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(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00001)

TEXAS INSTRUMENTS DISMISSES TANDY LAWSUIT CLAIMS
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- In a statement
issued in the wake of the announcement of the lawsuit filed
Monday by Tandy and its subsidiary Grid Systems charging
Texas Instruments (TI) with violating antitrust laws,
Stan Victor, spokesman for TI dismissed the claims as typical
in countersuits of this sort.

"The main thing is that this lawsuit contains the type of
counterclaim that regularly occurs as a defense against a
patent assertion," said Victor. "Typically, these counterclaims
attack the patent's validity. From our point, we believe
TI acted appropriately, obtaining and enforcing its patents."

Victor added: "Basically, we have eight patents that broadly
govern how the microprocessor interfaces with other components
of the microprocessor systems." Victor further defended his
company's action saying that royalty payments have helped
TI to invest more in research and development. Victor told
Newsbytes that "not only have the royalties been invested
in R & D, they are funding long term capital investments such
as the three memory chip factories TI is building around the
world in partnership with other companies."

Victor told Newsbytes that while TI has received over
$600 million in royalties in the past four years, the
company is spending $950 million in calendar 1990 alone on
R&D and long term capital investments and this compares
favorably with the amount spent in 1989 with the level of
spending to be continued into 1991. "The money has been
put right back into the industry; it has not been paid
out to shareholders or anything like that," Victor noted.

The Tandy suit claims that TI has demanded exorbitant
royalties on its technology and has forced Tandy to buy
licenses it didn't need in order to obtain other TI
technologies. The suit said: "Because of the number,
importance and uniqueness of the patents it owns and
controls, TI has the ability to control prices and/or
exclude competition in the license market in the US."

Victor noted that while filing the lawsuit, Tandy also
indicated it would continue its royalty payments to TI
which are part of a settlement reached earlier this year
relating to microprocessor systems.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900911)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00002)

TECHNOLOGY STOCKS: Market Report, Wednesday September 12
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- IBM led
the field in New York yesterday, gaining more than $1.675
to end at $107.50. Generally, the market was mixed with OTC
leaders such as Microsoft registering losses while Ingres moved
actively higher.

On the New York Stock exchange, IBM rose by $1.675 to
$107.50 while AT&T moved up 75 cents to $31.125. Motorola
kept the downward slide and fell $1.375 to $59.875 and
Tandem Computer was the most active issue sliding $2.125
to $11.50.

OTC stocks behaved slightly better with Microsoft leading
in dollar volume, down 25 cents to $55.50. Apple
Computer followed, down $1.75 to $34, Conner Peripherals
was down $1 to $22.50, Intel was down 50 cents to
$32 and MCI Communications was unchanged at $34.12.

Ingres, the manufacturer of the Ingres database package,
announced it is merging with ASK Computer Systems in
what is considered the largest software company
merger in Silicon Valley history. Ingres stock
moved up $3.25 to $9 gaining more than 60 percent in one
session.

Lotus development was off $1.50 to $16.50.

(John Verhelst/19900912)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00003)

TECHNOLOGY STOCKS: Business News, Wednesday, September 12
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- Technology
business news today comes from: SEMTECH, MOTOROLA, SIEMENS,
CALIFORNIA MICRO DEVICES, FASTCOMM COMMUNICATIONS, SCIENCE
ACCESSORIES, TEXAS INSTRUMENTS, WESTPAC and AT&T:

[] SEMTECH reports net income of $137,000 in the second
quarter of 1991 which ended July 29, on revenues of $4.8
million. For the half year until July 29, the company
earned $192,000 on revenues of $9.3 million. The
company manufactures silicon rectifiers, high voltage
capacitors, and related devices.

[] MOTOROLA and SIEMENS agreed to a long term agreement to
cross patent each others' products for the Pan European
Digital Cellular Mobile Communications System as defined
in GSM (Groupe Special Mobile) standard. This agreement
follows a cross licensing pact which has already been
signed between Alcatel of France and Motorola.

[] CALIFORNIA MICRO DEVICES earned $68,000 in the fourth quarter
which ended June 30, 1990 on revenues of $6.9 million. For
the year, the company reports earnings of $1.1 million on
revenues of $32.3 million. The company produces and markets
various integrated circuit products including BiCMOS devices
and Vanguard semiconductor products.

[] FASTCOMM COMMUNICATIONS reports revenues of $1.23 million
and net earnings of $161,718 for the first quarter of
fiscal 1991 which ended June 30, 1990. This compares with last
year's net loss of $598 and revenues of $486,120.

[] SCIENCE ACCESSORIES reports a loss of $221,934 for the
third quarter which ended July 31, 1990 on revenues
of $474,172. For the nine months, the company reports
a loss of $673,900 against $514,000 during the same period
in fiscal 1989 and revenues of $1.9 million against $2.2
million recorded in last year's nine month period. SA also
said a litigation-related expense of $925,000 severely
impacting the operating results.

[] IBM invested in Westpac technology, an Australian
company which produces banking software for IBM computers.
The agreement gives IBM worldwide rights to certain technologies
including the CS90 software, Westpac services, and related
products. IBM will use the technology for its Financial
Application Solution architecture for the nineties. No sum
has been mentioned for this agreement which is rumoured to be
worth more than $1 million.

[] AT&T has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to
offer up to $976 million in notes and warrants. Proceeds from
the sales will be used to invest in the Universal Card
division and other AT&T subsidiaries. The offering is being
handled by Salomon Brothers and First Boston Corporation.

(John Verhelst/19900911)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00004)

ASK ASKS INGRES TO MERGE -- HP AND EDS TO HELP
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- ASK
Computer Systems has proposed a $110 million merger with
Alameda, California-based Ingres Corporation in what is
being seen as one of the largest software company mergers
in history.

The deal involves several additional parties. Chase Manhattan
Bank is loaning the parties $45 million. Hewlett-Packard will
put up $20 million and Electronic Data Systems $40 million so
they will own 10 percent and 19.7 percent of the combined
companies, respectively.

ASK Computer Systems uses Ingres' relational database software
in its computer-aided manufacturing applications, so the
deal is logical from a supply standpoint. Sandra Kurtzig,
chief executive of ASK, will be in charge of overseeing the
new, combined companies, whose combined revenues are expected
to be $400 million. Speculation has it she may be forced
to make some layoffs at ASK in order to finance the debt
from the merger.

Under the agreement with Ingres, an ASK subsidiary will make a
tender offer for all of the outstanding common stock of Ingres
at a cash price of $9.25 per share. That is to be followed by
a merger in which any remaining shares of Ingres common stock
will be converted into the right to receive $9.25 per share
in cash.

(Wendy Woods/19900912)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00005)

NEW FOR APPLE: Print Shop Companion IIGS
SAN RAFAEL, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- Broderbund
Software has announced that in October it will ship "The Print
Shop Companion IIGS."

This program combines graphics and text using "Quick Page"
to create posters, signs, flyers and more; creates daily,
weekly, monthly, and yearly calendars; prints standard-sized
mailing and diskette labels and creates envelopes to
complement "Print Shop" greeting cards.

In addition, the program includes full-featured graphic,
full-panel border and font editors as well as "Creature Maker"
and "Tile Magic" for creating colorful graphics to use in
"Print Shop" designs.

The program has a retail price of $49.95

(Naor Wallach/19900912)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00006)

NEW PRODUCT: Low-Priced 386SX Takes Aim At Mail-Order Vendors
CLEVELAND, OHIO, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- Aiming to compete
with mail-order PC vendors, Cumulus Corp. has announced the
GLC/CO desktop PC.

At the same time, Cumulus jumped on the Windows 3.0 bandwagon.
The GLC/CO comes with DOS 4.01, Windows and Microsoft Works.

Cumulus, founded in 1987 as a maker of PC enhancement products
for the Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, makes the jump to
selling complete systems with this introduction, Tony Paradiso, a
marketing consultant to the firm, told Newsbytes.

The GLC/CO system is based on the Intel 80386SX processor.
Systems using the 16-megahertz version of the chip range in price
from US$1,195 for a system with one megabyte of memory,
monochrome monitor and a 1.44-megabyte diskette drive to US$1,995
for one with a color monitor, two megabytes of memory, a
40-megabyte hard disk and the diskette drive, Paradiso said.

Other standard features include a 101-key keyboard, a 16-bit VGA
graphics adapter and a two-button mouse. Hard disks with 100- and
200-megabyte capacities are also available.

Systems using the 20-megahertz 386SX are also planned, but prices
have not been set, Paradiso said.

The design uses a passive-backplane architecture, making it
upgradeable to use an 80386DX or 80486 processor. No dates have
been set to release the upgrade hardware, Paradiso said, but the
replacement boards will be offered.

The machine has four available Industry Standard Architecture
(ISA) bus expansion slots. Two are 16-bit full-length slots and
two are half-length (one 16-bit and one eight-bit).

The PCs carry a one-year parts-and-labor warranty with 24-hour
parts replacement through authorized dealers, Cumulus said.

(Grant Buckler/19900911/Press Contact: Tony Paradiso, Cumulus,
714-494-8165)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TOR)(00007)

NEW PRODUCT: Indigo Brings JetForm-Merge To RS/6000
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- Indigo Software has
announced a version of its forms merging software for IBM's RISC
System/6000.

Running under IBM's AIX version of Unix, JetForm-Merge merges
database information into forms created with Indigo's JetForm-
Design Software. JetForm-Merge is also available for DOS, OS/2
and some proprietary minicomputer operating systems. It works
with Indigo's JetForm-Filler, a forms fill-in package, and
JetForm-Server, a client-server system to automate forms
management, as well as JetForm-Design.

JetForm-Merge for the RS/6000 carries a suggested retail price of
US$595.

Indigo Software is an eight-year-old company, based in Ottawa,
that specializes in forms management software.

(Grant Buckler/19900911/Press Contact: Barry Gillespie, Indigo
Software, 613-594-3026)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00008)

GEAC PLANS TO BUY NEW ZEALAND FIRM
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- Geac Computer
of Canada has signed an agreement in principle to acquire Fact
International, a software maker based in New Zealand.

Fact sells software for manufacturing and distribution
businesses. Geac's strengths are in library automation and the
insurance business. "We're always looking for a different
vertical market to develop," Harrison Cheung, Geac's director of
marketing, told Newsbytes.

Fact International has annual revenues of about C$9 million from
more than 300 accounts in the Australasia region, according to
Geac. The company has little presence outside that region, Cheung
said. Geac's library division has an office in Sydney, Australia,
representing Geac's only existing foothold in Australasia.

Geac will pay about US$1 million for Fact, partly in cash and
partly in Geac stock. Completion of the transaction is subject to
formal purchase agreements and other formalities.

(Grant Buckler/19900911/Press Contact: Harrison Cheung, Geac,
416-475-0525)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00009)

COMPUTER SCIENCES WINS U.S. ARMY CONTRACT
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- El Segundo,
California-based Computer Sciences Corp. has announced that the
company received a four-year contract worth up to $70 million to
supply technical and management services to the U.S. Army
Communications and Electronics Command at Fort Monmouth, New
Jersey.

(John McCormick/19900911)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00010)

CALIFORNIA TRUCKERS TO BUY PACTEL CELLULAR SERVICE
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- The
trucker's old stand-by, the CB radio, is in for some competition. The
California Trucking Association, which previously signed deals
for its 2,500 members with Pacific Bell, AT&T and GTE, has said
it intends to purchase cellular telephones and service from
PacTel Cellular.

CTA's members will be able to establish mobile
communications capabilities that can handle both voice and data
transmissions under the deal, and at a discount. The CTA
estimates that the arrangement could result in sales of up to
20,000 cellular phones.

Cellular features such as roaming, which allows users to use
service when outside their home area, will particularly benefit
CTA members, said Gary N. Schindler, PacTel Cellular's area vice
president for Inland California and Nevada. PacTel Cellular has
interests in systems serving Sacramento, San Francisco, Los
Angeles, San Diego, Chico, Redding, Stockton and Modesto.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900910/Press Contact: Stephen Saks,
California Trucking Association, 916-371-7558)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00011)

SPRINT GATEWAYS INTRODUCES LIVE BROADCAST 900 SERVICE
OVERLAND PARK, KANSAS, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- Just in
time for the college football season, where pay-per-view is
rapidly gaining a toehold despite a glut of free televised games,
US Sprint's Sprint Gateways service has begun offering Live
Broadcast 900, which lets people dial a caller-paid 900 number
and listen to live events.

The company is also selling the service for use in shareholders'
meetings, association groups, and press conferences.

During the last football season, a few college football programs
tried using 900 numbers to offer feeds of their radio telecasts
to distant alumni, usually without much financial success. Some
Southeastern colleges, however, notably the University of
Georgia, have found great success with pay-per-view telecasts of
games which were otherwise not televised.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900910/Press Contact: Janis Langley, US
Sprint, 202-857-1030)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(ATL)(00012)

NEC TO INTRODUCE 3-POUND VOICE CONFERENCING DEVICE
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- NEC
America's Data and Video Communications Division has scheduled a
press conference on a toll-free number for September 17 to
introduce VoicePoint, a portable audio teleconferencing unit
which weighs 3.3 pounds, or 1.3 kg., and costs just $1,299. The
company says that's 75 percent below the price of its nearest
competitor.

The device plugs into any phone jack, then plugs into
a wall outlet. It can pick up sound up to 18 feet away in almost
any environment, including a crowded trade show floor.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900910/Press Contact: Martha Sessums, for NEC
America, 408-496-6511)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BRU)(00013)

SUPER SERVER OFFERS SPARC PROCESSORS AND 1GB OF MEMORY
LONGMONT, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- Solbourne
Computer has announced a new super server that offers
up to eight 40MHz SPARC processor boards, more than 1GB
(gigabyte or billion byte) main memory and runs the Unix, OS/SMP
4.0D operating systems which supports parallel processing.

The systems is conpatible with Sun's Sun OS SPARC-based
system and costs from $89,900 for the one processor
system to $605,800 for an 8-CPU system with 256MB of
RAM and 16 860MB hard drives.

(John Verhelst/19990910/Press Contact: Solbourne Computer,
303/772-3400)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00014)

NEW FEATURES FOR GATEWAY ROUTERS ANNOUNCED
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- Gateway
Communications' G/Remote Bridge family of IPX routers now
have modules featuring data compression and high speed
file transfer software which will allow G/Remote users to
increase throughput when accessing remote network
information, Netcomm has announced.

The Data Compression (DCM) module allows data packets to
be compressed before transmission and decompressed on
reception. The new File Transfer module (FTM) allows
increased throughput in LAN to LAN (local area networks)
file transfers. According to Calvin Rowley, Netcomm's LAN
division manager, "Both DCM and FTM overcome performance
problems caused by Netware communications protocol and
IPX transmission bottle-necks between remote LANs. As a
result, the speed of movement of data from LAN to LAN
across communications lines, public or private, is
maximized."

(Sean McNamara/19900910/Press Contact: Scott Frew, phone
in Australia [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MOW)(00015)

CA ASSOCIATES, VENTURA PUBLISHER FEATURED IN MOSCOW EXPO
MOSCOW, U.S.S.R., 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- A small hardware and
software expo has been launched on the 8th floor of the
Moscow International Trade Center. Computer Associates of Garden
City, New York, Microinform, and Germany's Soft-Tronik, show
sponsors, opted for this, more intimate approach to marketing,
which they consider more important than large trade shows.

"We spent a lot of money to get this exhibition here but we
think it is very important to us, maybe more important than
these big computer shows. We invited our own customers and they
know what they are looking for here," Boris Fridman, Microinform's
general director, told Newsbytes.

Computer Associates is presenting its PC-based accounting and finance
applications which will be in the Russian language early next year while
Microinform is showing a Soviet-made integrated environment called
Master developed by a Soviet team headed by Mr Veselov. Master
includes multiwindow editor with Russian spell checker, spreadsheet,
and database, and is a "Russian-made product," according to Mr Fridman.

German Soft-Tronik is showing computer hardware it intends
to sell in the Soviet Union.

The exhibition, which will lasts three more days, will include
seminars on CA's products, Master, and Russian Ventura Publisher, which
is also distributed by Microinform.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19900911/Press contact: Boris Fridman, Microinform,
phone [phone] fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(MOW)(00016)

MICROSOFT WORKS TO SPEAK RUSSIAN
MOSCOW, U.S.S.R., 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- Microsoft is to announce
availability of a Russian PC version of Microsoft Works 2.0 in early
October, Newsbytes has learned.

Representatives of joint venture Dialogue, Microsoft's Soviet business
partner, told Newsbytes that presentation of the product is scheduled
to take place in Moscow October 5-7,1990.

Works will come complete with full Russian manuals, menus and help files.
Technical support, training, and upgrades for registered users will be
provided as well. Price information is not available at the moment.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19900912)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SFO)(00017)

AMD TO APPEAL GUILTY VERDICT IN PATENT CASE
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- Advanced
Micro Devices vows to appeal a verdict in the U.S. District Court
in San Diego which found that AMD had infringed patents and
maskwork rights held by Brooktree Corp.

AMD lost the patent infringement suit yesterday when the
judge decided that it had violated the smaller firm's
copyright on chips known as color palettes, which are used
to control the display of colors on computer monitor screens.
The suit was filed in 1988 and is widely considered to be
the first major test of the Semiconductor Chip Protection
Act of 1984.

AMD contends that if it did steal Brooktree's patents, it
was inadvertent. Richard Previte, president and chief
operating officer of AMD, said he was shocked by the verdict
and proclaimed, "We did not copy Brooktree's designs, and any
infringement of their recently issued patents, if infringements
occurred, were inadvertent. AMD invented the color palette, and
the devices at issue in this case were introduced prior to the
issuance of the Brooktree patents."

AMD will file an appeal to the Court of Appeals of the Federal
Circuit, according to Thomas Armstrong, AMD vice president
and general counsel.

Later this month the court will decide on the monetary amount
of penalties AMD is to pay to Brooktree as a result of the
judgement.

Meanwhile, AMD has its own patent infringement suit pending against
Brooktree in the same jurisdiction.

AMD's color palette sales contributed less than one percent of
AMD's $1.1 billion in revenues in 1989, the company said.

(Wendy Woods/19900912/Press Contact: John Greenagel, AMD,
408/749-3310)


(EXCLUSIVE)(TELECOM)(SFO)(00018)

FIRST DOS VERSION OF AMERICA ONLINE SHIPS NEXT MONTH
VIENNA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- The first DOS
version of software to log on and interact with America Online,
a system currently available only to Apple II and Macintosh users,
is being bundled with Laser Computer's Laser Pal 286, a
machine intended to compete directly with the home computers
recently announced by IBM and Tandy.

Although America Online was designed to be accessed by Apple
II, Macintosh, and DOS computers, Quantum Computer Services,
the company that runs America Online, has yet make available the
software for PCs.  Quantum has been working on the DOS Interface
for well over a year. While there are no plans at this time to roll out
such a feature nationally, the Laser deal " is the first time that the DOS
interface will be available," Quantum spokesperson Nancy Beckman
told Newsbytes.

Beckman says that the PAL interface to American Online
"looks like Promenade with the Promenade interface but it
has the services of America Online." Promenade is IBM's own
online network, operated by Quantum, exclusively for owners of IBM's
PS/1 home computer. She said while other machines, such as the
Laser, could conceivably access and work on the Promenade system,
competing systems' presence there, "is not a matter of functionality,
but legality."

She said that the arrangement with Laser Computer may not be
unique. Quantum is in demand and has many large companies desiring
its services, she said, adding that she could not disclose which
companies\were in discussions at this time.

(Wendy Woods/19900912)


(NEWS)(IBM)(NYC)(00019)

LASER COMPUTER CHALLENGES IBM HOME COMPUTER WITH PAL 286
LAKE ZURICH, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1990 SEPT 12 (NB) -- Laser
Computer Inc. has introduced a system intended to compete
directly with the home computers recently announced by IBM and
Tandy. The system, the Laser Pal 286, will ship on October 1
at a price of $1,999.95.

Grant Dahlke, Laser spokesperson, told Newsbytes that Laser has
decided, at this time, to concentrate on the high-end of the
home marketplace and, thus, has only introduced the single unit.
The system comes standard with 1MB of random access memory (RAM),
a VGA color monitor, a Hayes-compatible 2400 bps (bits/sec) modem,
2 floppy disk drives (one a 3 1/2" 1.44MB and the other a 5 1/4"
1.2MB) and a 40MB fixed drive.

Dahlke pointed out that the Laser Pal can be expanded to 4MB
on the motherboard while the PS/1 is limited to 1MB. He also called
attention to the fact that, at the same price as the high-end PS/1,
Pal provides 2 floppy disk drives rather than 1 and a 40MB fixed
disk rather than a 30. Dahlke said: "We are very confident that
when buyers go out to look at these systems they will find
that they can do much more with the Pal than they can with the
PS/1 at the same price."

Geoworks' Ensamble graphic user interface is bundled with the Pal
and, according to Dahlke, is "...what really separates Pal from
the PS/1. It's really got the look and feel of Macintosh." Ensamble
interfaces with MS-DOS version 4.01 and through its use, said Dahlke,
procedures like creating folders, organizing files and ejecting disks
are done almost exactly like they are on a Macintosh."

Thirty day trial subscriptions to the Prodigy and the first
PC version of the America Online service are bundled with Pal
and, Dahlke told Newsbytes, "an automatic installation program
will automatically set up Ensamble, Prodigy and America Online
on the purchasers' hard disk when he or she is ready to begin
setting it up. There is no need for a person to master DOS
to use Pal."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900910/Press Contact:
Grant Dahlke, Laser, 708-540-8086)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(NYC)(00020)

AT&T INTRODUCES NEW NETWORK MANAGEMENT PRODUCTS
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- AT&T Computer
Systems has introduced a number of new networking
products which it says "make it easier for customers to
manage computers and widely dispersed networks made up of
many vendor's products."

These offerings are part of the company's new Networking
Computing Support, a framework for providing tools and services.

Scott Perry, AT&T vice president of marketing and strategy,
said, "Network Computing Support defines an evolving network
and systems management strategy for customers who are
deploying distributed, multi-vendor systems. We based many
of the features of Network Computing Support on proven
solutions that we have developed to simplify systems
management for customers operating in heterogeneous environments."

AT&T also introduced a new release of its StarGROUP LAN Manager
Server network operating system. The new release, Release 4.0,
provides a graphical interface and supports the Simple Network
Management Protocol (SNMP).

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900911/Press Contact:
Paige Tunstall, AT&T, 201-898-6734 )


(NEWS)(IBM)(NYC)(00021)

IBM REDUCES PS/2 SYSTEM PRICES
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 SEPT 12 (NB) -- IBM has
announced price reductions on several of its PS/2 Model 25 286
computer systems.

The reductions range from 3 percent to 8 percent and affect
the several PS/2 models.

In addition to these price reductions, two of the PS/2 Model 25
286 systems, 006 and G06, which currently offer 512 kilobytes as
standard random access memory (RAM), will now offer 1 megabyte
as standard RAM.

The reductions were announced on the same day that Compaq and
Zenith also announced price reductions on some of their models.
In the case of Compaq, discounts on some of its desktop computers
reached 20% while Zenith discounted some portables by up to 15%.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900910/Press Contact:
Sheila Shanahan, 914/642-5407)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(NYC)(00022)

AMI TO APPEAL RULING IN ANTITRUST CASE WITH IBM
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 SEPT 12 (NB) -- Allen-Myland,
Inc (AMI) has stated that it will appeal the ruling by U.S.
District Judge Thomas N. O'Neill Jr. that Allen-Myland Inc.
violated IBM's copyright for the "microcode" needed to operate
its 3090 series mainframes. The judge ruled that Allen-Myland
copied and installed the code in systems sold to customers.

The ruling in Philadelphia Federal District Court also found
that Allen-Myland misrepresented to customers that this second
set of code came from IBM.

AMI purchases and reconfigures system for customers. It has
purchased 3090 Model 400E processors from IBM and then split
those systems to make dual 200E processors for resale. In the
splitting of the systems, AMI has copied the 3090 microcode in
the original system so that the second one may be made
operational. It is this copying that IBM has claimed is a
violation; the Federal Court agreed.

Larry Allen, AMI president, in announcing plans to appeal, was
quoted as contending that the microcode "is part and parcel of
the machine and that customers should be allowed to alter that."
He further said that the copied code was used solely in computers
owned by the same customer from which the copy was made,
and that Allen-Myland did not sell the copied code to other
customers.

In rendering the decision for IBM, the court directed that further
proceedings take place to determine the precise nature of the
injunctions to be entered in IBM's favor and to determine the
amount of damages that AMI will be required to pay IBM.

IBM spokesperson Brian Doyle told Newsbytes that "The judge
ordered the payment of $739,000 plus interest on certain items.
He also ordered that damages be calculated during the forthcoming
60 day period for a ruling at the close of the period." Doyle
said that the amount of damages to be determined would be
"substantial" but would not speculate beyond that.

An unnamed source within IBM told Newsbytes that the actual
figure could well be in the "multi-millions."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900912)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00023)

COMPAQ SLICES PRICES UP TO 20 PERCENT
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- Compaq has cut prices
on a number of its desktop personal computer models including its
Deskpro 286n, 386s, 386n, 386-20e, 386s-20 and 386-25e (multiple
configurations of each) by as much as 20 percent while also
cutting prices on certain memory options by as much as 25
percent.

The new prices, while making Compaq computers more attractive to
price conscious buyers, are part of the regular marketing plans
at Compaq according to Joe Nahil, Compaq's director of corporate
relations. "This is a matter of doing business in a manner common
throughout the computer industry," Nahil told Newsbytes. "As
products mature, factories improve their economies of manufacture
and a company prepares to introduce new products, planned price
reductions are usually instituted."

"We plan for a year at a time and know when new products are
coming our and react with pricing on our current line
appropriately," Nahil added. "There us a more rapid product
turnover in the computer industry than in the consumer
electronics industry so the two are difficult to compare.
Programs are not 'willy-nilly.' We have to look at all markets,
domestic and international, large and small, sometimes even
country by country and make appropriate pricing decisions."

"This is an orderly process," Nahil told Newsbytes. Yes, the
Comdex show is approaching, a traditional place for showing new
product but the fourth quarter begins in October and it is
traditionally a good selling quarter and the right time to make a
big push."

While the list of price reductions is too long to include here,
some sample prices are: Deskpro 386/25e Model 120 now lists for
$6,999; the Deskpro 386/20e Model 40 is now $4,899; the Deskpro
386/s Model 1 now lists for $2,799; and the Deskpro 386n Model 40
is also $2,799.

One 286n computer the Deskpro 286n Model 40 has also been reduced
to a new price of $2,399.

A number of memory products have also been reduced including the
1 MB Memory Module for the Deskpro 286e, 386/20e, 386/25e and
386/25 has been reduced to $149. The 1 MB Memory Module for the
DeskPRO 386s now lists for $399 and the 2 MB Memory Module for
the DeskPRO 386/33, 386/33L, 486/25, 486/33L and Systempro now
sells for $799. A number of other memory modules have also been
reduced.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900912/Press Contact: Mike Berman, Compaq,
713-374-2510)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00024)

MOTOROLA, SIEMENS AGREE ON ESSENTIAL PATENTS CROSSLICENSING
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- Motorola
and Siemens AG have agreed to license each another's
essential patents for the Pan-European Digital Cellular Mobile
Communications Systems as defined in the GSM (Groupe Speciale
Mobile) standard and for the Personal Communications Network
(PCN).

The GSM standards, which are aimed at the European Community
scheduled for 1992, will be operational in 1991, ahead of
schedule, in part as a result of cross-licensing.

This Motorola-Siemens agreement follows a GSM/PCN cross-licensing
agreement Motorola signed two months ago with Alcatel, another
major European telecommunications company.

According to Bernard R. Smedley, senior vice president of
Motorola and general manager of the Radio-Telephone Systems
Group, this agreement, as well as the agreement with Alcatel,
bears out that the appropriate forum for IPR (intellectual
property rights) issues for GSM or any other technology is among
manufacturers through fair bilateral negotiations.

Further clarifying this point, Mario Salvadori, spokesman for
Motorola, told Newsbytes that the discussions of making essential
patents available for cross-licensing between what are basically
competing companies has been under discussion since 1988 and
Motorola, as one of the big players in the field, has taken a
constructive approach to making such sharing of technology a
reality. Salvadori also told Newsbytes that Motorola is currently
talking to additional companies about cross-licensing.

"This is a positive step. This equipment must be delivered in
time for 1992 and cooperation is the best way to make it happen,"
added Salvadori.

Motorola has been awarded several digital cellular systems
contracts in Europe, among which are GSM validation systems for
Scandinavia, Spain, the United Kingdom and West Germany; GSM pre-
operational systems in Spain and the UK and operational systems
in Sweden and the UK. Motorola is also a minority equity owner of
the Cable and Wireless-led consortium's Mercury Personal
Communications which holds a UK PCN license and, based on
Motorola technology, will be operational in the UK in 1992.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900912/Press Contact: Mario Salvadori,
Motorola, 708-632-2844)


(NEWS)(IBM)(NYC)(00025)

NEW FOR IBM: OS/2 PM Version of Lotus Freelance Graphics
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- Lotus
has announced the introduction of Freelance Graphics
for OS/2 with Presentation Manager. The product is to ship in
the fourth quarter of this year.

New to the OS/2 PM version of the product is SmartMaster, a
series of presentation templates that assist the user in
preparing high level presentation graphics. The user of the
templates receives prompting and fill-in-the blanks ability
to place text and graphics throughout the presentation.

Lotus says the new product will be available "through the
reseller channel for approximately $400." A suggested retail
price was not mentioned in the release. When Newsbytes
questioned Lotus spokesperson Allison Parker about the absence
of a suggested retail price, she said "This is a bit of a test
drive for us, an experiment. With the discounting that goes on,
suggested retail prices have lost most of their relevance;
it is the street price that is important. We're simply
recognizing that and putting customer pricing in the hands
of our dealers and distributors."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900911/Press Contact:
Allison Parker, Lotus, 617-693-1819)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(NYC)(00026)

NEW FOR MACINTOSH: Fourth Dimension Link To IBM Mainframes
OAK BROOK, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- Corfu Software
has announced 4D to Mainframe Bridge, a set of 4th Dimension (4D)
externals which provide access to IBM mainframes. The product
works in conjunction with Avatar's Corporation's MacMainFrame
Series of hardware and drivers and has a suggested retail
price of $595.

Through the use of 4D to Mainframe Bridge, 4D programmers have the
the ability to create procedures that log on to the mainframe
and use any application which displays text on a 3278 or 3279
terminal. Applications can be set up allowing the user to
have up to 5 simultaneous host sessions and Gateway connections
can be set up to make up to fine sessions available
through an AppleTalk network.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900912/Press Contact:
Louis Van Zandt, Corfu Software, 708-279-6686)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00027)

NEW FOR IBM: Risk Analysis Add-In for 1-2-3
NEWFIELD, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- Palisade has said
it will release a new version of Risk, its risk analysis and
modelling add-in, for Lotus 1-2-3 Release 3.1.

Introduced in 1988, Risk uses simulation techniques to show users
the implications of thousands of possible scenarios on their
worksheet models. It currently supports 1-2-3 releases 2.0, 2.01
and 2.2 and Lotus Symphony releases 2.0 and 2.2.

Risk uses probability distributions and proven simulation
techniques. It is intended for use where values in a spreadsheet
are uncertain, Palisade said. It can be used for both existing
and new spreadsheet models.

Palisade plans to integrate Risk into Release 3.1, making use of
improved graphics to present graphic risk analysis results and
statistics. Support for three-dimensional worksheets (already
available in 1-2-3 Release 3.0, which Risk does not support) will
be a key feature, the company said.

"We are taking advantage of the many new features and graphic
capabilities in Release 3.1 to offer Risk users added power,
added convenience, and improved graphics," said Dr. Doug
Stauffer, vice-president of Palisade, in a prepared statement.

Risk for 1-2-3 Release 3.1 is to be available in January 1991 at
a single copy price of US$395. Palisade said owners of other
versions of Risk will be able to swap them for the Release 3.1 at
low cost or buy the Release 3.1 version at a discount.

Once the Release 3.1 version of Risk is shipping, Palisade said
it plans to port the add-in to 1-2-3 versions on other hardware
platforms, including 1-2-3/M on IBM mainframes, 1-2-3/G for OS/2
Presentation Manager and the Unix versions of 1-2-3.

(Grant Buckler/19900911/Press Contact: Bill Barton, Palisade,
607-277-8000)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00028)

DELRINA BEGINS SHIPPING PERFORM PRO
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- Delrina Technology
here has begun shipping PerForm Pro, a version of its forms
processing software for Microsoft Windows 3.0.

Delrina spokesman Josef Zancowicz was optimistic about prospects
for the product and the Windows system. "The boom in Windows is
also going be a boom for (PerFORM) Pro," he said.

The software has two parts, Designer and Filler. The combination
is available immediately for US$495.

(Grant Buckler/19900911/Press Contact: Josef Zancowicz, Delrina
Technology, 416-441-3676)


(NEWS)(IBM)(ATL)(00029)

NETWARE USERS REPORT INCOMPATIBLE CARDS, CONFLICTS WITH WINDOWS
LAKE OSWEGO, OREGON, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- Windows
3.0, NetWare 386 and some network interface cards are
incompatible, according to users of 1-900-PRO-HELP, an
independent support group.

Many of the problems involve network interface cards that
are in some way incompatible with "NetWare 3.01 Shell for Windows,"
a software driver which lets Windows users have access to the
connectivity functions of NetWare 286 and NetWare 386, the group
says. Identified were cards from Gateway Communications, SMC ARCnet,
Thomas Conrad, Tiara Computer Systems and Western Digital Ethernet
cards.

Pro-Help is the first "hot line" of computer support using a
caller-paid 900 number to diagnose and resolve problems for
users.

Al Viera, director of marketing for 900 Support, which
operates the line, calls the reported trouble "temporary,
'teething' problems." Conrad, for instance, offers a fix where
users replace a PAL chip and some software. Tiara users replace a
PROM, and Western Digital users need the "3.06 driver," for
instance, now shipping. SMC shell problems disappear when you
use the new "Turbo II" drivers, and ARCnet users should not use
interrupt request 2 or input/output addresses 2E0 and 2F0 -- the
standard defaults. Try another IRQ and I/O addresses 300 and 350,
then run the install program from the "DSWIN4" diskette of the
the "3.01 Shell for Windows," suggests Viera, and when running
the Windows Setup program, add the parameters "/N/I."

A spokesman for Pro-Help told Newsbytes the line has its own
teething problems. Many large organizations which would like to
use the service can't, because their internal phone systems
refuse to connect calls placed to the 900 exchange -- fearful the
callers are buying pornography on company funds. For these
groups, 900 Support is offering its services through contracts
linked to a toll-free 800 number. Security and billing is
established through a 4-digit PIN, like that used when using a
bank money-machine card. Alternatively, companies offering
business services like 900 Support could abandon that exchange
for another, the spokesman speculated.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900910/Press Contact: Al Viera, 900 Support,
1-503-684-2826)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00030)

NEW PRODUCT: Single Chip Controller For SCSI-2
COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 12 (NB) -- Emulex
Corp. has announced the FAS200 single microchip controller
that provides easy implementation of the emerging fast
SCSI-2 (Small Computer Systems Interface) standard.

The demand for faster performance has led to the SCSI-2
standard, which offers a more sophisticated and higher
performance bus and will be put into high-end systems
as soon as possible. Eventually, SCSI will be used in
PCs as well.

According to Kenneth Davis, president of Emulex Micro
Devices, a division of Emulex, the FAS200 offers
sustained synchronous data-transfer rates
between the computer and the peripheral device of up to
10 megabytes per second, which is more than twice the rate
of present SCSI microchips.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900911/Press Contact: JoAnne F. Martz,
Emulex, 714-668-5380)