBF) of
300,000 hours, with an 18 millisecond (ms) average seek time.
The unit's casing measures two by 1.44 by 0.4 inches.

Hewlett-Packard  reports that Eo Inc., of Mountain View,
California, plans to integrate the new drive into its hand-held
personal communications device. The EO unit, expected to be
shipped this year, is designed to put fax, electronic mail,
cellular phone, and personal computing capabilities into the hands
of mobile executives. The  device is just 2.2 pounds and has the
financial backing of such major industry players as AT&T,
Matsushita, and Marubeni.

The Kittyhawk is also being distributed by Anthem Electronics
and Arrow/Schweber Electronics Group. HP says that the device
will be sold to OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) to
incorporate into their own products.

HP has begun volume production of the tiny drive, according to
Bruce Spenner, general manager of HP's Disk Memory Division.
The goal is to make it a standard for the next generation of
small disk drives and personal storage modules.

(Wendy Woods/19930108/Press Contact: Randi Braunwalder,
Hewlett-Packard Co., 208-323-2332)


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

Croak Out Karaoke With Your PC 01/08/93
BREA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 8 (NB) -- The Karaoke fad
has spilled out of night clubs and the home audio world
to invade the PC market, thanks to Media Resources Inc.'s
introduction of PC Karaoke, an MPC-compatible CD-ROM for the
multimedia PC.

Unveiled at Winter CES in Las Vegas, the PC Karaoke disc is
said to feature "professionally produced CD-audio recordings
of hundreds of the most requested Karaoke songs at a great
price," according to Mike Goldstein, company president. The
price is $100.

The disc features a Windows-based format, 16-bit sound,
and illustrations and photographs introduced by two animated
characters, Professor Karaoke and The Piano Man. Additional
Karaoke CD's with more hits, 10-12 of them on each disc, are
planned for a suggested retail price of just $20 each.

The company is also introducing two other products. Sound
Impressions For Windows is a multimedia PC audio control
panel designed to control waveform audio recording and editing,
MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) file sequencing, and
audio mixing capabilities. The price is set for $149.

Video Director for Windows is a home video editor that lets
users create custom home videos using a VCR and a camcorder.
Onscreen controls play rewind, speed search, and perform
other functions. A mouse is used to "drag-and-drop" the clips
in the order a user wants. The cost is $200.

(Wendy Woods/19930108/Press Contact: Cliff Coffey, Media
Resources, 714-256-5048)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00006)

New For Mac: Acius 4D Server 01/08/93
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 8 (NB) -- ACI US is
shipping a new, multiuser version of its popular database 4th
Dimension, called Acius 4D server. On show at the Macworld
Expo in San Francisco, the server program uses client/server
technology to deliver the 4th Dimension program to multiple
users.

4th Dimension, version 3.0, is also shipping now.

The 4D Server provides a graphical administration environment.
The main administration window shows the name of the database,
the file in use, the size of the memory partition, the cache,
the number of users, the number processes and their status,
and the current level of server activity.

ACI US says 4D Server is not just a data server. It is also a
way to allow clients to use the database while others design
it. 4D Server automatically locks database objects such as
layouts and procedures when they are being modified by a
database designer, the company reports.

"Today many data management tasks never get computerized
because mini and mainframe systems are too costly and complex,
and many personal computer products just don't have the
horsepower," said Marylene Delbourg-Delpphis, president of ACI.
"With the release of 4D Server, this is no longer the case. Since
4D Server uses client/server technology, it avoids many of the
power and speed problems inherent in most multiuser database
systems of the microcomputer world which are based on file
sharing technology."

Pricing starts at  $1,495 for three users.

(Wendy Woods/19930108/Press Contact: Suzanne Whitney-
Smedt, ACI US, 408-252-4444, ext 200, Fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00007)

Australia: Final Splice Made On PacRimEast Optic Cable 01/08/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JAN 8 (NB) -- The PacRimEast fiber
optic cable, which links New Zealand to Hawaii (and thereby onto
the US) has been completed, with the splicing of the final
sections. The splicing was done approximately midway between
New Zealand and Hawaii, approximately 60 kilometers (km)
offshore from American Samoa.

The 7,850 km cable will form part of the extensive Southern
Pacific Network of submarine cables, which join Australia, the
US, New Zealand, and Japan. The other cables which will complete
this network are Tasman 2, which was completed in 1992, and
PacRimWest, which is due to be completed in 1994. This network
will join with the North Pacific Network, and through that
network to the other major fiber optic networks emerging
throughout the world.

With the completion of its laying, PacRimEast is expected to be
commissioned early in the second quarter of 1993. It will provide
over 7,500 digital channels (capable of carrying over 30,000
voice channels) capable of a data transfer rate of 560 megabits-
per-second. The cable, which includes 58 repeaters spaced at
approximately 130 km, is expected to have a service life of 25
years.

The Southern Pacific Network is owned by a consortium of
telecommunications carriers and related companies, including
TNZI (Telecom New Zealand International), AT&T, and KDD of
Japan. OTC (the international arm of the Australian and
Overseas Telecommunications Corp) is the largest single
shareholder.

(Sean McNamara/19930108)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00008)

Australia's Carriers Report High Christmas Business 01/08/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JAN 8 (NB) -- Australia's two carriers -
AOTC (Australian and Overseas Telecommunications Corp) and
Optus Communications - have both reported significant increases
on normal telecommunications traffic over the Christmas/New
Year holiday season.

AOTC (formerly Telecom) reported that traffic was between
16-21 percent higher than at similar times a year before, while
Optus could only compare traffic levels to earlier in the year,
only having offered services since the middle of 1992.

Despite the inability to compare with Christmas periods past,
Optus reported call traffic was up to five times normal levels,
which were within its expectations, and which posed no
congestion problems for the new carrier.

"We had planned well in advance for the holiday period and
everything went well and according to our targets," said Greg
Ellison, an Optus spokesman.

An AOTC spokesman, Robert Clark, attributed the increase in no
small way to the recession currently being experienced by
Australia. "Because of the recession, people have not been able
to travel and have phoned relatives and friends instead. I think
a lot of people saved up the phone calls they would normally
make at other times of the year and made them all at Christmas
instead," Clark said.

OTC, AOTC's international arm and Australia's main provider of
international circuits, provided 5,000 more circuits than normal
over the break - and increase of 50 percent over normal times,
and the largest increase it has provided yet.

(Sean McNamara/19930108)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00009)

Australia: Academic Network To Change To User-Pays 01/08/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JAN 8 (NB) -- The Australian Academic
Research Network (AARNet) is to become a user-pays system after
an expected grant has been drastically reduced. The grant, from
the federal government, was expected to be AUS$13 million, but
has been reduced to AUS$3.4 million - only half of the minimum
needed to keep the network "free" to academic users.

The network, run by the Australian Vice-Chancellors Committee
(AVCC), was to have been expanded with the grant under the
auspices of a "research data network cooperative research
center" (RDN CRC), which is to be set up with the funds.

Only four days before the reduced grant was announced, the
Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Ross Free,
reaffirmed the government's commitment to the AUS$13 million
grant. The move to user-pays was already being considered by
the AVCC, but the reduced grant has brought the implementation
of the plan forward.

Geoff Huston, who runs AARNet from a basement office at the
Australian National University, claims the network is a victim of
its own success - the high level of acceptance and usage by the
Australian academic sector has made it impossible to continue to
provide the network for free to users.

As usage has increased, pressure has been applied to provide
higher-capacity links across the network, which prompted the
application for higher levels of government funding. With the
decrease in that funding, the network now has to move towards
self-funding. The move to user-pays is expected to be
implemented by the middle of 1993.

(Sean McNamara/19930108/Press and Public contact: Geoff
Huston, Australian National University, phone in Australia
[phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00010)

Daniels Replaces Suchanek As Head Of GSBCA 01/08/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 8 (NB) -- The General Services
Board of Contract Appeals (GSBCA) now has a new head,
Administrative Judge Stephen M. Daniels. Judge Daniels fills the
void after the 14-year veteran of that position, former Chief
Judge Chairman Leonard Suchanek retired in September.

Amid the upheaval caused by the change of administrations in
Washington, there has been a quiet battle going on between
Congress, especially Senator John Glenn of Ohio, and the General
Services Administration, the federal agency which oversees the
purchase of hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods and
services by a variety of government agencies.

The GSA's GSBCA is the administrative panel of judges which
makes the final determination of whether contract award
protests have any merit. It is seen as a very powerful entity.

The powerful long-time chairman retired last September under a
cloud of charges lodged by the Senate that he had improperly used
funds to sponsor a conference on technology for the disabled (ex-
chairman Suchanek is himself disabled.)

There were also charges of favoritism, or at least the appearance
of impropriety, in the way former Chairman Suchanek always
seemed to appoint the same group of "super" judges to consider
certain cases brought before the GSBCA.

The resignation had left a question in the minds of many as to
whether the GSA could properly continue awarding contracts
during the time when the was no chairman of the powerful
administrative appeals board.

In fact, this had led to Senator Glenn's calling for a suspension
of new contract awards until a new head was named.

However, late in December General Services Administration
chief, Richard Austin, filled two vacancies on the board and
appointed board judge Stephen Daniels as the new chairman
and chief judge of the Appeals Board.

(John McCormick/19930108)


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

ROUNDUP: Stories Carried By Other Media This Week 01/08/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 8 (NB) -- Roundup is a brief
look at some computer stories carried in other publications
received here this past week.

Government Computer News for the first week of the new year
carries a feature story on how the new administration's inaugural
team is using computers to help them get ready for Washington's
biggest party of the year.

Computer Reseller News dated January 4 says that CD-ROM drive
prices have stopped falling because demand for the latest high-
performance "double-speed" drives is outstripping supplies to the
point where some manufacturers are reporting two months
worth of back orders.

Federal Computer Week for January 4 says that the Environmental
Protection Agency will cut information technology services across
the board because of congressionally-mandated budget cuts.

Informationweek for the week of the 4th looks at Novell versus
Microsoft, the battle for the hearts and minds of LANs (local
area networks), in what is shaping up as a showdown between
Unix and Windows NT.

Telephony dated January 4 looks at the problems of network
management in Alaska's forbidding climate.

Communicationsweek for the 4th says that manual wiring
changes remain the hidden cost in LAN maintenance which can
be drastically cut using port switching at the hub.

Computerworld dated December 28/January 4, contains the
newspaper's "Forecast 1993."

(John McCormick/19930108)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(WAS)(00012)

MAC-TV Schedule For January 11-15 01/08/93
MARLOW, NEW HAMPSHIRE, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 8 (NB) -- MacTV, the
daily one hour satellite computer product news program
broadcast every day on Galaxy 6, Channel 22 starting at 8 am
Eastern time, has supplied the following schedule for first
part of December. Some shows are also broadcast on the Mind
Extension University cable channel.

Previously broadcast programs are available at $9.95 plus $3
shipping.

MacTV Schedule - January 11-25, 1993:

Monday, January 11: Performa 400, the new mass-market Macintosh;
System 7.0.1P, the Macintosh made even easier by the Launcher;
M.Y.O.B., small business accounting software; System 7.0.1P,
adding applications to the Launcher; ClickArt, putting artwork on
your documents; GreatWorks 2.0 - database, paint-and-draw, and
word processor; At Ease, eliminates fear of computer.

Tuesday, January 12: Networks - NetAtlas, StarCommand, and
TrafficWatch II; System 7, learning file-sharing; DaynaSTAR Hubs,
a way to connect computers and networks; HayesConnect, network
sharing of serial devices; cc:Mail Platform Pack, how to put E-
mail on a network.

Wednesday, January 13: PC/MacLink Plus, non-Macintosh software
transfer and translation; Icon 7 1.0, a System 7 icon editor;
Ultimate Payroll, software useful for any payroll needs; EtherMac
and Starlet, networking solutions on Ethernet; The Tinies 1.0,
addictive game with outstanding sound effects; WealthBuilder 2.0,
how to build your fortune.

Thursday, January 14: Computers & Education, how computers
change the learning process; Millie's Math House, children's math-
based educational software; Swamp Gas: Europe 1.0, geography
taught with aid of an alien; Grolier's Encyclopedia, CD-ROM
reference and research; Berlitz: Think & Talk, the Berlitz method
of language-learning; Dvorak on Typing, the truly-talking typing
tutor; PageMaker 4.2, cassette or disk self-guided tutorial.

Friday, January 15: PowerBook 180/Duo 230, two new portables
from Apple; PowerPrint, several thousand Macintosh printer
choices; Inline Sync, how to synchronize files between two
Macintoshes; PowerPad, puts cursor and function keys on the
PowerBook; CPU (central processing unit), PowerBook utilities.

(John McCormick/19930108/Press Contact: Wayne Mohr,
Executive Producer PCTV and MacTV, 603-863-9322)


(REVIEW)(IBM)(LAX)(00013)

Review of: Radius Full Page Pivot Monitor, SVGA Interface 01/08/93

From: Radius, 1710 Fortune Drive, San Jose, CA 95131, tel 408-
434-1919, fax [phone]

Price: Full Page Pivot Monitor $795, SVGA Multiview Interface
$246

Reviewed by: Linda Rohrbough

PUMA Rating (1 lowest, 4 highest): 1

SUMMARY: The Radius Full Page Pivot Monitor is beautiful, but isn't
worth it.

=======

REVIEW

=======

I was the envy of the neighborhood when I got this monitor. It
seems there are not many serious computer users or desktop
publishers who haven't heard of the Radius Full Page Pivot
Monitor.

The monitor itself is great. It's like the monitor on a workstation.
There's so much more screen space than I'm used to with my
14-inch monitor, I can adjust it up and down the way I want to,
it's heavily shielded, and easy to look at.

However, the pivot is a dog. It doesn't work, at least not the
way I expected it to, and it's totally useless in Windows.

The monitor came in an enormous box with a Super VGA card from
Radius. Installation was relatively easy, though there are some
special software drivers that need to be installed in order for
the unit to work in Windows.

The monitor is designed with one flattened corner on the
outside case so it looks like you can turn it. From a sitting
position it is a simple matter to reach up and turn the monitor
from the native long rectangular landscape position to a
upright portrait position. While turning the monitor, there's
an audible click, and the screen goes blank and then redraws in
the new juxtaposition.

I tried it in both DOS and Windows. Under DOS, I expected my
application to reorient itself to the new portrait display, but
instead I got an elongated view of the screen with the commands
still in the relative position to the monitor as they had been
in the landscape position, so I had to turn my head sideways to
read them. However, in the drawing program I was using, the
drawing spread out before me in a portrait position and it
suddenly occurred to me why the monitor was built to pivot so
easily.

It was obviously too much to expect a device driver to reorient
an application, but it is also not reasonable to expect a user
to try to work with commands printed on the screen at a 90
degree angle. The compromise is to allow the monitor to pivot,
which is what Radius has done.

However, when I tried to pivot the screen in Windows, I
discovered the Windows screen scrunched itself up into the top
of the screen leaving about four inches of black space below it
and the sides of the Window disappeared. I found I could move
the mouse into those side portions of the Windows screen that
were no longer physically visible, and I could even execute
commands I couldn't see from the Program Manager File menu
which was off the screen to the left. However, there was no way
to scroll into view any of the portions of the screen hanging
off to the sides. Also the Windows applications I opened all
stayed up in that top portion of the screen.

I've had mixed reports from Radius and their representatives as
to what the problem is. One Radius representative confirmed to
me that indeed, the pivot is not functional in Windows, but
James Stroehecker, public relations for Radius said I must have
simply installed it incorrectly and a technician would call.
That call never came.

There was a time not long ago on when a monitor that didn't
work with Windows would have caused people would shrug their
shoulders and buy it anyway. However, with the wide acceptance
of Windows 3.1 and given the fact that many of the high-end
graphics products, such as Coreldraw!, have moved onto the
Windows platform it's doubtful anyone would buy into such an
arrangement even if it were low priced, which it isn't. The
monitor is retail priced at $795 and the video card priced at
another $246.

Radius said it expects to report a loss again for the quarter
ending on December 31, 1992, and blames the monitors in part for
the lower revenue. The reduced revenues were attributed in part
to a product transition in its color pivot line and to a slower
market demand for some of its products, the company said in a
prepared statement. Radius did say it offered a special
promotion, and sold all of its low cost color pivots faster
than it expected. But a new line of monitors, the Precisioncolor
Pivot is coming in and will eventually replace the monitor I
reviewed here.

============

PUMA RATINGS

============

PERFORMANCE: 1. While the monitor was easy to look at, the fact
that the full page pivot doesn't work in Windows makes it almost
entirely useless at the retail price it is offered at.

USEFULNESS: 1. Again, if it doesn't work in Windows, how useful
can it be?

MANUAL: 3. The manual is complex, but professionally done. It is
illustrated and explanations that border on going overboard
with detail.

AVAILABILITY: 3. The monitor is available through Radius value
added resellers (VARs) throughout the US.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930104/Press Contact: James Strohecker,
Radius, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(REVIEW)(IBM)(LAX)(00014)

Review of: DigiTV, 01/08/93

From: Videomail, 568-4 Weddell Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94089
tel [phone]

Price: $495

PUMA Rating: (1 lowest, 4 highest): 3.5

Reviewed for Newsbytes by: Linda Rohrbough

SUMMARY: The DigiTV is easy to install, comes with speakers,
and all the cords and adapters necessary to connect to a
television signal for television or video monitoring in
Windows or DOS. However, it needs space and ventilation as
it generates heat.

=======

REVIEW

=======

I don't know why exactly, but it is a very exciting prospect
to get television in a window on my computer. The DigiTV
board provides just that. The only requirement is the
display be a video graphics array (VGA). While I found
DigiTV fun to play with, the heat it produced worried me.

The product is a television, on a full-length card that gets
its power from the PC itself. It has connections out the
back for a coaxial cable jack to receive the television
signal, external video input and output, a VGA monitor
connection, stereo output, and a jack for an external audio
source.

The monitor is connected to the DigiTV board and a loopback
cable is provided from the DigiTV board to the video card on
the PC. There's also a flat ribbon cable from the DigiTV
board that connects to a 26-pin feature connector either on
top of the VGA card or to 26 pins coming out from the VGA
card. If the VGA doesn't have a 26 pin connector anywhere,
you can only watch DigiTV in a full screen mode.

Its part of the VGA standard for the VGA card to have this
26-pin connector, but mine didn't so I had to switch video
cards with another PC in my office that had the feature
connector.

I was pleased to see everything was included, which meant I
had all the adapters for the cable and even speakers for sound.

Once I got it all installed and connected, I loaded the
software and got television in Windows on my PC. The
television display is completely independent of anything
else going on, both in Windows or in DOS. I moved the window
around, but it won't go just anywhere. There are certain
constraints as to where it will display so it will snap to
the nearest point it can display when moved.

I discovered early on that a good television picture comes
from a good signal, so I connected the DigiTV board to a
roof-top antenna and got great pictures and reception.

The sound quality was good also. There were four adjustments
for the sound, mono, stereo, pseudo stereo, and spatial
stereo. Even with my $50 ears, I could tell a difference in
the quality and the realistic-ness of the sounds.

I expected to be able to size the screen, but only two sizes
were available, full-screen and a window. The command to
make it a full-screen was especially hard to find in the
manual (it's the "Esc" key) and there's no button you can
press with your mouse to select it.

However, the software is smart enough to go and find
whatever channels are coming in. I tuned each channel via a
separate menu, although I could have manually added and
deleted each channel myself.

The DigiTV board I had was a beta version and the speakers
interpreted into sound the inner workings of my PC all the
time, even when DigiTV was off or muted. While it was
interesting at first (some of the noises sounded like an old
Chevy I used to have) it got old quickly, and I started to
get headaches. Capacitors on the board picked up the
activity in the PC and caused noise in the speakers, a
problem the company says it has since fixed.

My other concern with the DigiTV board is the noticeable
heat it produced. While I didn't have a way to measure the
heat, it was quite easy to feel heat coming from the unit
with my hand above it, much like the heat from the back of a
television set. I have a large case for my PC with lots of
room and ventilation, and it is a relatively cool time of
year. I would hesitate to put this board in a very small
case, especially some of those pizza boxes I've seen around.
A tower case would probably be alright, though.

The price of the DigiTV is one of the lowest going at $495,
but the company says retail prices are in the $349 to $300
range. It has a one year limited warranty as well.

For $300 more you can get an enhanced version that offers
the ability to do image capture in TIFF, TARGA, BMP, and
other formats and allows the television window to be scaled.
The enhanced DigiTV Pro product also will support a super
video graphics array (SVGA) monitor.

============

PUMA RATINGS

============

PERFORMANCE: 4. The hardware performed admirably, was
relatively  straightforward to install, and gave me a great picture.

USEFULNESS: 4. I enjoyed television on my PC. However, it might
be an important product for someone else who needs to monitor
television or video camera while working on a PC.

MANUAL: 3. The manual looked home-grown with very inexpensive
paper. However, it was complete with good illustrations and I
was able to follow it without trouble.

AVAILABILITY: 3. The company doesn't take credit cards, but will
accept a prepaid orders in US funds or C.O.D. orders to US
customers. There's a $15 per shipment handling and insurance
charge for US orders ($5 more with C.O.D.s) and a $90 for
international and overseas shipments. They also reserve the
right to charge a 20 percent restocking fee or to refuse refund
requests altogether.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920104/Press Contact: Louis Gurtowski,
Videomail, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(EDITORIAL)(IBM)(DEN)(00015)

Editorial: Windows For Workgroups 01/08/93
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 8 (NB) -- Can
Windows For Workgroups (WFW) be all things for all people? We
don't know the answer to that, but if you read Microsoft's
workgroup computing strategy you might think that's what the
folks in Redmond, Washington, hope for.

Briefly, Microsoft says that its vision for the future is to make
Windows for Workgroups the basic operating system that would
allow any developer's application to work with just about any
other application through the application programming interfaces
(APIs) contained in WFW.

If users accept WFW as the operating system of choice, one problem
in the computing world would be done away with. Right now
computer users within an organization, if given unrestricted
choices, are apt  to choose a variety of applications for tasks
such as word processing, spreadsheet, or database. If they need
to share their data with other users, it has to be exported to a
format common to both users, a time-consuming task if its even
practical.

Users preferences for their favorite program is one reason why
there's so much unlicensed software on corporate PCs. Even when
a company has a formal policy of standardization, users always
have their own preferences. The company may have chosen
database program "X" for use throughout the company. But one
user may prefer brand "Y," and another brand "Z." The company
will not purchase those programs, since they already provide
brand "X." So the users bring a copy from home, and voila!,
unlicensed software is in use.

Microsoft's vision would allow those programs to work together.
Don't misunderstand me - Microsoft isn't condoning the use of
unlicensed software. They are an industry leader in policing the
industry. But WFW would allow those programs to work together,
exchanging data at will. And while Microsoft wants very much to
sell its own software, acceptance of WFW could give them a
virtual lock on the operating system market.

There is doubt as to whether Microsoft sees IBM's OS/2 as a
serious competitor. Developers seem much more willing to write
software for Windows than for OS/2, and the public has embraced
Windows in huge numbers. Allowing various brands of applications
to exchange data through the APIs in WFW moves the industry one
step closer to a truly open architecture.

Of course there's Apple Computer's Macintosh - the OTHER
platform - to cloud Microsoft's vision. But if Microsoft should
announce that the next version of Windows (Windows For
Everybody?) will run on any Mac or Intel based system, that could
sign the death warrant for OS/2. Ridiculous? Maybe not. It's
already possible to convert files between Intel and Mac platforms,
so who's to say that conversion couldn't be built into the Windows
software.

Right now the biggest fly in Microsoft's ointment is the Federal
Trade Commission. The feds are apparently about to lower the
boom on Microsoft after a 30 month investigation, and could even
break up the software giant into smaller entities as they did in
the case of the phone companies (Baby Softs?).

We don't know what is going to happen, but the next few weeks
can be critical to a company that started from nothing and has
been built into one of the most successful companies in history.

(Jim Mallory/19930108)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00016)

Sanctuary Woods Signs With Electronic Arts 01/08/93
VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1993 JAN 8 (NB) --
Sanctuary Woods has signed a marketing and distribution
agreement with Electronic Arts. Under terms of the agreement,
the company will become an affiliate label of Electronic Arts
which, in turn, will take care of the production, marketing, and
distribution of Sanctuary Woods' products.

The Awesome Adventures of Victor Vector & Yondo is the first
title in the series of CD-ROM based adventure games that
Sanctuary Woods has released, with plans for up to 20 additional
titles in the series.

Sanctuary Woods has also just released a children's story written
by actress Shelley Duvall in CD-ROM. This story is called "Shelley
Duvall's It's A Bird's Life." This new story will be the first to be
completely marketed and distributed by Electronic Arts.

In addition, Sanctuary Woods has announced that they have signed
an agreement with Trina Robbins, a well known comic book artist
and author. Trina Robbins will be creating an interactive
multimedia CD-ROM based story for Sanctuary Woods. The story
will be called "Hawaii High," and is the story of a sophisticated
teenage girl from New York City who finds friendship and
adventure in Hawaii. According to the company, while playing the
game, users will also learn a lot of interesting information about
the island and the life on it.

All of Sanctuary Woods's titles are published in Macintosh, MPC,
and Tandy VIS formats, allowing them to be used by practically
anyone. Hawaii High is expected to become available in the third
quarter of this year. Shelley Duvall's It's A Bird's Life is shipping
now and retails for $59.95.

(Naor Wallach/19930108/Press Contact: Michael Beninger,
Sanctuary Woods, 604-380-7582; Mary Snow, Electronic Arts,
415-513-7199/Public Contact: Sanctuary Woods, 604-380-7582)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00017)

First Wireless LAN-Capable PCs Available Soon 01/08/93
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 8 (NB) -- Proxim
has teamed up with AST Research and Microsoft to create what
may be the first wireless LAN (local area network) PCs. The AST
Advantage! Net series pulls together two of AST's PCs, Microsoft
Windows for Workgroups and Proxim's RangeLAN/ISA adapters,
into a single package that is ready to communicate when it comes
out of the box.

AST is currently planning on offering only two models. However,
more may become available at a later time. The two models differ
only in the specifications of the basic PC. The models include a
25 megahertz (MHz) 486SX-based computer and a mini-tower 66
MHz 486DX2 machine. Pricing has not yet been established but is
expected to be less than $2,000 for the Advantage! Net 486SX/25
and under $3,500 for the Advantage! Net 486DX2/66.

AST will market this new line through all of the retail channels
that it currently reaches. This will include over 900 locations of
such outlets as Circuit City, Computer City, Fretter's, CostCo,
and Sam's Wholesale Club.

(Naor Wallach/19930108/Press Contact: Sally Smith, SSSmith
& Associates PR for Proxim, 513-897-0654; Emory Epperson,
AST Research, 714-727-7958)


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

 ****IBM, Bachman Call Off AD/Cycle Alliance 01/08/93
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 8 (NB) -- IBM and
Bachman Information Systems Inc., have ended all relationships
built around IBM's AD/Cycle, SystemView, and Information
Warehouse product strategies.

The relationships involved cooperative marketing efforts in
applications development, systems management, and data
access and management.

The breakup seems to have resulted from a difference of
opinion over priorities in moving to client/server support.

According to IBM spokesman Steven Malkiewicz, IBM ended the
relationships because Bachman was not willing to commit to
the integration strategy for client/server computing that IBM
announced last summer.

IBM customers had asked for greater integration of software tools
in the local area network (LAN) area, Malkiewicz said, and IBM's
change of direction sought to provide it. He said Bachman was not
prepared to commit to the level of integration IBM wanted among
products.

Since, "we couldn't guarantee that they were going to be offering
the integration that our customers said they had to have," IBM
felt it could not present Bachman products to customers as part
of its product strategies, Malkiewicz said.

However, Arnold A. Kraft, president and chief executive of
Bachman, said it was IBM that was not "going far enough, fast
enough" for Bachman's liking. He also said one of Bachman's
priorities was offering its software across a range of hardware
platforms, including but not focusing on IBM.

Kraft said it would be fair to attribute the split to a
difference in priorities between the companies.

IBM will not necessarily seek a replacement for Bachman in its
International Alliance for AD/Cycle, SystemView, and Information
Warehouse, Malkiewicz said, although the company is always open
to considering new partners. There are now seven software
companies involved in the alliance with IBM.

IBM also said it was "evaluating" its existing worldwide
distribution agreements for Bachman products. IBM is Bachman's
exclusive distributor in 16 countries in the Asia/Pacific region
and in Switzerland and Austria.

(Grant Buckler/19930108/Press Contact: Steven Malkiewicz, IBM,
914-642-5449; Karla Feuer, IBM, 914-642-5473; Kim Sarkisian,
Bachman, 617-273-9003)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00019)

 ****AT&T Takes Stake In Canada's Unitel 01/08/93
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JAN 8 (NB) -- A deal expected
to close by the end of January will give AT&T a 20 percent stake
in Canadian long-distance phone company, Unitel Communications
Inc., and will create a second intelligent network services
alliance between American and Canadian phone companies.

The deal will give Unitel, which in 1992 won the right to offer
long-distance telephone service in competition with established
regional phone companies, access to AT&T's intelligent network
software. Unitel values that at about C$150 million, said Jan
Innes, Unitel's vice-president of public affairs, and in return
AT&T will get a 20 percent share in Unitel.

Unitel needs the intelligent network software to offer advanced
telecommunications services to customers, Innes told Newsbytes.
The deal roughly parallels one signed in September by Stentor
Canadian Network Management, the consortium of Canada's regional
telephone carriers, and the US-based long-distance operator MCI
Communications Inc. That deal gave Stentor access to MCI's
intelligent network software, though not in exchange for equity.

In November, AT&T complained to the US Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) about the MCI-Stentor deal, saying it violated
rules about exclusive arrangements between US and foreign
telephone companies.

The deal will let AT&T and Unitel offer consistent
telecommunications services to multinational companies with
offices in both the United States and Canada, said Suzanne
Berman, a spokeswoman for AT&T Canada in Toronto.

The companies plan to begin joint marketing of selected services
by the middle of this year, officials said. Initial offerings
will include virtual network services, packet and frame relay
data services, digital private lines, and enhanced audio
teleconferencing.

AT&T's stake in Unitel will be drawn proportionately from the
shares owned by the Toronto firm's two present owners, Rogers
Communications Inc., and Canadian Pacific Ltd. Rogers' share will
be cut from 60 to 48 percent, and CP's from 40 to 32 percent.
AT&T is to get two seats on Unitel's nine-member board of
directors.

The deal needs only the approval of the boards of directors of
the four companies, and is expected to close by the end of
January. After that, the three owners of Unitel will inject an
additional C$200 million into Unitel, divided according to their
stakes in the firm, Innes said.

The deal closely follows the announcement that the established
phone companies will not appeal a regulatory decision on the cost
of connecting Unitel's long-distance network to the phone
companies' systems. The phone companies had sought to have
Unitel pay a larger share of the costs.

A press release from Bell Canada, the largest of the established
regional carriers in Canada, said the move confirms that the real
competition in Canadian telecommunications will come from
global firms. Bell officials said they were not surprised by the
announcement and had been "gearing up for this fight." But Bell
also called for the removal of "artificial pricing and regulatory
barriers" that the company said limits competition and benefits
its competitors.

(Grant Buckler/19930108/Press Contact: Jan Innes, Unitel,
416-345-2767; Suzanne Berman, AT&T, 416-756-5034; John
Morris, Bell Canada, 613-781-2443)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00020)

 ****Consumer Electronics Show: Zoomer Personal Info Device 01/08/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 8 (NB) -- Casio and Tandy
have expanded their announcement of the planned Personal
Information Processor (PIP) device at the Consumer Electronics
Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The companies demonstrated a working
prototype, a pen-based unit based on the Geoworks graphical
operating system small enough to fit in a shirt pocket, and
code-named "Project Zoomer."

America Online, providers of the graphical information service
of the same name, and Intuit, makers of small business
accounting software Quicken, have also publicly announced their
partnership with Casio, Tandy, and Palm Computing on Zoomer.

Zoomer has been announced for availability this summer. While
Casio and Tandy are not releasing specifics, such as the
physical dimensions, number of pixels on the screen, or the
weight, they did say Zoomer would be DOS-compatible, able to
connect to electronic services, such as America Online, and
would offer 100 hours of operation powered by alkaline
batteries.

In the demonstration, the working prototype recognized the
handwriting of the person using it, though the handwriting
could have been saved just as it was. The demonstrator made a
mistake while writing a note with the stylus and showed how,
instead of rewriting the entire text, the Zoomer could "back
up," deleting one keystroke at a time. A pop-up keyboard for
typing by selecting keys one key at a time was also available.

An address book that was included had the information expected,
but also displayed a map of the location of each address.

A calculator is also included, and a forms calculator was
demonstrated. The forms calculator in the demonstration was
an amortization schedule of the type a real estate agent might
use. The demonstrator entered the price of the property, the
down payment, and the number of months of financing by hand
quickly, Zoomer converted the handwriting to "typed" numbers,
then performed the calculations showing the payment amount.
The numbers could also be changed and the corresponding
amounts recalculated.

Palm Computing developed the operating system for Zoomer based
on Geoworks. Geoworks has a natural fit with America Online as
the operating system comes in a version with America Online
bundled with it. Palm Computing was founded in January of 1992
as an offshoot of Grid, a Tandy company. It is based in Los
Altos, California, has 15 employees, and is headed by Grid's
former Vice President of Research, Jeff Hawkins.

The Zoomer will be less than one pound in weight, uses no
off-the-shelf components even though it is DOS-compatible,
will be standardized on PCMCIA architecture, and will be priced
"closer to $600 than to a $1,000," Tandy representatives said.

The company anticipates those who own DOS-compatible PCs now
will be candidates for the Zoomer PIP, as well as those who
have not moved into the PC world as yet. An emphasis was made at
the press conference on moving information between the Zoomer
and a desktop computer via America Online, by uploading the
information to the service then downloading it to the desktop
computer. Also, America Online representatives emphasized the
service does not charge an additional fee for sending electronic
mail messages to other services via its link with the Internet,
so users could send MCI or CompuServe users messages easily.

How the physical connection will be made to the America Online
service was not clear and company officials were unwilling to
comment on exactly what was planned. Some hint was made
of using a modem via the PCMCIA slot planned for the Zoomer.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930108/Press Contact: John Roach, Tandy,
tel [phone], Jeff Hawkins, Palm Computing, tel
415-949-9560, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00021)

 ****Consumer Electronics Show: Digital "VCR" from 3DO 01/08/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 8 (NB) -- A lot of
attention at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is
being focused on a new company which says it will not actually
manufacture or market any products, but thinks it can establish
a new consumer digital electronic format, the "Interactive
Multiplayer." The company's president says the new format will
be as popular as VHS is for video cassette recorders (VCRs) and
already AT&T, Panasonic, Matsushita, MCA, and Time Warner have
all jumped on the band wagon.

The company is San Mateo, California-based 3DO (pronounced
"three-d-oh") and its president and chief executive officer is
Trip Hawkins. Hawkins was one of the original members of the
design team of the user interface implemented by Apple Computer
and is founder of Electronic Arts, a $200 million software
publishing company.

Hawkins says members of the 3DO design team include others who
were at Apple in the "early days" when the design work was done,
as well as members of the design team on the Amiga computer
and the Atari Lynx color hand-held game system.

Panasonic has already developed a working Interactive
Multiplayer which is being demonstrated at the CES and is
awaiting FCC approval for release this summer. The format of
the Interactive Multiplayer is the compact disc (CD) and the
system is capable of workstation-like graphic manipulation. It
is based on a 32-bit reduced instruction-set computer (RISC)
chip from Los Gatos, California-based Advanced RISC Machines
(ARM).

Hawkins said while other interactive, digital systems have been
available, no system has been significantly improved over what
was already out there that the mainstream adult consumer would
"plunk down his money for it." The 3DO company believes it can
deliver a significant improvement in interactivity, and a
variety of features to attract adult consumers so the unit
offers something for everyone in the family, and not just for a
"10 year old boy."

The company demonstrated 3DO units playing music and showing
Kodak Photo CDs, and it says with an optional cartridge to
provide support for full-motion video using MPEG compression,
the units will offer VHS-quality playback of movie and video
CDs.

The 3DO technology is not designed around a central processing
unit (CPU), because a CPU controls everything on a clock cycle
and that is inefficient for multimedia, according to Hawkins.
Instead, a custom computer was designed just for doing fast
graphics and animation, 50 times faster than a 16-bit system,
then a custom sound processor that operates in a parallel was
added.

Hawkins called the system's RISC-based CPU a "kind of
babysitter" to which a task could be thrown now and then. The
RISC CPU is fast enough to get "something useful done in one
clock tick, and then give us control right back." ARM, formed
by Apple Computer, Acorn Computers, and VLSI Technology in
1990, says its RISC processor was chosen because it performs
at 14 million-instructions-per-second (MIPS) on the average, but
is inexpensive and only consumes 0.2 watts of power at five volts.

To attract software developers, the Interactive Multiplayer
has a multitasking operating system, and all the development
work for titles will be done on the Macintosh, a platform that
is reasonably priced and one most developers already have and
understand. Also the company is offering the 3DO Content
Library, which has 170 CDs with sound effects, music, video
clips, photographs for use without additional cost and without
worrying about copyright attribution or copyright risks, 3DO
said. Another attraction is that the CDs only cost $1 each to
manufacture, as opposed to game cartridges, which cost $10.
Further, everyone gets the same deal, Hawkins said, including
his own company, Electronic Arts.

As to how 3DO is attracting the big names in electronics to
manufacture the boxes, 3DO has implemented the unusual program
of charging software developers a royalty and then giving some
of the royalty back to the hardware companies. Hawkins
maintains 3DO has pleasantly surprised hardware manufacturers
by saying: "We will help support your marketing, and we will
also give additional incentives to help build and installed
base faster. We're saying, you don't have to pay us royalties
for a system license. All you have to do is support the standard."

According to Hawkins, "What 3DO is trying to be is a catalyst,
not a monopolist. And we are finding that this is very appealing
to everyone we've talked to," he said.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930108/Press Contact: Trip Hawkins, The
3DO Company, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Tim
O'Donnell, Advanced RISC Machines, 408-399-5195)


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

MCI Mail Starts Publishers' Program 01/08/93
RYE BROOK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 8 (NB) --  MCI Mail and MCI
Fax have begun a new program called Information Advantage, under
which on-line services and newsletters can deliver search results
and other information over the on-line services.

Among the players who have signed up for the program are
Dialog, Dun & Bradstreet, NewsNet, and Individual Inc. MCI Mail
spokesman  Jane Levene discussed it with Newsbytes. "We're
publishing a directory of service providers," so customers know
which services are in the program and how to contact them.

This is different from a long-standing relationship with Dow
Jones News-Retrieval, which has a gateway directly into MCI Mail,
Levene said. The rules for contact also differ among the
participants. "With Dialog you contact them and request a search,
then they deliver it to you via MCI Mail or MCI Fax. With Dun and
Bradstreet, you call them for a credit report and they send it
to you. With History Associates, you send them a message via
MCI Mail and they can report to you. Individual Inc., sends their
regular postings to your mailbox. Information Inc.," another
participant, "has an MCI Mail account," so you can contact them
through it. Other participants include the Search Bulletin and
History Associates.

"The difference here is that these services can be contacted
through MCI Mail and get the output back through MCI Mail,"
summarized Levene.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930108/Press Contact: Jane Levene,
MCI Mail, 914-934-6480)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(PAR)(00023)

SGS-Thomson Introduces Low-Voltage Laptop EPROMs 01/08/93
PARIS, FRANCE, 1993 JAN 8 (NB) -- SGS-Thomson Microelectronics
is introducing a new series of EPROMs (erasable programmable
read-only memories) which operate efficiently at low voltages.

The Agrate Brianza-based semiconductor manufacturer - a state-
owned joint venture split between the French and the Italian
governments - is aiming the chips at Europe's burgeoning laptop
market.

Laptops, and similar portable electronic devices, normally lose
80 percent of operating speed when they run memory devices at
three volts instead of the usual five volts. Since laptops need to
work at low power, they should be able to perform better using
the new EPROMs.

They will also be of interest to producers of portable fax
machines, and handheld terminals. They will also be of use in
portable phones, and Italy boasts Europe's largest and fastest-
growing market for these.

The new chips are labelled M27V512, M27V101, M27V201, and
M27V401, and are respectively 512K, 1M, 2M, and 4M devices.

SGS-Thomson is currently the European market leader for EPROMs
of all kinds. The company is set to announce a flash EPROM chip
sometime in 1993.

(Andrew Rosenbaum/19930108/Press Contact: Maria-Grazia
Prestini, SGS-Thomson, Agrate-Brianza, Italy, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(PAR)(00024)

Hewlett-Packard To Make Laser Printers In Holland 01/08/93
PARIS, FRANCE, 1993 JAN 9 (NB) --Hewlett-Packard has announced
plans to begin the assembly of laser printers in Amstelveen, the
Netherlands.

The plant, to become operational in March, 1993, will produce
80,000 printers per month. The plant will cost 30 million Dutch
guilders ($17 million), and is expected to create 200 jobs in
a country where unemployment is over 10 percent.

The European market for workstations is one of the few that
has not suffered much from the recession, and HP has maintained
its market leadership in that area. The California company seems
now to be attempting to extend its market penetration into other
areas.

Hewlett-Packard will combine its assembly and testing operations
at the Amersfoort production facility in Amstelveen. Distribution
will be handled by Van Ommeren, N.V. of Rotterdam, the
Netherlands, which already runs HP's European Distribution Center.

(Andrew Rosenbaum/19930108/Press Contact: Michael Fournell,
Hewlett-Packard, Route du Nant-d'Avril 150, P.O. Box CH-1217,
Meyrin 2, Geneva, Switzerland, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00025)

 ****NCR Intros 486 PCs To Compete With Dell/Compaq/IBM 01/08/93
DAYTON, OHIO, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 8 (NB) -- NCR has introduced a line
of high-performance, low-cost 486 PCs intended to compete with
IBM's Value Line, Dell's Dimension, and Compaq's Deskpro products.

In an interview with Newsbytes, Gary Horning, NCR's vice president
for strategic marketing, said that NCR's new System 3230 offers
an advanced, Intel-based 486 architecture, along with more
sophisticated graphics capabilities than other PCs in its category.

System 3230 is available in five configurations, ranging in price
from $1,155 to $2,137, Horning told Newsbytes. Each model
supports two 80 megabyte (MB), 120MB, 160MB, or 240MB hard
disk drives.  In addition, each can be ordered with Intel OverDrive,
a processor designed to double the CPU's (central processing
unit's) internal speed.

The high-end 50 megahertz (MHz) and 66 MHz 486DX/2 models
come standard with cache memory, along with a graphics
coprocessor, and the Windows Turbo Charger, that supplies
up to three times the speed of standard VGA, he said.

For lower end 25MHz and 33MHz 486SX and 33MHz 486 DX models,
the Windows Turbo Charger are optionally available. All five
models come standard with IMB of video memory.

The announcement of System 3230 completes NCR's System 3000
line, a series of computers, running the gamut from entry-level
PCs to large supercomputers, intended to meet the requirements
of an entire enterprise, Horning told Newsbytes. The next-to-last
step in System 3000, the 386-based System 3225, was announced
in December, 1992.

Although PCs in the System 3000 lineup are targeted mainly at
large corporations, the systems are also suitable for use on a
stand-alone basis or on a small LAN (local area network), he
explained.

The PCs offer the same three-year warrantee that NCR extends to
other computers in the System 3000, according to Horning. "The
PCs are not afterthoughts, or products that are set apart (from
others in System 3000) by a little less of this or that," he
emphasized.

All computers in the System 3300 come standard with 4MB of
RAM, expandable to 32MB.  Other standard features include a high
resolution VGA controller, three AT bus slots, a trio of storage
bays, two serial ports, one parallel port, and one mouse port.

Horning told Newsbytes that the five System 3300 models are
currently shipping to major corporate accounts and prospects.
General shipment is expected to start in March.

The PCs will be available to end users through VARs (value-added
resellers) and some retail stores in North America and the NCR
Direct program overseas.

NCR Direct, a program launched in the fourth quarter of last year,
offers mail-order and catalog sales to most countries in Europe.
"Later in 1993, these capabilities will be extend to countries in
Latin America, the Middle East and Africa," Horning commented.

North American end-user distribution channels will include
ComputerLand stores in Ohio, Kentucky, and the northeast region
of the US, in addition to all MicroAge and Sears Business Center
outlets.

"There's also been some discussion at NCR that, toward the end of
the year, we might move the (3230) product or some variation of
it into (other) retail stores," Horning disclosed.

North American business customers can place orders through
NCR, dealers, distributors, or VARs, he said. International
business customers can order through NCR Direct or through
local dealers or distributors.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930108/Press contact:  Mary Ellen
O'Donohue, Manning Selvage & Lee for NCR, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00026)

 ****Consumer Electronics Show: IBM Cellular Phone/PC 01/08/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 8 (NB) -- IBM is
demonstrating a cellular handheld computer called the personal
communicator and says this is part of its commitment to
consumers and consumer devices. The company's President, Jack
Kuehler, also announced an agreement with Polaroid concerning
new digital imaging technology.

The Personal Communicator looks very much like a rectangular
shaped cellular phone, but has a 4.6- by 1.5-inch CGA liquid
crystal display (LCD) display with a fine (.18mm) dot pitch on
the front instead of number keys. The unit is a cellular phone and
a pen-based computer combined so instead of using a modem and
a phone line users can use the cellular network to get electronic
mail, enjoy on-line access to company databases, or remote data
services.

The computer is PC-XT compatible, uses DOS 5.0, has 1 megabyte
(MB) of RAM, 2MB of built-in applications, and a PCMCIA version
2-compatible slot. The built-in applications include a calendar,
calculator, address book, remote database access, world time, and
entertainment.

IBM says that, with the unit and the cellular network, users can
fax a short typed message or drawing, such as a map drawn on
the screen with a stylus. Users can also make selections in the
built-in applications on the screen by touch, without a stylus,
the company added.

In his remarks at the Consumer Electronics Show, IBM's Jack
Kuehler also announced an agreement with Polariod to develop
technology for capturing color digital images directly without
the use of conventional film processing.

Polariod's camera and instant-print technology is being
combined with IBM's computer technology to capture digital
images directly on a mobile or desktop computer. Kuehler
claims the quality is two to three times better than standard
television quality with over two million pixels per image and
offers the advantage of enhancement or transmittal over phone
or wireless communication. It can also be copied over and over
without any degradation in quality.

While electronic cameras exist which offer quality digital
color rendering, they cost over $10,000. IBM says it plans with
Polariod to make this quality available to individuals and
commercial users.

Kuehler also said IBM is working with the Moving Picture Expert
Group (MPEG) to establish an improved standard for full-motion
video image compression to decrease storage requirements, i.e.
MPEG 2. At 30 frames-per-second, an hour of video tape requires
storage and playback of more than 100-thousand images. The
current MPEG technology can compress and play back video images
storing 20 frames in the space it normally takes to store one.
However, that is still not enough, as a movie still will not fit on
a single CD. MPEG 2 promises to deliver compression so a movie
will fit on a single CD, and Kuehler says MPEG 2 is just around
the corner.

Kuehler also demonstrated a computerized image he could talk to,
that looked in appearance like himself and represented the
computer. This demonstration was reminiscent of a concept
Apple Computer introduced called the "agent," a computerized
electronic servant users could give verbal commands to and
interact with.

IBM's electronic representation of Kuehler described itself as
a "computer driven, human-centric interface, fully digital and
capable of delivering speech from text." The image was
generated using IBM's workstation, the RISC System/6000 and
was created not from a photograph of Kuehler, but from a digital
database of "three dimensional solids." The facial muscles are
linked logically with the spoken words so the digital image had
a the look and sound of Kuehler, but without the "Max Headroom"
kind of jerkiness.

Kuehler also pointed to Prodigy, its electronic information
service developed in cooperation with Sears, and Advantis the
voice and data networking services also developed with Sears,
as proof of IBM's commitment to consumers.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930108/Press Contact: Doug Trent, IBM,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00027)

 ****Consumer Electronics Show: Virtual Reality Eyeglasses 01/08/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 8 (NB) -- Heralded as the
first step toward virtual reality products users will wear
everyday, Virtual Vision has announced a portable projection
television (TV) whose display is a pair of five-ounce eyeglasses.
The product is called Virtual Vision Sport and is being
demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas,
Nevada.

The user can view a large screen television image by wearing a
pair of glasses that look like those worn by snow skiing
enthusiasts. The glasses weigh five ounces and offer the
advantage of a full view of the screen without any blocked view.
The television image appears as an object floating in space,
about 60 inches diagonally in size, out eight to 15 feet ahead
to one side, and slightly lower than eye level.

A belt pack contains a TV tuner, battery, and interface system
for connection to video cassette recorders (VCRs), camcorders,
and cable television which connects via a cable to the eye
glasses. An optional wireless receiver will also be available.

The Redmond, Washington-based company says some applications
for the unit include video viewing for airline passengers,
monitoring of an infant by a parent via a remote connection
with a video camera, sports enthusiasts who want to watch the
game on television while in the stands, and personal use.

Future units will include the ability to interface with palmtop
and laptop computers, video games, and even an instrument to
assist doctors in surgical procedures. However, the company
does not recommend users wear the unit while walking.

The product is expected to be available in April of 1993 but it
is pricey and it is expected to cost somewhere under $900.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930108/Press Contact: Dan Branley,
Virtual Vision, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(DEN)(00028)

 ****Sierra On-Line Hit With Class Action Suits 01/08/93
OAKHURST, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 8 (NB) -- Sierra On-Line
and some of its officers and directors are the target of two class
action suits filed in US District Court in Sacramento, California.
The suits reportedly allege federal securities violations.

Sierra publishes entertainment and educational software. The
company denies the allegations and said it believes the suits
are without merit and will vigorously defend itself.

Sierra Vice President of Finance Bruce Grant told Newsbytes that
the suits had been filed by an attorney in San Diego and had to do
with the company's stock price, but declined to provide additional
details. "It's the usual type thing," said Grant. Sierra received
the suits on January 5, according to Grant.

Last March the company publicly offered 1.5 million shares of its
common stock at $17.25 per share, saying it would use the
proceeds for product diversification, possible purchases of other
complimentary businesses, and to expand its on-line network.
Sierra's stock closed on Thursday, January 7, at 15.5 after a
low of 14.5.

In September 1992 the company warned stockholders that delayed
shipment of King's Quest VI would keep it from meeting its profit
goals for the second quarter. Subsequently, Sierra posted a second
quarter loss of almost $1 million. Sierra President Ken Williams
said at that time that he expected a strong third quarter.

Grant told Newsbytes that results for the third quarter, which
ended December 31, 1992, would be announced the first week
in February.

(Jim Mallory/19930108/Press contact: Richard Gelhaus, Sierra
On-Line, 209-683-4468)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00029)

WordPerfect Acquires Reference Software 01/08/93
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 8 (NB) -- Wordperfect, publisher of
the popular word processing program of the same name, says it
has acquired a controlling interest in Reference Software
International (RSI).

RSI develops and markets software writing tools and electronic
reference works, including Grammatik, a grammar checking
software program. Wordperfect Corp says it will acquire
proprietary computer linguistics expertise as part of the deal.

Grammatik 5, the current version of the program, allows users
to select a preferred writing style and can be installed on
Wordperfect's Macro menu for access from within the word
processor. The program also has a Rule Designer feature that
allows the user to write their own rules. Grammatik 5 has a
suggested retail price of $99.

WordPerfect says that according to a poll conducted by the Gallop
Organization, it holds 71 percent of the domestic word processing
market for 1992, saying that is divided into 85 percent of the DOS
market and 34 percent of the Windows market. WP says more than
nine million users of DOS-based computers use its program, and
the user base for Windows systems is claimed to be over two
million.

WordPerfect also released its Presentations 2.0 for DOS
package, a presentation graphics package with charting, painting,
and drawing capabilities in 1992, as well as Wordperfect 5.2 for
Windows. It says it will ship Wordperfect 6.0 for DOS and
Wordperfect Office 4.0 this year. The company publishes
Wordperfect in 27 languages.

In 1992, it also acquired Magicsoft, a communications technology
company; Beagle Brothers, publishers of BeagleWorks which has
now been re-released as Wordperfect Works for the Macintosh;
and software duplicating and packaging company, SoftCopy.

(Jim Mallory/19930108/Press contact: Liz Tanner, Wordperfect
Corporation, 801-228-5004, fax [phone]; Reader contact:
800-451-5151)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00030)

 ****MacWorld: Apple Taps Heinen Coworker To Deliver Keynote 01/08/93
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 8 (NB) -- The sudden
departure of Roger Heinen, Apple's former general manager of its
Macintosh Software Architecture Division, left a gaping hole in
the Macworld Expo's keynote schedule. Heinen had been slated to
deliver Thursday's keynote but Apple tapped his associate, Kirk
Loevner, instead.

Heinen left the company earlier this week for a job at Microsoft. Apple
spokeswoman Cindy McCaffrey noted that Loevner was able to free
his schedule for the presentation and his presence does not indicate
he will be succeeding Heinen. McCaffrey said that the presentation
was identical to that Heinen was scheduled to give.

"I've been wanting to give a keynote address at MacWorld for years,"
Loevner joked. "I had to get my boss a job at Microsoft to make
it happen." The light tone continued through the demonstrations
with Heinen's name crossed off of one foil and another pun
describing a multi-user flight simulator as "Warfare for Workgroups."

The keynote basically was about Apple's determination to build
on the System 7 operating system foundation of the Macintosh, and
to push development of applications around three key technologies.
He also demonstrated how the Apple Open Collaborative Environment (AOCE)
and Apple Script will work together to produce new applications.

Loevner's presentation glossed over the third technology, Quickdraw
GX, which Apple is touting as the follow-on to this week's
introduction of Color Sync.

Noting that the Macintosh installed base will soon pass 10 million,
Loevner said Apple will create products that "make the most" of
users' investment in data. The demonstrations showcased the AOCE
set of application programming interfaces (APIs). Apple describes
AOCE as foundation services at user and server levels.

As such, AOCE appears to be a cross between Microsoft's Object
Linking and Embedding API and Novell's Netware network services.

Loevner and several Apple managers demonstrated how these
technologies can work together in several ways. They integrate
e-mail, voice mail and video mail in a single mailbox; enhance
workgroup productivity through workgroup editing; and streamline
the process of routing and electronic sign-off of paper documents
such as a purchase order.

Although Loevner described Apple Script as a programming tool for
non-programmers, Apple evangelist Jeff McClure demonstrated
the product, noting, "This is not a script I would have my
father do." The demonstrations of Apple Script may presage a
stronger move by the company into the value-added reseller channel,
as Loevner later hinted when he said that Apple would "extend the
Mac's presence in the industry" by broadening its distribution.

Loevner gave no details on QuickDraw GX. McCaffrey noted that
because Apple is providing more information on AOCE, it will
probably be the first of the new technologies to be introduced.
She expects the introductions to come in the second half of 1993,
probably around MacWorld Boston during the summer.

(Chris Sandlund/19930108)