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/nb900809

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(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00001)

AUSTRALIAN HI-TECH STAFFERS EVACUATED FROM SAUDI ARABIA
SAUDI ARABIA, 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- A number of Australian
technology companies with staff in Saudi Arabia have begun
to evacuate them or on stand-by awaiting developments in
the region.

British Aerospace Australia has begun moving-out 150 staff
and families from the towns of Dhahran, Riyadh and Khamis-
Musayt. They are working on a Saudi air force contract and
are stationed in regions thought to be likely Iraqi
military targets.

Telecom Australia has 449 staff and families in the area,
where it has a US$68M contract to operate and maintain the
Saudi telecommunications system. While none have yet been
evacuated, contingency plans have been made.

(Paul Zucker/19900809)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00002)

TELECOM AUSTRALIA INVESTS IN RURAL CELLULAR PHONE SYSTEM
PERTH, AUSTRALIA, 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- Telecom Australia has
contracted Western Australian developer Uni-lab
Telecommunications to develop a rural cellular mobile phone
system. It will be based on Uni-Lab's existing Cellswitch
system.

Cellswitch would enable a rural base station to be sold for
as little as $80,000, well below competing systems. "With this
system we should be able to extend our cellular phone
system across much more of Australia," a Telecom
spokesperson told Newsbytes. The system is seen as ideal
for export to countries with poor or no cellular systems,
such as in SE Asia.

(Paul Zucker and Computing Australia/19900809)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SYD)(00003)

AUSTRALIAN COMPANY PIPES REAL WORLD INTO CAD PACKAGES
PERTH, AUSTRALIA, 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- Australian PC
developer ADAM Technology has developed systems for
interfacing computer-aided design (CAD) systems with the
real world. They are based on the science of
Photogrammetry, or 3D digitising from a number of
photographs of an object.

Photos can be taken from a number of positions, and the
software can compensate for the angle, lens type and
distortion, then calculate coordinates for output to
the Cad package. Typical applications include aerial
surveys, geology, archaeology, civil engineering,
structural engineering, and police/incident investigation.

Adam Technologies has sold its software to a number of
international users of CAD packages such as AutoCAD and
Microstation.

(Paul Zucker/19900809)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00004)

HONG KONG SUBSIDIARY FOR COMPAQ
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- Compaq Computer Corporation
has announced the opening of a Hong Kong subsidiary to
service the company's growing North Asian market.

With five dealers in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong subsidiary
will take over the Hong Kong, People's Republic of China,
South Korea and Taiwan markets previously handled by the
Singapore subsidiary, Compaq Computer Asia.

Eckhard Pfeiffer, president of European and international
operations for Compaq, felt that "despite the uncertainty
surrounding the future of Hong Kong beyond 1997, Compaq is
optimistic about the economic situation in the region." The
move follows a very successful first six months of 1990 for
Compaq Computer Asia in which the North Asian market
accounted for half of Compaq's total Asian sales.

(Sean McNamara/19900809/Press Contact: Inge Fuglestved or
Tina Masih, [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00005)

AUSTRALIA HAS AUS$2B A YEAR TELECOM MARKET
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- A Sydney-based
electronics industry consultancy has released a report
which found the value of Australia's telecommunications
market has reached AUS$2B a year, with a 30% increase
expected next year.

The report by FTTH Technologies found that the largest
growth in the market was in the cellular mobile
telecommunications and fibre optic transmission. The three
largest vendors in the market (in order) were L.M.
Ericsson, Alcatel, and NEC. The largest Australian
owned supplier is Exicom with more than AUS$90M worth
of local sales. Telecom, Australia's national carrier,
accounted for over 50% of sales, and overall the Australian
market accounts for 2% of the world's telecommunications
equipment market (Australia has approximately 0.5% of the
world's population).

(Sean McNamara/19900809)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00006)

OHIO SUPERCOMPUTER CENTERS PORTS APE TO CONVEX SUPERCOMPUTERS
RICHARDSON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- Ohio Supercomputer
Center's apE, version 2.0, a visualization software package, has
been ported to Convex supercomputers. This software is a tool for
creating, modifying and manipulating graphical data.

The apE 2.0 visualization environment includes graphical
programming tool and network distribution system, interactive
image and polygonal data viewing, 2-D color and contour imaging
and 3-D surface, volume and terrain imaging, image processing and
manipulation tools and user and programmer documentation.

According to Paul Lambert, graphics and visualization product
manager at Convex, apE 2.0 "provides an environment in which
today's users can understand and characterize the great volume
and complexity of data produced by supercomputers."

(Janet Endrijonas/19900808/Press Contact: Alison Peoples, Convex
Computer, 214-497-4226; Elizabeth Timmons, Ohio Supercomputer
Center, 614-292-6067)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00007)

LAN USERS TO RECEIVE FREE ETHERNET BOARDS FROM COMPEX
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- Compex has
announced that major LAN (local area network) distributors and
resellers will receive free Ethernet boards with the purchase of
Compex Advanced NetWare 286 version 2.15 by Novell. Compex is a
leading manufacturer of industry standard Ethernet for IBM and
compatibles.

Compex Advanced NetWare carries a list price of $3,295 and comes
bundled with EXPRESS 8 by cc:Mail and a backup utility. Included
with each bundled version of Advance NetWare 286 are two 8-bit
ENET-M Ethernet boards that normally retail for $295 each. The
boards, which are Novell certified, have tested at twice the
throughput performance of Novell's NE1000 Ethernet board
according to Compex.

In announcing the free boards, Dwaine Robison, Compex president
and co-founder, said: "This promotion is designed to make the
purchase of NetWare as complete as possible for our users. By
bundling Ethernet boards and drivers with Compex NetWare, we've
eliminated a variable encountered by all LAN installers; network
interface card incompatibility, and we've done this at the same
price the user would have paid for NetWare alone."

This promotion began July 30 and will run through October 31.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900808/Press Contact: Dwaine Robison, Compex,
714-630-7302)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00008)

SHARP TO SHIP DESKTOP IMAGE PROCESSOR AT AGGRESSIVE PRICE
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- Sharp Digital
Information Products will begin shipping its new desktop image
processor this month as a cost that will make it available to
systems integrators for what the company says is roughly one-
third the cost of competing products.

In announcing the shipping time and product price, Sharp's
Digital Information Products' Director of Image Processing
Marketing John Lewis said that OEMs (original equipment
manufacturers) can get started with Sharp's core board for around
$3,000, the single-quantity price. He added: "Our aggressive
pricing and the core-board's compact size will bring image
processing to a potentially vast audience."

The Sharp Image Processor features specially designed VLSI (very
large scale integration) chips that is said to mimic the human
vision recognition system. These chips support varied personal
computer desktop imaging applications at speeds of 700 MIPS
(million instructions per second) "supercomputer" range. In
addition to the core board offering, the processor is also being
offered in an application development system for a single-
quantity price of $28,500. Additionally, a development software
package, which enables users to create custom algorithms for use
with the core board, is available for $13,900.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900808/Press Contact: Ken Greenberg, The
Bohle Company, 213-785-0515)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00009)

NEWS PRODUCTS: Packard Bell Intros New Computers And Monitor
CHATSWORTH, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- Packard Bell
has introduced a small footprint 80286-based system called Force
I, two 80386-based machines, the Force 386/33 and the Force 386X
and an Extended VGA high-resolution color monitor for graphics
users.

Force I is an entry level that Packard Bell Marketing Director
Dennis Cox calls "a full-featured turnkey solution for price
sensitive users." The system, which lists for $1,399, is bundled
with LotusWorks and an offer for a Prodigy Service Start-Up Kit.
The system includes DOS 4.1. The base Force I (other
configurations are available at higher prices) features a 6/12
MHz (megahertz) AT-compatible 80286 CPU, 1 MB (megabyte) of zero-
wait-state RAM (random access memory), both 5.25 inch and 3.5
inch floppy disk drives and a 101-key AT-style PS/2 compatible
keyboard. This system comes with a full year of free onsite
service from AT&T Paradyne.

Packard Bell has extended the upper end of the Force line with
its two new 80386-based offerings. Both new systems feature
enhanced VGA graphics, additional standard memory, and expanded
storage options. The Force 386/33 offers a 32-bit processor with
2 MB of one-wait-state RAM for a list price of $4,399. The Force
386X includes an 8/16 MHz 80386SX microprocessor, an 80387SX
numeric coprocessor socket, 1 MB of zero-wait-state RAM and a 40
MB hard drive plus both the 3.5 inch and 5.25 inch floppy drives
for a list price of $2,599.

Packard Bell's 14 inch PB8510SV Extended VGA monitor features a
maximum resolution of 1024 x 768 (interlaced) and a dot pitch of
0.28mm for clarity. It includes a 15-pin cable and front mounted
controls for brightness, contrast, vertical and horizontal size
and centering. The new monitor lists for $899.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900808/Press Contact: Ken Greenberg, The
Bohle Company, 213-785-0515)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00010)

IMAGE PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY ON TRIAL FOR COURT DOCUMENT HANDLING
SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- The Orange
County (CA) Superior Court is implementing a state-of-the-art
image processing system that incorporates optical disk technology
and work flow software to create digitized images of documents
and electronically transmit them to workstations for viewing.
Once fully operational, it is thought that this system may change
the way courts across the country handle the daily crush of
critical documents.

The new system is from FileNet (Costa Mesa, CA) and will be used
initially in the court's probate department to streamline the
filing and distribution of documents. The new system will allow
simultaneous viewing of the same document or file by multiple
people. Forty FileNet workstations are being installed throughout
the probate department, the Probate Division of the County
Clerk's Office, the Mediation and Investigative Services
Department (about 10 miles from the courthouse) and the Mental
Health Department.

According to Alan Slater, the court's executive officer, this
system will be the first of its kind in a US court of general
jurisdiction. He noted that the probate department was selected
as the "best initial test environment for the system [because] it
is a microcosm of court operations and reflects all of the
processes that go on in the larger volume civil and criminal
courts."

(Janet Endrijonas/19900808/Press Contact: Don Schnitter, FileNet,
714-966-3435)


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

NEW FOR NETWORKS: Synoptics Adds WAN To LattisNet
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- SynOptics
has announced it will incorporate wide-area networking (WAN) into
its LattisNet intelligent concentrator products with the addition
of remote bridging capabilities.

Integrated as a module of the LattisNet System 3000, the
LattisNet Model 3356 Remote Ethernet Bridge interconnects
geographically separate Ethernet LANs (local area networks) over
a variety of high-speed wide-area serial links such as T1.

The new Model 3356 is available now from SynOptics direct sales
force and network of VARs (value added resellers). It is priced
between $11,800 and 14,600 depending on the serial lines used.


(Janet Endrijonas/19900808/Press Contact: Beverly Ristow,
SynOptics, 415-960-1100)


(EXCLUSIVE)(GENERAL)(MOW)(00012)

SOVIET SPACE TECHNOLOGY SECRETS TO BE DISCLOSED SOON
MOSCOW, U.S.S.R., 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- The SofTool USSR
exhibition, a software exhibition to be held in Moscow
October 8-12, 1990 will feature a report on the Soviet
Shuttle computer control system.

Vladimir Shevtchenko, SofTool U.S.S.R. director, says
he is already authorized by State governing bodies to include
in software conference a speech by Professor Isenberg,
chief of the Soviet Buran space shuttle development team.
It will include a description of hardware and software
tools which control the space flight.

For years this has been top secret information in the Soviet
Union, Mr Shevtchenko told Newsbytes.

Show attendance is still open to anyone. More information can
be obtained from SofTool Show Management Headquarters in
Alexandria, Virginia.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19900808/Press contact: Vladimir Shevtchenko,
SofTool U.S.S.R., phone [phone], fax [phone];
SofTools U.S. H.Q. 703-284-7300, fax [phone])


(EXCLUSIVE)(GENERAL)(MOW)(00013)

MOSCOW: SOVIET SOFTWARE EXPO SLATED FOR OCTOBER
MOSCOW, U.S.S.R., 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- The Soviet Computers and
Informatics Society, together with the U.S.-based CASExpo
Company, are to open the first Moscow software-oriented
show October 8th, 1990.

Exhibition will be held in the Moscow VDNKh Exhibition centre,
the same location as last month's PC World Forum. The
organizers expect attendance at the software show to
be greater than the PC World Forum.

The 5-day exhibition and software conference will mainly focus
on computer-aided software engineering (CASE) and on products
from Soviet programmers. Vladimir Shevtchenko, SofTool director,
told Newsbytes that the main goal of the exhibition is to let
Soviet programmers show their products, possibly not perfectly
presented, to the country's developing marketplace.

"I'm sure you'll see substantial improvements in the Soviet
software market within a couple of years," he said.

Show participants will mostly be small independent software
teams from all over the country. People from different
Ukrainian and Siberian locations have already confirmed their
participation, Newsbytes was told.

The exhibition will be co-sponsored by the Moscow branch of
the MicroAge computer center chain and the joint
Soviet/U.S./Canadian venture called RepCo.

Organizers expect the show to become a yearly event. They
already have made arrangements with the city of Kiev, the
capitol of the Ukraine, to host SofTool 1991.

Exhibition space is still available. "We welcome any --
large and small -- software manufacturers to attend our
Moscow show," Vladimir Shevtchenko said.

More information about the event can be had from
SofTools U.S.S.R. The show's management headquarters is
located in Alexandria, Virginia.

The show organizing committee's vice chairman, Dr. Alexander
Fedorov, said: "We have to teach the Soviets how the
market works and help them on the way to a new market
economy. This show is for them."

(Kirill Tchashchin/19900808/Press contact: Vladimir Shevtchenko,
SofTool U.S.S.R. phone + 7 095 187-8356; SofTool U.S.
703-284-7300, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00014)

TECHNOLOGY STOCKS: Company Quarterly Results, Thursday Aug 9
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- Companies in the
news include:

[] CPT Corporation reports that it will no longer be quoted in
the NASDAQ system (National Association of Security Dealers and
Quotes) because it has failed to meet minimum capital requirements
set by the association. The company stock will continue to trade
in the Over The Counter market.

[] PERFECTDATA CORP. reports net income of $138,000 in the first
quarter which ended June 30, 1990 on revenues of $1.4 million. Last
year the company reported $1,000 and $773,000 respectively. Perfect
Data supplies media maintenance equipment and products.

[] PARK COMMUNICATIONS earns $5.87 million for the second
quarter which ended June 30, 1990 on revenues of $42.77 million.
This compares with net income of $5.83 million and revenues of
$43.22 million.

[] SCITEX earns $18.5 million for the second quarter which ended
June 30, 1990, a 156 percent increase as compared with $7.25 million
reported in the same period last fiscal year. For the past six months,
profits reached $32.7 million, a 148 percent increase over the
$13.164 million reported last fiscal. Revenues for the period
reached $84 million and for the first six months, hit the $154
million mark. European revenues peaked at a high 44 percent growth
while in the Americas, the increase was in the order of 38 percent.

[] CENTURY TELEPHONE ENTERPRISES reports net income of $8.69 million
for the second quarter which ended June 30, 1990 on revenues of $60
million. For the first six months, the company reports earnings of
$15.4 million and revenues of $121.16 million. Century operates
telecommunications services with 300,000 access lines, 30,000
cellular lines, and 14,000 paging units in service.

[] ADC TELECOMMUNICATIONS reports an estimate of third quarter
results is due within the next month. The company estimates
sales of $65.8 million for the quarter ending July 31, 1990 and
sales of $188 million for the nine month period.

(John Verhelst/19900809)


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

TECHNOLOGY STOCKS: Market Report, Wednesday Aug 8
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- Even though
a Gulf war may now seem possible, technology stocks moved up
by leaps and bounds trying to catch up all that lost ground.
It seems that the market feels confident about a peaceful end
in the Gulf crisis.

Over the counter stocks were led by Intel which fell 75 cents
to $37.125, Microsoft was up $2.25 to $63.50, Sun Microsystems was
up $1.675 to $30.25, MCI Communications was up 25 cents to $34.875,
Novell Inc was up $2.25 to $45.875, Conner Peripherals was
up 67.5 cents to $23.50 and Apple Computer was up 67.5 cents to
$40.125.

The big board charted a similar course with the Dow Jones average
rising by 24.26 points to close at 2734.90. IBM rose 12.5 cents to
$103.125, AT&T was down 37.5 cents to $35, GE was up 75 cents to
$68, Nynex was down $1.75 to $75.375, Pacific Telesis was up $1.675
to $41.25 and Southwest bell was up $1.75 to $42.75.

(John Verhelst/19900809)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00016)

MACWORLD: SUPERMAC OFFERS COLOR DTP TECHNOLOGY
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- SuperMac
Technology has trumped its leading competition in the drive
toward color desktop publishing on the Macintosh.

At Macworld Expo Wednesday night, SuperMac officials announced
products and technology that will let users standardize process and
spot colors on input or output devices as well as monitors. Earlier
in the day, SuperMac competitor Radius unveiled software to calibrate
colors across a wide range of monitors. The Radius announcement,
however, covered only displays.

The SuperMatch Professional Coloer Matching System is based on
technology licensed from Tektronix, Inc., SuperMac officials said.
The TekColor database and mapping software works with a SuperMac
Display Calibrator to fine-tune color on the Macintosh's monitor so
that they accurately reflect colors that are standard to the printing
industry. The TekColor software matches screen color with output and
input color.

The calibrator, like Radius' similar product, will work on any
Macintosh II monitor, SuperMac officials said.

A SuperMac Color Picker replaces the standard Apple Color
Picker, which controls the pallete from which the Macintosh draws
colors. The SuperMac picker, however, uses the Tektronix technology
to show which display colors will print well and which will not.

SuperMac is the first company to use the TekColor software,
which was announced in September 1989 and is licensed free
of charge, Tektronix officials said. Output vendors announcing
support for the TekColor standard included Agfa Matrix,
Barneyscan (Color Imaging Systems), Hitachi, Howtek, Kodak,
Mirus, Mitsubishi, Nikon, QMS, Seiko Instruments USA and Sharp.

The SuperMac Display Calibrator will carry a list price of
$699 and will be available November 1, company officials said.
It will be bundled with the company's $4,999 Spectrum 24/PDQ
cards, and shipped to all purchasers of the card effective August
1.

In addition, all purchasers of SuperMac graphics cards after
August 1 will receive a new version of the color picker and a
Pantone Color Matching System swatch book. The color picker
without Pantone support will be available in the last quarter of
this year. The color picker with Pantone support was expected to
ship in the first quarter of 1991.

(Daniel J. Rosenbaum/19900809/Press Contact: SuperMac: Kim
Tarter, 415-592-7600; Jennifer Delamare 408-773-4403. Tektronix:
Paula Clancy 503-221-1063.)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00017)

NEW AT MACWORLD: PixelPaint Professional Introduced
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- A new,
completely rewritten version of the PixelPaint Professional
color painting program for the Macintosh has been announced by
publisher SuperMac Technology.

SuperMac also announced an alliance with the multimedia
company VideoLogic to develop new but unspecified Macintosh
products. Videologic makes and sells full-motion digital video
adapters for IBM PC-compatibles and Macintosh II systems.

Version 2.0 of the program features a new interface with
floating palettes, the ability to work with multiple documents
simultaneously, adjustment of color, contrast and brightness, a
color gradient editor, and "pressure"-sensitive tools, Claire
Berney, SuperMac's "resident artist," told a news conference
Wednesday night.

The new version also lets shapes or text to be moved or
changed after it is created, similar to the way object-oriented
drawing programs operate.

The program is scheduled to be available in October 1990 at
a price of $799. Upgrades from PixelPaint Professional will cost
$125, with free upgrades for users who buy version 1.0 after
August 1. Upgrades from PixelPaint to PixelPaint Professional
2.0 will cost $299.

(Daniel J. Rosenbaum/19900809/PRESS Contact: SuperMac: Kim
Tarter, 415-592-7600; Jennifer Delamare 408-773-4403. VideoLogic:
Karyn Scott: 617-494-0530)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00018)

NEW AT MACWORLD: MULTIMEDIA SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- One of the
largest manufacturers of CD-ROMs is launching a subscription
series of discs for consumers. Metatec Corporation, the
Columbus, OH-based owner of Discovery Systems, announced
Nautilus, which the company described as the first multimedia
subscription service distributed on CD-ROM.

Nautilus discs will initially be available for the
Macintosh, and the service was announced at MacWorld Expo. A
similar service for IBM PC-compatible systems, the company said,
is "currently under development and should be available in the
first quarter of 1991."

Priced at $9.98 per issue for 12 issues, each Nautilus disc
will include games, software demos and reviews, shareware,
multimedia applications, audio and music files, and an index.
Content, the company said, will be supplied both commericially
and by individuals. A new disc will be sent out every 28 days,
the company said.

(Daniel J. Rosenbaum/19900809/Press Contact: Carol Stevenson,
Metatec Corp., 614 761 4111)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00019)

NEW AT MACWORLD: "Document Conferencing"
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- Group
Technologies, Arlington, VA, has unveiled Aspects 1.0, its
new, real-time "document conferencing" software for the
Macintosh, at the Macworld Expo.

Aspects is the first simultaneous collaborative computing
software program for Macintosh computers, according to the
firm. It allows users of networked or modem-linked Macintoshes
to view, create and edit the same graphics and text documents
simultaneously, regardless of any distance that may separate them.
It introduces an entirely new way to utilize the personal
computer -- the creation of ''dynamic documents'' which
instantly reflect the thinking of the workgroup, according to
the company.

"We want to give people the power to communicate visually
with one another in much the same way they communicate
verbally over the phone," says Reid Lewis, president of
Group Technologies.

(Wendy Woods/19900808/Press Contact: Doug Desantis, Group
Technologies, 415/512-1555)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00020)

NEW AT MACWORLD: Display Boards From Rasterops
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- RasterOps
Corp. has announced the RasterOps 24S and 8S color graphics
boards. The 24-bit and 8-bit color boards are for the Apple
Macintosh II product family.

The 24S and 8S products, for Apple 13-inch and compatible
monitors, support the Apple Block Mode Data Transfer standard
for transferring large amounts of data across the Apple NuBus.
Engineered to work in conjunction with the RasterOps
Accelerator, which also supports the Apple standard, the boards
provide Macintosh II users with up to a 600 percent boost in
performance, the company says.

The new RasterOps boards also utilize the company's surface-mount
proprietary VLSI board design to increase product reliability
by reducing the total number of components required and the
heat generated by them.

The 24S and 8S boards provide support for NTSC and PAL interlaced
output -- when recording Macintosh graphics to videotape with
the RasterOps Video Expander -- and will automatically switch
to either frequency when using the required video cable, the firm
says. Hardware pan and zoom capabilities permit two, four or
eight times screen enlargement and quick document panning.

The 8S graphics board offers the same features as the 24S but
is less expensive. It can be upgraded to 24-bit True
Color (16.7 million colors) with the RasterOps 8S Upgrade Kit.

The 24S and 8S boards were developed to complement the recently
introduced large screen display systems, the RasterOps 24L
and 8L.

The RasterOps 24S and 8S color graphic boards is expected to
be available in September; the RasterOps 8S will be $695. The
RasterOps 24S will be sold only as a bundle with the RasterOps
Accelerator, at a suggested retail price of $1,195.
The RasterOps Video Expander retails for $695, the Accelerator
lists for $495.

(Wendy Woods/19900808/Press Contact: John Barco, Rasterops,
408/562-4200)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00021)

CAERE HAND SCANNER INPUTS TEXT DIRECTLY INTO APPLICATIONS
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- Caere Corp. (Los
Gatos, CA) is showing off a hand-held scanner which it says can place text
directly into a software application, without any need for an
intermediary utility program, a breakthrough in input devices.

The Caere Typist, $695 for the Mac version and $595 for the PC
version, is said to have true 300 dpi CCD input array and lets
users scan information into an application at the rate of 500 words
per minute.

Larry Miller, Caere's vice president of marketing and sales for office
products, said this in prepared remarks, "The Typist sets a new
standard for speed, ease-of-use, practicality and versatility, and
its price point -- under $700 -- makes page recognition very affordable
to individuals as well as all sizes of businesses."

Designed specifically for page recognition, the Typist uses Caere's
AnyFont optical character recognition technology to recognize text
regardless of the font style or the number of columns on a page, the
company says. This enables users to take information from almost any
hard copy source and put it directly into word processors,
spreadsheets, databases or other applications.

Caere's Typist enables the user to input scanned, recognized material
directly into whatever application is currently running on the user's
computer. This direct input is made possible by a design methodology
which interrupts the keyboard operation and allows data to enter
the application via the keyboard buffer.

Caere's software is capable of recognizing multicolumned pages,
one column at a time. To prevent column overlap, the Typist recognizes
the column that is in the physical center of the scanner and throws
away the incomplete columns on either side. The hand scanner also
automatically discards repeated text which occurs when two scans
overlap by comparing the ASCII text of the last line of the first scan
with the ASCII text of the first line of the second scan. This procedure
is commonly referred to as "stitching."

The Macintosh version of the Typist requires four megabytes of RAM
and a Macintosh SE or any member of the Macintosh II family. It will
ship in September.

The 80286 and 80386 versions require IBM PC or compatible with an
AT bus or a Micro Channel bus, 640 kilobytes of base memory, two
megabytes of expanded/extended memory and a hard disk. They are
expected to ship in the fourth quarter of 1990.

(Wendy Woods/19900809/Press Contact: Larry Miller, Caere,
408-395-7000)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00022)

NEW FOR IBM: Caera Hand Scanner For PCs
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- Caere Corp. (Los
Gatos, CA) is showing off a hand-held scanner which it says can place text
directly into a software application, without any need for an
intermediary utility program, a breakthrough in input devices.

The Caere Typist, $695 for the Mac version and $595 for the PC
version, is said to have true 300 dpi CCD input array and lets
users scan information into an application at the rate of 500 words
per minute.

Larry Miller, Caere's vice president of marketing and sales for office
products, said this in prepared remarks, "The Typist sets a new
standard for speed, ease-of-use, practicality and versatility, and
its price point -- under $700 -- makes page recognition very affordable
to individuals as well as all sizes of businesses."

Designed specifically for page recognition, the Typist uses Caere's
AnyFont optical character recognition technology to recognize text
regardless of the font style or the number of columns on a page, the
company says. This enables users to take information from almost any
hard copy source and put it directly into word processors,
spreadsheets, databases or other applications.

Caere's Typist enables the user to input scanned, recognized material
directly into whatever application is currently running on the user's
computer. This direct input is made possible by a design methodology
which interrupts the keyboard operation and allows data to enter
the application via the keyboard buffer.

Caere's software is capable of recognizing multicolumned pages,
one column at a time. To prevent column overlap, the Typist recognizes
the column that is in the physical center of the scanner and throws
away the incomplete columns on either side. The hand scanner also
automatically discards repeated text which occurs when two scans
overlap by comparing the ASCII text of the last line of the first scan
with the ASCII text of the first line of the second scan. This procedure
is commonly referred to as "stitching."

The Macintosh version of the Typist requires four megabytes of RAM
and a Macintosh SE or any member of the Macintosh II family. It will
ship in September.

The 80286 and 80386 versions require IBM PC or compatible with an
AT bus or a Micro Channel bus, 640 kilobytes of base memory, two
megabytes of expanded/extended memory and a hard disk. They are
expected to ship in the fourth quarter of 1990.

(Wendy Woods/19900809/Press Contact: Larry Miller, Caere,
408-395-7000)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00023)

LOTUS SERVER/NODE EDITIONS OF 1-2-3 SHIPPING
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- Lotus
Development has starting shipping server and node editions of 1-2-3/G,
the graphical version of its 1-2-3 spreadsheet designed
for the OS/2 and Presentation Manager personal computer operating
system.

The 1-2-3/G server edition supplies network administrators with
tools for easier network management, according to Lotus. A count
utility, for example, enables administrators to control and manage
the number of users on a network. In addition, a file reservation
feature in 1-2-3/G preserves the data integrity of files shared
over a network.

1-2-3/G, which began shipping in March, combines advanced
spreadsheet functionality with the familiarity of 1-2-3 and a graphical
user interface, allowing users to move to the new operating
environment, while preserving their investments in 1-2-3. 1-2-3/G
maintains familiar 1-2-3 commands, first letter selection, and provides
full keyboard and mouse support, Lotus says. 1-2-3/G also offers
true three dimensional worksheets; file linking across worksheets
and files in memory or on disk; and the ability to access external
data sources, directly from within the spreadsheet.

The server edition of 1-2-3/G has a suggested retail price of $895.
The node edition provides for an additional concurrent 1-2-3/G user
on the network. The node edition has a suggested retail price of $595.
1-2-3/G requires an IBM PC AT, IBM PS/2, IBM PS/2 models 50Z, 60,
70, P70, 80, Compaq 286, 386, Compaq Portable 386, or 100 percent
compatibles. Lotus recommends a 386-based computer. A minimum
of 5 megabytes of RAM is required with the network versions of 1-2-3/G.

(Wendy Woods/19900809/Press Contact: The Weber Group, Marcia Kordas,
617/494-1520)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00024)

VENTURA PUBLISHER FOR THE MACINTOSH INTRODUCED
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- Ventura Software,
San Diego, has rolled out a Macintosh version of its popular Ventura
Publisher desktop publishing program, which it says has been
completely rewritten for the Mac. Slated to be commercially
available in fourth quarter, 1990, the product will retail for $795.

The program will be able to exchange files or "chapters" with PC
versions of Ventura: PC GEM version, Windows 3.0 version, and the OS/2
Presentation Manager Version, a Ventura spokeswoman tells Newsbytes.
This capacity will be demonstrated publicly on September 30 through
October 2 in San Jose, California, at the Red Lion Inn, site of the 1990
Ventura Publisher Seminar.

New features for the Ventura Publisher, Macintosh Edition include spell
checker, undo/redo, apply/cancel with dialog box chaining, movable dialog
boxes, 300 on-line help menus and file import/export capabilities,
the company says.

Although the Ventura Publisher DOS/GEM Edition is the basis for some
100 existing third party enhancement products, the Macintosh edition
has but one so far. SNA Inc., manufacturer of VP Toolbox, a file and style
sheet manager for the DOS/GEM environment, will be shipping a
Macintosh version upon release of Ventura Publisher, Macintosh Edition.
Ventura Software says it is actively building a following for the
Macintosh Edition

(Wendy Woods/19900809/Press Contact: Judith Tarabini, Hill
and Knowlton, 408/496-6511; Ventura Software, 619/673-0172)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00025)

SMALL GAIN IN U.S. ELECTRONICS SALES, SAYS AEA
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- The American
Electronics Association (AEA) says sales of domestically produced
electronics products and services in the first half of 1990 were
$149.7  billion, a 4.4 percent increase over the $143.4 billion
posted this time last year.

Sales for the second quarter of 1990 rose almost 3 percent to $76.4
billion from $74.2 billion in 1989.  Comparative June figures were
said to be $28.8 billion for 1990 and $28.1 billion for 1989,
representing an  increase or 2.5 percent.  AEA estimates $148.1
billion in orders for electronics products and services were
placed on domestic plants in the first six months of
1989.  June orders increased by 1.8 percent to $27.4 billion.

J. Richard Iverson, AEA president and chief executive officer,
said, "While electronics sales and orders continued to grow in
the first  half of 1990, sales outpaced orders in the last
three months of the  period. In the final month of the first
half, sales increased in all segments of the industry except
for consumer products...However, in the same time-frame,
orders were up only in the telecommunications segment.
This is a cause for concern."

AEA estimates of sales and orders are based on U.S. Department of
Commerce data that has not been seasonally adjusted and is
subject to revision.

(Wendy Woods/19900809/Press Contact: John Hatch, 202/682-4430)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00026)

CORNELL VISION STUDY EYES BAD LIGHTING FOR VDT COMPLAINTS
ITHACA, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- A new study from
Cornell University says indirect lighting can dramatically
reduce eyestrain among VDT (video display terminal) workers.

The study, involving 147 workers at a Syracuse, New York
Xerox plant, compared groups working under indirect, "bounced"
fluorescent lighting and those working under conventional
computer-area overhead (parabolic) fluorescent lighting.
The workers in the overhead-lit area had 25% higher rate of
complaints of eyestrain and said they lost 15 minutes a day
because of trouble focusing their eyes. In contrast, only one
percent of the computer users working under indirect lighting
lost more than 15 minutes a day because of focusing problems.

Cornell's Department of Design and Environmental Analysis,
which conducted the 1988 study under the direction of Dr. Alan
Hedge, returned to the site last year to find that employees
working under the overhead, parabolic lights had modified nearly
half of them to try to improve their visual environment.

The configuration most appreciated by the employees was the
indirect lighting, consisting of lensed indirect fluorescent
lights which direct light upward toward the ceiling, something
called uplighting. The new type of lighting is being used
by companies such as AT&T, US West, IBM and other companies
that rely heavily on computer-equipped workstations, according
to the Cornell research team. 71 percent of the employees
working under the indirect light preferred it, while 74 percent
of those working under the parabolic system preferred uplighting.

Dr. Hedge said, "This is an overwhelming preference. We
didn't expect to see results this one-sided, especially given
that the parabolic lighting was designed for computer areas."

(Wendy Woods/19900809/Press Contact: Dr. Hedge, Cornell,
617-255-2168)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00027)

SOFTWARE TOOLWORKS TO DISTRIBUTE SOFTWARE IN EUROPE
EAST SUSSEX, ENGLAND, 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- Software
Toolworks has inked  a deal with BLOC publishing of the
United Kingdom for the distribution of software titles
across Europe.

These titles include FormTool (forms design), FormFiller
(form template creation), FastPak Mail (dBASE-compatible direct
mail database, and PageGarden (page at the DOS prompt).

Toolworks Sales Manager Vop Patel commented, "The BLOC
titles will fulfil a need among businessess who need
easy to use multipurpose tools at excellent prices."

All titles are supplied with both 3.5" and 5.25" diskettes
and will cost from UKP 60 to UKP 100.

(John Verhelst/19900809)


(EXCLUSIVE)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00028)

ELECTRONIC BUSINESS LISTS MANY NEWCOMERS TO TOP 200 COMPANIES
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- Electronic
Business, the widely distributed McGraw Hill magazine that
examines the electronics business, has 18 new companies listed,
including Beckman Instruments which shot up to 70 from obscurity
and Silicon Graphics, now firmly entrenched in position 122.

Among the notables, IBM remained king at top position followed
by AT&T, Digital Equipment (a distant $50 billion behind IBM) and
Xerox. Others in the top ten include Hewlett-Packard, GM,
Hughes Electronics, Unisys, Motorola, which moved up one, and
General Electric which fell one.

Among other notable companies, Apple Computer moved from 17 to 13
with its latest revenues of $5.4 billion, Wang fell to 31 from
22, and Compaq Computer reached position 27 from 37 a year
earlier.

Other notables include Microsoft, up to 61 from 73, Novell hit
97 from 130, and Maxtor, the hard drive manufacturer, moved up
to 93 from 117.

In terms of best return on investment, Premier industrial topped
the list with 31.8 percent, followed by Apple Computer with
29.4 percent and Microsoft with 29 percent. The worst return
belonged to Control Data, which lost 84 percent, a dismal
showing which was followed by TIE/Communications
registering a loss of 60 percent.

(John Verhelst/19900809/Contact: Electronic Business, Frank
Burge, Editor in Chief, (US) +1617/964-3030)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00029)

NEW FOR IBM: Tangent Lowers 33MHz Price Limit
BURLINGAME, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- Tangent
Computer, Inc. (Burlingame, Calif.) announced a complete 80386
33 MHz system, the Model 333c, that retails for $2995, a
price that Tangent says brings affordability to users who
desire the power and performance of a high-end 80386 system.

The configuration includes a 80386 33 MHz motherboard with
2 MB of RAM and a 64K cache expandable to 256K. The system
is also equipped with a 1.2 MB floppy disk drive, a 40 MB
hard drive, a VGA graphics card and 14-inch VGA color
monitor. It's enclosed in a desktop case with five drive bays
and a 220 watt power supply.

The expansion slot configuration of the motherboard consists
of one 32-bit slot, six 16-bit slots and two 8-bit slots. The
system will accommodate 8 MB of memory on the motherboard itself
and a total of 16 MB when using an expansion card.

Tangent offers a one-year parts and labor warranty and a 30-day
money back guarantee. Call Tangent at 415/342-9388.

(Computer Currents/19900808)


(EXCLUSIVE)(GOVT)(BRU)(00030)

EUROPEAN COMMISSION TO RECOMMEND TARIFFS ON PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1990 AUG 9 (NB) -- The European Commission is
to look into increasing tariffs on completed computer modules
in order to stop the flow of inexpensive, ready-made computer
products into the EC and to promote European design and
manufacture of computer boards.

The EC suggests that the current tariffs on semiconductors
should be decreased from the current relatively high
14 percent level to a few percent, while increasing the
current tarrifs on complete boards from 4 percent to 14 percent
or even higher.

The action has been suggested as a solution to the problem
of low industrial base and the inability of European companies
to develop and promote semiconductor products, which are
mainly designed and produced in the United States.

The European Commission by recommending low tariffs on
semiconductors and increasing tariffs on boards, hopes to
promote local design and manufacture of printed
circuit boards.

The issue of tariffs on semiconductors will be taken up during
the current GATT (General Agreement Tariffs and Trade) trade
negotiations in Uruguay, the so-alled Uruguay round.

(John Verhelst/19900809)