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/nb930625

Text File | 1993-06-25 | 77KB | 1,696 lines

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00001)

India - Autodesk Sets Up 100 Training Centers 06/25/93
BOMBAY, INDIA, 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Autodesk, the PC CAD leader,
has appointed Datapro Information Technology as its authorized
training center in the country. The company will be setting up 100
ATCs in the country over two years, Autodesk's country manager,
Bobby Srinivasan claimed.

After the success of Autocad, Autodesk is launching Autodesk 3D
Studio, a multimedia product, in the country. The setting up of
the ATCs is part of the company's "penetrative strategy for
demand creation of its products," Srinivasan said. The ATC
program is highly subsidized and directly controlled by
Autodesk. Presently, it has 20 ATCs which are being
restructured and strengthened.

One of the aims of the ATC is to create awareness for using legal
software among users.

ATCs will also develop special programs for the handicapped to
enable them to be competitive in the job market. The centers will
also get into consultancy in systems integration. A placement
service to find jobs for those trained at the ATCs is also
being planned.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19930625)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(HKG)(00002)

Hong Kong - Hospital Authority Uses Sybase 06/25/93
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Hong Kong's Hospital
Authority is to automate patient billing at all former
government hospitals by the end of September, using advanced
client/server technology from Sybase. The new system will
increase efficiency and cater for growth without
increasing overhead.

A key segment of the Hospital Authority's Integrated Patient
Administration System (IPAS), the new Patient Billing/Revenue
Collection System has been implemented at eight of the 16 hospitals so
far. It is the first application to fully reflect the Authority's
commitment to open, distributed computing and runs on PC and Unix
server networks at the hospital level, with links to an IBM
mainframe at the Authority's data center.

"We are pleased with the results of our decision to move to an open,
integrated client/server system," said John Tse, the Hospital
Authority's head of information systems. "Not only can we solve the
current project (on-line patient billing) but we can now easily plan
to integrate other systems into the hospitals using the existing
networks, hardware, and software. The long-term benefits are
enormous."

"With the blueprint in place, we are confident of the smooth
completion of this project. In particular, the use of Sybase to
provide prototypes to our users ensured acceptability of the final
product at an early stage." said Mr Tse. "Our experience in this
application of client/server technology will be very useful in
guiding similar projects we have in the pipeline."

Sybase Client/Server Architecture was selected as the foundation for
the Authority's client/server systems in October 1991. HCL Leung &
Associates Ltd, the exclusive Sybase distributor in Hong Kong,
supplied the Authority with SYBASE SQL Server, a relational database
management system, together with APT Workbench, a 4GL programming
environment, to develop forms-based client applications.

The Authority is also using the Sybase Open Gateway to CICS to
integrate its mainframe database into the client/server environment.

"Sybase has met our need to link the PCs, Unix (systems)
and mainframe in a client/server model," said Mr Tse. "The Sybase
products enable the application programmer to focus on logical
database design and the end-user interface by making the
software interface between our different DBMSs on different
hardware platforms transparent."

The billing application is split between client software, comprising
the user interface and display logic, and the Sybase SQL Server
running transaction logic, data access and integrity control. By
splitting the application in this manner the server can support a
number of different client front-ends.

"This is a very good example of the flexibility of the Sybase
Client/Server Architecture," said Gary Leung, managing director of
HCL Leung & Associates. "As new systems are developed, the end-user
interface can be selected from any number of products, without any
impact on the server.

"Other applications, using a Windows front-end or tools such as Lotus,
will be able to connect to the database without any change to the
Sybase system or extra networking. This gives great flexibility to the
Hospital Authority as it continues to build an integrated hospital
information system."

The Sybase Open Gateway to CICS is a key element in IPAS since it
provides a means of exchanging data with the Authority's existing,
mainframe-based Admissions, Discharge and Transfer System.

Using the gateway, data can be transferred on-line for real-time
database updates, or transferred in the current batch mode, with
downloads to the hospitals every five minutes to ensure data
consistency. The gateway also enables the Unix system at each hospital
to request only data with local relevance, cutting down on network
traffic.

(Brett Cameron/19930624/Press Contact: Laura Duggan (HCL Leung),Tel:
[phone];HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00003)

Hongkong - GSM In Spotlight At Coming Mobile Comms Show '93 06/25/93
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- The GSM standard for digital
cellular telephone systems will be firmly in the spotlight at this
month's Mobile Comms '93 convention from 30 June to 2 July at the
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre as a result of the
participation of Nortel Matra Cellular.

Nortel Matra Cellular's Chief Executive Officer, Emile Gratton, is
scheduled to deliver the keynote speech, "GSM, the Best Choice," in
the opening session of the show. In addition, Tim Devine, the
company's marketing manager, will lead a workshop entitled
"Creating Value for Mobile Network Operators" on Day 2 of the
three-day event.

Nortel Matra Cellular's GSM product line can be found at Northern
Telecom's stand. Northern Telecom, a principal sponsor of Mobile Comms
'93, will occupy one of the largest stands at the exhibition. Sharing
the focus of the 60-sq-meter stand will be Northern Telecom's own
Companion system, a CT2 standard wireless telephone
communications system.

Nortel Matra Cellular, which is owned equally by Northern Telecom and
Matra Communication, was set up in July 1992 as part of a wide-ranging
strategic alliance between Northern Telecom and the French Matra
Hachette Group. A major new force in mobile communications, the
company offers a network infrastructure for GSM/PCN services.

Nortel Matra Cellular offers mobile switching centers,
mobile location registers, base station controllers, base
transceiver stations and point-to-point microwave interconnect
systems.

Companion is Northern Telecom's flagship product for wireless
business communications, combining clear digital voice
quality, industry standard CT-2 CAI (Common Air Interface)
communications protocols, and the ability to make and receive calls
in the field.

Hong Kong was one of the first countries in the Asia- Pacific region
to adopt GSM. Now in its third year, Mobile Comms '93 is one of
the largest international mobile communications shows in the
Asia-Pacific region. It is being held at the Hong Kong Convention
and Exhibition Centre from 30 June to 2 July 1993.

(Brett Cameron/19930624/Press Contact: Ming Li, Northern Telecom, Tel:
[phone];HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00004)

Video Software Developers Kit 06/25/93
NORCROSS, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Interated Systems
has announced a video software developer's kit (SDK) that it says
provides high quality video decompression at 30 frames per second
(fps) with high quality video.

The company says POEM VideoBox is ideal for network archiving,
multimedia publishing, training, and other video applications.
The SDK provides software-only video at extremely low bandwidths
and includes C object libraries for integrating video decompression
into DOS applications. Some sample programs with source code
and sample video footage are also included.

According to Interated Systems co-founder and CEO, Dr. Michael
Barnsley, POEM VideoBox outperforms Microsoft's Video for Windows
and Apple's Quicktime for Windows in frame rate, data rate, and
overall video quality. "POEM VideoBox runs at 30 frames per
second (similar to TV-quality), compared to less than 15 fps
for Video for Windows and Quicktime, and requires roughly one
half the data rate."

The company said POEM VideoBox increases screen resolution by
more than 56 percent over previous versions while also increasing
video quality by using Fractal Transform, a technology discovered
by Dr. Barnsley in 1987.

The SDK has a suggested retail price of $1,795 and is shipping
now.

The SDK supports Sound Blaster and Sound Blaster Pro sound
cards, and achieves 30 fps performance by using ISA-Bus 80486/50
megahertz computers. The company says frames are dropped
dynamically on slower computers to maintain sound
synchronization. The software is a decompression SDK with
initial compression services provided by Interated Systems.
During the introductory period, PEOM VideoBox purchasers can
get 30 seconds of free compression services by sending the
video footage to the company on a VCR tape that comes with the
kit. A companion compressor product is scheduled to ship later
this summer.

(Jim Mallory/19930624/Press contact: Erika Jolly, Iterated
Systems, 404-840-0310; Reader contact: Iterated Systems,
404-840-0310, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(MOW)(00005)

Russia Creates New Information Institution 06/25/93
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Russian Prime Minister Victor
Chernomyrdin has signed a government decree creating the new
Center of Information Technology and Systems of Executive
Power Bodies. The new state institution will be based on the
Russian part of Moscow-based International Center of Informatics
and Electronics.

The decree create a reserve data communications center
connected with computer systems of the presidential and government
bureaucracy and local executive bodies. New Centre will also
research and develop various data and communications systems
for the information infrastructure of Russian state agencies,
according to the decree.

The Center will be a state enterprise under the patronage of
the Information Resources Agency, directly controlled by the
Russian President. For 1993, it will have a budget of 750
million rubles (US750.000), but starting next year the
Center should become self-financing. The Center will be a
member of the International Center of Informatics and
Electronics on the behalf of Russian Federation.

(Eugene Peskin & Kirill Tchashchin/19930625)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00006)

Japan - NCR Japan Gets 5 LAN Distributors 06/25/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- NCR Japan has signed an
agreement with five firms concerning sales of its LAN (local
area network)-related products: Ricoh, Otsuka Shokai,
Ungermann-bass, Macnica, and Networld.

The five firms will distribute NCR Japan's latest LAN products
in Japan, including NCR Japan's radiowave LANs -- NCR Wave LAN
and Wave Point. These products were released in April.

Wave LAN is a network interface card, which operates via
radiowaves, and Wave Point is a bridge to interconnect
radiowave LANs and cable LANs.

One of its new distributors, Ricoh, is already selling NCR
Japan's computers and Star LAN. Otsuka Shokai has been selling
NCR Japan's computers. The other three firms are on the NCR
bandwagon for the first time, but they have experience in sales
of network-related products. These five firms currently sell
more than 50 percent of all the LAN boards that are sold into the
Japanese market, making them now a strong ally of NCR.

Radiowave LANs are gradually gaining popularity in Japan since
they save office space and cost less than their wire-based
counterparts. NCR Japan's radiowave LAN products are already
supplied to NEC on an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) basis.
NCR Japan aims to ship 100,000 Wave LANs and 10,000 units of
Wave Point within three years to get the top market share
in this area.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930625/Press Contact: NCR Japan, +81-
3-3582-6111, Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00007)

Australia - Discounter To Open Superstores 06/25/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- The US style computer
superstore has never made it to Australia, despite a number of false
alarms. But now a major Australian discount store has decided to open
two full superstores, according to a report in PC Week.

Harvey Norman Discounts has sold computers for the last couple of
years, but has never allocated more than a section of the floor to
these "gadgets" that are surrounded by everything from air conditioners
to barbecue furniture. Now it plans to open two stores dedicated
entirely to computers, with more to follow. One is in Newcastle, a
city two hours north of Sydney, and the second in Auburn, a Sydney
suburb.

The Newcastle store has 1300 square meters of floor space and will
hold between $4 and $5 million of stock. Each store will have 12 cash
registers, parking for 150 cars, demonstration rooms and will trade
seven days a week.

It is believed that US distributor Merisel is working closely with
Harvey Norman on the project, and will operate comprehensive software
upgrade facilities in each store. Merisel Australia said it was able
to provide "a lot of direction" with its experience in the US with
groups such as CompUSA. "We understand about stock management and
systems requirements for superstores," said marketing manager, Graeme
Lynch.

Harvey Norman built its name in selling leftover and obsolete stock
alongside new product, and likewise started with clone PCs but now
carries brand names such as IBM. The new stores are expected to have
high turnover and may carry products not available through other
Australian computer outlets.

(Paul Zucker/19930625)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00008)

Australia - Free Netware Service For A Year 06/25/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Novell has announced a sales
promotion in which new and existing Netware 4.0 customers who register
their software before October 31, 1993 will receive all the
enhancements to the operating system, including all updates and
revisions, at no charge until April 30, 1994.

The promotion is worldwide, via more than 15,000 Novell Platinum, Gold
and Authorized resellers. The updates will be distributed via CD-ROM,
probably quarterly. It is the low cost of mass-produced CDs that
makes the offer practical, and other software and operating systems
manufacturers are expected to follow suit.

CD-ROM drives are becoming more commonplace on new systems, and some
manufacturers now fit them to all stand-alone systems, even
distributing manuals on the disc.

Novell NetWare 4.0 is available in Australia in five to 1000 user
configurations. The price for five is AUS$2370 and for 100, AUS$81,590
(AUS$3 = US$2 at present).

Novell lists the following as some of the key features of version 4.0:
NetWare Directory Services which gives a single view of the network
and group resources; improved security, management and auditing
capabilities; faster response and greater productivity; assorted
new tools.

(Paul Zucker/19930625/Contact Novell Australia on phone +61-2-413
3077 or fax [phone])


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

Australia - Compaq Faxback Info Service 06/25/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Compaq Australia has
introduced a dial-up information service for its customers. Using a
touchtone phone, users request information which is immediately
delivered to a nominated fax machine.

While faxback services are not uncommon, there is some speculation in
the Australian reseller community that Compaq's new PAQFax service may
be the first step in developing a direct sales arm. First time PAQFax
users are first to enter their fax and phone numbers, and an
instruction page and a document list are sent to them. They can then
ring back with specific requests.

At present there are documents on 11 product ranges, from the Contura
to SCO Unix to the PageMarq printer range. These are then divided into
technical specifications, product summaries and price lists. In
addition there are lists of authorized resellers (by region) and
periodical announcements.

The dial-in service is not on a toll-free line, but Compaq picks up the
bill for delivering the documents. The service is available on
[phone]. And if you feel inclined to try it, list 4404 will
tell you where you can buy Compaq PCs in Papua New Guinea and Fiji.

Compaq has recently opened its new distribution warehouse in the
Sydney suburb of Lane Cove, near the sales and support center. As in
most countries Compaq is selling much more stock than it had budgeted
for a couple of years ago, due mainly to a large reduction in price.
The new Australian distribution center is three times as large as the
old one and incorporates both manual and automatic stock picking
systems.

(Paul Zucker/19930625)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00010)

Nationwide Paging Network Gets FCC Go-Ahead 06/25/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Mobile
Telecommunications Technologies Corp., known as MTel, won the
right to build its Nationwide Wireless Network from the Federal
Communications Commission.

The decision was expected. MTel fit every definition laid down by
former FCC chairman Al Sikes for winning the spectrum under the
"pioneer's preference" rules. That is, the company put its own
money into proving a technology which may or may not be
commercially viable.

The decision gives MTel 50 kilohertz of spectrum around the 930
megahertz band, which is relatively close to MTel's existing
SkyTel paging frequency at 931.9375 megahertz. But this frequency
band is much wider, and while the paging network is one-way, the
NWN will be two-way. Mtel will bounce messages off a network of
3,000 antennas in major cities, just as with its existing paging
network, aimed at laptop computers and other mobile units, with
paging technology again used to return acknowledgements of
receipt. Once final licenses are granted, MTel thinks it can get
service into the top 300 US markets by 1995.

To make all this happen, of course, MTel also needs devices to
send and receive messages over the network, and create
acknowledgements. It needs to have chip sets manufactured, and
hopes many will be in the PCMCIA "PC Card" format, so they'll be
light and easy to use. A pilot system, constructed in Dallas last
year, used Motorola equipment.

Early on, MTel estimated the cost of building its NWN at $100
million, and $6 million of that has already come in through
venture funding from investment firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield
& Byers. More recently, the company has admitted that a total
of $150 million may be needed.

MTel had filed its first petition for the NWN in November, 1991,
and won its experimental license six months later. The company
submitted detailed data on its technology trial a year ago, and
won a tentative "pioneer's preference" a month later. Motorola
joined MTel in developing equipment for the pilot system in
December. After field trials at the University of Mississippi in
Oxford, the demonstration system was built in Dallas during May.

In other FCC action, the agency said sports teams are not moving
from broadcasting to cable as quickly as some feared, in a
tentative conclusion to a study mandated by the 1992 cable act.
Migration has been fastest among some baseball teams, like the
New York Yankees, and among some college football conferences,
which have tied-up rights in regional cable nets that preclude
local broadcast. Final recommendations are due in one year.

The FCC also adopted new rules under the cable act banning
operators from owning both a cable system and multi-channel
distribution system in the same market, to prevent monopolies,
and proposed that no more than 40 percent of any operator's
programming be offered by companies in which it has a financial
interest. Those rules become final after a comment period.

Finally, the FCC proposed only minor changes to price caps
governing AT&T long distance rates, a ruling that also has to go
through a comment period. AT&T's comment is that the caps are
"outmoded" because competition is keeping prices low enough.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930625/Press Contact: David Allan, for MTel,
212-614-5163,; FCC Press, 202-632-5050)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(ATL)(00011)

New Names Floated For FCC Posts 06/25/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- The Clinton
Administration is floating two names to take the empty positions
on the Federal Communications Commission.

Early in the Administration, Senate staffer Antoinette Cook was
expected to win the post of chairman, but she withdrew from
consideration after five months of having her name dangled in the
press and undergoing criticism for a 1989 radio deal. The new
name being floated is Reed Hunt, a prep school classmate of Vice
President Gore and law school classmate of President Clinton who
served on the President's transition team. He's seen as
pro-regulation, and thus might have trouble with major industry
players like AT&T, as well as Republicans generally. If nominated
-- and he's no closer to nomination than Ms. Cook was -- he would
replace interim chairman James Quello, first appointed in 1974 by
President Nixon to a Democratic seat.

Like other regulatory agencies, no more than three members of the
FCC can be from the President's party. Thus his second reported
nominee, Regina Keeney, is a Republican. Ms. Keeney is a counsel
to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, the
same committee served by Ms. Cook. Like Ms. Cook, she helped
pass the 1992 Cable Reregulation Act, over a veto by then-
President Bush.

While early reaction to both nominations is positive, both will
now go through the same kind of public scrutiny which eventually
derailed Ms. Cook, Judge Kimba Wood and Judge Stephen Breyer,
none of whom was nominated after having their names floated in
the press.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930625)


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

International Telecom Update 06/25/93
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Better prospects
for passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement are
helping boost investment prospects throughout Latin America.

Stock markets throughout the region are on the rise again, led as
always by telecom stocks. Argentine stocks were helped by
analysts' boosting of Telecom Argentina, one of the nation's two
phone companies, as earnings estimates were raised. Telefonica,
the second local company, also rose. Shares in Telebras, Brazil's
state-owned company, also rose, as did Mexico's Telmex. Hopes are
even rising in Peru and Columbia, laggards because of violent
anti-government movements.

In Europe, restructuring caused new hopes. Italy's STET, like
Telebras partly state-owned, rose based on hopes that tariffs
will be re-worked, and the company reorganized for complete
sale to the private sector. The plan is that Italy's three
phone companies will be merged into one, which can then be sold
off. Ericsson of Sweden is also gaining on new contracts. It
opened a joint venture in China's Guangdong province to sell its
AXE switches, and signed a new contract for the switches with the
Hungarian Telecommunications Company, known as HTC.

In the Philippines, however, fall-out from Cable & Wireless'
withdrawal from the market continues. Digitel, of which C&W owned
40 percent before it refused to help upgrade Luzon's networks
until it could build an international teleport, continues to draw
fire. Digitel wants President Fidel Ramos to blacklist C&W from
further Philippine investments, saying its backing out of the
Luzon deal violated contracts. C&W calls the charge unfounded,
but generally the company is doing quite well, with profits up
over 40 percent based on results from its Hong Kong Telecom and
Mercury units.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930625/Press Contact: Ericsson Kathy Egan,
212/685-4030)


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

AT&T Brings Up NYMEX After-Hours Market 06/25/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Futures' trading
now goes on after 5 PM at the New York Mercantile Exchange thanks
to a new system brought online by AT&T.

AT&T said its Access system mimics the "open outcry" process on
the NYMEX trading floor, with workstations providing "fair play
and equal access" so that simultaneously entered orders are
received within milliseconds of each other, regardless of where
they're entered.

The new system, which must link all major financial capitals,
combines a number of AT&T units. NCR workstations are used for
entering the orders. AT&T Paradyne data communications gear is
used to send orders and confirmations on their way. NCR servers
are used for trade order entry and trade matching, and the
servers being used are of the "fault tolerant" variety, with
duplicates of all parts running. AT&T Accunet data service is
used both for delivery of data and for security, to prevent
unauthorized access to the system.

The new system will operate Monday through Thursday evenings,
between the close of the main trading floor at 5 PM and its
reopening at 8 AM. Contracts offered electronically include
crude oil, heating oil, unleaded gasoline futures and options
and platinum futures. Sunday evening trading sessions start at 7
PM, and there is no trading Friday or Saturday night.

The question some analysts ask, of course, is if the electronic
system mimics the floor system so well, why have a floor system?
The NYMEX continues to insist it's necessary, but electronic
systems like this and the Globex market are expected to continue
to press on margins and traders' jobs in the future.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930625/Press Contact: Steven Plavny, AT&T,
908-221-6968; NYMEX, Nachamah Jacobovitz, 212-938-2883)


(REVIEW)(APPLE)(SFO)(00014)

Review of Apple Macintosh PowerBook 145, notebook 06/25/93

From: Apple Computer Inc., 20525 Mariani Ave., Cupertino,
CA 95014.

Price: The PowerBook 145 is listed at $1,649 with 4MB RAM and
a 40MB hard drive, and $1,899 with 4MB RAM and an 80MB hard
drive. However, prospective buyers should always shop around
for the best deal.

PUMA Rating: 3.8 (on a scale of 1 to 4, 4 being highest)

Reviewed for Newsbytes by: Ian Stokell 06/25/93

Summary: Excellent entry-level Mac notebook computer, although
the screen became a little uncomfortable to use after hours
at a time.

======

REVIEW

======

Let's put the cards on the table. I used the PowerBook 145 as a
main system for three months, between three and four hours a day.
While it's a good notebook if your main application is a word
processor, the screen gets wearing after a while, and although
the trackball is the best positioned and easiest to use I've ever
seen, it's still faster to use a mouse on the mousepad.

The system is powered by a 25 megahertz (MHz) Motorola 68030
microprocessor. It comes with four megabytes (MB) of RAM which
is expandable to 8MB. Apart from the six built-in ports for
peripherals (see below), there are also internal slots for a modem
and RAM. It measures 2.25-inches by 11.25-inches by 9.3-inches,
and weighs 6.8 pounds.

The 4MB of RAM comes as 2MB on the logic board and 2MB on a
RAM expansion card that fits into the memory card slot. The system
can be expanded up to 8MB by replacing the 2MB expansion card with
either a 4MB or a 6MB RAM expansion card.

Let's get one uncharacteristic problem out of the way first. I got
really ticked off the first week, when for no reason, the hinged door
at the back which covers the ports decided to drop open. The plastic
catch that held the door in place had broken off. Ever after, I was
fighting to keep the door closed when in use. In the end I had to
resort to a piece of tape! Not something you expect to happen when
you pay $1,500 for a computer. Having said that though, the system
is well put together otherwise, and I've never had that problem with
other Apple products I've reviewed.

The big attraction of the PowerBook, apart from the fact that it
weighs about 200 pounds less than the original Mac Portable, is
the great integrated trackball. It is well placed and easy to use,
under the keyboard in the front-middle of the system. There is
enough space either side of the trackball to rest the hands, which
makes for very comfortable typing. There are two buttons - one
sitting directly above the trackball, and one about an inch
below. Both respond well and quickly. The trackball measures
30 millimeters in diameter.

On the left side of the PowerBook is a cover that slides back to
reveal the battery. On the right side is the floppy disk drive. At
the back is a single in-socket for the power lead and a door that
flips open to reveal the on-off button and a number of ports.
The ports feature: an Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) port for keyboard,
mouse, and other devices using a low-speed, synchronous serial
bus; two RS-422 serial ports for LocalTalk networking, such as
printers and modems; one HDI-30 SCSI (Small Computer Systems
Interface) port for hard disks, scanners and CD-ROM drives; one
sound output port for external audio amplifier; and one sound-in
port.

The company's claims that the NiCad 2.5 Ah battery provides
between two to three hours of usage before recharging is accurate.
I found recharging was necessary closer to three hours rather than
two. When power begins to run out a message appears onscreen
warning the user of the situation and the screen then dims slightly.

Eventually, after using the 145 for hours at a time, I decided to
attach a desktop keyboard and mouse to the unit whenever I got to
a desk, and even took one with me on the road, because I found it a
lot faster to cut-and-paste using that one rather than the built-in
keyboard and trackball. The system's own is perfectly adequate for
extensive word processing functions, such as cut-and-paste, but I
just couldn't get up to the same speed. The built-in keyboard was
pleasant to use though, and came with a standard Macintosh layout.

And then there's that backlit Supertwist, 640 by 400 pixel screen.
I found it fine to work with for reasonably long stretches at a time,
- for hours at a time really - when I was on the road. But when I
got home I couldn't wait to fire up the old SE/30, just to give my
eyes a rest! However, having said that, I didn't find it any worse
to use than low-end PC-based screens I have used in the past. And
at 10-inches diagonal, the screen is larger than many notebook
displays, which is a considerable boost, and even larger than the
all-in-one compact desktops that Apple offers.

All in all, the PowerBook 145 is a nice notebook. I wouldn't
recommend it for long hours though, or as a main system. But
for word processing or odd jobs on the road, it's a good way of
ensuring a Mac as a traveling companion.

======

PUMA RATING

======

PERFORMANCE: 3.50. The system is the low-end of the PowerBook
range, which explains the screen. I do not like it when
door catches break off for no reason. Other than that, this is an
excellent notebook.

USEFULNESS: 3.75. Once you've used a PowerBook, especially if
you're on the road a lot, you'll wonder how you even did without it.

MANUAL: 4.0. Documentation is very good. The "Macintosh User
Guide," for the PowerBook is especially helpful.

AVAILABILITY: 4.0 There are thousands of Apple dealers.

(Ian Stokell/19930622)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00015)

IBM, Irvine Sensors Open Pilot Chip Cubing Line 06/25/93
ESSEX, VERMONT, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- IBM Technology
Products and Irvine Sensors Corporation have begun limited
manufacturing of chip cubes, which cram more circuitry into the
same amount of space on a circuit board by stacking memory or
logic chips.

The companies opened the Cubing Process Development Center, a
pilot manufacturing line, at an IBM plant here.

The cube package is based on Irvine Sensors' chip-stacking
technology. IBM and Irvine signed a deal last June to work
together to commercialize the idea.

Officials at the IBM plant said they plan to deliver the first
chip cubes to Irvine later this year, and engineering samples to
Irvine and to IBM customers early in 1994.

IBM will also use the chip cubes itself. While he could not name
specific products in which they would be used, company spokesman
Jeff Couture said the cube packages would have many uses.
"Anywhere that you're plugging in modules and cards, which is
just about any system, cubing has an application," he said.

The agreements between IBM and Irvine Sensors say the firms will
join to commercialize chip-stacking technology and to develop
cube products and the manufacturing technologies required to
produce them in volume. IBM will also provide components and
manufacturing services to Irvine Sensors.

Last December, the companies also signed a deal giving IBM access
to Irvine's Memory Short Stack technology, a variation on the
cubing idea, and providing for IBM to manufacture the stacks of
memory chips for Irvine.

Irvine Sensors, of Costa Mesa, California, develops high-density
packages of computer electronics and infrared devices meant for
military and commercial systems.

(Grant Buckler/19930625/Press Contact: John Stuart, Irvine
Sensors, 714-549-8211; Les Szabo, IBM, 802-769-2483; Jeff
Couture, IBM, 802-769-3687)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00016)

Study Says Canadian Single-User Systems Bounce Back 06/25/93
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Sales of
single-user computer systems in Canada recovered in 1992 despite
economic gloom and tough competition in the computer market,
according to a recent study by International Data Corp. (Canada).

Shipments of single-user systems grew 13.3 percent to 904,500
units, IDC said. Aggressive cost-cutting meant revenues were up
only two percent.

IDC Canada defines single-user systems as those typically used by
one person, taking in not only personal computers but desktop
workstations such as those made by Sun Microsystems,
Hewlett-Packard, and Digital Equipment. It excludes game machines
like those built by Nintendo, as well as board-level computers.

Revenue figures refer to vendor revenue from sales of the
computers and associated operating systems, not including
peripherals such as printers.

A slow economic recovery in Canada has hurt computer sales, IDC
reported. However, PC price wars have boosted demand, driving up
unit shipments while lower prices partly cancelled out higher
unit sales, resulting in revenue growth much lower than that in
unit shipments.

IDC noted a particular growth in the home and hobby segment,
which it defines to include PCs sold for non-business use in the
home. Unit sales grew 17.7 percent to 191,500 in 1992, a much
healthier performance than in 1991, when unit sales grew only 1.2
percent.

George Bulat, an IDC Canada researcher, said his company had
expected continued slow growth in the home and hobby PC market.
IDC said lower prices, consumer distribution channels, and the
advent of multimedia are boosting this segment. However, Bulat
said, its growth will level off over the next five years.

The scientific and technical market is also healthy, with unit
shipments up 22.7 percent to 52,400 in 1992. The falling cost of
reduced instruction set computing (RISC) workstations and
improvements in PC graphics will continue to spur demand, IDC
said.

Over all, IDC Canada expects a compound annual growth rate of 3.4
percent in unit shipments through 1997. Interestingly, the
researchers expect revenue growth to catch up with and even
surpass unit growth in a few years, as today's older, low-priced
systems fade from the market. IDC is predicting 3.9-percent
compound annual growth in single-user systems revenues through
1997.

(Grant Buckler/19930625/Press Contact: George Bulat, IDC Canada,
416-369-0033, fax [phone])


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

Central Point Acquires Alert! And Snooper 06/25/93
UXBRIDGE, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Central Point
Software has announced that two new packages, Alert! and Snooper,
have been added to its range of software for the Apple Computer
Macintosh, following their acquisition of Maxa Corporation.

Although details of the acquisition have not been revealed, the
transaction is known to be an asset acquisition, with Brent Luckman,
founder and CEO of Max, being appointed general manager of Central
Point's Mac operations.

Jim Horsburgh, Central Point's managing director of the company's
northern and international regions, said that he considers the
acquisition a major one for the firm's Mac business.

"We looked hard at the right partner to help us direct even greater
focus on our family of Mac utilities. The Maxa products complement
our own MacTools and Safe & Sound products, and together make a
winning combination," he said.

Pricing on the two packages for the European market has yet to be
confirmed. Alert! is a software diagnostics application, while
Snooper is a hardware diagnostic that is pitched at both novice and
experienced users of the Mac.

(Steve Gold/19930625/Press & Public Contact: Central Point Software
- Tel: [phone])


(CORRECTION)(GENERAL)(LON)(00018)

Correction - Touchstone Software's Phone Numbers 06/25/93
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA, 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- In Newsbytes'
story dated 23 June, entitled "Touchstone Offers Free Disk Check
Program To DOS 6.0 Users" we inadvertently published the wrong
numbers for the company.

The correct contact number for the company numbers is 714/969-7746.
Our apologies for this error.

(Steve Gold/19930625/Press Contact: Touchstone Software, tel 800-
531-0450 or 714-969-7746, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00019)

Companies Combine On Mobile Healthcare Networking 06/25/93
PORTLAND, OREGON, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Two West Coast
companies have teamed up to bring mobile computing to the home
health care market.

Mountain View, California-based Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation
has joined forces with PI Systems Corporation, headquartered in
Portland, Oregon in a business alliance that calls for PI Systems
to sell and distribute Sun SPARCstations bundled with PI's
MobileWWare client/server software. Delivery is scheduled to begin
next month.

PI Systems says the teaming is an ideal approach because it allows
for integration of enterprise information systems with mobile
workers in the fast-growing home healthcare market. PI's
MobileWare Client software, running on an electronic clipboard, will
communicate with the MobileWare Server software residing on a
Sun SPARCstation. MobileWare Server's translation facility and
Sun's network integration tools will combine to provide a
smooth flow of data to and from the organization's primary data
storage system.

PI's Vice President of Marketing Kermit Yensen says networking is
a critical element of patient record transfer and distribution
among the many healthcare facilities. "This partnership is the
first step in ensuring that a home healthcare organization can
protect its information systems investment." PI Director of
Strategic Planning Shyam Jha says a system that combines networking,
wireless and pen-based computing will give health care
practitioners in the field and in the clinic access to the critical
information they need.

Ken Marks, Healthcare Industry manager for SMCC says his
company is in the process of broadening not only its healthcare
focus, but its attention to a new class of users - the mobile
clinician. "At a time when healthcare is under cost reduction
pressure, PI's mobile client/server solution, MobileWare,
combined with Sun's network computing products, will serve to
improve productivity in the home healthcare industry."

(Jim Mallory/19930625/Press contact: Sarah Rollins, PI Systems,
503-293-9585)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00020)

Motorola Launches Chip Ad Campaign 06/25/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Motorola Corporation is
going public with its campaign to convince the personal computer
industry and PC users that its microprocessors are just as good or
better than those of Intel Corporation, the company that's had
the major share of the market until recently.

Motorola's aggressive new ad campaign is aimed at supporting its
new RISC (reduced instruction set computing)-based PowerPC
microprocessors. The company is saying in the ads that PowerPC
chips are faster, smaller, and use less power than Intel's recently
announced Pentium chip. Motorola is also touting the price
difference, saying that at $450 PowerPC will be half the price
of Intel's Pentium chip, which is expected to carry a $965
price tag. Both those prices can be expected to lower as their
respective makers go into volume production.

Industry analysts are now trying to figure out what the future
holds for Intel Corporation. After having a dominant hold on
the personal computer microprocessor market for a number of
years, it was threatened by several companies and lost at least
one lawsuit when it attempted to keep potential competitors
down with claims of patent infringement. One analyst told the
British news service Reuters yesterday, "I think all of these
new RISC processors do represent a long term threat that Intel
is going to have to deal with."

Traders said yesterday that the ad campaign, which is scheduled
to appear in business publications and computer magazines,
caused nervousness about Intel because it highlighted the
possibility of a battle between microprocessors. That is good
news for consumers, who usually benefit in the form of lower
prices as a result of such competition.

Intel stock dropped 1-1/4 to 53-3/4 yesterday. Motorola gained
1-1/8. Both vendors are expected to be displaying their wares
in New York City next week when the PC Expo trade show opens
Tuesday for its four-day run at the Jacob Javits Convention
Center. Show organizers estimate the event could draw as many
as 85,000 people to view the wares of about 800 vendors.

(Jim Mallory/19930625)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00021)

Tektronix To Layoff 800 06/25/93
WILSONVILLE, OREGON, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Electronics
producer Tektronix Inc says it plans to lay off about 800
employees over the next 12 -18 months in order to cut back
unprofitable operations.

The company, which employs slightly less than 10,000 people,
said the job cuts are just part of the $150 million restructuring
charge it's taking for the fourth quarter which ended May 29, 1993.
Tektronix is reporting a loss of $482.1 million for the period,
compared to earnings of $6.2 million for the same period last
year. Sales for this year's fourth quarter were reported up
14 percent at $353 million from the $311 million the company
reported for the 1992 4Q. Orders were reported at $331
million, up from $295 million last year. Without the
restructuring charge, Tektronix said shareholders would
have earned $0.40 per share.

For the entire year, the company reported a $150 million
loss, compared with earnings of $21 million, or $0.71 per
share, for fiscal year 1992.

Tektronix said it has already cut about 1,500 jobs over the
past 12 months and 4,200 in the last three years. It calls
the latest restructuring "an acceleration" of its 1990 decision
to leave unprofitable businesses, better utilize assets, and
lower its cost structure. The company said the steps will help
it focus resources on areas for profitable growth, such as
color printing technologies for computers, digital compression
of video signals, video signal networking, and video
production.

"Through restructuring, we will accelerate needed changes
designed to further improve the profitability and growth
potential of our businesses," Chairman and CEO Jerome Meyer
told reporters.

Meyer said the steps are aimed at enhancing the company's
financial position and shareholder return in fiscal 1994,
with the full benefit expected to be reflected in longer-term
annual earnings improvement.

In July 1991 Tektronix introduced the first thermal wax color
printer with a Postscript Level 2 interpreter. In December 1992
the company upgraded that line to add conventional laser paper
printing capability.

The restructuring charges also include a $65 million pre-tax
charge to further cut components operations by placing Tektronix'
integrated and hybrid circuits operations into a wholly owned
subsidiary named Tektronix Components Corporation, as well as the
costs associated with selling other non-strategic businesses.
The company is also seeking a strategic partner for the new unit,
and says it plans to place its Forest Grove printed circuit
board facility in a separate operation, building that division's
sales with a goal towards ultimately establishing it as an
independent company.

Other charges include a $40 million pre-tax cost of consolidating
excess physical assets, including land and buildings, as well as
renovating some facilities. Most of the charge will cover the
staff reductions at the Beaverton, Oregon plant, where 4,100
workers are employed.

The company displayed its wares earlier this week at the Color
Hard Copy Conference, a two-day trade show held in Boston.

(Jim Mallory/19930625/Press contact: Kathy Melcher, Tektronix,
503-685-3150)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00022)

TV Guide On Capitol Hill 06/25/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- The national
controversy over violence on television continues to echo
through the halls of Congress. Today, TV Guide jumped into the
battle with new technology it claims can end the controversy.

At ongoing hearings, Massachusetts Representative Democrat Edward
Markey has proposed requiring television manufacturers to add
a new chip that would allow parents to lock out broadcast
programs with a high content of violence.

Today, as part of his hearings before the US House of
Representatives Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance
of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, which Markey chairs,
TV Guide On Screen President Bruce Davis demonstrated his
company's namesake product, an interactive electronic
programming guide.

TV Guide on Screen includes a lock system allowing parents to
voluntarily self-regulate programs children watch on a
show-by-show basis, without restricting access to entire
channels. The lock system feature relies upon MPAA ratings;
other ratings information could be added to the same field.

Addressing the hearing topic, "TV Violence: Technology and Parental
Empowerment," Davis testified that technologies such as TV Guide
On Screen give parents the tools they need to obtain greater
control over television programming entering the home while
providing them with more information about available viewing
options.

Davis believes that programming rights holders and producers
should be free to create and distribute programming, and that
new, electronic software-based controls, such as TV Guide On
Screen, can enable parents to block out violence or other
objectionable programming as well as to find and select what is
good among the many options available.

In his remarks, Davis said, "We agree with (the subcommittee's)
conclusion that government should not be the conscience of the
American people and assume the role of censor in disapproving
TV content it may consider too violent, but rather that the
TV audience, especially parents, should be empowered to
voluntarily protect themselves through a system of self-regulation
using new tools made possible by advanced software technology."

Davis also testified that control over TV program selection is
a right that must remain with the consumer, but that government
can play an important role in supporting private sector initiatives
to provide parents with appropriate tools that help them do the job.

"We hope that Congress will give guidance to the FCC that
encourages the development of new tools, such as TV Guide On Screen's
software solution, that help the long-term goals of this subcommittee
to meet the needs of the American people," Davis said.

Davis cautioned against incorporating hardware-based, program
access control technology inside TV sets, as Markey has
proposed. He testified, "Such a remedy would be unnecessarily
over-broad, inflexible and expensive."

Others who testified at the "Parental Empowerment" hearing
included Ted Turner, president of Turner Broadcasting (CNN),
Gary Shapiro, executive vice president, Electronics Industry
Association; and Joseph Jackson of Protelcon.

Three public hearings are focusing on this issue. With today's, two
have taken place and only one more is scheduled.

(Wendy Woods/19930625/Press Contact: Neale-May & Partners,
Gary Quackenbush or Matt Kresh, 415/328-5555)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00023)

US Trade Deficit Worsens 06/25/93
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- The American
Electronics Association reports that during the first quarter of
this year, America's trade deficit worsened by almost $2.5
billion -- $2.5 billion more than the negative $492 million
reported for the corresponding quarter of 1992.

The US/Japan electronics trade balance in the first 1993
quarter was a negative $5.8 million, or 19.0% more than the $4.9
billion reported for the first quarter of 1992.

The first-quarter-to-first-quarter comparison of US electronics
trade with the European Community (EC) showed a 16.0% drop
in the positive trade balance to $3.2 billion from $3.84 billion.

The combined 1993 first quarter US electronics deficit with
Pacific Rim countries (other than Japan) was $3.6 billion, 9.0%
less than the $3.95 billion reported for the first quarter of 1992.

"The first quarter 1993 electronics trade results demonstrate
that our industry's problem of accessing Japanese technology markets
is not improving," said Arnold N. Silverman, 1993 AEA chairman and
chairman of ICOT Corp. and Oceania Health Care Systems Inc.
"Much of the worsening of the US/world electronic trade deficit
is due to the increase in the U.S./Japan deficit.

"By annualizing the first quarter US/Japan electronics trade
results we can project a deficit in excess of $23 billion for
all of 1993. This would be a record."

The American Electronics Association represents some 3,000
companies in technology communities throughout the country.

(Wendy Woods/19930625/Press Contact: American Electronics
Association, John Hatch, 408/987-4294)


(EDITORIAL)(IBM)(SYD)(00024)

Editorial - Software Registration - Why Bother? 06/25/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Editorial by Paul Zucker.
If you're like me, you probably don't get around to registering
your software. For some it's not wanting to get on a mailing
list, but for most of us it's just laziness. Software companies
are wary about saying what their registration level is but
it's commonly believed to be below 20 percent. And anyway,
why do we need to register?

By not sending in the cards we probably aren't reducing our
rights, as in most countries, common law says goods must be of
a saleable quality, so any major faults that show up within
a reasonable time should be rectified by the distributor or
manufacturer anyway. Of course, if there's a problem that's
apparent when you open the package, the place you bought it
from is obliged to replace it then and there. It's the problems
that appear months later that require you to go back to the
distributor.

But what if you don't even realize that the product has a
fault (or that that annoying feature you've been complaining
about is really a bug)? Wouldn't it be nice to have the company
contact you and offer you a work-around, or perhaps even a new
version?

I know it's a bit idealistic to expect that to happen very often,
but it does happen. But if they don't know who you are, don't
waste too much time hanging around the mail box -- they probably
won't write to you.

There are two things that are worth a lot to software companies,
now that direct selling is becoming such a popular way for
manufacturers to get their products out the door. The first is a
list of existing (happy?) users. The second is a list potential
buyers of the product, such as people who already have
a competitive product or suitable hardware or appropriate past
buying patterns. The point, of course, is to sell more product.
Direct mail companies obviously measure the success of those
little packets of "special offers for YOU!" by how much they sell.

Software companies say they're being forced to sell more and
more product to you directly because prices are dropping, and
the profit margin they have to give dealers can often price them
out of the market. Take the current price wars where the major
manufacturers have a number of their leading products on special
at up to 80 percent off, and more. Direct mail makes money or
they wouldn't do it. It's also claimed to give better results
than letting buyers go into a shop where they may get talked
into something else.

And you won't be surprised to hear that YOU, as a past buyer of
WobblyWord are a much more likely purchaser of WobblyDraw when
the postman brings the invitation to jump on the bandwagon
for just $49.95 or whatever the special price is this month.

It's because existing customers are a good target audience that
software companies have learned to keep them happy. Hence the
clubs and newsletters and little gifts you get when you register.
In short, it's in your own interest to register your software.
Direct mail never killed anyone (except the postman and a few
trees) and it only takes a few seconds to scan the offers to
see what you're missing out on.

And don't forget that things are constantly changing, so even
if the product comes with a complete list of the extras you can
utilize, such as telephone and BBS support systems, the
marketplace is far from static so you might just miss out on
some important news.

And one more point. When you get the  super-duper offer in
the mail, why not ask your friendly dealer if  he can supply
the product at the same price. It helps him keep the
dollars coming in and it keeps your face familiar. Of course, if
he can't even buy at that price, he still wants to know about
the offer you got so he can give WobblyWare a piece of his mind,
right?

(Paul Zucker/19930625)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00025)

 ****Adobe Plans New Viewers, Multimedia Acrobat 06/25/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Adobe is
planning Power PC and Sun Solaris, HP, DEC, and SGI Unix versions
of the viewing software for Acrobat, as well as a
multimedia-capable second release of the entire Acrobat family of
viewing and document creation products, Newsbytes has learned.

In a session at the Hard Copy Consumables Conference yesterday,
Gary Cosimini, manager of business developer for Adobe, noted that
the Windows and Mac Adobe product suite was released about two
weeks ago, and that DOS and Unix versions of the Acrobat
viewers are slated to ship in the fourth quarter.

He also revealed that, in the future, the Acrobat Reader and
Acrobat Exchange viewing software will become available in
previously unannounced OS/2 and Power PC versions, and that Adobe
will eventually add multimedia electronic mail capabilities to the
Acrobat product suite.

Speaking with Newsbytes after the presentation, Cosimini said that
the fourth quarter Unix release of the viewing software will
be for Solaris. During 1994, Adobe will deliver versions of
the viewer for HP, DEC, and SGI, and possibly for other Unix
workstations as well, he added. Release dates for the Power PC and
OS/2 viewers have yet to be set.

The second release of the Acrobat family will provide device-
independent color, along with multimedia e-mail capabilities,
Cosimini told Newsbytes. "But this won't come out until at least
1995," he commented.

In describing Acrobat to the audience in Boston, the business
development manager explained that the family consists of two
document creation products, Acrobat PDF Writer and Acrobat
Distiller, in addition to the Acrobat Reader and Acrobat Exchange
viewers.

Acrobat Reader lets users view, navigate and print documents
formatted in PDF (Portable Document Format), the PostScript-based
document language that is at the heart of Acrobat. The other
viewer, Acrobat Exchange, adds the ability to delete documents,
import PDF files from outside applications, build hypertext links,
and modify documents in other ways, he said.

Acrobat Reader is being marketed to software developers for
embedded use in applications, according to Cosimini. A special
locked version, for publishers who wish to embed Reader in CD-ROM
applications, will be released in the fourth quarter, he added.

Acrobat Exchange is being distributed to retailers and other
resellers, for sale to end users at a price point of about $200,
according to the Adobe executive.

Of the two document creation products, PDF Writer is a software
driver that allows PostScript/PDF files to be generated directly
from applications, Cosimini stated.

Acrobat Distiller, on the other hand, is aimed at applications that
do not use a printer driver, creating their own EPS (Encapsulated
PostScript) files instead. Most applications for DOS, Unix and
mainframe computers falls into this group, he said. Distiller
converts the EPS files into PDF files that can be read
by the Acrobat viewing software.

"In the future, software vendors will write export filters for
their products that say `save as PDF.' We're starting to see a
little of that on the high end already," he remarked.

After the presentation, Cosimini told Newsbytes that, in the fourth
quarter, Adobe will release a plug-in module that will provide
Acrobat with full-text search capabilities based on a document
retrieval engine licensed from Verity.

A second plug-in, to be shipped in the first half of 1994, will
work with Acrobat to supply structured SGML (Standard
Generalized Markup Language) capabilities that are based on
technology licensed from Avalanche, he said. First announced at
Seybold Boston, the Verity and Avalanche licensing deals were
reported in Newsbytes on April 14.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930625/Press contact: Martha Popoloski, BIS
Strategic Decisions, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00026)

 ****First Look At Scriptx -- How Good Is It? 06/25/93
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Kaleida,
a joint venture company formed by International Business
Machines (IBM) and Apple Computer, wow'd audiences at the
Digital World conference by demonstrating for the first time
publicly two applications created with Scriptx. Scriptx is the
cross-platform, multimedia development tool on which the company has
been working for a year. The product is due to be released
in early 1994.

In a live demonstration, introduced by company president and
chief executive officer (CEO), Nat Goldhaber, two applications
using multimedia were shown to enthusiastic applause
from the Digital World audience. The applications treated
photographic quality images as objects with attributes that
transferred from one application to the next without
modification. The first application was an educational program
about exploration of the underwater canyon in Monterey Bay and
the other was a used car guide entitled Auto Finder.

Both applications were demonstrated live from the same files on
CD-ROM disc on both a Macintosh and an IBM compatible personal
(PC) running Microsoft Windows. The demonstrators moved the CD-
ROM disc from one machine to the other and started the
application from the same files on each machine, to
enthusiastic applause from the audience.

In the Monterey Bay application the user is in an underwater
"Rover" exploring the canyon. While exploring, a fish comes
into view and swims back and forth in front of the user. In the
demonstration, a field guide book was opened and using the
mouse the fish was taken from the environment and placed on a
page in the book. Once the fish was on the page, the book
displayed reference information about the fish including its
name and descriptive information. In this case the fish was
the state fish of California. The pages of the field guide
could be turned to reveal other fish already collected.

From another page, another fish was taken and placed on a
dissection table. A round, magnifying glass object was used to
scan the fish and when moved across the body of the fish using
the mouse, it revealed the skeletal structure of the animal.
The magnifying glass object was changed by selecting choices
printed around the outside of the "glass" to a view of the
organs. Moving the magnifying glass across the fish now
revealed its brain, heart and other organs. A caliper was
available to measure the organs and the brain of the fish
was measured in inches just by moving the appropriate
part of the caliper over the brain. However, the caliper only
worked on the horizontal plane, so another tool was needed to
measure vertically. A tape measure tool was brought in from a
floppy disk directly into the application by switching to the
operating system and starting the file from the disk.

Immediately, the tape measure worked in the environment with
all the other tools and it was possible to measure the width of
the fish. The audience responded with enthusiastic applause.

The Auto Finder had sound and images and allowed the user to
select attributes of the desired automobile, such as year
and price range. Once the attributes were selected, actual cars
meeting those attributes were displayed. Then it was possible
to compare the cars visually by resale value, trunk space, and
so on.

The cars in which the user was interested could be selected
and the locations of the cars were shown on a map with push
pins representing each car. Clicking on the push pin brought up
the information about the location and the owner of the car.
The tape measure was brought into the map but it didn't know
how to convert the map distance to a measure that made sense so
it displayed the distance in picture elements (pixels). The
demonstrators changed the code describing the tape measure so
the correct number of pixels equaled a mile, and the tape
measure immediately measured in miles.

All of the images, including the tools, were photographic
quality, smoothly displayed in high resolution without any
waiting or pauses. Kaleida said Scriptx is smart enough to
query the hardware and adjust the display accordingly so the
application has the best look possible in various environments.

For example, the map in the Auto Finder was displayed the way
it would be on a television screen and some of the detail and
color was removed and the text was made larger.

Kaleida said the information in each application could be
changed without changing the application itself, so it would be
possible to do a magazine or other changing publication by
changing the data but using the same application. In addition,
Scriptx offers the Consumer Operating System (C/OS) for
environments, such as set-top boxes for interactive television,
where a computer operating system isn't already present. Plans
are to make Scriptx run without modification in other operating
system environments, such as OS/2 and Unix.

Applications for developers to become official Scriptx
developers are being accepted by Kaleida. Goldhaber said
Kaleida plans to promote its developers by offering their names
as references to companies which are looking for Scriptx
applications to be written. Goldhaber said Kaleida plans to
make money by licensing Scriptx for inclusion in hardware by
original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

Kaleida, Scientific Atlanta, and Motorola have already announced
they will jointly develop Scriptx equipped set-top boxes
for home delivery of interactive multimedia services via cable.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930625/Press Contact: Diane Samples, Kaleida
Labs, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00027)

 ****Up Close And Personal -- A Sneak Peek At Newton 06/25/93
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- The
Apple Computer booth was crowded at the Seybold show, but if
you could fight your way through the crowd, it was possible to
get in and see a demonstration of a live, working Newton
personal digital assistant (PDA).

The Newton is designed to be trained to one person's
handwriting and if it is used by someone else, can be set to
"guest" mode. The demonstrator had the unit set to guest mode
and was having some difficulty getting the unit to recognize
his handwriting. But the Newton can be customized to printing
or cursive handwriting and was pressure and speed sensitive as
well.

The Newton displayed error messages several times and once
locked up completely so it had to be turned over and the
battery compartment opened so it could be reset. The
handwriting recognition was also slow enough that long pauses
were required between words for the Newton to recognize the
handwriting.

However, the unit was smart enough to translate "lunch Bob
Tuesday" to text and then place an appointment with the only
Bob in the Rolodex on the calendar for next Tuesday at noon. In
addition, when the demonstrator scribbled out a word or phrase,
the Newton offered a visual animation that made it look like
the text or handwriting went up in smoke, like a magician
making an object disappear. The size of the puffs of smoke
displayed varied in size and location, so it wasn't the same
each time. Also, a document that is deleted is wadded up and
tossed in a trash can that appears on screen and that animation
varies so it is not exactly the same each time either.

The Fodor's '94 Travel Manager was loaded on the Newton with
just the city of Boston available. The demonstrator zoomed in
on an area of the map, made an "X" and arrow pointing to the
"X" and said that portion of the map or the whole map could be
faxed to someone with your "X" and arrow appearing. It was
important to delete markings made in various portions of the
Newton, because if those markings weren't deleted, they were
still there the next time you went into that application. In
fact, the Newton still had several drawings that had been made,
even when it was turned over and reset.

It appeared at times that the demonstrator's own hand got in
the way of his work with the screen of the Newton, since it was
so small. But that was explained as partially because it was on
a flat surface so it could be displayed to the crowd. In
addition, the demonstrator said the unit can be customized for
the best display at the angle at which the user likes to hold
it.

The pen was light and flat instead of round. It fit in a sleeve
on the side of the unit and the unit was running with power
from an electrical supply instead of batteries.

The demonstrator would not allow users near the unit and it was not
passed around the crowd for inspection. That was in contrast to
the openness of the Palm Computing representatives who demonstrated
the Casio Zoomer unit. It was shown to reporters at the end of a
session on PDAs. Also, IBM demonstrators passed around
their handheld device at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show
(CES) when asked.

In addition, the demonstrator said not all Newtons will come
with all features -- for example, not all the Newtons will have
modems. But no further details were offered as to how the
Newtons would be configured or what options would be available.

Five Personal Computer Memory Card International Association
(PCMCIA) cards for applications for the Newton have been
announced. They are the Fodor's 94 Travel Manager, which offers
interactive maps for directions, dining and lodging tips and
prices, places to go, and things to do; the Fortune 500 Guide
to American Business, with information on chief executive
officers, sales, and profits of the top 500 businesses, and
business forms with twelve templates ranging from personal
finance to sales; Word Games, such as crossword puzzles,
cryptograms, and find-a-word games; and Mystery Games, with
graphical rendering of the interactive crime scene with clues
so you can figure out who committed the crime.

John Sculley boasted in his opening remarks at the beginning of
the conference that Apple had only found one bug in the read-
only memory (ROM) of the Newton during testing. He maintained
the unit was in the "golden master" stage, ready for production
and is on-track for availability this summer.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930625/Press Contact: Tricia Chan, Apple
Computer, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00028)

 ****PDA Market To Reach 3.5 Million By 1999 06/25/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- The PDA market
will soar from 40,000 US unit shipments in 1993 to 3.5 million by
1995, pushing greater adoption of pen computing in the process,
officials of BIS Strategic Decision said yesterday at the company's
Hard Copy Consumables Conference in Boston.

William F. Ablondi, vice president of BIS' Personal Computing
Market Advisory Service, told an audience at the conference that
the new figures represent a revision of a 1991 projection by BIS,
which predicted faster adoption of pen computing.

Inaccurate handwriting recognition and less than completely
intuitive user interfaces have slowed the growth of pen computing,
he said. Even if a product achieves 99% accuracy in handwriting
recognition, one of every 100 characters will still be inaccurate,
he pointed out. Furthermore, the gestures in pen software can take
time for the user to learn.

A 1993 BIS study predicts that in contrast to the 3.5 million PDAs
that will be shipped in 1999, only 1.3 million pen computers will
be delivered that year, according to Ablondi. Back in 1991, BIS
foresaw unit shipments of 4 million pen computers by 1999.

The ensuing two years have witnessed the announcements of such PDAs
as Eo, the Apple Newton, and now, Zoomer, said Jon Hulak, industry
analyst in BIS' Small Business/Home Office Market Advisory Service.

Ultimately, these devices will serve as portable "dataphones" and
telephones, as well as personal organizers, "dynamic paper," forms
automators, and PC satellites, he added.

PDAs will redefine the desktop PC as well as pen markets, Ablondi
explained. The desktop PC will come to act as a "server" for pen
computers and PDAs. Meanwhile, pen computers and PDAs will behave
as electronic input devices for desktop PCs -- "electronic
sketchpads" in the case of the pen computers.

At the moment, PDAs are still inhibited by awkward interfaces, poor
distribution, and immature software infrastructures, Ablondi
acknowledged. In the future, though, the PDA market will be
spurred ahead by additional PIM (personal information management)
software, smaller hardware, longer battery life, increased e-mail
connectivity, integrated voice, and wireless communications.

For 1995, BIS is predicting US shipments of 378,000 for pen
computers and 333,000 for PDAs. By 1997, the balance is expected
to shift, with 665,000 shipments of pen computers and 1.4 million
of PDAs.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930625/Press contact: Martha Popoloski, BIS
Strategic Decisions, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00029)

Electronic Forms Growth Strong But Gradual 06/25/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- The electronic
forms market will show a $2.2 billion increase over the next two
years, but at individual installations, the transition from paper
documents isn't coming all at once, says the head of a systems
integration firm that specializes in the field.

"You rarely see a company that goes, `Okay, I guess we'll get rid
of all our paper documents today,'" remarked Clinton Yourth,
president of Kinfonetics, speaking this week at the Hard Copy
Consumables Conference in Boston.

In Kinfonetics' experience, most organizations follow a five-step
phased implementation process, he explained. In the first phase,
the organization designs and prints forms centrally, and
distributes these paper forms manually for filling out by hand.

In the second phase, the company designs electronic forms centrally
and then distributes software disks containing these forms for
output on to local printers. After being printed, the paper forms
are again filled out by hand.

In the third stage, the central facility produces "intelligent"
electronic forms, which can be modified and used without the use of
programming language or complex macros. These forms are then
distributed on disk to local offices, where they are filled in
electronically and changed as needed.

In the fourth phase, electronic forms start to be distributed from
a central database over a LAN (local area network). The fifth and
final stage is marked by the attachment of the electronic documents
to e-mail messages for quick and easy routing.

Also during the presentation, Yourth noted that the electronic
forms and database industries are beginning to merge, as forms
vendors continue to add additional RDBMS (relational database
management systems) links to their software packages. Delrina, for
example, recently added SQL and Informix interfaces to its forms
software, he said.

Increasingly, the main factor setting electronic forms apart from
database packages is the ability of the forms software to use e-
mail as a transport layer, he asserted. "But e-mail capabilities
for databases are on the way," he pointed out.

The current growth of the forms and RDBMS markets are creating the
need for "forms management" packages, which can work with products
from multiple vendors, he stated. Currently, no such offering is
on the market, according to Yourth. "But we're looking at
developing a product like this," he disclosed.

(Jacqueline Emigh/Press contact: Martha Popoloski, BIS Strategic
Decisions, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00030)

Digital World - Virtualcinema 06/25/93
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 25 (NB) -- Media
Vision is moving into the software realm in addition to
hardware with the announcement of its alliance with multimedia
content developer Hyperbole Studios. Hyperbole will not only
develop multimedia titles to be distributed by Media Vision,
but announced Virtualcinema, a software engine for development
of interactive, three-dimensional films.

Hyperbole describes itself as focused on "the art of digital
storytelling" and calls Virtualcinema the synthesis of the film
and the novel. Virtualcinema combines close-ups of live actors
with 360-degree perspectives of the environment and access to
the internal thoughts and memories of the characters.

Greg Roach, artistic director and publisher for Hyperbole,
demonstrated the first unnamed title, a science-fiction movie
which is slated to be available this September. Both the
Macintosh and the IBM-compatible multimedia personal computer
(MPC) platforms will be supported, the company said.

Roach said the title takes about 15 hours to complete and
offers three layers of involvement. The first layer is like a
video game with a 360-degree perspective, the second layer is
one of social interaction with the characters, and the third
layer is where the viewer is privy to the subconscious and
emotive imagery of the thoughts and feelings of the characters.

The viewer is on a voyage of discovery about who they are in
comparison to these virtual characters in the film. Roach said
the title tries to mirror the way the human mind works,
especially through association. For example, a character says
to the viewer, who is spoken to directly by the characters, "I
want to talk to you," and other video images appear in windows
to the side of when in the past someone important to the
viewer's past said, "I want to talk to you."

Hyperbole boasts it has signed the motion picture industry's
first interactive performance agreement through the Screen
Actor's Guild. Hyperbole's contract with the 30 actors used in
its first title has since been used by four other multimedia
producers, the company said.

Media Vision's Allen Thygensen, senior director and general
manager of multimedia publishing, told Newsbytes Media Vision
sees a synergy between the hardware and the software and does
not want to go the way of other peripheral companies. Thygensen
said other peripheral companies have either died or stopped
growing and Media Vision wants to continue to expand. "Content,
long term, is where the money is," Thygensen said. Stan Cornyn,
founder and president of Warner New Media (now Time Warner
Interactive), and Min Yee, formerly vice president of Microsoft's
multimedia division and publisher of Microsoft Press, joined
Media Vision in April to head the multimedia publishing arm of
the company.

The company has experienced phenomenal growth. In April, Media
Vision announced revenues of $37 million, up 450 percent over
its $6.6 million in revenues for the year prior.

Media Vision also announced its first graphics boards, the Pro
Graphics series. The company says the new line of video
graphics products is a result of its acquisition of graphics
hardware company Pellucid. The first two products planned are
the Pro Graphics 1024 and the Pro Graphics 1280, both of which
will incorporate Media Vision's Captain Crunch video
compression. Aimed at the Windows video market, the products
use Media Vision's own custom-designed graphics chips, versions
of which will be offered later this year to original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs).

(Linda Rohrbough/19930625/Press Contact: Michael Terpin, The
Terpin Group, tel [phone], fax [phone])