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/nb900801

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(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SFO)(00001)

PARTNER SOUGHT FOR UNIQUE ONLINE VENTURE - AMIX
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- A new online
venture, 80% owned by Autodesk and 20% owned by its employees,
is seeking a major partner. The system, designed as an information
marketplace where buyers and sellers set their own prices, is slated
for testing this winter and for public launch next year.

Created and backed by such industry heavyweights as pioneer Phil
Salin, creator of ARC Technologies, the first American company
to privately develop and launch a rocket; Chip Morningstar,
developer of Habitat, the online interactive game system that
has been adapted by Quantum Computer Services for its Q-Link
service; and Jan Lewis, industry analyst, AMIX, as it's called,
has been in development for several years.

AMIX, which stands for American Information Exchange Corporation,
is being designed to provide online users with a means by which they
can publish and price their own information files -- for example,
reports about market research, technology, or business-related
advice. The buyer can choose to see a sample or buy the whole
report, at a price set by the seller.

To help the shopper, there is a feedback area for each
product where previous buyers or reviewers can state their
opinions of the information (i.e. "Don't buy this," or
"Great report!"). Those in need of information can also publish
their questions and consultants with expertise to offer can
respond.

The system demonstrated to Newsbytes includes elements of hypertext,
allowing a reader to leap forward or backward through text and menus.
It remembers a user's profile and allows a user to customize
online time.

The company has also applied for a trademark on the term
"Information Markets," which refers to AMIX's unique integration
of buyer and seller incentives and capabilities.

AMIX is designed to make its money by charging per transaction,
while keeping information storage fees and connect time charges
to a minimum.

Parent company Autodesk has decided that it needs a marketing and
financial partner in the online business. Salin says he's in
discussion with several companies interested in helping build
AMIX.

"The reaction of the people who've seen it has been gratifying,"
he tells Newsbytes.

(Wendy Woods/19900801/Press Contact: Gayle Pergamit, AMIX,
415-856-1234)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00002)

MOTOROLA INTRODUCES WRISTWATCH PAGER
SCHAUMBURG, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- At a New
York news conference, Motorola introduced a wrist-watch pager
weighing just 2 ounces, or 3 grams. It will retail for $300 and
be distributed, at first, by existing pager companies. Motorola
also announced a distribution agreement with Timex, the leading
U.S. watch distributor, which will put the pager into the mass
market within two years.

The announcement comes just weeks after the debut of "Dick
Tracy," based on a comic strip whose hero uses a wrist-watch TV.
And Motorola won't be alone in the market -- AT&E of San
Francisco has already introduced a similar device, and Japanese
companies are also expected to enter the market.

Motorola has protected its pager with 11 patents, including
one for an antenna which runs around the watch face and through
the watchband. The Motorola wrist pager is water-resistant,
spokesman Bob Walz told Newsbytes. "You can wear it jogging,
but I wouldn't jump in a swimming pool with it," he said.
"I wore it in the rain in New York yesterday with no problems."

The Motorola unit also acts as an alarm wrist-watch, can store up
to 8 messages. It is compatible with all existing U.S. radio
paging systems. The spokesman said that new device falls near the
high end of Motorola's current pager price range, and paging
companies can be expected to rent it for about $25 per month,
including service costs.

Motorola executives told reporters there are currently 9 million
pagers in use in the U.S., but 150 million watches are sold every
year. "The question here is the shape and form-factor," the
spokesman added, "the way you use the pager. Obviously watches
are user-friendly, and this may open up new markets." At the
press conference, Motorola suggested parents may use the watch-
pager to keep in touch with their kids.

If granted local regulatory approval, the watch pager will be
introduced in Canada, Britain, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan
by the end of the year, Motorola executives said.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900801/Press Contact: Bob Walz, Motorola,
708-397-5000)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(ATL)(00003)

BUSH EXPECTED TO VETO JUNK FAX BILL
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- President George
Bush has been advised to veto "junk fax" legislation recently
passed by the House, and is expected to follow that advice.

None of the President's 13 vetos has yet been overridden by the
U.S. Congress, which must approve vetoed bills with two-third
majorities for them to become law. The bill was passed by a voice
vote, and a similar bill is pending in the U.S. Senate.

The House bill, introduced by Massachusetts Democrat Ed Markey,
would let consumers protect themselves against both unwanted fax
solicitations and junk phone calls by signaling their
disapproval to the Federal Communications Commission through
their local phone companies, which would compile a database of
those who object to the messages. The Direct Marketing
Association currently collects names of people who don't want
junk phone calls, but use of its list is voluntary, and not every
direct marketer follows it. Bush apparently feels that the
private, voluntary protection is as much as Americans deserve
from phone solicitors.

In Connecticut, however, a junk fax bill was signed last year by
that state's Democratic governor after opponents bombarded him
with fax messages demanding a veto. The messages tied up the
Governor's own fax machine and changed his mind on the
legislation.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900801)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00004)

"PRODUCTION STUDIO IN A BOX" DELIVERED TO APPLE
CUPERTINO, CALFIRONIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- An officer
of Interactive Media Technologies, Scottsdale, Arizona, has
hand-delivered the first of its multimedia manipulators --
a desktop video "hub" called the IMTX 8000 -- to Apple Computer.

Interactive Media Technologies' IMTX 8000, priced at $10,000, is
expected to ship through Canon Sales distribution channels shortly.
The software/hardware combination can control as many as 12
picture sources and monitors and simultaneously distribute up to
20 sound sources allowing elaborate presentations to be controlled
from a single personal computer.

Said Glenn Williamson, IMT chairman and CEO, "From this day
forward, anyone who can operate a Macintosh can now become
a video producer." His memorable words were made during a
presentation to Apple Integrated Systems Business Relations
Manager Sonny Najera.

The IMTX interface runs in Supercard on the Macintosh and presents
the orchestrator of the action with a consistent interface to
choreograph multimedia events.

The IMTX media integrator offers full machine control, audio/video
routing, audio mixing, sync generation, and frame-accurate SMPTE
time code indexing, and then outputs in high quality NTSC signals.

How does this system compare to other systems for video editing,
special effects, and computer graphics integration on the market?
Williamson, explains, "From a pricing perspective, it's relatively
low-end. For output quality, it's mid-range to high and for the
elegant interface it's off the top of the chart."

(Wendy Woods/19900801/Press Contact: Bob Cullinan, 415-383-3311)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00005)

CHARLIE JACKSON REPLACED AT SILICON BEACH
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- Charlie
Jackson, founder of Silicon Beach software, has been
replaced by Stephen Cullen, who has been named vice president
and general manager by parent Aldus Corporation. Jackson
intends to consult for Silicon Beach for the next six
months, then will pursue his interests in sponsoring
amateur athletics programs.

Cullen has spent the past six years at Software Publishing
Corporation where he was most recently business manager.
He also has had positions at Inmac and Crown Zellerback.

Says Phil Herres, chief operating officer for Aldus
Corporation, "Steve brings to our organization demonstrated
skills in the are of business unit management, and we are
pleased to have him as part of the team."

(Wendy Woods/19900801/Press Contact: Joanne Rush,
Silicon Beach Software, 619-695-6956)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SFO)(00006)

NEWSBYTES NOW DAILY, ALSO AVAILABLE BY FAX
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- Coinciding
with the release of a new, daily edition of Newsbytes on GEnie,
Newsnet, Predicasts (Dialog) and other systems, Newsbytes News
Network, the most widely read news wire on technology and
computers, is also now available on fax.

The new distribution method, which coincides with the growth
of fax machines around the world, is designed to make technology news
available automatically to office desks, every weekday. The faxed
and daily editions mark Newsbytes' 400th issue culminating 7 years
of continuous publication.

The fax-delivered edition of Newsbytes is an abstract of all
reports, the top stories in the fields of computers, telecommunications,
technology-related legislation, technological breakthroughs, and the
business of technology, prepared each day, and consists of a 2-page
fax to customers which arrives before the end of each business
day.

If a customer needs full text of a story, the Newsbytes office will
fax the desired article to the reader for a small fee.

On an average day, at least 30 articles are available on technology
subjects. Newsbytes' team of reporters in 11 offices around the world
ensure that the stories offered are the most up-to-date available.

Newsbytes-by-Fax is available in both the United States and Europe
for $995 per year. Each full-text faxed version of an individual
story requested by a customer costs an additional $5.

Newsbytes News Network is a news wire devoted to computers and
technology. It has won in the "Best Online Publication" category in
awards from the Computer Press Association in both 1986 and 1990
and is read by more than 5 million people worldwide.

For more information or subscriptions, contact Newsbytes News
Network, San Francisco, Wendy Woods, 415/550-7334 , fax:
415/648-2550 or Peter Vekinis (Europe, Belgium)+ 32-2-736-3690.

(Newsbytes/19900801)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00007)

IOMEGA REVAMPS BERNOULLI LINE
ROY, UTAH, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- Iomega Corporation has
rolled out a new line of removable disk drives it's calling
the Universal family. One of the new offerings is the smallest,
lightest Bernoulli subsystem yet, the Transportable.

Each of these new subsystems can work with the entire range
of PC, Macintosh and networking environments supported by
Iomega, according to the company. The new family includes a
total of 12 products which replace 22 models in the previous
line. In the past users required specific models for specific
computers.

Iomega says its prices are also 22 percent lower.

"By simply selecting different adapters," said Iomega President
Fred Wenninger, in a prepared statement, "our customers can
select one subsystem and add unlimited high-performance
removable storage to their IBM PC, PS/2 or Macintosh computers.
The new Transportable and Portable extend this option to users
with limited desk space or to those who do computing on the go."

(Wendy Woods/19900801/Press Contact: Linda Casey, Iomega Corp.,
801-778-3345)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SFO)(00008)

SOFTWARE RENTAL LEGISLATION HEARINGS
MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- Mediagenic's
chairman, Bruce L. Davis, is among various people testifying on
the merits of the Computer Software Rental Amendments Act
of 1989, which is before the House Judiciary Subcommittee
on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Administration
of Justice. He has argued that the Act doesn't protect video
game cartridges.

The bill under consideration is H.R. 2740, which would prohibit
commercial rental of software without authorization. Davis
has testified that the proposed bill benefits only one part
of the software industry by excluding a specific software
format -- video game cartridges.

Davis supports H.R. 5297, introduced by Congressman Joe Barton of
Texas, that provides copyright protection for all software media --
floppy-disk and cartridge -- and adds a measure of control over
distribution of the product for rental, establishing procedures
similar to the rental of movie videos.

"Unrestrained rental of video game cartridges is a problem that no
other entertainment medium shares. Like motion picture studios, we
invest a great deal of money in product development, yet we
do not have the control over the terms of its distribution that
they have. Our inability to influence and benefit from video
game rental is unfair and cuts severely into retail sales,"
Davis argued.

(Wendy Woods/19900801/Press Contact: Michelle M. Bowman,
415-329-0800)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00009)

AUTODESK LAUNCHES MULTIMEDIA UNIT
SAUSALITO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- Autodesk,
clearly banking on the existence of multimedia as a genuinely
profitable, emerging market, has created a business unit to
develop and sell multimedia software products to corporate
accounts, television stations, post-production houses and
video producers.

"The primary roadblock to multimedia's success is the
integration of its components, many of which were not
designed to work together," says the unit's new director,
Barry Dickman. His unit will have as its goal the task
of integrating products and distribution to provide "leadership
to the emerging multimedia software industry." The plan is
also to create a set of specialized resellers capable of
delivering integrated systems to these specialized
customers.

In conjunction with the announcement of the new business
unit, Autodesk introduced Autodesk 3D Studio, a product
slated to be available "later this year." The $2,995 software
product for IBM or Compaq 386/486 machines offers tools
to create studio-quality 3D color graphics and animations,
according to the company.

The new unit will also market Autodesk Animater and Autodesk
Animator Clips, both products for the PC. "We're also
planning a toolkit for the Autodesk Device Interface
to help third parties create software interfaces to better
link video and audio products with computer hardware,"
says Dickman.

More than 300 independent software vendors and original
equipment manufacturers support the Autodesk Device
Interface, according to Dickman.

(Wendy Woods/19900801/Press contact: Cunningham
Communications, 408-982-0400)


(EXCLUSIVE)(GOVT)(LAX)(00010)

SEMIGAS MAY BE SOLD TO JAPANESE COMPANY
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- Newsbytes has learned
that a Japanese Company, Nissan-Sanso, is offering to buy
SemiGas, an important part of the Sematech consortium and that
the Committee For Foreign Investment In The US, an amalgamation
of a number of government agencies has approved the sale.

Newsbytes confirmed this with Scott Stevens, communications
manager at Sematech, who also said that President Bush had until
last Saturday (July 28) to intervene in the proposed sale but he
failed to do so despite the urging of Reps. Gephardt of Missouri
and Levine of California that he take steps to prevent the sale.
This means that the decision on the sale is now in the hands of
the Justice Department.

"US gas suppliers have been prevented from buying SemiGas by the
anti-trust laws," Stevens told Newsbytes. "The irony is that
Nissan-Sanso is one of the five largest gas producers in the
world. If that company were American, they would be prohibited
from buying SemiGas by the anti-trust laws."

Sematech is a consortium of US companies involved in the
production of semiconductors whose efforts are, in part, funded
by the US government. SemiGas is an integral part of the Sematech
operation. "President Bush has been a proponent of the government
funding of Sematech so it doesn't stand to reason that he would
let funding go to Sematech and then turn around and let a
critical member of the consortium and therefore of the US
infrastructure be sold into foreign hands," Stevens told
Newsbytes.

One primary mission of Sematech since its founding has been to
help maintain and increase the level of semiconductor production
in the US in the face of tremendous pressure to move the industry
offshore and to buy from non-American producers. "We are hoping
that the Justice Department will prevent this sale," said
Stevens. "We also see that whichever decision the Justice
Department makes could result in a landmark decision affecting
future sales of companies critical to the US semiconductor
industry to foreign buyers."

(Janet Endrijonas/19900801)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00011)

CRAY ENTERS THE WORLD OF NETWORK SUPERCOMPUTING
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- Cray Research
has announced a group of products and technologies to support its
network supercomputing strategy. The new products include a new
file server technology, a new high-capacity disk subsystem and
networking capabilities.

According to John Rollwagen, chairman and CEO of Cray, the
company has combined supercomputer performance and file server
technology to create the most powerful, cost-effective network
file server on the market while also introducing a reliable,
high-performing disk storage device.

The UNICOS Storage System provides high-speed access to large
numbers of files on a variety of storage media. It is a feature
of the current version of Cray's UNICOS operating system and can
run on all Cray supercomputers including the recently announced
Cray Y-MP2E superminicomputers. The UNICOS Storage System
supports industry standards such as Unix and TCP/IP enabling
users to access equipment from many different vendors.

The DS-41 Disk Subsystem incorporates eight-in disk technology to
offer large storage capacity, a small footprint, faster transfer
rates and low power consumption. The unit will be available in
the third quarter of 1990 and will offer the option of disk
"daisy chaining" to allow the connection of multiple disk storage
units to a single channel on a Cray system to maximize storage
capacity.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900801/Press Contact: Laura Merriam, Cray
Research, 612-334-6448)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00012)

ASHTON-TATE SHIPS UPDATED DBASE IV IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES
TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- Ashton-Tate is
shipping dBASE IV version 1.1 in German and French to coincide
with the first English shipment of the product in the US and UK.
This is the first time Ashton-Tate has simultaneously shipped new
product in multiple languages.

"dBASE IV version 1.1 is smaller, faster and more reliable," said
Bill Lyons, Ashton-Tate's president. "We have made the necessary
enhancements and changes so that our customers will have a very
stable product that meets their requirements."

Lyons is referring to an earlier release of dBASE IV which
was bug-filled, and drew many complaints from users and analysts.
This new version is said to have been exhaustively tested.
"According to recent survey results, our beta testers said that we
should ship version 1.1 now. But we didn't just rely on the beta
testers," said Dave Proctor, Ashton-Tate's vice president and
general manager for database products. "Using a suite of more
than 60,000 proprietary internal tests, we performed more than
5 million automated test runs against the product. We believe
it's the largest quality assurance program ever undertaken in
the PC software industry."

Bill Lyons, president and CEO of Ashton-Tate, expressed delight at
the company's being able to make the product available in the
United Kingdom, France, Germany, Switzerland and Belgium at the
same time as in the US.

In another announcement regarding dBASE IV, Ashton-Tate and
Digital Equipment have announced that the software is now
available for VAX VMS systems. This is a full implementation of
dBASE IV version 1.1 will run on VAX workstations and uses
Digital's Network Application Support (NAS), Digital's open
system for multivendor, distributed application integration.

The two companies also have announced plans to develop dBASE IV
for RISC (reduced instruction set computing) ULTRIX (Digital's
implementation of Unix) systems. They also stated their
intentions of to develop dBASE IV for DECwindows on both the VMS
and ULTRIX operating systems and to develop a PC-based dBASE IV
connectivity product for VAX Rdb/VMS.

(Janet Endrijonas & Wendy Woods/19900801/Press Contact: Dian
L. Melius, Ashton-Tate, 213-538-7321; Craig Mitchell, Digital
Equipment, 603-884-0753)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(ATL)(00013)

BOEING COMPLETES NASA COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- Boeing has put
into operation a hybrid communications network for the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration.

In addition to voice services, the network moves data, electronic
mail, facsimile message, and video teleconferencing traffic for
over 100,000 workers, using both satellite and ground wires.

NASA first gave Boeing its contract in late 1984, and it's one
of 9 finalists for NASA's 1989/90 Excellence Award for Quality
and Productivity.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900731/Press Contact: Barbara Murphy, Boeing
Computer Services, 206-865-6529)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00014)

SPRINT SEEKS PRICE REDUCTION FOR FTS2000 SERVICES
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- US Sprint, which
shares the FTS2000 government communications contract with AT&T,
has applied to the General Services Administration for permission
to reduce prices on its high-speed data transmission services
under the contract. It would be the seventh price reduction for
Sprint under the contract.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900731/Press Contact: US Sprint, Cheryl
Sherman, 816/276-6284)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(ATL)(00015)

FTC TAKES FIRST STEPS IN CREDIT-REPORTING PRIVACY WAR
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- In the first
executive reaction to three Congressional bills which would
limit the activities of credit reporting agencies like TRW and
Equifax, the Federal Trade Commission has limited the ability
of credit card issuers to make so-called "pre-approved" credit
offers to consumers.

Basically, the FTC interpreted the Fair Credit Reporting Act
to mean that such offers, which go out after credit checks
are made with the credit-reporting agencies, must be firm
letters of credit, and that applications made under them can only
be withdrawn if fraud is suspected. Currently, completed
"pre-approved" credit applications only lead to a second credit
check.

Rep. Richard H. Lehman, a California Democrat, has introduced the
most comprehensive credit privacy bill, which would require that
the agencies give consumers the chance to object before they sell
reports to credit card issuers, would give consumers the right to
a free copy of their reports, which the agencies now get $15-16
per year for, and would let consumers see all the data agencies
have on them. Equifax has been most aggressive in defending
itself against the bill, having sponsored a Louis Harris survey
on consumer privacy, and appointing a vice president, Larry
Clemente, to head a new Office of Consumer Affairs, where he said
he would be "inspector general" on privacy issues.

Most of the legislation, and agency responses, however, dance
around the greatest source of concern expressed by consumers in
the Equifax survey done by the Harris organization. The agencies
have begun cross-indexing their credit reports against Census
data, addresses, and marketing surveys, to create sophisticated
"profiles" of individual consumers, which are then sold to direct
marketers. The agencies claim the profiles reduce the volume of
junk mail consumers receive. Critics call them an invasion of
privacy. Equifax' consumer database, for instance, now puts
people into one of 50 lifestyle categories, such as "Upper Crust"
-- families with high income and education, and "Stars and
Stripes" -- young military families. The databases include names,
addresses and details on spending habits which direct marketers
can use to customize their mailings.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900731)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00016)

AUSTRALIA: HACKER FINED AUS$1,500
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA, 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- A 23-year-old technician
has been found guilty and fined AUS$1,500 for illegal access to the
University of Adelaide's computer system.

Daryl Tester downloaded information from the University's computer
and then stored it on his personal computer between November and
December 1989. Tester gained access by using an authorization number
he obtained, and according to University records, accessed the
computer for 388 hours (the system records non-authorized
usage).

The information downloaded ranged from lecture notes to
research material, but was not used by Tester to gain any advantage
for himself. Of the 35 counts of having operated a restricted access
computer without proper authorization to which Tester pleaded
guilty, he was only fined for one offence while being found guilty
without penalty for the rest. Under South Australian law, each
offence can carry a fine of up to AUS$2,000. A further 37 counts of
the same charge were taken into account.

(Sean McNamara/19900731)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(MOW)(00017)

MOSCOW: 7TH NEW COMPUTER MAGAZINE TO BE AVAILABLE
MOSCOW, U.S.S.R., 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- Yet another magazine
for programmers has been unveiled in Moscow, the seventh in a
stream of new publications on technology. Due to a paper
shortage, however, VEM it will be published on floppy disks.

"VEM" which stays for Verter Electronic Magazine, will be issued
monthly on two 5-inch floppies and will cost 100 rubles per month.
It is intended to be a programmer-specific publication with
software hints and advice. New software, problems of software
support and training will also be covered. It will be published
in the Russian language only.

This magazine joins a number of publishing companies suffering
during a nationwide paper shortage. At least 3 other
magazines, including Moscow City Informatics Center (MGCI)'s
new "MGCI Information Bulletin," are now being published on
floppy discs in the U.S.S.R. Several large computer
joint ventures, including Interquadro and Dialogue, are forced
to spend hard currency and buy plain paper abroad for
their publications.

In the last several months, there has been something of a
computer publishing renaissance in the Soviet Union. In addition
to VEM and MGCI Information Bulletin, the following new
business and computer titles have been announced: "Moscow"
magazine, File, Intercomputer, Bytic, and Interface.

(Kirill Tchashchin & Wendy Woods/19900801/Press Contact: Mr Soskov,
VEM [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00018)

CANADA: ALBERTA TELCO REORGANIZES, PREPARES TO SELL SHARES
EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA, 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- Alberta Government
Telephones, the provincially owned telephone company, has become
AGT Ltd., a subsidiary of a new holding company called Telus
Corp.

The move is part of the preparation for selling more than half of
the company to private investors. That sale is expected to take
place in September, AGT spokesman Bob Lidgren told Newsbytes. The
public will have a chance to buy shares in Telus, which is the
parent of six other companies besides AGT.

The other subsidiaries include AGT Directory and AGT Cellular,
both of which were previously business units of Alberta
Government Telephones. Two others -- Alta Telecom International
Ltd. and Alta Telecom Inc. -- offer network design and management
services overseas and in the United States respectively. The
sixth subsidiary is Alta-Can Telecom Inc., a venture capital firm
that invests in high-technology operations, Lidgren said.

Finally, Telus holds a 50 percent interest in Novatel, the
manufacturer of cellular telephone equipment. The other half of
Novatel was sold for about C$100,000 in late July to Robert Bosch
GmbH of Gerlingen, West Germany.

Lidgren said the initials AGT were retained for the telephone
operating company because they were well known, but the full name
Alberta Government Telephones will disappear as the provincial
government gives up majority ownership of the firm. As for the
new holding company's name, Telus, he said it has no specific
meaning, but resulted from an effort to find a "friendly yet
futuristic" name that would also translate well into other
languages.

Between 50 and 60 percent of Telus is expected to be sold to
private investors, Lidgren said.

(Grant Buckler/19900731/Press Contact: Bob Lidgren, Telus, 403-
530-3975)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00019)

SYMBOLICS, JAPANESE CONSORTIUM SIGN AGREEMENT
BURLINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- Symbolics
has signed a five-year agreement in principle to license
manufacturing and distribution rights to its symbolic-processing
hardware and software products to a Japanese consortium.

The consortium is led by Nichimen, a major Japanese trading
company. Nichimen's subsidiary, Nihon Symbolics, currently
distributes Symbolics' products in Japan. Symbolics will continue
to manufacture hardware products for the consortium, and will
also furnish new product enhancements.

Symbolics expects proceeds from the license and related
transactions, which are still subject to final definitive
agreement, to be about US$4 million. This is to be paid at a
closing expected by the end of August. In a prepared statement,
Symbolics Chairman Jay Wurts said the proceeds will help
Symbolics finance its future business plans.

(Grant Buckler/19900731/Press Contact: Ronald Benanto, Symbolics,
617-221-1045)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00020)

INDEX TECHNOLOGY, DELOITTE & TOUCHE ANNOUNCE ALLIANCE
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- Computer-
aided software engineering (CASE) tool vendor Index Technology
has announced a strategic alliance with consulting and accounting
firm Deloitte & Touche.

The two companies will jointly develop CASE products featuring
integrated methodology and project management support, which
Index Technology will market.

The first product, 4Front, was developed by Deloitte & Touche. It
incorporates Index Technology's CASE products and Deloitte &
Touche's 4Front information engineering methodology. Available
now, 4Front includes Index Technology's PC Prism strategic
planning product and Excelerator systems analysis and design
software.

Under the terms of the alliance, the two firms will jointly
develop future CASE products that support other development
approaches.

Index Technology has licensed worldwide marketing rights to the
4Front software, which will be provided to Deloitte & Touche's
3,000 information technology consultants.

The 4FRONT product is unique in that it provides integrated
online support that helps users adhere to the methodology and
leverage its benefits, the companies said.

(Grant Buckler/19900731/Press Contact: Victoria Bundonis, Index
Technology, 617-494-8200; Mike Deverell, Deloitte & Touche,
415-393-4381)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00021)

DATACOMP SIGNS SERVICE AGREEMENT WITH GE
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1990 JUL 30 (NB) -- Computer maker
Datacomp here has signed a nationwide service agreement with
General Electric Computer Service (GECS), gaining access to a
network of 800 service technicians in 250 locations in the United
States.

With a network coordinated from six major metropolitan areas,
GECS currently services more than 300,000 personal computers,
including those owned by some of the world's largest corporations
and government institutions, Datacomp said.

Borrowing a marketing tactic from major U.S. automakers, Datacomp
said its computers are union-made and carry the highest ratio of
U.S. components (more than 90 percent) found in any computer.

(Grant Buckler/19900731/Press Contact: Greg Kenefick, Kenefick
Communications for Datacomp, 202-347-7778)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00022)

PHENOMENAL GROWTH OF FAX MACHINES IN HONG KONG
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- In an award ceremony at its
Wanchai headquarters, Hong Kong Telephone has celebrated the
installation of its 100,000th Faxline, a service which has
helped lead the way for an explosion in the use of fax machines
here.

Faxline is a premium service available for facsimile users, that
guarantees error-free line quality and the absence in the circuit of
equipment, such as compressors, that could degrade fax transmissions.
Most fax machines in Hong Kong are connected via Faxline, which also
offers a support service known as Faxline 100 to registered users.

A high degree of cooperation between fax vendors and the Telephone
Company has made it possible to ensure customers trouble-free
installation and operation, the company states. Another benefit
is a range of value-added services that includes a comprehensive
facsimile directory and facilites such as Weatherfax - which
ensures a fax subscriber receives emergency weather reports
automatically - and Infofax, an online information service
that allows a fax owner to poll a database for information
from an independent information provider.

The growth in fax use in Hong Kong has been phenomenal. In 1985,
only 400 units were installed. In 1988, the number of fax lines
reached 50,000 and today the total reached twice that number.
The Telephone Company says that compared with the total user
base of 400 in 1985, it is now installing new lines at an
average rate of 2,000 each month.

The 014 fax information service alone receives 5,000 calls every
working day and 180 million fax calls are made in Hong Kong each
year.

The international stastistics are also revealing. The world's
heaviest user of fax is Japan, with 23 connections for every 100
business telephone lines. Hong Kong follows, with 14 per 100 and the
US trails at the bottom of the list, behind the UK, Australia and
Singapore, with only 6 per 100, according to Hong Kong Telephone.

Telephone's General Manager of Services David Connolly told
Newsbytes, "We have been able to provide what is widely regarded
as the world's leading facsimile service because of the very
high degree of cooperation we have had from vendors. Their
agreement right from the start to ensure that such things as
answerbacks are properly installed, and to join us in giving
customers the best possible service, is fully vindicated by
the success of fax in Hong Kong. Fax has become an accepted
part of everyday life."

The company's emphasis now is on personal fax. "The days when a
fax machine was a central facility, like telex, are gone,"
Connolly continued. "While there will still be a place for
the central unit, the future lies with a personal machine on
everyone's desk, like the telephone. Already in Hong Kong, many
people are learning the benefits of being able to exchange
faxes during the course of a telephone call. Personal fax also
ensures a message reaches its intended recipient as quickly as
possible."

The occasion was also used to announce that major vendors had
cooperated to donate fax machines to the 22 secondary schools that
are members of the Grant Schools Council. Hong Kong telephone is
providing two years' free Faxline usage for each machine.

(Norman Wingrove/19900801/Press Contact: Hong Kong Telecom Public
Affairs Dept, [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00023)

PHILLIPINES: DRUG GIANT SANOFI USES SAS TO EVALUATE DRUGS
MANILA, PHILIPPINES, 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- French pharmaceutical giant
SANOFI has installed SAS Institute software at its Asian Medical
Research Unit in Manila to support studies into the marketing of
health-care products throughout the region.

The SAS software, which is already used at SANOFI's research centres
in England, France, and the US, is used to process data from
clinical studies to test the suitability of an existing drug
or a new formulation for introduction to individual countries.
The results are used to improve the formulation of products
and back up submissions for approval by local health authorities.

Medical Research Director Dr Jean-Marc Mondesir says the SAS
software gives SANOFI the ability to process in Manila data gathered
from chemical analyses and studies undertaken in other Asian
countries, including Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong,
Taiwan, Korea, and China.

"All data processing used to be done at our world headquarters in
France, which meant that we had to join a queue," Mondesir said.
"Now that the work can be done in Manila, test results are known
much faster."

The package consists of Base SAS, SAS Graph and SAS Stat modules
running on an IBM PS/2 Model 70.

The Manila research unit has three multi-centre studies in progress,
with two more about to start. The current clinical studies
concern an anti-acne product, an anti-malarial drug, and a
compound that, it is claimed, could be an effective treatment
for a type of liver cancer commonly found in Asia.

(Norman Wingrove/19900801/Press Contact: Euan Barty, Euan Barty
Associates, [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00024)

HONG KONG: AT&T LAN SERVICES FOR DHL REGIONAL OPERATIONS
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- AT&T has gained a
contract to provide local area networked computing facilities
for the Far East regional operations of courier DHL's global
network.

The contract, valued at $1.5 million over the next two years,
represents AT&T's first regional sale of its networking systems
to a multinational company for deployment in multiple countries.

The contract covers installation of AT&T Starlan and Stargroup at
DHL's 11 offices in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, China, the Philippines
and Macau, connecting 600 PC users across the region.

The sale inludes local area networks (LANs) and equipment
provided by AT&T Computer Systems International and service
coordination by the company's Hong Kong distributor, Chevalier.
AT&T distributors in each country will provide DHL with
installation and maintenance services.

(Norman Wingrove/19900801/Press Contact: Ms Jonnie Oden, Hill &
Knowlton Asia, [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00025)

AST RESEARCH SIGNS SALES PACT WITH ROBOTRON
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- AST Research has
signed a sales and distribution agreement with Robotron, East
Germany's largest computer and electronics conglomerate.

Robotron is based in Dresden, East Germany. The company's East
Berlin-based sales division will carry AST personal computers,
enhancement and data communications products. AST products will
also be distributed by Robotron's Leipzig-based Anlagenbau
division. Robotron's service division will provide on-site
service and support for AST products throughout East Germany.

No plans beyond distribution in East Germany have been revealed.
Newsbytes spoke with Ralph-Dieter Hector, chief of the Robotron
Technical Center in Moscow, who said: "At this time, we have no
plans to sell anything but our own products in the USSR."

In other news from AST Research, company President and CEO Safi
Quereshy has joined US Secretary of Commerce Robert A.
Mosbacher on a business development tour of Indonesia and
Thailand. The tour, from Aug. 1-6, is designed to promote US
export and investment opportunities in key Southeast Asia
markets. It is also aimed at promoting US economic interests in
the face of growing competition from Japan and Europe.

Regarding his participation in this tour along with a number of
other CEOs from around the country, Quereshy released a statement
saying: "Secretary Mosbacher considers this trip an important
step in the US government's efforts to help American industry
compete in Southeast Asia. I look forward to this opportunity to
help maintain US competitiveness around the world."

(Janet Endrijonas and Kirill Tchashchin/19900801/Press Contact:
Joel C. Don, AST Research, 714-727-7957; Ralph-Dieter Hector,
Robotron Moscow, [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(NYC)(00026)

KAPOR TO DONATE TO HACKER NEIDORF'S DEFENSE
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS., U.S.A., 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- Mitch Kapor,
co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has
taken an interest in the case of Craig Neidorf, and has stated
that he personally intends to make a large contribution to
help defray hacker Neidorf's legal expenses.

"I would urge others who feel this is worthwhile to do
so also," says Kapor. Neidorf's legal expenses are rumored to
have exceeded $100,000.

Craig Neidorf, 20, of Chicago, Illinois, had been accused of
wire fraud, receiving stolen goods, and interstate
transporation of stolen goods, after publishing in his
electronic newsletter, "PHRACK," a document illegally obtained
from computer files of the Atlanta-based BellSouth Corporation.

Sheldon Zenner, attorney Neidorf, in a discussion with
Newsbytes, explained the circumstances surrounding the government's
dropping of the charges against his client. Published reports
have been  unclear as to the meaning of the "pre-trial diversion"
arrangement to which  Neidorf agreed.

Zenner, a member of the law firm Kattin Murchin & Zavis and a former
assistant U.S. Attorney, told Newsbytes that "Pre-trial diversion
is a  procedure put in during the Carter years to deal with
persons who have made a one-time error in judgement that resulted
in prosecution. Pre-trial diversion is similar in many ways to
probation but it does not involve any finding of guilt or the
entering of a conviction on the accused's record. Neidorf may,
if he should commit an illegal act during the period of the
diversion, have this matter re-opened but that is highly unlikely."

Zenners states, "The government realized that there was no real
case to begin with and that precipitated its dropping of the
charges." Zenner added that Neidorf was under no prohibition
regarding the use of computers and that he would be meeting
with government officials to attempt a speedy return of the
computer materials seized by Secret Service agents.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/199000801)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(NYC)(00027)

APPLE AND OUTBOUND REACH PROPERTY RIGHTS AGREEMENT
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- Apple
Computer, Inc. and Outbound Systems, Inc. have announced
that they have reached an agreement concerning intellectual
property issues revolving around Outbound's manufacture and
sale of a Macintosh-compatible laptop computer. Specific
details of the agreement were not released.

The companies issued identical press releases on the agreement
saying only that "The agreement allows Outbound to offer its
products without violating Apple's intellectual property rights.
Apple and Outbound believe the agreement will be beneficial to
Apple, Outbound and their respective customers, as it
protects Apple's rights while permitting Outbound to pursue market
opportunities for its system."

Christopher Escher, Apple spokesperson, expanded on the release to
Newsbytes, "We are not, contrary to rumors, buying Outbound Systems.
We are not licensing our Macintosh ROMS to Outbound. Outbound
will not be manufacturing units to be sold under the Apple name."

Jane Rubinstein, Outbound spokesperson, told Newsbytes, "We
believe that the agreement is a positive development for the
company and we're happy to be doing business with Apple's
blessing. Customers who might have had any concerns in this area
can now be assured of Outbound's continued presence in the market."

Both firms refused comment on a report by the San Francisco
Chronicle and other media sources that, under the agreement,
Apple had received the rights to some of Outbound's technology.
They also declined to comment on whether any financial payment
on either side was part of the agreement.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/199000801/Press Contacts:
Christopher Escher, Apple, 408-974-2202; Jane Rubinstein, Outbound,
303-786-9200)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(NYC)(00028)

EDS OBTAINS ARMY SMC CONTRACT
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- Electronic
Data Services (EDS) has announced that it has been awarded
the Small Multi-user Computer (SMC) contract with the U.S.
Army Information Systems Selection and Acquisition Agency to
provide multi-user micro-computer systems and services to the
Army, the Navy, and the Defense Logistics Agency.

The contract, which places EDS in the role of a systems
integrator utilizing products and services from more than 50
vendors, is an "indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity" (IDIQ)
contract and runs for eight years in one-year increments.

Under the terms of the contract the government may
choose to buy between 40 and 20,000 systems and, if the
maximum number is purchased, the contract's value can reach
$700 million.

The three agencies involved will be able to order hardware
and services from the SMC contract during a five-year window
after initial acceptance tests at Fort Huachuca, Arizona.

Sharon O'Malley, EDS regional director of public relations, told
Newsbytes that "The contract is very exciting because of its
potential. In addition to the systems integration and providing
of hardware and software, we will be responsible for training
and maintenance. The heart of our systems will be Prime EXL320s
running SVID multi-user systems. In addition to the multi-user
capability of the Prime systems, we will provide integration
with both DOS and UNIX based personal computers."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/199000801/Press Contact:
Randy Dove, EDS, 703-742-1511)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(NYC)(00029)

AT&T WINS $14 MILLION AMTRAK RESERVATION CONTRACT
MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- AT&T
Computer Systems has announced that it has been awarded a
$14 million contract by the Washington, D.C. based National
Railroad Passenger Corp. to assist Amtrak in improving its
reservation and ticketing systems.

Under terms of the agreement, AT&T will install and maintain
more than 2,100 networked computers, custom software, and
peripherals at more than 300 Amtrak stations, reservation
centers, ticket offices and administrative offices around
the country. Installation is scheduled to begin late next
month and be completed within 18 months.

Curtis J. Crawford, AT&T Computer Systems vice president of sales,
service, and support, commenting on AT&T's winning the
contract, saying, "This contract - the third major
transportation agreement we have received in the past year -
is further evidence of our ability to meet the specific
networked computing needs of our customers."

The software will include a windowing software package
that that Crawford said will provide ticket agents and
reservation clerks with the ability to have simultaneous
access to schedules, pricing and booking information. AT&T
spokesperson Don Ferenci told Newsbytes that A&T Computer
services has "developed all necessary software for the
AT&T 6286/EL WorkGroup System which the reservation agents
will be using to allow them to both access the Amtrak
mainframe computers and to respond to all local customer
reservation requests."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/199000801/Press Contact:
Don Ferenci, AT&T, 201-898-3748)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(NYC)(00030)

UNISYS DIVISION AWARDED $20 MILLION NASA CONTRACT
MCLEAN, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- Unisys Corp. has
announced that the Systems Support Division of its Systems
Management Group (SMG) has been awarded a contract by NASA's
Langley Research Center (LaRC) in Hampton, VA.

Under the terms of the contract, Unisys SMG will assume day-to-day
operation of LaRC's computer systems and will have the
responsibility of the integration of LaRC's IBM-compatible
mainframes with departmental and personal computers.

Edward Johnson, Unisys' spokesperson, told Newsbytes that
the contract is for 1 year with 4 one-year options and that,
if the contract runs for the full five-year term, "will be
valued at approximately $20 million."

Arthur Slotkin, vice president of SMG's Support Services
Division, noted that this is the third competiive-bid
contract that LaRC has awarded to Unisys over the past 24
months and said that Unisys has been working with
LaRC's research team and "now we are working with the
business data systems division providing operational support
as well as MIS assistance in determining future needs for
business information and data analysis."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/199000801/Press Contact: Ed
Johnson, Unisys, 215-986-5367)


(NEWS)(IBM)(NYC)(00031)

IBM ANNOUNCES PRICE REDUCTIONS ON PS/2 COMPUTERS
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- IBM has
announced dramatic price reductions on certain models of its
PS/2 line which it has discontinued from production. These
models are expected to be available for purchase until Oct.
31st of this year.

The reductions in the suggested retail price of the models to be
discontinued reach a high of 34% and include the cutting its
Model 60-041 computer to $2,750 from $4,195; Model 60-071 to
$3,085 from $4,645; Model 80-041 to $4,000 from $5,395; and
Model 80-071 to $4,500 from $6,095.

These models were introduced as part of the original PS/1
introduction in 1987 and have been largely supplanted by
the new versions of the Model 80 and the new Model 65SX
introduced in March of this year.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/199000801/Press Contact:
Tracy A. O'Neill of IBM, 914-642-5412)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00032)

COMPAQ OPENS HONG KONG SUBSIDIARY
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 1 (NB) -- Compaq Computer
Corporation has opened its 18th wholly owned subsidiary,
Compaq Computer Hong Kong Limited.

Compaq Computer Hong Kong Limited will provide the complete
range of personal computers to North Asia, including Hong Kong,
People's Republic of China, South Korea and Taiwan. Prior
to the opening of the Hong Kong subsidiary, dealers in these
countries were supported directly by the Singapore subsidiary,
Compaq Computer Asia Pte Ltd.

In terms of computer usage, Hong Kong is today one of the
most sophisticated users of information technology in North Asia.
According to research firm International Data Corporation (IDC),
PC shipments in Hong Kong are expected to grow from $117.5
million U.S. dollars in 1990 to $166.9 million U.S. dollars in
1992.

There are currently five authorized Compaq dealers in
Hong Kong:  Asian Electronics, Computerland, Electcom
Computer System & Consultants, Executive Computer Center,
and Microware U.S.A.

Laurie Kan has been appointed area sales manager for
North Asia, and full staffing of the subsidiary is expected
to be completed within the next few weeks.

(Wendy Woods/19900801/Press Contact: Maura FitzGerald