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/nb930614

Text File | 1993-06-14 | 83KB | 1,766 lines

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00001)

Canadian Product Launch Update 06/14/93
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- This regular feature,
appearing every Monday or Tuesday, provides further details for the
Canadian market on announcement by international companies that
Newsbytes has already covered. This week: Apple's new PowerBooks,
Dell signs a Canadian distributor for its DellWare program,

Apple Canada unveiled two new PowerBook notebook computers, the
high-end, color-display 180c and the less pricey 145B, as well as
its File Assistant software for PowerBooks (Newsbytes, June 7). Both
new PowerBook models are available immediately in Canada.

The PowerBook145B, with four megabytes (MB) of memory and an 80MB
hard drive, lists at C$2,489. The 180C lists at C$5,429 with an 80MB
hard drive or C$5,979 with a 160MB drive; both versions have 4MB of
memory. File Assistant is to be available in July at a suggested
retail price of C$99.

Dell Computer (Canada) announced its choice of Merisel Canada as the
Canadian distributor for its DellWare program (Newsbytes, October 7,
1992). Merisel will manage the inventory of DellWare products, which
include some 1,000 software packages and personal computer
peripherals, and will ship orders for Dell.

Microsoft Canada joined its US parent in announcing Microsoft at
Work, an architecture for linking office equipment with computer
systems (Newsbytes, June 9 & 10). Applications and system software
development kits are to be available before year-end, the company
said.

(Grant Buckler/19930614/Press Contact: Franca Miraglia, Apple
Canada, 416-513-5511; Lisa Held, Merisel Canada, 416-660-2864;
Marc Camm, Microsoft Canada, 416-568-0434, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00002)

 ****Database World & Client/Server World Opens In Boston 06/14/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- Can network-based
environments replace minicomputers for database applications? Can
relational systems evolve to support objects? Who will win the
Microsoft/Borland/Computer Associates battle as Xbase becomes a new
corporate standard?

These and countless related questions will be considered this week
at Database World & Client/Server World, a three-day extravaganza,
sponsored by Digital Consulting Inc. (DCI), that begins today at
the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. Billed as the largest show to
be offered yet on database management systems and tools, this year's
event is organized into nine different conferences, each open to any
conference registrant.

In addition, at least 120 vendors, starting alphabetically with
Alpha Software Corp. and ending with Zyga Corp., will be exhibiting
their database and client-server wares on the exhibition floor.
DCI expects some 20,000 attendees, all told.

The nine conferences within the show include four that make up
Database World: Object-Oriented Technologies, PC Databases &
Xbase, Database Technologies, and DB2/Information Warehouse. On
the Client/Server World side, there are another five: Building
Client/Server Applications, Managing the Client/Server Environment,
Client/Server Databases, Middleware & Database Connectivity, and
Systems Integration.

Each of the nine conferences has its technical co-sponsor and its
own chairman. Each will feature a chairman address, along with
several conference sessions. Beyond this discourse, DCI has
scheduled a total of 15 keynote speakers, including such well known
names as Gerry Cohen, president and founder of Information Builders;
Adele Goldberg, chairman and co-founder, ParcPlace Systems; and Tom
Furey, general manager of client/server computing, IBM.

What's more, Charles Wang, chairman and CEO of Computer Associates
International, and Philippe Kahn, who heads up Borland, will each be
delivering plenary talks. Wang's topic is "A CEO Perspective on
Investing in Technology." Kahn, on the other hand, plans to explore
"The Present and Future of Database Management."

Additional expo highlights include show pavilions on EDA/SQL and
database gateway solutions, an industry panel about "The State of
Xbase," a half-day user forum on "Experiences in Client-Server
Computing," and an address by Dr. George Schussel, chairman of the
entire event, on "Understanding the New Database Technologies."

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930614/Reader contact: Digital Consulting Inc.,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Press contact: Keith Todd,
Digital Consulting Inc., tel [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00003)

PenMagic Updates Applications 06/14/93
NORTH VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1993 JUN 14 (NB) --
PenMagic Software has announced updates to its two pen-based
applications packages, Numero and LetterExpress. Both packages are
applications for the PenPoint operating system from Go Corporation,
which runs on several pen-based personal computers and
communicators.

PenMagic said it is now shipping Numero 2.0, an upgrade to its
financial work processor. The highlight of the new release is
MagicScript, a visual scripting system that lets users automate
tasks by drawing diagrams that resemble the flow charts familiar to
computer programmers. A user creates a script by drawing connections
between "smart buttons" that represent predefined tasks. The scripts
can be stored for later use.

Tasks in a MagicScript script can include not only Numero
operations but functions that are not part of Numero, such as
operations performed by other PenPoint applications.

Ron McIntyre, vice-president of sales and marketing at PenMagic,
said that MagicScript can operate on its own, hinting at the
possibility it might be spun off as a separate product.

Other additions to Numero include multi-page documents, improved
calculation handling, choice lists for entering data with less
writing, and a unified pen palette. A new document type called a
chit is essentially a form for entering one type of data
repeatedly on a larger report. For instance, filling out an
expense chit would automatically post the information to an
expense report.

Numero 2.0 is available now at $399, and current users can
upgrade for $99 during June or $149 thereafter.

PenMagic said that it is also about to ship LetterExpress 1.1, an
upgrade to its writing assistant software that adds compatibility
with AT&T's Hobbit chip for personal communicators and some other
improvements.

LetterExpress is designed for creating letters quickly by filling
in blanks in predefined templates.

Additions to the new release include integration with the Go Mail
and Go Fax applications, and a new electronic pen palette that
offers more ways to sign and annotate documents.

The new release lists at $199. Current users can upgrade for $25.

McIntyre admitted sales of both packages have been fairly slow so
far because the hardware on which they run is not yet widely
used. "Sales in the pen market are not very large," he said, but
he added that PenMagic's applications have captured a substantial
share of the infant market -- PenMagic software is on 85 percent
of the Eo Personal Communicators sold so far, he said.

(Grant Buckler/19930614/Press Contact: Ron McIntyre, 604-988-9982,
fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00004)

Specialized Shows, Conferences on Canadian Calendar 06/14/93
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- A growing number of
computer-related shows and conferences in Canada are zeroing in on
more specialized areas. Examples in the next few months deal with
interactive services, downsizing, and open systems.

Interact93, sponsored by the Interactive Services Association of
Silver Spring, Maryland, will take place in Toronto July 18-21. It's
the eighth annual conference of the association, which is concerned
with electronic services such as bulletin boards, online databases,
home shopping and, increasingly, interactive entertainment services
like movies on demand.

The conference will feature keynote speakers from the computer,
communications, and entertainment industries, organizers said,
along with related exhibits.

In September, Digital Consulting of Andover, Massachusetts, will run
Downsizing Expo Canada and OP/EN Expo side by side in Toronto.
Downsizing Expo will deal with downsizing, client/server computing,
and business re-engineering. OP/EN expo is concerned with open
systems and enterprise networks.

The conference will include presentations by DCI's chairman,
software industry commentator George Schussel, and a number of other
software luminaries. There will also be exhibits by more than 100
vendors, according to DCI.

Such specialized events notwithstanding, Canada's traditional
something-for-everybody computer show remains. The Canadian
Computer Show and Conference, now in its 24th year, will be held
November 22 to 25 at the Toronto International Centre. Organizers
at Toronto-based Industrial Trade & Consumer Shows are expecting
more than 30,000 visitors.

(Grant Buckler/19930614/Press Contact: Deborah Duggan, Industrial
Trade & Consumer Shows, 416-252-7791; Public Contact: Interactive
Services Association, 301-495-4955, fax [phone]; Digital
Consulting, 508-470-3880, fax [phone]; Industrial Trade &
Consumer Shows, 416-252-7791, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00005)

11th Annual PC Expo Slated To Open June 29 In NYC 06/14/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- With PC Expo 93 set
for takeoff two weeks from tomorrow, the final countdown has begun
on what show organizers Bruno Blenheim Inc. expect will be the
biggest and best offering in the 11-year history of the event.

Slated for June 29 to 31, the expo features the first trade show
screening of an interactive movie called InterFilm, an increasingly
international audience, a new PCMCIA Gallery, and product
announcements by at least 300 vendors, including Microsoft and
Hewlett-Packard, said Mark Dineen, show manager, in an interview
with Newsbytes.

Microsoft Chairman and CEO Bill Gates will give the keynote, and
Robert Corrigan, president of the IBM PC Company, will deliver the
plenary, Dineen told Newsbytes. Gone, though, is the Windows &
OS/2 Pavilion of previous years. Instead, the competing operating
environments from IBM and Microsoft will be shown in separate areas
of the floor.

Gates' talk is scheduled for June 29 from 9:00 to 10:10 a.m.
Officially entitled "New Technology for the Information Age," the
address will be simulcast to Networks Expo, a Blenheim show that is
taking place in Birmingham, England at the same time PC Expo is
happening in New York.

Gates also keynoted at Comdex Atlanta, introducing Windows NT.
Microsoft, however, has assured Blenheim that the content of Gates'
talk at PC Expo will be entirely different.

"We've also been told that Gates will be making some announcements
at PC Expo," Dineen said. Corrigan will be speaking June 30 from
11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the recent revitalization of his
company.

Aside from Microsoft and IBM, other vendors that will be major
exhibitors at the 1993 show include HP, Intel and Borland. "HP has
taken out a lot of booth space. They'll be making a very big
splash this year," noted the show manager.

Although the Windows & OS/2 Pavilion has departed, new pavilions
have sprung up meanwhile. An expansive new Multimedia Pavilion
will offer an array of hardware and software, along with the airing
of InterFilm.

Produced by Controlled Entropy and shown up to now in movie theaters
only, the CD-ROM-based interactive feature-length film lets the
audience help determine the plot, including how the story ends.
Periodically in the film, the action stops, and characters ask the
audience for input as to what they should do next.

Audience members cast their "votes" on buzzers at their seats. The
alternative that receives the most votes dictates what will occur
within the film. Controlled Entropy has just signed a deal with
Sony/Columbia Pictures to develop six more interactive feature-
length films, Dineen told Newsbytes.

A smaller Mobile Computing Pavilion at PC Expo 93 will include the
PCMCIA Gallery, along with a large separate booth for AT&T, EO and
Go Corp.

Multimedia and mobile computing have also attained a newfound
presence on PC Expo's conference agenda, with a full eight-session
track for multimedia and a minitrack for mobile computing.

Seminars in the multimedia track include "Multimedia: Real-World
Applications," "Multimedia: Applications Performance on Existing
Hardware," "Desktop Video Production," "Desktop Video Conferencing:
Multimedia's Killer Application," "Managing Imaging Multimedia
Information," "Developing Multimedia Applications for Windows and
OS/2," "CD-ROM for Referencing," and "Multimedia Futures."

Other tracks in this year's conference series are devoted to
Fundamentals, Hardware, Software, Windows, Connectivity, and
Management.

Also on the PC Expo show floor, Con Edison will host an Energy Star
booth, featuring many of the same energy-conscious computer
products used in a conference the electric company will be holding
in New York on June 28. Officials attending the Con Edison show
will receive guest passes to PC Expo.

From farther afield, PC Expo will be receiving its first delegation
of attendees from Moscow, and possibly a telecommunications exhibit
first displayed in Peru. "Over the past two years, our international
audience has expanded considerably," commented Dineen.

Dineen predicts that, in 1993 again, PC Expo will continue its
tradition of surpassing its own records for total attendance,
number of exhibitors, and exhibition space. This year, attendance
will increase some 4,000 to 9,000 over the 1992 figure of 81,464 to
reach the 85,000 to 90,000 range, he told Newsbytes.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930614/Reader contact: Bruno Blenheim, tel 800-
829-3976 or 201-346-1400; fax [phone]; Press contacts: Annie
Scully, Bruno Blenheim, tel [phone], ext 145; Mark Haviland,
Bruno Blenheim, tel [phone], ext 152)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00006)

Gupta Distribution Changes In Australia Mean Lower Prices 06/14/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- Gupta Corporation, the
manufacturer of client server software for PC networks, has changed
the distribution system for its products in Australia, and reduced
prices by 20 percent at the same time.

Jarrah Technologies in Sydney will distribute product and provide
service to a number of "Authorized  Partners" throughout Australia.
They will be the only end-user source of product, maintenance and
support. Gupta said that the price reduction would bring Australian
prices into line with world pricing.

"These pricing and distribution changes are driven by our aim to
provide the best, most efficient contact and the highest level of
technical service and support to our customers in Australia and New
Zealand" said Richard Heaps, Gupta's VP for Asia Pacific Operations.

"In the short term we have asked Jarrah Technologies to act as a
source of supply of our products. During this period we will be
putting our longer term distribution strategy in place. Ultimately
our aim is to establish a new distribution structure that increases
our commitment and presence to our dealer network and customer base
in Australia," he added.

Jarrah Technologies is the developer of TeamWindows which provides
the collaborative programming component of SQLWindows. It is
marketed around the world by Gupta.

(Paul Zucker/19930614)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00007)

Australian Computer Society Books In For A Facelift 06/14/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- The Australian Computer
Society (ACS) is a professional body with demanding entrance
standards. It's also seen by some people as old fashioned, ultra-
conservative and largely irrelevant in today's computing world. As a
result, the group is seeking an upgrade of its image.

The ACS has appointed a PR consultancy to research its image and
what role it should be playing in the Australian information
technology sector. Macro already has IT clients in Australia such as
Microsoft, Dell, Business Software Association of Australia (BSAA),
SynOptics, Anixter Australia and Telecom Technologies.

Ron Schmid, honorary secretary of the ACS, said that the society had
already introduced a number of new and improved member services
during the past year but was keen to further improve its performance
and service to the industry. The society's journal has recently been
handed to a new publishing company and has undergone a dramatic
facelift, bringing praise from the members and ads from the vendors.

Macro's survey will include research among senior IT managers, non
ACS members, academics and media to determine services and issues
that the ACS should be involved in to attract an increased
membership and to have a leading position in the industry.

(Paul Zucker/19930614/Contact ACS on phone [phone] or fax
[phone] or Macro on phone [phone] or fax +61-2-436
4221)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00008)

Dataflex Design Offers "Easy ISDN" To OEMs 06/14/93
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- Dataflex Design has unveiled
what it claims is an "easy ISDN" module for its original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs). The ISDN module is designed to fit directly on
to the motherboard of customer's OEM equipment.

ISDN stands for integrated services digital network, a technology
that allows high-speed data communications to a known standard
across relatively low cost switching circuits. ISDN is normally
offered to the CCITT international telecoms regulatory body's
standard specification of 2 x 64,000 bits per second (bps) plus 1 x
16 bps data channels. This 2+1 system is usually referred to as 2B
plus 1D channels.

Announcing the basic rate ISDN module, Philip Benge, Dataflex's
marketing director, said that it provides OEMs with a route to
immediate BABT-approved ISDN equipment, with the need for further
testing of modification to the motherboard's circuitry. BABT
standards approval is required on all telecoms kit sold in the UK and
connected to the public telecoms networks.

"Dataflex has a well-established record with PC manufacturers,
datacomms and telemetry companies, providing them with custom-made
product. Our ISDN module will ensure that these relationships
continue to develop by satisfying both present and future demands
for ISDN applications such as videoconferencing, video telephony,
electronic funds transfer at point of sale (EFTPOS), EPOS and local
area network (LAN) bridging, which require the higher speeds, lower
operating costs and greater efficiencies of ISDN," benge explained.

According to Benge, OEMs will benefit from a fast and cost-effective
ISDN solution which BABT-approved. When used on asynchronous basis,
the standard "AT" command can be used to operate the module, which
Dataflex claims to provide an easy and seamless migration from
analogue modem to ISDN communications.

Newsbytes notes that, using the "AT" command instruction allows the
ISDN module to directly replace a modem. Using an extended AT
command set (effectively a subset of the Hayes command system), both
ISDN B channels can be combined to produced an aggregated 115,000
bps data channel.

(Steve Gold/19930614/Press & Pubic Contact: Dataflex Design - Tel:
081-543-6417; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00009)

RasterOps Intros 20-Inch Monitor And Large-Screen Adapter 06/14/93
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- RasterOps has
released a high-resolution 20-inch monitor, along with a new 24-bit
display adapter specifically optimized for large-screen support.

The new RasterOps 20/20 Multimode Color Display can be used with PCs
as well as Macs. The new RasterOps PaintBoard Turbo is for Macs
only. The display, however, is also compatible with the RasterOps
PC Paintboard 24-bit accelerated display adapter and a variety of PC
boards from Truevision, as well as with additional Mac adapters from
Apple and third-party vendors.

The 20/20 Multimode is aimed at such purposes as two-page display
and presentation applications, officials said when announcing the
product. When the monitor is used with an adapter with resolution
of less than 1,152 x 870 pixels, text and images are blown up to
fill the entire 20 inches.

The monitor supports resolutions ranging from 640 x 480 all the way
up to 1,152 x 768 pixels. At 1024 x 768 pixels resolution, text and
graphics can be shown in full-page WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-
you-get) mode.

For image quality and color fidelity, the monitor uses a high-
definition Invar shadow mask picture tube with EBU (European
Broadcasting Uniformity) phosphors. Through an automatic degaussing
feature, the shadow mask is magnetically cleansed at start-up, to
eliminate magnetic fields that can interfere with picture display.

Other capabilities of the monitor include 0.31 mm dot pitch, a
flicker-free refresh rate of 75 cycles per second, digital controls,
a tilt/swivel stand, and an anti-static/anti-reflective coating. To
be compatible with the RasterOps 20/20 multimode color display, a
display adapter must support one or more of the monitor's nine
pre-set modes.

The newly introduced RasterOps Paintboard Turbo for the Mac
supports monitors of up to 20 inches from RasterOps, Apple and most
third-party manufacturers.

The board provides acceleration of up to 50 times over standard,
unaccelerated QuickDraw and a 9-bit DAC (digital-to-analog
converter), according to the company.

The accelerator can also address a color space twice as high as
traditional 8-bit DAC standards, allowing a full range of 16.7
million colors to be displayed without color replication on systems
with a gamma setting as high as 2.4, officials asserted.

An extended desktop feature supplies a virtual work space of 4,096
x 1,024 pixels, or four times that of the actual size of the
monitor, so the user can work on spreadsheets, layouts or other
materials up to four-and-a-half feet in size.

"Even occasional users of applications such as QuarkXPress,
PageMaker, Photoshop and Illustrator will experience increased
productivity from our large-screen display and acceleration
capabilities," commented Jon Bass, RasterOps' product marketing
manager.

The new adapter also offers a daughterboard expansion capability.
Functionality can be extended, for example, with the use of
RasterOps PhotoPro, a RISC-based daughtercard for Photoshop filer
acceleration.

Other key features of the accelerator board include smooth panning,
for moving quickly and easily around the desktop, and instant
magnification.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930614/Press contact: Michele Janin,
Cunningham Communication for RasterOps, tel [phone]; Reader
contact: RasterOps, tel 800-SAY-COLOR)


(EDITORIAL)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00010)

Editorial - Phone, Newspaper Tie-Ups A-Gogo 06/14/93
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- By Dana Blankenhorn.
A few years ago newspaper chains and telephone companies were
eyeing each other warily, each fearful the other would try to
monopolize new markets in local online services, voice services
and fax.

Now they've dropped the hatchets and climbed into bed together.
In Atlanta, it's Southern Bell and the Atlanta Journal-
Constitution. In LA, the Times and Pacific Bell. In New York,
Nynex and Newsday.

The reaction? A big yawn. Why? Because newspapers and phone
companies simply don't have the power they once did. Even if
there's just one daily in a market like Atlanta, there are free
weeklies like Creative Loafing, four local TV news teams, specialty
publications of all kinds, and cable. As for the Bell companies, the
old joke that if they were selling sushi they'd call it "cold, dead
fish" rings true.

Failure has cooled the fears of monopoly. In Atlanta, for instance,
the newspaper tried an online service and an audiotex service. The
latter drew lots of calls, but little revenue. The phone company
tried an online service, and has launched a cellular news-clipping
service. No big deal there, either.

And it doesn't look like either side is going to wise up any time
soon. Cox Enterprises chairman James Cox Kennedy says that
journalism jobs will actually decline as new media come on-stream,
to be replaced by "packagers" of information.

Wrong, Jim. These new markets are not easy pickings. To win, you've
got to provide something new, different, and valuable. That means
reporters, as well as editors, dedicated to the new markets, and
their readers.

Just as you needed new news crews for radio and TV, you'll need new
kinds of newspeople to make fax-based news work, for instance. Why?
Because fax needs high value-added, tight writing, in-depth, with a
fast turnaround -- the speed of TV with the depth of a newspaper.

Same thing with online services, which require interaction, a cross
between magazine writer and radio talk-show host. Same thing with
audio services, where you need need depth, clarity and -- again -- a
high value-added, a cross between radio and newsletters.

It's true. These markets have not developed yet. It's possible
they'll never develop, and it's possible I'm wrong. But I've just
looked at each market from a reader's point of view. That's the
only view that counts.

Unless and until local editors in fax, online and audio services
think and act from that point of view, nothing will succeed.
Newspaper people can only think and act from a newspaper reader's
point of view, phone company people from a utility's point of view.
Neither is a fax reader, an online services user, or a heavy user of
audio services.

Down the road, after fax, audio, and local online services are
proven, the phone company and newspaper company might buy-out
good people, but meanwhile there's nothing but opportunity here.

If you want to be a press baron, think like a reader of one of
these media, act like someone dedicated to serve that reader, and
have no fear of the Big Bad Monopoly. You will be rewarded and
retain your independence, just as Newsbytes has been rewarded and
retained its independence, if you just remember that the customer
is always right. No amount of money or power will ever change
that.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930614)


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

First MPC 2 Multimedia Upgrade Kits From Media Vision 06/14/93
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- Media Vision has
introduced two multimedia upgrade kits that are the first to be
compatible with the Multimedia Personal Computer (MPC) Marketing
Council's recently introduced MPC Level 2 specification.

Both the Pro 16 Multimedia System and the Fusion Double CD-16
contain a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) drive and a CD
quality sound card, but the Pro 16 system offers faster
performance than the Fusion Double CD-16.

The Pro 16 Multimedia System kit includes the NEC model 84JD-1
CD-ROM drive with a 300 kilobytes per second (kps) data rate
and a 250 millisecond (ms) average access time. Also included
is the Pro Audiospectrum 16 sound card and specialized software
including: musical instrument digital interface (MIDI)
sequencing software, a professional waveform editor, mixer, and
voice recognition.

The kit also includes no less than eight software applications on
CD-ROM: Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia; Interplay's Battle
Chess; Mantis and Civilization games from Micropro; Macromedia's
Action! presentation package; the complete Mayo Clinic Health Book;
Sirrus Publishing's PC Karaoke; and Broderbund's Carmen Sandiego
Deluxe Edition. The kit is retail priced at $1,199.

At a lower price, but still MPC Level 2 compatible, the Fusion
Double CD-16 upgrade kit offers a NEC model 55J CD- ROM drive
performing at a 300 kps data rate, 350 ms access time and a 16-
bit sound card. Four bundled CD-ROM software applications
offered in the kit are: Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia;
Interplay's Battle Chess; Broderbund's Arthur's Teacher
Trouble; and The Seventh Guest from Virgin, which the company
claims is one of the first games to take advantage of double-
speed CD-ROM technology. This package retails for $799.

The MPC Level 2 specification expands industry standard minimum
requirements for multimedia systems to 16-bit (or CD-quality)
sound, a double-speed CD-ROM drive, and multi-session Photocd
capability. Complaints throughout the industry were that the
original MPC specifications didn't require enough horsepower to
make a satisfying multimedia experience for users. Especially
concerning the data transfer rate the CD-ROM drive is capable
of, which is why double-speed CD-ROM drives have been
introduced.

Data transfer rates determine just how fast information can be
moved between the storage device and the computer. With hard
drives the bottleneck is mostly the due to limitations of the
computer bus but with CD-ROM drives the bus transfer speeds are
restricted by how quickly the drive can read data from the
disc.

Double-speed CD-ROM drives operate at two different rotation
speeds -- standard, and twice the standard speed. This speeds
data transfer rates and reduces average access times to as low
as about 250 ms.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930614/Press Contact: Abigail Johnson,
Roeder-Johnson for Media Vision, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00012)

AIFP Offers High Volume Fax Servers 06/14/93
BEAVERTON, OREGON, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- American
International Facsimile Products says it will offer two of Dell
Computer Corporation's 486-based computers as the main platforms for
its Host-Fax line of host-connect fax servers.

A fax server is a computer which is configured to send and receive
high volumes of fax traffic. The fax server is connected to a
mid-range host system, and contains a fax board which performs the
functions of a standalone fax machine.

AIFP says that fax servers can be either hardware or software based.
The Host-Fax system is software based, which AIFP says provides more
flexibility than a hardware-based system, such as more sophisticated
printing options. The company will be using Dell's 433/M desktop and
450/T tower systems, which will be pre-configured by Dell.

The Host-Fax system, which operates under Unix to take advantage of
multitasking, functions as an outbound fax systems that uses forms
overlay and formatting, and as a forms printing system for files and
documents. For example, suppose you want to deliver a document to a
customer or supplier via fax, fax a copy internally to your own
receiving department, and print date/time stamped copies with routing
information for your archives. The system also offers multiple fonts,
a feature often not available with fax boards.

According to AIFP, Host-Fax can support up to 48 lines, each with its
own fax board, for incoming and outgoing faxes, and performs file
maintenance such as purging of files, automatically based on user
criteria. Host-Fax graphics are in TIFF (Tagged Image File Format)
format.

A number of page layout and drawing programs, including Aldus
Pagemaker, Adobe Illustrator, and Microsoft Draw, recognize TIFF
files and can be used to prepare customized forms for faxing via
Host-Fax. The program can also use scanned forms, and has a set of
graphics commands that allow form and document printing on the fly.
A number of fonts are supported in sizes from 6 to 72 points. The
program supports CCITT Group III and IV.

Other features include document batching which allows all faxes being
sent to a particular phone number to go out together, regardless of
where they reside in the fax queue. A broadcast fax feature sends
documents to an unlimited number of phones, and the program supports
transmission to alternate numbers and retries up to eight hours.

AIFP Marketing Director Dale Paulin told Newsbytes the concept of
attaching a Unix based fax server to the host is unfamiliar to many
companies, but the word is now getting out. "With the kind of payback
that these servers provide, it doesn't surprise me." Information
provided by Paulin reflects that a company that sends out 100
document pages per day can save nearly $1,500 per month by faxing
instead of mailing, using a fax server instead of the US Postal
Service. At that rate, says AIFP, you would recover the cost of a
$9,000 server is just over six months. The cost savings claimed for
companies sending 500 document pages daily jumps to $7,350 per month.

AIFP provides a toll-free number for inquiries, and will do a free
application analysis. You can also write your name on a sheet of
company letterhead and fax it to them.

(Jim Mallory/19930614/Press contact: Dale Paulin, AIFP, 800-366-1611
or 503-641-1611; Reader contact: 800-366-1611, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00013)

Michigan Company Supports Apple II Line 06/14/93
ST CLAIR SHORES, MICHIGAN, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- One of the
problems users of discontinued computer lines have is the obtaining
the same level of support that the manufacturers once supplied.
Called "orphans," the systems frequently remain in use long after
the company has gone out of business or has introduced a new line.

Traditionally, the search for support has spawned user groups on
national and local electronic bulletin boards and third-party firms
have bought up all the parts and software they could find just to
support these waifs of the industry. Now a Michigan company has
announced new support plans for the Apple II market that include an
expanded product line and a new all-Apple II magazine.

"The Apple II community feels abandoned by Apple," explained Joe
Gleason, President of Quality Computers. "Apple sold over six
million Apple IIs then decided to turn their backs on them. There's
no dealer support. There's little corporate support. We want to fill
that void," he said.

To do just that Quality Computers has launched "II alive", a magazine
devoted to the Apple II computer. "We want to make II Alive like
Apple II publications were 5 or 6 years ago -- packed with
information and fun to read," said Gleason.

The first issue of II Alive went out in March of this year, and will
be published every other month. Gleason claims that it will have
feature articles, regular departments, interviews, nostalgia, and a
Buying Guide. A one year subscription is $19.95 and you get a free
video. Quality spokesperson Carl Sperber told Newsbytes the video,
which is a little under an hour long, contains some product demos,
some video shot at Apple Expo West in San Francisco a few months
ago, and some tech tips.

Quality obtained the subscription list for A+ and InCider magazine
from IDG and will fulfil those subscriptions. They are mailing II
Alive to about 65,000 readers at present, and say the subscriptions
are coming in at the rate of about 200 per day.

Last year Quality Computers announced an array of products under its
brand name, including RAM cards for the IIe and IIGs, a 2400 baud
modem, and several utility programs. The company has also acquired
the rights to Beagle Bros Software's Apple II product line, and has
already released one new product and a major upgrade under the
Beagle Bros name. "We plan to expand both product lines in 1993,"
Gleason said.

The company also serves the educational market (K-12) with multi-
vendor hardware and software, and publishes a free magazine and
catalog for educators, called Enhance.

(Jim Mallory/19930614/Press contact: Carl Sperber, Quality Computers,
800-777-3642,X726 or 313-774-7200; Reader contact: Quality Computers,
800-777-3642 or 313-774-7200)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00014)

Real-Time News Software For Macintosh 06/14/93
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- Mainstream Data has
announced MacWire, a newswire processing software package for Apple
Computer's Macintosh that can receive, filter, and display news on a
real-time basis.

In the old days newspapers, radio and television stations, and news
magazines had a bank of teletype machines in their news rooms to
receive the stories coming over the Associated Press, United Press
International, Reuters and local news wires. As technology improved
and computers moved into the news rooms, the clacking teletypes
machines made way for quieter computer terminals.

The new system is called MacWire, and allows most of the major
newswires to be inserted directly into a Macintosh computer.
Mainstream Data claims that the software is fully compatible with
all services conforming to the ANPA Bulletin 1312 format including
Knight-Ridder/Tribune, Associated Press, UPI, Reuters, PR Newswire,
Business Wire, Agence France Presse, Comtex and other services.

In addition to receiving stories coming in on the telephone lines,
MacWire can also receive FM and satellite transmissions via
Mainstream Data's North America-wide broadcasting network.

The software, which will be officially unveiled at the NEXPO Trade
Show in New Orleans June 14th, lets the user set up as many as 32
separate "sections" or windows, each dedicated to a different topic
or subject based on user-defined key words. For example, one section
might capture computer-related stories, while another would collect
financial news, and another sports. The company says each section is
updated in real-time, as the stories are received.

The company says MacWire does not require a dedicated Macintosh
computer, but works in the background while the user performs other
tasks such as word processing. The program has a suggested retail
price of $995. Mainstream spokesperson Rob Kay told Newsbytes the
program will run with as little as 1MB of system memory.

Robert Harris, director of Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News, likes
the concept. "Users of Knight-Ridder/Tribune newswires have been
waiting for this," says Harris. "the publishing community has had
newswires and Macintosh computers for years, but nobody has put the
two together. MacWire gives publishers the facility they've been
waiting for - applying the creative power of the Mac to the
newswires.

(Jim Mallory/19930614/Press contact: Robert Kay, Mainstream Data,
415-777-2760; Reader contact: Mainstream Data, 801-584-2800)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00015)

Traveling Software's Nifty Text Editor 06/14/93
BOTHELL, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- It's not often that
you get something that's really free. But the folks at Traveling
Software include a very nice text editor at absolutely no cost with
their already nifty product, Laplink.

Laplink itself is designed to make it easy to transfer files from one
computer to another. Laptop computers users use it to transfer files
easily between laptops and desktop PCs. It can do its work via a
special cable that comes with the software and connects either the
parallel or the serial ports on the two computers, or you can
transfer files via the phone lines if the PCs are modem-equipped.

When the programmers wrote the Laplink software, they included
LapLink Editor, an easy-to-use text editor that supports a mouse if
you have one, or can be controlled via the keyboard. LapWrite uses
pull-down menus, and automatically reformats text as you insert or
delete information. You can merge files, inserting the contents of
one file anywhere in a second file, and you can have two files open
simultaneously, either switching from one to the other or displaying
both in the split screen mode.

The program includes a clipboard feature to which text can be moved
or copied, and contents of the clipboard can be automatically saved,
if you turn that option on. You can also display the contents of the
clipboard. There's a search feature, and search and replace. All of
the features are available from the menus, and many are invoked via
various Alt-key combinations.

Word wrap is user selectable, with the options of choosing screen
width, print width, or at a user-specified column. You can turn on a
large text feature which makes it very easy to read what you are
typing or editing, particularly on notebook machines, and you can
select 43 or 50 lines of text per screen if you have EGA or VGA
video. You can also change the case of a selected portion of the
text, and remove carriage returns.

There are several print options. You can view the layout, which
displays three pages of the document side by side so you can see what
it looks like; print the document to the screen; or print to your
printer. Some of the set-up choices available are the tab interval
in
spaces, turning on or off the beep, an auto save feature, and
selection of the display color. The latter includes an LCD selection
specifically for laptop systems.

When you purchase LapLink, you get an order form for the $24.95 Hot
Links Book. The book comes with an upgraded version of LapLink Editor
called LapWrite; DeskConnect, a drive sharing program; and some file
management software. In addition to the features mentioned above,
LapWrite also adds number of additional features.

There are various print options, including left and right margins,
line spacing, page width, top and bottom margins, page length,
justification, number of copies, number the pages starting with a
user-selectable page number, and select the output port. That last
feature lets you send the output to any of the parallel or serial
ports on your machine.

There's also an auto-save feature, and a spell checker and thesaurus.
The spell checker lets you check the entire document, a selected
portion, or an individual word. You'll get the spell checker and
thesaurus sat no cost when you register LapWrite.

(Jim Mallory/19930614/Press contact: Marci Maule, Traveling Software,
206-483-8088; Reader contact: Traveling Software, 800-343-8080 or
206-483-8088, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00016)

Radius Intros Mac Photoshop Accelerator, PrecisionColor Pro 06/14/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- The Macintosh
platform from Apple Computer has always been heavily favored for
graphics-intensive applications. Now Radius has introduced
PhotoBooster, a hardware/software package designed to speed compute-
intensive operations for users of Adobe Systems Photoshop 2.5. The
company has also introduced the PrecisionColor Pro accelerated 24-
bit display interface.

According to the company, PhotoBooster is powered by twin AT&T 3210
digital signal processors running at 66 megahertz (MHz). The product
is intended to provide acceleration of such critical Adobe Photoshop
bottlenecks as filters, image resizing and rotation, as well as RGB
to CMYK color conversions.

Announcing the product, Chuck Berger, Radius' president and chief
executive officer, said: "Adding Radius' PhotoBooster to a Macintosh
Quadra or Centris 650 provides significant performance improvements
for the production Photoshop user."

"Radius now offers its customers a number of acceleration
alternatives that meet the most stringent price/performance needs
while providing unprecedented productivity improvements," he added.

PhotoBooster includes a small form factor, general-purpose,
computational co-processor for the Processor Direct Slot (PDS) in
the Centris 650 and Quadra versions of the Mac. The PhotoBooster
software diverts Photoshop 2.5 filtering operations to the DSPs or
engages them in combination with the Macintosh processor.

The DSP3210 uses a 32-bit architecture for both its data and
address buses. The PrecisionColor Pro graphics card may be
installed "in-line" with the PhotoBooster card installed in the
PDS slot. The two cards require only the footprint of a single
NuBus slot.

The company says that the Radius PhotoBooster card for the
Quadra and Centris 650 Macs will begin shipping in July 1993.

Radius claims that PrecisionColor Pro offers the best on-screen
performance of any interface in its class, and includes the Dynamic
Desktop software with the interface for ease-of-use. Radius also
says that Dynamic Desktop provides users with "instantaneous
resolution and bit-depth switching without having to re-boot their
system or re-launch applications."

The PrecisionColor Pro is designed in a reduced size seven-inch
NuBus form factor, which offers compatibility with all NuBus-based
Macintosh systems. The seven-inch size assures compatibility with
future Macintosh NuBus CPUs (central processing units).

The Radius PrecisionColor Pro uses an application specific
integrated circuit design to deliver 32-bit QuickDraw acceleration.
According to the company, the integrated design uses fewer
components than many competitive products, which results in
higher performance, reduced heat build-up, and lower overall
power consumption.

The PrecisionColor Pro is set for shipments in June, 1993,
and will carry a suggested list price of $2,499.

(Ian Stokell/19930614/Press Contact: Dee Cravens,
408-434-1010, Radius Inc.)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LON)(00017)

Geneva Services Unveils Mac To Mini/Mainframe Connector 06/14/93
BRIGHTON, ENGLAND, 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- Geneva Services (UK) Limited,
a company that specializes in information management and the
analysis of change, has announced ASC 5PM, a French package that
allows Apple Mac systems to be connected to a wide range of mini and
mainframe host computers.

According to the company, ASC 5PM is a unique interfacing product
that allows interfacing with multiple computers simultaneously. The
software, which costs UKP 412, enables users to benefit from
client/server computing within their own Mac environment, the
company claims.

In addition, ASC 5PM allows for a "vamping" facility, i.e. the
ability to transform the on-screen appearance of a text-based
application. A customised Mac interface can be created for host
applications, such as accounting or customer information, which
allows packages running on non-Mac environments -- over the link --
to have a Mac-like graphical user interface (GUI).
-
In use, ASC 5PM supports IBM mainframe and AS/400 environments, as
well as DEC VAX, HP-3000 and most leading Unix environments. Several
terminal emulations are also supported. Announcing the availability
of the package in the UK, Simon Love, Geneva Systems' managing
director, said that ASC 5PM is a major breakthrough for majority of
computer users who are still using dumb terminals on host computers.

"Users can now have a flexible, easy to use interface that delivers
real productivity gains. ASC 5PM gives managers an affordable
opportunity to link standalone or networked Apple users simply into
central company computers to gain access to massive investments in
information and processing power," he said.

As supplied, ASC 5PM includes support for full color screens, as
well as host terminals that support mono and eight colour
emulations. The package is fully compatible with Apple Comms
Toolbox, and includes a scripting language with palettes, buttons
and other objects to automate multiple operations.

(Steve Gold/19930614/Press & Public Contact: Geneva Services (UK) -
Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00018)

Apricot Announces New Budget PCs; New Sales Channel 06/14/93
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- Apricot has unveiled a new
range of aggressively-priced PCs known as the Xen PC series. The
budget machines claim to bring 80486 processor computing power and
Apricot's quality design and performance to a new range of PC users,
many of whom are used to buying "off the page."

To handle the new machines, Apricot has created what it claims is a
new sales channel -- the Apricot Connection. The machines will be
sold through four of the company's main resellers: 3C UK, Clifton
Reed Consultants, Fraser Associates and The Database. All four
resellers will target buyers in the direct sales market-place with
the new machines.

Pricing on the Xen PC series starts at UKP 799 for a 25 megahertz
(MHz) 80486SX microprocessor-based system with 4 megabytes (MB) of
memory, an 80MB hard disk and a 14 inch super VGA color monitor.
This price runs until the end of July, when it will rise by UKP 100
to UKP 899.

Other machines available are a similarly-equipped 160MB hard disk
system for UKP 999, a 33MHz 486DX-based system with 160MB hard disk
at UKP 1,199 and a 240MB equipped system at UKP 1,299. Optional
extras include a 14 inch EVGA color Trinitron monitor (UKP 75
extra) and a 17 inch EVGA color Trinitron monitor (UKP 475 extra).

Dr Peter Horne, group managing director of Apricot, said that the
machines are pitched at the volume sales market-place. "As well as
small organizations and individuals, there are many large
institutions in both the public and private sectors who buy standard
PCs in volume, but have recognised the need for well-designed and
manufactured systems from quality manufacturers," he said.

"The Zen PC, built on our new low-cost production lines, can rival
ant of the existing direct sales or price-sensitive manufacturers,
such as Dell, Elonex, Compaq's Prolinea and Ambra," he added.

(Steve Gold/19930614/Press & Public Contact: Apricot Computers -
Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00019)

"Ford's Biggest Secret" Up For Sale In India 06/14/93
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- The Ford Motor Company's
biggest secret -- a software package that helped the automobile
giant snip $1,200 million from its manufacturing costs -- is now for
sale in India. The package, Design for Manufacture and Assembly
(DFMA), which was developed by Boothroyd Dewhurst in the US, can now
be bought for just $3,750 in India.

Boothroyd Dewhurst decided to release the package in India after
sales requests from several potential customers in this country.
After extensive dealing with a number of local companies, the US
software house settled on Product Management Services (PMS) and its
New Delhi-based associate, SQL Star People (India), to handle sales
in the Indian sub-continent.

"We expect to sell about 150 DFMA licences in the next seven
months," explained Jas Walia, PMS' managing director, who has began
offering product demonstrations to several companies such as Bajaj
Auto, Telco (of Tatas) and Videocon.

DFMA is a package that logs all manufacturing activity within a
company and looks carefully at the economic implications of altering
the methods of manufacture. Since between 70 and 95 percent of the
end product's cost is due to the marginal cost of manufacture,
rather than the overheads involved (e.g. sales and marketing), any
changes in the cost of manufacture will have a strong effect on the
end user costs.

In use, DFMA allows the manufacturer to identify those areas of
manufacture where costs can be trimmed. The package is used by
several companies, including Alcatel, Compaq, Digital Equipment,
Hewlett Packard General Motors and Xerox, in their bid to keep costs
under control and keep prices competitive.

SQL Star People is also marketing the Adina Finite Element System
(AFES), a package written and developed by Adina R&D Incorporated.
This PC package, which was designed for the construction, rubber,
steel, energy and heavy engineering industries, costs around $8,000.
A minicomputer version sells for around three times this price.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19930614)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00020)

 ****Cablesoft Rumors Swirling 06/14/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A.,1993 JUNE 14 (NB) -- The New York Times
reports that Time Warner, TCI and Microsoft are discussing a venture
called Cablesoft which would work on interactive cable software.
Microsoft spokesmen confirmed the talks with Reuters, but Time
spokesman Ed Adler refused all comment to Newsbytes and other
services.

If the deal goes down, it would get Microsoft around two new
competitors, IBM-Apple's Kaleida partnership and Silicon Graphics,
both of which have recently signed to get into the cable business.
Kaleida offered its Scriptx language, which will go along with the
IBM-Motorola-Apple PowerPC chip in a new set-top converter from
Scientific Atlanta. Silicon Graphics said it will provide chips for
Time Warner's new interactive system in Orlando.

The rumors of a Microsoft connection follow by one week the
announcement, at the National Cable Television Association show in
San Francisco, that TCI and Time Warner, the two largest cable
operators, would work to make their interactive systems compatible.

At the same show Microsoft confirmed a deal to put its Modular
Windows software onto Intel chips for a General Instruments cable
box, and TCI ordered 1 million of them. Major online systems like
Prodigy and America Online seized on that news to offer their
networks to cable viewers. While online services reach just about 10
million, cable television reaches 60 million households.

Speculation is that TCI, which is buying Modular Windows-based
cable boxes, may be more keen on this deal than Time, which is
working with Kaleida and Silicon Graphics. While analysts
generally applauded the report, most noted that the announcement
of a joint-venture is the first step toward creating a product,
which itself is just one step on the road to market acceptance of
a technology.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930614)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00021)

 ****Aha! For Fast, Smart Pen-Based Notetaking 06/14/93
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- If you've
been waiting for the perfect program for note taking on a pen-based
computer, Aha! Software might have what you're looking for in its
first product, Inkwriter. Inkwriter claims to be fast enough to keep
up with you while you take notes and can even allow you to add to
your notes on the fly.

The problem in the past with note taking on pen-based computers is
the computer tries to translate your notes as you write, which slows
things down considerably. Aha! President, Gregory Stikeleather, said
that Inkwriter gets around that problem by not allowing translation
of the notes until you request it.

In addition, the software is smart enough to know if you're writing
a paragraph, making a list, marking up, drawing, or editing. If
you're writing a paragraph the software automatically wraps the
words to the next line. It will even allow you to insert words in
your own handwriting and will wrap the text to accommodate the
insertion.

Aha! claims that many users won't want to bother with translation of
their handwriting, as many faxes and documents are hand-written to
save time. But translation can be done, using the operating system's
built-in handwriting recognition software. Users can also decide
what text they'd like translated, so they can have a mix of
translated and handwritten text. The company also claims it offers
tight integration with other handwriting recognition modules,
including some that recognize cursive handwriting.

Other features include a twenty-level undo (so you can back out of
anything, the company claims); a variety of "stationary sheets"
including meeting notes, faxes, to do, memos, and presentations;
automatic insertion of date and time; write big, read small; write
narrow, print wide; and yellow marker highlighting. A number of ink
and text styles, fill patterns, fonts, font sizes, shades, and
thicknesses are available to choose from. The company even claims
you can use the electronic equivalent of a yellow marker to
highlight your text or handwritten ink.

Inkwriter is aimed at the personal digital assistant (PDA)
market, and company officials mentioned the software works well
with the American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T)/EO Personal
Communicator.

The software requires a 386, 486 or reduced instruction set
computing (RISC) Hobbit central processing unit (CPU), Go
Corporation's Penpoint Operating System 1.01 or higher, and a
minimum storage configuration of 275 kilobytes. Retail price is
$249, but the company is offering an introductory price of $199.

Aha! says that Inkwriter will ship in July, but is taking orders
now. The software comes on floppy disks and needs to be moved to the
PDA from another IBM compatible computer.

Stikeleather founded Mountain View, California-based Aha! in 1991,
after leaving his position as "Manager of Evangelism" for Go
Corporation. He has also worked for Forefront, Ashton-Tate, and
Apple Computer. Steven Kusmer, Vice President of Engineering, worked
on Authorware's interactive multimedia Windows product and Hewlett-
Packard's Unix operating system for the first Unix computer. Seed
money for the company came from its founders who have since raised
venture capital funding.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930614/Press Contact: Sharon Miller, Access
PR for Aha!, tel [phone] ext 272; Gregory Strikeleather,
Aha!, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00022)

Ungermann-Bass Scores With NY Stock Exchange 06/14/93
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- Reliability
is an important feature of any networking environment, but for
some organizations, it is critical. Addressing that concern,
Ungermann-Bass has won a contract for the sale of an integrated
network management and monitoring system to the Securities
Industry Automation Corp (SIAC), a subsidiary of the New York
and American stock exchanges.

SIAC provides key information technology systems support to both
exchanges, as well as to the National Securities Clearing and the
securities industry nationwide.

Ungermann-Bass and its development partner ProTools' system
includes the NetDirector network management console, and
ProTools' Foundation Manager and Cornerstone Probe. According
to the two companies, they provide network-out-of-band capability
that allows the user to put the agent-to-manager communication
on a secondary adapter and therefore a secondary network.

The companies claim that this allows network management
personnel to maintain communication to that segment even if the
primary network goes down.

Reliability was a primary concern of SIAC. Said Didier Moretti,
general manager of Ungermann-Bass' Network Management business unit,
"The Ungermann-Bass/ProTools solution was designed to address The
New York Stock Exchange's reliability concerns."

"The combined solution is the only one to offer advanced network
management features, such as baseline operation that allows
automatic setting of minimum and maximum alarm thresholds, and an
open, standards-based approach that provides enhanced reliability,"
he added.

Andrew F. Bach, SIAC managing director of communications
engineering, said of the system: "Because of the speed and quantity
of transactions that SIAC handles, it is crucial that we have a
network infrastructure in place that we can count on not to buckle
under on days when the transaction load is extremely heavy."

SIAC says that it plans, develops, implements and operates a variety
of automated information-handling and communication systems that
support order processing, trading and market data reporting as well
as trade comparison, clearance and settlement for a range of
securities.

The company maintains that ProTools' Foundation Manager integrates
Ungermann-Bass' network management product into NetDirector.
Foundation Manager is both a desktop monitoring and analysis
system, as well as a central console for viewing and controlling
subnets throughout the enterprise.

The Cornerstone Probe, consists of Cornerstone Agent software
and two Ungermann-Bass Ethernet adapters pre-installed on a
Dell computer in order to provide remote monitoring of the network
managed from Foundation Manager and NetDirector.

(Ian Stokell/19930614/Press Contact: Jim DeTar,
408-987-6531, Ungermann-Bass Inc.)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00023)

Sun Establishes Strategic Alliance With Wipro Infotech 06/14/93
BANGALORE, INDIA, 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- Sun Microsystems and Wipro
Infotech have established a strategic alliance with each other in
the Indian sub-continent. The aim of the alliance is to expand both
companies' respective positions as India's leading workstation and
server supplier.

Sun Microsystems entered the Indian market-place in 1987 via a
simple distribution agreement with Wipro Infotech, a company that is
ranked as number two in terms of Indian information technology (IT)
firms. Since then, the relationship between the two companies has
continued to the point where Sun/Wipro-distributed workstations and
servers are regarded as occupying the number one Indian sales slot.

Thanks to this success, both companies have decided to expand their
relationship with the formation of a new company -- Wipro Network
Systems -- which will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wipro
Infotech. The new company, which will employ 160 staff, aims to
promote the sale of Sun's hardware, as well as third-party solutions
through specialized sales channels such as original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs), value added resellers (VARs) and general
dealers.

Newsbytes notes that Wipro recently scored a success by landing
prestigious deals with the Bombay Stock Exchange and the Unit Trust
of India, fighting off fierce competition from the likes of IBM
(through Tata Information Systems), Hewlett-Packard and Digital
Equipment.

Rober MacRitchie, Sun Asia's corporate vice president, said that the
formation of the new company will be well place to explore vertical
sales channels. "In today's rapidly changing computer industry, the
most successful companies are pursuing strategies of vertical
commitment rather than vertical integration," he said, adding that
vendors who are trying to cover all bases themselves, are failing at
the task.

"This alliance offers many benefits of a classical equity joint
venture while allowing each company to focus investments in their
own core competencies," he said, adding that, for Sun "this means
building world-class networked systems at affordable prices while
committing to India's best distribution, solutions and support
network from Wipro."

(C.T. Mahabharat/19930614)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00024)

Act! Version 1.1 For Windows Arrives 06/14/93
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- Contact Software
International (CSI) has announced it is shipping an upgrade to its
contact management software Act! for Windows.

The company says that version 1.1 includes performance gains and
increased data integration. The performance is improved by as much
as 300 percent in some areas of the program, and users now have
quicker access to contact and schedule information.

The company claims that importing, exporting and merging of contact
records is now significantly faster. According to CSI, saving almost
300 contacts with notes and history as a unique group now takes less
than 20 seconds in Act! for Windows version 1.1, compared to 6
minutes 33 seconds in version 1.03. The comparisons were made using
a 386-based personal computer running at 33 megahertz (MHz).

Contact programs like Act! use a database to keep track of
information about companies and individuals you want to contact
periodically. Most record a history of each contact, and allow
scheduling of activities and have other features that make it easy to
do follow-up with customers and prospects. Interaction with a word
processing program allows the user to send customized form letters
to clients and prospects. Follow-up can be scheduled as desired.

The new version allows users to exchange data between Act! programs
and other Windows-based applications such as Word for Windows,
AmiPro, and Wordperfect for Windows through DDE (dynamic data
exchange).

There's also a "point and shoot" import filter for dBase IV and
ASCII files, a data link to Act! for the Hewlett Packard 95LX
palmtop, and new merge features to reconcile data between multiple
version of Act! CSI has also added filters to import most data from
other contact managers and PIMs (personal information managers) such
as PackRat, Lotus Organizer, and Maximizer. The program includes a
DDE link to WinFax PRO, allowing an Act! user to capture the name
and fax number from the current contact record and send it to WinFax
Pro to fax a document.

CSI claims that some of the new features are user requested,
including optional auto-rollover of uncompleted activities, a quick-
dial phone list, and enhanced lookup features for searching within
existing groups.

The company has changed the package and lowered the price for new
users. Previously priced at $495, CSI says the suggested retail price
is now $395, and registered users of Act! for Windows will
automatically receive the upgrade at no charge.

A two lesson audio tape, with each lesson taking about one hour, is
included in the box. The package also includes a coupon that allows
you to buy the HP 95LX version of Act! for $99. The regular price
for the 95LX version is $149.

CSI provides online support for Act! in the PC Vendor E forum on
CompuServe, a subscription information service, and the Act! box
contains the information to get you a free introductory membership on
CompuServe. You receive one month of free Basic Services and a $15
credit towards connect charges.

Several third party providers publish add-on products for Act!,
including MCI Mail for Act!; Act! Pak!, a mail merge program;
MapLinx for Act!, which displays the location of your contacts on a
map; and several other useful products. Ordering information and
pricing is included in a brochure included with Act! for Windows.

If you don't already have Act! for Windows and plan to buy it, you'll
need a 386-based PC or better, 4 megabytes (MB) of system memory,
Windows 3.0 or higher or Windows for Pen Computing, and a 3.5 inch
high density floppy drive. The program files occupy about 3MB of hard
drive space.

(Jim Mallory/19930614/Press contact: Heidi Munin, Contact Software
International, 214-919-9584; Reader contact: Contact Software
International, 214-919-9584 or 800-365-0606, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00025)

 ****Apple Price Cuts, Rebates, And New Laser Printer 06/14/93
CAMPBELL, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- Apple Computer,
faced with increasing pricing pressure in the highly competitive
personal computer (PC) market, is cutting prices and offering rebate
incentives. The rebates will be effective September 30, 1993 and
will be administered by participating Apple authorized resellers.

The price reductions are approximately ten percent on selected
Macintosh Centris 610 models, Macintosh IIvx models, Powerbook 180s,
Apple Onescanners, and the Applecds compact disc read-only memory
(CD-ROM) drives. For example, the Powerbook 180 4/120 has been
reduced from $4,469 to $4,059.

Rebates of $50 to $350 are being offered on a variety of Apple
desktop, notebook, and Duo computers as well as on printers,
monitors, and compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) drives. The
models in each of the following product lines have been reduced:
Macintosh Classic, Macintosh Centris, Macintosh IIvx, Powerbook,
Macintosh Duo Dock, Apple Monitors, Laserwriter printers, the Apple
Onescanner, and the Applecd.

In addition, Apple has announced a low-cost laser printer, the
Apple Personal LaserWriter 300. The product is aimed at home
office, small business and educational markets and is retail
priced at $689.

The Personal Laserwriter offers power conservation. The Laserwriter
is always "asleep" until it detects something to be printed, and
after printing goes back to "sleep." When printing, it uses 120
watts, less than one-half the power of most laser printers and while
in "sleep" mode, the printer uses less than five watts of power, or
the equivalent of a television set that has been turned off.

The new Laserwriter 300 weighs less than 15 pounds and is compact
enough to fit on a desktop. The printer offers up to four pages per
minute print speed and print resolution of up to 300 by 300 dots per
inch (dpi) with grayscale printing. It can be connected to a
Localtalk or Ethertalk network and comes with 39 Laserwriter
Truetype fonts.

In addition, the Personal Laserwriter 300 comes with a 100-sheet
universal cassette for printing on a variety of paper sizes up to
legal size, and a standard manual feed tray for printing on
envelopes, labels, or heavy paper stock.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930614/Press Contact: Stacey Byrnes, Apple
Computer, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Public Contact
800-538-9696)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00026)

Microsoft Shipping Mail Gateway 3.2 To X.400 06/14/93
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- Microsoft has
announced it is now shipping version 3.2 of the Microsoft Mail
Gateway to X.400. The new version reportedly includes a variety of
enhancements, including support for LANs (local area networks),
easier gateway administration, and broader international support.

"Because our customers have different connectivity needs, version 3.2
provides the flexibility of both LAN and WAN (wide area network)
connectivity from the same gateway," explained Tom Evslin, general
manager of Microsoft's workgroup division. He added that the native
TP4 connection in the new release allowed Microsoft to eliminate
extra software links and utilize existing Ethernet network
technology.

Microsoft claims that the new version simplifies and reduces the
cost of connecting to other systems, such as DEC All-In-One, that
are connected via X.400 to the same LAN as the X.400 gateway.
Existing network infrastructure, such as Ethernet, can be used to
access X.400 without additional software or a leased X.25 line.

A simplified gateway configuration and administration has been
provided, using a new utility through which all gateway files and
parameters are maintained. A full screen utility allows the user to
configure and maintain the gateway.

There's also a new Administrator's Guide that describes the
configuration utility and the other new features, and another manual
that describes the TP4/CLNP stack utilities included to monitor and
maintain the gateway in an OSI LAN environment.

Multiple connection support allows three active sessions
simultaneously. That can be two incoming and one outgoing or three
incoming sessions. The new version also includes support for the
Norwegian and German IA5 text as well as the existing Swedish IA5
support.

Microsoft says it has designed the new version to shield users from
the complexities of X.400. Message encapsulation allows for seamless
transport of messages, including OLE (object linking and embedding)
objects, multiple binary files and directories across foreign mail
system backbones. There's also an X.400 integrated message transfer
agent (MTA) that can be used to route mail from any X.400 source to a
recipient on another X.400 MTA over a WAN or LAN, or route local mail
without forwarding it to a remote MTA.

Version 3.2 supports the NIST and A/311 profiles and is OSTC
conformant. It requires a dedicated PC with at least 1 megabyte (MB)
of memory, at least 5MB of free hard disk space, a 286 or higher
microprocessor, one high density floppy drive, and a network
interface card compatible with the network operating system
workstation drivers.

While the system will run with 1MB, Microsoft recommends extended or
expanded memory also. In a Novell network an NDIS MAC network
interface card is required. For wide area network connectivity, a
dedicated X.25 line either from a local X.25 service provider or
from a private in-house X.25 network is required for each gateway, as
well as an Eicon card.

Microsoft Mail Gateway to X.400 is shipping now, and has a suggested
retail price of $4,995.

(Jim Mallory/19930614/Press contact: Collins Hemingway, Microsoft,
206-882-8080; Reader contact: Microsoft Corporation, 206-882-8080 or
800-426-9400)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(NYC)(00027)

Kahn Sees On-Going Battle On Cryptography 06/14/93
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- David Kahn,
author of "The Codebreakers", speaking at the Third CPSR
Cryptography Conference, told those assembled that he sees an on-
going battle between government and privacy advocates over personal
and business uses of cryptography.

Kahn began by saying "My thesis is that the growth of cryptography
follows the growth of communication. When there was little literacy,
writing itself was a form of cryptography"

"A great leap forward came in World War I -- the use of radio
brought the need for greater use of codes to insure the privacy of
messages. In the fall out after the war, the use of cipher machines
was attempted but this approach was not really practical until
computers came along," he added.

According to Khan, in recent times, interest in cryptography has
grown dramatically. "When the RSA algorithm was mentioned in
Scientific American, there were 5,000 requests for reprints of the
article; the story "Ultra Secret" about the breaking of the Germans'
code raised interest and threats such as computer "hackers", viruses
and cellular phone fraud raised additional interest in cryptography
and the protection of privacy," he said.

Kahn then moved to his Antithesis: "(The) Government wants to stop the
movement toward privacy. (The) Government wants to know about
criminal and terrorists. It tries to accomplish this objective
through such things as export controls and the Clipper & Capstone
chips," he told the audience.

"The Government sees its activity. not as an additional intrusion
into individual privacy. but as an attempt to maintain the present
state. However, the domain of individual rights has been expanding -
- the Miranda warnings, abortion decisions and the more strident
avocation of privacy rights are examples of this trend," he said.

"The Government moves are trying to block the advance of privacy
rather than intrude into present rights. Export limits inhibits
business expansion," he added.

Kahn concluded: "Now we have to look for the synthesis. It's a
matter of "privacy is good" and "business profits are good" versus
"security is good." The question that must be answered is how to
balance these goods. Do we give up the first for the second?"

"The World Trade Center bombing shows that terrorism is here and is
a concern. Government wants to hold back technology. This can't be
done forever but can be done for a while. Government will argue that
the temporary holding back will save some lives and properties," he
said.

In the question and answer period that followed, Bill Murray,
consultant to Deloite and Touche, commented: "When the government
wants us to give up the right to private communications, it must
show us the danger (that warrants it). If drug dealers and
terrorists are the problem, it should be demonstrated that drug
dealers and terrorists are abusing private communications."

In response to a Newsbytes question as to whether the triumph of the
expansion of privacy rights over government concerns was inevitable,
Kahn said: "Privacy is to powerful a force to be stopped. It will
eventually prevail."

Ross Stapleton, a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) analyst,
commented: "These changes in information may cause a rethinking of
the concept of national sovereignty. Governments have always have
tried to control the flow of information; with the new technology
and communications capabilities, they cannot. control it any
longer."

Murray said: "We cannot control it but we can criminalize it and
that would be a mistake. By criminalizing drugs, we have
destabilized society. There is so much illegal money from this
policy that courts, law enforcement departments and legislatures
have been corrupted."

Asked by Newsbytes if he saw illegal money growing if the government
tries to rein in the growth of cryptography or tries to make
wiretapping more pervasive, Murray said: "No, it's not analogous in
the money sense. But the criminalizing of anything without real
justification causes destabilization."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19930614/Press Contact:
David Banisar, Computer Professionals For Social Responsibility,
202-544-9240 (voice); 202-547-5481 (fax); [e-mail]
on the Internet)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00028)

Kyocera & Cadence In Multichip Module Design Deal 06/14/93
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- Co-operative
development deals are part of business life in the
semiconductor industry. Now in a deal that links a Japanese
manufacturer and an American firm, Kyocera and Cadence Design
Systems have signed a partnership agreement that calls for the
offering of Kyocera's ceramic multichip module design (MCM-C) tool
kit with Cadence's Allegro-MCM design automation system.

The partnership is claimed to be the first of its kind for ceramic
manufacturing giant Kyocera. The companies hope that it will
increase the utilization of low-cost, high-performance ceramic
multichip modules.

Announcing the deal, Kyocera's General Manager of Strategic
Planning, Dr. Masami Terasawa, said that his company entered into
the Cadence deal, "to increase the world-wide market for multichip
modules."

According to the companies, the tool kit will feature a design
environment based on Kyocera's ceramic multichip design
technologies, and will provide users with the "complete suite of
tools required for design, verification and physical implementation"
of the technology.

Ceramic multichip module technology allows several devices to be
housed on a single substrate, rather than packaged individually.
This in turn allows increased device speeds with decreased space
requirements.

Kyocera America plans to market the MCM-C Design Tool Kit
beginning July 1. The company expects to ship kits in October.

(Ian Stokell/19930614/Press Contact: Paula Knight,
408-451-1308, Kyocera America Inc.)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00029)

 ****QMS Intros First Laser Color Printer 06/14/93
MOBILE, ALABAMA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- QMS has today announced
what it describes as the world's first desktop color laser printer.

The company claims that the QMS ColorScript Laser 1000 uses laser
technology to produce vivid, dependable, low cost color output as
well as high quality monochrome printing on a variety of paper
stocks and on standard transparency film.

The Laser 1000 uses four toner/developer cartridges, one each for the
primary print colors black, cyan, magenta and yellow, to create a
palette of 16.7 million colors. The system automatically notifies the
user when the toner supply for a particular color needs to be
replaced.

QMS says that the 1000 transfers an entire color image to paper in
a single pass. A belt, rather than the paper, makes four passes (one
for each color) to capture the image, which is then assembled on the
printer's drum and transferred to the paper. The printer supports
several color matching systems, including Apple Computer's ColorSync
and the EAColor color management system from Electronics For
Imaging.

A Business Color Rendering Dictionary provides WYSIWYG (what you see
is what you get) for users not using either of those systems, and a
Colorimetric matching system is also built into the system.

QMS claims that the Laser 1000 can emulate PostScript Level 1 and 2,
HP PCL 5C with GL/2, and there is optional DEC LN03 Plus emulation
support. Standard interfaces include parallel, serial, and
LocalTalk. The unit can also be connected to most local area
networks (LANs), since NetWare, EtherTalk, TCP/IP, and DECnet are
supported on Ethernet networks, and Netware or TCP/IP is supported
on Token Ring networks.

The new printer uses a software-loadable system that allows printer
software to be located on an internal 60 megabyte (MB) hard disk.
New system software is downloaded from the computer via a floppy
disk. The printer uses an Intel 25 MHz 80960CF RISC processor. Print
speed is rated at eight pages per minute (ppm) for monochrome and 2
ppm for color.

QMS spokesperson Kristin Chancey told Newsbytes that the cost per
page varies with the amount of color printing. She quoted a typical
example of a page that contained five percent black, 15 percent
cyan, 10 percent magenta, and five percent yellow that would cost
slightly over $0.32 per page.

The typical cost per page is based on a basic fixed charged per page
(2.4 cents for black, 3 cents for one color, 4.2 cents for two
colors, and 5.4 cents for all colors) plus the variable cost that's
dependent on the amount of color used. The costs described include
replacement cost for the belt, developer and fuser.

The unit ships with 12 MB of RAM (random access memory, or system
memory) which can be expanded to 32MB via user-installable SIMM
(single in-line memory modules). It uses both RAM and hard disk space
for job spooling. A 250-sheet paper tray is standard, and a second
250-sheet tray is available as an option for $625. Other options
include an Ethernet Netware or Ethertalk network interface for $895;
Ethernet TCP/IP and DECnet interface for $1,395; Ethernet TCP/IP only
or Token Ring Netware interface for $1,095; and a Token Ring TCP/IP
interface for $1,170.

The black toner cartridge, rated for 4,000 images at five percent
coverage, sells for $60. Cyan, magenta, and yellow toner cartridges
are $80 for about 2,000 images at five percent coverage. All the
developers are $180, with the black rated for about 30,000 images
regardless of coverage. The cyan, magenta, and yellow developers are
rated for about 15,000 images. The OPC belt sells for $305, and is
rated for about 50,000 images, regardless of coverage.

The Laser 1000 has a suggested retail price in the US of $12,499, and
comes with a 90 day return to depot warranty. It is scheduled to ship
in August. One site service is available.

(Jim Mallory/19930614/Press contact: Kristin Chancey, A&R Partners
for QMS, 415-363-0982; Reader contact: QMS Inc, 205-633-4300, fax
205-633-0013)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00030)

Casio/Tandy "Zoomer" To Use SunDisk Flash Memory Cards 06/14/93
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 14 (NB) -- SunDisk
Corporation says its flash mass storage cards will be designed into
all Zoomer Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), and demonstrated the
cards at the Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago recently. Zoomer,
a joint product of Tandy Corporation and Casio, was introduced to
the US computer industry last week.

The company says that the cards will not require any software
drivers. SunDisk says it was able to develop a low enough power
storage device to meet Zoomer's low power specifications. The cards
are available in 2.5, 10 and 20 megabyte (MB) capacity. That can be
doubled using software compression.

"One of the main advantages of our flash storage cards is that they
meet the PCMCIA-ATA industry standard and are interoperable between
computers regardless of which operating system or host processor is
used," explained SunDisk President Eli Harari.

Harari claims that Zoomer will have broad acceptance in the market-
place because it offers the features that user want, including long
battery lie and storage expansion. "The SunDisk card offers an easy
way to expand storage capacity," he said.

The storage cards can be easily removed from one unit by the user and
plugged into another, making it easy to use the same files in
different machines. The information can also be read by a card
reader attached to a desktop PC.

The company said that pricing has not been determined. It expects
there will be a number of add-on applications for Zoomer, with some
of those being sold pre-installed on SunDisk flash cards. Unlike
hard drives, the flash memory cards have no moving parts, and have
faster access times.

SunDisk spokesperson Nelson Chan told Newsbytes that the company
expects publishers of software products such as dictionaries,
airline guides, maps, and restaurant guides will be interested in
the cards. PDA's frequently have application software such as
spreadsheet and word processing installed in the read-only memory
(ROM), but Chan said such applications could also be recorded on a
flash card.

(Jim Mallory/19930614/Press contact: Nelson Chan, SunDisk
Corporation, 408-562-3456; Reader contact: SunDisk Corporation,
408-562-0500)