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/nb930804

Text File | 1993-08-09 | 68KB | 1,518 lines

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00001)

Apple Clarifies PowerOpen Timetable 08/04/93
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- Further to
Newsbytes previous story published August 2nd, concerning the
timetable for Apple Computer's PowerOpen operating system,
the company has since contacted Newsbytes to clarify the
date.

In the original story, PC Week was quoted as saying that Apple
Computer is likely to delay the delivery of PowerOpen.

At the time, Rene Austin, spokesperson for Apple, told Newsbytes
that, "It is ironic that this report came out this week, because
we are just getting ready to mail a letter out to some of those
that we briefed on PowerOpen when we first announced it after
the Worldwide Developers Conference. And it is definitely still
in the plans for Apple and on the same schedule that it originally
was."

While Newsbytes originally said that some industry reports had
that date as the end of 1993, Austin has since been in contact to
clarify the timetable.

Said Austin to Newsbytes, "We are still on the timetable that
we were looking at originally, but I cannot confirm whether that
will be 1993 or 1994. Our plans for PowerOpen in general are
still on schedule. As to what platforms we are going to focus on
first I can't comment."

(Ian Stokell/19930802)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(WAS)(00002)

MacTV Schedule For Week Of August 23-31, 1993 08/04/93
MARLOW, NEW HAMPSHIRE, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- MacTV, is the
daily one hour satellite computer product news program broadcast
every day on Galaxy 6, Channel 22 starting at 8 a.m. Eastern
time. Some shows are also broadcast on the Mind Extension
University cable channel.

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

Note to readers: MacTV is going electronic and Newsbytes does not
yet know if it will be able to carry further MacTV schedules, if
not, call the MacTV BBS at 603-446-0100.

Monday, August 23, 1993: QuicKeys2 [squared], useful both for
customizing keyboards and for command shortcuts; TimesTwo,
give your disk twice as much capacity; SAM 3.5, another virus
detection/prevention package; Now Utilities 4.0.1, seven
utilities for system enhancement in one package; DynoPage 2.0,
this software will enable you to print more than you dreamed
possible; Cachet 1.01, the highest-technology editing software on
the market.

Tuesday, August 24, 1993: Centris 650, more of our report on this
newest Mac; VideoShop, this is not just another QuickTime editor
for movies; VideoVision, you can create multimedia with this
software and 24-bit board; CD-ROM Software, just as the name
implies - this is software that only CD-ROMs can use; Replicas,
if you have Infini-D, you'll want these 3-D clip-art files;
SoundEdit Pro, for the best in sound - either recording or editing.

Wednesday, August 25, 1993: Buying Educational Software, what
teachers should know before buying software for children; Grade
3.0, teachers can apply this to managing their students; Millie's
Math House, children's math-based educational program; Treasure
MathStorm!, a math game, with lots of adventure in the Alps; OXYD
3.4, use your imagination to solve on these puzzles; Miracle
Piano, a thorough report on the section about the Recording
Studio: Just Grandma and Me, a one-of-a-kind CD-based book for
children.

Thursday, August 26, 1993: PowerPCs; Discussion, as the name
implies, a discussion on the future of PowerPCs; Quicken 4.0,
this package can now be used to manage your portfolio; OnAccount,
how to produce top-notch invoices almost instantly;
FrameMaker/Reader, state-of-the-art electronic publishing;
Common Ground, digital paper technology and what it can give you;
Near Future of Faxing, where fax technology may go from here.

Friday, August 27, 1993: SuperPaint 3.5, details about this
popular software; Expert Color Paint, an inexpensive, feature-
laden package; Kid Pix/Companion, any child can use this paint
program, no matter how young; Color Monitors, two monitor models
for the Mac; Tesserae, this game is great and in the MacWorld
Hall of Fame; Illustrator 5.0: Filters, amuse yourself with these
filters; Apple Color OneScanner, a look at the scanner's
functions and how you can use them.

Monday, August 30, 1993: Hard Drive Problems/Solutions, what
some routine problems may be and suggestions to solve them;
Safe & Sound, analyze and repair your disk, with little or no
maintenance; Hard Disk ToolKit, if you need top-quality SCSI
control software; StuffIt SpaceSaver/Deluxe, a pair of
compression packages for files and hard drives; NightWatch II, an
easy way to keep your Mac safe and secure; TrashGuard, you can't
do any better than this for managing your trash can.

Tuesday, August 31, 1993: ClarisWorks 2.0, the new-and-improved
version of this immensely popular software; WordPerfect Works,
another contender for integrated package honors; Navigating the
Desktop, useful suggestions for working with the Desktop;
Photoshop 2.5, the best package for photo design and production
work; Color Printers, extremely useful information on their
features, such as dye-subs, thermal wax, and more.

(John McCormick/19930802/Press Contact: Wayne Mohr,
Executive Producer PCTV and MacTV, 603-863-9322)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00003)

A Different Flavor PC Compression Utility 08/04/93
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO U.S.A., 1993 AUG 4 (NB) --
Colorado Springs-based Brown Disk is marketing a program from
What Software that allows the user to compress or decompress
entire directories on your hard drive with a single keystroke.

File compression and decompression programs, some offered on a
free (freeware) or low cost (shareware) basis, have been available
for some time. However recent controversy over the
compression/decompression features of Microsoft's recently
introduced MS-DOS has focused renewed interest on this space-
saving technology.

Depending on the type of file (program or data) disk compression can
make 30 to 40 percent more storage available on crowded hard drives
that were considered more than adequate a few years ago. Users who
considered a 20 megabyte (MB) hard drive to provide all the storage
space they would ever need now routinely buy systems with hard
drives holding several hundred megabytes of storage space.

Brown Disc says when "Whatnot" is installed, it scans the hard drive
and builds a menu of all the directories. Within each directory,
the user is presented with information regarding the amount of space
the directory occupies and how frequently he or she accesses that
directory. The user can then decide which directories to compress.
Once compressed, the entire directory can be left in place or moved
to a floppy disk or other storage media.

Whatnot does not re-partition the hard drive, does not compress
data on the fly, and does not require the re-formatting of the disk
if Whatnot is de-installed. "It's a simple program that allows the
user to manage hard drive capacity without the major risks of data
loss," Brown Disc spokesperson Adrian Reed told Newsbytes.

Whatnot has a suggested retail price of $69.95. Reed said Brown Disc
also plans to market several other programs from What Software and
other developers. "A lot of software developers have good software
they are trying to market. We're making an effort to help some of
our customers market their products," says Reed.

(Jim Mallory/19930803/Press contact: Adrian Reed, Brown Disc,
719-593-1015; Reader contact: Brown Disc, 719- 593-1015, fax
719-590-7466)


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

UK - Siemens Nixdorf Unveils "Green PC" 08/04/93
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- Siemens
Nixdorf Information Systems (SNIS) has announced the availability
of the PCD-4L - its so-called "Green PC" - in the UK. The machine
appears to conform to the "Energy Star" green PC standard outlined
by the US Administration recently.

According to SNIS, the machine is based around the Intel 80486SL
processor and works with exceptionally low power consumption. As
supplied in the UK, the machine is shipped network ready, and costs
UKP1,988.

SNIS is making some bold claims for the "green-ness" of its PCD-4L.
The machine's casing is constructed from two types of plastic only,
with each type claiming to bear clear identification marks to
recycling purposes.

"Organizations are increasingly looking to vendors such as Siemens
Nixdorf to provide Green PCs - not just to meet their environmental
concerns, but because they can benefit from the significant energy
savings," explained Jennifer Perry, Industry Marketing Manager for
SNIS' PC Business Unit.

According to SNIS, the PCD-4L achieves up to 96 percent energy
savings when compared to conventional PCs. This is possible, the
company claims, because the machine uses a two-stage set-up
power management facility based around the Intel 486SL chipset.

This technology, Newsbytes notes, was originally designed for
portable PCs, but has been adapted for use with the new desktop
machine, meaning that it does not need a fan to cool the motherboard
down. In practical terms, this translates into the machine only
needing a smaller cabinet, so saving on raw materials and reducing
background noise.

The PCD-4L can be run in a power conservation mode, which allows the
machine to power down after a pre-defined period of inactivity. This
technology is similar to that found in many portables, notably those
from Toshiba. When not used, the PC's hard disk stops rotating,
while the monitor's power consumption is halved. For longer periods
of inactivity, the monitor is switched off and power consumption for
the whole machine is a mere five watts.

SNIS claims that, for a 2,000 user site using these new PCs, energy
savings of as much as UKP50,000 could be achieved.

What about the system board itself? Newsbytes notes that the
PCD-4L has a clock speed of 25 megahertz (MHz), an integrated math
coprocessor and an 8 kilobyte cache to improved hard disk
performance. The standard machine comes with 4MB of memory and
a 120MB hard disk. Optional expansions push memory to 32MB and
hard disk capacity to 210MB.

(Steve Gold/19930803/Press & Public Contact: Siemens Nixdorf -
Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00005)

UK - Zenith Data Systems Intros Sub-Notebook PC 08/04/93
BRENTFORD, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- Zenith Data
Systems (ZDS) has unveiled its first sub-notebook PC, the Z-Lite
320L. The machine, which tips the scales at 3.9 pounds, is claimed
to be the smallest and lightest PC ever produced by the company.

ZDS also claims that the machine is the world's first sub-
notebook to use the ultra low power 3.3 volt Intel 386SL
microprocessor. This, the company claims, pushes battery life to
between three and six hours.

So, who will buy the new machine? According to the company, it's
ideal for Microsoft Windows applications that need a bright screen
and powerful processor, but which are used in a portable
environment.

"The Z-Lite represents ten years of portable computing experience.
We've significantly reduced size and weight without sacrificing
key features," explained John Lonergan, ZDS managing director.

As well as a full-size 8.5 inch backlit VGA display, the 320L has an
interesting "Litepoint" integrated pointing device that attaches to
the front slope of the keyboard. Other features include 2 megabytes
(MB) of memory (expandable to 4 or 6MB internally), a 60MB hard
drive and two PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card Industry
Association) slots.

Pricing on the machine will be announced when it ships later in
the year, according to ZDS.

(Steve Gold/19930803/Press & Public Contact: Zenith Data
Systems - tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00006)

CompuServe Bundling Software With PCs, Modems 08/04/93
COLUMBUS OHIO, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- CompuServe said it is
bundling its graphic CompuServe Information Manager program with
a number of modems and PCs.

Three PC makers - PC Brand Inc., Swan Technologies, and Advanced
Logic Research Inc. - have begun pre-installing the software on the
hard drives of computers they make. Swan is bundling the MS-DOS
version of the software, PC Brand and ALR are offering both that
and the Microsoft Windows version. It is the first time CompuServe
has put its software on a computer hard drive, said Marketing
Manager Doug Martin.

On the modem front, CompuServe said it has reached agreements
with Best Data Products Inc., and Cardinal Technologies Inc., to
bundle CIM with their products. Best is offering the Windows
version of the software, Cardinal the MS-DOS or Windows version,
with its 14,400 bits-per-second (bps) modems offering the
Windows software.

The software comes in three versions - for MS-DOS, Microsoft
Windows and the Apple Macintosh. Guides to the service, a
membership offer, and discounts on usage are bundled.

CompuServe has about 1.3 million users worldwide, and the three
PC vendors involved in the bundling all have support forums on the
service.

CompuServe has also put a special area on-line for Cardinal
buyers with some free files available for downloading, including
Norton AntiVirus Scan, a game program called Commander Keen, a
pre-school education program called ABC Fun Keys Icon Manager
and Ziff's Tips and Tricks for Windows 3.1.

Supra Corp., had previously announced a deal bundling versions
of CIM with its modems.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930803/Press Contact: David Kishler,
CompuServe, 614-538-4571)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00007)

Calling Cards Come To Casinos 08/04/93
TAMPA, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- The Las Vegas casino
market is fiercely competitive. Customers who stay at one hotel
may do their gambling at many others. Hotels are always looking
at new ways to retain their loyalty.

One method is with "casino cards," plastic cards which are used
at gaming tables and in slot machines to give credit to players
for gambling, win or lose. Points put on cards, like those at
Sahara Resorts, can be used for free meals, room discounts, and
other prizes. But now Sahara has found a new premium - long
distance calls.

Sahara has worked out a deal with ComCentral, formerly
Southnet, to offer long distance calling through its Gold Card and
Preferred Card. For ComCentral, this means new users for its
services. For Sahara, it could mean that people staying at its
Sahara Hotel, Hacienda Hotel, and Santa Fe Hotel in Las Vegas or
Pioneer Hotel in Laughlin will not leave the building to gamble.
Even better, the cards, when used as calling cards out-of-state,
act as small ads for the Sahara resorts.

ComCentral entered the Nevada market with just such deals in
mind when it won its license to do business there in May. It
also has a contract with Nevada Communications, which also
serves the gaming industry, to service its clients.

President Robert J. Zradicka of ComCentral credited Nevada
Communications with helping it win the Sahara deal. He also said
in a press statement that his company could win $6 million a
year in new calling traffic through the Sahara card. Zradicka said
final details will be worked out over the next 30 days to coincide
with distribution of new cards to Sahara's existing membership
base, which he estimated at several hundred thousand.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930803/Press Contact: Matthew A. Veal,
ComCentral, 813-287-2880)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00008)

SunConnect To Certify Third-Party Products 08/04/93
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 4 (NB) --
Compatibility between different vendor's networking software is
an increasingly important issue, especially as corporate networks
become more complex. In response to this problem, SunConnect
has enhanced its SunNet Manager Partners' Program and implemented
a certification program in order to ensure customers that SunNet
Manager Partner third-party products comply with the company's
"standards of performance and interoperability."

As a result, partners can request products be certified on an
individual basis or as  part of a package of related applications.

In announcing the enhanced program, Stan Baldwin, director of
marketing for SunConnect, said: "Helping customers build a system
where network management information is shared and distributed
across platforms and applications is central to the philosophy of a
cooperative management environment. A key element of cooperative
management is compatibility. This new program assures our
customers that the applications they choose have  been tested by
SunConnect and meet the certification criteria."

Continued Baldwin, "Our partners also directly benefit by leveraging
the SunConnect Labs as a resource for product certification and they
can use the results to augment their own sales and marketing
programs."

The SunNet Manager Partners' Program has been structured into three
tiers: Classic Developer, Executive Developer, and Strategic Developer.

With Classic Developer, the vendor's product can be accessed through
the SunNet Manager console and must be currently shipping or
shipping within 12 months of joining the program. The vendor must
also have plans to port the product to the Solaris 2.x operating
system.

With Executive Developer, the vendor's product requires the SunNet
Manager platform in order to run. The product may be integrated with
SunNet Manager APIs (application programming interfaces), or is
developed so that it can  read log reports. The vendor must have
plans to port the product to Solaris 2.x.

The Strategic Developer requires that the product meets the criteria
for Executive Developer and enables the SunNet Manager console to
fulfill a specific market requirement. The product must be currently
shipping and will be ported to Solaris 2.x.

The first SunNet Manager Partner Certification certificate is
expected to be issued in August. The company says that, currently,
3Com Corp., Frontier Software Development Inc., Hewlett-Packard
Network Test Division and Remedy Corp., all have products
submitted.

The company is initially waiving the $1,000 certification fee for
members of the SunNet Manager Partners Program (as of July 1,
1993), or have submitted a product for testing under the preliminary
Verified Products Program, or are a new member (joined after
July 1, 1993) and submit a product for testing within 60 days of
joining. The new member fee waiver offer is good through
November 30, 1993, says the company.

(Ian Stokell/19930803/Press Contact: Bill Jeppesen,
415-336-4768, SunConnect)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00009)

RasterOps Intros MoviePak2, PaintBoards For Mac 08/04/93
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- RasterOps
has introduced two new PaintBoard display adapters - the PaintBoard
Turbo XL and PaintBoard 8Li - as well as Centris 610-compatible
version of the PaintBoard Turbo. The company has also Introduced
the MoviePak2 video compression/decompression daughtercard.

RasterOps says that the PaintBoard Turbo XL is an accelerated 24-bit
color display adapter for monitors up to 21 inches (1152 x 870 pixels).
The Turbo XL is compatible with Apple Macintosh, Quadra and Centris
computers, including the compact Centris 610 which requires a seven-
inch display adapter.

The PaintBoard Turbo XL, which will retail for $1,899, is claimed to
be the fastest Centris 610-compatible, large-screen, 24-bit color
display card on the market.

According to the company, the Turbo XL features photorealistic,
large-screen support, QuickDraw acceleration 20 to 65 times faster
than a standard Macintosh with 24-bit color, and a nine-bit DAC
(digital-to-analog converter). The Turbo XL is designed for graphic
artists, designers, desktop publishers and other professionals
working with color-critical applications.

In announcing the new boards, Jon Bass, RasterOps product marketing
manager, said: "Our target market for the PaintBoard family of
products demands professional quality, productivity-enhancing design
tools at affordable prices. The PaintBoard Turbo display adapter
with 20-inch support has been extremely successful in meeting these
needs since it was introduced in early June. With the PaintBoard
Turbo XL we're taking that success one step further by adding
21-inch support."

The PaintBoard Turbo XL features an extended desktop up to 4096
by 1024 pixels. Other productivity-enhancing features are said to
include hardware pan and zoom.

Priced at $399, the RasterOps PaintBoard 8Li is claimed to be the
least expensive large-screen, eight-bit color, accelerated display
adapter on the market.

RasterOps says that the 8Li uses a proprietary acceleration ASIC
(application specific integrated circuit) to provide performance up
to six times faster than a standard Macintosh with eight-bit color.
This is claimed to reduce idle time when users redraw, scroll, or
otherwise manipulate their documents.

The 8Li supports a range of displays from 13-inches to 20-inches.
The PaintBoard Turbo XL, the PaintBoard 8Li and the Centris 610-
compatible PaintBoard Turbo will be available in mid-August and
include a three-year warranty.

The new MoviePak2 video compression/decompression daughtercard
is claimed to feature full-motion (60 fields per second), real-time
(30 frames per second), video digitizing, and full-screen (640 by
480) playback from the hard disk.

In announcing the product, Scott Rawlings, RasterOps product
marketing manager, said: "This technology advancement - moving
from 30 fields to 60 fields per second - essentially doubles our
market potential. With the original MoviePak we successfully
created a market for digital video products that previously did not
exist. With MoviePak2 we'll leverage that success into high-end
video production, on-line editing, promotional and training videos
and other areas that require professional-quality digitized output."

The MoviePak2 is claimed to snap onto RasterOps video display
adapters to enable users to record, edit and playback Apple
QuickTime movies on the desktop. The product is set to ship in a
seven-inch form factor to work with all Apple Macintosh Quadra
and Centris family computers.

MoviePak2 uses the same LSI Logic JPEG technology as the original
MoviePak, but the company says it integrates faster components
that can process four times the video data (60 fields per second
versus MoviePak's 30 fields per second).

In addition to full 640 by 480 resolution, MoviePak2 provides
variable resolutions including 640 by 240, 320 by 480, and 320 by
240. MoviePak2 also supports resizeable windows up to 640 by 480
in any of the modes.

Both MoviePak2 and MoviePak feature user-selectable, variable
compression ratios from 2:1 up to 100:1. MoviePak2 will be available
for $1,999 in October. MoviePak costs $999. Both products come with
a three-year warranty.

(Ian Stokell/19930803/Press Contact: Diane Scott,
408-562-4200, RasterOps Corp.)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00010)

Wollongong's PathWay Messaging To Support Messaging APIs 08/04/93
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- For an electronic
mail system to be a serious contender in the enterprise-wide
networking market, it has to support as many standards and
"would-be" standards as it can. Along those lines, the Wollongong
Group has announced plans to support emerging, "standard"
messaging APIs (application programming interfaces) in future
releases of its PathWay Messaging product.

These APIs include Microsoft's Messaging Application Programming
Interface (MAPI), Common Messaging Calls (CMC), OSI Object
Manipulation API (XOM), X.500 Directory Services (XDS), and X.400
Messaging API (XMHS).

The company hopes that, by providing these common interfaces,
mail enabled applications will gain access to Wollongong's
X.400/SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer protocol) and X.500 Directory
Services backbones.

The company says that the first interface to be supported will
be Microsoft's MAPI.

PathWay Messaging is the company's new mail system. PathWay
Messenger client electronic-mail software is available for Windows,
Macintosh, Interactive Unix, SCO, and Sun SPARC.

The company says that there is a growing recognition in the market
for standard messaging APIs that will bridge multiple computer
platforms and mail transports and reduce the current confusion over
multiple APIs.

The company hopes that the standards will allow users of compatible
third party mail-enabled applications to send files and documents
directly from within their programs, using open standard mail
transport protocols provided by PathWay Messenger, as well as
giving mail-enabled applications direct access to X.500 Directory
Services.

According to Douglas Ambort, product manager for directory
services, messaging and OSI at Wollongong, "Current messaging
APIs do not provide enough functionality. Also, vendors are waging
the same old battles over who will control the architecture. This
causes confusion in the market and inhibits industry growth.
Acceptance of common messaging APIs will give end users
platform and vendor independence."

(Ian Stokell/19930803/Press Contact: Earle Speranza,
415-962-7156, The Wollongong Group)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00011)

Cisco To Support DLSw Interoperability "Standard" 08/04/93
MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- Few corporate
users feel perfectly safe about committing to a single vendor for
all their networking needs. As a result, the move towards
implementing accepted industry standards into networking
equipment is increasing. Standards, theoretically, allow users
to buy equipment from multiple vendors and have them all work
together on the network without too much configuration. Along
those lines, Cisco Systems has announced it will support the new
DLSw interoperability "standard" currently being defined by the
Data Link Switching Working Group.

The DLSw interoperability standard is a method for integrating
SNA (Systems Network Architecture) and NetBIOS over the TCP/IP
(Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) protocol.
Cisco says that the new DLSw standard provides interoperability
and functionality not currently offered by Informational RFC 1434
or existing DLSw implementations.

Cisco says that it expects that its IBM internetworking software
will support the new DLSw standard in mid-1994, although specific
shipment dates will depend on the availability of the working
group's DLSw specification.

The multivendor Data Link Switching Working Group was initiated
by Cisco and is now operating as part of the APPN (Advanced
Peer-to-Peer Networking) Implementors' Workshop.

Speaking of connectivity, Michael Zadikian, Cisco SNA product
manager, said: "We believe the question is one of interoperability,
not functionality, because Cisco and other vendors already ship
routers with functionality beyond that currently defined in the
Data Link Switching Informational RFC 1434 and existing DLSw
implementations."

Continued Zadikian, "A multiplicity of incompatible
implementations - including Cisco's, IBM's, Proteon's, Wellfleet's,
and Crosscom's - exist in the market today. Now is the right time
to introduce multivendor interoperability."

Some analysts argue though, that "standards" are relative and
plentiful in the computing industry. Alliances and groups are often
set up to define "standards" based on the technologies of those
vendors involved in the group. As a result, vendors excluded from
the groups promptly go out and form another one with other vendors.
The more market-leading and high volume vendors involved in an
alliance, the more weight it carries in the industry.

(Ian Stokell/19930803/Press Contact: Jacqueline Brinker,
415-903-7598, Cisco Systems)


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

Cyberdesk Information Manager For On-Online Services 08/04/93
KENNESAW, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- The big trend in
communications is to require you to buy different software for
each service. In some cases the idea is to give users a graphical
interface like that of the Macintosh or Microsoft Windows. In
other cases the user interface is dealing with a plain-text system.

A small Atlanta-area company, best known until now for a modem-
sharing product called Sparkle, is now trying to address that
problem with a program called Cyberdesk. Cyberdesk works with
most major text-based on-line systems, including the cc:Mail
package used on LANs (local area networks), CompuServe, and MCI
Mail.

The company claims that it offers a simple way to manage all these
accounts under Microsoft Windows. The program can dial-into the
services, scan and download mail, upload messages, and let the user
save money by responding off-line in things like CompuServe Forums
which charge by the minute.

In some ways, Cyberdesk is a lot like the off-line mailing
programs which have been around for bulletin boards for some
time. However, the company says its package makes many different
systems easy to use, regardless of the terminal emulation or
preferred download protocol a user may maintain on each.

Newsbytes discussed the package with the company's director of
sales and marketing, Nan Atwell. "The only thing that works now
on many systems are generic communication products" like
Procomm Plus" and specialized products for specific systems like
CompuServe's Information Manager. "There's nothing that does
this. Now you have to use multiple programs to retrieve and
respond off line."

Atwell noted, however, that while the user interface for
Cyberdesk is graphical, the on-line interaction is not. So it
will not work on graphics-based systems like America OnLine
or Prodigy. She said the company is looking at the RIPScript
standard for bulletin boards and may support it in the future.

Atwell also addressed the question of MS-DOS - Cyberdesk is
available only under Windows. "We wrote this in a way so we could
offer a DOS version. But because that market is shrinking I don't
see us offering that platform. We do have the hooks in place to
allow it. And we can move to other platforms, like OS/2, Unix,
and the Macintosh."

Atwell said the company is looking to work with small resellers,
and Corporate Software is handling the product, but the company
has not yet contacted superstores about stocking Cyberdesk. The
60-day introductory price is $179, after which the retail price
will be $395.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930803/Press Contact: CyberCorp, Nan
Atwell, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(BOS)(00013)

MacWorld Opens In Boston 08/04/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- MacWorld
Boston, the biggest end-user show to hit "The Hub" each year, will be
held through Friday at two sites, with six keynote speeches, dozens
of conference sessions, and over 400 new product rollouts.

This year, MacWorld has expanded from the World Trade Center,
located in Boston's Waterfront, and the Bay Side Expo Center on the
south side of town to Symphony Hall in downtown Boston. Symphony
Hall, the same historic building where the Newton received its
official sendoff, will be the home of MacWorld's Apple Newton
Showcase for the remainder of the week.

Since MacWorld will be organized into 15 separate conferences this
year, each with its own slate of session offerings, there is sure to
be something for every Mac user.

In a "New Horizons" conference, analysts from MacWeek will present
their insights on emerging technologies from Apple. In a "You-Asked-
For-It" conference, speakers will respond to requests from
attendees for information on specific market developments.

A "Special Interest Group" conference will address the concerns of
senior citizens and legal, health care, and real estate professionals.
A series of application workshops will offer training in the use of
major Macintosh applications, as well as such technologies as fonts
and networking.

Other conferences will be geared to design, entertainment,
"how-to-get-started," science/technology, enterprise computing,
connectivity, home office/small business, education, multimedia,
advanced users, and programmers and developers.

The six keynote speeches will cover the topics "Digital
Convergence," "Macintosh for the 90s," "Career Retooling," "Opening
Up New Worlds for Multimedia and the Mac," "Totally Awesome
Multimedia and CD-ROM Artists and Authors," and "The Macintosh
from Tools to Titles."

Product introductions will encompass the same universal range as
the conference offerings and keynotes. To give you just an inkling
of the scope, the launches will include a new Macintosh front-end
for Genie, Gryphon Software's Morph 2.0, a new GPS (global
positioning system) application for the Newton from Geosystems,
and a new fax service for the Mac from Sprint and PSI.

Conference hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 10:30 am to 6:00
pm and Friday, 10:30 am to 2:30 pm.  Show hours are Tuesday
through Thursday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm and Friday, 10:00 am to
3:00 pm.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930803/Press & Public Contact:  Mitch
Hall Associates, 617-361-8000)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEL)(00014)

India - Expert System On Cabbage Pest Developed 08/04/93
BANGALORE, INDIA, 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- Bangalore-based Indian
Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR) has launched, what it
claims, is the "world's first comprehensive databank on integrated
management of pests of cabbage."

Compiled on floppy disks, the 'Cabbage pest expert system 1.0'
program describes the international pest scenario, the biology of
insects that damage cabbage, the application of alternative hosts,
predators, and biocontrol measures. A special feature on utilization
of Indian mustard as the trap crop has been incorporated in the
system which proves a treasure-house of information for farmers,
as well as the scientists working on pests across the globe, says
IIHR director R.M. Pandey.

The project was part-financed by a grant from the US Department of
Agriculture under the US-India fund. The program, which runs on a
personal computer, will soon be released for researchers and
farmers, Pandey informed.

IIHR is the only institute among the dozen offshoots of the Indian
Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) which is attempting to
computerize cultivation methodologies.

The institute's earliest efforts were in the form of some menu-
driven utilities written in BASIC with answer to problems for
day-to-day problems for beginner mushroom and grape cultivators.
The package was later improved upon.

Mushroom Expert 1.0, the current version of the package, is written
in GW-BASIC and comes in a 48 TPI double density floppy. Content
includes information on the merits and demerits of different type
of mushrooms, production of spawn, various stages in production,
processing of mushroom and more than 80 recipes on mushroom
delicacies. The software is aimed at growers, teaching staff of
agricultural universities, and state departments of agriculture and
horticulture.

Indian Grape Expert 1.0, is the other expert system, and covers the
entire range of grape cultivation under Indian conditions. The
information is provided under five menus: raising a vineyard, cultural
practices, plant protection, harvest and utilization, and special
aspects. Besides standard information, the system covers
information on fertilizer application, and interpretation of analytical
values to modify fertilizer doses. The only other expert system which
deals with grape cultivation at this length was developed at
Pennsylvania University in the US.

To popularize the package, IIHR is allowing users to copy the
packages free of cost. "We have not put a price tag as we want to
popularize them," said Ramachander, the one-man development team
of IIHR.

So far the institute has distributed 200 copies to cultivators
as well as universities. Upgraded versions of these packages are
expected to be ready in a few months. "We have been receiving
ample feedback on the limitations of the package and it is helping
us to build in more features," said Ramachander.

Encouraged by the response to its software packages, the institute is
planning to develop a suite of expert systems on the cultivation of a
variety of crops for the use of agriculture and horticulture
departments of various states. The packages will cover a whole range
of crops such as coconuts, potatoes, mangos, tomatoes, and bananas.
The packages will incorporate data on methods of cultivation and the
techniques. They will be customized to each region depending on soil
conditions, weather conditions and availability of cultivation
resources. "Initially, we will be taking up all cultivable regions in
South India," informs Ramachander.

(C T Mahabharat/19930802)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00015)

 ****Wang Sets Private Stock Placement 08/04/93
LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- Wang
Laboratories Inc., said it has arranged a $60 million private
placement of preferred stock and warrants in another step toward
emerging from Chapter 11 protection under US bankruptcy law.

Wang said unnamed institutional investors bought $60 million in
12 percent exchangeable preferred stock, 2.4 million shares of
the new common stock that Wang will issue as part of the plan of
reorganization it filed with the US Bankruptcy court July 7,
and warrants to purchase 1.2 million shares of the new common
stock at an exercise price of $7.50 per share. Proceeds from the
transaction will be used primarily for post-confirmation funding
needs, the company said.

In a prepared statement, Michael F. Mee, chairman and chief
financial officer, called the placement the financing cornerstone
of the company's reorganization plan.

The company also said that on July 28, the US Bankruptcy Court
authorized Wang to enter into an interim secured lending credit
facility for as much as $50 million. The firm added that it has
made significant progress in talks aimed at obtaining permanent
financing for general corporate needs.

The Bankruptcy Court has scheduled a disclosure hearing for
August 5, when Wang will seek court approval of the disclosure
statement. This would clear the way for approval of the plan by
unsecured creditors and stockholders, confirmation by the court,
and emergence from Chapter 11 protection as early as the fall,
company officials said.

Under its reorganization plan, Wang means to issue 30 million
share of new common stock to unsecured creditors and others.
Holders of the company's old common stock are to get warrants
allowing them to buy the new stock within seven years and nine
months.

The company expects to emerge from Chapter 11 with about 6,000
employees and to earn about $53 million on revenues of about $955
million in the 12 months from October 1.

As Newsbytes reported recently, Wang recorded an operating loss
of $57.1 million in the year ended June 30, compared to an
operating loss of $45.4 million last year. After restructuring
and reorganization charges, Wang had an annual net loss of $197.2
million, compared with $356.6 million last year.

The company lost a total of $43.8 million in the fourth quarter,
including restructuring charges of $16.4 million and other
reorganization costs of $20.7 million. This compares to a net
loss of $333.7 million in the fourth quarter of last year,
including a $306.7 million restructuring charge. The
fourth-quarter operating loss was $10.4 million, an improvement
over last year's $34.2 million fourth quarter deficit.

Revenues were $1,247 million in the year and $241 million in
the fourth quarter. This compares with $1,896.2 million in fiscal
1992 and $473.6 million in the year-ago quarter.

Lewis Brentano, an industry analyst who follows Wang for the
research company Infocorp, said the company has a good chance
of meeting its revenue targets in the coming year.

(Grant Buckler/19930803/Press Contact: Frank Ryan,
508-967-7038; Ed Pignone, 508-967-4912, Wang Laboratories Inc.)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(TOR)(00016)

Corel Intros CorelSCSI For Mac 08/04/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- Corel Corp.,
has unveiled an Apple Macintosh version of CorelSCSI, its Small
Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) driver software. The company
already offers CorelSCSI and CorelSCSI Pro for personal computers
built on the Intel processor line.

Due to ship in August, CorelSCSI will let users seamlessly
integrate and optimize the performance of any SCSI optical or
compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) drive attached to their
Macintosh systems, the company said.

While Macintoshes have been supplied with SCSI connectors for
longer than Intel-based PCs, some optical storage devices that
use SCSI don't come with software support for the Mac, Corel
spokeswoman Janie Sullivan said.

CorelSCSI for Macintosh will support all SCSI optical drives,
including write-once read-many (WORM), rewritable, multifunction
and CD-ROM drives, the vendor said. The software will also
include comprehensive diagnostic tools and management utilities
to optimize performance of SCSI peripherals.

Corel said its software will support all CD-ROM standards
including ISO 9660, High Sierra, XA (extended architecture),
multi-session CD, and Kodak Photo CD. CorelSCSI will come with
CorelMosaic, a visual file manager, and Corel CDAudio, which
allows a CD-ROM player to play audio compact disks.

Other features include automatic mounting of Mac-formatted
optical disk cartridges and automatic ejection on dismount if the
drive supports it, support for file sharing and the AppleShare
file server, individual device configuration, and device and
system status displays.

Corel first released its SCSI software in 1987. For a time the
company also sold SCSI hardware, but it dropped the hardware
product late in 1991.

In selling the PC version of CorelSCSI, Corel has set up several
alliances with manufacturers of SCSI peripherals and host
adapters who ship CorelSCSI to ship with their products. In the
last six months, Corel has signed alliance agreements with NCR,
Always Technologies, Buslogic, DPT, Future Domain, DTC, Adaptec,
Rancho, and Acculogic. Sullivan said the company is not ready to
disclose any similar deals for the Macintosh product.

CorelSCSI for Macintosh will carry a suggested list price of
US$99 or C$119, and is to be available through Corel distributors
worldwide.

(Grant Buckler/19930804/Press Contact: Janie Sullivan, Corel,
613-728-8200 ext. 1672, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00017)

Adda Intros PC Desktop Video Software 08/04/93
RICHMOND, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- It will
not turn you into Steven Spielberg, but a package of hardware and
software from Adda Technologies Inc., will make your PC into a
video effects, titling, and mixing station.

Adda's AVer Video Producer consists of three AT-bus expansion
cards - a VGA video card, a frame buffer card, and a fader card -
plus an external fader box and software, said company spokesman
Jan Piros. Together, all these pieces will let a desktop computer
take video input from four sources and do digital video effects such
as strobe, flyby, and posterizing, as well as titling, special video
effects, and video transitions in eight directions.

Various image composition tricks such as gradient screens, boxes,
and lines are also possible, the vendor said. Video Producer is
compatible with Video for Windows and can do frame capture as
well.

The package, which sells for less than US$2,000, will work with
any PC that meets the Multimedia PC (MPC) specifications, Piros
said.

Adda sells a line of video products under the AVer name. The
company has offices in Richmond (a suburb of Vancouver), in
Fremont, California, and Taipei, Taiwan.

(Grant Buckler/19930804/Press Contact: Jan Piros, Adda
Technologies, 604-278-3224, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00018)

Compaq Canada Cuts ProLinea Prices, Recruits Retailer 08/04/93
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- Compaq Canada
Inc., has cut prices by as much as 18 percent on its ProLinea line of
personal computers, and has added another superstore chain to the
roster of resellers selling the ProLineas and its Contura
notebook machines.

Price cuts on the ProLinea line are a Canadian initiative, a
company spokeswoman said. They affect ProLinea 4/25s, 4/25 CDS,
4/33DX, 4/50, and 4/66 models. At the low end of the range, the
ProLinea 4/25s Model 120 with Microsoft Windows has been marked
down from C$1,629 to C$1,399. At the upper end, the ProLinea 4/66
Model 340, also with Windows, had its price cut from C$3,269 to
C$2,879. The ProLinea line was introduced in June, 1992.

Compaq also announced a distribution deal with Future Shop, a
Vancouver-based chain of computer and electronics superstores.
Future Shop will sell the ProLinea and Contura lines through its
37 stores in western and central Canada.

Compaq started selling through consumer electronics and office
products retailers in June, 1992, at the same time as the Contura
and ProLinea lines were launched. Currently Compaq Canada has
distribution deals with the MultiTech chain of electronics
superstores, consumer-oriented computer retailer Compucentre,
and office products chains Business Depot, Office Depot, and Club
Biz.

The company expects about 20 percent of its Canadian sales to
come through these channels in the second half of this year, the
spokeswoman said.

Future Shop, established in 1982, projects 1993 revenues of about
C$500 million.

(Grant Buckler/19930804/Press Contact: Joh Robinson, Compaq
Canada, 416-229-8808)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00019)

ATI Ships CD Sound Dimension For PCs, Cuts Price 08/04/93
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- ATI Technologies
Inc., has begun shipping its CD Sound Dimension multimedia upgrade
kit at a price $100 below that originally announced.

Company spokesman Andrew Clarke said the Sound Dimension kit,
launched at the PC Expo show in Boston in June, turns an ordinary
personal computer with a 286 or later chip into one complying
with the Multimedia PC (MPC) specification.

It include an ATI Stereo F/X-CD sound card, an internal compact
disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) drive that can also play Kodak
Photo CD and Audio CD disks, and two CD-ROM disks containing more
than 2,500 software applications for DOS and Microsoft Windows,
according to ATI.

Available now, the package has a new suggested retail price of
C$499 or US$399, marked down from the original announced price of
C$599 or US$499. It is aimed at people just getting into multimedia
computing, Clarke said.

The package does not require Microsoft Windows, although
computer users without Windows will not be able to run some
of the applications supplied on CD-ROM, he added.

(Grant Buckler/19930804/Press Contact: Andrew Clarke, ATI
Technologies, 416-882-2600 ext 8491)


(CORRECTION)(APPLE)(SFO)(00020)

Correction - MacWorld - Apple Focusing On Speedy R&D 08/04/93
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 4 (NB) --
Newsbytes regrets that a disk error led to the inadvertent filing
of a story on Monday August 3, 1993, written about a previous
MacWorld.

Newsbytes will have extensive on-the-spot coverage of this
year's MacWorld over the coming days.

Please accept our apologies for the mistake.

(Wendy Woods/19930804)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00021)

International Telecom Update 08/04/93
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- Nations worked to
protect their sovereignty as US companies continued making
inroads into their phone systems.

China is raising the biggest noise. It needs foreign technology
to meet ambitious goals for network growth. But it also wants
control of the technology so it can undercut those same firms on
price and take their markets. The most important technology
involves satellites. China is already undercutting Western prices
on launchers, and wants to build its own satellite parts and win
business there, too.

However, because of the 1989 Tienanmien massacre, the US has
denied access to the technology. This has Chinese officials angered,
promising to break the ban by buying from Europe, while at the same
time saying they'll sell to whoever has money, even to nations like
North Korea which might want to build nuclear missiles aimed at
the US. American policymakers, however, know they currently have
China where they want it, since China-based customers can now buy,
and are buying, Western-made satellites.

The Greek government is also concerned with its national interest
as it moves to privatize its phone network, OTE. The government
has promised to legislate the sale of 35 percent of OTE this
month, to either NTT, France Telecom, GTE, Telefonica de Espana,
or Italy's STET. The winner will take over the management of the
company, but the bidders may not get control of the board. The
conservative government, which has a one-vote majority in the
legislature, has promised the state will retain a six-member
majority on the company's board. Organized labor, which opposes
the plan, has promised a four-day strike to protest the
privatization plan.

In the Philippines, where President Ramos has been trying to
break the PLDT monopoly, IDB Worldcom signed an operating
agreement with Globe Telecom, a local teleport. The agreement
brings to 52 the number of such deals for IDB, and allows it to
handle voice and fax traffic through the teleport. Cable &
Wireless has been seeking its own Philippine teleport, and tried
to make the right to one a condition of expanding its operations
with Digitel in Luzon. When the teleport didn't come through, C&W
backed out, angering Digitel.

Elsewhere in Asia, MCI and Korea Telecom began virtual network
service between their networks. MCI's is opening what it calls a
Vnet VNC, or Virtual Network Connection, between its US-based
network and Korea Telecom's KT-IVPN service. The result is that
Korean companies can create their own private networks linking
local and US offices, and US companies can connect their MCI
virtual networks to Korean offices. MCI now has 19 such
connections.

In Israel, McCaw Cellular announced it will bid for that
country's second cellular phone license, in cooperation with
Telrad, an Israeli telecom firm with 1992 revenues of $240
million. Two investment groups, headed by Bank Hapoalim of
Israel and the Belzberg Group of the US, are also in on the bid. If
successful, the McCaw-Telrad company would compete with a
system run by Bezek - a state-owned company the government
wants to privatize - and Motorola of the US.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930804/Press Contact: Kim Dewling, IDB
Communications Group, 212-478-6185; Paul Charles, MCI,
914-933-7167; Telrad, Deborah Piper, 516/921-8300)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(ATL)(00022)

FCC Takes Another Baby Step Toward Local Competition 08/04/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- A unanimous Federal
Communications Commission ruling which lets long distance
companies work more closely with Bell competitors may be less
important than it appears. Spokesmen on both sides called it
inadequate.

The ruling was made at the behest of MFS Communications Co.,
of Oak Brook, Illinois, which operates fiber "rings" surrounding
many major US cities. The rule lets MFS, and companies like it,
link to local phone companies' central offices and move calls
from those switches to the systems of long distance companies.
Until now, MFS had to provide its own links between customers
and their long distance providers, reducing its potential market.
This "long distance inter-connect" market is estimated to be
worth about $4 billion. MFS can also create private phone nets on
a local level for companies located near its systems.

In a press statement, MFS President Royce Holland said he was
only partly satisfied. Most of the money, roughly 80 percent,
which his company would get from handling the local link on a
long distance call would still have to go to the local phone
company, usually a regional Bell, to compensate it for overhead
and the lost revenue. While Holland called it comparable to
"forcing customers of the Delta Shuttle to compensate AMTRAK
for lost market share," the regional Bells see it quite differently.
They say they're subsidizing rural and poor customers to the tune
of $20 billion, while companies like MFS are "cherry-picking"
their best customers and not picking up the tab for such
universal service. Without compensation, the Bells assert, local
call rates in rural areas will skyrocket.

The next step for MFS is to go to individual states where it does
business, asking for the right to compete directly for companies'
local phone business. In those proceedings, the regional Bells
will claim MFS gets to choose its customers, but they must serve
everyone, and note that the MFS only passes the most lucrative
customers. However, companies like MFS could easily enter into
ventures with local cable television companies to transport calls
from residences to their networks, bypassing local Bell companies
entirely. Teleport Communications, the second largest firm in
MFS' business, is in fact owned by TCI, the largest cable
operator, and Cox Enterprises, another large cable operator, and
it has agreements with a number of other operators to do just
that when the time comes.

The bottom line for regional Bell companies like Ameritech is
that the FCC should scrap the 1982 Bell break-up decree and let
all companies compete in all markets. "Consumers would be much
better served by revolutionary rather than further incremental
change," noted Ameritech Vice Chairman Richard Brown in a press
statement. To the extent that the FCC decision requires subsidies
for universal service, then, regional Bells like Ameritech and US
West consider it a victory. In any case, the specifics of the
plan will not be implemented until next spring at the earliest.

In the end, all the public statements by all sides are playing to
Reed Hundt, the newly appointed but unconfirmed chairman of the
FCC, and to President Clinton, who must still fill a second,
nominally Republican, seat on the panel and set forth a coherent
telecommunications policy.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930804/Press Contact: Steve Ingish, MFS,
708-218-7316; FCC Press Office, 202-632-5050)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00023)

Best Signs Modem Bundling Deal With Sierra 08/04/93
CHATSWORTH, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- Best Data
Products, which earlier in the week signed a deal to bundle
CompuServe software with its modems, announced a new bundle
called The Game Modem, in cooperation with Sierra OnLine and its
Sierra Network.

Sierra operates a game network which looks and feels like an
electronic amusement park. The Game Modem will combine a 2,400
bits-per-second (bps) internal Best Data Products modem, a Sierra
membership kit with three hours of free network use, and a $30
credit  towards Sierra membership and usage costs, all for $50.

The total price is competitive with other products on computer
store "game shelves," Sierra executives noted. Sierra's basic
membership costs $12.95 per month and offers 30 hours of evening
or weekend access to the network's basic features. Some game
areas, called SierraLand, MedievalLand and LarryLand, cost
another $4 per month each, and mail service costs another $2 per
month.

In addition to showing an innovative response to new competition
in the on-line market, the Best-Sierra deal also shows how modem
makers are trying to beat their continuing price war.

Modem prices, even for the fastest units, have plunged 30 percent
or more per year, squeezing margins dry, and if on-line services
can be bundled with the modems, perhaps those margins can be
maintained. Or so modem makers hope.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930804/Press Contact: Liz Wax, for Best,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MOW)(00024)

Russia - 62 Cellular Licenses To Be Issued 08/04/93
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- The Russian communications
ministry has announced a tender to issue licenses to own and
operate cellular communications systems in 62 regions of the
country. Results will be available not later than November 1.

Seventeen licenses, covering administrative regions of Russia,
will be issued for European GSM standard licenses. A further
45 will be issued for the old NMT-450N - using the older 450
megahertz (MHz) technology.

Only one license per region will be issued, according to Ministry.
The selection covers most of the Russian republic territory.

The tender committee will accept applications accompanied with
the US$5,000 non-refundable fee until the August 25, 1993.

The committee is located at 7 Trverskaya Street, Communications
Ministry building, and can be reached by the telephone at
7 095 292-7010.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19930804)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00025)

Japan - Matsushita To Release Video Game System 08/04/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- Matsushita Electric is been
preparing to release a video game machine as well as game
software.

The game software will be jointly developed with 3DO in
the US. It is the first time the major Japanese home
electronics firm has developed game software.

Matsushita Electric is preparing to release the game system,
called "The Real," under the Panasonic brand name sometime
around October in the US.

It is a CD-ROM-based game device that is reported to support
advanced sound and pictures, as well as multimedia. It is
connected to a regular television set.

The software is being developed by a number of software
makers in the US, in addition to 3DO.  The firm intends to
develop both game and educational software for the device.

The game system is reported to be similar to Fujitsu's latest
game device called the "Marty," which also connects to a television
set. It is also a CD-ROM-based device and supports both game and
educational software.

Matsushita's game device is expected to be released slightly later
in Japan and may directly compete with Fujitsu's Marty. However,
it may be hard to compete with Nintendo or Sega Enterprise. The
best hope for Matsushita's device appears to be the educational
market.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930804/Press Contact:
Matsushita Electric, [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(BOS)(00026)

 ****MacWorld - Genie Intros GUI For Mac & Windows 08/04/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- At MacWorld,
Genie (GE Information Services) announced a new GUI (graphical
user interface) for its on-line services, to be offered in versions
for the Mac and Windows.

In an interview with Newsbytes, John F. Barber, Genie's general
manager, said that Genie 1.0 will enter beta testing in October,
and is slated for availability by the end of this year.

Users will be able to download the GUI from Genie. In addition,
the interface will be bundled on floppy disks with some
manufacturers' products, and possibly with other OEM (original
equipment manufacturer) products as well, the general manager
told Newsbytes. "Genie will probably charge a nominal fee for
downloading," he said.

The Mac and Windows versions of Genie 1.0 will offer identical
functionality, but will vary in design according to operating
environment, said Pam Angelis, senior product manager.

Genie 1.0 follows a series of other enhancements Genie has recently
made to its services, added Barber. The improvements include
Internet access, a revamped rate structure, and load balancing on
the Genie network, a measure aimed at smoothing delivery of Genie
services.

In a demo of the Macintosh version for Newsbytes, Angelis showed
how the GUI greets the user with a screen that allows for quick and
easy logon.

After logon, the user can quickly navigate through mail, bulletin
board and related services via a series of icon-driven options,
including Filing Cabinet and To Do, for items and submenus on
eight different menus:  File, Edit, Online, Libraries, Boards, Mail,
Window, and Help.

The Filing Cabinet is a storage database on Genie 1.0, and To Do is
an interface between the Filing Cabinet and the Genie network,
Angelis explained. By choosing the To Do option, the user can set
messages and other items aside for later action, during the current
or a future session.

From within the To Do Manager submenu, the user can tell Genie 1.0
to post reminder notices of pending To Do items, designating
whether these messages will be posted at Genie login or logoff.
The user can also choose to "do all" items, "do all checked," and
edit or delete items.

From within submenus such as Read Mail, Bulletin Board Reader, and
Software Browser, the user can quickly act on items by double-
clicking on additional icons. All three submenus, for example,
provide right- and left-arrow icons for "(go to) next" and "(go to)
previous."

Read Mail and Software Browser each provide a downward icon for
"download."  Read Mail also has icons for "reply," "reply all,"
"status, "and "forward."  Bulletin Board Reader supplies icons for
"get" and "reply to topic."

Barber told Newsbytes that, in an upcoming edition of the GUI,
Genie will add the ability for To Do items to carried out
automatically. The user will able to set times for actions to be
performed, without the need to be on-line at the designated times,
he added.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930804/Press contact: Vivian Kelly,
301-340-4494, Genie)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(BOS)(00027)

 ****MacWorld - Radius Intros PhotoBooster Accelerator 08/04/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- At MacWorld,
Radius has announced PhotoBooster, a graphics accelerator billed as
the fastest ever to be rolled out for the Mac.

In an interview with Newsbytes, Richard Buchanan, director of
product marketing, said that PhotoBooster is a Processor Direct Slot
(PDS) daughtercard for Radius' new 24-bit PrecisionColor Pro, a
NuBus graphics card that supports display of full-motion, full-frame
video.

PhotoBooster arrives at its high speed by using twin AT&T DSP3210s,
the same digital signal processing (DSP) chips used in Apple's new
Quadra 840AV and Centris 660AV computers, according to Buchanan.
In contrast, competing accelerators are still based on the older
AT&T DSP16A processor, he told Newsbytes.

Unlike other mothercard and daughtercard combinations, the
PrecisionColor Pro and PhotoBooster together take up only a single
NuBus slot, he added. The PrecisionColor Pro is built on a very
small, 6.5-inch form factor that allows "in-line" installation of a
daughtercard such as PhotoBooster in the PDS slot.

PhotoBooster's DSP3210 engine boosts performance through bus
mastering, reported Buchanan. The new DSP runs on the main
processor bus of the Quadra 840AV and Centris 660AV as a peer to
the Motorola 68040 central processing unit (CPU), achieving access
to all the memory, NuBus, and I/O resources available to the 68040.

In addition, the DSP3210 is a 32-bit floating point processor,
capable of carrying out rendering and other high-end applications
that require floating point accuracy and precision, he maintained.

In comparison, he claimed, the DSP16A is a 16-bit, fixed point
processor originally designed for standalone embedded systems
such as modems.

PhotoBooster supports Adobe Photoshop as well as the new Apple
Real-Time Architecture (ARTA). According to Buchanan, support
for ARTA further contributes to fast performance, by assigning
processing of audio, speech, modem signals, and other real-time
tasks to the DSP and thereby freeing up the CPU.

ARTA also provides a standard application programming
interface (API) that will let developers write digital video, color
publishing, and other applications capable of running on any ARTA-
compliant hardware, he added.

Radius developed PhotoBooster with more than just the Quadra
840AV and Centris 660AV in mind, Buchanan said. "PhotoBooster
is designed to be aware of the Power PC environment," he told
Newsbytes.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930803/Press contacts:  Stacy Williams,
Radius Inc., tel [phone]; Andrew Ramm, A&R Partners,
tel [phone])


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

US Computer Maker Sues Taiwanese Firm 08/04/93
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- A Fremont,
California-based computer maker has sued Acer Inc., claiming the
Taiwan-based PC manufacturer pirated the idea for its latest
product.

"The suit was filed because Acer pirated my idea for its product
ChipUp," said Hensen Mou, Chinese-American president of Zeny
Computer Systems. ChipUp is a product that enables the functions of
a personal computer to be upgraded by adding a single chip to the
central processing unit (CPU).

Acer Vice President Robert Chen disagreed with Mou. "We came up
with the original idea a long time ago. Maybe we are not the only
one to have it, but we did not steal any idea," said Chen. He also
said that Acer has obtained patent rights for Chipup from Taiwanese
authorities and is currently applying for patent rights in the US.

Numerous recent Newsbytes stories have reported alleged patent
infringement problems between US and Taiwanese companies
involving software.

In June Newsbytes reported that the Taiwan High Court had
ordered a Taiwan company - Datastate Corporation - to pay $1.1
million to Microsoft for counterfeiting Microsoft DOS software.
Last month Microsoft was awarded $12.5 million in a software
piracy case involving another Taiwan-based company - BEC
Computer. However few hardware counterfeiting or piracy cases
have come to light.

In May, 1992, Newsbytes reported that based on pressure from the
US, the Taiwan government had passed a bill making major changes
in that country's copyright laws, but it appears those changes have
not put a stop to the problem.

Just one year after that law was implemented, the US government
placed Taiwan on a priority watch list of countries suspected of
violating American copyrights, saying Taiwan faces trade sanctions
if it doesn't take action to stamp out copyright piracy. US
companies estimate they lose hundreds of millions of dollars
annually because of copyright violations by Taiwan-based firms.

Acer introduced its first upgradable PC using the ChipUp in
September 1991. Last month Newsbytes reported that Acer had
licensed ChipUp for use by Intel and had authorized Intel to
sub-license the patented CPU upgrade technology to other PC
makers.

The ChipUp technology allows the motherboard to automatically
sense when a new Intel processor has been installed. Lee Cannon,
Acer VP of Marketing, told Newsbytes ChipUp will accept any Intel
processor being shipped today, and will also be compatible with
Pentium when it becomes available. Cannon emphasized that
ChipUp  allows PC manufacturers to use one standard motherboard
instead of multiple boards for various configurations.

(Jim Mallory/19930804/Press contact: Zeny Computer Systems,
510-659-0386; Lee Cannon, Acer, 408-432-6200)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00030)

UK - Softvision Intros Three Lotus Learning Videos 08/04/93
HAVANT, HANTS, ENGLAND, 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- Softvision, the video
training company, has announced the availability of three additions
to its Lotus range: 1-2-3 for Windows 4.0, Integrating Lotus
Smartsuite and Lotus Improv. All the new videos sell for UKP99.95.

According to the company, the first of the videos, on 1-2-3 for
Windows 4.0, is shipping in parallel with the software from Lotus
itself. The video details 1-2-3/Win 4.0's special ability to track
changes to a spreadsheet that is being shared among users. This
feature, Softvision claims, allows the video to make full use of its
"look-listen-repeat-learn" system.

The video on integrating Lotus Smartsuite, meanwhile, claims to mark
the latest new development in Softvision's ongoing work with Lotus.
The video was co-produced with Lotus and claims to offer a unique
complement to existing Softvision Lotus videos, since it is the only
product of its kind to explain interoperability features between
separate Lotus applications.

Rob Ingram, European brand manager with Lotus UK, said that, during
the company's long association with Softvision, customers have been
very enthusiastic about the learning videos.

"In fact, they don't just use them as a learning aid, but also as a
convenient and effective means of evaluating software before they
buy. The Integrating Lotus Smartsuite video gives users a handy
guide full of tips on how to get the most from the new Smartsuite
2," he said.

Softvision was founded last year by software industry veteran Nigel
Lovatt-Turner. The company produces a range of learning videos on a
variety of software packages. This trio of titles brings the total
library available from the company to 23.

(Steve Gold/19930804/Press & Public Contact: Softvision UK -
Tel: [phone])