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/1992/nb920710

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(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00001)

 ****Microsoft Plan For Windows Fax Machine 07/10/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- Microsoft's Chairman Bill Gates,
who met the press in Tokyo, says Microsoft may work to put Windows
on fax machines. The company, he claims, is already talking with
a couple of major Japanese fax machine makers on the possible
development of such a machine.

According to Gates, the new product will be a so-called
"intelligent fax machine" equipped not only with regular fax
transmission features but also editing and networking features.
The details of this intelligent fax machines are so far only
the subject of private discussions between Microsoft and the
fax machine makers. But some details are surfacing -- the new fax
machine will be a hybrid combination of a personal computer and a
word processor which can be connected with a personal computer.

A possible candidate in Microsoft's fax partnership is Ricoh.
Microsoft is said to have been talking with Ricoh concerning the
development of the machine. Ricoh already sells an advanced
fax machine equipped with features such as copying of documents
and printed them to floppy disk. It is expected that the hardware
would be developed by the fax machine maker and the software
by Microsoft.

Microsoft also plans to put Windows on electronic pocket
organizers, according to Gates. This indicates that Microsoft
may be talking with Sharp and Casio, both of which make
electronic organizers.

Meanwhile, Bill Gates said that Windows has captured 50
percent of the market share for personal computers in the US
and is expected to reach 80 percent within the next two years.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920710/Press Contact: Microsoft, Tokyo, +81-
3-3363-1200)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00002)

Japan: Sharp Invests In Multimedia Development 07/10/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- Sharp has unveiled a series of
projects and plans in its strategy to be a major player in
multimedia. Sharp says it will double the number of staff members
assigned its multimedia division and has invested in
super-minicomputers for the development of multimedia software
and hardware.

Sharp will increase the number of personnel at its multimedia
division from the current 130 to 260 by the end of this year.
Multimedia will be the largest research division in the firm.
Sharp has just completed a new research building in Makuhari,
Chiba-ken for study of multi-media. The building contains
laboratories and a development division where researchers will
create applications, operate a telecommunication technology
development center, and staff a technical information center.

The technical information center is designed to be an impressive
library and research center for multimedia-related information
from around the world.

The center is also expected to play a role in the development of
a multimedia personal computer that Apple Computer is developing
with Sharp. Also, a Newsbytes source says the firm may develop a
multimedia electronic organizer in cooperation with Microsoft
in the near future.

Sharp will install super-minicomputers for the development and
processing of graphical software for multimedia. The super-
minicomputers will also help reduce software development time.

The multimedia division will also exchange ideas with foreign
researchers overseas. Sharp plans to hold various seminars and
study groups for researchers in and outside of Japan.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920710/Press Contact: Sharp, [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00003)

Report Says HDTV 1 Trillion Yen Market 07/10/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- The High Definition Television
Promotion Support Center in Japan has released a report on High
Definition Television (HDTV) which claims that the HDTV
market will grow to a 1 trillion-yen ($7.5 billion) industry in
Japan by the year 2000. The center is affiliated with
the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry.

The HDTV Promotion Support Center used as the basis of its study
the current demand for the analog version of HDTV. The report
conducted two major case studies on HDTV, each based on the
price and the number of HDTV channels. If the HTDV sets are
sold at around 500,000 yen ($3,800) and there is only one
HDTV channel available, the industry will be worth 500 billion
yen ($3.8 billion) in sales. However, if the price drops to
300,000 yen ($2,300) and there are three HDTV channels
available, sales will reach 1 trillion yen.

In the case in which HDTV costs 500,000 yen, about 3.34 million
units may be sold by the year 2000. This is 7.13 percent of
Japanese families. However, if the price goes down to 300,000 yen,
11.65 million units will be sold -- 24.8 percent of families.

The key to this increase in HDTV demand is the development of
low-cost integrated HDTV chips. Currently, HDTV costs around 2
million to 4 million yen. Japanese electronics firms including
Sony, Sharp, Toshiba, Fujitsu, NEC, and Mitsubishi are developing
these chips in order to lower the retail price.

HDTV broadcasting currently is broadcast by NHK for eight hours
per day on an experimental basis.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920710)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00004)

SMC Reduces Prices, Joins Talks On PCMCIA LAN Cards 07/10/92
HAUPPAUGE, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- The Ethernet LAN
card business is continuing its turbulent progress. SMC has taken
the latest swing at it by dropping prices on their 8- and 16-bit
boards by as much as 20%. In some cases, this price reduction
follows on the heals of a similar reduction which SMC announced in
April of this year.

Almost the complete line of Ethernet cards were affected by this
reduction. Exempt were the Elite line that had a price reduction
earlier this spring.

For example, the old suggested retail price of the 8-bit coax was
$199, it's now $179; the 16-bit 10Base-T card is $225 when it used
to be $279; the 16-bit Combo card is $275 compared to its former
price of $299.

The Combo card is going through a second price reduction in almost
as many months. In April it sold for $399 before the first price
cut.

SMC officials stated that there are two reasons for the price
cut. First, the market is very competitive and margins are being
squeezed by everyone. Secondly, SMC intends to keep and enlarge the
market share that it holds. This price reduction will hurt SMC less
than others since it already ships in large volume and controls the
complete process including its own silicon.

In other matters, SMC employees told Newsbytes that the company has
started participating in discussions with other companies with the
intention of coming up with a standard for putting LAN technology on
PCMCIA cards. The mobile computer that use PCMCIA to a large extent
are not served by the LAN vendors. Some of the vendors have started
to look at PCMCIA. A problem could exist if every vendor decided on
their own solution and so, a collection of vendors met for the first
time this week to work on a proposed standard that will be presented
to the PCMICA board. Newsbytes has learned that in addition to SMC,
other companies that participated in the meeting included National
Semiconductor, TI-France, Fujitsu, Socket, Intel, AMD, Novell,
Proxim, and Xircom. The next meeting of this group is scheduled for
July 22 in San Jose during the PCMCIA board meeting.

(Naor Wallach/19920710, Press Contact: Ellen Roeckl, SMC,
516-435-6340)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEL)(00005)

Apple Gets Indian SW Firm To Develop Mac Language Fonts 07/10/92
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- A Delhi-based software
company, Summit Information Technologies Pvt. Ltd., has received
certified developer status from Apple Computer.

As a part of the arrangement, Summit is now eligible for special
technical support, training, market information and assistance
from Apple to develop and market Macintosh software on priority
basis.

Summit Information Technologies specializes in development of
Microsoft Windows-based Indian language desktop publishing
(DTP) software for the IBM PC platform. It also develops Indian
language fonts and DTP software for the Apple Macintosh.
The company is now planning to diversify into software exports
and develop DTP software and other fonts for Asian languages
like Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai and Arabic for Apple
Macintosh and then for Microsoft Windows.

Meanwhile, Apple's Indian distributor, Raba Contel is reported
to be actively lobbying for ways of increasing Apple's presence
in the country. Though locally produced IBM PC compatibles have
become the norm in the Indian market, the imported Macs are
favorites predominantly in electronic publishing, design
activities and some elite office environments. As the old rules
of foreign investment have undergone sweeping changes to attract
global players into the Indian market, even Apple is understood
to be making some exploratory moves.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19920710)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00006)

Super 301 Trade Bill Passed by House 07/10/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- Although called the
Trade Expansion Bill by its sponsors and supporters, almost
everyone in Washington refers to the trade bill just passed by
the House of Representatives as the "Super 301 Bill" because it
would reinstate requirements that the administration impose
punitive trade sanctions on countries determined to be taking
unfair advantage of the US's relatively open trade policies.

Those in favor of the bill point out that the only times in
recent history when the US was able to win significant trade
concessions from Japan, agreements which translated into actual
reductions in Japan's trade imbalance, were when the now-expired
Super 301 tariffs were imposed.

The line-up on both sides is predictable, with Michigan's
Democratic Representative Sander Levin saying that the bill's
seven-year restriction on Japanese car imports is healthy for the
US economy while Japanese car makers warn of dire results and
American owners of Japanese car dealerships cry foul.

Republican Representative Bill Archer from Texas warned his
fellow Representatives that it was dangerous to attempt to
restrict trade with Japan which, after Canada, is our largest
export customer.

Among other things, the bill would reinstate Super 301 tariff
imposition authority for a five-year period; require Japanese-
owned US auto plants to use 70 percent US-made parts content
in their vehicles (some now import most parts and just assemble
vehicles here); and mandate that the Bush Administration's Office
of the Trade Representative investigate rice import restrictions
imposed by several of the US's largest Asian trading partners.

According to a report from Reuters, Japan's Ministry of
International Trade and Industry (MITI) says it expects "a cooler
reaction from the Senate and administration [on the trade bill]."

Since the Administration's chief trade negotiator, Ambassador
Carla Hills, opposes Super 301 enforcement, the Japanese and many
insiders feel that President Bush will veto the bill if it passes
the Senate and goes to the White House for the President's
signature.

In the US House of Representatives, the bill passed on a vote
of 280 in favor to 145 opposed -- fewer votes than supporters
would need to finally override a Presidential veto.

But some Washington observers say that MITI may be overoptimistic
when it says that it doesn't expect the Democratic trade bill to
be enacted into law.

During an election year when the President is being widely
criticized for his failure to protect American jobs, Japan's
massive $9.5 billion trade surplus for May, and failure to meet
what many American companies and government officials have seen
as commitments to improve their trade position with the US, the
Senate and even the White House may be feeling more pressure from
the angry electorate than from Japanese lobbyists.

Japan's current account surplus (the measure of how much more the
country's businesses exported than the country as a whole
imported), which was just announced this week, was double the
size of last year's same-month surplus of $4.16 billion. April's
trade numbers were slightly worse than May's, but the improvement
is considered negligible.

(John McCormick/19920710/)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(WAS)(00007)

DEC Wins Australian Telecom Support Contract 07/10/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- Digital Equipment has
won a 10-year, $1 billion job as prime contractor for Optus
Communications, the Australian telecommunications company. DEC
will develop an operational support system for what is expected
to be the world's first fully digitized telecom network.

Optus, a consortium formed by some Australian companies, Cable &
Wireless, and Bell South, only recently received government
approval to operate a network in Australia, the second largest in
the country by virtue of there only being two.

Optus is installing fiber optic lines and plans to offer cellular
phone communications in the relatively few urban areas where most
of Australia's population is located.

(John McCormick/19920710/Press Contact: Dick Calandrella, Digital
Equipment, 508-496-8626 or David Foster, Optus Communications,
01-61-2-238-7723)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00008)

ROUNDUP: Stories Carried By Other Media This Week 07/10/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- Roundup is a brief
look at some computer stories carried in other publications
received here this past week.

High-Tech Marketing News for June (just arrived) says that the
action is returning in the Silicon Valley PR business - an
indication that computer firms are turning the economic corner.

Aldus Magazine dated July/August looks at t-shirt art.

The July 6 InformationWeek reports that Aetna Insurance has
slashed its information systems staff by 15 percent.

Databased Advisor for July carries developer ratings of 29 DBMS
packages.

(John McCormick/19920710)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00009)

Silicon Graphics Takes 15% Stake in Tata Elxsi India 07/10/92
BOMBAY, INDIA, 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- Tata Elxsi (India) Ltd. and
Silicon Graphics (SG) have announced a long-term strategic
alliance to promote their respective business interests in India.
The two have signed a memorandum of understanding to implement
the tie-up, which entitles Silicon Graphics to initially take up
15 percent of the equity of TEIL.

TEIL will in turn be granted manufacturing license for certain
advanced RISC-based computer systems and graphics items, the
details of which are yet to be announced. TEIL, promoted by
Tata Industries, has already manufacturing its power series
models, based on Silicon Graphics technology, at its Bangalore
plant since late 1991.

Silicon Graphics' president, Robert Bishop, currently in India,
said: "This alliance permits Tata Elxsi to introduce high-end
multiprocessor RISC technology and is an important part of
Silicon Graphics' strategy in the Indian computer market."

SG is not new to operations in India. It has, for the past four
years, been actively associated with OMC Computers which has a
manufacturing license agreement for the personal IRIS range of
workstations. OMC itself has the Tata group among its major
shareholders. A month ago, there were speculations about SG
buying into OMC, which were neither denied nor confirmed by the
latter. However, this triangular alliance, as it stands, may
not be the final form. It is bound to mature into further
consolidation by one player or the other of the three.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19920710)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00010)

New For PC: Multimedia Data Cataloging Software 07/10/92
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- The phenomenon of
multimedia has created a plethora of multimedia data and the
necessity for keeping track of it somehow, a task that is the focus
of two new products announced by Lenel Systems of Rochester, New
York, MPCOrganizer and MediaOrganizer.

Lenel says the management of multimedia data is no longer just a
problem for multimedia producers. Television stations, advertising
agencies, lawyers, insurance companies, hospitals, and doctor's
offices are also collecting audio, video, and images in addition to
paper records. Cataloging the information so it can be found and
used when needed is the problem Lenel says MPCOrganizer and
MediaOrganizer address.

Both products are Microsoft Windows-based and both catalog, search,
retrieve, and play back multimedia data types from hard disk drives
and compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) drives.

Users can search for information using keywords, view the
information in a scalable window, and insert it into a Windows
application. Multimedia data can be cataloged by dragging and
dropping it, which generates an on-screen form the user fills out to
enter information so it can be retrieved later, company
representatives added.

The Lenel products can handle any data, media, or format that is
compatible with Windows Multimedia Extensions (MME) and Media
Control Interface (MCI), Lenel said. That includes animation files
from Autodesk (FLC and FLI files), Macromind (MMM files), or Gold
Disk (AWM files); audio from compact discs, musical instrument
digital interface (MIDI), or Waveform; text from the major word
processors including Ami Pro, Microsoft Word for DOS, Microsoft Word
for Windows, RTF files, Windows Write and Wordperfect for DOS only
version 5.1; and graphical and digital still video formats in vector
(DXF, CGM, EPS, GIF, HGL, PIC, DRW, WMF, WPG), bitmap (IMG, MTX,
PCX, TIF, TGA, BMP, WPG), and cursor (CUR, ICO).

Also, both products work on networks, including Novell, 3Com, IBM PC
LAN, and Banyan.

While both products perform many of the same function, Lenel says
MPCOrganizer is geared toward the mass market while MediaOrganizer
adds functionality for video in full-motion or still formats and is
geared more toward the media professional. MediaOrganizer can also
act as a multimedia player, the company said, via Windows' OLE
support. Information that has been cataloged and found using
MediaOrganizer can be imbedded in the application, even if the
application doesn't support the media file type. All that is
required to play back the media is a double-click on the icon of the
media file and the presence of MediaOrganizer on the computer.

Lenel's idea is catching on, as Aldus, developers of Pagemaker
desktop publishing software, announced it was purchasing a
technology called "Fetch" from Provident Software of Anaheim,
California for development into a commercial product. Fetch
reportedly offers much of the same functionality of the Lenel
products, but is geared toward the Macintosh platform.

Lenel says its products will begin shipping before the month is out
and are available from the company directly. Aldus says it is
developing a product based on Fetch it expects to have available by
the end of the year.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920710/Press Contact: Gary Baker, Technology
Solutions for Lenel, 212-505-9900, Derrin Fund, Lenel Systems, tel
716-248-9720, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MOW)(00011)

Russian CASE Association Formed 07/10/92
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- A group of research institutes
in Russia have teamed up to form the Russian Association on
Software Engineering (RASE) to facilitate complicated software
engineering projects in the country.

The Russian Scientific Research Institute of Information
Technologies and CAD Systems, the Institute of Control Problems,
and few other academic institutions are the founding members of
the Association.

InterEVM, the Byelorussian Academy of Sciences Computing Center,
McDonnell Douglas Information Systems, and a number of influential
individuals have already agreed to join, with more banks, insurance
companies, industry associations, and education establishments
expected to join soon.

The association's main goals, according to Dr Boris Pozin of the
organization's committee, are to promote Russian developments in the
West, get more contracts for CASE design from the industry, and
facilitate the "exchange of ideas" between developers.

The founding conference of RASE is planned for 15-17 September
1992 in Moscow. The association, which is planned as a non-profit
company, will be officially registered in early fall.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19920710/Press & Public contact: RASE, Dr Boris
Pozin, phone [phone]; fax + 7(095) 9716283, E-mail:
[e-mail])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(DEL)(00012)

Annual Asian Unix Conference Due In Singapore Next Month 07/10/92
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- The annual conference
devoted to Unix and Open Systems, Uniforum Asia 1992, is slated
for 25-28 August at the Marina Mandarin Hotel in Singapore. It
is a venue where users, developers, and vendors of the Asian
region will meet to share the reality and future of Open
Systems, from current business strategies to new technologies.

The conference features parallel sessions with key contributions,
keynote talks by industry experts, paper presentations, and
plenary and tutorial sessions. The two-day tutorial sessions
will be: Unix network programming using System's Transport
Layer Interface and BSD's sockets; writing portable C
programs, ANSI standard SQL; and Open Systems standards.

"The Open Reality Towards 2000," is the theme of the subsequent
two-day conference that promises to address the critical issues
of "How do we move from here to there?" Keynote speech by
Heinz Lycklama of Open Systems Technology Associates, USA will
be followed by sessions on architecture, software development,
portability, trends in terms of consensus politics in the Unix
arena, MIS issues and case studies.

The event is organized by Uniforum Singapore and the Association
of Open Systems Professionals and sponsored by various other
organizations.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19920709/Press Contact: The Conference
Secretariat, Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00013)

The Enabled Computer by John McCormick 07/10/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- The Enabled Computer
is a regular Newsbytes feature covering news and important
product information relating to high technology aids for the
disabled.

The Enabled Computer is back!

Actually, we only went on vacation for a month but, despite the
heat of summer, this column is back on the air.

Actually the vacation was spent working on other projects,
including what may eventually turn out to be a two-book deal with
a major publisher which contacted us about doing a book based on
this column. More on this later if the contracts come through -
right now the idea is to create two books, one for business and
one for end users, both of which would concentrate on explaining
what enabling technology is available and how to find it.

Employers! Are You Ready For The ADA?

Just a note to remind employers and potential employees that as
of July 26, 1992, any business employing more than 25 people on a
full-time basis is subject to the equal employment provisions of
the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Disabled people now have civil rights, just as real American
citizens do.

What does this mean to you?

Well, if you are such an employer, then, among other things, it
means that you need to start reading this column in Newsbytes,
published every Friday. This is the only regular source of
information about enabling technology in the mainstream computer
press.

Why?

Because you can, and quite probably will, be sued if you fail to
hire a qualified disabled person simply because he or she is
disabled. You can't say that it would cost too much or be too
inconvenient to accommodate a disabled worker if the technology
exists to adapt the job readily to his or her special needs.

With the cost of hiring and training employees being what it is,
I doubt that any court will agree that a $1,000 or even $2,000
computer program or accessory would be an excessive investment to
allow a disabled person to work in your office, so you need to
know just what is available.

The good news is that many kinds of adaptive technology are not
particularly expensive and that there is a large pool of well-
educated and highly motivated disabled people looking for jobs.

Oh, and by the way, if you have a service business of any sort
that serves the public, then you already need to provide equal
access to your services for disabled customers.

It may cost a bit, but just think of all that lovely money that
disabled people are waiting to spend in your business.

End editorial.

Those business people with dissenting opinions are invited to go
soak their heads while they are waiting for that first
discrimination lawsuit.

(John McCormick/19920710)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SYD)(00014)

 ****New Zealand Seen As World Model In Data Privacy 07/10/92
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- New Zealand's
data matching rules are being examined by the Australian
privacy commissioner, Kevin O'Connor. He said he is worried
that the situation in Australia could get out of control if
regulations aren't defined very soon.

As large, new government and para-government databases are
currently being implemented, many observers believe that there is
no time to lose in dictating limits on data sharing. O'Connor said
large scale speculative data matching involving agencies such as
Taxation, Social Services and Police was currently being done
with virtually no control. For instance, a person claiming social
services benefits could be checked to see if they owned land or
stock, and thus had other income.

The New Zealand Privacy Commissioner Act has specific
guidelines for data matching whereas the equivalent Australian
act only calls for data holders to form voluntary agreements,
without specifying limits. However, O'Connor admits that data
matching is now the norm in Western countries, and will be hard
to control. He said he is naturally concerned that for every group
of offenders who are caught by the process, many innocent people
will also be unnecessarily investigated, and even mistreated.
He also said there was a great temptation for various bodies to
compose dossiers on individuals, automating their routing
updating.

A spin-off from this debate is the proposal to institute whistle-
blower legislation in which people will be offered protection if they
report wrong-doings of employers or fellow employees. Some
people are suggesting that this should extend to people reporting
those who are claiming benefits under false pretences. The debate
has recently centered around the national tertiary student financial
assistance scheme AusStudy, where the responsible government
body has asked people to report students who have falsified
applications.

(Paul Zucker/19920710)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00015)

 ****Anti-virus Company Claims Polymorphic Breakthrough 07/10/92
BERKHAMSTEAD, HERTS, ENGLAND, 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- S&S
International, the anti-virus software specialist, claims to have
made a breakthrough with its Dr Solomon's Antivirus Toolkit in
the field of polymorphic viruses.

Viruses tend to use a number of tricks to evade detection. The
most simple virus programs run just before an infected package,
but do nothing to alert the user to their existence. These, S&S
claims, are easy to detect.

More complex viruses encrypt themselves against detection in a
different way each time they load. This makes detection more
difficult, although S&S claims it is possible since a small
portion of program unencrypted code must remain in memory to
trigger the decrypt processor when appropriate. S&S claims that
this unencrypted code can also be detected using its anti-virus
software.

Polymorphic virus, on the other hand, rely on the fact that there
are many different ways in which a decryptor can be written.
Added to this, some of the unencrypted code can be random and
benign, making virus detection very difficult.

S&S claims that the latest edition of its Dr Solomon Antivirus
Toolkit uses "fuzzy logic" to detect such viruses. Instead of
looking for precise code and specific events, the package looks
for anything out of the ordinary and performs a series of tests
on the affected memory or potentially infected program code.

To do this, instead of searching for a single search string or
multiple alternatives, or even a search string with wild cards,
it claims to use a method searching that can recognize a flexible
pattern.

As each polymorphic virus is analyzed by Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus
Toolkit, so a profile for that virus is built up and a search
routine coded automatically for that virus. When the next
potential polymorphic virus is encountered, these routines are
run and, using a fuzzy logic set of routines, the percentage
possibility that a virus is present can be calculated and the
user notified.

Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit is available in two versions -
quarterly at UKP 99, which comes with quarterly updates to the
software; and monthly, with monthly updates, at UKP 175. A deluxe
edition, which includes monthly updates and a copy of the monthly
Virus News International newsletter, costs UKP 275.

(Steve Gold/19920710/Press & Public Contact: S&S International -
Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SFO)(00016)

Mac-Compatible Products Firm Settles Suit With Apple 07/10/92
MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- Quorum
Software Systems Inc., and Apple Computer have settled their
federal lawsuit that involved Apple's claims that Quorum was
violating its patents.

Sheldon Breiner, president and co-founder of Quorum, told
Newsbytes that, although terms of the settlement could not be
disclosed, "the terms of the agreement can be viewed (by any
developer) who does business with us" so long as they sign a
"non-disclosure agreement." Breiner described his firm as a
"Macintosh compatibility company."

Breiner told Newsbytes that the problem started when "Apple
sent us a letter claiming infringement of copyright in March.
We felt they were about to sue (the company)....so we filed a
suit in federal court."

Quorum, which still has no formal business relationship with
Apple, claims that it filed the suit in May after it had been
removed from Apple's Certified Developer program.

Apple had accused Quorum of violating its intellectual property
rights. Breiner told Newsbytes that "they never told us
(exactly) what we infringed." He added that, "nothing we
have done uses any of Apple's intellectual property."

Quorum argued that its technology and products were
developed so as to avoid infringement. The company claims
that it will now be allowed to develop and market its
products without threat of legal action from Apple.

Breiner said that "we reached a settlement on Wednesday.
We have been reinstated as a developer on the program,"
although we have "no ongoing business with Apple."
"Apple never sued us," emphasized Breiner.

Breiner told Newsbytes that Quorum was a "two-and-a-
half year-old company" with about 50 employees.

Quorum has recently started shipping its first products,
including a program that allows applications written for
Apple computers to run on workstations powered by Sun
Microsystems chips.

Breiner told Newsbytes that the company hopes to release
a product by the end of the year, called "Equal," that will
take a "Mac floppy disk" and "with our software, run that
disk on" any Unix machine.

(Ian Stokell/19920710)


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

New For Macintosh: Dayna Ethernet Combo Card 07/10/92
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, U.S.A., 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- The Ethernet Combo
card seems to be an idea whose time is now. Ethernet combo cards
contain on them the connectors and electronics that support all
three of the common wiring methods found in Ethernet networks.
Traditionally, a LAN interface card would have only one connector
with its associated electronics.

Dayna Communications told Newsbytes that with the popularity of
these combo cards soaring, they could not ignore the market and
decided to come with a combo card to flesh out their already pretty
full line. The new card that is being introduced at this time is
called the DaynaPort E/II-3. The 3 signifies the combo aspect of
the card while the II signifies that these cards are to be used in
Macintosh II series computers that have NuBus slots in them.

Dayna has priced the card to be competitive with similar offerings
from Asante and other. The card will be sold at a suggested retail
price of $319.

One of the more interesting aspects of this card is that Dayna
has decided to put 64K of RAM directly on the board rather than the
32K that most of the competition uses. This will help the board
perform a little faster as well as have a higher throughput than
comparable cards. This performance is needed especially in
situation where the card is used inside of a server.

The DaynaPort E/II-3 cards are shipping now.

(Naor Wallach/19920710, Press Contact: David Pascoe, Dayna,
801-535-4236)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00018)

 ****Mac Viruses More Deadly, New ChinaTalk, T4 Viruses Loose 07/10/92
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- A new threat on
the Macintosh in the form of a virus called ChinaTalk is loose. The
virus is being distributed as a shareware sound driver that is
Macintalk compatible.

In more technical terms, the ChinaTalk falls in the category of a
Trojan Horse and technically isn't a virus because viruses by
definition replicate themselves. Trojan Horse is the term for a type
of rogue program that masquerades as a functional program, but the
first time it is activated it does some unauthorized activity.

Robert Capon, general manager of utilities business for Microcom,
producers of the Virex antiviral software, told Newsbytes the
ChinaTalk virus erases the directory information on the hard disk
drive, requiring the re-installation of the drive and usually the
loss of all data. While some data might be recovered, it takes some
expertise to do so, and even then most data will be lost.

Capon says Macintosh viruses used to be fairly benign and were
really just a nuisance back in 1988 when he started and there were
only three, the Peace virus, Scores, and n-VIR. However, now Mac
viruses are a serious threat to Macintosh users as many are
destructive either to data or to entire disk drives. The WDEF is the
most prevalent virus of the approximately 35 Macintosh strains, as
it spreads in the invisible desktop file that is present on every
Macintosh disk and gets activated immediately upon insertion of the
disk into the drive, Capon added.

However, more dangerous viruses, such as the T4 strain and the
ChinaTalk are becoming prevalent. Macintosh operating systems have
virtually no counter to viral activity and the interconnectivity
features of System 7.0 are making the problem worse, as viruses are
spreading faster, according to Capon.

The good news is a Trojan Horse rogue program usually runs its
course quickly, as a user who starts the file in question is
immediately aware of the presence of the virus. In fact, in erasing
the directory information on the hard disk, the Trojan Horse often
also ensures it will be deleted as well.

Symantec is boasting its SAM 3.0 software already detects this new
Trojan Horse ChinaTalk by monitoring for suspicious activity -- a
feature the company says is unique to SAM.

Microcom told Newsbytes its software doesn't detect ChinaTalk as
yet, but it does detect the new T4 strain of viruses that were just
introduced via the versions 2.0 and 2.1 of the Gomoku Game widely
available for download on the Internet. The company says it has
updated its Virex antivirus software to version 3.82 to detect and
eliminate the new T4 virus strains.

Microcom says its updated version of Virex, version 3.82 is being
shipped to subscribers, and registered users who are not subscribers
can be mailed update information to update their copy of Virex to
detect the T4 strain. The company says updates may also be obtained
from its BBS. Another update to Virex is planned that will detect
and repair infected files.

Symantec's SAM 3.0 will detect the viral activity in general, but
users will need to update their SAM virus definition file in order
for SAM to detect and eliminate the ChinaTalk or the new T4 strain,
company officials said. The updated virus definition file is
available on Symantec's BBS or on its forums on Compuserve, America
Online and Applelink. A postcard with the new virus definitions has
also been sent by mail to registered SAM owners. Users can also
order a virus update disk from the company for $12.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920710/Press Contact: Robert Capon, Microcom,
919-490-1277; Teri Bruno, White & Cromer for Microcom, tel 714-752-
2216, fax [phone]; Jackie Brinker, Symantec, tel [phone],
408-253-3968)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00019)

Packard Bell & Disney Offer "Family Computing" 07/10/92
CHATSWORTH, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- In a deal aimed
at "family computing," Packard Bell says it and Walt Disney Computer
Software have signed an agreement under which it will offer Disney
software titles for children and Disney's The Sound Source audio
speaker system with Packard Bell systems.

Packard Bell, which is offering its systems in the retail mass
merchant channels, such as warehouse buying clubs, consumer
electronics stores, computer superstores, and catalog merchandisers,
says the agreement covers the United States and Canada. Seven Disney
software titles will be bundled with the new systems, the company
added.

Disney has been marketing software titles for children for some time
as well as its The Sound Source audio products. Kirk Green said The
Sound Source is designed to be an inexpensive sound alternative for
users and it plugs into the parallel port on the back of the
personal computer (PC) so users do not have to open up the machine
to install it. "Disney didn't develop The Sound Source to compete
with the Rolands and Sound Blasters of the world. We just want to
give users better than the PC speaker sound at a low price."

Retail price of The Sound Source is $39.95 but Green says street
price runs between $18 and $20. Disney also has a deal with Phoenix
Technologies who is licensing the Disney sound technology to systems
manufacturers for incorporation into PCs. Green told Newsbytes
Disney is planning to release an MPC Level 1 compatible sound
product before the end of the year.

The Sound Source speaker audio system is also supported by other
game manufacturers, including Sierra, Broderbund, Interplay, and
Maxis, Green said.

Disney is based in Burbank, California. Packard Bell claims to
be the second-largest US supplier of PC-compatible computers and
number one in shelf space in the mass market channel. Packard Bell
is headquartered in Chatsworth, California.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920710/Press Contact: Kirk Green, Walt Disney
Computer Software, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00020)

International Phone Update 07/10/92
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- While employment
on the US phone network continues to shrink, thanks to
automation, international phone companies continue to sign deals
which will force hiring of more employees.

Tandberg A/S of Norway said British Telecom will distribute its
videophones worldwide. The phones will compete with the AT&T
Videophone 2500, sending pictures, sound and data on regular
phone lines.

In Portugal, Companhia Portuguesa Radio Marconi SA, is looking
for overseas partners. It already has joint ventures with
Telefonica de Espana of Spain, France Telecom and AT&T. The
company has a monopoly on local service within Portugal, but has
been trying to cut costs and prices as the European Community
moves to move open markets. In addition to entering financial
service and software markets, Marconi is becoming a major layer
of undersea cables, with links planned to Africa, between South
Africa, Madeira and the Canary Islands, and with cables to the
US Virgin Islands so calls can be carried from the Americas.

India launched its Insat-IIA satellite through Arianespace in
French Guyana. It is the first satellite to be designed and built
in India and will be in a geosynchronous orbit, handling
telephone traffic and broadcasting services, within two weeks.

KDD won a contract with the country of Mongolia to build a
satellite telecommunications net there, the company said.
Included in the project are digital switching systems in the
capital of Ulan Bator and transmission cables linking that
system to a satellite earth station. The system, when it's done
by the end of 1993, will increase Mongolia's call handling
capacity by 500 percent.

Back in Japan, Motorola won the contract to build the digital
cellular network of Tu-Ka Cellular in Tokyo. Motorola already has
successful operations in the analog world, and the new digital
network will run at a higher frequency of 1.5 gigahertz. Motorola
will deploy cell sites in the regions of Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba
and Saitama covering the metropolitan areas. Future plans call
for expansion to the entire Kanto area, as well as to Yamanashi
and Nagano. Motorola and TU-KA Cellular plan the start of
service for April 1994.

China wants to install a public phone booth every 200 meters in
major cities, according to the official China Daily. Local
governments are being asked to finance the plan. This is part of
a plan to make sure 1 in 1,000 urban residents in major cities
have access to a phone by 1995. The country also wants to have 14
phones per 100 citizens, the current world average, by the year
2010.

So far the country has been unable to keep up with spiraling
demands for service, and the pay phones are seen as a
stop-gap measure. The country is also expanding its network with
fiber lines, and signed a contract with AT&T of the US to
supply more. Trunk links using fiber are still prohibited in
Russia.

Speaking of AT&T, that company won an $82 million deal with
Pilipino Telephone, known as Piltel, of Manila in the Philippines
to expand its cellular network. The company installed the first
phase of the Piltel network in 1991, the new pact will double the
number of cell sites.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920710/Press Contact: David A. Pinsky,
Motorola, 708-632-2841)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00021)

900 Business Begins Consolidation 07/10/92
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- The free-
fall and shake-out apparently over, the pay-per-call "900" line
industry has begun to consolidate. And it looks like Independent
Entertainment Group is determined to be one of the few survivors.

Independent Entertainment Group, a major operator of such
services, announced agreements to acquire The ICOM Group, H&R
Enterprises, Keap Communications, and Media 800. The first is a
service bureau, the last three information providers. In a
press release, the company stated that Media 800 reports $6
million in annual sales with $1.5 million in pre-tax earnings.

When all is said and done, INDE, as the company is known, should
have $20 million in gross sales with approximately $2.9 million
in net earnings for the current year. Lew Eisaguirre, INDE's
chief financial officer, noted that "These acquisitions have been
carefully structured to provide for minimal cash outlay, notes
which are paid only out of cash flow and stock based on the value
of the assets purchased." These kinds of deals are only possible
when the acquired companies are in trouble. The total price will
be $448,000 in cash, notes totaling approximately $1.5 million
payable in three years, approximately 14,439,000 shares of INDE
common stock and warrants to purchase an additional 7,281,335
shares at 66 cents per share. Those warrants expire in a year.

There's also an earn-out provision, which means it could pay up
to $5.2 million more based on net cash flow over the next three
years.

ICOM will be merged with 800 Unlimited, INDE's pay-per-call
service bureau, and Calls Unlimited, the "900" audiotext service
bureau purchased by INDE in April 1992. The combined operations
will be renamed The ICOM Group and will operate as a division of
INDE managed by former ICOM president Brad Weber.

H&R, Keap and Media 800 will be merged under the name MEGACOM
to form INDE's pay-per-call information provider services division,
co-managed by Henry Weingarten and Ed Bonn, formerly principals of
H&R and Media 800. Ridgely Goldsborough, H&R's other principal, will
look for additional acquisitions. Robert Lautz, INDE's chief
executive officer, noted that INDE's operations now consist of a
service bureau, an information provider, and a private billing and
collection card.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920710/Press Contact: Lew Eisaguirre,
Independent Entertainment Group, 310-288-2100)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00022)

Bell Atlantic Pushes To Save Jobs 07/10/92
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- In a series of
successive press releases, Bell Atlantic has tried to justify
its strategy of entering new businesses by saying it wants to save
jobs for all the regional Bell operating companies.

First, the company released a study it funded from the WEFA
Group, formed in 1987 by the merger of Wharton Econometric
Forecasting Associates and Chase Econometrics, claiming that if
it's allowed to stay in the information services business it can
bring 64,000 new jobs to Pennsylvania alone by the year 2001.

Its study claimed that participation by the Bells together will
add 1.46 million jobs and an estimated $110 billion to the total
U.S. gross domestic product by the year 2001.

The study was aimed at blunting a bill by Rep. Jack Brooks of the
House Judiciary Committee, whose H.R. 5096 seeks to return the
nation's phone system to the status quo ante before October,
1991, when Judge Harold Greene let the Bells into information
services under pressure from the Bush Administration and higher
courts. The Brooks bill, since watered down some, is supported by
AT&T, MCI, major online companies like CompuServe and GEnie, and
a coalition of newspapers and consumer groups.

Bell Atlantic spokesman Bill Harral, in his press statement,
derided all these groups as "special interests that want to stifle
competition in the growing information services market." The bill
is not expected to pass, but could be resurrected next year if
Democratic Nominee Bill Clinton wins the US Presidency.

Of course, those new jobs Bell Atlantic is talking about are
unlikely to be union jobs. Practically on top of its release on
information services came another, more ominous release, noting
that Bell Atlantic itself will cut its workforce by 3,450 by the
end of this year. The announcement was made to the two unions
representing the company's workers, the Communications Workers of
America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
That's less than a previous 4-6,000 job cuts estimated in April.

In a statement on the subject, spokesman Charlie Crist emphasized
that competition for its local phone business is coming, and
emphasized he needs to get ready for it. The company and its
unions are now discussing a new three-year contract. The existing
contracts expire August 8. Since 1984, Bell Atlantic has
eliminated more than 12,000 jobs.

Finally, Bell Atlantic announced it will offer its name on a line
of consumer phone products under the Bell Atlantic Champion
label, including telephones, answering devices and units that
notify users of incoming calls and messages. The products will be
distributed nationwide by Columbia Telecommunications Group
of New York, a mass market distributor which also has mail order
and telemarketing accounts.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920710/Press Contact: Nancy Murray, Bell
Atlantic, 703-974-1719)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(ATL)(00023)

Individual Files For Patent On First! 07/10/92
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- Individual
has filed for a US patent on its news profiling system, used in
its product called First! Patent protection is becoming
increasingly important in the US, as courts enforce them more
stringently. Patents are hard to get, but provide more protection
than copyright, the earlier method of protecting software rights.

The company claims that, since it uses a dynamic profile that
learns from and responds to subscriber feedback, 80 percent of
all articles selected by its profiles are relevant to users,
compared to one-two percent for most systems. The dynamic
profiling system is based on the Smart Expert System, for which
Individual has an exclusive license from Cornell University.

Individual began delivering First!, its daily customized news
service, in 1990 primarily to companies in the high-tech
industry. With continued expansion in its pool of information
sources, First! has been rolled out to other vertical markets
including telecommunications and defense. The company now claims
to have over 10,000 users, including some who broadcast their
results to other managers on internal electronic mail systems.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920710/Press Contact: Jim Leightheiser,
Individual, 617-354-2230)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00024)

Compaq Struggles To Meet Demand For New Prolinea 07/10/92
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- Compaq Computer
Corporation says it is struggling to keep up with the demand for its
new line of low-priced personal computers.

As reported by Newsbytes in mid-June of this year, the Prolinea is a
low-end desktop family with a starting price of $899 without a
monitor. Prolinea systems are available with hard drives from 40
MB to 120 MB, and comes with DOS 5.0 installed. Compaq said it can
build Prolinea units at the rate of one about every 60 seconds.

"We never pretended that we could meet the demand instantaneously,"
Compaq spokesperson John Sweney told Newsbytes. Sweney said the
company knew demand would be high, and expected it would take time
to bring production rates up to speed.

Sweney was unable to say how many orders the company had received
for Prolinea units, but said Compaq expects to eliminate the backlog
by August.

(Jim Mallory/19920615/Press contact: John Sweney, Compaq Computer,
713-374-1564; Reader contact: Compaq, 800-345-1518)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00025)

Zenith's New Approach To Price Listings 07/10/92
BUFFALO GROVE, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- Zenith Data
Systems says it will take a new approach to how it lists prices for
its personal computers.

The company will no longer publish a suggested manufacturers retail
price list, according to North American sales and marketing
executive vice president Clifford Jenks. Instead, ZDS will use a
"ZDS price" which Jenks said will better demonstrate the company's
aggressive pricing stance.

Traditionally, companies publish suggested retail list prices,
similar to the sticker prices on new cars. Retailers buy at a
certain percentage below that price, providing them with their
profit. Most computer sellers will negotiate with buyers if asked,
just like car dealers do. A negotiated price reduces their profit
by the difference between the suggested list price and the agreed
upon price. The computer industry refers to the average price
computers actually sell for as the "street price." The same
principle applies to software.

Zenith Data spokesperson John Bace told Newsbytes that issuing a
"street price" list will give buyers a more realistic idea of what
they can expect to pay for a personal computer.

Retailers generally pay from 20 to 35 percent less than the
suggested list price. "Today, a customer typically pays only about
10 percent more than what a reseller pays, so list price no longer
provides an accurate indication of what a product will cost the
end-user," said Jenks.

The company also announced that it is lowering its notebook and
desktop prices. Jenks said desktop systems will be reduced from
four to 21 percent, while notebook prices will drop from five to 10
percent. You can also expect Zenith to announce next week
upgrades to its older systems.

(Jim Mallory/19920710/Press contact: John Bace, Zenith Data Systems,
708-808-4848)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00026)

Aldus Acquires Software To Improve Color Printing 07/10/92
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- Aldus Corporation
says it has acquired RipPrep, a software application that performs
process-color trapping on EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) files.

RipPrep and its underlying software technology were developed by
Graphic Edge, a New Hampshire firm with which Aldus joined forces in
late 1991. The company said that some customers are already using
a Windows-based version of RipPrep.

Aldus said it will market RipPrep for Graphic Edge, while a joint
engineer team update the program, which will ship as an Aldus
product later this year.

Trapping is a process in color printing which eliminates gaps or
outlines between color elements of a printed page. Called "light
leaks" the gaps are considered unacceptable in a professionally
produced publication. The gaps are usually caused by slight paper
movement on the press, misaligned printing plates, the
characteristics of certain inks, or humidity. These and other
factors can cause text illustrations and photographs to shift
position slightly.

In traditional trapping, print shop specialists photomechanically
expand (spread) or contract (choke) an object's edges in minute
increments to create a slight overlap of the inks for adjoining
color elements of the film. The expansions and contractions
compensate for misregistration that might occur on the press.
RipPrep is designed to apply those techniques through the use of
computer software to EPS files originating on Macintosh, Unix, and
Windows-based systems.

The program operates by translating the source PostScript file into
a proprietary graphical format that automatically analyzes each
color interaction on a page. It then generates instructions
that produce the spread or choke between each color.

RipPrep is designed for use by PostScript service bureaus, prepress
houses, commercial printers, in-plant production departments and
publishing operations. It has a suggested retail price of $9,850,
and requires Windows, a 486-based PC, 16 MB of RAM, a 200 MB
hard drive, a color monitor, and a mouse. Aldus said registered
owners will receive a free update when the Aldus version of RipPrep
is released. It said it plans European and Pacific Rim versions
later.

(Jim Mallory/19920710/Press contact: Pam Miller, Aldus Corporation,
206-628-6594; Reader contact: 206-628-5739)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00027)

 ****Apple/Microsoft Plan News Conference July 15 07/10/92
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- Microsoft
and Apple Computer have scheduled a news conference for
July 15th at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, California.

According to Jennifer Allen, spokesperson for the companies,
the event is "co-sponsored" and will feature the "introduction
of a couple of new applications for the Macintosh." She added
that the new products will consist of "new versions of
existing Microsoft applications."

The presentation at the hotel, she said, was "basically a
product announcement." She said she could not disclose any
more information, as that was what the event was for.

She did however say that the presentation is "an RSVP"
event, so was not open to everyone. But she did say that
"anybody interested in the relationship between Apple
and Microsoft should attend."

Dan Ness, an analyst with La Jolla, California-based
Computer Intelligence, was also unsure of the products
to be released, although he did say that he believes "one
of them has something to do with Excel."

(Ian Stokell/19920710)


(REVIEW)(IBM)(SFO)(00028)

Review of: While You Were Out (Windows Version) 07/10/92

Runs on: Microsoft Windows 3.0 or 3.1 compatible computer,
monitor. Requires approx. 0.8MB HD space. (Available DOS
version not reviewed.)

From: Software Grove Corporation, 12525 Willows Road, Suite
130, Kirkland, WA 98034. Tel: (Sales) 800-793-0040 (Support)
206-823-0833. Fax: [phone].

Suggested Retail Price: $69.95

PUMA Rating: 3.4 (on a scale of 1=lowest to 4=highest)

Reviewed for Newsbytes by: Thom Foulks, Business Radio Network

Summary: Limited-interest product that can make work MUCH easier
for telephone receptionists (and the coworkers they support).

======

REVIEW

======

"While You Were Out" (WYWO) does nothing more than transfer
telephone message "pink slips" from a paper pad to a computer
screen -- simple idea, which Software Grove has implemented
superbly.

Simple, yes. But contemplate the advantages. The incoming call's
information gets typed, not handwritten -- and the output printed,
not scrawled. A searchable database of incoming messages is
formed automatically, so searching for a call of two weeks ago
becomes computerized instead of handwork. Such fixed data as
date and time is automatically entered on the slip; WYWO can
even provide a scrollable list of "to" persons, for automatic
input. It can build a similar list of previous callers, so that
the name-number information of frequent callers can be also
automatically input.

WYWO's default screen display mimics a "pink slip" pad -- but the
color is user-selectable, as is the type font used on-screen.
The onscreen form can also be oblong, providing for a larger
onscreen caller-message area. With either form, a caller's
message can be as long as the receptionist chooses to take
dictation over the phone (and is fully editable).

From setup to actual use, WYWO has no surprises, even for a
neophyte Windows user. It pops up readily from the icon, and
configuration options (more than 40) are easily revised from
standard Windows menus. A mouse helps with scrollable items,
but is not a mandatory hardware item; the tab and cursor-control
keys provide ample "hands-on-keyboard" maneuverability.

Print-outs can go to any Windows-selectable print device; but
there are problems (below).

WYWO has a smart file-handling system that stores each day's
messages into a file with the date as part of the file name.
Once saved, each message then becomes inviolate from within WYWO;
they can be recalled for editing into a new message, but the
original message is retained within its original file.

WYWO also interfaces with the Windows CardFile .CRD file
structure, so that CardFile information may be used by WYWO for
its automatic look-up routines.

WYWO also has functionality beyond paper pads. All past messages,
or a selected range, can be searched for a person's name, or a
keyword within the message text. Filed messages can be
re-displayed by the WYWO form, or in a log form. Also available
is a "Tracker" format, which prints the message information to a
single page of paper intended for more traditional notetaking
and possible filing.

WYWO's User's Manual, hopefully, will not be a trend-setter for
such program documentation. It uses 20 of its 57 pages to
describe a budding romance between Chic and Jane: Chic, a husky
deliveryman, Jane, a receptionist learning to use WYWO. There's
also Robert (a skirt-chaser from Jane's earlier job) and
Dorothy (Jane's job trainer, who is NOT accompanied by Toto).
All this reaches a predictable climax (with some sexual
harassment charges and @#%* thrown in), and...well, we won't
spoil the suspense for you, except to note that Jane grows to
love both Chic and WYWO.

But you can skip the manual: WYWO's online help files may be
less spicier, but certainly more direct.

WYWO has "gotcha" problems, however. Although a four-to-a-page
format is provided for print-outs, WYWO isn't smart enough to
wait until it has four new messages prior to prompting for a
print-out. Actual printing of four messages at a time
required storing them first, then reselecting them from the
file.

Then, with the "four-up" option chosen, message text information
from the two left-side messages overprinted (instead of
word-wrapping, as onscreen) onto the right-side messages. Those
problems are ironic: Software Grove ships 50 pages of perforated
"four-up" pink paper with WYWO, ready for use -- alas, awkwardly
-- in a laser printer. There was also another minor problem with
the oblong input form -- on a 1024x768 screen, the color of
the input fields consistently overwrote the field names.

The marketplace is still awaiting a good Windows telephone handler.
It requires the following:

1. Working from a common database of caller information which can
also be accessed by fax software.

2. Keyboard pop-up access from within Windows, instantly --
no mouse-dragging or clicking; functional from within any other
software.

3. Tracking of all call activity, out AND in. WYWO is a significant
step in the right direction, but it has no direct way to link with
tracking files of outgoing calls. A user should be able to
access the "caller" file rapidly, and note that a call was
received from a given person -- and that info should in turn go
into a common record of in/out phone activity.

4. Background monitoring of the modem used for outgoing calls, so
that both the time a call is initiated (off hook) and the time
the call is concluded (on hook) can be automatically logged,
without the user manually indicating when the call was ended.

The goal is to work from a common database of caller information for
both voice/fax traffic, in turn producing a total log of telephone
line in/out activity as effortlessly as possible.

The firm first producing a product meeting the above criteria,
providing the capabilities of Hotline, WinFax Pro, WYWO, FaxGrabber,
PaperWorks, Teleform, et al, will have a $1,000,000+ product.

===========

PUMA RATING

===========

PERFORMANCE: (3.7) While You Were Out is a slick Windows
productivity tool with usefulness limited to a single purpose --
taking telephone messages. For that purpose, however, it can be
such a dramatic improvement over paper-bound message systems
that employees in a large office might want to chip in to buy
it for their receptionist. Unfortunately, its print-out
capabilities are not on par with its input and search functions.

USEFULNESS: (4.0) The user benefits of such a product spread far
beyond the actual user; and all recipients of WYWO print-outs
would share in its productivity. A top value product for any
office environment dealing with more than a dozen incoming
calls daily! (Of course, the telephone receptionist must have
a computer...)

MANUAL: (3.0) Software Grove's efforts at producing a unique
"getting started" document are laudable, but NOW members and
corporate EEOC officers are advised to skip to Page 27.
(Sam Spade, featured on some of the manual's example
message slips, could have easily provided a better story theme.)

AVAILABILITY: (3.0) Software Grove is currently the sole
distributor of WYWO. They provide a toll-free order number
(credit card orders accepted) and a non-toll-free voice
support number; and they responded speedily to a faxed
request for assistance. LAN and corporate site licenses are
available. Also available (same price) is a DOS "popup"
version, which is likely attractive to companies who can't
afford a Windows computer for the "front desk."

(Thom Foulks/19920625/Press Contact: Software Grove, John Grove,
206-823-0833, Fax: [phone])


(REVIEW)(APPLE)(SFO)(00029)

Review of: Aqua Blooper Piper, Mac game 07/10/92

From: Casady & Greene, 22734 Portola Dr., Salinas, CA 93908, (408)
484-9228

Price: $49.95

PUMA Rating: 2.75 (on a scale of 1=lowest to 4=highest

Reviewed for Newsbytes by: Naor Wallach 7/10/92

Summary: A game that is part of the genre of "finish the pipe before
the liquids start flowing." Game play is good and fast. Has a few
rough spots.

======

REVIEW

======

How much pipe could an Aqua Blooper Piper pipe if an Aqua Blooper
Piper could pipe pipe? That is the question that you are trying to
answer as a player of this game. The story line goes that you are a
plumber (An Aqua Blooper Piper). Your customer (who remains nameless
and unseen), would like to take a shower. Unfortunately, down in the
basement, the pipes are not connected. This is where you come in.
Your task is to use the sections of pipe that you brought to hook up
the two ends of the pipe before the customer becomes impatient and
decides to turn the water on. Should the water get turned on, and
the pipes are not connected or still have uncapped joints, then the
basement floods and you lose.

There are a few more twists and turns of course. First, since you
did not know the nature of the problem when you were called, you
brought along a whole inventory of different pipe segments. Not all
of them work or really fit the application. For instance, some of
your pipes have two capped ends. Others are intended for distribution
so you have a small straight piece with six openings in all
directions. Further, you do not really get to spend much time on
selecting just the right section of pipe. The pieces come across on
a conveyor belt that runs at the bottom of the screen. The move from
right to left. Should a piece fall off the conveyor belt at the left
edge, it knocks open one of the four valves that stop the water
flow. Ergo, if four pieces fall off, you're in the drink.

To add even more excitement, you only have so much time to complete
your task. At levels 2-5 of the game, you are given a scant six
minutes to complete the task before water starts pouring in. If
there are holes in your construction, the basement floor fills with
water that pours through the uncapped pipes in blue on the screen.

The game comes on two diskettes. It is very colorful and lively in
terms of its music. There is no instruction manual. Instead, Casady
& Greene has provided a single folded page that tells you how to
copy or install the software on your machine and run the program.
The only other test refers to the "boss screen" which you can
activate should you be playing in a place you shouldn't be. All of
the instructions for the game are contained within the game itself.

Being a novice Blooper Piper, I loaded the game and started it at
the Apprentice level. At this point you are given a couple of
break. First, there is no six minute timer. You can take as long
as you need. Secondly, the pipe pieces are pretty straightforward.
As they move down the conveyor belt you pick them up, rotate them
to fit your desires, and let go of them at the spot that you want
them attached. There is a "magnetic" seal so if you're close enough,
the piece will attach. Then you get the next piece, etc. When you
complete the path and have sealed all of the open pipe segments, you
can open a valve and let the water come through.

If you did your job properly, you are rewarded with some extra
points, and a small display of a curtain rising on a shower. Then
you are automatically promoted to the next level. There are point
bonuses for completing the pipe correctly, completing it in the
least amount of time, making the use of the most amount of pipes,
and other such bonuses. As you move up the levels, there are more
and more pipe pieces on the conveyor belt, and they contain more
fantastic and varied shapes.

Should you fail in completing the job, the water comes pouring in.
This also completes the game and your point total is compared against
a list of high scores. Of course, if you have a high enough score
for it, you are asked to provide your name for the high score list.

This game takes a bit of practice to master. I played it several
times starting from the apprentice level before I felt comfortable
in trying to start at a higher level. Even so, I confess to not
being able to get through all the levels in one fell swoop. It can
be a frustrating game at times since you need just one piece that
somehow never seems to show up in time. Otherwise, it is an easy
game to pick up and learn and be relatively successful in a short
amount of time.

I did find one bug though. The "Boss screen" is called up whenever
you hit a predetermined key. What it does is show you a screen shot
of the infamous Macintosh Bomb dialog box. If you hit the space bar,
the screen shot is replaced with the game again. At least that works
the first time you do so. On a subsequent try, hitting the space bar
led to a real crash!

===========

PUMA RATING

===========

PERFORMANCE: 3 It works as advertised except for the bug that was
noted. Speed is acceptable and many parameters are user defined
thereby allowing you to tailor the system to your style of play.

USEFULNESS: 3 As a game player, I found myself playing it a few
times and then leaving it. I don't know the source of my
dissatisfaction. Maybe it just did not hit the right nerve with me?

MANUAL: 1 There isn't one and there should be. Not everything is as
apparent as the company may believe it is.

AVAILABILITY: 4 The company is real responsive and the game is
widely available.

(Naor Wallach/19920710/Press Contact: Judy, Casady & Greene, 408-
484-9228)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00030)

Global Village Cuts TelePort/Fax 9600 Price For Mac 07/10/92
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JUL 10 (NB) -- In an
effort to attract more Apple Macintosh users to its fax/modem
products, Global Village Communications Inc., has reduced the
price of its TelePort/Fax 9600 from $225 to $195.

Kathleen Raycraft, spokesperson for the company, told
Newsbytes that the price reduction applies to just the
TelePort/Fax 9600 for desktop Macs and not to the company's
equivalent products for Apple's PowerBook notebooks. She said
that she does anticipate any price reduction for the PowerBook
internal fax/modems in the near future.

The company claims that the TelePort/Fax 9600, first introduced
in June of 1991, is the first and only 9,600 bits-per-second (bps)
SendFAX modem to connect directly to the Apple Desktop Bus.
Consequently, the modem draws its power from the Macintosh it
is being used with, thereby negating the need for an external power
supply. The company says that the product includes an MNP/5
error correcting modem for error-free 2400 bps data
communications.

Rick Miley, vice president of marketing for Global Village, said:
"We are offering the TelePort/Fax 9600 at a reduced price to
enable an even broader spectrum of customers...(to use)....
Global Village's....fax/modem...(products). It's an ideal product
for home and office users who want a....simple way to fax
documents directly from their Macintosh. For the price of a
modem, users get valuable fax capabilities too."

According to the company, the TelePort/Fax 9600 is powered
by Global's proprietary software, GlobalFax. With this software
sending a fax entails just "holding down the option key and
selecting 'FAX' from the menubar." The company maintains that
documents are sent entirely in the background.

Raycraft also told Newsbytes that she sees the "Mac side" of
the modem industry as being "more competitive" than the PC
side. She said that the "high-speed" products are "around the
$795 price range," which is the same as Global's competing
products.

(Ian Stokell/19920710/Press Contact: Rick Miley, Global
Village Communications Inc., 415-390-8200; Kathleen
Raycraft, McLean Public Relations, 415-358-8535)