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(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00001)

SECOND ANNUAL PRESENTATIONS '90 DRAWS LARGE CROWD
LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 20 (NB) --
The second annual Presentations '90, Graphics and Multimedia
Conference and Exposition drew a crowd of more than 4,000
professionals from business, education, government, and the
military during its three day run September 17-19. Preparers
of visual aids in the fields of graphics, advertising, audiovisual,
publishing, MIS, and service bureaus were well represented.

Several new products were introduced during the show including
Santa Fe Media Manager, an image database program for the PC that
stores sound, still images and motion video as database records,
General Parametrics Spectra*Star Series 400 thermal-wax transfer
color printer with 300 dpi (dots per inch) resolution and
Freelance Graphics for OS/2 from Lotus Development, a program
that gives users a "fill-in-the-blanks" approach to creating
presentations.

Presentations '90 had almost 40 conference sessions, which were
well attended and given high marks for informativeness.

Carl Berndtson, show director, commented: "We had high
expectations and we met them. This year's strong, highly
qualified attendance can only affirm the emerging strength of the
presentations industry." The show was managed by Exposition
Management, Inc. and co-sponsored by Desktop Presentations, Inc.
of Mountain View, CA and Pacific Magazine Group of Los Angeles.

Next year will see two Presentations shows. Presentations '91 East
will be held at the World Trade Center in Boston, MA, May 8-10.
Presentations '91 West is scheduled for September 5-7 at the
Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, CA. Presentations '91 West will be
coordinated with the debut of InTech, the Instructional
Technology Conference & Exposition, a new show serving the needs
of people who use technology in corporate training and higher
education.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900920/Press Contact: Julie Brown, EMI, 617-
290-0428)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00002)

HYPERDOC COMES TO AMERICA
LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 20 (NB) -- Hyperdoc, a
multimedia authoring and viewer software, has come to the US from
France. Its maker, Hyperdoc, Inc. located in San Jose, CA, is a
wholly owned subsidiary of GECI International, a French
consulting firm specializing in engineering and industrial
projects.

Hyperdoc Technical Support spokeswoman, Sandi Gehrer, told
Newsbytes that Hyperdoc is the result of a GECI contract with a
European space agency working on the Columbus space station
program. The core technology is a proprietary implementation of a
powerful multimedia engine, adapted to give the application
developer a graphical user environment in which to integrate
text, graphics, animation, high resolution graphics, scanned
images, audio, and video into an effective communication delivery
system. The program comprises two software products, Hyperdoc
Tools, for the developer and designer of information specific
applications, and HyperDoc Viewer, which provides a intuitive
means by which information users may navigate freely to required
information of all types, text, image, video, or sound.

Gehrer commented to Newsbytes: "To me, it is mind-blowing how one
thing leads to another when using this program and to how many
avenues are open in multimedia."

The program can be used on an IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2, and
compatibles with at least 640K RAM (random access memory) and 5
MB (megabytes) of free disk space. Graphics adaptors and screen
can range from IBM CGA standard to Super VGA and better. The
program runs on DOS 3.2 or higher and a mouse is recommended.
Hardware options such as CD-ROM, WORM subsystems, LAN or WAN
hardware and software are application-dependent. Software options
such as dBASE III are also application-dependent.

At the moment, Gehrer says Hyperdoc is "aggressively looking for
developers and VARs (value added resellers) who will use this
product to develop vertical applications." To prove the point,
she explained that while the list price of the program is $1,240
and with it, buyers are asked to spend $460 for a two-day
training course and $380 for a full year of technical support,
qualified developers and VARs are offered the software, training
and support, all for a total cost of $380.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900920/Press Contact: Hyperdoc, Inc., 408-
292-7970)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00003)

NEW FOR IBM: Santa Fe Media Manager, A Multimedia Database
LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 20 (NB) -- HSC Software
of Santa Monica, CA introduced the Santa Fe Media Manager, a
multimedia database for the PC that has been developed under the
company's Santa Fe User Interface, a multimedia environment for
the PC.

The Santa Fe Interface is a graphical user interface (GUI) that
runs in 8-bit SVGA up to 1024 x 768 x 256 colors and in 16- and
24-bit Targa-compatible environments with the same interface and
supporting most SVGA and Targa-compatible cards. Significant
multimedia product development under the Santa Fe User Interface
has already been accomplished including hardware controllers from
Sony, Sharp, Roland, and Panasonic.

The Santa Fe User Interface takes advantage of the expanded
memory available within a PC and is the only environment that
allows two end users to remotely connect PCs over a 2400 bps
modem and control each other's screen in real time.

Santa Fe Media Manager is the first cost-effective multimedia
program that allows databases to store and retrieve still images,
video, audio, and text. Users can view PCX, GIF, or FLI (the
standard file for Autodesk Animator) graphics with a 1/4 screen
viewing window or in full screen. It is possible to search for
specific records based on text, values, graphics, or audio
information. Photo-realistic still images and video can be
selected from the database, sequenced and played back in order
for a presentation format. Users can view still images or video
while simultaneously hearing sound associated with the images.
This software can be used as a front end to all the leading
database products and is fully compatible with Paradox 3.5 since
it uses Borland's Paradox as the underlying engine to create a
fully relational database.

Newsbytes spoke with John Wilczak, CEO of HSC Software, who said:
"Up until now, multimedia has been hype and promise and short on
delivery because while the hardware has been there, the computer
people and the audio and video people have not had a unifying
software to bring all the component parts together."

"Software is what will bring multimedia together and we want to
be the leader," Wilczak continued. "We started in the imaging
field. Photo graphics was missing at the 8-bit color level where
the mass market is so we developed affordable image processing
software to fill this gap. Now we are moving into multimedia with
the Santa Fe Environment of which the Santa Fe Media Manager is
the first application. Our environment goes directly to the card
without layers of software to go through. It emulates the
controls on regular VCRs and other products people are accustomed
to using so it doesn't force people to learn all new operations.
We even chose the colors for the software on screen to be
'friendly.'"

Wilczak told Newsbytes that now is the time for multimedia
products to move in realistic directions--become practical for
the user. He noted that the Santa Fe product has been in
development for over 10 years--it didn't "just happen."

HST, with its Santa Fe Interface and Santa Fe Media Manager was
the only software company chosen to join Compaq, Truevision, and
Autodesk in a road show crisscrossing the United States for
demonstrations to 1500 top dealers. "They did invite other
hardware companies to go along, but we are the only software
company. Of course we run 8-, 16-, and 24-bit in the same
technology."

The Santa Fe Media Manager will be available on October 3 for a
retail price of $895 through major distributors, selected OEMs
and VARs.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900920/Press Contact: Michaela Brehm, Miller
Communications, 213-822-4669)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00004)

NEW SPECTRA*STAR PRINTERS UNVEILED AT PRESENTATIONS '90
LONG BEACH CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 20 (NB) -- General
Parametrics has introduced the Spectra*Star 400
Postscript-compatible printer series. The new printers use
thermal wax transfer technology and offer 300 dpi (dots per inch)
resolution.

The series provides three unique features and capabilities: an
internal hard disk, a slide-making option, and satellite
printing.

"The Spectra*Star 400 Series can do everything all the other
color printers can do and more," Michael O'Leary, General
Parametrics director of sales told Newsbytes. " In addition,
these are the only printers that can be directly used in General
Parametrics' Video Show environment of which there is already a
25,000 system installed base."

O'Leary also told Newsbytes that the new printers use the latest
Sharp engine that is based on the Intel 960 RISC (reduced
instruction set computing) chip making these printers as much as
35 percent faster than others in the market.

The Spectra*Star 400 Series consists of five models starting with
the Model 410 with a retail price of $5,995 and extending up to
the Model 450 that carries a retail tag of $14,995. Users can
choose the memory size they need, a PowerScript processor board,
an internal hard disk and even add a film recorder to produce
Post-Script-compatible slides. O'Leary pointed out to Newsbytes
that the options are additive. Each one builds on and required
the previous option so that the Spectra*Star 400 Series is
actually five printers in one, offering a range of configuration
options.

According to Jim Chandler, Spectra*Star product manager:
"Spectra*Star printers don't become obsolete as users needs
change. They grow to meet needs so that now large companies can
standardize on one color printer and still meet each departments
specialized needs."

(Janet Endrijonas/19900920/Press Contact: Jim Chandler, General
Parametrics, 415-524-3950)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(NYC)(00005)

APPLE ANNOUNCES APPLELINK 6.0
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 SEPT 20 (NB) -- Apple
Computer has announced a new version of AppleLink, the Macintosh
software used to support the communications system which links
software developers, consultants, retailers, distributors and
Apple employees. The new release, Version 6, is to be sent to
system users in November.

Users will be charged $20 for the upgrade, charged directly
through the AppleLink billing system. A user that wishes to continue
to use Version 5.0 or 5.1 may notify Apple not to send the upgrade
and they will not be charged for the new release. Apple has also
announced that the annual upgrade charge of $45 is to be
discontinued.

Among new features are new navigation options, including a
customizable "personal area" where a user can store their personal
icon favorites for easier access, and BB Pathfinder, a feature which
allows bulletin boards to be searched.

A complete description of the new version will be available in late
September or October, Apple says.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900919)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(NYC)(00006)

NEW JERSEY ATTY GENERAL INVESTIGATES GOVT COMPUTER SCANDAL
TRENTON, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1990 SEPT 20 (NB) -- Jeffrey Land,
former director of data management for the New Jersey Assembly
Republicans, is cooperating with New Jersey State Attorney
General Robert Del Tuffo's investigation of alleged computer
malfeasance within a state computer system, according to
published reports. The on-going scandal, nicknamed "Computergate"
by local press, has already resulted in the resignation of Land
and Republican Assembly aide John Koehler.

The Asbury Park Press has reported that its sources have told
the paper that Land has testified under a grant of immunity before
the panel, which is examining the circumstances around the use
of state computers, Democratic computer files, and Land's
alleged snooping among the files. Christopher Florentz,
spokesperson for Del Tuffo's office told Newsbytes that "All
we can say at this time is that there is an on-going
investigation into these matters."

Land resigned his post in March 1990 after allegations became
public that he had broken into confidential files maintained
on a Wang minicomputer and read more than a 1,000 documents
maintained by the Democratic party on the system. Koehler resigned
last week after admitting that he had earlier lied when he said
that he had no knowledge of Land's actions.

Since Land's resignation and the publication of a report prepared
by a bipartisan legislative panel, questions have continued
concerning the whole matter. Shortly after Land's resignation,
reports began to appear in the press that the documents which
he allegedly read were in actuality campaign and contribution
records of the Democrats, an apparent misuse of state resources.

Edwin McCool, executive director of New Jersey Common Cause and the
author of an August letter to Del Tuffo requesting the current
investigation, explained the history of the case to Newsbytes,
"We first asked for a formal investigation by the Attorney
General when the initial reports became public. Here we had a
state employee on state time allegedly breaking into a state
computer. Yet the joint committee was referring to it as a staff
matter and seemingly trying to let it die. At that time, the
Attorney General turned down the request to become involved
and was quoted as saying that he 'had better things to do.'
The committee said, at that time, that it would not cooperate with
the Attorney General, should he try to become involved, because
it was 'a legislative staff matter.'"

McCool said when the newspapers began to print reports
about the political nature of the files and quoted unnamed state
employees as saying that they had been forced to work on
political activities while on state time, "we became really
concerned and pressed harder for an inquiry. Now we have a case
of a $90,000 executive director admitting that he knew
about the break-ins and his predecessor admitting that he knew
about break-ins but 'instructed Land to stop.'

He added, "The thefts had been going on for over 2 years. It
seems obvious that the committee is merely trying to
contain a political meltdown for both parties."

McCool says that since the Attorney General announced the
investigation, the committee has announced that it will be
re-opening its study and calling witnesses. "We are now faced
with the spectre of an Ollie North type of circus where
competing investigators are promising immunity to different
people." He says the Assistant Attorney General on the case met
with the committee for about 7 hours trying to resolve these
jurisdictional disputes. "I hope to see the whole thing played
out publicly in the courts because its apparent to me that,
had it been totally left up to the committee, the whole thing
would have been swept in under the rug."

While feeling strongly that the political sensitivity of the case
has hampered progress, McCool also thinks that part of the
problem in getting the proper legal authorities involved was
that the theft was electronic, "If someone had been jimmying
a window for over 2 years, climbing in and rifling files and
it was found out, you bet there would be police all over the
place. There didn't seem to be sufficient understanding that
the same thing was being done electronically."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900920)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00007)

BUSINESSLAND LAYS OFF 370 EMPLOYEES
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 20 (NB) -- Businessland
has announced a layoff of 10 percent of its workforce, a move
which will mean lost jobs for 370 employees but will save
the computer retailer some 12 million dollars per year.
This is the second layoff since January.

During a news conference, David Norman, company chairman,
said the company is restructuring following heavy losses,
$23.1 million in the past fiscal year. "This is a large
tanker and it is hard to turn it like a speedboat. We've
clearly grounded ourselves on a shoal and we're trying to
get off it," he was quoted as saying.

Part of the effort to cut costs will involve closure of the
16-store Computercraft retail chain and consolidation of its
operations into the Businessland outlets. Businessland also
plans to reduce inventories by $50 million, or about 18
percent in this fiscal quarter.

An earlier report on Newsbytes quoted an erroneous report as
saying Computerland had suffered the loss.

(Wendy Woods/19900919)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00008)

TECHNOLOGY STOCKS: Market Report, Thursday, Sep 20
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 20 (NB) -- The market
remained very dull with the Dow Jones average dropping
11.89 to 2559.40.

Among blue chip stocks, IBM gained further $1.125
to $108.375. AT&T fell 25 cents to $30.875 and General
Electric kept the trend by falling by $2.50 to $56.125.

Over the counter markets also remained lower with Intel
leading the way, falling by 37 cents ending at $33.875.
Apple Computer was also down by 87 cents to $32.50, followed by
Microsoft up 25 cents to $62. MCI Communications was down 25
cents to $31.875, Adobe Systems was down $1 to $24 and Sun
Microsystems was unchanged at $29.75.

(John Verhelst/19900920)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00009)

TECHNOLOGY STOCKS: Business News, Thursday, Sep 20
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 20 (NB) -- The quiet
trading of the markets was echoed in lackluster financial
results, announced by COGNOS, SATELLITE INFORMATION, and
BRITISH TELECOM:

[] COGNOS, an information company which produces
database products for minis and mainframes, announced a
profitable second quarter which ended August 31, 1990.
The company reports revenues of $32.8 million, a 13 percent
increase over last year's $29.1 million, and earnings of
$1.1 million compared to a loss of $6.2 million
for the equivalent period in 1989. The company markets
the Powerhouse 4GL (fouth generation language) database.

[] SATELLITE INFORMATION SYSTEMS elected Robert D.S. Turner
as a secretary for the company. The company offers satellite
facilities including the uplinking of signals.

[] BRITISH TELECOM ordered $1.9 billion in phone
equipment from Siemens and GEC. The equipment
includes System X exchanges, and telephone systems.
Currently more than 2,500 system X units have been
installed throughout the world.

(John Verhelst/19900920)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00010)

BIG LOSS FOR NATIONAL SEMI MEANS PLANT CLOSURES
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 20 (NB)_ -- National
Semiconductor has reported a net loss of $165.5 million or $1.63 per share
for its most recent quarter, a huge jump over a loss of $21.9 million
reported in the similar quarter one year ago. The company blames a
restructuring announced August 21 for the bad news.

First quarter sales for the period ended Aug. 26 were $442.7
million compared with $397.6 million for the comparable quarter
a year ago.

Charles E. Sporck, National Semiconductor president and chief executive
officer, blamed a seasonal slowing in shipments, pricing pressure
in certain product areas and operating losses in the product areas identified
during recent restructuring activity, for the disappointing news.

To stem the losses, National Semiconductor says will end development
of very high-speed, high-density SRAMs (one megabit and above). NS will
refocus its ASIC organization, concentrating on ECL and high-performance gate
arrays, as well as CLASIC and CMOS customer-owned tooling. The firm will
discontinue development of high-density CMOS gate arrays. And it
will consolidate all military-product assembly and test activity
into its South Portland, Maine, plant, and will close its Tucson, Ariz.,
military and aerospace facility. It will also close one fab line at its
Puyallup, Wash., plant.

On Aug. 21 the chipmaker announced a layoff of 2,000 workers.

(Wendy Woods/19900920/Press Contact: Mary Coady, NS,
408/721-2871)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00011)

XEROX GLOBALVIEW MIGRATES TO PCS
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 20 (NB) -- Xerox has ported its
office automation software, Globalview, to run on industry-standard PCs
under Unix, OS/2 or DOS, in a bid to grab a larger share of the business
computing dollar. Xerox's networking software previously has run
only on its proprietary machines.

"This move toward open systems is a key tenet of the new Xerox
strategy," William Lowe, vice president of development and
manufacturing and the former head of IBM's personal computer division,
said.

Xerox also announced it will sell a RISC-based Sun Microsystems
workstation under its own name -- the Xerox 6520 workstation -- and
GlobalView-for-the-PC, a coprocessor board that turns DOS and OS/2
personal computers into multitasking, networked workstations.

The company also announced DocuTeam, a workgroup software product.

GlobalView is designed to help business teams collaborate across
computer networks, providing the foundation for a range of applications
including integrating text, graphics and data into compound documents;
managing projects and teamwork; accessing and sharing documents across
networks; and supporting enterprise-wide communications. Existing
applications support more than 100 foreign languages and dialects,
graphics capabilities and transparent access to corporate
data on host or departmental computers, Xerox says.

(Wendy Woods/19900920/Press Contact: Barbara Burke, Xerox,
213/333-3613)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SYD)(00012)

AUSTRALIA: PAINT SELECTION SYSTEM INTRODUCED
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1990 SEP 20 (NB) -- A system whereby
customers can select paint combinations on computer has been released in
Australia. ColorVision, running on a modified Commodore Amiga, allows
hardware, paint, and decorating stores to select a house which resembles their
own, and then choose colors till they find the one they want.

The system also allows the mixing of paints to allow an almost infinite
amount of hues and colors. Interiors and furnishing can also be
assigned colors, allowing the customer to select a total color
pallet before mixing a drop of paint or recovering a single piece
of furniture.

(Sean McNamara/19900920/Press Contact: Wendy Giles, phone in
Australia [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00013)

AUSTRALIA: DEPARTMENTS VIE WITH INDUSTRY
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA, 1990 SEP 20 (NB) -- A battle has emerged over
the position of systems administrator for the Australian Department of Veteran
Affairs [DVA], with some government departments joining private
firms to bid for the position.

The DVA's computer system in Sydney has become overloaded, and the
department is looking for solutions to its problems, and has called
for tenders for that purpose. Of the 12 proposals so far received
by the DVA, 3 have involved other government departments tendering
for the position.

The government departments bidding are: the Department of Community
Services and Health [DCSH] in association with Australian Technology
Resources [ATR]; the Department of Administrative Services [DAS ]
in association with Wizard Information Services; the Department of
Social Security [DSS], which originally was going to bid with AWA
but decided to bid alone.

Other bids are believed to have been placed by IBM, Amdahl and
Hitachi. Despite all this, the DVA is still deciding whether it
should keep the position in-house, and just buy more equipment to
overcome its difficulties.

(Sean McNamara & Computing Australia/19900920)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SYD)(00014)

NEW FOR UNIX: 1-2-3 Spreadsheet Incorporator For Framemaker
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1990 SEP 20 (NB) -- Platform Technologies, a
Sydney firm specializing in Unix, has announced the availability of
Unifilt for Spreadsheets, a program which allows the incorporation
of 1-2-3 spreadsheets into Framemaker page layout files.

The program allows user to import data from 1-2-3 on Unix platforms
or personal computers in a network, and this data is then translated
into fully editable ASCII text for formatting in Framemaker.

Alignment of elements within the spreadsheet is maintained by the
conversion, and will allow user to integrate spreadsheet data into
reports and other layout much more easily than previously possible.

(Sean McNamara/19900920/Press Contact: Susan Shing, phone in
Australia [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00015)

UK, AUSTRALIA TO GET LOTUS FREELANCE GRAPHICS FOR OS/2
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1990 SEP 20 (NB) -- Following its US
announcement, Lotus has introduced its Freelance Graphics for
OS/2 in Australia and England.

The program, which will ship worldwide in the fourth quarter of
1990, features SmartMasters, a system whereby users "fill in the
blanks" of a series of templates. Lotus says the program
makes the compilation of presentations easier by taking the burden
of design aspects away from the user.

Although Australian pricing has not been announced, UK pricing
has. The package will sell in the UK for UKP 475. Existing users of
Freelance Plus may upgrade to the new version for UKP 140.

(Sean McNamara & Steve Gold/19900920/Press Contact: Kim Medway,
phone in Australia [phone]; Jennifer Bacon, Lotus
Development Corporation -UK Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00016)

UNDER UKP1,000 V.32 MODEM
NEWBURY, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1990 SEP 20 (NB) -- The trend of
low-cost high-speed modems seen at Networld in Dallas recently has been
mirrored by Dowty in the UK, which has unveiled the Quattro 96, a
V.32 (9600 bits per second bps) modem that retails for UKP 995.

The Quattro 96 supports all modem speeds from 300 bps to 9600 bps
including the CCITT V.23 (1200/75 bps) baud rate. Also supported
is the CCITT V.42 error-correction standard (LAP/MNP Class 4) and
the MNP Class 5 system. The modem, which will begin shipping in
October, claims to be capable of piping data at speeds of up to
19.200 bps.

(Steve Gold/19900917/Press Contact: Rebecca Carter, Dowty
Information Systems - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(ATL)(00017)

VALCOM COMPUTER RETAIL CHAIN TO ACCEPT COMPUTER TRADE-INS
OMAHA, NEBRASKA, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 20 (NB) -- The ValCom
computer store chain, with 275 stores, will soon offer computer
trade-ins as a regular part of its business. The company has
signed an agreement to affiliate with the Boston Computer
Exchange and will commit a 100,000 square-foot warehouse in
Omaha to the task of repackaging the machines for resale.

BoCoEx President Alex Randall told Newsbytes his group did not
give the chain any exclusive rights. "This is in their
strategic thinking," he said. "But I can do it with anyone." The
largest ValCom store is in Chicago, where the local BoCoEx
affiliate is mainly involved in upgrading used computers, rather
than trading.

In other BoCoEx news, Randall said, "Alex Randall's Used Computer
Handbook," a $14.95 paperback on buying and selling used
machines, broke even in July, just one month after publication
meaning it will soon earn royalties. "What impresses me most is
all the reviews are good. No one has said 'this part was really
stupid,'" Randall said.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900919/Press Contact: Alex Randall, Boston
Computer Exchange, 617-542-4414)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(ATL)(00018)

SOVIETS OFFER DIAMOND-COATING TECHNOLOGY
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 20 (NB) -- The
Soviet Union hopes to pay for some of its coming computer bills
by buying used machines in exchange for unique Soviet technology.
Alex Randall of the Boston Computer Exchange, which now has an
affiliate in Leningrad, told Newsbytes he recently spent a day
with the head of USSR Academy of Sciences in Moscow. "We talked
about buying computers, but they don't have hard currency. He
asked if we would be interested in counter-trade. I said yes. He
said he can layer a diamond film on any surface, 200 angstroms
thick, at cold temperature and low pressure. Find a buyer, he
said. He handed me a hard disk with a layer of diamond on it. "

"I'm putting out an all points bulletin," Randall added. "Who
wants to buy a diamond film on their product, rendering it
indestructible? We think of diamonds as hard rocks. The Soviets
think of diamonds as a liquid like oil. They want us to send them
products that need diamond layering. We'll pay for it with
computers."

Of his own gift from the Academy, Randall said, "This is a crash-
less disk. But you could do it with scalpels, make them eternally
sharp. You could put them on a piston, and make it invulnerable."

Randall concluded, "The 1990s are going to be about creating
information businesses. Our insight is not used computers. It's
our recognition that we're about data, not boxes. And we've
managed to remain in the data handling business, not box
handling." Randall said his goal for the next decade is to create
a high-tech trade database, listing available technologies which
can be exchanged over international borders.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900919/Press Contact: Alex Randall, Boston
Computer Exchange, 617-542-4414)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00019)

UK: POPULAR COMPUTING WEEKLY SHUTS UP SHOP
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1990 SEP 20 (NB) -- The writing has
been on the wall for some time in the shape of reduced advertising,
but the inevitable has happened as the last issue of Popular
Computing Weekly, a veteran consumer games weekly, has
rolled off the printing press.

Launched in the early 1980s as one of the pioneer weekly
magazines by Sunshine Publications, 'Popular,' as it was
affectionately known by its staff and readers, was subsequently
sold to Focus Magazine in 1987 and then, when Focus went into
liquidation earlier this year, on to the Robert Maxwell
Publishing Group, MSM.

At its peak in the mid-1980s, Popular had a circulation of some
55,000, falling to 15,000 a week during its final days.
Staff-wise, only one redundancy, a production editor, has been
made, with the editor Paul Marks remaining to work on other
magazines in the group.

"It's all a bit sad really. Popular was a great magazine, I had
some great times," Marks told Newsbytes.

Popular leaves just one other weekly in the UK consumer
computer market -- New Computer Express, launched two years ago
by the then relatively new Future Publishing Group of Bath. Since
launch, both magazines have been competing for the same market.

(Steve Gold/19900920/Press Contact: Paul Marks, MSM, Tel: 071-
490-7161)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LON)(00020)

APPLE TO PRICE MAC CLASSIC AGGRESSIVELY IN UK
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1990 SEP 20 (NB) -- Sources close to Apple UK
have revealed that the company will price its two entry-level Mac
Classic "very aggressively," with pricing going as low as UKP
400. Officially, Apple UK is saying nothing.

At these pricing levels, the Mac Classic compares favourably
with the Amiga 500 (UKP 399) and the 520 ST (UKP 299), which have
built up a sizeable following in the UK and West German markets.

Currently in the UK market, the Macintosh is associated with pricing
levels of UKP 999 or greater, since that is the entry-level price
for the Mac Plus series.

(Steve Gold/19900920)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MOW)(00021)

SYSTEMOTECHNIKA'90 EXHIBIT OPENS IN MOSCOW
MOSCOW, U.S.S.R., 1990 SEP 20 (NB) -- Koln, Germany-based Glahe
International and its Moscow partner, Moscow Fair, have opened the
Systemotechnika'90 computer exhibition in Moscow, an event
featuring a wide array of vendors from makers of printer ribbons
to purveyors of telecommunications services. Show-goers are
waiting hours in long lines to get inside the event, which ends
Saturday.

Hosted in a location used relatively rarely by exhibitors, the
Sokolniki park exhibition space, this show is the first in a
series of planned fall computer shows in Moscow. 70 companies
from 15 countries are exhibiting their wares.

The exhibition has an unusually large pool of Singapore companies
eager to enter local market with their products. Several Soviet
joint ventures also are presenting their products here.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19900920)


(EXCLUSIVE)(TRENDS)(MOW)(00022)

USED MAINFRAMES BEING SOLD TO USSR
MOSCOW, U.S.S.R., 1990 SEP 20 (NB) -- Boston, Massachusetts-based
American Supercomputers Unlimited has scored it first sale of
secondary market or used mainframes to the U.S.S.R.

The company, which was formed in July after the lifting of CoCom
restrictions on high-technology exports to Eastern Europe, is
currently shipping "half a dozen" three-year-old IBM maInframes to
its first Soviet customers.

Wayne Cowart, company president, told Newsbytes that the demand for
these computer is practically insatiable. "We set up our company to
sell mainframes specifically to the U.S.S.R. Since there's no
equivalent for the 'mainframe' in Russia, we've put 'supercomputers'
in our name," he said.

The company, which exhibited at the Systemotechnika'90 show, already
has a Moscow office which will provide full service for buyers.
Company officers say that they have received several orders for
mainframes during the show.

"Our target is to become a large corporation in the Soviet Union, and
to expand to the Siberian region," Rudy Heselman, president of the
company's U.S. administration and management organization, called
Kent International, told Newsbytes.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19900920/Press contact: Wayne Cowart, American
Supercomputers Unlimited, 617-232-6300; Vladimir Kolerov, Moscow
office, phone [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(NYC)(00023)

NEW FOR MACINTOSH: Add Functionality To Existing Packages
PLEASANTVILLE, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 SEPT 20 (NB) -- Abbott
Systems has announced the introduction of Cheshire, an utility
that expands the capability of various Macintosh commercial
products. Cheshire will ship on October 1st with a suggested
retail price of $125.

Cheshire provides developers with a method of adding additional
functionality to existing Macintosh software. The product, as
shipped, provides a set of development tools to allow third
parties to provide functionality which may then be activated
by a keystroke from within the host program. The programs
presently supported by Cheshire as hosts as Microsoft Word,
PageMaker, MacWrite II and MacDraw II.

In addition to the software necessary to install Cheshire into
these host applications and tools for the development of Cheshire
modules, Abbott supplies 21 business graphing modules that may
be accessed from the host programs.

Ken Abbott, Abbott president, told Newsbytes "The modules
provided are quite useful and also, perhaps more importantly, provide
developers with models from which they may build their own
applications. We look at Cheshire not as a new product but rather
as a method of providing product extenders. We will, as a company,
produce additional application functions for Cheshire but our main
focus will be on the transparent interaction of Cheshire with
other Macintosh products. We expect to, in the future, incorporate
Cheshire processing into other applications. We also expect
third party developers to rapidly build an impressive library
of useful Cheshire modules."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900919/Press Contact: Ken
Abbott, Abbott Systems, 800-552-9157)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(EWR)(00024)

NEW FOR MACINTOSH: Major Upgrade to QuickLetter
SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 20 (NB) -- Working Software
is shipping an upgrade to QuickLetter, its popular word processing
desk accessory for the Macintosh.

The new version of QuickLetter, version 1.1, can now import files
from Microsoft Word and position pictures and letterhead
interactively. Also, the program is now easier to use as an address
book and envelope printing utility, the company said.

Upgrades cost $30, and users must return their original disks.
Purchasers after August 1 can upgrade by sending $5 for shipping,
their original disk, and a purchase receipt. Retail price of the
product is $124.95.

Working Software is also the publisher of the Spellswell and Lookup
spelling checkers, and Findswell, a utility for finding
frequently-used files.

QuickLetter also is bundled free with Fujitsu RX7100OPS and
RX7100PS+ printers.

(Daniel J. Rosenbaum/19900918/Press Contact: Mark Galvin, 408 423
5696)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00025)

NEW PRODUCT: HardDrive Overlord! For Full-Time Virus Protection
EVERGREEN, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 20 (NB) -- POP Computer
Products has announced a new program to detect and eliminate
viral contamination in personal computers. Called HardDrive
Overlord!, the program contains three viral defense elements:
scanning, filtering and authenticating, and terminate-and-stay-
resident (TSR) program management.

In addition to searching for known viruses, the program looks for
suspicious occurrences often associated with viral activities
such as wildcard deletes or a program's unauthorized attempt to
stay resident in RAM. When suspicious activities are detected,
HardDrive Overlord! displays a warning screen with a list of
options.

According to Robert Lewis, president of POP Computer Products,
HardDrive Overlord! makes it possible to detect and eradicate
virtually any unusual or virus-like activity before the system
can be damaged. He also claims that HardDrive Overlord! is not
"just another cleanup program," but actually offers more
protection and safeguards than any other single software program
available today.

The program is designed for use with IBM PC, PS/2 or 100 percent
compatible personal computers. It runs on PC or MS DOS version
3.0 or higher and is compatible with Microsoft Windows 3.0
operating under Real Mode (WIN/R). The RAM resident portion of
the program can be customized to occupy 2K to 32K. It is also
suitable for multi-user microcomputer environments and is network
ready. Suggested retail price is $59.95.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900918/Press Contact: Katherine Willette, The
Allen Marketing Group, 714-724-1916)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00026)

ROCKWELL INTRODUCES 14,400 BPS MODEM CALLED "DATA PUMP"
NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 20 (NB) --
Rockwell, the leader in chip sets used to build modems for data
communications, announced the RC9696/14 modem data pump, a full
duplex modem board operating at 14,400 bits/second. The new data
pump is the first modem to combine data and fax capabilities
in compliance with the V.32bis error-correction and V.17 Group
III fax standards.

The RC9696/14 is also similar in design to Rockwell's RC9696/12,
a standard 9,600 bit/second data pump, using the same dual-in-pin
technology, so it can be directly installed onto a host module.
The RC9696/14 is also design- hardware and software compatible to
its predecessor.

With fallback speeds of 12000-300 bps, the RC9696/14 is
compatible with other CCITT recommendations, including V.32,
V.22bis and V.22. At 14.4 Kbps, the RC9696/14 offers a 50-
percent speed improvement over current V.32 modems. Backed by a
five-year warranty, the 1,000-quantity price is $245.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900918/Press Contact: Eileen Algaze, Rockwell
International, 714-833-6849)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BRU)(00027)

NEW FOR IBM: NTSC Video Card From Questel
GRASS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 20 (NB) -- Questel,
a small company headquartered in Grass Valley, California, has
announced a card that can be used to overlay video
information with graphics produced by a PC enabling the
user to put titles on home movies or any other use that requires
overlaying.

The CGV-10 card is a VGA-compatible card with 256K and special
hardware for the television signals, and uses the Cirrus VGA
chip set. Able to output all the VGA modes (excluding the
360 x 480 mode) onto a television set, it also offers S-VHS
video capability with a resolution of more than 400
horizontal points per line.

The CGV-10 is supplied with software designed to key graphic
and text over a video signal or can be genlocked for professional
TV preparation using switchers and other editing units.

Jerry Taylor of Questel said: "The CGV-10 is a low cost
overlaying product that can be used for home and professional
video presentation."

The company is not planning a PAL card at present (most European
areas use PAL standard video signals) although it will
try to examine the possibility of implementing the 360 by
480 by 256 color mode. The CGV-10 costs $850.

(John Verhelst/19900917/Contact: Jerry Taylor, 1-916-477-5000)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SFO)(00028)

DELL COMPUTER DENIES WRONG-DOING IN TI PATENT SUIT
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 20 (NB) -- Dell Computer
says it will vigorously contest a lawsuit filed against it
September 14 in federal district court in Dallas by Texas
Instruments Inc. (TI) for allegedly infringing on TI patents.

Dell Computer says it has been discussing patent issues with TI
since April and that the lawsuit was unexpected and inconsistent
with statements made by TI in those discussions, Dell officials
said.

TI has recently sued several companies on patent-related
matters, including Zenith Data Systems, Samsung, Daewoo, Analog
Devices, Cypress Semiconductors, Integrated Device Technology,
LSI Logic and VLSI Technology. TI is also caught in crossfire
from suing parties, such as Tandy and Grid, which charge that
TI has violated antitrust laws.

A TI spokesman was not available for comment at deadline.

(Wendy Woods/19900920/Press Contact: Michele Moore or Brian Fawkes, Dell
Computer Corp., 512-338-4400)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00029)

UK: PRECISION SOFTWARE ADDS 'LIVE LINK' TO SUPERBASE 4 WINDOWS
WORCESTER PARK, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1990 SEP 20 (NB) -- Precision
Software, publisher of the Superbase 4 application development
system for MS-Windows, has released Live Link by Da Vinci
Computers, a Dynamic Link Library (DLL) that allows Superbase
users to interactively control the Digithurst's video input and
frame grabber, the PB Card. The package retails for UKP 595.

Using Live Link, Superbase users can design forms and
applications that include real-time video source frames. The data
can then be incorporated into Superbase 4 data files as with any
other data.

Daniel Power, marketing manager of Precision Software, said that
the package serves to show the features of Superbase IV: "The
release of Live Link by Da Vinci demonstrates the graphic power
of Superbase and serves to extend even further the range of
application possibilities open to Superbase 4 developers," he
said.

(Steve Gold/19900920/Press & Public Contact: Daniel Power,
Precision Software, Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00030)

COMPUTER SHOPPER LAYS CLAIM TO BE UK'S BIGGEST SELLING MAG
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1990 SEP 20 (NB) -- Computer Shopper, Dennis
Publishing's monthly computer magazine, has announced an ABC
(Audited Bureau of Circulation) figure of 70,453 for the period
of January to June, 1990, an increase of more than 32 percent
in just six months.

According to Gary Lucas, the magazine's publisher, the figures
mean that Computer Shopper is the biggest selling computer
magazine in the UK.

Lucas said that Computer Shopper enjoys a loyal audience of
people at all levels of computing skill. "You don't simply clean
up in a hugely competitive market in two and a half years -- like
any product in this industry, you have to understand the needs of
users and do a better job of catering for them," he said.

Lucas said he expects further increases in the magazine's
circulation: "We aren't even close to the full copy sales
potential," he said.

(Steve Gold/19900920/Press Contact: Gary Lucas, Tel: 071-323-
3643)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00031)

APPLE TRANSFERS HYPERCARD TO CLARIS
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 20 (NB) -- Apple Computer
will give its Claris subsidiary the responsibility for Hypercard
software development, support, and distribution starting in November
when Hypercard 2.0 is released, Apple has announced.

A version of HyperCard 2.0, which will run existing HyperCard
stacks and new HyperCard 2.0 stacks, will continue to be shipped
with every Macintosh computer. A complete HyperCard 2.0
authoring system, necessary for developing stacks, will be
sold by Claris.

"The transfer of HyperCard will be a positive move for all parties,"
said Randy Battat, vice president of worldwide product marketing for
Apple Computer. "Customers will benefit from the new support
available to them through Claris, and the active development
of new HyperCard stacks; developers will appreciate the
aggressive Claris marketing programs resulting in expanded
customer acceptance and ultimately many exciting new HyperCard
solutions."

Claris, now a wholly owned subsidiary of Apple, had been spun off two
years ago into a semi-independent entity. Apple suddenly reabsorbed
Claris at the beginning of August. The separate company had been set
up at least partly at the request of independent software developers,
who had been wary of Apple's presence in both the hardware and
software businesses.

(Wendy Woods & Daniel J. Rosenbaum/19900920/Press Contact:
Brooke Cohan, Apple Computer, 408 974 3019)