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/1990/nb900111

Text File | 1990-01-11 | 78.1 KB | 1,842 lines

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

MAC CLIP ART BOOK AVAILABLE}
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 9 (NB) -- In need of specific
clip-art images but want to window-shop beforehand? Most people are out
of luck in this department since most shrink-wrapped graphic image
packages don't allow previews. A new book is designed to change that.

Peachpit Press is offering "Canned Art: Clip Art for the Macintosh," a
compendium of 15,000 samples of commercially available clip art from
more than 35 vendors, as well as discount clip art worth over $1,000.

The book displays samples from a variety of categories: holidays, mythology,
animals, sports, medicine, food, history, machines, tools, anatomy,
Macintosh icons, religion, maps, and cartographic symbols, musical
instruments, celebrities, and historical figures. But wait, there's more:
history, buildings, borders, letters, advertising art, 19th century
illustrations, business images, and transportation.

The clip-art samples are arranged by vendor and include prices and ordering
information.

The book will be available February 12 for $29.95 from book dealers or
directly from Peachpit Press, 1085 Keith Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94708, phone
800-283-9444.

(Wendy Woods/19900109)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(ATL)(00002)

MCCAW CELLULAR EXTENDS LIN TENDER OFFER}
KIRKLAND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 9 (NB) -- McCaw
Cellular Communications, is filing a registration statement with
the Securities and Exchange Commission on new shares of its Class
A stock to be sold to LIN Broadcasting and distributed as a
stockholder dividend. This is part of McCaw's successful $154.11
per share tender offer, in which it beat out BellSouth for LIN,
which owns parts of cellular licenses in major markets like New
York, Los Angeles, and Houston.

McCaw needs to complete the stockholder dividend to LIN before
it can draw down on the bank funds for which it negotiated in
October, when the takeover drama began. For this reason, the merger
is not expected to be completed until late February. All government
approvals must be won before the cash part of the transaction is
completed, and New Yorkers can object until February 26.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900109/Press Contact: Donald Guthrie, McCaw
Cellular, 206-827-4500)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(ATL)(00003)

TELECOM USA BUYS ALLNET}
BIRMINGHAM, MICHIGAN, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 8 (NB) -- The
consolidation of long-distance companies created by divestiture
continued as Telecom USA of Atlanta agreed to buy ALC
Communications of Birmingham, Michigan, further solidifying
Telecom's position as the #4 long-distance carrier behind AT&T,
MCI, and US Sprint. ALC is the parent company of Allnet.

In the deal, holders of ALC Common Stock and Series B and C
Preferred Stock receive units valued at $3 for each share, while
holders of ALC Series A Preferred Stock receive units valued at
$20 per share, plus accrued unpaid dividends.  Some holders of
Series A Preferred Stock will be required to contribute 1 million
shares of Series A Preferred Stock and accrued dividends to the
company's capital. ALC has about 13.7 million shares of
outstanding Common Stock, 2.5 million shares of Series A
Preferred Stock and 1 million shares each of Series B and C
Preferred Stock.

The deal is also contingent on regulatory approval and ALC's
redemption of most of its debentures, and an agreement under
which ALC will buy transmission capacity from one of its current
owners, CTI, at a fixed price in exchange for an upfront payment
of $8.5 million.

Telecom USA was formed in December 1988 as the business
combination of SouthernNet, Atlanta, and Teleconnect Company,
Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Nine-month revenues were $516 million, an
increase of 30% over the same period of the prior year. The
company operates a 3,000-mile digital telecommunications network.
Other operations include a local telephone company, a voice-
messaging service bureau, a database marketing company and
directory publishing. ALC Communications is the parent company of
Allnet Communication Services. Its revenues for the nine months
ending in September were $256 million.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900109/Press Contact: Mary Ann Robb, ALC
Communications, 313-433-4273)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(ATL)(00004)

KODAK SELLS OFF ITS TELECOM AND DATA NETWORK OPERATIONS}
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 8 (NB) -- Eastman Kodak
will turn over management and operations of its phone and data
networks to Digital Equipment and IBM.

The two companies will take on 275 employees and other assets,
selling services back to Kodak. Digital will run everything except
a new data center and network, which will be handled by IBM, Kodak
spokesman Paul Allen said. Digital considers the contract important,
getting the company into the business of running complete communication
systems for large companies.

Estimates are the contract could be worth $30 million per year to
Digital alone.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900109/Press Contact: Eastman Kodak, 716-724-
4000)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00005)

TRADE REPRESNTATIVE SAYS US PLANS TO LIFT TRADE BARRIERS}
WASHINGTON, D.C, USA, 1990 JAN 8 (NB) -- Carla Hills, a US
trade representative, said this week that the US plans to lift
restrictions to products being sold in Eastern Europe.

The lifting of trade barriers will include granting the USSR and
other East European countries favorable trading status. In
addition, the USSR will also receive observer status in GATT, the
General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade which regulates the
world's trade.

The new status will permit computer companies to expand their
operations into Eastern Europe, allowing them to sell previously
banned systems, including 16 and 32 bit computer systems (such as
80386- and 68000-based systems) and many other products.

(Peter Vekinis/19900110)


(EXCLUSIVE)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00006)

CONSUMER ELECTRONIC SELLING OPPORTUNITIES IN USSR}
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 7 (NB) -- Global Development
Corporation (GDC) arrived at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show
for the first time representing the Soviet Chamber of COmmerce
and Industry whose aim is to bring consumer electronics products
and business to the USSR.

"Actually, the Soviets want consumer electronics, computers and
biomedical technology," said Global Development President Mark
Muchnick in an exclusive interview with Newsbytes. "We are
handling opportunities in all three areas. Primarily they want
these technologies for manufacturing purposes--to upgrade their
factories as they make the shift from military manufacturing to
fabrication of consumer goods."

Muchnick explained to Newsbytes that his company acts as the
facilitator between US business interests and the Soviet Union as
well as Soviet business interests and the US. "The Soviets are
eager to entertain all business opportunities," Muchnick told
Newsbytes. "We basically are a consulting operation with a
clearinghouse for information and products in Seattle, WA and a
display facility in the Soviet Union where we can display US
products."

Muchnick also publishes the Soviet Business Journal, a newsletter
to disseminate all of the information on doing business with the
USSR that the company is collecting in its efforts to foster
business relationships with the USSR.

GDC has announced that more than ten consumer electronics firms
including Cobra, Infinity Division of Harmon International, Seiko
Instruments, Atari, Light & Sound Research, Sonance, Kisho
Corporation, MGN Technology and Mitek have authorized the company
to represent their products in the Soviet Union. Staff from GDC
travel to the USSR at regular intervals to display new US
products and keep tabs on the Soviet market and interests. There
is still time to have products included in the next trip that
begins January 12. For more information, call 206-548-5711.

Muchnick also gave Newsbytes advance word of GDC's next project,
publishing a Russian language version of the Soviet Business
Journal newsletter that will give Russian managers and decision-
makers global consumer electronics marketing information with
emphasis on the US market. "There are some 35,000 manufacturing
firms in the USSR," explained Muchnick. "They need information
now that many are being allowed to switch from military products
to consumer items. These managers have a really difficult time
getting worldwide market information."

This newsletter is slated to begin publication in the spring of
1990. Also on the drawing board are similar newsletters for the
Russian computer and biomedical technology marketers and
eventually, even a consumer publication in Russian to let the
people know what is available.

According to Muchnick, many companies in the consumer electronics
field are showing strong interest in doing business with the vast
Eastern Bloc market. "There are some 400 million consumers in
Eastern Europe and the USSR eager to get their hands on consumer
electronics products," said Muchnick. "This presents a tremendous
opportunity for sales, distribution and joint ventures and many
companies here at CES and throughout the industry are recognizing
that they must act now to investigate these opportunities or
watch as their competition gets there first."

(Janet Endrijonas/19890108/Press Contact: Wes Thomas, Wes Thomas
Public Relations, 516-266-1652)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00007)

LIGHT & SOUND RESEARCH TO MANUFACTURE IN THE USSR}
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 6 (NB) --  Light & Sound
Research has signed a protocol with the Electroacoustical Center
of the USSR Academy of Sciences (Echo) cooperative in Moscow
under which Light & Sound will manufacture its MC2 "mind
machines" in the USSR and Echo will market the product
non-exclusively worldwide.

The MC2 is a small microprocessor-based unit that uses lights and
tones to induce alpha and theta brain states and "whole brain"
synchronization. The idea behind the system is to enable users
to effortlessly achieve deep relaxation, accelerate learning and
enhance creativity. Echo also will be selling self-improvement
tapes for the Soviet and Eastern European markets.

The president of Light & Sound Research, Linnea Reid, has
commented that the Soviets are advanced in their understanding of
physiological psychology and biophysics so they should be quite
successful with a product like MC2.

Light & Sound does plan to continue manufacturing the product in
the US and marketing it worldwide.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900110/Press Contact: Carol Cummings, Light &
Sound Research, 602-941-4459)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00008)

DATA GENERAL CLOSES AUSTRALIAN SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT CENTER}
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1990 JAN 10 (NB) -- Data General (DG)
closed the doors of its Applications Software Development
Center on Christmas after failing to find an equity partner
for the project. The center was engaged in geographic software
development and had spent last year unsuccessfully looking for
a partner to share in funding projects.

Most staff have been relocated within DG or placed with
other companies. "We are not abandoning our customers," said
DG Australia Managing Director Dr. Charles Kent. "We will
continue to locally support existing GIS products."

Speculation in the industry is that DG will contract the
work to third party developers. Last year DG Australia
reportedly cut staff from 315 to around 237.

(Paul Zucker/19900110)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00009)

SHORT TRUCE ENDS IN ARCHIVE/CIPHER TAKEOVER WAR}
COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 9 (NB) --  Saying the
$7.50 a share bid does not reflect the long-term value of its
stock, Cipher Data Products turned thumbs down on Archive Corp.'s
$ 109 million hostile takeover bid tendered in mid-December and
then agreed to a short break to negotiate a possible merger. The
which negotiations ultimately failed.

Archive's original $7.50 bid actually was well over the price of
Cipher Data stock which was selling at $4.875 at the time of the
initial offer. More recently, on Jan. 5, 1990, Cipher Data's
stock closed at $7.25 a share. Archive has considered raising its
bid to $8 a share if Cipher Data can show that it is worth that
price.

The current negotiations broke down after Cipher Data asked Archive
to put its tender offer on hold for 90 days so it could look for
a "white knight" buyer. Archive did agree to stop work on a
lawsuit to invalidate Cipher Data's shareholders' rights plan
during merger negotiations but never agreed to the 90-day delay.

Cipher Data has filed suit in US District Court in San Diego
asking to stop the Archive bid and has also instructed its
financial advisors, despite the breakdown in negotiations to look
for a "white knight" or a business venture that could be used to
stop the takeover threat. During the short-lived negotiations, a
temporary halt to the lawsuits filed regarding the takeover was
called to allow lawyers for the two companies to explore merger
possibilities. This action does not affect the patent lawsuits
that have been in progress for many months.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900110)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00010)

ANOTHER AUSTRALIAN PC DEALER GOES UNDER}
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1990 JAN 10 (NB) -- The shakeout of
Australian PC dealers continues as another of the
largest companies has been handed to the receivers.

Microcomp, a $60M turnover company, was unable to service a
$5M loan from one creditor, the ANZ bank. Possible purchasers
are HiSoft, Imagineering, and even IBM.

(Paul Zucker/19900110)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(00011)

ZIFF-DAVIS PRESIDENT WILLIAM LOHSE RESIGNS}
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 9 (NB) -- Ziff-Davis
Publishing Co., publisher of PC Magazine, Government Computer
News, PC Week, Computer Shopper, and many other computer-related
magazines and newspapers, today announced the resignation of
William Lohse from his post as president. Lohse joined Ziff-
Davis when he became publisher of PC Magazine in 1985.

Ziff Communications Chairman William Ziff will assume the
position being vacated by Loshe, who says that he intends to
remain in the computer industry but wishes to be more directly
involved with the applications of personal computers. Presumably
this means that he will be joining or starting a hardware or
software company, but he was unavailable for comment.

(John McCormick/199019/Press Contact: Greg Jarboe, Ziff-Davis,
617-497-2430)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(00012)

NEW CD GENERAL MANAGER NAMED BY LOTUS}
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 8 (NB) -- Lotus
Development Corp. has announced Monday that Kenneth Grunzweig,
46, will replace Kirit Patel as the Compact Disk Information
Services Group (ISG) general manager.

Grunzweig will head One Source, the Lotus group that produces CD-
ROM based business databases for the financial services industry.

Grunzweig was formerly vice president of marketing at ISC -
Bunker Ramo Corp., Spokane, WA.  He also founded Intek
Management Corp., San Francisco, CA.

(Beth Goldie & John McCormick/1990109/Press Contact: Pamela
Cay, Lotus, 617-225-7087)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00013)

GENERAL AUTOMATION HEAD JUMPS TO COMPETITOR}
SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 8 (NB) --  The president
of General Automation, Douglas J. Tullio, has resigned his
position and is moving to head two recently acquired subsidiaries
of Alpha Microsystems.

Both General Automation and Alpha Microsystems make Pick-based
multiuser, multitasking computer systems.  In addition to serving
as president of Rexon Business Machines and AMS Computer, Tullio
will also function as executive vice president of the parent
Alpha Microsystems.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900110)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(00014)

RECORD REVENUES FOR COMPUTER FACTORY FISCAL FIRST QUARTER 90}
ELMSFORD, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 8 (NB) -- The Computer
Factory has announced that record revenues of $126 million are
expected for the first quarter of 1990 which ended 31 December
1989. For the fiscal first quarter of 1989, $102.8 million was
recorded, with earnings of $0.45 per share.

The Computer Factory's president, Jay Gottlieb, stated that the
company expected to be profitable but that the ongoing
competitive market situation will prohibit earnings from going as
high as those of last year's first quarter.

Through its network of 45 company-owned stores, The Computer
Factory sells and services business computer systems, computer
networking, computer software, peripherals, personal computers,
and training.

(Beth Goldie/1990109)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00015)

SIEMENS SECURES IRAQI TELEPHONE CONTRACT}
MUNICH, WEST GERMANY, 1990 JAN 9 (NB) -- Siemens, the West
German computer and technology group and one of Europe's largest
companies, has signed an agreement with Iraq for the production
of digital telephone networks.

Siemens, which is now second only to Bull of France in terms of
computer sales, has invested about DM 130 million (about $75
million) in a production plant for the network exchanges and
associated equipment. The contract will last for 12 years, with
initial production and supply of equipment starting in 1991.

(Peter Vekinis/19900110)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00016)

ANOTHER SEMI-TECH ACQUISITION}
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1990 JAN 8 (NB) -- International Semi-
Tech Microelectronics, which in the past two years has acquired
the Singer brand name and put together Canada's largest computer
service bureau, is making another purchase.

A share swap, still to be approved by regulators, will make
Computertime Network, a software development and consulting
company in Montreal, Quebec, a Semi-Tech subsidiary. Computertime
shareholders would get stock in STM Systems, Semi-Tech's service
bureau subsidiary, in exchange for their Computertime shares.
Computertime would become STM Computertime, a wholly owned
subsidiary of STM Systems.

STM Systems would also become publicly traded with a listing on
the Montreal Exchange, where Computertime has been listed since
1986. "Initially only STM's preferred shares would be traded on
the Montreal Exchange," said Michael List, vice-president of
corporate development at Semi-Tech, "but later the company hopes
to list its common shares there as well."

List said the deal should be completed by the end of April. Semi-
Tech hopes the acquisition will help expand its presence in
Eastern Canada.

STM Systems has annual revenue of more than C$200 million and
1,600 employees across Canada. Computertime has annual revenues
of about C$10 million, with more than 100 employees.

(Grant Buckler/19900110/Press Contact: Michael List,
International Semi-Tech, 416-475-2670)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00017)

TROUBLED APRICOT ANNOUNCES FUTURE STRATEGY}
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1990 JAN 10 (NB) -- Apricot Computers has
announced the establishment of ACT (Apricot Computer
Technologies), the result of a merger of Apricot's computer
software and services division and ITL Information Technology,
which Apricot acquired for UKP 12.7 million last year. The new
company will be headed by Mike Hart, who becomes joint group
managing director.

At the same time, Apricot's founder, Roger Foster, has confirmed
his intention to seek an equity partner in Apricot's computer
hardware business. The eventual aim is to generate 80 per cent of
the company's turnover from ACT, with the remainder supplied by
the computer hardware division.

ACT itself is split into five distinct divisions: ACT Cablestream
(for networking); ACT Computer Support; ACT Financial Systems;
ACT Logsys (government computer system integration); and ACT
Medsys (management information system for the health care
industry). The group as a whole employs a staff numbering
around 1,250.

According to Hart, ACT currently accounts for half of Apricot
group sales - about UKP 80 million ($120 million) by current
estimates. "The hardware oriented computer industry of the '70s
and '80s is giving way to software and services, as information
technology users move from proprietary solutions to open systems
capable of running on any industry standard hardware," he said.

And what of Apricot's computer hardware division? Foster refuted
any suggestion - as outlined in last weekend's Sunday Times
newspaper - that Apricot is planning to scrap its computer
production business, which employs around 400 people. At the same
time, he confirmed that Apricot is seeking an equity partner,
which press sources suggest is tantamount to a third-party buy-
out, in the computer hardware division.

Foster affirmed that Apricot is in discussions with a number of
interested third parties regarding its computer hardware
division, although only one will be a successful suitor. "The
equity partner is likely to be a US and Far Eastern company," he
said.

Newsbytes' sources have suggested a number of possible partners
who may be talking to Apricot. A very strong possibility is
Toshiba, which is currently cash-rich and strong in laptops and
portables, an area to which Apricot does not cater. Conversely,
Toshiba does not produce any desktop or tower computers, while
Apricot does.

Despite the interest in Apricot's hardware division's sale,
Foster said that third-party discussions are at a very
preliminary stage, and stressed that Apricot "retains an absolute
commitment to its hardware manufacturing operation."

(Steve Gold/19900110/Press Contact: Mike Hart - Tel: 021-456-
1234)


(EXCLUSIVE)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00018)

MONDAY'S ASIA STOCK REPORT}
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1990 JAN 9 (NB) -- The Hong Kong stock
exchange closed higher in mixed trading, with the Hang Seng index
finishing at 2,822.16, up 5.92 points on the day. There was
little need to shake the market.

The daily turnover of shares was $HKG 1,060 million (about $135
million) more than double last Monday's figure of $HKG 465
million.

The Tokyo stock exchange, meanwhile, closed lower due to rumors
circulating about the ruling democratic party's links with stock
scandals in recent months. This caused computer stocks to fall
although Tokyo's blue chip shares - e.g. Toshiba, NEC, Pioneer
amd Sony - moved up.

The Nikkei index closed down 345.5 points for the day at
37,951.46. The Japanese Yen weakened again, closing at 144.97 yen
to the dollar, down from 144.17 during the previous business day.

In Singapore, the Index rose by 0.41 points to close at 430.03
with the volume steady at 127.89 points.

In Australia, the Sydney All Ordinaries index closed down 9
points at 1690.7 with the volume remaining at around the 88
million mark.

(Peter Vekinis/19900110)


(EXCLUSIVE)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00019)

NEW YORK STOCKS UP - GAINING FRIDAY'S LOST GROUND}
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, USA, 1990 JAN 9 (NB) -- New York stocks
closed up on Monday, recovering lost ground from Friday's dip.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) of 30 Blue Chip stocks,
climbed by 21.33 points to close at 2794.58. Advances led
declines 808 to 698, while traded volume amounted to about 140
million shares.

Among the many active technology stocks, IBM closed at $100.75
- up by 67.5 cents, AT&T finished at $45.75 -  up by $1.125,
while GE ended the day at $66 - up 75 cents. Other technology
stocks on the big board included: Compaq, which jumped $1.675 to
reach $85.875; Digital up by $1.50 to close at $87.75; and
Hewlett-Packard - also up by 87.5 cents to hit $48.25.

On the American Exchange, Amdahl Corporation fell by 75 cents to
$14.75, after the company said it will announce losses in its
last quarter report. Atari, in contrast, moved up by 50 cents to
close at $9.75, after reports of soaring sales of the Portfolio
pocket PC.

In the Over The Counter (OTC) market, Intel finished at $36, up 50
cents; MCI Communications ended at $40.375 unchanged; Microsoft
moved up by $1.75 to close at $91. Microsoft traded at $51, 14
months ago; and Apple Computer rose 25 cents to close the day at
$38, still $7 down since the beginning of last month.

(Peter Vekinis/19900110)


(EXCLUSIVE)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00020)

NEW YORK STOCKS CLOSE DOWN AFTER GAINING GROUND ON MONDAY}
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, USA, 1990 JAN 9 (NB) -- New York stocks
closed down Tuesday, during a final hour's selling spree.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) closed down 28.37 after
gaining 21.12 on Monday. Declines led advances by 958-550
with traded volume standing at 156,800,000 shares. Active issues
included AT&T which closed down 50 cents to $45.25 and IBM which
also dipped by $1 to $99.5.

On the American Exchange, Amdahl was the fourth most active stock
moving up by 75 cents to close at $14.75, while Wang B stocks
were down 12.5 cents to close at $4.75.

The Over The Counter (OTC) market saw Intel extremely active
moving up $1 to close at $37, with more than 118 million shares
changing hands, while Microsoft was down slightly at $90.75
(Newsbytes estimates that Microsoft will hit the $100 mark before
March 31, 1990). Oracle closed down by $1 to $20.675 and Apple
Computer was also down by 37.5 cents to close at $37.675.

(Peter Vekinis/19900110)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00021)

COMPANY REPORTS - MONDAY JANUARY 8, 1990}
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1990 JAN 9 (NB) -- Computer company reports from
around the world include:

[] TELEDYNE CANADA reported sales of $15.268 million for the its
final quarter of 1989, compared with last year's figure of
$14.822 million. The company also reported quarterly earnings of
$1.061 million, against $1.047 million the previous year.

[] OPUS COMPUTER posted losses of $1.32 million on sales of
$11.40 million during 1989. The figures compare with profits of
$138,593 on sales of $14.60 million during the previous year.

[] CM COMMUNICATIONS plans to issue 700,000 extra shares of its
common stock, as filed with the SEC's form S-18. Originally, the
company issued one million shares at $4 each. CM Communications
is involved in cellular network communications.

[] KEPTEL INC. announced it had earned profits of $2.4 million on
revenues of $38.97 million for its year to 30 September, 1989.

[] NETWORK SYSTEMS reported that its revenues for the fourth
quarter ended 31 December, 1989, will exceed $42 million.
Earnings, meanwhile, are expected to exceed industry estimates
for the same period. The company is expected to show revenues of
more than $141 million for 1989.

(Peter Vekinis/19900110)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00022)

COMPANY REPORTS - TUESDAY JANUARY 9, 1990}
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1990 JAN 10 (NB) -- Computer company reports from
around the world include:

[] ARCHIVE CORPORATION filed an amended complaint against Cipher,
a company for which it has been bidding. The filing alleges that
Cipher's statement to its shareholders - advising them to reject
Archive's offer - was false, misleading and manipulative.

[] COMPUTER FACTORY announced that it expects to report record
revenues of $126 million for its year ended 31 December, 1989.
Computer Factory is involved in the sales and servicing of PCs
through a US network of 65 stores.

[] CONTROL DATA CORPORATION anticipates a fourth quarter
restructuring charge of $210 million. This will hurt the company's
earnings which had been expected to reach higher levels than the
third quarter. For the first 9 months of 1989, the CDC group
posted a loss of $48.4 million.

[] NATIONAL COMPUTER SYSTEMS showed third quarter earnings up by
$282,000 on revenues of $75.17 million for the quarter ending 31
October, 1989.

[] VERTEX COMMUNICATIONS netted $1.55 million in fiscal 1989 on
sales of $23.78 million or 47 cents per share. This compares with
net income of $1.1 million or 34 cents a share for fiscal 1988.

(Peter Vekinis/19900110)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00023)

AUSTRALIA: COMPUTER-BASED VISA ISSUANCE SYSTEM TO BE USED}
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA, 1990 JAN 10 (NB) -- Australian
embassies around the world are to be equipped with a new
computer-based visa issuing system, which checks applicants
against a number of "alert" lists from various sources.

The IRIS II system is likely to be offered for sale to other
countries once it has proved itself. It is expected to
reduce visa processing time from days to minutes.

(Paul Zucker/19900110)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00024)

CHICAGO SCHOOLS ORDER WICAT SYSTEMS FOR LEARNING CENTERS}
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 8 (NB) -- The Chicago
Public School System and Orem, Utah-based Wicat Systems Inc.
have announced agreements on contracts totalling approximately
$1.1 million, to add 10 computer-based integrated learning
centers in eight inner-city schools.

These new centers, bringing the total number in the city to 27,
in 18 schools, will be used mostly as an adjunct to the Chapter I
education program which helps underprivileged children.

The Chicago Public School System has one of the better computer-
aided teaching programs in the U.S. This specific Wicat computer-
aided teaching method helps with the diagnosis and treatment of
learning problems, a necessary procedure now that the need for
better education is being emphasized nationwide.

(Beth Goldie and John McCormick/1990109/Press Contact: Sally
Jenkins, Wicat Systems Inc., 801-224-6400, ext. 304)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00025)

COMMODORE AMIGA AD CAMPAIGN A FLOP? MANAGEMENT MOVES}
WEST CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 10 (NB) -- Despite
earlier reports that all is well with Commodore International's $17
million ad campaign for the Amiga in the US, contrary reports are
beginning to surface. At the same time, a number of management
shuffles within Commodore are taking place.

According to the CPU Newswire weekly online magazine (which
features the ST Report online magazine), Commodore officials are
said to be less than happy with the results of the campaign. The
magazine says that sales of the Amiga only increased ten per cent
in the pre-Christmas season, rising to between 15 and 18 percent
during the holiday season proper. Sources close to Commodore are
said to be "highly disappointed" with the campaign results.

In parallel with the reports comes news that Gail Wellington, a
Commodore veteran of nine years, has been promoted to become
director of special projects with Commodore International. In her
new position, Wellington will report directly to Mehdi Ali,
Commodore International's president.

Wellington's previous position as general manager of the
Commodore application and technical support (CATS) group will be
filled by Jeff Scherb, who assumes the mantle of vice president
of CATS. He will report directly to Harold Copperman, Commodore
Business Machine's president.

"Jeff is an outstanding addition to Commodore's management team.
His strong technical and business expertise, combined with his
creativity, will serve us well in the challenges and
opportunities we face with developers," Copperman said.

Scherb joins Commodore from Cullinet Software where he was vice-
president of database and communications development. Newsbytes'
sources suggest his expertise will be put to good use in
encouraging third-party software houses to develop multiuser
software for the Unix edition of the Amiga - the A3000 series -
which is expected to be announced very shortly.

(Steve Gold/19900110/Press Contact: Carden Walsh, Commodore
International - Tel: (US) 215/431-9100)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00026)

PUBLIC TELEVISION SHOW TO CHART HISTORY OF COMPUTER}
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 9 (NB) -- The Information Age is
the name of a new series in production by WGBH Boston's Science Unit,
producers of Nova, and the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Slated for debut in the fall, 1991 on U.S. and British television, the series
will be two years in the making, and will chart the development of the computer
through the ages to today's machines which "reshape the way we work and
think."

Henry Becton, president and general manager of WGBH, says of the series, "The
story of the computer is much more than the history of a machine. It is a
fascinating tale of innovation, imagination and genius and a story with the
makings of compelling television."

Paula Apsell, executive producer of Nova since 1984, will oversee the
production of the $4 million project. Jon Palfreman, a 10-year veteran
of BBC science programming, is executive producer. Nancy Linde is
producer. The show's advisory panel includes Alan Kay of Apple
Computer, Robert Noyce of SEMATECH, Marvin Minsky of the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as scholars from the
Smithsonian, Tufts University, California Institute of Technology,
and the Charles Baggage Institute.

(Wendy Woods/19900109/Press Contact: Jean Angier, WGBH, 617-
492-2777, extension 2660)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00027)

CASIO UPGRADES B.O.S.S.}
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 6 (NB) --  Casio has
introduced the fourth model of B.O.S.S. (Business Organizer
Scheduling System) called the SF-9000 Executive B.O.S.S.

The SF-9000 has all of the features of previous B.O.S.S. units
and now has the ability to use memory expansion (IC) cards. Four
cards are currently available, the ES-100 memory expansion (64 KB
to 128KB) card, the ES-600 electronic dictionary, the ES-610
financial/legal spell checker,and the ES-620 medical spell
checker.

The memory cards are interchangeable allowing for unlimited
memory in the telephone, business card and memo data bases. The
electronic dictionary card was developed by Houghton Mifflin and
thesaurus, an abbreviation expander for 550 English language
abbreviations and usage alert for 1600 easily confused words.

In addition to the memory cards, other advanced features of the
SF-9000 include a tilt and lock display that facilitates desktop
use, an up/down scroll function that scrolls six lines at a time,
an ESC key for application interruption and clustered cursor
controls. There is also a scheduling function for business
planning and five soft-function keys that are used with the IC
cards. The newest Executive B.O.S.S. also has a search feature
for world time by city, state or country.

Suggested retail price for the SF-9000 is $299.95. The IC cards
carry suggested retail prices ranging from $79.95 to $129.95
depending on the card.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890108/Press Contact: Gary Johnson, Casio,
201-361-5400 x 438)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00028)

ALBERTA FIRM CLAIMS LARGEST PARALLEL SYSTEM}
EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA, 1990 JAN 9 (NB) -- Myrias Research has
put together the world's most powerful parallel computer at its
headquarters here. Ken Gordon, Myrias' director of business
development, said the 1,044-processor, 4.2-gigabyte SPS-2
supercomputer delivered 3,670 million instructions per second
(MIPS) or 630 million floating point operations per second
(megaFLOPS) in tests with actual programs.

The project was "a test by fire of our modularity," Gordon said.
It was intended to show that SPS-2 programs would run on any
number of processors. A key advantage of Myrias' design is the
automatic load-levelling that distributes work evenly
among processors. For instance, the 1,044-processor system ran a
particle and cell simulation used in modelling the behavior of
nuclear reactors. Such programs usually generate very uneven
loads on parallel processors. Gordon said: "The Myrias system
shared the work around. This permitted a previously impossible
simulation of an entire nuclear reactor."

Gordon said the system also ran a chip design program in less
than eight minutes that takes more than an hour and a quarter on
the largest mainframes, and executed a fluid dynamics simulation
in about the same time as a Cray 2 supercomputer would take.

The 1,044-processor SPS-2 has been dismantled because some of the
processors were needed to fill customer orders--Gordon said the
number of processors in the test system was determined by how
many Myrias had in the building at the time. However, he said,
such a system could be ordered from Myrias for about C$10
million.

(Grant Buckler/19900110/Press Contact: Ken Gordon, Myrias
Research, 403-428-1616)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00029)

SHAREWARE MARKETING SECURES BROWN BAG SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTION}
BEER, ENGLAND, 1990 JAN 10 (NB) -- Shareware Marketing has
announced it is now handling Brown Bag Software's UK operations
with immediate effect. Previously, Brown Bag ran a London office
on a remote basis from its Campbell, California, offices.

According to Sandy Schupper, Brown Bag Software's chairman,
running a London office by remote control from 6,000 miles away
is distracting and inefficient.

"Our customers were of the opinion that they were not getting the
service they deserve and expect from us. Accordingly, we sought
out Shareware Marketing to provide order fulfilment, customer
service and promotional services for our products," he said.

Shareware Marketing, a company established in the UK for several
years, has carved out a niche for itself as a supplier of
shareware and commercial software. The Beer, Devon-based company,
also operates shareware registration schemes for a growing number
of US shareware companies, allowing UK users of shareware to register
in their local currency, and receive localized software support.
Software support is provided by a telephone hotline and a 24-hour BBS.

(Steve Gold/19900110/Press & Public Contact: Steve Lee, Shareware
Marketing - Tel: [phone] (sales); 0297-24089 (technical);
0297-24090 (BBS - all speeds, 8:N:1 parity; Email on Compuserve -
73447,1252)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00030)

OS/2 VERSIONS OF 1ST-CLASS EXPERT SYSTEM SHELLS ANNOUNCED}
WAYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 DEC 27 (NB) -- 1st-
CLASS Expert Systems, Inc. has announced OS/2 versions of its two
expert systems development tools, 1st-CLASS FUSION and 1st-CLASS
HT (HyperText) for the OS/2 multitasking operating environment.

1st-CLASS FUSION costs $1,495 (the DEC VAX-based version is
$5,500) while the more advanced 1st-CLASS HT is priced at $2,495.
Both come with unlimited run-time versions allowing companies or
developers to create and distribute or sell expert systems
without paying any further license fees to 1st-CLASS.

Expert systems can be used for everything from assisting new or
temporary employees with their jobs, to assisting or substituting
for the most sophisticated experts in many fields ranging from
medicine to diesel locomotive repair (GE uses FUSION for this
purpose).

Expert system shells, such as those sold by 1st-CLASS, are easy-
to-use development systems and bear the same relationship to
artificial intelligence-oriented languages like Lisp and PROLOG
as a spreadsheet bears to COBOL or FORTRAN, i.e. they eliminate
most or all of the programming tasks, allowing knowledge
engineers to create complete running expert systems without
worrying about the programming details.

(John McCormick/1990109/Press Contact: Amy Metzenbaum, 1st-CLASS,
508-358-7722)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00031)

VNU BUSINESS PUBLICATION DISPUTE CAUSES MAG CLOSURES}
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1990 JAN 10 (NB) -- A bitter dispute between VNU
Business Publication and its 100-plus editorial staff, most of
whom who have been on strike since 29 November, 1989, took a turn
for the worse this week, when sources close to the company
reported that the company had closed Datalink, its weekly
computer magazine. Representatives of VNU were not available to
Newsbytes at press time for comment.

The closure of the magazine means that the journalists involved
with the paper join their colleagues on Mac News, a biweekly
newspaper, who were made redundant shortly before Christmas, when
that paper was closed.

The dispute revolves around the effective dismissal of Tim
Castle, a reporter on Datalink, who resigned late last year and
subsequently withdrew his resignation. VNU's management
apparently refused to accept Castle's withdrawal of resignation,
a situation that the union found unacceptable. A union meeting
was called, since when the bulk of the company's journalists have
been on strike.

(Steve Gold/19900110/Press Contact: Graeme Andrews, managing
director, VNU Business Publications - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00032)

IBC RELEASES SECURE PEOPLE REPORT}
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1990 JAN 10 (NB) -- IBC Technical Publications
has published a report on staff security entitled "Secure People:
A Report on Corporate Personnel Security." The 96-page paperback
report was edited by Jack Smith, editor of Information Security
Monitor (ISM) and costs UKP 95 ($150).

The report covers a variety of security-related topics in
connection with employing staff, particularly in the information
technology industry. Topics covered include: the importance of
personnel security, employing temporary staff and termination
procedures.

(Steve Gold/19900110/Press & Public Contact: Elizabeth Shand, IBC
Technical Publications - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00033)

MAINFRAME SURVIVES AUSTRALIAN EARTHQUAKE}
NEWCASTLE, AUSTRALIA, 1990 JAN 10 (NB) -- Following the
recent 5.5 Richter earthquake in Newcastle, a city near
Sydney, the Newcastle city council's ICL mainframe has
quite a job on its hands, cataloguing the damage to an
estimated 10,000 buildings.

The ICL 4GL machine stopped when the quake hit, as power
supplies went down. Staff then switched the system off and
evacuated the area. When they returned a few days later,
and switched the system on, everything worked. An ICL
spokesman said: "We make our machines to survive the 7.5
Richter quakes in New Guinea so that was nothing."

The council uses a local government package called Planes
to keep track  of some 50,000 properties, including rates,
building development records, applications, contracts,
inspection reports and just about everything else a council
wants to know about buildings. The package now has a
hastily added new module for logging quake damage, the
condition of each property and work to be carried out.
Council DP Manager Steve Dyball said: "As far as I know this
is the largest municipal earthquake damage database
system." Thirty-five building inspectors are involved in
feeding data to the system.

(Paul Zucker/19900110)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BRU)(00034)

FORMER EMPLOYEE SHOOTS XEROX'S FRENCH BOSS}
PARIS, FRANCE, 1990 JAN 10 (NB) --  Daniel Vielle, a former
employee has shot and wounded a manager of Xerox France. Oliver
Groues, head of the Xerox's French subsidiary, is reported to be
in a critical position at a local hospital. Vielle has been taken
into custody.

Vielle took several employees hostage, including Groues, during
an attack on the executive offices of the company in Paris's
industrial center. Vielle has been demanding compensation for
what he calls an "unjust layoff" several years ago.

(Peter Vekinis/19900110)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00035)

LOTUS UK MOVES TO NEW OFFICES}
STAINES, ENGLAND, 1990 JAN 10 (NB) -- Lotus Development (UK),
along with the company's European operation headquarters, will
move to a new headquarters at Staines in Middlesex
on the 15th of January. Lotus first came to the UK in 1984,
shortly after which it moved into its existing Windsor
headquarters.

Paul Bailey, Lotus Development UK's managing director, said that
the multi-million pound investment in an 80,000 square feet
building reflects Lotus' continued expansion as a leading world-
wide supplier of applications software. "As we start the new
decade in a new headquarters, we are providing the capacity for
continued growth throughout the 1990s," he said.

Lotus has equipped the new headquarters - called Lotus Park -
with a fiber optic ethernet network and a fully digital telephone
system, providing voice and data links to other Lotus operations
around the world.

(Steve Gold/19900110)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(ATL)(00036)

SUPREME COURT RULES AGAINST PHONE PRIVACY}
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1990 JAN 8 (NB) -- The U.S. Supreme
Court has issued two rulings of importance to telecommunications.
First, and most important, the court has refused to review a lower
court ruling that stated that people cannot assume privacy in calls
made with a cordless phone.

Legal expert Alan Dershowitz of Harvard told reporters this means
lawyers and doctors, who must assume privacy in their relations with
clients, must stop using cordless phones. The U.S. Congress could close
this loophole through appropriate legislation -- last year rules were
passed mandating privacy for cellular phone callers, even though as a
practical matter such privacy is impossible with current technology.

In the other ruling, the Supreme Court refused to hear a challenge to
a federal rule banning telephone companies from affiliating with
cable TV companies in their service areas. The challenge to the
rule, filed by the Northwestern Indiana Telephone Co., was
rejected on procedural grounds -- the company can still appeal to
the Federal Communications Commission.

Generally, the Rehnquist court this year has been refusing to
take up many cases. Theorists speculate the Chief Justice is
awaiting the death of one of the older, more liberal justices,
which would solidify his majority, before tackling difficult
issues.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900109)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00037)

MORRIS TRIAL BEGINS}
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 9 (NB) -- The trial of
Robert Tappan Morris Jr., the first person to be prosecuted under
certain provisions of the 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, has
begun in a federal courtroom in New York State.  It has recently
come to light that Morris, son of the head of computer security
for the super-secret U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), has
actually lectured at the NSA and the Pentagon about computer
security.

The former Cornell University computer science graduate student
(he is currently under suspension and has been working for a
computer firm in the Boston area) has been accused by the
government of intentionally creating and releasing a computer
worm which caused havoc on more than 6,000 computers in the
Internet computer network in November of 1988, a system used by
university, business, and government researchers.

A computer worm or virus is a small piece of code or program that
is designed to quickly and secretly spread throughout a computer
or even through a number of computers linked in a network,
either damaging files as it goes or just filling up the system
with copies of itself. This results in the performance of the system
gradually (or rapidly) degrading until it becomes useless.

Federal Prosecutor Mark Rasch said in his opening remarks: "There
was a full-scale assault on computers throughout the United
States launched by the defendant. This was a deliberate effort."

Morris' defense attorney, Thomas Guidoboni, told jurors: "He made
a critical mistake and it caused the virus to spread much faster
than he anticipated." In his opening remarks, Mr. Guidoboni also
said that the "worm caused no permanent damage and was not
designed to cause permanent damage."

Dean Krafft, a Cornell University Computer Science department
research assistant and the government's first witness, testified
that Morris's files relating to the worm were well-hidden in the
Cornell computer and that it took two days to break the code used
to encrypt the program after it had been located.

A Cornell University Commission set up to investigate the
incident concluded last summer that Morris had created and
released the worm and that Morris made only minimal efforts to
halt the worm once it had propagated and did not inform any
person in a position of responsibility as to the existence and
content of the worm. Morris and his attorney dispute this
finding.

The report also stated that Morris probably did not intend
for the worm to destroy data or other files or to interfere with
the normal functioning of any computers that were penetrated.

Whether or not any permanent damage was caused, experts estimate
that the worm cost thousands or millions of dollars in lost
computing time and the work of experts needed to eliminate all
traces of the worm from the system.

The April 10, 1989 edition of the Electronic Engineering Times
estimated the total cost of the worm (not counting the subsequent
criminal investigation and cost of prosecution) to be in excess
of $100 million, although most estimates are far below that.

Many observers have felt that it is unlikely that Morris will be
convicted because of the difficulty of explaining the complex
computer systems involved to the jury, as well as because of the
vagueness of the law; therefore, this is a very important test
case.

If convicted, Morris faces a maximum fine of $250,000, up to five
years in prison, and could even be ordered to pay restitution or
compensate the various institutions for the cost of removing the
worm.

(John McCormick/1990109)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00038)

WORD FOR WINDOWS NOW IN STORES}
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 9 (NB) -- Microsoft Word for
Windows, Microsoft's word processor with a graphical user interface,
is now in stores and is in broad distribution.

The company says 30,000 copies had been pre-ordered as of December.
This month the Department of Transportation ordered another 40,000
as part of a big contract Microsoft won with AT&T.

Word for Windows differs from Microsoft Word in that it provides full
WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) on-screen display of the printed
output, a graphical user interface with pull-down menus and icons, and
some new customization capabilities for automating routine tasks.

Microsoft wants to make it easy for people to look before they leap.
A "Working Model" version of the product, which can be copied, contains
all the Word for Windows product features but saves only two pages worth
of text. This version is available for $9.95 by calling 800-426-9400 or
by contacting your local Microsoft dealer.

(Wendy Woods/19900109/Press Contact: 206-882-8080)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00039)

LASER ANNOUNCES COMPLETE RANGE OF PCS IN UK}
ABINGDON, ENGLAND, 1990 JAN 3 (NB) -- Laser PC, the UK
subsidiary of V-Tech, the Hong Kong-based electronic giant, has
become the first company to launch a complete new range of PCs in
1990. The new machines, which will be available from the middle of
January onwards, range from an 8086-based PC-XT to a full-
configuration 80386-based tower and desktop series.

Flagship of Laser's new range is the 386 Tower, a 25MHz 80386-
based machine with 2MB (expandable to 10MB) RAM onboard. The entry-
level model, costing UKP 3,350 ($5,000), has a 28ms hard disk,
and a 3.5/5.25-inch high-density (AT) floppy disk drive choice. The
machine comes with ten expansion slots and a 14-inch flat-bed monochrome
monitor. A variety of options are available.

Next in the range is the Desktop 386, a UKP 3,090 ($4,600)
machine with similar specifications to the 386 Tower, but with
six expansion slots.

Rounding off the 80386-based series from Laser is a 16MHz
80386SX-based machine, fitted with 1MB RAM (expandable to 10MB), 40MB
hard disk and a 3.5 or 5.25-inch floppy drive. The machine has
eight expansion slots and comes with a 14-inch flat-bed
monochrome monitor for UKP 1,675 ($2,500).

Further down the Laser range are three 80286-based machines, each
offering the same hardware platform - 640K RAM (expandable to 3MB),
20MB hard disk and a choice of 3.5/5.25-inch floppies - with
differing clock speeds: 12, 16 and 20MHz. Pricing ranges from UKP
1,250 ($1,900) to UKP 1,650 ($2,500).

Last in the Laser PC series are two PC-XT machines, the XT/3 with
either a 10 or 12MHz 8086 microprocessor, and the XT/SL, a
diskless version of the XT/3 series. Both machines feature 1MB of
RAM (expandable to 12MB internally) and eight expansion slots.

The XT/3 starts at UKP 750 for a twin-floppy monochrome system to
UKP 1,365 for a VGA system with a 65MB hard disk. The XT/SL
starts at UKP 475 for a monochrome diskless workstation, up to
UKP 1,300 for a 49MB hard drive VGA system.

All Laser's machines come with a software bundle that includes
MS-DOS 4.1, an DOS shell, GW-Basic, EMS and video utilities. Hard
disk-equipped machines come with PC Tools Deluxe 5.0.

(Steve Gold/19900110/Press Contact: Pat Bitton - Tel: 01-681-
1361; Public Contact: Richard Rosser - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00040)

ZEOS' AMERICAN BUILT 386SX IS PC MAG EDITOR'S CHOICE SX}
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 7 (NB) -- The $1,395
Zeos 386SX computer, a complete monochrome system with 30MB hard
disk, has been named one of three Editor's Choices of the new
386SX computers in the January 30, 1990 PC Magazine roundup of 31
386SX systems.

The Zeos machine was the fastest of the 31 tested by PC Magazine,
with the other Editor's Choices being the Austin 386SX and the
AST Premium 386SX. The actual systems tested were VGA systems
with larger hard disks, but at its base price of $1395 the Zeos
is one of the least expensive complete 386SX systems with high-
density floppy drive, monitor, and hard disk.

Dan Yeakley, spokesperson for Zeos International, told Newsbytes
that this is the first system which Zeos has built exclusively
using their own American-made motherboards built in New Brighton,
Minnesota at their NPC board house.

Newsbytes is currently evaluating a 4MB VGA version of this Zeos
computer as an inexpensive ($2,508) OS/2 platform. So far the
results are impressive and a review will follow in a few weeks.

The 80386SX processor chip runs all software written for the full
32-bit 80386-based computers (as well as the 80486) but uses only
16-bit memory, making it less powerful for some applications but
greatly reducing the cost of large amounts of memory over the
comparable 80386 systems. This new Zeos system and others bring
the cost of a full 386-compatible SX system below that of many
equivalent 80286-based AT-compatible computers.

The 386SX, like the 80386 (and 80486), is built only by Intel and
many industry observers have pointed out that by producing the
386SX, Intel may have intended to kill off its 80286 chip which is
also licensed to other manufacturers who now share the market
with Intel.

(John McCormick/1990108)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00041)

UPGRADE TO HARDCARD OFFERS 40 OR 80 MEGS}
MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 9 (NB) -- Plus
Development has announced the availability of Hardcard II 80
and Hardcard II 40, hard disk cards for 80286 and 80386-
based microcomputers.

The upgrades pack 40 or 60 megabytes of random access
memory storage on a one-inch-thick card that fits into a
PC's 16-bit expansion slot. Hardcard II is a 3.5-inch
Winchester, 16-bit disk drive and controller on a single
card. The access time is said to be 19 milliseconds.

Plus is charging $999 for the 80 megabyte version and
$849 for the 40 megabyte version.

Plus says one unique feature of this disk drive is its
proprietary Defect Free Interface (DFI) which maps bad
disk sectors automatically, removing data from bad
sectors and placing it elsewhere before the data
is lost.

The Hardcard first appeared in 1985 and over the course
of the years, 500,000 of them have been sold, according
to the company.

(Wendy Woods/19900109/Press Contact: Will Matlack, Plus
Development, 408-434-3327)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00042)

DALAI LAMA STARTS HIS OWN ONLINE NETWORK}
DHARMSALA, INDIA, 1990 JAN 9 (NB) -- The 1989 Nobel Peace
Prize Winner, Tibet's Dalai Lama, is now using electronic mail
to hold together his non-violent movement for the liberation of
Tibet from China.

System Enhancement Associates, makers of the ARC compression
utility, is supplying its SEAdog electronic mail store-and-
forward utility for the creation of TIBETNET, which will tie
exile groups in India, Europe, and the U.S. online together.
"We're very much in the initial phases right now and to keep
costs down we're using PC E-mail technology and land lines to
send mail," said Indira Singh, a New Jersey-based computer and
communications consultant who is working with the Dalai Lama.

Next month, Singh will install the system at Dharmsala, India, a
city on the western side of the Himalaya mountains where the
Dalai Lama directs the Tibetan government in exile. A pilot
network will link Dharmsala, New Delhi, New York and Washington
with Singh's home in New Jersey as the hub. The TIBETNET network
will tie Tibet support groups in New York, Washington, Los Angeles,
London, Holland, France, Switzerland, New Delhi and Dharmsala.

"We're in the midst of defining different sections of the
network," said Singh. "Some are using land lines, some are on
packet-switching networks. What we want to be able to do is
transfer mail, faxes and telexes from computer to computer."

As part of the program, SEA plans to add fax support to SEAdog.

In addition to using SEAdog, Singh also manages conferences
about Tibet on Bitnet and Usenet, and runs the TIBETNET BBS.
She also publishes a weekly electronic newsletter distributed
over the Telecommunications Cooperative Network, an E-mail system
for non-profit groups. "If we get word that a prisoner is about
to be executed, we want this information to go out to as many
organizations as possible so an uproar can go out," she said. "If
that takes five days or if there are problems with communication,
there can be lives at stake."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900109/Press Contact: Irene Henderson, System
Enhancement Associates, 201-473-5153)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00043)

MEXICO SIGNS DEAL WITH SPRINT}
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 8 (NB) -- Following
on the heels of deals to introduce new services from AT&T and
MCI, the Mexican government has concluded an agreement with U.S.
Sprint giving the number three US long-distance company direct
service and fiber-optic links with Telefonos de Mexico.

Under the agreement, the Sprint fiber-optic network will be
connected with Telmex international switch centers. Four optical
fiber border crossings are contemplated -- between McAllen, Texas
and Reynosa, between El Paso, Texas and Juarez, between Tucson,
Arizona and Nogales, and between San Diego, California and Tijuana.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900109/Press Contact: Jim Crawford, Sprint
International, 703-689-5971)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00044)

HAYES BEGINS SELLING ISDN ADAPTER FOR PERSONAL COMPUTERS}
NORCROSS, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 8 (NB) -- Hayes
Microcomputer Products has announced the availability, starting at
mid-year, of the Hayes ISDN PC Adapter, which lets IBM PCs
handle digital phone services under ISDN standards.

The retail price of the adapter is $1,599, or C$2,199 in Canada.
Under ISDN, all signals travel as digital 1s and 0s, rather than
as analog waves. Modems become unnecessary with ISDN, but users
still need connectors with existing equipment.

Hayes also has announced the Hayes ISDNBIOS Interface Programmer's
Guide, so software developers can create applications for the
adapter. The kit costs $125, C$150 in Canada, UKP 100 in the
United Kingdom and HK$1,000 in Hong Kong. The kit is particularly
useful for developing applications for local and wide area
networking, the company said. "We could have shipped a product a
year ago," said President Dennis Hayes, "but we decided to
participate in phone company trials and learn first how best to
support users before plunging in."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900109/Press Contact: Sharon O'Brien, Hayes,
404-449-8791)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LAX)(00045)

NEW TELEPHONE EQUIPMENT AND SERVICES APPEAR AT CES}
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 7 (NB) --  Both AT&T and
Northern Telecom have introduced exciting new telephone equipment
and services at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

From Northern Telecom comes Maestro, the first residential
telephone with an integrated display panel that supports Calling
Line Identification (Caller ID) services, showing incoming
telephone numbers when the telephone rings. A company
spokesperson told Newsbytes that this new technology will affect
everyone's future and Northern Telecom is excited at having
"scooped" the rest of the industry in bringing out the Maestro.

Maestro also keeps a record of missed calls. When the user is a
Caller ID subscriber (the service comes from local telephone
companies), the system will record the origin numbers of up to 15
incoming unanswered calls.  This and other services of telephone
company Custom Local Area Signaling Services (CLASS) are all
supported by the Maestro which carries a suggested retail price
of $136.

AT&T's latest entry allows users of both single line and two-line
telephones to also use their telephones as pagers and intercoms
without rewiring. Consumers plug the AT&T Intercom Speakerphone
into an RJ11 outlet just as they would any other telephone. One
master phone is required and up to five extension units can be
used. With the system users can page any or all system extensions
at the touch of a key. Either the handset or the speakerphone may
be used for intercom.

"This telephone system provides the best features of our
telephones with the convenience of an intercom system," AT&T
Product Manager Ian Laing told Newsbytes. It is ideal for the
home, the home office and the small business. I like to use the
example of setting up the intercom as a room monitor for mothers
who need to hear what is going on in a baby's room."

The single line version, Model 1050 is available in a starter kit
that includes a master telephone and one extension for a
suggested price of $299. For the Model 2000, the two-line version
of the product, the master telephone lists for $219.95 and each
extension is priced at $179.95.

In case anyone is wondering, yes the fun phones are still very
much in evidence. There are phones that look like '57 Chevys,
phones that glow with neon lights, tennis racket phones, phones
that are shaped like apples, bananas, hamburgers and dirty
athletic shoes, even phones that are modeled on the San Francisco
cable cars--something for every taste, desire and occasion.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890108)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00046)

AUSTRALIA: VIDEOTEX CHANGES ANNOY PROVIDERS}
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1990 JAN 10 (NB) -- Telecom has annoyed
service providers on its public videotex system by changing
its name and function. What was a Prestel-like service called
Viatel, has become two services (one 40-column and the other
80-column) known as Discovery. Charges for the services have
been significantly increased and smaller providers feel they
are being squeezed out.

Service providers must now pay AUS$9, $12, or $15,000
depending on the number of frames, support and marketing
assistance. Users pay $60 joining fee, $15 per month and 5
to 20 cents a minute on-line charges.

Closed user groups whose members used the system for access
to limited user-base services, must now pay full commercial
access rates. The service now offers a full electronic
national telephone directory service, plus access to many
new national and international databases and services.

(Paul Zucker/19900110)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(WAS)(00047)

AT&T MICROELECTRONICS SIGNALS NEW MICROCHIP}
BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 8 (NB) -- AT&T
Microelectronics has announced a new digital signal processor
(DSP) integrating analog and digital functions on a single high-
speed 16-bit microchip, the WE DSP16C, allowing designers
of cellular telephones to produce a smaller telephone with more
functions and fewer parts.

This DSP microchip, designed in the European Group Speciale
Mobile cellular telecommunications network for digital cellular
telephone applications, is built using AT&T's .75-micron, low-
power CMOS or Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor technology.

Described by AT&T as perfect for speech processing applications
which need high-speed analog to digital processing for voice
transmission, the WE DSP16C will be used for applications in the
North American cellular telephone network once digital
capabilities are added to the network's present analog
capability.

Battery life for portable cellular phones using the new chip will
be extended because the chip features a sleep mode, reducing
power usage.

The third quarter of 1990 will bring samples of the DSP16C, in a
100-pin plastic quad flat pack (PQFP), and production is expected
early in 1991.  The cost of the chip (in batches of 100K) will be
about $30 each.

AT&T's DSP16A device has added enhancements. The new part, to be
used in image processing, modems, and voice recognition, will
give users 12 kilobytes (K) of ROM memory for larger program
design. The new chip joins the currently available DSP16A
ROM-less and 4K ROM versions.

Every DSP16A device will come in a plastic leaded chip carrier
(PLCC) plus a fine pitch PQFP with a smaller outline optimizing
the use of board space compared with PLCC or through-hole
packages. Models are now available and production is expected in
the second quarter of 1990. The device (quantities of 1K) will
cost between $20-$30 each.

(Beth Goldie and John McCormick/199019/Press Contact: Barbara
Baklarz, AT&T Microelectronics, 201-771-2826)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00048)

PROVINCIAL RESEARCH NETWORK PLANNED}
HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA, 1990 JAN 10 (NB) -- Dalhousie
University here and a new subsidiary of an Ottawa, Ontario,
software company will set up a data communications network for
research in Nova Scotia. The 56-kilobit-per-second network will
link universities, government organizations and private companies
doing high-technology research and development.

Software Kinetics, which has set up networks in the past for such
clients as Canada's Department of National Defense, has created a
subsidiary, Nova Scotia Technology Network Inc., based in
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. It will establish and manage the network,
according to Tony Moretto, director of marketing for Software
Kinetics. Dalhousie's Computing and Information Services
department will be subcontracted to install and service the
network and operate a control center in Halifax.

Peter Jones, executive director of computing and information
services at Dalhousie, said the first stage will link several
organizations in the Halifax area. "As soon as the bugs are worked
out," he said, "the network will be extended. Eventually it is to
cover the entire province."

"The network will run over leased lines," Jones said, "initially
using Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
standards. Eventually the plan is to move to Open Systems
Interconnection (OSI) communications standards."

The new provincial network will also be connected at Halifax with
CAnet, the national research network recently announced by the
National Research Council.

Startup funding for the provincial network is coming from the
Nova Scotia government's Ministry of Industry, Trade and
Technology, and from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.
This money is intended to cover startup costs. In the long term,
Moretto said, "our intention is to make it pay for itself and
perhaps even make a profit."

(Grant Buckler/19900110/Press Contact: Peter Jones, Dalhousie
University, 902-424-6453; Tony Moretto, Software Kinetics, 613-
831-0888)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00049)

UK: IO SYSTEMS ANNOUNCES EXPANSION PLANS}
BLETCHINGLY, ENGLAND, 1990 JAN 10 (NB) -- Io World of Adventure,
the Surrey-based multiuser adventure system, has announced
ambitious plans to expand it availability and range of services
available.

According to Pip Cordrey, Io's system manager, plans call for the
installation of up to ten extra access lines in the London (01)
dialing code area, cross-linked to the existing Bletchingly,
Surrey site, in order to give increased local calling area access to
the service. In addition, plans are in hand to open a number of
Birmingham local access ports to the service.

"My ultimate aim with the World of Adventure is to create a
national local-access World of Adventure network spanning the UK.
The Birmingham link will be made possible with the installation
of a similar system to WoA by one of my customers," Cordrey told
Newsbytes.

Io Systems' hardware runs on Acorn BBC Master series computers,
to which is added a proprietary 65C102 microprocessor card system
which can accept up to 4x4 serial inputs, each operating at
1200/75 bits per second (bps). "Using the Eurocard expansion
system, each BBC Master can run up to 16 users in 2MB of memory.
Each Master computer can be linked ad-infinitum to other machines
on a network," Cordrey added.

Io Systems' World of Adventure currently has ten access ports on
the Bletchingly exchange. The London link, which will enable a
much increased number of callers to access the service at local
call rates, will allow trunk callers to the service to dial-up at
the 'B1' trunk rates, for which British Telecom offers around a 20
per cent discount over normal trunk rates in the UK.

In parallel with the ambitious expansion plans, World of
Adventure has begun charging for online access (previously it was
free of charge). The charges are what Cordrey calls "honor
bright," and require the callers agreement to pay 35 pence (55
cents) per day of access, or #10 ($15) a month. The daily option,
says Cordrey, will appeal to weekend-only users of the service.

"We're not asking for any money up-front. Callers merely promise
to pay. We feel we can trust them to do this, and it also means
that no pre-registration is involved. The access fees will enable
us to expand the WoA service still further in the future," he
said.

Io Systems' World of Adventure is accessible on 0883-844044 and
0883-844144 at 1200/75 bps (8:N:1 parity, scrolling). The service
also carries the Newsbytes News Network.

(Steve Gold/19900110/Press Contact: Pip Cordrey: 0737-778877)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00050)

CHRYSLER TO PUT VISOR CAR TELEPHONES IN 1990 MODELS}
DETROIT, MICHIGAN, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 9 (NB) -- Chrysler wants to
put Oki cellular phones inside drivers' sun visors on selected
1990 models. The option will cost about $900 and will be
available on the Imperial, New Yorker, and Dodge Dynasty models.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900109/Press Contact: Chrysler Motors, 313-
956-5741)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00051)

A 120-INCH TV SCREEN IN EVERY LIVINGROOM?}
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 6 (NB) -- Yes, there really
is a 120-inch big screen rear projection TV monitor available
from the Audio/Video Group of Mitsubishi Electric Sales America,
Inc.

To say that big screen TV is a wave of the 1990's may not be
exaggerating. There were standard TV sets sporting up to 32-inch
screen everywhere at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) and a number
of demonstrations of screens as large as 100 inches, mostly using
front projection systems.

The king of big screen though, was the Mitsubishi 120-inch model,
currently the largest screen available in the market. As one
would expect, it is for custom installation--not to be casually
picked up at your local discount electronics store--and will be
available through Mitsubishi dealers and custom installation houses.
The screen offers 48 square feet of viewing area. It is designed to
fit into homes with standard 8 foot ceilings (the unit is 6 ft.
x 8 ft.), is set in a frame and fits flush with the wall so it
does not take away room space.

The screen provides 750 lines of horizontal resolution , a
composite video input, S-VHS input with separate Y/C terminals
and RGB analog signal terminals allowing Super VHS, laserdisc and
computer sources to be reproduced in full detail.

Newsbytes went to see the screen in operation full of skepticism
regarding the actual resolution and was amazed at the clarity of
the picture produced on the screen. There was no hint of the
fuzziness or grainy quality so often associated with big screen
viewing. The folks at Mitsubishi displayed the screen in a
livingroom setting and even were bold enough to put conventional
size monitors adjacent to the big screen for instant viewer
comparison. The big screen did not suffer in the comparison test.

The screen, known as the VS-12001 is scheduled to be available in
May 1990 with an approximate retail price of $20,000 depending on
the scope of the installation.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900108/Press Contact: Brenda Lynch, Mitsubishi,
800-828-MESA)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00052)

DATABASE TO TARGET TERRIBLE TRUCKS}
RADNOR, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 9 (NB) -- Chilton's
Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ) has reported on a new federal
plan, the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP),
designed to lower the number or truck accidents by using
"Safetynet," a computerized database listing the most unsafe
trucking lines.

"Safetynet" includes data on the three greatest dangers: truck
lines ignoring federal regulations and/or with too many
accidents; unsafe vehicles; and problem drivers. The federal plan
calls for states participating in MCSAP to collect such data,
using laptop computers at roadside safety inspection sites. The
database will note any carriers with an inadequate safety rating
from the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Office of Motor
Carriers (OMC).

States wishing MCSAP funding must adhere to federal regulations
for motor carriers or pass similar restrictions.  Alaska and the
District of Columbia have partial restrictions; all other states
except Florida and South Dakota participate fully.

State MCSAP personnel have performed annual inspections of more
than a million commercial carriers since 1984, pulling about
300,000 off the road for safety violations, according to CCJ.

The FHWA estimates there are about three million commercial
carriers, with more than five million drivers, belonging to some
205,000 registered motor fleets. In past years, federal
authorities could not readily police this large group; there was
no way to identify constant violators, there were too few
enforcement officers, small fines led to ignored regulations, and
authorities balked at putting truck lines out of business. Now,
with Safetynet, much of the regulation enforcement belongs to the
states.

Chilton's CCJ, published monthly, is read by nearly 80,000 bus
and truck line executives. Chilton Co., Radnor, Pennsylvania, one
of the ABC Publishing Companies, is a subsidiary of Capital
Cities/ABC Inc.

(Beth Goldie/1990109/Press Contact: Parry Desmond, Chilton Co.,
215-964-4529)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00053)

YOUTH CONTEST ENCOURAGES ELECTRONICS CAREERS}
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 07 (NB) -- The Vocational
Industrial Clubs of America's (VICA) National Skill Olympics
Contest in electronic product servicing is set up to encourage
young people to become electronics technicians for consumer
electronics and computer products.

In an interview with Newsbytes, EAI/CEG (Electronics Industries
Association/Consumer Electronics Group) Staff Vice President,
Product Services Don Hatton, commented that there is a serious
need for trained technicians to service electronic products and
this need can only increase as the use of electronic products
proliferates. As a result the EIA/CEG is backing national and
international competition to entice young people into the field.
The EAI/CEG is also looking for companies to help sponsor and
underwrite the activity.

The national contest is an annual event to be held next June 28,
1990 in Tulsa, OK.

Competitors should have had a course of study that includes basic
electricity/electronics and courses on video, audio, digital and
microprocessor electronics. It is also essential that contestants
have some background in math and communications arts. To
facilitate these requirements, the EIA/CEG has an array of
curriculum and guidance material available.

The contests are in two sections. Section I has six individual
test stations. Each contestant has 25 minutes in which to solve
the problem at each station. Problems are related to servicing
today's electronic products and are identical for contestants in

In Section II, the contestants are given 25 minutes for a
soldering skills exercise, 150 minutes to assemble an electronic
kit and a safety/theory test.

The International Youth Skill Olympics (IYSO) are held every
other year (next in the Netherlands in 1991) for contestants up
to the age of 22. The winners of the national VICA contest
compete in a run-off to determine who will be the US
representative to the Consumer Products Servicing event. This
winner is placed in an Electronics Industry supported training
program to help him/her prepare for the international
competition.

At the VICA contests, awards provided by members of the EIA/CEG
are given to the top three finishers in the secondary and post-
secondary divisions. "We are always looking for additional
companies to help sponsor these events," Hatton told Newsbytes.
"We definitely need to generate sponsorship from computer
companies in order to increase the computer-orientation of the
program.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900108/Press Contact: Don Hatton, EIA/CEG,
202-457-4919)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00054)

HEWLETT-PACKARD INTROS SPEEDY 68030 WORKSTATIONS}
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 8 (NB) -- Hewlett-Packard is
offering what is widely seen as two formidable competitors in the
workstation wars--computers that challenge the competition both in
price and performance and are the first to come with the fastest
version of the 68030 chip.

HP promises to have available this quarter new Unix workstations based
on the fast, 50 MHz 68030 microprocessor and 68882 math coprocessor
from Motorola. Interestingly enough, these are not RISC (reduced
instruction set computer)-based workstations, considered by most the
wave of the future, but are complex instruction-set machines.

The major difference between the two offerings, the low-end HP 9000
Series 300 Model 345 and its more expensive cousin, the Model 375,
is in the upgrade. The 375 can be upgraded to the still-unofficially
announced Motorola 68040 when it is available later this year while
the 345 cannot.

The 345, base list price $9,000, can process up to 12 million
instructions per second, has 4 or 16 megabytes of memory (RAM),
features an optional 200 megabyte integrated disk drive--the first
internal disk drive offered for the Series 3000 machines. This model
competes head-on with Sun Microsystems' Sparcstation1, a RISC-based
workstation with a similar price and speed.

The 375, $22,000, comes with 8 megabytes of RAM, is expandable to
32 megabytes, and 128 megabytes later this year. The 375 has up to
12 expansion slots.

Both the Model 345 and 375 incorporate multiple application-specific
integrated circuits (ASICs) which consolidate more than 400 integrated
circuits and passive components into just five ASICs, according to HP.
This allows them to operate cooler and presumably more reliably given
that the danger of heat-related failure is minimized.

HP says the Motorola 68040 microprocessor, to which the 375 aspires,
performs at ten times the speed of the 68030. The upgrade will cost
$2,000 "later this year." HP will also offer new 68040-based motherboard
swaps for the Apollo Series 3500 and Series 4500 workstations and
HP Series 300 Models 330, 350, 360, and 370 workstations.

(Wendy Woods/19900109/Press Contact: Lynn Wehner, HP, 508-256-6600,
extension 7717)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LON)(00055)

WYSE TO ANNOUNCE UNIX MARKET LAUNCH NEXT WEEK}
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1990 JAN 10 (NB) -- Wyse Technology is expected
to launch a series of 80386-based Unix multiuser systems later
this month. The company has called a press conference which will
be attended by Bernard Tse, the company's chairman and a number
of other leading figures.

Although preliminary details on Wyse Technology's new Unix
machines are not available, Newsbytes understands that a series
of similar launches are also planned for early next week in the
United States.

Wyse currently produces a wide range of single-user and
networking computers and terminals. Recently, the company was
bought out by a Taiwanese consortium for $10 a share.

(Steve Gold/19900110)