Newsbytes - International Computing Industry News 1983 May to 1994 June

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(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00001) Mitsubishi Halts Large-Scale Computer Development 03/03/93 TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- Mitsubishi Electric has stopped developing large-scale computers due to the industry's downsizing trend. Mitsubishi will shift production to small office computers. Mitsubishi Electric had planned to develop advanced large-scale computers but instead, has opted to put more effort into the development and sales of small size office computers including IBM-compatible Japanese personal computers. Mitsubishi is currently selling the EX 800 family of large-scale computers, receiving supplies of the most powerful model, the EX 900, from IBM Japan on an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) basis. Mitsubishi planned to develop its own advanced large-scale computer, but it has scrapped that option not only due to a downsizing trend but because of the industry's economic slump. Mitsubishi will shift personnel from its large-scale computer division to its small office computer division. It is expected that about 120 employees will be moved to this division by the end of this June. Mitsubishi Electric reports it will continue to sell current models, the EX 800 and the EX 900, as well as to provide support to users. Meanwhile, Mitsubishi Electric has developed a new type of a 16-megabit static RAM (random access memory) which the firm claims consumes 39-percent less power compared with regular SRAM chips. Also, this chip is about 10-percent smaller than existing chips. (Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930303/Press Contact: Mitsubishi Electric, +81-3-3218-2332, Fax, +81-3-3218-2431) (NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00002) Motorola Shifting More Chip Design To Japan 03/03/93 TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- Motorola is planning to shift part of its computer chip design work to Japan. The bulk of the work will be designing custom-ordered ICs (integrated circuits) for Japanese electronics products, including computers. Motorola Japan is currently designing and developing about 20 percent of its chips in Japan and plans to raise the ratio to 30 percent within 2 to 3 years. Motorola Japan is currently selling 60 billion yen ($500 million) worth of products each year. About 50 percent of the sales involve custom ICs. 40 percent of the custom ICs are currently designed in Japan and the rest are designed at overseas design centers. Motorola Japan wants to design 60 percent of the custom ICs in Japan in the near future. This decision was made due to the increasing demand for custom- made ICs in Japan. Motorola Japan will increase the number of chip designers and engineers by 50 to 70 in order to reach 200 staff handling this assignment within a couple of years. Motorola Japan will also design digital signal processors in early 1994. The demand for these digital signal processors is also increasing due to the popularity of small-size data devices. (Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930303/Press Contact: Motorola Japan, +81-3-3280-8674, Fax, +81-3-3440-0338) (NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00003) Pen Expo Becomes Mobile World, Opens Today In Boston 03/03/93 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- Pen Expo has spread its wings to cover all types of portable devices, and the newly expanded show, Mobile World, gets off the ground today in Boston. Wireless networks, notebooks, pen operating systems, PCMCIA, and PDAs (personal digital assistants) are just a few of the mobile technologies that will be shown and discussed, in 70 conference sessions and a big exhibition area at the Hynes Convention Center. Running Wednesday through Friday, the conference offerings include 10 keynote speeches, nine special product presentations, and three panels, in addition to about 50 smaller sessions addressing particular aspects of mobile computing. Digital Consulting Inc. (DCI), the sponsor of Mobile World, has designed the conference sessions to provide a realistic view of mobile technologies, many of which are still emerging. Keynote and panel topics include "Mobile Computing -- The Reality, The Hype," "Mobile & Pen Computing Expose," and "Showtime for Pen Computing." The 40 smaller conference sessions are organized into seven "mix and match" tracks: Pen Hardware Technology, Mobile Communications, Developing/Programming for Pen, Enabling Technologies, Systems Integration, Managing Mobile Technologies, and Keyboard Machines & Personal Devices. Subjects range from "Using PenPoint" to "The Fruitless Search: Looking for the Perfect Wireless Network," and from "Will Wireless Technology Unleash Groupware?" to "What Happens After Portability?" The product presentation component of the conference will supply a close-up look at actual hardware and software. In addition, attendees will be able to talk candidly with top company officials about upcoming plans. IBM, Fujitsu, Dauphin, Notable, Pen Pal Associates, Spectrum, WACOM, and Kyocera will all take part. Many more products will be on display Wednesday from noon to 6:30 p.m. and Thursday from noon to 4:30 p.m. at Mobile Computing Expo, the exhibition arm of the show. At 7:00 p.m. tonight, just after the show floor closes for the day, the Boston Computer Society (BCS) Pen Computing Group will hold a special meeting, open to members and nonmembers alike. David S. Rose, president of Ex Machina Inc., will speak at the BCS meeting on the topic, "Implementing Wireless Messaging Today." (Jacqueline Emigh/19930303/Reader contact: DCI, tel 508-470-3880, Press contact: Keith Todd, tel 508-470-3870) (NEWS)(TELECOM)(BOS)(00004) ****Markey Wants Govt Role In Global Telecom Highway 03/03/93 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- The Hon. Edward M. Markey, chairman of the House Telecommunications and Finance Subcommittee, addressed the CompTel '93 convention in Boston this week, calling for US government to play a limited but definite role in establishing the national communications infrastructure of the future. The Massachusetts Democrat, who has served on the subcommittee for the past 17 years, also stated his contention that the regional Bell operating companies (RBOCS) should continue to be forbidden from long-distance service until the local competition that is now emerging becomes much stronger. In speaking before the industry lobbying group, Rep. Markey expressed confidence that the new Clinton Administration will work with the committee in supporting these goals. "The gridlock is ended and we now have a chance to move forward," stated Markey. "We've gone from a (President) who didn't know what a grocery scanner was to a President and Vice President who not only know what `PBX' stands for, but who know the capacity of the one in the White House and who aren't happy with it." The development of a national communications infrastructure demands Congressional attention because the future infrastructure is too important to the needs of business and consumers to be left to the marketplace alone, the Congressman said. "(But the government) should be confined to setting goals, facilitating limited improvements in the network (and) funding limited pilot projects. Beyond that (the) private sector should be the primary means of meeting our country's communications needs," he emphasized. In Markey's own opinion, nationwide installation of fiber cabling by the year 2015 should be an overriding goal for the new infrastructure. Nationwide installation of digital switching within the next five years should be a more immediate goal. The NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Association), a division of the Commerce Department, is the appropriate agency to set telecommunications standards, he added. "But with Ron Brown as (Secretary of Commerce) and Larry Irving as director of the NTIA, once he has been confirmed, I am confident that the agency can reach (these goals)." For the time being, at least, the MFJ (Modified Final Judgment), a court ruling that prevents the RBOCS from interexchange services, should continue to stand, he said. "However, (at) the point (when) the RBOCs no longer control the bottleneck, when they face effective competition, we have to ask ourselves whether these restrictions still make sense," he maintained. Government should also set standards that spur competition at the local level, Markey suggested. "The next critical steps on competition will come in the area of expanded interconnection," he noted. Expanded interconnection would link the facilities of the RBOCS to those of competing local carriers, the CAPS (competitive access providers). "The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) took an important step last September on interconnection for special access and will complete the ruling on switched access later this year. Both of these steps were contained in MFJ legislation I first circulated almost two years ago. So I am glad the FCC is moving ahead in this area, and I will be pushing them to finish the job," he said. "To achieve real local loop competition means...that when you pick up the phone you reach the phone company of your choice -- the same kind of competition we now have in the long distance area." (Jacqueline Emigh/19930202) (NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00005) Northern Telecom Introduces Magellen Line 03/03/93 NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- Northern Telecom, one of the two dominant telephone switch makers in the US, created a new family of data network products under the name Magellan. The product line is designed to work around the world, and its first product is a networking switch called Passport. The Passport switch is a data complement to Northern's DPN 100 product, and can consolidate data, voice, and video on a single network, offering frame relay services to companies to link their local area networks. It is also designed to work under an emerging fast-data standard called Asynchronous Transfer Mode, or ATM. Competitor AT&T has signed agreements with Cisco, a maker of routers, and frame relay switch maker Stratacom designed to insure that ATM and frame relay remain compatible. Passport is designed to handle the management of many types of data traffic, including files which can be turned into voice or multimedia at the other end of a call, and converts between frame relay and cell relay -- the latter is a technique common in ATM. Volume shipments of the new switch are due to start in about a year. (Dana Blankenhorn/19930302/Press Contact: Northern Telecom, Lee Williams, 919/992-3125) (NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00006) Knight Ridder Buys Data-Star 03/03/93 MIAMI, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- Knight-Ridder, a newspaper chain which already owns Dialog, the largest online library in the US, has bought Data-Star, the largest online library in Europe. Terms were not disclosed. The seller is Motor-Columbus AG, a Swiss engineering technology firm. Newsbytes discussed the deal with Knight-Ridder spokesman Frank Hawkins, who confirmed the transaction has already been completed. But he said the company has no plans to integrate Data-Star into Dialog operations at the present time. "Initially and for the foreseeable future the two companies will continue to be run separately in Europe." He said the situation with Data- Star and Vu/Text, which specialized in putting newspapers online and has been slowly integrated into Dialog, is different. "Vu/Text is a small company with a specialized niche. That made it easy to integrate. But Data-Star is a big company with many parallel functions and databases. It has its own separate sales and marketing organization, and its own specific European presence. All those things are valuable." Knight-Ridder purchased Dialog in 1988 from Lockheed but has since done little to change the company's corporate culture. Hawkins said that is deliberate. "We have never replaced anyone from Miami. After Dialog was purchased Roger Summit, their founder, retired. But Knight-Ridder has never done any slash and burn." (Dana Blankenhorn/19930302/Press Contact: Frank Hawkins, Knight- Ridder, 305-376-3838) (NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00007) IBM Japan's Multimedia Developers Club 03/03/93 TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- IBM Japan has announced a "Multimedia Developers' Club" will be established in April to create quality multimedia software in cooperation with other firms. IBM Japan will also provide technical information to the member firms. IBM Japan has been setting the stage for creation of the club for promotion and development of software for its personal computers since last year. Expected member firms include those involved in motion picture, book, and music production, as well as computer software and hardware firms. The club aims to provide its members with the latest information on IBM's personal computers as well as opportunities to exchange ideas on multimedia software. IBM Japan intends to encourage production of business software as well as game and entertainment titles. IBM Japan will hold seminars and meetings to provide up-to-date technical information to its members. Also, member firms will be able to purchase IBM Japan's multimedia PCs at extremely low prices -- up to 45 percent discount against the retail prices. The annual membership fee for this Club is 100,000 yen ($830) for corporate users, and 10,000 yen ($83) for individual users. In order to get a membership, the prospective members must take some introductory seminars, which will be held by IBM Japan. It is expected that about 100 corporate members and 50 individual members will get together at this club. (Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930201/Press Contact: IBM Japan, Multi-media Developers' Club, +81-3-3248-7381, Fax, +81-3-3546- 7302) (NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00008) India - Software Training Lucrative 03/03/93 NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- Software is not the only way to spell hard currency. As more and more are discovering, software training too can rake in the dough (in this case dollars). It was a small and hesitant beginning when NIIT, the premier training institute in the country, tied up with Systems Education Center (SEC), Singapore, in early 1991 to train the latter's professionals in the Unix operating system, reminisces P. Rajendran, director, NIIT. After Singapore it was Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. "There is a demand for high-end courses like Unix system software programming, Unix communications and networking, Unix productivity tools, database management, or anything concerning networking," explains Rajendran. "They (foreign clients) know that for a similar course Western companies (in this case industrialized) will charge at least three times more than we do." NIIT has recently bagged an order from Pegi Advanced Technologies, Malaysia, for training managers, users, and technical professionals. Earlier, it had executed a national computer training contract for the National Institute of Public Administration (Malaysia) Intan and Mimos. Malaysia is the eighth Asian country where NIIT is conducting training. The institute has set up an office in Singapore to identify specific needs of the market and to scout for clients. If NIIT is there, can Apple Industries be far behind? (Apple is the second largest training institute in the country, and has nothing to do with the makers of the Macintosh). Realizing the potential of computer training in Middle East countries, Apple set up a joint venture with Baharain-based Gulf Markets International. The new company, Aptech Information Systems, will operate 10 centers in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Muscat and Doha. The Middle East centers are expected to generate revenues worth Rs 10 crore ($3.33 million) in the first full year of operations. Apple is also setting up offices in London and Mauritius. While the London office will look after the group's interests in Europe, the Mauritius office will serve as the node for computer training ventures in Africa. The company has been accorded "pioneer status" by the government of Mauritius, which will give the company substantial tax concessions and other benefits. Smelling profit, Delhi-based India Education Centre (IEC) has opened a training center in Nepal. Two more centers in Singapore and Mauritius are also in the cards. As the vision and innovation of leaders pave the way, many more may emulate the training track abroad. (C.T. Mahabharat/19930303) (NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00009) UK - Microsoft Lures DOS Users To Windows 03/03/93 WOKINGHAM, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- Microsoft has launched a trade-in program that aims to persuade its DOS application users to migrate to the same package under Windows. The program is a two-tier affair, with users of Microsoft applications being offered a Windows version for UKP 99, while users of competing DOS packages can upgrade to the Windows (Microsoft) equivalent for UKP 129. The scheme runs until the end of June this year. So why extend an upgrade offer to the company's existing users? Surely this is "preaching to the converted?" "We want to make it easier for PC users everywhere to take advantage of the benefits of working in Windows," explained Sean Orpen, applications group marketing manager with Microsoft. Orpen added that he is confident that the trade-in program will provide the company's customers with an incentive to "re-evaluate their character-based product portfolio and choose to move to the Windows environment." To take advantage of the trade-in promotion, customers buy either a trade-in pack (for competing product users) or an upgrade pack (for existing Microsoft DOS users) through their reseller. Users of competitive products can opt for Word for Windows 2.0, Excel 4.0 for Windows, Powerpoint 3.0 for Windows, Access 1.0 for Windows, Foxpro 2.5 for Windows or Project 3.0 for Windows. Existing Microsoft users, meanwhile, can choose between Word 2.0 for Windows, Excel 4.0 for Windows, Powerpoint 3.0 for Windows, Project 3.0 for Windows or Foxpro 2.5 for Windows. As a sweetener, Microsoft is including a 50 percent-off training voucher with its competitive upgrade packs. (Steve Gold/19930303/Press & Public Contact: Microsoft - Tel: 0734- 270001) (NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00010) ****Novell Netware 4.0 Due Next Week 03/03/93 LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- Novell has revealed it will formally announce Netware 4.0, the long-awaited major upgrade to its network operating system, on Wednesday March 10 in the UK. Plans call for a parallel US launch to also take place on that date. Although Novell is officially keeping quiet about the launch, industry sources in the UK have confirmed that beta copies of the network operating system have been circulating for several months. The heart of Netware 4.0 is a redesigned directory service -- the Netware Naming Services (NNS) feature seen in Netware v3.11 has been replaced by Netware Directory Services (NDS). The enhanced directory feature allows network administrators to control exactly which facilities a user may have access to, rather than a complete subsystem. Other enhancement in Netware 4.0 over earlier versions include a single log-in facility for multiple servers, as well as greatly improved security features. Support for OS/2 and Windows clients on a network has also been improved. Some developers have criticized the X.500 directory naming facility. One developer who Newsbytes contacted, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the version of Netware 4.0 which will be unveiled next week will include the standard X.500 directory-naming feature, but this is being enhanced for future versions. Many of the features of Netware 4.0 are expected to position the network operating system as a direct competitor to Microsoft Windows NT, which is also expected to be unveiled later this month. (Steve Gold/19930303) (NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00011) Ameritech Files Market Opening Plan 03/03/93 WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- The lines were drawn as Ameritech filed its historic plan to open its local market to competitors with the Federal Communications Commission. Under the plan, Ameritech would allow competition in its local markets, in exchange for being allowed to offer cable television and long distance services. Other regional Bell companies will be looking closely for reaction to the plan, which also asks for much looser regulation on its rates in exchange for letting opponents into its offices. NYNEX already has a plan to let local competitors like Teleport "co-locate" their equipment with its telephone switches, while Pacific Telesis has proposed splitting itself between regulated local and non-regulated wireless units. Long distance companies are generally against the plan. AT&T's position, re-stated in Chairman Robert Allen's letter to shareholders on the day of the Ameritech filing, remains that local competition must come first before the 1982 Bell break-up decree provisions keeping Ameritech out of long distance or manufacturing are lifted. MCI has pointed out that Ameritech's Michigan Bell unit continues to fight for in-state long distance monopoly powers even as its parent claims it wants to compete. An Ameritech spokesman, contacted about the MCI statement, referred Newsbytes to Michigan Bell, although the company's own plans call for the Michigan network to be absorbed into a new division under the control of the parent company. (Dana Blankenhorn/19930302/Press Contact: Steve Ford, Ameritech, 312-750-5205; Jim McGann, AT&T, 202-457-3942) (NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00012) ****Cellular News, Trends, Products 03/03/93 DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- Over 11 million people now have cellular phones, the industry said at its annual convention, as new products adapted for use on wireless networks were introduced. The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association reports that the number of customers nationwide grew 46 percent during 1992, with $2.5 billion invested and over 8,000 new jobs created. Total revenues were $7.8 billion. But early this year the industry was stung by charges that hand- held phones caused cancer. One new device deals with the perceived threat. Quantum Laboratories of Renton, Washington said it has rushed to market a $50 device called Cellguard, consisting of molded plastic which covers the phone's antenna and fits over the earpiece. Versions are available for most major phones, and the company claims it reduces emissions aimed at a user's head by 97 percent. Inventor Greg Gratias told a news conference he got the idea while installing radio equipment near two microwave dishes, which emitted high levels of radiation. He said his own tests did not show cellular emissions exceeding allowable levels, however. There is a slight reduction in phone performance while using the Cellguard. Despite the scare, new hand-held phones are emerging from vendors. The latest, from Qualcomm Inc., offers both analog service and digital service under its Code Division Multiple Access, or CDMA, scheme. Only US West has announced formal support for CDMA, with the industry having endorsed a competing system called Time Division Multiple Access, or TDMA. The Qualcomm phone weighs 12 ounces, and will be available later this year. Qualcomm also announced a single-chip modem for CDMA systems, replacing an earlier three-chip model. The new chip is an application specific integrated circuit, or ASIC, containing all the software needed to add data communications to a CDMA device. It is slightly more complex than the Intel 80386 chip, the company said. Data Race of San Antonio said it has an agreement to supply modems to Eo, makers of the AT&T Personal Communicator. The 14,400 bit/second data modems will use the V.32bis modulation scheme, and incorporate a 4 page per minute fax modem under Group III standards. It supports both V.42 and MNP-4 error correction. "We're helping develop a V.42 standard for cellular, which is under evaluation by standards-setting committees," said Data Race spokesman Garrick Colwell. "We believe MNP's proprietary nature limits its use." (Dana Blankenhorn/19930302/Press Contact: Cellular, Stephen Stribley, 800/767-6077; TVX, Ted Waibel, 800/728-1708; Qualcomm Thomas Crawford, 619/597-5715; CTIA, 202-785-0081; Data Race, 210-558-1900) (NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEN)(00013) Colorado To US West - Service Poor, Can't Use Fax, Modems 03/03/93 DENVER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- The Colorado Public Utilities Commission has told phone service provider US West that it must reduce rates for rural customers in two eastern Colorado counties until it can improve service to the area. The ruling is a result of a complaint filed against US West by about 1,400 residents of Washington and Yuma counties, who still have party lines that keep them from having modern services such as answering machines, fax machines, and computer modems. One resident told The Denver Post, "Rural communities depend on telecommunications and computers to survive, to transmit college courses to local students or keep our hospitals in contact with the latest research. We have none of that." The PUC found that US West has violated several regulations governing quality of service, and ordered rate reductions totalling at least $115,000 until the problems are corrected. The inadequate service reportedly includes sudden disconnections, lost volume, excessive static, and poor repair service. The commission ordered US West to upgrade the party lines to single-party lines by the end of the year. "The evidence did show that these US West customers have endured inconveniences, impediments to business communications, and health an safety dangers that would not be tolerated by their counterparts in urban areas," one commissioner told The Denver Post. Some of the lines in the area were installed shortly after World War II. The commission said it would monitor US West records to assure compliance with rules that require bill adjustments when service is interrupted for more than eight hours. It said it would hold another hearing in December to determine if US West had complied with the ruling. This isn't the first time US West has had problems because of its rural service. In 1990 the company agreed to refund about $50 to each residential customer in Weld County because of the quality of service in that area. (Jim Mallory/19930303) (NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00014) Wordperfect Ships Interim Mac Release 03/03/93 OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- Wordperfect Corporation says it is now shipping an interim release of Wordperfect for Macintosh which includes Grammatik 5. In January 1993 Wordperfect announced it had obtained the rights to Grammatik, a grammar and style checking program, through the acquisition of Grammatik publisher Reference Software. "Wordperfect's acquisition of Reference Software makes a lot of sense because the Grammatik product has established a good reputation in the writing community and is widely accepted by other software companies," according to Chris La Tocq, an analyst at research firm InfoCorp. La Tocq says the new writing tools for the Mac will help push the edge of what writing means. He believes that's what software users want. WP Corp says Grammatik 5 for the Mac is integrated into the Wordperfect installer, allowing users to utilize the grammar and style checker after closing a Wordperfect file. WP spokesperson Dave Terran told Newsbytes Grammatik will be accessible from one of the Wordperfect pull-down menus in the next upgrade, although apparently exactly which menu hasn't been decided yet. Terran said the upgrade is scheduled to ship in the third quarter. The company says Grammatik works by breaking words down to their roots. The word-root information allows Grammatik 5 to perform a parts-of-speech analysis so the grammatical context of the word is identified. Once that's done Grammatik suggests alternatives. Users can choose from several writing styles, including general, business letter, memo, report, technical, documentation, proposal, journalism, advertising, or fiction. There's also an electronic bookmark feature that allows the user to stop proofreading in the middle of a document, then resume at that same point later. The interim release, designated Wordperfect 2.1.3, also integrates Stuffit, a compression/decompression technology from Aladdin Systems that reduces the number of Wordperfect program disks from seven to four including the Grammatik disk. The files automatically de-compress during the installation process, Terran said. Wordperfect 2.1.3 for Macintosh runs on any Macintosh computer equipped with a hard drive. You'll need at least 1 megabyte (MB) of system memory if you're using System 6.0.5 or higher, or 2 MB with System 7. Users of version 2.1 can upgrade to version 2.1.3 for $16, while version 1.0.x and 2.0.x users will pay $89. The suggested retail price for Wordperfect 2.1.3 for new users is $495. (Jim Mallory/19930303/Press Contact: Dave Terran, WP Corp, 801-228-5013; Reader contact: Wordperfect Corp, 800-451-5151) (NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00015) 4 More Players On Microsoft's Sound Bandwagon 03/03/93 REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- Microsoft announced week that four more PC makers are now shipping computers that incorporate the Microsoft Windows Sound System and several other hardware makers plan to join that list before the end of the year. Dell Computer Corporation, DFI, Inc., Gateway 2000, and Tri-Star Computer Corporation say they are all shipping personal computers that are Windows Sound System-capable, while Dataexpert Corp, Epson America, and Intel Corporation plan to ship similar systems by the end of 1993. Microsoft also announced that the Windows Sound System now has better support for game sound with the inclusion of SoundBlaster compatibility. According to Bob McBreen, Microsoft hardware accessories group product manager, while Windows Sound is targeted primarily at business users Microsoft wants to satisfy customer requests for more extensive compatibility with DOS-based games. To do that, the company says it will provide a software upgrade at no charge to gamers who are registered users of the Windows Sound System. According to Microsoft, several game development companies, including Sierra On-Line, say they will write future versions of their game software to take advantage of the Windows Sound System. In order to entice more hardware makers to incorporate Windows Sound System functionality into their systems, Microsoft is now shipping the Windows Sound System OEM Distribution Kit, or ODK. The kit is available at no charge to any OEM that has licensed Windows Sound System software. The ODK gives PC makers the ability to customize the Sound System software to match their hardware. The kit provides support for a variety of audio hardware configurations, such as system board implementation or add-in cards, and a range of audio choices from digitized sound to the more complex digital and synthesized sound. The Windows Sound System is a software-hardware combination that provides audio capability for Microsoft Windows. Potential business applications for sound include voice annotation of documents, audible proofing of spreadsheet numbers and terms, and even the execution of common computing commands by voice instead of from the keyboard. (Jim Mallory/19930303/Press contact: Beverley Flower, 206-882-8080; Reader contact: 800-426-9400) (NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00016) Systemhouse And Warburg, Pincus Close Deal 03/03/93 OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- Systems integrator SHL Systemhouse Ltd., and E.M. Warburg, Pincus, & Co., a New York private banker, have announced the closing of a deal that gives Warburg, Pincus a minority stake in Systemhouse. Announced in late February, the deal gives Warburg roughly nine percent of Systemhouse, or 4.5 million shares, in exchange for a payment of about C$40.5 million (US$32 million), a company spokesman said. Systemhouse said it will use the proceeds of the deal to finance new capital assets it needs for long-term contracts, and to increase its working capital. Warburg, Pincus has a portfolio of investments in information technology companies focused on open systems and client/server computing, officials said. These areas are a significant part of Systemhouse's business. SHL Systemhouse has more than 4,000 employees and reported 1992 revenues of nearly C$750 million. In January BCE Enterprises Inc., of Montreal, parent of Bell Canada and Northern Telecom Ltd., sold its 25.6-percent interest in Systemhouse to an assortment of investors. Systemhouse also recently announced the purchase of AST TransAct Ltd., a provider of computer services to the financial services industry, based in London. (Grant Buckler/19930303/Press Contact: Harry Schlough or Paul Damp, SHL Systemhouse, 416-366-4600; William Janeway, Warburg, Pincus, 212-878-9387) (NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00017) IBM Device Driver Kit For OS/2 03/03/93 PHOENIX, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- A new Device Driver Development Kit (DDK) for OS/2 will let independent hardware vendors and developers take advantage of the 32-bit architecture of Version 2.0 and future releases of IBM's OS/2 operating system, the company said. While older device drivers will work under OS/2 2.0, a company spokesman explained, new drivers created especially for the 32-bit system can provide performance improvements. "The OS/2 DDK is important for hardware vendors who want to maximize the performance of their products in a 32-bit operating environment, as well as software developers who need to fine-tune their 32-bit OS/2 applications," said Lois Dimpfel, director of the Boca Raton, Florida, programming center run by IBM's Personal Software Products division, in a prepared statement. IBM said the new kit also provides tools for testing all mandatory functions of printer and display drivers. Available on CD-ROM, the OS/2 Device Driver Development Kit contains drivers for Presentation Manager displays, virtual video, entry- line video handlers, printers (Postscript and plotters), pointing devices, compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) drives, and Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) devices. The 50-megabyte beta kit also includes detailed on-line display driver documentation, on-line display test-tool information, and on-line SCSI documentation, according to IBM. Developers can obtain the DDK for just a nominal shipping and handling charge by calling IBM at 407-982-4239, the spokesman said. IBM's also announced that OS/2 2.0 has been awarded the Computer Language Jolt Cola Award for Product Excellence. The award is given annually to a product that has had a major impact on programmers in the past year and that represents important concepts for future software development. (Grant Buckler/19930303/Press Contact: Rob Crawley, IBM, 602-438-8521 (Mar. 3) or 914-642-5364 (after Mar. 3); Public Contact: IBM, 407-982-4239) (NEWS)(UNIX)(TOR)(00018) CA, NCR Ally To Put Unicenter On System 3000 03/03/93 DAYTON, OHIO, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- Unicenter, the systems management software from Computer Associates International of Islandia, New York, will be available on NCR Corp.'s System 3000 computers some time next year as a result of an alliance just announced by the two firms. CA is to port Unicenter -- already available on a variety of Unix and other systems -- to the System 3000 running Unix System V Release 4. A beta-test version of the software is expected to be ready by year-end, CA spokesman Bob Gordon said. NCR and CA said they will work together on marketing and sales. According to Computer Associates, CA-Unicenter addresses fundamental systems management needs such as automated production control, security, data center administration, resource accounting, and storage management. NCR's System 3000 is a seven-level family of general purpose, scalable systems ranging from pen-based notepads to massively parallel systems. All use Intel processors. CA will also port CA-DB, the underlying database for Unicenter, to NCR systems, and the agreement provides for porting other CA software, such as the CA-IDMS and CA-DATACOM database management systems, to NCR hardware. CA currently offers its Masterpiece Series financial software and CA-Classic Open human resource package for NCR systems. CA-Unicenter is currently offered for Unix versions running on Data General, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Pyramid, Sequent, and Sun systems, and for IBM's OS/2 operating system and Novell's NetWare local-area network operating system. (Grant Buckler/19930303/Press Contact: Bob Gordon, Computer Associates, 516-342-2391; Chris Stellwag, NCR, 513-445-4178) (NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00019) Corel Signs Three More SCSI Alliances 03/03/93 OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- Corel has signed alliances with three more companies for its CorelSCSI software, bringing the total number of such relationships to nine. CorelSCSI is driver software for the Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI), an increasingly popular way of attaching peripherals such as compact-disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) drives to personal computers. Corel and NCR of Dayton, Ohio, announced that CorelSCSI will work with NCR's SCSI Device Management System (SMDS) software and its 53C810 Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) and SCSI controller. Corel and Rancho Technology of San Jose, California, announced that Rancho will ship CorelSCSI with its All-in-One SCSI kit, and will ship a tailored version of Corel's CD-ROM software in its CD-ROM SCSI kits. Acculogic, of Orange County, California, will include CorelSCSI with its EISApport 32-bit SCSI host adapter, which the firm said is the first SCSI host adapter to use NCR's 53C720 chip. Corel has similar alliances with Always Technology, Adaptec, Buslogic, Data Technology, Distributed Processing Technology, and Future Domain. More such alliances can be expected, Corel spokeswoman Janie Sullivan said, though no specifics are available. "We are always looking for greater opportunities," she said. Rancho's RT10-All-in-One Kit includes an eight-bit SCSI host adapter for the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, an internal SCSI device cable, device drivers, software utilities, and CorelSCSI. It comes with a five-year warranty. Corel is also providing Rancho with CD-ROM software for its new CD-ROM SCSI kits. The first is the RT10-CDR, which includes an eight-bit host adapter, an internal SCSI device cable, and software. The new RT10-All-In-One kits carry a suggested list price of US$299. The new RT-10-CDR kits will have a suggested list price of US$79. Acculogic's EISApport board is a 32-bit, bus master SCSI host adapter for 386 and 486 IBM-compatible PCs with the Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus. It supports synchronous SCSI bus data transfers at speeds to 10 megabytes per second and asynchronous data transfers at up to 50 megabytes per second, the company said. The board has an on-board diskette controller and an integrated processor. Available from Acculogic's distributors worldwide, the EISApport board with CorelSCSI will start shipping in March with a list price of US$599 US. According to Corel, the CorelSCSI software, with Data Technology's SCSI host adapters, allows all major SCSI peripherals to work with DOS, Microsoft Windows, Novell NetWare file servers, and OS/2 systems. CorelSCSI also includes tape back-up software, CD-AUDIO, multi- session support for Kodak Photo CD, as well as other utilities that let the user customize the performance of the SCSI peripherals. Corel will continue to offer CorelSCSI by itself for US$99 or C$119. Sullivan would not reveal what percentage of CorelSCSI sales are accounted for by bundling deals and what portion are stand-alone sales. (Grant Buckler/19930303/Press Contact: Janie Sullivan of Corel, 613-728-8200, ext. 1672) (NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00020) NetFrame Parallel Client/Server Superservers 03/03/93 MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- NetFrame Systems has introduced the C/S (Client/Server) family of multiprocessing parallel superservers optimized to support client/server applications. Sue Jensen, spokesperson for the company, told Newsbytes that the C/S superservers are a "completely different approach than the one taken by PC or mini-mainframe vendors. What this parallel architecture allows you to do is run industry-standard, shrink-wrapped software in a mutiprocessing parallel server. Other vendors cannot do that, they either use proprietary software or they don't offer the multiprocessing support. (With) a PC-based vendor you just couldn't run two applications with different operating systems in the same box." In addition she said that the NetFrame architecture, "allows for multiple operating systems, such as NetWare, Unix, and Windows NT to run within the same system. No other vendor can do that. (Additionally), our system is architected from the start to be a server, rather than a single-user PC, or terminal-oriented minicomputer." The NetFrame Client/Server family of superservers includes the NF200C/S, NF250C/S, NF400C/S, and the NF450C/S. The systems are based on the company's Multiprocessor Parallel Server Architecture (MPSA). In introducing the systems, Enzo Torresi, president and CEO of NetFrame, said: "NetFrame was the first company to announce and ship superservers in 1989. We continued our leadership in this market by being the first to deliver fault tolerant superservers in 1992. Now we're strengthening our leadership position with the introduction of the NetFrame C/S family." According to the company, users can add parallel application processor engines and I/O (input/output) processors to increase the power of the system. Application processor engines are 486/50 megahertz (MHz), or Pentium-based, with up to 128 megabytes (MB) of memory. The company also claims that the C/S systems can grow through additional application processor engines that run shrink-wrapped NetWare, and NLMs (NetWare Loadable Modules) from Novell, Oracle, Sybase, Informix, and others. Jensen said the target market for the C/S products, includes "companies with business-critical LANs (local area networks) that are considering, or implementing client/server." Jensen told Newsbytes that the price of the C/S system starts at $29,950 and ranges upwards from there, depending on the configuration. An upgrade kit is available for the C/S family, and that starts at $12,950. In terms of competition in the marketplace, Jensen claimed that there are few direct competitors for the company. "NetFrame doesn't really have much competition yet, except at the low-end there are a few (companies) that do show up that are PC-based server vendors." (Ian Stokell/19930303/Press Contact: Marcia Mason, 408-434-4128; or Sue Jensen, 408-428-4229, both of NetFrame Systems Inc.) (NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00021) 3Com NetBuilder WANS, Intos EtherLink Cards 03/03/93 SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- 3Com claims it has added new functionality to its NetBuilder internetworking family in order to more efficiently utilize wide area networking (WAN) links. This includes a range of WAN services for the remote office internetworking market. The company has also announced pricing and availability for three new members of the EtherLink III Parallel Tasking family of adapters According to the company, these enhancements, delivered through software for the NetBuilder family, include 3Com's Boundary Routing System Architecture, data compression for major bridging and routing protocols, X.25 connection and gateway service, and low-speed line support. The company claims that Boundary Routing enables customers to add five to ten times more remote site connections without adding administrative resources, complexity, or risk. In doing so, it maintains the advantages of routing for the WAN backbone, including efficient data traffic management, efficient WAN link utilization, and availability of multiple paths. 3Com's new X.25 connection service permits NetBuilder to act as an X.25 gateway, which allows Ethernet LAN-attached terminals or hosts to talk via X.25 to an X.29 host or terminal. Using X.25 users can establish up to 128 Telnet sessions The company also says that it now supports the lower line speeds typically used in foreign countries for WAN connections. 3Com also claims it supports the ability to group two low-speed lines as a single logical connection to ensure reliable connectivity between sites. The company says the second line can either be used for backup, or to increase overall packet throughout. NETBuilder will reportedly detect when one line has reached a pre-set threshold, and forward additional traffic over the second link. The new enhancements are delivered in 3Com's NetBuilder software release 6.0. The software will ship during the first quarter, 1993, at prices ranging from $250 to $2000, depending on the software features provided and the hardware supported. The three new members of the EtherLink III Parallel Tasking adapters are the EtherLink III 16-bit combo adapter for ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) PCs, the EtherLink III 32-bit EISA (Extended ISA) adapters, and the EtherLink III 16/32-bit Micro Channel adapters. The company claims that the EtherLink III Parallel Tasking boards are targeted at users in need of "top performing adapters that are easily installed and aggressively priced." The EtherLink III 16-bit combo adapter is available immediately and priced at $225 each per single quantity and $199 each in a five pack. The EtherLink III 32-bit EISA adapter also is currently available at $349 each in single quantities and $299 each in a five pack. The EtherLink III 16/32-bit Micro Channel adapter will be available in March, 1993, and is priced at $349 per single quantity and $299 each in a five pack. (Ian Stokell/19930303/Press Contact: Krista Passarelli, 408-764-5436, Donna Stein, 408-764-5960, 3Com) (NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00022) Media Vision Ships Products To Compaq In OEM Deal 03/03/93 FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- Media Vision has begun shipping OEM (original equipment manufacturer) products to Compaq Computer -- Compaq is using its Pro AudioSpectrum 16 add-in sound card in a "personal computer to be announced in the near future." Paul Jain, Media Vision's president and chief executive officer, said: "The key to success in our business is to have major personal computer companies use our products on an OEM basis. The Pro AudioSpectrum 16 has been, to date, the leading 16-bit sound card in the retail market and is also gaining momentum in the OEM channel." Media Vision is focusing much of its efforts on the multimedia markets for its products. Other OEMs that the company has agreements with include NEC Technologies, Sony, and Philips. Abigail Johnson, spokesperson for Media Vision, told Newsbytes that, "Media Vision is in registration for a secondary public offering. We cannot comment beyond what is in the press release." Just this week Media Vision announced plans to acquire Pellucid Inc., a company developing graphics and video accelerator engines, highly integrated chip sets, PC board products, and proprietary software. (Ian Stokell/19930303/Press Contact: Abigail Johnson, 415-802-1851,Roeder-Johnson Corp.) (NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00023) UK - Microcom Carbon Copy For Windows 2.0 03/03/93 WOKING, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- Microcom UK has unveiled Carbon Copy for Windows 2.0, an updated version of its remote PC package to take account of local area networks (LAN). The company claims that the package fully supports LAN topologies. The software technology behind Carbon Copy for Windows 2.0 has been enhanced to allow the package to run between two PCs linked either by modem or a network link, with each PC running under either DOS or Windows, across its own network. This flexibility, Microcom claims, allows the package to be run under a variety of situations. "CC for Windows 2.0 fulfills two primary needs of individuals and businesses: remote access and remote support. Mobile professionals, telecommuters and remote offices require easy-to-use remote access to corporate LANs and office PCs, whereas technical support providers need cost-effective connections to clients running either Windows or DOS. Carbon Copy/Win 2.0 meets these needs," explained Martin Perry, European general manager with Microcom. Speaking with Newsbytes at today's launch in London, Mark Stoever, Carbon Copy product manager with the company, said that this new version is a major advance over v1.0. "With v1.0 it was very much a modem to modem link. This version allows a variety of connections. We realized when we launch v1.0 in December if '91 that we need LAN connectivity, so we've been working on the technology since then," he said. Two aspects of the package's usage have been enhanced since 1.0. The first is in the area of data compression, the second is in remote control of Windows applications. "Our data compression algorithms can now compress down to seven times, subject to the files being handled. That speeds things up, even on slower modems," Stoever said, adding that the Windows screen imaging has also been enhanced to ensure that a Windows screen is transmitted as efficiently as possible. "We've also introduced increased memory caching for use with Windows applications running remotely. This speeds things up as well," he said. Shipment? In the US the package is already shipping, with UK production having started earlier this week. UK shipment is expected within the next few weeks, Stoever told Newsbytes. Carbon Copy for Windows 2.0 sells for UKP 145, with existing users being offered the chance to upgrade for UKP 45. In use, the package supports the Asynchronous Communication Server (ACS) network standard, using NCSI, NASI and INT14 application programming interfaces (APIs). In plain English, this means that the package can run over a wide variety of network topologies, with a network of PCs gaining access to a pool of modems. (Steve Gold/19930303/Press & Public Contact: Microcom UK - Tel: 0483- 740763) (NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00024) UK - Canon BN22 Bubblejet Notebook 03/03/93 WALLINGTON, SURREY, 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- Canon (UK) has launched the BN22 Bubble Jet Notebook, a portable computer with a built-in micro bubblejet printer. Pricing on the unit will be confirmed nearer shipment date, which is expected in the second quarter of this year. The BN22 features an 80486 microprocessor running at 25 megahertz (MHz) with 4 megabytes (MB) of memory, plus a choice of hard disks, ranging from 85 to 180MB. According to the company, by combining bubblejet technology and "mechatronics" -- precision mechanics with electronic control -- Canon has produced a printer so small that it is neatly concealed within the case of the notebook. The printer whirrs out copy at an impressive 116 characters a second (fast for a bubblejet) working to 360 dots per inch. The notebook comes with a clip on single sheet feeder that holds up to 10 sheets of paper, with the paper feed path running under the keyboard of the unit to prevent paper jams. This "flat" paper path allows the printer to handle different stationery, including projector film and envelopes, the company claims. The PC side of the BN22 is a VGA backlit LCD monochrome screen unit plus a full size keyboard with 85 keys. A handheld two button trackball mouse for use with Windows (pre-configured and installed on the machine) is also supplied. Taking a leaf out of Toshiba's book, the BN22 has six power management features to conserve battery power by setting various delay options. These include doze, suspend, lid close, CPU speed, display and screen, all of which can be set using DOS and Windows utilities. Two option slots are available on the BN2, Canon officials say. These slots will handle PCMCIA version 2 peripheral cards. A PCMCIA version 2 data/fax modem will be launched in the third quarter of this year. Battery life on the machine is estimated at up to four hours from a single set of nicads, although printer use does decrease this time. (Steve Gold/19930303/Press & Public Contact: Canon UK - Tel: 081-773- 3173; Fax: 081-669-5760) (NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00025) Thermal Transfer Color Printer Less Than $1000 03/03/93 EDEN PRAIRIE, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- Fargo Electronics has announced a thermal transfer color printer for less than $1,000 that works IBM-compatible personal computers running Windows 3.1 or higher. The company said this is the first thermal transfer color printer priced lower than an inkjet, comparing the suggested retail price of $995 for its Primera Color Printer with Hewlett Packard's Deskjet 550C inkjet printer. It also says the Primera costs about one-third that of competitive thermal transfer color systems. One Compuadd store sales person told Newsbytes that while the suggested retail price of the H-P Deskjet 550C is higher than the Primera at $1099, his store sells the H-P printer for $749. Fargo spokesperson Michelle Reimers told Newsbytes that the street price of the Primera ranges from $650 to $800. Many computer retailers sell hardware and software for less than the manufacturers suggested retail price. The actual selling price depends on various factors in effect at the time of sale such as dealer incentives and market demand, and is known as the "street price." Fargo, best known for its bar code printers, says the Primera uses the same thermal transfer technology used in its bar code units. The company expects the market for desktop color printers will triple to more than $2.8 billion in 1995 from about $987 million today. BIS Strategic Decisions, a research firm, reportedly estimates the use of color printers will grow about 27 percent annually over the next five years. Fargo says that in addition to the low initial cost, the Primera is also less expensive to operate, with a cost-per-page of $0.45. A full page takes just over two minutes to print. The company says that compares to four to seven minutes for the same page printed on an inkjet printer. The Primera does not include PostScript support, multiple resident fonts, or large amounts of memory. The company says it was able to eliminate PostScript support because the Primera is a Windows GDI-compatible printer and supports the TrueType fonts used by Microsoft Windows. The Primera has one internal font, a Letter Gothic 12 point. DIP switches allow selection of international characters. A Windows driver is provided with each printer. "We use the computer power of today's PCs and the Windows operating system to perform all the complex, processor-hungry and RAM intensive tasks," according to Mark Strobel, Fargo VP of sales and marketing. The Primera can print on letter and A4 size paper and transparencies, and uses a wax-based thermal ink ribbon for color applications. Fargo spokesperson Michelle Reimers told Newsbytes the printer ships with a three-color starter ribbon that's good for 30 printed pages. Replacement three-color ribbons are good for 115 prints, while the four-color ribbon will make 80 prints. An optional monochrome ribbon is also available for $39.95, which will make 400 prints. Additional three or four color ribbons sell for $45 each. The paper tray will hold 50 sheets of paper. (Jim Mallory/19930303/Press contact: Michelle Reimers, Fargo Electronics, 612-941-9470; Reader contact: 800-327-4622) (NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEL)(00026) India - Court Rejects Cellular Award To 8 Firms 03/03/93 NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- The Delhi High Court has set aside the government's decision to grant provisional licences to operate cellular phones to eight firms. Delivering a 96-page judgement, the two-judge bench also directed the Department of Telecommunications (DOT) to reconsider the bids of Hutchison Max Telecom Ltd and India Telecomp Ltd, which had been rejected by DOT. The court rejected DOT's contention that Hutchison Max had not submitted a proper compliance statement and was thus liable to be rejected. The court allowed the company's plea that a few words were inadvertently omitted in the compliance statement due to typing error and that the same was brought to the notice of DOT and a proper compliance statement submitted to it well in time. The court said that DOT's decision to ignore the company's clarification and ignore the bid was "arbitrary, irrational and even whimsical." The court directed DOT to reconsider the company's contention that its compliance statement was in order. In the case of India Telecomp Ltd (IXL), the court allowed the company's plea that DOT had wrongly calculated the data relating to rentals and had given it less marks than were due. The judges directed DOT to "consider afresh the grant of licence to the petitioner (IXL) after evaluating marks for rental on the basis that the figures for deposits from subscribers given for Delhi and Bombay were cumulative." The High Court decision is a godsend for Hutchison as it will get Bombay, the city projected to have the highest number of potential cellular customers. IXL, however, is unlikely to gain much, though it will have the moral satisfaction of having forced DOT to reconsider its bid. This is because its rankings will not change in Delhi and Bombay even after revaluation of marks for rental. Similarly in Madras, both the selected companies -- Sterling Cellular Ltd and Skycell Communications Ltd -- are ranked higher than IXL. However, the selection of Hutchison Max Telecom Ltd., for Bombay could lead to the ouster of Tata Cellular Pvt. Ltd., from Delhi. This because BPL Systems and Projects Ltd -- which obtained higher marks than Tata Cellular -- may have to be shifted to Delhi. (C.T. Mahabharat/19930303) (NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00027) AmCoEx Index of Used Computer Prices 03/03/93 SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- IBM and Motorola are attempting to reinvent the microcomputer industry. Their new CPU chip, the PowerPC, is currently being shipped in limited quantities for development purposes. Large quantities are expected to be available within the next year. The two companies jointly developed the new chip in hopes it will replace Intel's 486 and Pentium chips as an industry standard. IBM and Apple are reportedly ahead of schedule on the Taligent operating system for the new chip. It has been rumored that this operating system will incorporate the best features of the Macintosh and OS/2 systems. If this is true, the new chip and operating system may be the first to run all Macintosh and Windows applications on a single platform. If all of this functions well in a powerful computer at a competitive price, Intel and Microsoft will be faced with substantial competition. While the home computer market has never lived up to the expectations of the industry, it was a major contributor to the success of the Macintosh LC II last year. During 1992, more Macintosh LC II's were sold than any other single model of computer. According to Apple, more than half of these systems were purchased for home use. Fewer than one fifth were used in business and less than one fourth were used in schools. As expected, Apple unveiled its largest new product introduction last month. This timeframe was chosen to mark month the 10 millionth Macintosh computer was sold. The new models provide more color and power at lower prices than ever before. The new Centris line of mid-range computers is expected to have the greatest impact on the value of used Macintoshes. The Centris 610 uses a 68040 chip and carries a list price of only $1859. Resale values of used Macs may not fall immediately, however, due to limited availability of the new machines. Component shortages have plagued most major manufacturers recently. As profit margins have been squeezed in the computer industry, some manufacturers have turned to the laser printer market for greater margins. While Hewlett-Packard and Apple have been the leaders in this market, Compaq is increasing its market share. Until now, over 80% of the engines in all of these printers were made by Canon. Xerox has now entered the printer engine business. This competition should force prices lower. For example, the latest Apple printer will use the Xerox engine. Its list price is only $819, or $1079 with PostScript. The following prices are for February 26, 1992. Avg. Avg. Buyer's Seller's Machine Bid Ask Close Change IBM PS/2 Model 30/286 450 675 500 +75 IBM PS/2 Model 50Z 30M 300 650 475 +25 IBM PS/2 Model 55SX 60M 650 850 700 +75 IBM PS/2 Model 70 60M 700 900 800 -100 IBM PS/2 Model 80 70M 800 1100 925 -100 Clone AT 20 Mg 250 575 300 ** Clone Notebook 386SX, 40 MB 650 900 775 +50 Clone 386/SX 40M, VGA 400 750 675 +75 Clone 386/25 40M, VGA 500 900 775 +100 Clone 386/33 40M, VGA 700 1150 900 +25 Clone 486/25 80M, VGA 1000 1450 1375 +100 Compaq SLT/286 20M 400 1000 650 +25 Compaq LTE 286 40M 650 1000 850 +100 Compaq Portable II 20M 200 500 300 ** Compaq Portable III 40M 300 650 450 ** Compaq Deskpro 286 40M 250 500 350 +50 Compaq Deskpro 386/20e 100M 700 1500 1050 -100 Macintosh SE 20M 450 900 600 -25 Macintosh SE/30 40M 1000 1500 1000 -250 Macintosh II 40M 1000 1550 1225 -100 Macintosh IIcx 80M 1500 2100 1500 -150 Macintosh IIci 80M 1700 2400 2275 ** Mac Quadra 700 200M 1900 2600 2450 -150 Mac Quadra 900 160M 4500 6000 5100 -100 Mac PowerBook 140 80M 1300 1625 1500 +50 LaserWriter Plus 600 1200 700 ** LaserWriter IINT 900 1450 1100 -25 Toshiba 1200XE 20M 500 950 700 -25 Toshiba 1600 550 900 675 -50 Toshiba 2000 850 1300 1100 -150 Toshiba 3100SX 800 1300 900 -50 Toshiba 5200 1200 1750 1500 +50 HP LaserJet II 500 950 800 +50 HP LaserJet III 850 1225 1175 ** John Hastings is the president of the American Computer Exchange Corporation. The American Computer Exchange matches buyers and sellers of used microcomputer equipment. For more information contact the American Computer Exchange Corporation at (800) 786-0717. (John Hastings/19930303) (NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00028) ****Home Computer Use Up, Says Survey 03/03/93 CHATSWORTH, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- If you're spending more time at your computer these days, you're not alone. A new survey says home personal computer users are spending more time in front of their computers and are using more applications software than ever before. Half of the 2,500 respondents to the California Research Tabulations survey on behalf of Packard Bell said they spend more than ten hours a week at the computer, an increase from the thirty percent reported in 1991. Users who are at their home computers more than 30 hours a week, termed "power users" by the survey, have increased to nearly ten percent. What are all these people doing with their computers? Word processing was the number one activity reported by over fifty- seven percent of the respondents. Personal finance and business applications rated number two at twenty-eight percent, while entertainment software followed closely at twenty-seven percent. Spreadsheet use was up to twenty-one percent, but database software use was up significantly to over sixteen percent. And for the first time the survey listed telecommunications software as significant enough to be listed at over fifteen percent. Most of the respondents are doing personal activities (forty- two percent) and the next largest group is performing business- related activities (thirty-seven percent). Twenty-one percent of those surveyed are using the computer for school work. When buying a computer four out of five respondents said features and price were number one, seven out of ten said reliability, and three out of five cited the warranty as an influencing factor. Only one out of five went by the recommendation of a friend in their computer purchase. Those surveyed said they are planning to purchase peripherals or expand their computer systems in the next twelve months. Number one on the list was additional random access memory (RAM). Other items in order were a laser printer, a math coprocessor, a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) drive, a larger hard disk, and a modem. (Linda Rohrbough/19930303/Press Contact: Philip Little, Bohle Company for Packard Bell, tel 310-785-0515; Packard Bell, tel 818-886-4600, fax 818-773-9521) (NEWS)(UNIX)(LAX)(00029) Informix To Release Open Platform Database Tools 03/03/93 MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- The trend these days is to build applications quickly that can access information in any database no matter where it happens to be and yet protect the integrity of the data. Informix says it will introduce this year a suite of open platform software development tools that will allow users to talk to any database on any platform. Four new products make up the open tools software suite, and they are Informix-Viewpoint, Informix-Dba, Informix- Hyperscript, and Wingz. The Informix-Viewpoint and Informix-Dba are companion products and each requires the other. The Informix-Dba product is for management information systems (MIS) database administrators to build "superviews" and "supersets" of a database for end users. Informix-Viewpoint is for the end user who can access the superviews and supersets created by the MIS administrators. The Informix-Hyperscript product is geared toward developers and is described as a graphical, open development tool with screen and menu painting tools, a spreadsheet, built-in structured query language (SQL) support, and a graphical debugger. Wingz, the company's spreadsheet product, is also being released in a new version. Informix says in delivering these tools it will be the first to deliver a gateway for IBM's Distributed Relational Database Architecture (DRBA) and Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) bridge for access to a range of database servers. The company says its new tools suite will offer the ability to handle business applications from decision support to on-line transaction processing (OLTP). Informix says Microsoft Windows platform versions of the new Informix-Viewpoint and Informix-Dba will be released in April while Informix-Hyperscript and the new version of Wingz will come out in May. In addition versions for the Unix Motif graphical user interface and for the Macintosh platform will be out by the third quarter of 1993. (Linda Rohrbough/19930303/Press Contact: Brenda Hansen, Informix Software, tel 415-926-6300, fax 415-926-6593) (NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00030) ****Sun Readies Digital Consumer Devices 03/03/93 MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 3 (NB) -- Sun Microsystems says the announcement of its development of a personal digital assistant (PDA) device is premature. The company did confirm, however, the existence of a new company called Firstperson. Code named project Green internally at Sun, the work on the new digital devices began in December over two years ago, about the same time Sun Labs was started. Now project Green has been moved to the new spin-off company, Firstperson, which is to be headquartered in Palo Alto, California. While prototypes of a device have been shown to companies with which Sun wishes to create a partnership, Sun representatives told Newsbytes an actual product is at least two years away. The focus of Firstperson is to continue development work on a product which Sun describes will "integrate digital data." "Calling it a PDA is too narrow," said Sun public relations representative Cindy Moc. "The technology will apply to a broad range of devices, including PDAs." Sun doesn't want to market the product itself, but has been seeking other companies which are strong in the areas of consumer electronics. Reports are Sun has been talking to Japanese, French, and German consumer electronics firms, but Sun will not say who those firms are. Wayne Rosing, a former Apple computer executive and former president of Sun Labs, is now president of Firstperson. James Gosling, a preeminent programmer for Sun has moved to Firstperson and unconfirmed reports are Shu Ling, one of the nation's experts in digital signal processing and a former researcher for AT&T Bell Laboratories is now at Firstperson as well. The dream of integration of digital data in portable devices for consumers is one being pursued by several companies. Apple, in conjunction with AT&T, Motorola, Sony, Matsushita, and Philips Electronics, has formed a new company General Magic to develop the devices and has been showing its PDA, the Newton, at trade shows. IBM has a similar device integrated with a cellular phone it was demonstrating at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Tandy and Casio also showed a working prototype of their partnership development of a digital consumer electronic device called Zoomer at the CES. However, Sun, which specializes in workstation computers, has kept its entrance into the foray a secret until now. Company representatives say Sun isn't trying to be secretive, it is just attempting to avoid the accusation it is marketing "vaporware." (Linda Rohrbough/19930303/Press Contact: Cindy Moc, Sun Microsystems, tel 415-336-3563, fax 415-969-9131)