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/nb930205

Text File | 1993-02-05 | 80KB | 1,791 lines

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00001)

Top Selling CD-ROM Titles 02/05/93
PARSIPPANY, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- The following
is a list of the top ten best selling CD-ROM titles according to
The Bureau of Electronic Publishing. Since The Bureau carries a
large number of independently published titles, this list is a
good representation of the favorite consumer CD-ROM titles.

1. Street Atlas, Delorme Mapping, street-level maps for the US
PC.

2. Monarch Notes, Bureau Development, the entire 200 plus Monarch
Notes crib sheets of famous novels for PC and Mac, $100.

3. Microsoft Bookshelf, Microsoft, basic reference works
including almanac, and dictionary for PC, Mac, and Windows, $189.

4. Mammals, National Geographic Society, multimedia images and
sounds of the animal kingdom, PC, $130.

5.Reference Library, The Software Toolworks, general reference
work for PCs.

6.Grolier Encyclopedia, Grolier Electronic Publishing, Full text,
with maps, pictures, and sound, PC and Mac, $395.

7.Great Literature, Bureau Development, 1,896 works of famous
writers from the past, PC and Mac, $100.

8.Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective, Icom Simulations,
interactive multimedia detective game, PC, Mac, and Windows.

9. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, Geography lessons and
adventure game for PCs.

10. Kings Quest V, Sierra On-Line, D&D-type adventure game for
PCs.

New CD-ROM titles from Bureau Development include all of Charles
Dickens and The Complete Twain (Mark Twain) for PC or Macintosh
systems, priced at $50 each.

(John McCormick/19930204/Press and Public Contact: Bureau
Development, 800-828-4766 or 201-808-2676)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00002)

Nikon Film Scanner For PCs 02/05/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- Nikon Electronic
Imaging has announced a 35mm film scanner available in both internal
and external versions for use with personal computers.

The system, called Coolscan, captures 24 bits per pixel in a single
pass RGB scan of both color and black and white 35mm negative or
slide film, and yields a user-selectable resolution of up to 2700
dots per inch (dpi).

Doug Howe, Nikon Electronic Imaging general manager, says there are
thousands of organizations out there that need high quality 35mm
film scanning. Coolscan, officially the Nikon LS-10, uses sold state
semiconductor light source technology and generates very little
heat. The company says Coolscan provides the fastest on/off cycles
and rock-solid calibration stability.

Nikon says the LS-10 is a smaller, more economical, and easier to
use for less sophisticated computer users. It does not offer some of
the features of the more sophisticated LS-3510AF, such as autofocus
and autofeed, and has a lower resolution.

Nikon says the one-pass system is ideal for scanning photo images
into the computer for incorporation into newsletters, manuals,
training materials, and catalogs. The LS-10 is compatible with
Macintosh Series II, IBM and compatibles, Windows 3.1, Windows NT,
Unix, Next Color Cube, Silicon Graphics, IRIS and Sun workstations.
Suggested retail price for the internal model, which mounts in a
standard drive bay, is $2,195. The external model sells for $2,495.
Coolscan uses a standard SCSI (small computer system interface), and
comes with the necessary cables. The PC version also comes with an
interface card.

Nikon experts offer some suggestions for obtaining the quickest scan
speeds. They say you should turn off the Virtual Memory on your
Macintosh. VM allows multiple applications to be open
simultaneously, but ties up large amounts of system memory. They say
you should also turn off file sharing, because the system
periodically updates the connected users' disk directories. You
should also reduce disk cache.

Nikon Electronic Imaging spokesperson Helene Cohen Smith told
Newsbytes Macintosh or PC users should have at least 8MB of RAM and
a 300MB hard drive to use CoolScan.

(Jim Mallory/19930204/Press contact: Helene Cohen Smith, Greenstone
Roberts for Nikon Electronic Imaging, 516-249-3366, fax
516-249-7048)


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

Windows Utility Tells Users Where To Get More Memory 02/05/93
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- Retailers
will love it and consumers may or may not care for it, but new,
specially bundled packages of Hewlett-Packard's (HP) Dashboard
utility for Windows will talk to users to tell them their
computer is low on memory and to what store they can go to get
more memory.

Sunland Micro Systems is bundling Dashboard with its DOS-
compatible random access memory (RAM) products for sale at
consumer retail outlets such as Montgomery Ward Electric Avenue
and Tandy's Incredible Universe. Three Sunland memory products
offer the Dashboard bundle: the Computer Power memory upgrade,
Laser Power memory upgrade for laser printers, and Power-Math
math coprocessor products. Sunland says it sells about 25,000
units per month and expects to sell 200,000 Dashboard bundles.

The copy of Dashboard for Windows bundled with the Sunland
product will be customized to the retail outlet in which it is
being distributed. Dashboard tracks memory usage via a gauge on
screen which looks much like a car's fuel gauge. When memory is
low, Dashboard plays a message via the PC speaker offering
advice on the retail location where more memory can be
purchased. Dashboard is also customizable by the user,
offers push-button icons to launch applications, and control of
printer or facsimile output.

Before users can buy and install new memory, they need to know
what kind of memory they have. The Sunland memory is in the
form of single in-line memory modules (SIMMs). Varying capacity
SIMMs don't mix, so if the current memory in the computer is in
1 megabyte (MB) modules, a single 2 MB module cannot be added
to increase it. SIMMs can be challenging to remove once snapped
into place, so it is best to be sure the correct ones are
inserted.

Sunland says its memory upgrades come in 2 MB increments in
clearly labeled boxes with Dashboard for Windows included and
start at $119 retail. Dashboard normally retails for $99, HP
said. A lifetime warranty and toll-free technical support are
also offered with the memory products.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930204/Press Contact: Kevin Schofield,
Hewlett-Packard, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Robert
Kanoff, Sunland, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00004)

Report Finds LAN Management Lacking 02/05/93
BASINGSTOKE, HERTS, ENGLAND, 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- A new report says
PC LANs are critical to business operations and a key component
that allows companies to maintain a competitive edge. The report
adds that LAN management practices are not meeting this requirement.

Computervision Services, the international computer support
operation, commissioned a report on local area network (LAN)
technologies and their acceptance by PC users. Entitled "The
LAN Mine," the report is the result of 100 telephone interviews
conducted with 100 data processing, network, and support managers
who have overall responsibility for their organizations' PC
networks. The interviews were conducted by Business Marketing
Services Limited (BMSL), an independent market research operation.

The research notes that LANs are being increasingly used for core
business applications, putting them on a par with more
traditional computing platforms such as mainframes and
minicomputers,

"These companies are facing massive growth in both size and the
status of their LANs," explained Richard Cooper, networking
services manager with Computervision Services. "Many of them do
not have the resources or the expertise to support large LANs,
and indeed they underestimate the support requirements."

The key findings of the research were that:

[] Companies expect an average increase in LAN users of 65
percent over the 12 months. The average for sites which currently
have between 50 to 100 LAN users is 94 percent. The strongest
growth, the report predicts, will be in the manufacturing and
distribution industries.

[] Last year, LAN support represented 13.6 percent of data
processing expense. Next year, it will be 17.2 percent. However,
41 percent of companies unaware of ways in which they can reduce the
cost of LAN support.

[] Nearly 40 percent of companies do not conduct a business case
analysis when considering lAN purchases. This figure rises to 83
percent in the public sector.

[] 69 percent of respondents make no provision for LAN disaster
recovery, even though 59 percent believe that their companies
could not function without their LANs.

[] Sites are understaffed by an average of 25 percent. The
banking and financial sector is the worst hit.

[] 83 percent plan their purchase of LAN support services less
than a year in advance; 38 percent plan less than six months
ahead.

Respondents were asked what they consider is the most irritating
aspect of dealing with their LANs. The problem was seen to be
users: "It would all be so simple if there were no users,"
commented one respondent.

A copy of the report is available on request from Computervision
Services, which claims to have more than 20,000 worldwide
customers. The company operates in more than 60 countries with
3,300 staff. The UK office employs 300 staff to service 6,000
systems.

(Steve Gold/19930204/Press & Public Contact: Computervision
Services - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00005)

Object World - HP Distributed Smalltalk 02/05/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- At Object World,
Hewlett-Packard unveiled HP Distributed Smalltalk, an object-
oriented programming environment that is reportedly the first
product to allow development of crossplatform "hot link" and "shared
whiteboard" applications.

Phil Sakakihara, general manager of HP's Distributed Object
Computing Program, told Newsbytes that the software incorporates
the Smalltalk architecture, a full implementation of the Object
Management Group's CORBA (Common Object Request Broker
Architecture) specification, and additional tools and objects
originated by HP.

The resulting environment enables the creation of multiple
applications that can update one another in real time, like the hot
links programs in Microsoft Windows, or single applications that
can be shared interactively, in the manner of a shared whiteboard,
according to Sakikahara.

Although hot links and shared whiteboard have each been implemented
before, HP Distributed Smalltalk is the first environment that
allows these mechanisms to be used across platforms, he said in an
interview with Newsbytes.

To illustrate how crossplatform hot links work, Sakikahara gave the
example of a company in which some of the staff has access over a
network to charts on current sales figures. The company president
might ask an administrator to enter the latest sales figures on a
report form, with the use of an IBM-compatible PC running Windows.

The information would then automatically update the chart form of
each sales representative, regardless of whether the individual
sales rep was using a Unix workstation, a Macintosh, a PC with
Windows, or some other platform.

Similarly, a team of engineers, working in separate locations and
on a mix of multivendor hardware and software, could use a shared
whiteboard application for the online creation of collaborative
drawings, said Sakikahara.

HP Distributed Smalltalk's ability to generate crossplatform shared
whiteboard and hot link and shared whiteboard applications is based
on its adherence to CORBA, a specification that calls for messages
between objects to be delivered transparently, regardless of
operating system, hardware, or network.

The Smalltalk architecture provides a library of class objects.
To these two components, HP has added others, including objects
that provide the forms and high-level tools for linking objects,
Sakikahara stated.

The tools in HP Distributed Smalltalk are practically without
rival, according to the HP official. "Only the Next operating
system has tools that are at all comparable," he commented.

Lee Rothstein, an analyst with expertise in databases, told
Newsbytes that, in his opinion, HP's use of Smalltalk will lend
increased credibility to the object-oriented programming language.

The consultant also told Newsbytes that HP is showing both courage
and savvy in offering an object-oriented environment at this time,
when many other major vendors are still tending to shy away. "HP
is to be commended," said Rothstein, who is principal of VeriTech,
Merrimac, NH.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930204/Press contact: Lynne Hanson, Hewlett-
Packard Company, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00006)

Object World - Watson Object-Oriented Program For Police 02/05/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- Not that many
truly object-oriented programs are available yet for PC end users,
but Harlequin is getting ready to release a package in this
category, with police officers as its target market.

Exhibited at Object World, the Windows-based application,
"Watson," is aimed at turning police personnel into better sleuths
by giving them easy access to database information, complete with
graphical displays.

Slated for commercial release soon, Watson is now being evaluated
by a number of law enforcement agencies, including the New England
State Police Intelligence Network (NESPIN), Lou Finelli, sales
manager, told Newsbytes.

NESPIN is using the graphical database tool in connection with an
investigation of a string of alleged arsons in Lawrence, MA,
according to Finelli.

The package for police departments allows data to be viewed either
graphically, in event or link charts, or as text-based reports or
tables, explained a Harlequin marketing representative during a
show floor demonstration for Newsbytes.

Information can be pasted into Watson through the Windows
clipboard, or imported from ASCII files or dBASE and other external
databases.

The charts in Watson display icons representing such items as
evidence, witnesses, suspects, and the actions of suspects. The
icons are accompanied by brief text descriptions, and the links
between them are shown as lines.

The event chart provides the police officer with a chronological
display of the history of a crime. The link chart is used for
other information, such as answers to "and/or" queries.

For example, in trying to track down a suspect, with no information
other than a last name of "Smith" and a probable residence of
"Baytown," the officer might ask for a link display of all
individuals named Smith who live in Baytown.

The names and addresses would then appear on the graphical display,
with lines drawn from icons representing each individual to an icon
representing the crime.

According to Finelli, Harlequin is expected to be useful not
only in investigative work, but in presenting cases to juries and
judges in court.

Watson was produced with the use of two Unix-based programs from
Harlequin, LispWorks, an object-oriented development environment
for advanced programmers, and HyperQuery, a query tool for
programmers as well as end users. LispWorks is shipping, and
HyperQuery is in beta.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930204; Press and public contact: Lou Finelli,
Harlequin, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00007)

HP Signs Up For Printer EPA Energy Star Program 02/05/93
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- Hewlett-
Packard (HP) says it plans to make its popular printers more
energy efficient and has signed an agreement with the United
States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to participate in
the newly announced Energy Star program for printers.

The Energy Star program is voluntary and sets up guidelines for
energy efficient computer equipment. Once a manufacturer meets
the guidelines, the resulting products may be labeled with the
EPA Energy Star logo beginning in June of this year.

The Printer Energy Star guidelines are for printers to
automatically power-down to a low level of energy consumption
after a period of inactivity or be built to operate at that low
level of consumption. HP says its Deskjet brand printers
already qualify for the program.

The Energy Star program was first introduced last year and the
first guidelines were for computers and workstations. HP says
it signed up last year as well.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930204/Press Contact: Joan Tharp, Hewlett-
Packard, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00008)

 ****New Radar Finds Objects Up To 200 Feet Underground 02/05/93
POWAY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- Radar that can
"look" into the ground over 200 feet and identify objects as
small as 12 inches in diameter is being tested by Poway,
California-headquartered Patriot Scientific Corporation.

The company says its ground-penetrating radar (GPR) technology
uses microwaves to "look below the surface of the earth." In
initial tests GPR has provided cross-sectional, color-enhanced
pictures of subsurface objects, Patriot said. The company plans
to continue development of the technology so analog information
from the radar can be converted to digital form and displayed
on a computer's color monitor or on video.

While GPR has been around for a while, the deepest penetration
below the surface of the ground has been just a few meters and
only graphical or chart representations of the objects below
the surface have been possible. One use of the technology has
been during flights over the rain forests in hot air
balloons to locate ancient ruins. Another was the discovery of
underground rivers in the Sahara desert.

Penetration of over a few feet has been previously blocked by
moisture, which tends to absorb the microwave signal. Patriot
says it has found a way around the moisture barrier and hopes
to be able to go even deeper than 200 feet in the future.

Applications for the technology are varied and include fields
such as construction, oil and gas exploration, mining,
archeology, geology, water drilling, pollution control,
defense, and even law enforcement.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930204/Press Contact: Robert Putnam, Patriot
Scientific, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00009)

On Time Gets Wireless Links 02/05/93
SOUTHFIELD, MICHIGAN, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- Campbell
Services, seeking to give its On Time and On Time for
Networks calendaring software wireless links, is working
with Fourth Wave Technology and AT&T.

The companies are developing various techniques to attach
On Time to beepers and to control the telephone. Fourth Wave
makes WinBeep, a Windows-based program that will relay
messages to beeper services so that the beeper wearer is
alerted. One way in which this can be implemented would be
to have On Time page all participants in a meeting
prior to the meeting, as a reminder.

AT&T is in the final stages of developing a new technology
to be introduced in March called PassageWay. The idea is to
combine hardware and software to enhance control of phones
by computers. Newsbytes was given an example involving
caller ID. The computer would receive a caller ID call,
look up information about the caller in a database, and
would display it to the call recipient as the two are
talking.

On Time plans to provide an upgrade to all On Time users which
will allow the integration of On Time with WinBeep and PassageWay.
The first part of that upgrade will contain a minor revision
of On Time which will allow it to operate with WinBeep
in a completely transparent mode. The user will simply select a
beeper as the method by which a person is alerted of an event. The
customer will have to purchase and install WinBeep separately.

The upgrade to support AT&T's PasageWay is expected later this year
and will be handled in a similar way. Campbell Services expects
to have a major upgrade of its software later this year and will
probably fold PassageWay support into that upgrade.

(Naor Wallach/19930205/Press Contact: Craig Settles, PR for Campbell
Services, 510-644-3837/PublicContact: Campbell Services, 313-559-
5955, 800-345-6747)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SYD)(00010)

Apple Australia's New Marketing Director 02/05/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- Apple Computer Australia has
a new marketing director, David Rigg. He comes from a 20-year
background in high-tech medical and pharmaceutical marketing.

Apple's MD David Strong said, "David's marketing skills, leadership
qualities and his international experience will see us successfully
implement our global strategy of marketing specifically to each
of our customer groups, while continuing to communicate the great
vision that drives Apple. His appointment will see a renewed energy
for Apple Australia's marketing focus."

Apple meanwhile has sent a sizeable ripple through the Australian
computer PR and press community by ending one of the most
well-known computer PR relationships in the country. After many
years of representing Apple, Communications Solutions (ComSol) has
not had its contract renewed. Apple appears to be taking much of its
PR work onboard, and has also appointed another agency, Holt. Most
Australian computer press were very surprised at the move, with
some expressing the opinion that the Apple/ComSol teaming was the
best and most effective in the industry.

Not one to sit on the fence, ComSol has already announced that it is
now acting for Compaq as it became free to bid for new work.

(Paul Zucker/19930205)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00011)

Australia - Changes For Australian Computer Press 02/05/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- Computer publications are
getting back on deck in Australia after the annual Christmas holiday
break. While many monthly publications continue to be published, others
produce a combined December January issue, and most weeklies shut
down for around five weeks.

The two main weeklies, Computerworld and PC Week, both had a new
look for 1993, though quite different. Computerworld hasn't been
altered in layout or typography, but now includes an Infoworld section,
based on the popular US weekly, also from the IDG stable. It takes a
number of well known regulars from the US version (including the
infamous Robert X Cringely) plus a number of local columnists writing
on areas such as the dealer channel.

PC Week has had a complete revamp, from a new masthead down. Where
Computerworld is a conservative (some would say staid) publication,
PC Week concentrates on lots of color and journalist-personalities.
It includes a new section called Developer News dealing with design,
development, and export from Australia of high-tech products.
Australian PC Week also draws heavily on the US publication under
license from Ziff Davis.

Stablemate of Computerworld, Windows World, has ceased separate
publication and will now appear as a part of Australian PC World
magazine. Despite the depressed computer marketplace, a number of
new computer magazines are being planned in Australia. These
include a games/home entertainment magazine, a home-business magazine
and a high-end corporate PC title.

Also from IDG, Reseller magazine is in its second year of publication.
Reseller is distributed to all PC and mid-range computer dealers and
value-added resellers in Australia as well as to distributors.
It is not supplied to end users. Reseller is a vehicle for
distributors and service providers to inform dealers of their products.

(Paul Zucker/19930205/Press Contact: IDG [phone] or
fax [phone]; PC Week [phone] or fax [phone];
Reseller Magazine, 852 Old Northern Rd, Glenorie 2157 Australia)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(DEL)(00012)

India, Russia Tangle Over Cryogenic Rocket Engine 02/05/93
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- The United States may impose
permanent sanctions on the Indian Space Research Organization
(ISRO) and the Russian space agency Glavkosmos as Russian
President Boris Yeltsin, has ruled out a change in the decision
to supply cryogenic rocket engines to India.

A PTI report said the US wanted to make the two-year sanctions,
imposed last year, permanent. The sanctions on the companies
involved in both countries would remain "unless the deal is
cancelled."

Last May, when New Delhi and Moscow refused to capitulate to US
pressure and scrap the deal, the state department announced
sanctions against ISRO and Glavkosmos. A state department
spokesperson announcing the sanctions then had said, "The parties
to the transaction had refused to terminate the deal and the
US has imposed sanctions in accordance with the law." The
sanctions included a two-year ban on US-licensed exports to the
two agencies, on imports from them to America, and on US
government contracts to those organizations.

When he announced the sanctions, Mr. Boucher made it clear that
only "the termination of the Glavkosmos deal would envisage
the United States to consider a waiver of these sanctions."

Mr. Yelstin, however, on his visit to India, ten days ago,
made it clear that he would not capitulate to any sort of
sanctions imposed by the Americans. As if to prove his was more
than just talk, the Russians signed a host of deals dealing
not only with the cryogenic rocket engine but also defense.
In fact, so accommodating were the Russians that bureaucrats
in North Block were surprised with their willingness to please.

Even on the sticky rupee-ruble issues worked out more than
pleased, at least the Indians. India and Russia agreed to work out
the ruble-denominated debt that India owes to the erstwhile Soviet
Union at the rupee-ruble exchange rate prevailing on January 1, 1990.
This will reduce India's external debt burden by a whopping 32
percent. The rupee-ruble rate in '90 works out to Rs 19.90 per
ruble as against the Rs 31.57 rate in April 1 this year.

Economic affairs secretary, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, told reporters
the two sides agreed that 63 percent of the debt would be paid
in accordance with past protocols at the rate of Rs 19.90 per
ruble. At this rate the debt amounts to Rs 1,96,430 million
(around $ 6.548 billion), compared with the Rs 3,10,930 million
(around $ 10.364 billion) at the rate of Rs 31.57.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19930205)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEL)(00013)

India - Directions In Cellular Case Likely 02/05/93
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- The Division Bench of the
Delhi High Court hearing petitions against the award of a
cellular licence hinted that they would like to pass "directions"
the next time they sit for the case next Friday. The court,
however, said that it would still entertain clarifications from
the concerned parties.

During a short hearing on Thursday, the solicitor general of India,
Mr Dipankar Gupta, appearing on behalf of the respondent, the
Department of Telecommunications of the Government of India, placed
before the court the information sought by the division bench
during its last hearing on January 20.

This included the foreign exchange inflow/outflow details of
the eight successful bidders and the three litigants, India
Telecomp Ltd., Adino, and Hutchison Max Telecom Pvt Ltd. Besides,
the department provided information on the technical evaluation
committee's report on the first stage of the bid and a note on
Groupe Mobile Speciale standard as desired by the court.

(C.T. Mahabharat)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(DEL)(00014)

India's Telecom Department In Alcatel Controversy 02/05/93
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- The Department of
Telecommunications (DOT) is embroiled in fresh controversies over
the introduction of new digital telephone exchanges in the telecom
networks.

The latest controversy includes an attempt to award a contract
to Alcatel of France for supply of 40,000 lines of local exchanges
through the back door even as its prototype exchange is yet to
pass the validation tests.

DOT has permitted Indian Telephone Industries (ITI), the
government-owned telecom company, to import 40,000 lines of
OCB-283-bsed E10 exchanges from Alcatel and supply them to the
Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) -- the public sector
company that manages Delhi and Bombay -- at a price of Rs
5034 plus six percent handling charges.

Official sources say the rationale behind this decision is that
the supply of exchanges will help MTNL achieve its targets for
new telephone connections for 1992-93. It was assumed that by
the time the exchanges are installed, Alcatel's prototype
exchange at New Delhi would have passed the validation tests
conducted by DOT.

The prototype was supplied by Alcatel Modi Network Systems Ltd,
the French firm's Indian subsidiary. ITI, which is getting the
latest technology for the E10 family under a technology upgrade
agreement with Alcatel, did not participate in this tendering
competition. It is yet to supply its prototype exchange for testing.

Rival firms are agitated over DOT's move, as they say it
actually favours the French firm, while supposedly helping the
ITI-MTNL combine. They say the decision, if implemented, would
violate the sanctity of the tendering system. It would open the
ground for a legal battle on the lines of the one relating to
the licensing of cellular mobile telephone and radio paging
services.

They say the "back door move runs counter" to the facts relating
to the technical capability of OCB 283-based exchanges. As it
is, DOT committed a mistake by issuing letters of intent to three
bidders in mid-1992 for a total supply of three lakh lines of
exchanges. As none of them had passed the validation tests at
that time, this decision was viewed as violating the tendering
stipulation.

Of the three bidders (newly incorporated subsidiaries of Ericsson
of Sweden, Siemens of Germany and Japan's Fujitsu) only Fujitsu
has just one more test to pass. The Telecom Commission is yet
to formally approve the validation report on Fujitsu's prototype
installed at Bombay. In the meantime, MTNL placed an order for
supply of 40,000 lines at a price of Rs 5034 per line, with
Fujitsu. DOT sources say that this order will be adjusted
against DOT's earlier letter of intent to Fujitsu for supply
of 90,000 lines.

(C.T. Mahabharat)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00015)

 ****The Future Of Object-Oriented Programming 02/05/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- The object-
oriented (OO) industry envisions a time when end users will be
doing OO (object-oriented) programming right on their own
desktops. But how close is reality coming toward reaching that
dream?

A trio of experts from Next, Digitalk and Oberon Software touched
on this question in a roundtable talk at Object World, and then
delved into the issue with Newsbytes in greater detail.

Users are already getting involved in the OO development process,
but at this point, mostly as collaborators to OO experts, said
members of the panel on "Visual Development Environments."

Next is working closely with financial traders and other corporate
users to supply custom OO applications based on the Next operating
system, explained Brett Bachman, Next's director of software
product marketing.

Due to continuing shifts in the competitive climate, corporate
users' application needs change rapidly, the Next official stated.
Among this group, the most popular applications tend to be highly
complex, involving video, for example.

Some day, these same end users will be able to "re-use" objects
already prepared by OO experts, so they don't have to ask for help
each time application redesign is desired, he added. But before
that can happen, initial design of objects must be made easier and
less time consuming for the professionals.

Why does the OO development process require user input? Because
users' needs dictate the logic behind OO applications, and
ultimately, the nature of the objects developed, concurred Bachman
and the other two panelists, George Bosworth, vice president of
Digitalk, and Ralph L. Specht, director of marketing for Oberon
Software.

"You're going to get all kinds of objects," responded Specht, in
answer to an attendee's question on how the intellectual approaches
of traditional engineering will dovetail with OO development. The
objects used by engineers will reflect engineering concerns and
methodologies, Specht suggested.

After the presentation, Bachman told Newsbytes that, as a benefit
to their collaboration on OO programming, developers and end users
are gaining a better understanding of one another's needs and
perspectives.

Bosworth noted that users can already employ Digitalk's Parts
Workbench for building GUIs (graphical user interfaces) and
other program components. But program logic must be supplied
by specialists using one of two add-ons, Parts Workbench Wrapped
for Cobol or Parts Workbench Wrapped for Database.

Specht said that Oberon's upcoming series of OO development
programs will push programming back from MIS to the knowledge
worker level. By means of user input, the programs will be
simplified over time, he added.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930205)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00016)

Object World - Prentice Hall's Object-Oriented Book Titles 02/05/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- It isn't every
computer trade show that's equipped with a publisher's nook. But
then, it isn't every show that deals with a discipline where even
the experts still clamor for knowledge.

On the show floor at Object World this week, programmers and
business managers have been hitting every software vendor's
booth, often lingering about to take a look at demos, ask in-depth
questions, and strike up professional relationships.

But the booth of PTR (Professional Technical Reference) Prentice
Hall has been just as popular. Packed with titles on object-
oriented (OO) development, PTR's book corner has attracted steady
streams of browsers and potential buyers.

Alicia Aurichio, marketing manager, told Newsbytes that Prentice
Hall starting putting out books on OO programming about five years
ago. Since then, demand has grown greatly, with computer
specialists, executives and end users alike seeking more about
the subject.

PTR has been meeting the demand with increased supply, announcing
about ten new titles at Object World alone. The publisher now
offers six books on object-oriented programming out of its Yourdon
Press division, in addition to more than 50 other object-oriented
titles.

Most of the books are technical in nature, covering such topics as
object life cycles, hierarchical object-oriented design, development
of object-oriented GUIs and databases, and the C++, Smalltalk, and
Lisp programming languages.

But a few of the titles launched at Object World are targeted at
business managers and end users as well as programmers. For
example, Dimitris N. Chorafas and Heinrich Steinmann's "Object-
Oriented Databases: An Introduction" aims at avoiding esoteric
terminology and providing clearcut examples that will increase
readers' understanding of OO concepts.

David A. Taylor and Dan Shafer's "Cooperation: An Object-Oriented
Enterprise by NCR" is billed as giving a concise overview of NCR's
object-oriented enterprise computing system and how it can help
manage an organization.

Other new titles from PTR are meant to introduce computer
professionals to particular aspects of object-oriented development.
For instance, James Martin's "Principles of Object-Oriented
Analysis and Design" covers the following basic concepts of this
discipline: BLOB (Binary Large Object), class, encapsulation,
information hiding, inheritance, message, method, object type, and
operation.

Peter Coad and Jill Nicola's "Object-Oriented Programming," a
book/disk package, teaches programmers how to "object think," or
shift their system-building mindsets into object-oriented
perspectives, during and after the transition to an object-oriented
development environment.

"Object-Oriented Programming" provides programming examples based
on real-life applications, including a sales transaction system and
a traffic flow management system. The book is the third in a
three-part series on object-oriented development by the same
authors.

Two new works by Richard O. Parker are directed at professionals
who are familiar with the Mac, the basic concepts of
OO programming, and the THINK Pascal or C Class Library. Parker's
titles are "Easy Object Programming for the Macintosh Using
AppMaker and THINK Pascal" and "Easy Object Programming for the
Macintosh using THINK C."

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930205: Press contact: M. Beth Hespe, PTR
Prentice Hall, tel [phone]; Public contact: Alicia Aurichio,
PTR Prentice Hall, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00017)

Object World - ObjectCenter 2.0 Introduced 02/05/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- At Object World
this week, CenterLine exhibited ObjectCenter 2.0, software aimed at
making development of the new object-oriented applications faster
and easier.

Speaking with Newsbytes on the show floor, Jill Godett, manager of
marketing communications, said that ObjectCenter is a mixed-
language development environment, meaning that it lets programmers
work in either the traditional C language or object-oriented C++.

By offering both languages, the Unix-based product allows
developers to continue working in C, while gradually moving into
C++ object-oriented programming, she explained. "Something like 90
to 95% of programmers who are now using C++ previously used C," she
noted.

The previous version of CenterLine, Version 1.1, held more than 50%
of the Unix C++ programming environment market share worldwide,
according to International Data Corporation.

Major enhancements to the latest release, Version 2.0, include the
addition of Motif and Open Look, the industry's two standard GUIs
for Unix, plus a new, super efficient C++ compiler.

"In Version 1.1, we offered a low-level X-based GUI. But now the
developer can use either Open Look or Motif," stated Mark Culotta,
software engineer, during a product demonstration for Newsbytes.

The new C++ compiler makes it possible to execute C++ code
directly in C++, speeding development of object-oriented
applications and improving the quality of results by giving the
programmer more accurate error messages, the engineer told
Newsbytes.

ObjectCenter 2.0 runs on Sun-4/Sparc from Sun and HP Apollo 9000
Series 700 workstations from Hewlett-Packard. Priced at $3,995,
the product is available now.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930205/Press contact: Jill Godett, CenterLine
Software, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(WAS)(00018)

 ****FDA Calls For Limiting Use of Handheld Cellular Phones 02/05/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- The Food and Drug
Administration, in what that federal regulatory agency calls a
"talk paper," yesterday recommended temporarily limiting the use
of handheld cellular telephones until their level of safety can
be determined. The agency emphasized that there was no proof of
any danger, but the statement also pointed out that there was not
enough evidence yet to determine that cellular phones were
definitely safe.

In its statement the FDA recommended that users of handheld
cellular units restrict their use of the phones, when possible
make more use of remote antenna telephones (such as car phones or
transportables whose antennas are usually a foot or more from the
body as opposed to only an inch or two with handheld units), and
use standard telephones for long conversations.

Although some people would automatically expect such a report to
come from the Federal Communications Commission because that
agency licenses the use of radio frequencies, the FCC is
concerned with and regulates interference with other services
rather than safety; that is why the FCC certification on a
computer is not a substitute for the UL electrical safety
certification carried by some better systems.

The Food and Drug Administration is one of the federal agencies
charged with determining the safety of various products and the
National Cancer Institute is currently running a new study on the
effects of radio frequency electromagnetic fields on humans.

Thursday's "talk paper" from the FDA does not take any stand on
the safety or non-safety of cellular phones; it is merely
official recognition of the fact that this safety question is
not, as some in the industry would have users believe, a mere
case of hysteria unsupported by any evidence.

What it does emphasize is that whether or not handheld cellular
phone radiation can cause cancer is still an open question and
not a cut-and-dried judgment.

Although industry representatives are trying to put a good face
on this report from the FDA, saying that it should calm fears
among the public, the fact that the report recommended limiting
use of the handheld cellular telephones will only add fuel to the
ongoing controversy.

(John McCormick/19930205)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(WAS)(00019)

MacTV Schedule for February 8-12 02/05/93
MARLOW, NEW HAMPSHIRE, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- MacTV is a
daily one-hour satellite computer product news program broadcast
every day on Galaxy 6, Channel 22, starting at 8 am. Eastern
time. 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 for February 8-12, 1993.

Monday, February 8, 1993: Lotus 1-2-3 1.1, one way to determine
the cost of your monthly mortgage; Quicken 3.0, helpful hints on
how to use the software efficiently; MacInTax, one more tax
preparation package; Illustrator 3.2 & Photoshop 2.01, two op-
quality graphics creation programs; FreeHand 3.1, very helpful in
letting you illustrate the great American novel; Excel 4.0: Goal
seeking, more exciting approaches on how to use Excel 4.0.

Tuesday, February 9, 1993: File Duo, performs needed back-ups of
irreplaceable files; File Force, another Macintosh relational
database; File Maker Pro 2.0, use this to manage your company;
TypeReader 1.0, quick, precise, and dependable optical character
recognition; Expansion Cards, gives your Macintosh growth
potential; IntelliDraw, drawing made easy with this program's
amazing features.

Wednesday, February 10, 1993: Voice Navigator II 2.0, another way
for your Macintosh to recognize voices; Prograph 2.5, how to use
icons to product customized applications; Learn to Speak Spanish,
a CD/ROM language teacher; Smart Alarm Plus, a calendar/daily
appointment/datebook all-in-one.

Thursday, February 11, 1993: PowerBooks: Duo230/180, information
on two recently introduced portables from Apple; Nisus Compact,
neatly compact word processing software; PowerPrint, allows you
the luxury of choosing among thousands of printers for the
Macintosh; Inline Sync, two Macintoshes can synchronize files;
PowerPad, PowerBook gets cursor keys and function; CPU, PowerBook
gets utilities.

Friday, February 12, 1993: PageMaker 5.0, the latest version of
this top-quality desktop publishing software; Publish*It!Easy
3.0, a desktop publishing program that really does have it all;
LetraStudio 2.0, with its type design tool you can get all sorts
of special effects; Ready,Set,Go! 6.0, desktop publishing geared
toward the truly creative; Word 5.1, the version that lets you
punch up dull documents; From Alice to Ocean, another look at one
woman's trek from the Outback to the shore, on interactive
book/CD.

(John McCormick/199325/Press Contact: Wayne Mohr, Executive
Producer, PCTV and MacTV, 603-863-9322)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00020)

ROUNDUP: Stories Carried By Other Media This Week 02/05/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- Roundup is a brief
look at some computer stories carried in other publications
received here this past week.

Computer Currents dated January 26, 1993, carries a special
report on software for personal finance and tax preparation, plus
reviews of Toshiba's 6400 Series portable computer, the
HyperWrite word processor from Looking Glass Software, Inglewood,
Calif., and Microsoft's Access database. Among this issue's
featured columns are: Industry Insight with "The Future of
Silicon Valley;" The Mobile Office with what this winter's
Consumer Electronics Show presented; The Creative Mac, multimedia
presentations at Macworld Expo; and a positive view of OS/2 on
LANs.

The February 1993 issue of DataBased Advisor features a database
training guide.

For February 1, 1993, Computerworld has both its quarterly
Integration Strategies section and a one-of-a-kind survey delving
into network integration.

PC Magazine dated February 23, 1993, has five articles featured
on its cover. These are PC Labs' testing of 61 affordable PCs; a
review of 21 CAD packages; tax preparation software; a glance at
Okidata's multifunction DOC*IT; and this month's free utility,
DEFRAGR.

The March 1993 Macworld brings us its "Special Multimedia Guide,"
which includes a comparison of 11 software authoring tools, for
multimedia presentations' creation, the first annual list of the
top 10 CD/ROM winners, and an article on how to put sound into
your productions, as well as testing of Apple's three new
printers and one scanner and testing of 84 mid-size hard drives.
Also featured are notes on the PowerBook and ratings of more than
350 products.

Spectrum for February 1993 features an article on alternatives to
the hazardous process chemicals used in electronics, plus a
detailed look at power amplifiers.

Release 1.0, dated January 23, 1993, begins with an article on
the changes, current and pending, in the message server/services
areas.

The February 1993 issue of Computer Monthly gives details on the
leading 95 presentation graphics packages, a national guide for
buying PCs direct from the manufacturer, and reviews of a
graphics workstation from First Computer Systems, MicroTech
Computer's powerful VL-Bus system, and the VL-Bus from PowerBox
Systems.

Telephony, dated January 18, 1993, tells how the extensive
telecommunications requirements for this year's Super Bowl were
met. Also covered are AT&T Business Communications' new ATM
delivery plans and Southwest Bell's unique city-wide Centrex
network in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The January 1993 Special Edition of Software Magazine's
Client/Server computing features Foxboro Co.'s new network
environment and how it came about.

The February 1, 1993, edition of Network World has the results of
a 200-reader survey on network service and supply, a report on
MCI Communications Corp.'s expected announcement this week of an
extensive service overhaul, PaineWebber's switch from IBM's
Systems Network Architecture infrastructure to a up-to-date
TCP/IP network, and Oracle's desire to become a leader in
information service software.

Among the cover articles in CommunicationsWeek dated February 1,
1993, are Digital Communications Associates' new Universal
Communications Architecture to integrate LAN-based applications
and mainframe data, what IBM's Systems Network Architecture was
and what it brought into the industry, PaineWebber's venture into
frame-relay technology to become more efficient, MCI
Communications Corp.'s about-to-be-announced, simplified frame-
relay lower-rate plan, and the newest database management system
being designed by Oracle Corp.

Telephony for January 25 is the "Annual U.S. Review & Forecast
Issue."

February's Technological Horizons in Education focuses on
multimedia.

Computer Reseller News for February 1 looks at the top ten
suggestions industry leaders have for IBM.

(John McCormick/19930205/)


(REVIEW)(GENERAL)(ATL)(00021)

Review of: Gates: How Microsoft's Mogul Reinvented an Industry 02/05/93

From: By Stephen Manes and Paul Andrews, from Doubleday Publishing, 666
Fifth Avenue, New York, New York, 10103, 212-765-6500

Price: $25.00

PUMA Rating: 2 (on a scale of 1=lowest to 4=highest )

Reviewed for Newsbytes by: Dana Blankenhorn

Summary: A heavily researched history of Microsoft. A poorly
edited biography of Gigadollar Bill.

======

REVIEW

======

Bill Gates is Peter Pan, and Microsoft his Never-Never Land.
I inferred all this after reading Manes' and Andrews' book, in
which their protagonist often seemed a minor character. While
their research into Microsoft's history is extensive, they never
grasp, or tried to understand, their central character. The
resulting English-language code is as sloppy as they claim, again
and again, Microsoft's code is.

Bill Gates is my age, too young in truth for a biography. But his
emergence this year as America's richest man, thanks to the huge
capitalization of his Microsoft Corp. and his controlling
interest in that company, forced publishers' hands. Because of
his age, any book on Bill Gates leaves off in the middle. Where
he'll go from here is far more important, to himself and to us,
than where he's been. This book leaves us with few hints.

The story in brief. Bill Gates comes from a long line of
entrepreneurs, on both sides of his family. His path is marked by
energy, relentless salesmanship, an understanding of the Main
Chance, and an ability to make talented people work incredible
hours for not enough money. He has benefitting enormously from
the mistakes of his business opponents, starting with Ed Roberts
of MITS and Gary Kildall of Digital Research, continuing with
Apple and IBM.

What's missing here is any insight into the soul of the man. I
would have liked to learn more about his mom and dad, for
instance, or his siblings. All remain vitally important to him --
he moved Microsoft from Albuquerque to Seattle as a homecoming of
sorts. Instead there is merely a mantra -- "witness the
transformation" -- used by the writers first in describing Gates'
demo of Windows 3.0, which really gave Microsoft the whip-hand in
the industry, and continued throughout the text.

Also lacking is any real historical perspective, meaningful
comparisons to Henry Ford, Robert Woodruff of Coca-Cola, Sam
Walton of Wal-Mart or any of America's other big-name
capitalists past or present. I was also wondering on opening the
book whether Gigadollar Bill might be kin to John W. "Bet a
Million" Gates, the 19th century stock manipulator who helped put
together American Steel & Wire. Nothing. It seems to me the
authors were so busy trying to get together facts and speculation
about Microsoft's rise, and place their subject correctly on the
stage, that they forgot to give the man lines that would give
the audience empathy for him.

If I'm plunking down $25 for what claims to be a biography of
Bill Gates, I want some conclusions, some personal insights, some
soul. There are some things here we could use to draw some of
those conclusions. Gates suffered repeatedly from colitis as a
child, making him a prime candidate for colon cancer today -- is
this why he lives as though expecting to die young? His best
friend as a teenager, the guy he modeled himself after -- Kent
Hood Evans -- died in an accident before finishing high school.
Is this why he rushes through life on fast-forward? After a
lengthy relationship he finally turned down marriage to Ann
Winblad, a rare woman who was his intellectual equal and could
have made him truly happy, the authors indicate. Why?

These questions are important because Gigadollar Bill's story is
not done. Far from it. How far can he take his personal fortune
at the helm of Microsoft? How far does he want to take it? To $10
billion? $50 billion? $100 billion? Is his business all he cares
about, or will he eventually marry and have his own family, as
I'm sure his mom would like? No hints. Not even an educated
guess. In the end, our protagonist is no more real than the
floppy disk he balances on the book's cover, and no more
appealing. Big mistake.

Now, I must admit I flew through this book in a weekend, and had
fun doing so. I've never read a biography of someone younger than
I am, someone I've met, interviewed, and felt I knew something
about. But I'm left with the feeling the big-name comic had after
listening to a young comic rock the house but forget to leave
memories of his character -- he didn't leave a tip. The authors
of this book didn't leave a tip on the fate of their main
character.

And the most important fact of Gigadollar Bill's life is never
squarely faced. He's 37, with $7 billion in net worth, more than
any other American has ever had before him. What does he do with
it? What does he do with himself? At the end of the book the
authors describe Bill's new interest in biotechnology, an
interest first fed by Ann Winblad. But he's got many intellectual
interests -- is the idea of a deep puzzle to be solved that which
motivates him? I don't know. And I want to.

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

PUMA RATING

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

PERFORMANCE: (2) Readable, but vaguely disappointing.

USEFULNESS: (1) This book is designed for fun. Don't bring it to
work.

MANUAL: (2) The editors let the writers get away with too much
for their own good.

AVAILABILITY: (3) Doubleday books are available at every
bookstore, often in the front.

(Dana Blankenhorn//19921214/Press Contact: Anne Bentley, 212-492-
9787)


(REVIEW)(IBM)(SFO)(00022)

Review of: Bicom B260i Handheld PC 02/05/93

From: ABC Computer Corp.,2531 237th St., Suite 122,
Torrance, CA 90505, 800-336-2280, 310-325-4005, FAX [phone]

Price: $955, $1,135 with an external floppy and a second set of
batteries.

PUMA Rating: 4 (on a scale of 1=lowest to 4=highest)

Reviewed for Newsbytes by: Nigel Dyson-Hudson

Summary: This coatpocket-sized IBM-compatible PC has six firsts: 1
-- a 286 CPU; 2 -- AA batteries for power (5 AA batteries
required); 3 -- a PCMCIA memory card slot; 4 -- a 60 megabyte hard
disk; 5 -- runs Windows 3.1; 6 -- non-premium price. It is about
the size of a 6" x 9" organizer (8.75" wide by 6.25" deep, 1.2"
tall, weighs 1 kg) and is more versatile. This reviewer liked it a
lot, despite a few minor drawbacks.

======

REVIEW

======

The Bicom B260i is the latest entry in the very uncrowded
coat-pocket PC field. The Gateway Handbook seems to be the only
other unit shipping. I am defining a coat-pocket PC as a system that
runs MS-DOS, has a hard disk but no floppy, has a reduced size but
usable keyboard, and is around 1 kg (2.2 lb). Judging by the
messages on Usenet in comp.sys.palmtops and comp.sys.handheld,
there is a lot of demand for coat-pocket PCs but not many partners
at the dance.

The B260i PC weighs under 1 kg (2.2 lb), and measures 8.75 inches
wide by 6.25 inches deep and is 1.2 inches tall. It is about the
size of the 6x9-inch organizers that many people carry and much
more versatile. The Bicom is powered by 5 AA batteries. The B260i
uses a 16 mHz 286 CPU (AMD 80286 Central Processor Unit), has 2 meg of
memory, a 60-megabyte hard disk and a PCMCIA 2.0 slot. The DR DOS
operating system and PC Diary are in ROM. The case is covered
with a dark gray flocking which is non-slip and hides scratches.

Since the B260i uses a 286 chip, it can run Windows 3.1 and the
manual gives detailed instructions on how to install Windows 3.1.
The system also includes a utilities disk with a custom display
driver and power management software for Windows. PC Diary provides
all the functionality of an electronic organizer and is only a
hotkey [stroke] away. The utilities disk also includes a program to
upload data to and download data from PC Diary. Unfortunately, the
alarm in PC Diary only works when PC Diary is active.

You don't pay a premium for the functionality of the Bicom. At
$1,135 list price for the computer with the optional floppy drive
and a second set of batteries, it is competitively priced against
386SX notebooks that weigh 3 times as much. (In contrast the
Gateway Handbook is $1635 for the same configuration.)

The B260i uses 5 AA batteries for power so it is well balanced.
This a marked contrast to many portable PCs where the heavy battery
pack in the back makes them tail heavy. The B260i nested in the
crook of my arm quite nicely while I typed with the other hand. The
batteries supplied with the unit are nickel hydride (NiH), but
regular alkaline batteries or Nicad batteries can also be used.

The B260i uses full sized connectors for the serial (DB-9) and
parallel port (DB-25). The PCMCIA 2.0 memory card slot allows a
modem, LAN adapter, or more memory to be installed easily. Memory
can be added up to the 16-megabyte limit that can be addressed by
the 286 chip.

The keyboard has the basic QWERTY keys with raised "finger locator"
dots on the F and J keys. The function keys are imbedded in the top
row number keys -- Fn 1 is F1. A numeric keypad is also imbedded in
the keyboard. The keyboard is about a half inch too narrow --
the keys are sized for touchtyping but not spaced for touchtyping.
At least the B260i doesn't use the half-sized keys that many
systems use and the \ key is next to the space bar, not a
half-sized key in a funky location. ABC also sells a full size
keyboard that attaches to the parallel port.

The LCD screen is 7 inches diagonally and almost square so that
characters on the screen don't appear squashed. The screen is a LCD
reflective, not backlit, and it is quite readable.

The floppy disk drive attaches to the right side of the B260i and
becomes a sleek part of the computer. The floppy drive can draw
power from the B260i or from its own batteries. Although the floppy
drive has a latch for locking it to the B260i, I recommend doing a
DIR on a floppy from the DOS prompt before trying to use the floppy
from an application. Sometimes the floppy unit needs an extra push
to seat properly.

The B260i has an "emergency" boot option built-in to bypass the
CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT at bootup. This is in case the
CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT files become damaged and make the
computer unbootable from the hard disk. The B260i does not have a
suspend/resume key; instead the cover is shut down, the PC beeps
for 15 seconds and then goes into sleep mode.

The charge status light is multicoloured to give visual feedback on
the status of the battery and charging. A built-in gauge for
battery status can be displayed on the screen. I averaged 2 hours
before the low power light came on and 2.5 hours before the
batteries totally ran out. However, when the batteries in
the B260i die, the system crashes; there isn't a power reserve that
saves the work in progress. You also cannot plug the B260i into the
charger or switch batteries without first turning the unit off.

Unfortunately, the charger is not a fast charger so it takes about
ten hours to recharge the batteries. The system must be switched
off when plugging the charger in; otherwise the system will reboot.

The cost of the batteries is only $30 for a spare set, unlike the
specialized battery packs that other portables use. The charger has
a standard barrel plug jack so it is easy to make an external
recharger for charging the batteries -- (5 battery holder and a
female barrel plug from Radio Shack). Bicom should offer a DC
charger and external battery holder as options. It would then be
easy to recharge the batteries outside the B260i using AC power
(the mains), a car battery, or solar panel.

Is the Bicom B260i subnotebook what Gateway's Handbook should have
been? Let me answer with a qualified "yes." If a reasonable price,
standard parallel port connector, PCMCIA slot, longer battery life,
better power status indicators, and standard AA batteries are
important, then the B260i is your coat-pocket PC. If you need a
larger keyboard, timer functions, or the ability to switch
batteries on the fly, then the Gateway Handbook is your coat-pocket
PC. (The Handbook uses a mini connector with bulky adapter for the
parallel port. The Handbook's timer can even be set to start-up the
system at a predetermined time.)

"I want a 386SX coat pocket and I want it now!" Well, wait a couple
of months and ABC will be putting a 386SX in the same shell as the
B260i.

WARNING: If you order the unit directly from ABC, there is a 30-day
return period BUT there is also a 20% restocking fee! There was no
mention of this return fee in any pricing information I got.

===========

PUMA RATING

===========

PERFORMANCE: 4. The systems boots fast because the operating system is
in ROM. The 286 chip makes for a speedy DOS PC but I haven't tried
it yet for Windows. The B260i's disadvantages are no dedicated
suspend/resume key and the spacing of the keys on the keyboard.

USEFULNESS: 4. The price of $1,135 for a usable configuration with the
external floppy disk drive, $150, and an extra set of batteries,
$30, puts it right on par with notebook PCs weighing 3 times as
much.

MANUAL: 4. A "Traveling Guide" is included that covers both sides of an
8.5" x 14" sheet of paper. Make several photocopies of it since it
is an important quick reference card. The manual is well laid out
with lots of illustrations and tables. The English is slightly jerky.
The index is complete and it is easy to back from the index into
relevant sections of the manual. The subject of Suspend/Resume is
lacking in the index and manual but the terms Doze, Resume, Sleep,
and Suspend are clearly explained in the glossary.

AVAILABILITY: 4. When I called with a question, I got right through
and was probably talking to one of the designers of the B260i. (It
took me over a week to get through to Gateway with a Handbook question.
Even messages on CompuServe were not answered.) The phone number for
technical support, however, is not toll-free.

(Nigel Dyson-Hudson/19930205/Press Contact: Carlos or Ryan)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEN)(00023)

 ****BBS Privacy Case Goes To Judge 02/05/93
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- A court case which could
have national implications for computer bulletin board operators and
electronic mail users is now in the hands of a Texas federal judge.

The suit was filed in 1990 against the US Secret Service after
federal agents raided Austin, Texas-based Steve Jackson Games,
seizing computers and software. A Jackson employee, Loyd
Blankenship, is believed to be the target of the raid, although he
has never been charged with any crime. Blankenship operates a
bulletin board from his home.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a consortium of computer
industry pioneers, agreed to underwrite the lawsuit. EFF was formed
in July 1990 in response to the Jackson raid by Lotus Corporation
founder Mitch Kapor and writer and lyricist John Perry Barlow. Part
of EF's mission statement says its purpose is "to support litigation
in the public interest to preserve, protect, and extend First
Amendment rights within the realm of computing and
telecommunications technology."

EFF opened a permanent office in Washington, DC in January 1992.
Kapor stepped down as executive director last month, but remains
chairman of the board of directors.

Peter Kennedy, attorney for the plaintiff, says the case may break
new ground. "If the judge rules in our favor, it would establish
several important precedents." The suit seeks more than $2 million
in lost income and royalties for Jackson Games.

(Jim Mallory/19930205)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(DEN)(00024)

No News Yet From FTC On Microsoft; Analysts Reaffirm Buy 02/05/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- No news had come out
of the Federal Trade Commission meeting in Washington, D.C. today
about its investigation into Microsoft Corporation's possible
anti-competitive business practices as Newsbytes reached its news
deadline. However, two financial analysts have reaffirmed their
"buy" recommendation on the software company's stock.

Goldman Sachs analyst Rick Sherlund said the firm is keeping
Microsoft on its recommended list, noting he expects investors to
shrug off Federal Trade Commission actions short of splitting up the
company. Microsoft shares rose 3/4 to 85-3/4 in active trading.
"Unless they're going to move to break the company up, investors
aren't likely to be real concerned about this," Sherlund said,
adding that Microsoft might be able to reach some accommodations
which "aren't likely to be of a nature that are going to be an
impact on Microsoft's business."

FTC commissioners were scheduled to meet today but an FTC spokesman
would not discuss the agenda. FTC staff members are barred from
discussing non-public investigations. Sherlund said there could be
an eventual financial impact or risk to the stock from third party
lawsuits, should one or more of Microsoft's rivals use any FTC
findings as a means to file their own claims against the software
giant.

He added Microsoft can be expected to stand its ground. "I would
expect Microsoft to resist rolling over and being too accomodative
here for fear there's more to come," he added. "Why begin
capitulating? ...They may want to take a strong stand up front and
fight it all the way."

Separately, Shearson Lehman analyst David Readerman repeated his
out-perform rating, his office said. Readerman was not immediately
available for comment, but his office said the analyst has evaluated
various possible scenarios for FTC action. For example, he projects
a 50 percent chance the FTC will simply close its probe and a
similar chance that the case could end up in court.

Microsoft said it has provided data to the FTC and talked with FTC
staff, directors and commissioners, but will have no further comment
until and unless allowed to do so by the FTC.

One news service reported this morning that Microsoft Chairman Bill
Gates has been calling on FTC officials this week in what it
described as "an apparent effort to head off antitrust action," but
Newsbytes was unable to confirm that report.

(Jim Mallory/19930205)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00025)

MCI Update 02/05/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- MCI announced a
joint marketing agreement with CeluTel under which discounts will
be given to Celutel's cellular customers on long distance calls.
Celutel does business as Cellular One in the Rio
Grande Valley of Texas, as well as southern Mississippi, where
international calling traffic to Mexico is especially heavy.

The company's MCI International unit also launched virtual
private network service to Sweden, in cooperation with Telekervet
Sweden. MCI Vnet VNC will link with Telekervet Sweden's Unicall
service -- it's the first such link between the two countries.
The link brings to 16 the number of MCI links, while bringing
Telekervet's total to 8. MCI International also announced service
to Hawaii on the new HAW-5 cable, which will link with other
trans-Pacific cables.

MCI officials also testified against a regulation plan in
Virginia which they say keeps it out of the in-state long
distance marketplace, a market now dominated by Bell Atlantic's
C&P Telephone unit. Donna Sorgi of MCI noted that 40 states
already allow such in-state competition, and it has had no
impact on local phone rates. Finally, the company took a "Vendor
of the Year" award from the Opryland amusement park in Nashville,
Tennessee.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930205/Press Contact: Valerie Hart, Celutel,
410-573-5200; MCI International, Paul Charles, 914-933-7167; MCI,
202-887-3000)


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

GTE, AllTel Trading Property 02/05/93
IRVING, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- GTE is getting cash and a
more cohesive network in a deal with AllTel of Little Rock,
Arkansas.

The deal is that AllTel takes GTE's network in Georgia, with
285,000 access lines, for AllTel operations in Illinois, Indiana
and Michigan plus $440 million in cash. The cash will come mainly
from notes. GTE had 975 Georgia employees, Alltel 330 in the
Midwestern areas affected.

GTE had said last year, after completing the acquisition of
Contel, that they planned to pare their network with an eye
toward consolidating operations. The company already has
extensive operations in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. The
company said it also plans to sell its operations in Kansas,
North Dakota and South Dakota.

For AllTel, which also has extensive cellular properties around
Arkansas and the rural areas of surrounding states, as well as
a Savannah cellular license, the deal will also save some money.
About 235 jobs in Jamestown, New York will be cut as a regional
office there is consolidated with other offices in Ohio.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930205)


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

Thyssen Wins German E-1 License 02/05/93
BONN, GERMANY, 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- A group which includes
Britain's Vodafone and BellSouth of the US won the new private
cellular telephone license, called E-1, in Germany. Thyssen,
best-known as a steel-making company, and Veba, an energy
company, are the major German partners in the consortium, which
also includes some companies in eastern Germany. The Thyssen
group was known as E-Plus.

The losers were called E-Star, and included the BMW motor
company, as well as GTE and US West of the US, Compagnie de
Suez of France and Coditel S.A. of Belgium. The announcement was
expected, following the decision of an expert panel to give E-
Plus the award.

The new network is expected to become the primary means of
telephone communication within the five eastern provinces
formerly called East Germany. The new system will use PCN
technology, a microwave-based cellular system requiring far more
cell sites, but offering far more capacity, than regular cellular
services. The group will create 3,500 jobs in the east, and cost
up to $8 billion.

This is no easy dollar, however. Mannesmann AG, which in a group
including Pacific Telesis of the US won the private D-2 GSM
digital cellular license in 1989, has seen its parents earnings
plunge as a result of the investment, as Mannesmann-Mobilfunk
lost 150 million marks, roughly $240 million. While Mannesmann's
GSM system will in time become a European standard, Thyssen may
do well as east Germans have such a poor wired phone network.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930205)


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

US West Network To Deliver Video By Phone 02/05/93
DENVER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- US West has joined
the rush by phone and cable companies to announce upgrades to its
network. While TCI and Time-Warner, the two largest cable operators,
are adding channels or two-way capability to their services, US
West, like Bell Atlantic, is moving toward video.

Bell Atlantic had said it will install fiber cable in New Jersey,
following lifting of restrictions on its rate-making ability, and
improve parts of its other networks to deliver video on existing
copper wires. US West plans to change the design of its network
and improve the service within its current budgets, spokesman
Terri Howell told Newsbytes.

All this started last year with what Howell called a "Request For
Information," or RFI. "We suspected what we wanted to do was
possible with existing technology. We went to suppliers in August
and asked if we could build it. The results were encouraging. So
what we suspected has been confirmed, and the people we have on
board figured the configuration," which combines fiber cables,
coaxial cables, and regular copper wiring. The metal wiring will
continue in use in part so US West can continue powering its own
lines -- that means that phones won't start going out when the
electricity cuts off in your house.

Much has been made of the cost of the US West project, $500
million per year, but the hubbub is misleading, Howell said.
"The $500 million figure is comparable to what we're spending
now," on network improvements now. The company has a total
annual capital budget of about $2.4 billion. "We asked suppliers
first if we could build what we want for $1,000 per home. We
found we could build it for that or less. We'll know more about
the costs after we finish the Request for Proposal" later this
year. "Since we're forecasting down the road, the $500 million
figure may not be firm. But we do know it is cost-effective in
terms of our costs now."

While US West has not decided exactly where to deploy the new
architecture first, it is likely to move toward new developments
as a standard offering in coming years. "We're talking about a
technical trial of 1,000 lines in late 1993. Then we'll go to a
marketing trial in early 1994, with 10,000 subscribers. By the
end of 94 we hope to get 100,000 people on the system and 500,000
more per year after that. But the decision on where to go has not
been made."

Gary Ames, the company's president and chief executive, compared
the impact of the network to the introduction of direct dial
service a generation ago, and nationwide direct dialing took 40
years to install. The new US West system will be able to provide
both video-on-demand and video telephony, while improving basic
phone service. Ames promised cooperation with cable service
providers as the new capabilities are installed.

The latest announcement is mainly based on a Request for
Proposals, or RFP, US West is now sending to equipment
suppliers, detailing the network architecture and asking
proposals for how to supply equipment meeting its requirements.
Answers are due on the RFP by March 23, and contracts could start
being let this summer.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930205/Press Contact: U S West, Terri
Howell, 402/422-3587)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00029)

TI HDTV Digital Projection System 02/05/93
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- Texas Instruments
unveiled a prototype imaging projection display system that the
company thinks can be a player in the emerging high definition
television market.

The new technology was demonstrated this week at the Third Annual
High-Definition Systems Conference sponsored by the Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Washington, DC.

TI says the digital projection display system is based on its
digital micromirror device (DMD) technology, a micromechanical
spatial light modulator fabricated on silicon using conventional
semiconductor fabrication techniques.

The DMD reflects light rays from an external source into the pupil of
an imaging lens, which then projects the digitized image onto a
screen. TI says the DMD-based system has the potential for high
definition quality. The company says the final high-definition
display system will contain three DMD's each on a single silicon
chip with 2.3 million micromirrors.

TI spokesperson Sheree Fitzpatrick told Newsbytes the DMD technology
has been under development for about 10 years. In 1991 TI developed
a linear array which was used in an airline ticket printer. The
digital technology is presently capable of handling the NTSC
standard of 640 by 480 pixels. Fitzpatrick said TI expects DMD will
be able to handle the HDTV standard of 2048 by 1152 pixels by the
end of the year, the project's next milestone.

Fitzpatrick explained that Each DMD mirror represents a pixel, and
the chip causes the mirrors to tilt for on and off. On is light,
and off is dark. The light is reflected to the screen through a
red-green-blue color wheel. The light projects one of the colors for
one-third of each 16-millisecond video frame.

TI Program Manager Jack Younse says the prototype system is
providing excellent resolution, brightness, contrast, and color
fidelity, as well as fast response times. "This is a major step
toward achieving a true high-definition display system," said Younse.
The DMD system demonstrated for DARPA projected an image onto a
60-inch diagonal screen.

In 1989 TI was awarded a four-year contract from DARPA as part of
the agency's effort to develop a high-definition technology in the
US. Japan has already made significant advances in technology and
DARPA says it's program is designed to ensure the US is not left
behind in a market that could run into tens of billions of dollars.

(Jim Mallory/19930205/Press contact: Sheree Fitzpatrick, TI,
214-997-5467)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00030)

Exabyte Acquiring Everex Unit, Tallgrass 02/05/93
BOULDER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- Exabyte Corporation
says it has signed letters of intent to acquire two technology company
as part of its long-range strategy to offer technology to multiple
markets.

The company said it intends to acquire the assets of the Mass
Storage Division of Everex Systems Inc., and Tallgrass Technologies.
Everex MSD designs, manufacturers and supplies quarter-inch
cartridge DC-2000 tape drives used for computer data storage.
Tallgrass markets various tape systems.

Exabyte said if all necessary conditions are met it will pay $5.5
million in cash for Everex MSD and $1.5 million for Tallgrass.
Exabyte Chairman Peter Behrendt said the acquisitions will
strengthen the company to compete more effectively in meeting
industry needs.

The acquisitions put Exabyte in three major tape markets: digital
8mm, 4mm digital audio tape (DAT) and quarter-inch cartridges. "We
have sufficient resources and a mature infrastructure due to our
success with 8mm technology," said Marty McCoy, Exabyte VP of
strategic planning and programs.

The MSD acquisition includes the company's tape research and
development unit in Ann Arbor, Michigan and manufacturing assets in
Fremont, California. The company said the R&D facility will remain
in Michigan, but manufacturing will be moved to Exabyte's Boulder,
Colorado plant. An Exabyte spokesperson told Newsbytes that 17
Everex engineers will be transferred to Exabyte.

Tallgrass, located in Lenexa, Kansas, will function as a wholly
owned subsidiary, operating independently in all phases of its
business, and will retain its name and location.

A Exabyte spokesperson told Newsbytes that while no problems are
anticipated in the Tallgrass deal, the Everex bankruptcy proceedings
reported by Newsbytes last month may complicate that acquisition.
"There are a lot of details that need to be hammered out," the
spokesperson said.

(Jim Mallory/19930205/Press contact: Susan Merriman, Exabyte,
303-447-7434)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00031)

C&T, Facing Big Losses, Buries Hatchet With Intel 02/05/93
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 5 (NB) -- On the
heels of substantial losses for microprocessor manufacturer
Chips & Technologies (C&T), microprocessor giant Intel and
Chips have announced they are burying the hatchet. Both
companies have announced each is dropping its suits against the
other and are granting each other licensing rights on selected
patents.

This agreement signals the end to the scrappy, soap opera-like
battles the two chip manufacturers have fought with each
other for several years over the rights to the lucrative DOS-
compatible personal computer microprocessor market.

Intel reported earnings that surprised industry analysts with
$5.84 billion in 1992 revenue, up 22 percent over 1991 and
$1.07 billion in net income up 30 percent over figures reported
in 1991. C&T however has been reporting losses for well over a
year, and is reporting a $25.9 million loss in its just-
released second fiscal quarter. This loss is lower than the
losses of $28.4 million reported by Chips in the same quarter
last year.

Specific patents being licensed by the two companies include
Intel granting to Chips a license on selected 8086 patents
(patents 4,363,091 and 4,449,184). Chips in turn will grant to
Intel a license on selected memory controller patents (patents
5,051,889; 4,899,272; 5,040,153; and 4,924,375).

Struggling Chips will pay royalty payments to Intel for use of
the Palmer reissue patent (33,629) on any math coprocessor
products manufactured by Chips and Technologies in the future.
Both companies say they are entering into a corporate non-
disclosure agreement to allow business discussions in areas of
common interest.

Chips has also agreed to dismiss its antitrust and unfair
competition claims against Intel, which is under FTC
investigation concerning such claims. Intel competitors
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Cyrix both continue to have
antitrust suits pending against the microprocessor giant and
Cyrix representatives recently told Newsbytes its lawyers have
been in active contact with the FTC concerning the Intel
investigation. When the FTC investigation will end or its
outcome is still unknown.

Chips is headquartered in San Jose, California. Intel has its
main offices in Santa Clara, California.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930205/Press Contact: Howard High, Intel tel
408-765-1488, fax [phone]; Annie Gladue, Chips and
Technologies, tel [phone])