Newsbytes - Internationa…ews 1983 May to 1994 June/Newsbytes - International Computing Industry News 1994 Edition - May 1983 - June 1994 - Wayzata Technologies (5045) (1994).iso/pc/text/mac_text/1987/nb871006.225

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[***][10/06/87][***]
TOSHIBA'S EUROPEAN SENSATION UNVEILED IN U.S.
IRVINE, Ca. (NB) -- Toshiba Information Systems says it will begin
shipments of an 80386-based, 15-pound portable computer this
January.    The T5100, recently introduced in Europe to rave
reviews, has 2 megabytes of RAM (expandable to 4 megabytes),
a 40 megabyte hard disk,  one 3.5" 1.44 megabyte floppy drive, built-
in EGA compatability, and an orange gas plasma display.  The
portable comes with the MS-DOS 3.2 operating system but is
expected to run Microsoft's OS/2.  The retail price for the Toshiba
5100 is set at $6,499.  It is to be bundled with Lotus Metro
desktop management program.

Options include a 2 megabyte RAM expansion board, an internal
Hayes-compatible 1200 baud modem, an external 5.25" floppy
drive, and Floppy Link, which enables the T5100 to share data
with a desktop PC.

While the T5100 cannot run from batteries and requires AC power,
its size and power make it the first to bridge the gap between
portables and  desktop machines.  Its unique placement in the
hot 80386 arena was a big factor in Toshiba's decision to bring the
machine to America.  The firm is gambling that America is ready
for this power-hungry machine and will pay the high price tag.

To get around current import restrictions, Toshiba will make the
T5100 at its new $35 million Irvine, California assembly plant.

[***][10/06/87][***]
BORLAND'S 1-2-3 COMPETITOR UNVEILED
SCOTTS VALLEY, Ca. (NB) -- Unafraid of Lotus' legal muscle, Borland
International has unveiled a spreadsheet, Quattro, which can take on
the "look and feel" of the Lotus product, or several others, thanks to
a changeable user interface.  Borland hopes Quattro will at least win
a share of the market for the Lotus' 1-2-3, which now comprises
70% of all spreadsheet software sold.   Ben Rosen, the venture capitalist
behind VisiCorp, then Lotus, and now Borland, predicted that 50,000
copies of Quattro will sell during its first six months, sales which
would capture 10% of the market.

The $195 spreadsheet, priced way below Lotus' competing $495 product,
executes commands and recalculates much faster than 1-2-3.  Boasted
Borland founder Philippe Kahn, "This program is speed, speed and
speed.  That's what customers asked for."  He added, "We're not starting
a war.  It's the first time really there is a faster alternative to
Lotus.  We can coexist with Lotus."

Quattro has pull-down menus with commands similar to 1-2-3, but
can be customized to resemble the popular spreadsheet even further.
Other features include file and macro compatibility with Lotus 1-2-3,
integrated graph printing with Postscript support, automatic
save functions in case of unexpected power interruption, and no
copy protection.  The product is expected to be available within
the next two months.

The traditionally stingy Borland plans a big advertising blitz for
Quattro, and is expected to spend an estimated $2 million dollars
this fall for the roll-out.

CONTACT:  Dick Gorman, Product Mgt., BORLAND, 408/438-8400

[***][10/06/87][***]
MICROSOFT EXCEL FOR PCS DUE THIS WEEK/BORLAND'S NOT WORRIED
REDMOND, Wa. (NB) -- Microsoft is expected to announce a PC version
of Excel, its popular Macintosh spreadsheet, on Tuesday.  The program
is expected to have a graphic interface similar to the Mac version
by exploiting the graphics features of the PS/2 line of IBM computers.
While analysts are anticipating great success for the spreadsheet,
Borland's Philippe Kahn is downplaying the product, calling it
full of "tradeoffs" required in the porting of a Mac product to a PC.
He says speed, performance, and the size of code are all reduced
in the PC version.  Kahn has been making great sport of Microsoft
for some time, most recently calling its coming OS/2  "BS/2,"
much to the dismay of Microsoft's Bill Gates, who stood in the
sidelines and "fumed" at Kahn when he made this remark during a
recent industry conference.

[***][10/06/87][***]
LOTUS, OTHERS, START FIRM WITH HEAVYWEIGHTS IN CHARGE
SAN FRANCISCO, Ca. (NB) -- The word is go for Go Corporation, a San
Francisco-based start-up whose staff is studded with some of
the brightest minds in computerdom, and whose chairman is none other
than Lotus founder Mitch Kapor.  Joining Kapor in an endeavor to create "a new class of personal productivity applications" is Robert Carr, former
chief scientist of Ashton-Tate, and Jerrold Kaplan, former "principal
technologist" at Lotus.  While the team is tight-lipped about their
plans, word is they're working on an idea that goes beyond conventional
spreadsheets, databases, and word processors into the realm of
artificial intelligence.  Lotus is injecting cash, so is Vinod Khosla, a
co-founder of Sun Microsystems and Diasy Systems; the venture
capital firm of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is also a part of Go's
check-writing department.

The staff of seven is expected to grow to 10 within its first few weeks
and the company will move from a condo on Lombard to an office in San
Francisco's quickly developing South of Market area.  The team has
yet to decide what hardware their software will run on, but they
reportedly have a good 12 to 18 months to decide, and to create the
visionary programs with which they've been charged.

[***][10/06/87][***]
ATARI FINALLY SHIPS MEGAS
SUNNYVALE, Ca. (NB) -- Six months after their announcement, the Mega
STs, now called the Mega-2 and Mega-4, are finally reaching retail
shelves, according to Atari spokesman Neil Harris.  The models,
with two and four megabytes of basic RAM, respectively, have been
selling well in Europe and have finally cleared FCC hurdles to reach the
U.S. market.  Priced at between $1,700 and $2,600, depending on options,
the Megas are positioned against the Macintosh SE market as a cheaper
and faster alternative to the Apple.  "The Megas not only run 1,000
software titles but emulators allow them to run Macintosh, PC, and
CP/M software,"  says Harris.  The Mega 2 and 4 are fully compatible
with the 520 and 1040╩ST computers and have several new features,
including a detached and improved keyboard, an internal slot for
add-on boards, a faster speed, and a "blitter" chip which quickly
moves memory and is useful for tasks such as scrolling of texts.

Atari is expected to announce a ship date for a 20 megabyte
hard disk drive for the Mega 2 and 4, and a laser printer, to be priced
at around $2,000, within the next few weeks.  Harris promises
these will be on display at Fall Comdex in Las Vegas Nov 1-5,
where there will also be a few "surprises" announced by Atari.

Meanwhile, the Atari PC, which was announced in April, still has
no set release date although Harris assures NEWSBYTES that the
computer is "definitely not dead."

[***][10/06/87][***]
WORDPERFECT'S PC AND MAC VERSIONS RELEASE DATES CHANGED
OREM, Utah (NB) -- WordPerfect Corporation says the much-anticipated
Macintosh version of its WordPerfect word processor will ship by
November 1 and is "a completely new product, not a port," according
to Roger Bell, WordPerfect manager of Apple marketing.  The Mac
version of the best-selling PC word processor won't have color or
other features, which he describes as "still pressing," but will provide the
same automatic hyphenation, outlining, and tabbing as the PC
version.  Unlike the PC version, it will provide interactive WYSIWYG
functions for spacing, style, and margin justification.  Priced at
a steep $395, it will also include a thesaurus.

Version 5.0 of WordPerfect for the PC is due out in the first quarter
of '88 and will support Adobe's PostScript page description language,
will feature a screen capture program to place any screen within
a document; text can flow around any picture automatically.  The
word-processing/desktop publishing package for the PC is to be priced at
$495.

[***][10/06/87][***]
EPSON UNVEILS NEW DESKTOP AND LAPTOP
TORRANCE, Ca. (NB) -- Epson has introduced two new micros,
a 12-pound laptop called the LT, and a PC AT-compatible, Equity II+.
The laptop, priced at $1,895, and $2,995 for a 20 megabyte hard
disk version, comes with one or two 720K 3.5" floppy drives, an AT
style keyboard, and is based on the 8086-compatible NEC V-30
microprocessor.

The 80286-based machine, the Equity II+, replaces the Equity II.
The basic unit comes with 640K and one 1.2 megabyte disk drive.
A 40 megabyte hard disk comes on a higher priced unit - $2,795.
Will Epson launch an 80386 machine soon?  There's no official
word, but this quote is worth repeating.  Epson's Peter Bergman,
director of marketing, told BIX's Nick Baran that 80286 machines
will dominate the market for the next two or three years.  He
says for most users, owning an 80386 system "is like commuting
across the Bay Bridge in a Ferrari.  It might feel good but it
doesn't get you to work any faster."

[***][10/06/87][***]
SYMANTEC SWALLOWS ANOTHER FISH: THINK TECHNOLOGIES
CUPERTINO, Ca. (NB) -- Symantec's voracious appetite for mergers
has been briefly quelled again by the swallowing of Think Technologies,
maker of Lightspeed C, Lightspeed Pascal, and InBox, all Macintosh
products.  Symantec has previously snapped up Living Videotext,
Turner Hall Publishing, and Breakthrough Software.  Think
Technologies of Bedford, Massachusetts brings more Macintosh clout
to Symantec, whose Q╩+╩A database is its best known product.
Gordon Eubanks, Symantec president, was quoted as saying, "Symantec
now has the critical mass to become a major player in the software
industry as a whole.  We believe in the graphical operating environment
and that's whre the Mac has an 18-month lead."  He's also expressed
an interest in working to connect the OS/2, DOS, and Macintosh
world with interchangeable applications.

No price was publicized for the purchase.  Think president Andrew
Singer will take the job as general manager of the Think division.

[***][10/06/87][***]
IN BRIEF --

THE RUMOR MILL tells us that CHIPS & TECHNOLOGIES is supplying,
in extremely restricted quantities of one per customer, Micro
Channel chips.  We're told Philips International currently does
have a Micro Channel compatible machine up and running.  But everybody
is keeping their products indoors lest the Big Blue shadow with
its big legal hammer come a callin'.  Our source says the Big Blue
Imitators want one of those Taiwanese or Korean firms to make the
first move in offering a PS/2 compatible.

CLARIS CORPORATION, Cupertino, is working on a new version of
MacDraw, called MacDraw Plus, that exploits the Macintosh II's
color capabilities.  MACWEEK reports that the new version also
offers improved handling of fonts, hairline rules, and increased
redrawing speed of smoothed polygons.

DASNet, Campbell, Ca., has added  Canada's Envoy 100, Japan's
Ace Telemail International, and Tokyo's BeeLINE to the stable of
electronic services with which it can exchange electronic mail.
This brings to over 20 the number of electronic services linked
through DASNet.  Subscribers pay $4.50/month plus charges for
intersystem mail to use this service.  CONTACT:  Anna Lange,
DASNet, 408/559-7434

THE FIRST AMENDMENT - THIRD CENTURY is the topic of a conference
to be held November 11 and 12 at the La Jolla Marriott.  Sponsored
by the San Diego Communications Council, the forum is designed to
help shape a modern agenda for abiding by the First Amendment
during this age of technological breakthroughs in the communication
field.  Contact Sig Mickelson 619/287-2446.

HEWLETT PACKARD, Palo Alto, Ca., has introduced HP╩AdvanceWrite
Plus, a replacement for AdvanceWrite III.  It supports IBM PC, XT,
AT and PS/2 computers as well as the HP Vectra line, and enables
users to integrate graphics and scanned images from the HP╩ScanJet
into their documents.  The software is available now for $710.


[***][10/06/87][***]
COMPAQ UNVEILS THE FASTEST GUN IN THE WEST: 20 MHZ 80386
NEW YORK (NB) -- Compaq proclaimed itself the Heavyweight
Personal Computing Champ September 29. In portables, it's
certainly got the heaviest contender. The new Portable 386 weighs
in at 20 pounds. (The press kit itself required a 2-layer
cardboard box for mailing.)

By making the Intel 80386 chip run at 20 megahertz with Intel's 82385
cache chip, and improving storage (hard drives with up to 300
megabytes), back-up and memory (up to 16 megabytes) to handle the
change, Compaq built the kind of powerful, rugged machines users
once associated with IBM. Compaq also released a new version of
MS-DOS, 3.3, to handle up to 512 megabytes. (Older versions could
only handle 32 megabytes.)

The battle between the Compaq Deskpro and IBM PS/2 standards will
be fought in the marketplace, among developers and buyers, who
must decide between VGA graphics and Micro Channel Architecture
slots or Compaq's Enhanced EGA graphics and Concurrent Bus
Architecture.  A hint on the winner -- Compaq's got the old IBM
clones on its side. (Watch out, Blue, the boys from the ranch are
packing heat from out-of-town.)

CONTACT: Jeff Stives, COMPAQ, [phone]

[***][10/06/87][***]
10% OF AMERICAN PHONE LINES COULD BE DIGITAL BY 1990
ATLANTA (NB) -- ISDN, a standard under which all phones will be
digital and modems unnecessary, will be online November 1 in
Minneapolis and in Atlanta January 1. Over 10% of American
phones could be hooked in by the end of 1989, according to
NEWSBYTES sources at US West, BellSouth Corp., and AT&T. Hayes
is testing PC cards for ISDN. In production they could
retail for only $200 each, and there are 150 million U.S.  phone
lines as a potential market. Also Northern Telecom of Nashville
recently announced a networking system which works with many
vendors' equipment, and is compatible with IBM's NetView and
ISDN.

What does this mean? This week, not too much. Big businesses
will be getting the new phone lines much faster than the rest of
us. (It takes an adapter which should cost about $200 in
quantity.) But it does mean your friendly local phone system is
now due for a shake-up, and at the end of it communications may
never be the same again. Think of it: pictures, sound, drawings,
spreadsheets, all the elements of which information can be
composed will go through the same pipes, and the same 100% error-
correction. Imagine 16,000 baud PC connections without modems and
videophones which will let you see with whom you're. ISDN
will change the phone the way PCs changed the desktop, in unknown
and mysterious ways.

[***][10/06/87][***]
HACKERS PUT AT&T CREDIT CARD NUMBERS ON AIDS HOTLINE
MONTGOMERY, AL (NB) -- If you called the toll-free AIDS hotline
run by the American Social Health Association in New York, then
hit the "star" button on your touch-tone phone recently, then
entered a 3-digit code, you could have reached the "New Dial Code
Info Line" run by someone identifying himself as Genghis Khan.
Genghis' recorded message rattled off AT&T credit card numbers
which could be used to charge calls illegally, and other long-
distance credit card numbers. The ASHA and AT&T are now working
to trace Genghis Khan, find out how he got into the AIDS hotline,
and put him (or her) out of business. An AT&T spokesman said this
kind of telephone fraud costs phone companies $500 million a
year, and last year 500 people were charged with fraud, with 80%
receiving either a jail term or fine.

It's the second time the AIDS hotline has been abused. Early in
the summer, a mail-order company used it to sell home testing
kits for the virus and then didn't deliver.

[***][10/06/87][***]
SEMATECH DIRECTORS TOURING SIX POSSIBLE HOST CITIES
AUSTIN, TX (NB) -- Officials from Sematech (the $250
million/year computer chip research consortium considered the
U.S. hole card in its battle with Japanese chip makers), have
begun touring possible sites in 6 cities. Austin, already home to
the Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corp. (MCC), a
similar consortium, is offering $8 million in incentives and an
abandoned Data General Corp. plant.  Other possible sites are in
Madison, WI, Phoenix, AZ, Raleigh, NC, Tampa, FL and Troy, NY.
Massachusetts had offered a $260 million package of incentives
and may also be in the running.

[***][10/06/87][***]
PECAN CHIPS

CORRECTION: In an item last week NEWSBYTES SOUTH referred to
Crosstalk Mark 4, from Digital Communications Associates'
Crosstalk subsidiary, and its script-language. We misspelled it,
pointed out Tom Poindexter, STW526 on The Source. Our spelling
was CASTLE. Correct is "CASL" - Crosstalk Application Script
Language. ("Sort of sounds like "castle", doesn't it?" Tom asks.
Yes, it does, but that's no excuse, we reply.)

STEVE S. CHEN, who left Cray Research when it cut off development
of his multi-processing supercomputer, is in business on his own
as SuperComputer Systems Inc., Eau Claire, WI. Chen worked out a
good deal with Unisys on an abandoned factory and won't move far
from his old Eau Claire Cray lab.

CRAY RESEARCH, Minneapolis, Chen's old employer, picked up its
first order from the Argonne National Laboratory, run by the U.S.
Department of Energy. Their lab in Argonne, IL will get a $5.8
million Cray X-MP/14. Also, the U.S. Army ordered a $20 million
Cray-2.

SAID MOHAMMADIOUN of Samna Corp., Atlanta, (makers of Samna Word
and other PC packages) was named Georgia High-Tech Entrepreneur
of the Year.

NCR, Dayton, OH, unveiled a new generation of bank branch
automation systems based on its Tower System 2 super-micro and
Compaq compatible workstations.

UNISYS, Blue Bell, PA, announced it will service DEC VAX 11-700s,
along with other Digital Equipment Co. products it handles. It
also licensed its airline planning system, ALPPS, to British
Airways. (You'll remember this next time you're lost over
London.)

ZSOFT, Marietta, GA, introduced new versions of its PC Paintbrush
and Publisher's Paintbrush supporting gray scale output from any
scanner. Prices: $149 and $285, with upgrades going for $59 and
$195, respectively. (Now your computer can take clips, even
photos, right out of the newspaper.)

QUADRAM, Norcross, GA, has begun shipping its QuadMEG PS/Q, a
memory board for the IBM PS/2 Model 50 and 60 with Micro Channel
Architecture (NCA) slots. A board loaded with 4 megabytes of RAM
will set you back $2,000.

[***][10/06/87][***]
COMPUTER CONSULTANTS TARGET OF NEW TAX LAW
ST. LOUIS (NB) -- If you've been working as a computer consultant
and sell your services through a broker, the Independent Computer
Consultants Association (ICCA) says Uncle Sam is out to get you.
The villain, as usual, is the IRS.  Section 1706 of the new tax
act re-classifies self-employed, high-tech consultants as
employees; ICCA president Joseph Scordato says this cost his
constituents $1 billion in lost business for just the first five
months of 1987, with 15% of the 972 members claiming they lost
contracts as a direct result of the provision, Section 1706 of
the tax act. (What I want to know is, if you're an author who
gets work through agents, does that make you an employee?)

[***][10/06/87][***]
ENVOY 100 USERS GET DASNET LINK
OTTAWA (NB) -- Users of Telecom Canada's Envoy 100 electronic mail
service will have access to more e-mail users worldwide, thanks to
a new connection between DASnet and Telenet's Telemail service.
Envoy 100 is already linked to Telemail, which in late September
was connected with the DASnet service offered by DA Systems, Inc.
of Campbell, California.

DASnet has also just announced a link to the Japanese Telemail
service and to TWICS BeeLINE, an independent Tokyo-based electronic
mail service.  It already links a number of electronic mail services,
primarily in the U.S. A subscription to DASnet will cost Envoy users
$5.50 (U.S.) a month, plus inter-system mail charges depending on usage.

[***][10/06/87][***]
GEAC DENIED INJUNCTION IN TRADE SECRETS LAWSUIT
VANCOUVER (NB) -- Geac Computer Corp. will carry on with legal
proceedings against four former employees who, the troubled computer
vendor claims, misappropriated its trade secrets to set up a company
of their own.  A British Columbia Supreme Court judge denied Geac an
injunction in late September that would have barred the defendants'
company, Prologic Computer Corp., from selling its products.

Justice David Hinds said in handing down the ruling that since
Prologic has been in business for two years with no challenge from
Geac, it would not be fair to shut the company down pending the
outcome of the lawsuit.

Geac spokesman Jack Senett had no comment on why the lawsuit was
launched at this particular time, other than to point out that Geac
has been "preoccupied with many things."  The Markham, Ont. hardware
vendor has been in receivership since the beginning of the year.
In September, creditors approved a reorganization proposal that will
see debts repaid in cash and stock (see NEWSBYTES CANADA, Sept. 29).

Geac also announced its results for the first quarter, ended July
31.  The company's revenues declined slightly to C$15.5 million from
C$15.9 million in the same period a year earlier.  Net loss was C$2.2
million before an extraordinary item, but after the extraordinary
item -- conversion of debenture -- Geac had net income of C$3.3 million.

CONTACT: GEAC COMPUTER CORP., 350 Steelcase Rd. W.
         Markham, Ont. L3R 1B3, [phone]

[***][10/06/87][***]
MICRO MAKERS WARN OF HIGHER COSTS IN CLASSROOM
TORONTO (NB) -- Educational microcomputers may soon cost as much as
C$10,000 in Ontario, the Toronto personal computing newspaper TORONTO
COMPUTES reports.  The newspaper interviewed representatives of several
microcomputer manufacturers, including Apple Canada and IBM Canada,
who pointed out that new specifications for computers to be used in
Ontario schools may drive prices far above what most schools are
paying today.

The specifications, being proposed by the provincial Ministry of
Education, call for features comparable to those of a Macintosh II.
The new specs would supersede those of the Icon, from Canadian
Educational Microprocessor Corp. of Toronto, which is sold internationally
by Unisys Corp., The only other machine meeting the present specifications
is a modified IBM Personal Computer put together by IBM Canada Ltd.

While both IBM Canada and Apple said the draft specifications would
lead to very expensive machines, Scott Griffin, president of Meridian
(the parent company of CEM Corp.) said the criticisms were unjust.
And the ministry is pointing out that the specifications won't be
implemented for another two years.  By the time the machines reach
the classroom they will no longer seem more powerful than necessary,
the ministry says. (Given the usual pace at which the provincial
government moves, they may have a point.)

Ontario schools are not required to buy computers that meet the provincial
specifications.  However, hefty subsidies are available for machines that
conform to the standards.

Unisys, meanwhile, has unveiled the Icon II, which adds a high-resolution
color display, 1.2 megabytes of memory and other features to the
original model.  It will sell for about C$4,000, but does not meet the
proposed specifications. Griffin says CEM Corp. is working on a machine
that does.

[***][10/06/87][***]
INSIDER TRADING CHARGES LAID IN TELEGLOBE PURCHASE
MONTREAL (NB) -- Seven people have been charged with insider trading
offences in connection with Memotec Data Ltd.'s  acquisition earlier
this year of Teleglobe Canada, the international satellite communications
carrier. Three Memotec directors, two employees of the company's law
firm and two others have been charged with profiting from their privileged
knowledge that Memotec would acquire the former Crown corporation.  The
charges brought by the Quebec Securities Commission are not criminal,
but the accused could nonetheless face fines of up to C$1 million
and a couple of years in jail if convicted. The accused deny any
wrong-doing.  Responding to the charges, Memotec's president,
William McKenzie (not among those charged), told THE GLOBE AND MAIL
the whole thing might have been avoided if the federal government had
allowed him to make his bid for Teleglobe public last January.  The
government insisted instead on controlling publicity surrounding the
negotiations.

[***][10/06/87][***]
MITEL SELLS MOTHBALLED FACTORY
BUCTOUCHE, New Brunswick (NB) -- Mitel Corp. has sold the circuit
board factory it built here four years ago but never used.  A Montreal
holding company, Nicanco Holdings Inc., has bought the C$10-million,
135,000-square-foot plant for an undisclosed sum.  Nicanco has not said
what it plans to do with the factory, but the holding company does have
a subsidiary, Circo Craft Co. Inc. of Kirkland, Que., that makes printed
circuit board and would be a logical tenant for the Buctouche facility.

Mitel announced plans for the plant in 1981 and was offered C$15-million
of federal government money for locating the economically depressed
area.  The company never received that grant because it was conditional
on the plant opening.  The people of Buctouche, population about 4,000,
were disappointed when Mitel, faced with financial troubles, decided
to let the new plant gather dust while it bought circuit boards from
abroad instead.

[***][10/06/87][***]
BITS, EH?

-- MAXON COMPUTER SYSTEMS INC., Toronto, reported profits of C$344,000
in the nine months ended July 31.  Revenue was C$9.7 million.  Maxon
went public this year.

-- TWO CELLULAR RADIO firms got awards in the Canada Awards for Business
Excellence in Halifax in late September. Cantel Inc. of Toronto, an
independent service provider, took a bronze medal for marketing, while NovaTel
Communications Ltd., a Calagary-based cellular phone manufacturer, received an
industrial design award for its 8300/9300 series of cellular phone equipment.

-- MITSUI & CO. (CANADA) LTD. of Toronto plans to market an electronic news
service in Canada that will give subscribers access to the contents of the
Japan Economic Journal before they appear in print in Japan.  Articles
written for the economic daily will be available along with the Nikkei
Economic Electronic Databank System, an economic database.

[***][10/06/87][***]
COMPUTERLAND JAPAN SELLING APPLE COMPUTERS
TOKYO (NB) -- ComputerLand Japan's new owner Catena Group has
decided to market Apple computers in its franchise shops in
Japan.  To start, the group has created ComputerLand Apple
Center in Shinjuku, Tokyo.  It is expected that more Apple Centers
will spring up across the nation in the near future.  It certainly is
encouraging news for Apple Japan.

CONTACT: ComputerLand Apple Center, 1F Aoi Bldg., 1-3-17 Nishi-
         Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160

[***][10/06/87][***]
4M CHIP WAR EMERGING
TOKYO (NB) -- The Japanese semiconductor industry has come up
with yet another milestone in the quest to create powerful
microprocessors.  Hitachi and Texas Instruments Japan will
begin to market samples of a 4-megabit dynamic RAM chip next
spring.  Both chips are CMOS-type which consume very little
electricity and operate cooler than conventional chips.  Hitachi
will use its Mobara plant in Chiba to produce these semiconductors,
while TI Japan will use its Miura plant in Ibaraki.

CONTACT: Hitachi, 1-5-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100

         Texas Instruments Japan, 4F Aoyama-Fuji Bldg., 3-6-12
         Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107

[***][10/06/87][***]
CD-ROM FOR TOSHIBA J3100 LAPTOP COMPUTER
TOKYO (NB) -- Toshiba has developed a CD-ROM drive for its
best-seller laptop computer the J3100, a Japanese version of the
T3100, which is sold in the U.S.  Along with the CD-ROM drive
XM2100A, a data disk containing information on 10,000 legal
cases will be sold.  The program has a keyword search feature
for the data.  The CD-ROM drive and the data disk are expected to
be sold for U.S.$6,897 next March.

[***][10/06/87][***]
PROTOTYPE TRON PC FOR JAPANESE SCHOOLS
TOKYO (NB) -- The Computer Education Development Center, a sub-
committee of the Japanese government, has decided to test a
TRON-based personal computer at junior high schools in Japan.
Eleven companies, including Matsushita Electronics, will
manufacture the trial machines which use a 32-bit operating system
architecture TRON.  The Japanese educational computer market for
Junior high schools is quite large.  It is estimated that 400,000
systems could be installed.  So TRON is expected to get a big boost
towards becoming a standard operating system if it is formally
adopted for the Japanese schools.

[***][10/06/87][***]
CANON, NTT, AND NEXT CAME NEC: MOTOROLA'S NEWSPAPER AD
TOKYO (NB) -- Contrary to NEWSBYTES-JAPAN's prediction, Motorola
Japan has chosen NEC for the next in a series of advertisement
which praise Japanese computer firms.  The latest ad appears in
the NIPPON KEIZAI Daily and repeats the same message addressed to
Canon and NTT in previous ads, "Thank you, NEC."  Motorola's 68020
microprocessing unit is the brains of NEC's engineering workstation.
NEWSBYTES-JAPAN still bets Toshiba will win the next round of
Motorola public adulation; Toshiba has just signed a joint chip
production agreement with Motorola.

[***][10/06/87][***]
<<< SUSHI BYTES >>>

SEIKO-EPSON'S 32-BIT COMPUTERS -- Seiko-Epson, Nagano, Japan, has
announced two models of the 68000-based office computers.  The
VX-15 and 30 have a 20M and a 40M hard disk respectively.
Epson's original business management application software is
bundled with the computers.

TANDY 4000 DEBUTS IN JAPAN -- A & A Japan, a major Japanese
distributor for Tandy, has released the 80386-based Tandy 4000 in
Japan.  The price of the basic model is 648,000 yen or $4,469.
A & A Japan aims to sell 5,000 systems in the initial year.

COLOR FILM SCANNER-TRANSMITTER -- Japan's major camera maker
Nippon Kogaku will release a scanner/transmitter unit, which
directly reads images from color film and transmits them via
telephone.  The NT-2000 will be sold at $55,172 next March,
and will be targeted at newspaper publishers and media organizations.

CHIP MARKET RECOVERY PREDICTED -- The Japan chapter of the World
semiconductor trade statistics (WSTS) said it is revising its
earlier growth predictions.  WDTS, formed by 59 American,
European, and Japanese chip makers, says the global chip market will
grow 17.9 percent in 1988, 7.5 percent in 1989, and 11.2 percent
in 1990.

TOSHIBA MANUFACTURERS MORE 1M CHIPS -- Toshiba, Tokyo, plans to
increase its monthly production volume of 1-megabit dynamic RAM sets
from current 2 million unit to between 2.5 million and 3 million units,
starting next month.  The raise is within the government-set
limits of chip's production control, says a report.




[***][10/06/87][***]
COMMODORE TO RELEASE A 386 SYSTEM - YOU READ IT HERE FIRST
BRAUNSCHWEIG, WEST GERMANY (NB) -- It is rumored that Commodore
is about to release a 386 system that not only will be the
cheapest around but also the smallest in size.  The company's
research facility here, out of bounds for visitors, is
said to be producing a 386 machine running at 16MHz with 1MB on
board.  The cost is expected to be DM 7500 (about US$4000).

The system  may be announced at the upcoming System Exhibition in
Munich, starting on October 16th.

[***][10/06/87][***]
POLICE BREAK UP HACKING RING
HAMBURG, WEST GERMANY (NB) -- West German and French police have
raided the office of a Hamburg computer club whose members were
suspected of breaking into Swiss and French Computers.
Police also searched the apartments of three club members seizing
'considerable evidence,' a spokesman said.

The computer systems said to have been penetrated by the
hackers include CERN (Centre Europeen de Reserche Nuclaire -
European Nuclear Research Center), based in Geneva, as well as a
French computer system used by Philips. Stephen Vernery, a club
spokesman, denied that anything improper had been done by the club
members.

The Chaos Computer Club gained fame recently by charges that its
members broke into the NASA computer center.

[***][10/06/87][***]
OLIVETTI LAUNCHES INEXPENSIVE PC
IVREA, ITALY (NB) -- Olivetti, the largest European computer
maker, introduced an inexpensive PC designed to compete with the
new IBM model 25. The PC1, as it is called, uses (surprise,
surprise) a NEC V40 CPU, running at either 4.77 or 8MHz and
includes one to two 3.5 inch floppy drives and 512K of RAM.

The system looks like a wider version of the Apple IIc, and
offers the CPU, parallel and serial ports, mouse port, keyboard
and video interfaces, an audio jack, and floppy controller all on
the motherboard.

Priced at lire 1.2 million (about US$ 900), including a B/W
monitor, DOS, and GWBASIC, it is well-placed to succeed in the
European market. However, the fact that there are no slots
available may steer the market toward the Amstrad/Schneider PC
or the Atari PC which are all in the same price league.

[***][10/06/87][***]
ESPRIT II STARTS IN BRUSSELS
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (NB) -- ESPRIT II, the follow-up to the highly
successful ESPRIT (European Strategic Research in Information
Technologies) has come into being.

This was the high point of a week that saw a full range of
projects and their preliminary results by the various
participants. During the week, a show and exhibition was held
that was designed to give companies a chance to show their wares,
ranging from systems based on parallel processing to software
technology.

"ESPRIT II will enable us to offer European products at very
competitive prices in 1992 and beyond. Currently, the Far East
produces a lot of systems at low cost but this is not what we are
after. Since cost is a factor related to the standard of living, and
since standard of living is much higher here than in the far
east, Europe has to present a picture of innovation," said Mr.
Narjes.

ESPRIT II is designed to last until 1992 when the internal market
is completed, that is when borders in Europe cease to exist (of
course reality and nationalism, which abounds in certain European
countries, can change all this).

[***][10/06/87][***]
ZENITH DROPS PRICES ON PCs
MUNICH, WEST GERMANY (NB) -- Zenith has slashed prices on several
models of PCs sold here in Europe.  The biggest drop was for
the 159 model which fell by 20% to DM 3494 (about US$ 1800),
followed by the Intel 386-based Z-386-40, which drops by 17% to DM
14586 (about US$ 7800).

Various other price cuts were announced, ranging from 16.5% for the
ZWE-248, to 7% for the ZFL-181-93, the fluorescent version of the
Zenith laptop system which is selling like hotcakes here.

[***][10/06/87][***]
VICTOR ANNOUNCES NEW CHEAP PC
FRANKFURT, WEST GERMANY (NB) -- Victor technologies introduced
what many here are already calling El Cheapo system, the VICKI PC.
This system, which uses the 8088 running at either 4.77 or 8MHz,
offers 512K of RAM, one or two floppy disks, a monochrome or
color screen, and a keyboard, all in a small cabinet, sells for DM
1495 (about $US 800).

Graphics capability is built-in with a Hercules-compatible card;
three slots are available for expansion (one could be a hard
card for example). During tests, the VICKI performed identically
with the IBM PC although at 8MHz, the results became more
interesting.

With the VICKI, the European world of cheap micros is expanding
rapidly. We now have the Atari PC, the Vicki, the Amstrad PC, the
Olivetti 1, and a few more down the pike.

[***][10/06/87][***]
POWERFUL COMPUTER SOLD TO SOVIETS BY MISTAKE
FRANKFURT, WEST GERMANY (NB) -- A powerful computer system was
sold to a Soviet-based company in West Germany, according to the
Defense department.  The shipment was discovered "almost accidentally,"
said Fred C.Ikle, undersecretary of defense, in New York. The Hamburg-
based shipping company is 51% owned by SOVFRACHT, a Soviet state
controlled company. The computer, an IBM-compatible AS-8043
mainframe, was sent by National Advanced Systems, a subsidiary of
the National Semiconductor. It is believed that the computer has
been further shipped to the USSR through various routes.

"The computer that was shipped was several times more powerful
than the types normally permitted to be shipped to the Soviet
Union," said Ikle.

[***][10/06/87][***]
NEW MODEM ANNOUNCED
PARIS, FRANCE (NB) -- It has finally arrived -- the time of the
inexpensive modem in Europe.  OLITEC, a data communications company,
has announced a modem that is designed to offer V23, V21 and Bell
standard communication capabilities on a 3/4 sized card priced at
only 1670 FF (about US$ 220).

The modem, to be called, OLITEC PC, is supplied with three free
programs, a Minitel server (Minitel is the state electronic
telephone directory), a background Minitel program, and a
communications server. One of the capabilities is its ability to
perform split speed comms specially designed for Viewdata
applications (1200/75 bps).

CONTACT: OLITEC, BP 592, 54009 Nancy Cedex, France, Tel:[phone]

[***][10/06/87][***]
GEC-PLESSEY PLAN TO MERGE COMMS UNITS
LONDON, UK (NB) -- General Electric Co. (not to be confused with
the similarly named GE in the US) and its arch-rival Plessey, a
large UK electronics company, have agreed to merge their
communications operations.

The long-awaited move by the two biggest makers of communications
equipment in the UK is seen by observers to herald the beginning
of faster deliveries for the advanced System X telephone
switching system.

The two companies, which have been cooperating in the production
of the System X, currently have strained relations since
GEC launched but abandoned its bid to take over Plessey with a
bid for 1.95 billion (US$) a few years ago.

The proposed venture, with an estimated 1.9 billion (US$) in
annual sales, will probably escape the antitrust ban that was
seen as a factor in the takeover attempt.

The venture would control about 3% of the world market in digital
phone lines installed or on order. Currently, Alcatel (previously
called ITT) ranks first in the world with 26%, followed by Northern
Telecom and AT&T, with 21% and 14% respectively.

[***][10/06/87][***]
IBM FORMS NEW VAR COMPANY IN FRANCE
PARIS, FRANCE (NB) -- IBM France has created a new company held
by IBM (45%), Bank Paribas (26%), Credit Agricole (20%), Sem-
Metra (5%) and the Credit Nord (4%), which is designed to
commercialize value added products.  The new venture, called SVAI,
is to concentrate mainly on sales of data communications products,
a market which has only recently been opened in France.

The Managing Director of SVAI will be Claude Etchegaray who is
coming from Paribas.

[***][10/06/87][***]
ECONOCOM BUYS DECISION INDUSTRIES
PARIS, FRANCE (NB) -- Econocom, the huge European supplier of IBM
systems, proposed to pay $11 a share for all the outstanding
shares of Decision Industries in the US.

Decision industries is a lessor of computer systems and services
in the US and is seen as a good step for Econocom to enter the US
marketplace. Decision Industries has been losing money for the
last two quarters and was seen by the industry as an easy
takeover target.

[***][10/06/87][***]
IBM AT TOPS BESTSELLER LIST
MUNICH, WEST GERMANY (NB) -- The ubiquitous IBM AT topped the
best seller list in Germany, followed by the Apple Mac, which has
been in the top spot for a while now according to CHIP magazine.

Following the IBM AT and the Macintosh is the Commodore PC-20, the
Compaq portable (a newcomer shooting straight up to number 4), the
Commodore PC-10, the IBM PC/XT 286, the Apple Mac II ( a new
entry), the Amstrad/Schneider PC1512, the Apple II GS ( a new
entry), and the Tandon PCA.

In the home computer class, the best seller is the Commodore 64,
followed by Commodore 128D, the Amstrad/Schneider 464 (now
selling here for US$250 complete), the Amstrad/Schneider 6128 and
the Atari 260ST.

In the semi-professional systems, the list is headed by the
Atari1024ST, followed by the Atari 520-STm, the Amstrad/Schneider
PC 1512, the Commodore Amiga 500, and the Joyce system.

[***][10/06/87][***]
ATARI PRICES DOWN
AACHEN, WEST GERMANY (NB) -- A computer retailer in Aachen is
selling the Atari 1040ST (1 MB of RAM) for DM 1265 (about US$
680) without screen. This is currently the lowest price for any
Atari system and it indicates a cost of 1.2 DM per kilobyte of
RAM (about US$ .68).

CONTACT: VOBIS, Postfach 1778, RotterBruch 32-34, 5100 Aachen,
         Tel: [phone] Tlx: 832 389

[***][10/06/87][***]
MICROMINT SELLS INEXPENSIVE AT SYSTEM
ERKRATH, WEST GERMANY (NB) -- Micromint, the German subsidiary of
the well-known MicroMint Company previously associated with
Steve Ciarcia (of BYTE fame), is selling a 286 system for the
lowest price on record, DM 2222.

The system includes a 12MHz 286 chip, 512K of RAM, 101 key
keyboard, 1 1.2MB floppy, Hercules-compatible card, serial and
parallel interfaces, as well as a  mouse and a monitor. Additional
options include hard disks and EGA cards and screens.

CONTACT: MICROMINT, Hochdahlerstrasse 151, 4006 Erkrath, West
         Germany, Tel: [phone]

[***][10/06/87][***]
IBM LEADS EUROPEAN PC MARKET
PARIS, FRANCE (NB) -- The European PC market is still led
by IBM, according to a survey published by Quelle Intelligent
Electronics Europe, which says IBM controls 24.5% of all micros
sold. Following IBM is Olivetti with 11.2%, Apple with 6.6%,
Commodore with 4.1%, Victor with 2.7%, Bull with 2.4%, HP with 2.3%,
Amstrad with 2.1%, Tandon with 2.1%, Zenith with 2.1%, Compaq with 2.0%;
Southeast Asian firms and all others control 32.1%.

Although a lot of people worry about the proliferation of clones
from Taiwan, they only have 5.8% of the total European market.
What is interesting is the fact that Apple has been pushed down
by IBM and Olivetti. After all, Apple started this market, not
IBM.



[***][10/06/87][***]
LOTUS OFFERS 1-2-3 SPEED BOOST
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (NB) -- With new and powerful spreadsheet
competitors hot on its heels, Lotus Development Corp. says its
long-away "Speed-up" program is now available. It's free, from
selected 1-2-3 distributors, or for $20 in handling and shipping
direct from Lotus. Included is a program called "Learn" that
remembers keystrokes, making macros easier. Speed-up makes
spreadsheets run faster because it recalculates only changes,
rather than the entire spreadsheet. The program was due last
month, but proved to more difficult to engineer than the Lotus
marketers expected.

[***][10/06/87][***]
IBM SALES MOVING IN TWO DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS
BOSTON (NB) -- International Business Machines Corp. says sales
of its personal computers have increased 40 percent in the first
seven months of the year. Big Blue says sales of its new PS/2
machines hit one million by the end of September. But at the same
time, market analysts say IBM's share of the PC market continues
to fall in the face of the clone assault. IBM Entry Systems
Division President William Lowe told securities analysts in
Boston that 1987 will be a record year for IBM personal computer
products.

[***][10/06/87][***]
FCC COMMISSIONER BACKS ACCESS FEES
BOSTON (NB) -- Federal Communications Commissioner Dennis Patrick
has told a congressional subcommittee that the proposal to raise
telephone fees for home computer and business users is only fair.
The proposal, he said, simply brings to computer users fees now
paid by all long-distance callers. "The commission recognizes the
valuable role enhanced services play in this nation's information
age," Patrick said. But he added that the FCC must also weigh the
effects of the proposal on telephone subscribers, who already pay
such fees. So far, computer hobbyists have mounted a comment
blitz on the FCC, which has already been forced by the volume of
comments--mostly negative--to admit that it can't meet its
January schedule for adopting the new rule.

[***][10/06/87][***]
PENTAGON MUSCLES COMMERCE ON EASTERN BLOC EXPORTS
WASHINGTON (NB) -- Angry Pentagon officials have forced the
Commerce Department to withdraw an export license policy that
gave Eastern bloc nations the same access to computers as Western
countries. Commerce made its policy last July, issuing 50
licenses for high-tech exports to the Soviet bloc without getting
Defense Department clearance. Pentagon officials say they learned
about Commerce's action only after they discovered that Commerce
had approved for export a computer that is restricted for sale to
the USSR. "The Department of Defense is deeply concerned about
this egregious lapse of responsibility in the control of
technology vital to the national security," the Pentagon said.
Commerce approved the sale of the computer to a Soviet shipping
company, because the company said it would be used only in West
Germany, to track Soviet shipping worldwide.

Transnautice, the Soviet company, is one of hundreds of Eastern
bloc companies located in the West. These firms are called
"controlled in fact," or CIF, firms to which the administration
applies export restrictions. But the rest of the Western nations
consider the CIF firms as Western companies. In July, after the
shipping company deal, Commerce issued an internal memo saying
CIF firms were to be treated as Western firms, bringing U.S.
policy in line with our allies.

[***][10/06/87][***]
COMPUTER SCAM NETS FIVE
NEW YORK (NB) -- A federal grand jury has indicted three former
GAF Corp. employees and two former employees of a computer supply
company have pleaded guilty to defrauding the chemical company
through a phony billing scheme. According to U.S. Attorney
Rudolph Giuliani, the three men employed in GAF's computer
operations section conspired with SVG Computer Supplies
employees to overbill GAF for supplies by more than $1 million
over nine years. The five then split the money.

[***][10/06/87][***]
WITH A COMPUTER, WHO NEEDS THE NFL?
YORK, Pa (NB) -- Radio station WSBA is unfazed by the National
Football League Players Association strike. Listeners there are
treated to action-packed Sunday afternoons, complete with play-
by-play commentary, courtesy of a computer and the NFL. Using
software distributed by the NFL, station employees fed the PC
with information about the Philadelphia Eagles and the San
Francisco 49ers. The computer generated a 500-play print-out, which
three station announcers broadcast with background sounds of a
roaring crowd and the crash of pads. "The strike has hit
everywhere but here," said Ross Kevlar. The final score: 49ers
20, Eagles 10. Come one, Buddy Ryan, where's the defense?

[***][10/06/87][***]
JUDGE HAMMERS JUSTICE FOR SOFTWARE THEFT
WASHINGTON (NB) -- A federal bankruptcy judge has ruled that the
Justice Department stole software developed by a Washington
computer company and then attempted to drive the company out of
business. Judge George Bason said Justice's vendetta against
Inslaw Inc. was driven by a fired Inslaw employee who then went
to work for Justice and was in charge of the Inslaw contract.
Inslaw developed a software package called Promis to track cases
in 45 U.S. Attorneys' offices. Inslaw filed for bankruptcy in
1985 after Justice stopped payment on the Promis contract. Bason
ruled that Justice continued to used advanced versions of the
software that it was not entitled to, and exercised bias against
Inslaw. "The Department of Justice took, converted, stole
Inslaw's enhanced Promis by trickery, fraud and deceit," Bason
wrote.

[***][10/06/87][***]
LOCAL COMPUTERLAND GOES PUBLIC
LANHAM, Md. (NB) -- A Maryland ComputerLand has become the first
of the corporation's franchises to go public, beginning what some
believe may be a trend for ComputerLand. "There's been a lot of
talk about going public but nobody's ever done it," said Peter
Freed, one of the owners of the store. Freed took the retail
computer outlet onto the market in an unusual way, by merging it
with a blind pool, a financial shell which does not specify what
businesses it invests in. Until last year, ComputerLand Corp.
restricted franchisees from making initial public offerings. But
that policy changed after the franchisees complained. According
to a ComputerLand spokeswoman, another ComputerLand franchise, a
group of Phoenix stores called Dataphaz Inc., are in the midst of
making a public offering.

[***][10/06/87][***]
NEWS NIBBLES FROM AROUND THE REGION

APOLLO COMPUTER of Chelmsford, Mass., has entered into an
agreement with Convex Computer Corp. of Richardson, Texas, to
market Apollo workstations integrated with Convex supercomputers.
No terms announced.

ITT WORLD COMMUNICATIONS of Secaucus, N.J., has a new software
package that allows users of IBM System 38 minicomputers to
access the worldwide telex network and other electronic messaging
systems. The product is called OfficeAccess/38.

CHAMPION SPARK PLUG of Toledo, Ohio, has signed a contract with
Electronic Data Systems Corp. to handling computer and
information systems. The deal will see 61 Champion employees
transferred to the EDS payroll.

FRIENDS OF THE EARTH FOUNDATION of Washington has received a
$30,000 grant from the Belden Fund to upgrade the microcomputer
systems at the environmental group. Among the uses, desktop
production of the group's tabloid-sized news magazine, NOT MAN
APART.

[***][10/06/87][***]
BRITISH MICRO FEDERATION KITEMARK
LONDON, UK (NB) -- Taking a leaf out of the US Software
Publishers Association, the British Micro Federation announced
its code of practice and software standard for members last week.

Like the SPA, the BMF is a group of computer software and
hardware companies, linked in with several industry people, whose
aim is to promote the computer industry to the government and
public at large.  Still only in its first year of existence, the
BMF boasts around 70 members, ranging from the software and
hardware giants, right down to the little dealer on the street.

Ken Wasch, the executive director of the SPA was in London for
talks with the BMF.  First reports indicate that BMF has some
ambitious plans for the future, and intends to draw upon the SPA
and Wasch's experience.

Wasch and Booth have announced that the SPA and BMF are to form
an international association, with members of each country
drawing on each other's experience.  "The move is a milestone for
both parties," said Wasch.  "Software production and marketing
are global activities and it's important for key trade
organisations to co-operate and help the industry grow."

CONTACT: BRITISH MICRO FEDERATION, Westcott House,
         Catlins Lane, Pinner, Middlesex, HA5 2EZ.
         Tel: [phone].

         SOFTWARE PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION,
         1101 Connecticut Avenue, Northwest, Suite 901,
         Washington, CD 20036.
         Tel: [phone].

[***][10/06/87][***]
COMPUNET EXPANDS INTO AMIGA AND ST MARKETS
LONDON, UK (NB) -- Compunet - the online information and
interactive database for Commodore 64 users - has announced it
will extend its service to Commodore Amiga and Atari ST owners
"real soon now."

The company was showing beta-test versions of Amiga and ST
software at the PCW Show in London late last month.  NEWSBYTES UK
can report that the ST software appears to be finished, but the
Amiga versions still has a fair way to go.  Unlike the Commodore
64 software, the Amiga and ST packages do not require the use of
a special modem, and will retail for #19-95.

NEWSBYTES UK has had a clandestine hands-on with the ST version
of the software and can report that the Compunet software
effectively emulates the quirky Commodore 64 character set used
on Compunet.  Both packages will run with any Hayes-compatible
modem, and link into the Compunet network via the Istel and PSS
networks.

The establishment of PSS links into Compunet clears the way for
international membership of Compunet - something that will appeal
to North American modem users.

CONTACT: Jane Firbank, COMPUNET TELESYSTEMS LTD.,
         Sheraton Business Centre, Wadsworth Road, Perivale,
         Middlesex UB6 7JB.                Tel: [phone].

[***][10/06/87][***]
APRICOT ANNOUNCES WORLD'S FIRST 386 NETWORK STATIONS
EDGBASTON, Birmingham (NB) -- Apricot has announced the Apricot
VX386 AWS - the world's first 32-bit network workstation.  At
#1,999 the AWS unit doesn't pick up any prizes for being a budget
machine, but its specifications pack a punch.

The basic configuration VX386 AWS unit cones with an 80386
microprocessor running at 16MHz into 1Mb of Ram.  Data storage is
via a choice of 3.5 and 5.25 inch high density floppies.  The AWS
is supplied as standard with Apricot's VX-Net network card and a
slot for a 387 maths co-processor.

"The VX 386 AWS is a logical extension to Apricot's workstation
strategy," said James Blackledge, Apricot's group MD.  "It
combines the power of a 386 supermicro with the substantial cost
advantages of sharing storage and software over a network."

Apricot says that typical applications for the AWS include
software development, financial modelling and graphics
applications where the speed of the 386 chip can be used to
maximum advantage.

CONTACT: APRICOT COMPUTERS PLC., Apricot House,
         111 Hagley Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B16 8LB.
         Tel: [phone].

[***][10/06/87][***]
SAGESOFT LOW-PRICE NETWORKING DEBUTS
NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, UK (NB) -- Business software house Sagesoft
has announced Sagenet - its own low-cost LAN (Local Area Network)
system for use with a range of PCs.

Sagenet sells for about #149 per station, starting off with a
two-PC 'starter kit' for #299.  The supplied software will
support up to 10 stations for multi-user applications and 63
stations for basic networking.  Unlike many other proprietary
LANs, Sagenet does not require the use of a fileserver station,
and is capable of runs of up to 200 metres between stations.

Sagesoft MD David Goldman says that Sagenet will run all of his
company's multi-user software, as well as networking software
which works to the IBM NetBios standard.  "Sagenet matches
current hardware pricing trends," said Goldman, adding that "at
under #1,500 for a 10 user system, (Sagenet) is designed to
significantly undercut the high prices currently charged for
competing products."

Specification-wise, Sagenet looks good.  The starter kit includes
two Sagenet boards, software and all leads required to get the
system up and running.  The package supports printer sharing,
inter-station mail, remote disk access and file transfer
facilities.  The network topology is serial bus using CSMA
(collision sensing multiple access) protocols and the whole
program occupies less than 128K of Ram when in use.

CONTACT: David Goldman, SAGESOFT PLC, NEI House, Regent House,
         Gosforth, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE3 3DS.
         Tel: [phone].

[***][10/06/87][***]
Z88: FIRST GAMES PACKAGE REAL SOON NOW
Sir Clive Sinclair's Z88 laptop computer is about to get its
first game.  'Old Scores' is an intriguing text-based adventure
which features a sophisticated parser.  The package uses the map
section of the Z88's display to illustrate the adventure in hi-
res graphics.

Simon Rockman, the man behind the game's concept, is enthusiastic
about the Z88's prospects.  "The game was actually written for
the Amstrad CPC micro - also a Z80-based micro - and, when the
company behind the CPC software folded, we decided to step in and
convert the package to run on Sir Clive's laptop," he told
NEWSBYTES UK.

"The adventure takes you around the South Bank of London in
search of a valuable manuscript.  Players had better watch out -
someone is on their scent with an old score to settle," said
Rockman.  "It's a lovely game," he added.

Old Scores will, said Rockman, be out before Christmas. "We're
working on the package right now," he said, adding that the
package is being written by a company called Strategic Text.

CONTACT: Simon Rockman, 199 Hale Lane, Middlesex. HA8 9QN.

[***][10/06/87][***]
CRACKER-PROOF BBS SOFTWARE ON SALE
THAME, Oxon (NB) -- Thame networks has thrown down the gauntlet
to would-be computer crackers - a dangerous thing to do.  But the
Thame-based software house has every confidence in its new
software - so secret the company will only call it by its code-
name - hacker-proof dial-up software.

The package works by using a technique known as remote dial-up.
The user dials up the BBS and logs in, at which point the
connection is broken and the BBS calls him/her back on a
designated number.  Some BBS security systems of this nature can
be bypassed at this point with the caller holding the line open
and waiting for the modem to finish dialing.

Not so with the Thame Networks product.  The package uses a
second - usually unlisted - phone line to call the user back on,
thereby foxing the would-be computer cracker.

Sounds a good system.  Whether its hacker-proof is another thing
- time will tell if the package really works.

CONTACT: THAME NETWORKS LTD., Thame Park Road, Thame,
         Oxon. OX9 3XD.            Tel: [phone].

[***][10/06/87][***]
+ BRITBYTES - Bytes of news from around the UK... +

PROTEK, the Hewlett Packard specialist, has announced Readright -
a software=-based OCR system for use with HP Scanjet optical
scanners.  The software allows text to be read directly into
Wordstar and Wordperfect files, and greatly extends the number of
fonts readable by the Scanjet.  Readright is available directly
from Protek (01-245-6844) at #995.

DIXONS - the UK high street electrical retailer - has announced a
major deal with Commodore to distribute the A500 Baby Amiga.  In
announcing the deal, Commodore UK general manager Steve Franklin
took time out to scotch rumours of an impending price cut of #100
on the machine's current price level of #499.  NEWSBYTES UK"s
sources however, say that the current #100-off deal, which runs
out shortly, will be replaced by a permanent price cut.

ATARI has firmed up plans for its Transputer series, scheduled
for a summer 1988 launch.  Sources at that the machine will be
based on the Inmos T800 Transputer chip with a 64 bit
architecture.  There will be two machines in the as-yet un-named
Atari Transputer series.  The first will be an add-on box for the
existing 68000-based Mega ST series, whilst the second will be a
standalone machine.  Most interesting of all is the revelation
that the Atari transputer will be produced with networking in
mind.  This raises the interesting possibility of networked STs,
drawing off a fileserver ST with Transputer add-ons.  There's
power for you...