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/nb920810

Text File | 1992-08-10 | 72.7 KB | 1,622 lines

(NEWS)(APPLE)(TYO)(00001)

Japan: Fujitsu FM-Towns, Macintosh Sales Soar 08/10/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- Fujitsu's multimedia personal
computer the FM-Towns recorded a 33-percent sales increase for
fiscal 1991, and this year, sales are expected to increase by
75 percent over the previous year.

Fujitsu sold about 80,000 units of FM-Towns in fiscal
1991. Some 110,000 more units were expected to be sold in this fiscal
year, but Fujitsu has increased its estimate to 140,000 units.

Meanwhile, Apple's Macintosh is also selling well, although not
as fast as the FM-Towns. 120,000 Macintoshes were sold in Japan
in fiscal 1991, and 180,000 to 200,000 units are expected to be
sold in fiscal 1992. This is a 50 to 67 percent increase over the
previous year.

According to Fujitsu, the major reason for its rapid sales
increase is increasing sales to schools and libraries.
The FM-Towns is equipped with a CD-ROM drive and floppy disks, and it
supports multimedia titles with its ability to display
30,000 colors and quality sound.

Fujitsu is reportedly being very aggressive approach in trying to
sell its multimedia personal computer. Recently, the firm reportedly
signed with Apple Computer to use Quicktime on the FM-Towns. Quicktime
is a multimedia system extension which originally operated only
on the Macintosh. However, using the capabilities of Quicktime on
the FM-Towns platform, Fujitsu expects that more quality multimedia
application programs can be created.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920806/Press Contact: Fujitsu, +81-3-3215-
5236)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00002)

GTE Sells Lighting Arm To Focus On Telecom 08/10/92
STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- In a move that
will make it exclusively a telecommunications company, GTE has
announced plans to sell off its worldwide lighting business,
including the Sylvania trademark.

GTE announced two definitive agreements covering the sale of most
of its Electrical Products Group for a total of about $1.1 billion,
including the assumption of debt. The sales include all the
businesses in GTE's Electrical Products Group except Valenite and
Control Devices, which GTE expects to sell in separate transactions
later this year.

Osram, a Siemens subsidiary based in Munich, Germany, will buy
GTE's North American lighting business, with operations in the
United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. A newly formed company, now
in the process of adopting the name of Sylvania Lighting
International B.V., will take over the company's international
lighting business, with operations in Europe, the Far East, Latin
America, and Australia.

GTE spokesman Tony Hamilton said the company is not publicly
breaking down how much of the $1.1 billion total comes from each
sale. Both transactions are subject to the necessary regulatory
approvals. Closings with both companies will be simultaneous, and
are expected around year-end.

GTE said essentially all 20,000 active employees in the businesses
being sold will keep their jobs.

As a result of strategic actions taken over the last few years, GTE
said it is now the fourth-largest publicly held telecommunications
company in the world. It is the largest US-based local-telephone
company and the second-largest cellular-service provider in the
United States.

In the 1970s and 1980s, GTE had a sizeable consumer appliance
business under the Sylvania trademark. That has since been sold.
The company has also moved away from manufacturing telephone
equipment, Hamilton noted, and last year it sold the last of its
interest in long-distance carrier Sprint.

In 1990, GTE joined with Contel in the single-largest merger in
telecommunications history and, in 1991, it acquired operating
control of CANTV, the Venezuelan telephone company.

GTE had revenues of about $20 billion in 1991 and assets of $42
billion at year end. In addition to its local telephone and
cellular businesses, GTE sells government and defense-communication
systems, satellite-based telecommunications, air-to-ground
telecommunications, directories, and other information systems and
services.

Osram, a lighting-products company with a strong position in Europe
and widespread operations in Latin America, Japan, and the Far
East, employs 16,400 people and had worldwide sales of $1.8 billion
in 1991. .

The newly formed Sylvania Lighting International will be owned by
a consortium of international investors.

(Grant Buckler/19920807/Press Contact: Harvey W. Greisman, GTE,
203-965-2903; Tony Hamilton, GTE, 203-965-2853)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00003)

IBM Expects Flat Mainframe Revenues 08/10/92
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- IBM expects its
revenues from sales of large mainframe computers to be flat this
year, or at best up a few percentage points, a company spokesman
has confirmed.

IBM spokesman Rob Wilson confirmed reports that IBM had told
investment analysts at a recent meeting its 1992 mainframe revenues
would be the same as or only slightly better than in 1991.

But Wilson argued the main reason for the lack of growth this year
is the fact that in the fourth quarter of 1991, IBM reported its
best quarter ever for mainframe sales -- the result of the two
top-end models in its ES/9000 mainframe line becoming available for
volume shipments during that quarter.

Still, IBM's brave face did not stop at least three investment
firms from cautioning investors about IBM's prospects.

Merrill Lynch lowered its 1993 earnings estimate for IBM to a range
of $8.50 to $9.00 per share, from $9.25. Brown Brothers Harriman
lowered its 1992 estimate to the range of $6.25 to $6.85, while
reducing its 1993 estimate from $8.70 to $8.50. And Smith Barney
changed its recommendation on IBM stock from "buy" to "hold."

For the mainframe business over the next couple of years, Wilson
said IBM expects "growth, but slower growth compared to other parts
of the business."

Debbie Currey, a researcher with International Data Corp.'s
Canadian operation in Toronto, said a recent study by her company
forecast continued shrinkage in the overall mainframe market over
the next few years.

(Grant Buckler/19920807/Press Contact: Rob Wilson, IBM,
914-765-6565; Public Contact: 914-765-1900)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(HKG)(00004)

Hongkong: Microsoft Project Management For Macintosh 08/10/92
TAIKOO SHING, HONG KONG, 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- Microsoft has introduced
Microsoft Project version 3.0, a new release of the successful
project management software for Apple's Macintosh computer line.

Microsoft Project version 3.0 is designed to have improved ease of use
and functionality. It can organize, schedule, chart and summarize
all aspects of a project, and can be customized to meet
the requirements of a specific business environment.

Since the release of Microsoft Project last year, it is said that
the package has moved rapidly towards becoming the market leader.

"Much of this growth can be attributed to general business users,
showing that project management is expanding beyond its
traditional niches," said Laurie Kan, country manager of
Microsoft Hong Kong.

"More than 40 percent of our existing customers had never used
an automated project management tool before trying out Microsoft
Project. With this version we not only wanted to add powerful new
features that project managers will welcome, but we also wanted
to meet the needs of general business planners."

"Microsoft Project for the Macintosh now has a customizable
tool bar that puts the most frequently used commands a mouse-click
away. The tool bar includes buttons for print, print preview,
link/unlink tasks, outlining and spell checker."

"Users can move, add, remove and tailor the look of buttons.
Specific functions such as macros or custom forms can be attached
to buttons."

Customizable views, menus, tables and charts enable users to
view and work with information in the way they want. Users can
create, manage and report their plans as traditional Gantt
charts, spreadsheet-style charts or custom combinations.

Consistency with other Microsoft applications makes Project 3.0
even more intuitive to use. It provides a wealth of options for
presenting project information. These include new reports, charts
and enhanced printing capabilities.

Monthly calendar reports can be printed for individuals, groups
and whole projects, displaying tasks as bars spanning the
appropriate dates.

Since Gantt and Pert Charts can often span multiple pages,
horizontally and vertically, the print-preview facility can
display up to 28 pages on a standard 13-inch monitor. The program
also has the ability to print single page Gantt charts on
Postscript printers.

Microsoft Project's resource graphing functions have been
dramatically enhanced in version 3.0. Users can customize graphic
forms to view resource work, cumulative work, over allocation,
per cent allocation, availability, cost, cumulative cost and peak
resource allocation.

Microsoft developed Project 3.0 for the Macintosh and for Windows
from the same core. More than 80 per cent of the code is shared
between the two programs, with the other 20 per cent designed to
take advantage of Macintosh technology.

System requirements are a Macintosh Plus or higher, System 6.04
or above, at least 2 megabytes (MB) of memory (2.5 MB if using
MultiFinder or System 7), and a hard drive.

(Brett Cameron/19920805/Press contact: Ramny Fite, Microsoft
tel: [phone];HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00005)

 ****Chips' New Focus On Integrated Processors, Not Clones 08/10/92
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- Chips and
Technologies says it is abandoning the development of any more
clone X86 chips and will go after the emerging computer and
embedded control markets.

The products Chips says it will focus on are similar to the
PC/CHIP. Derivative technologies from the PC/CHIP under
development include integrated video graphics array (VGA)
products, 32-bit class processors, embedded controllers, and
specialized compute engines, Chips said.

Intel filed suit against Chips over its 386 clone processors in
March of this year alleging five violations of Intel's 386 chip
patents and one violation of its 387 math coprocessor chip
patent. The Court allowed Texas Instruments to join Chips in
defending against Intel as TI has a deal with Chips to
manufacture the Chips processors and TI also has a patent
cross-license with Intel.

After all the fighting, Chips says it doesn't plan to abandon
the Super386 microprocessors and Supermath co-processors, which
are now volume production.

This idea is not a new one. Intel earlier this year announced
its plans for an integrated chip it calls the Micro 2000.
Micro 2000 is expected to be able to handle "rich" or
"natural" data on a PC by incorporating the functionality of
chips Intel now produces separately. The three chips whose
functionality Intel plans to integrate into the Micro 2000 chip
include the i750, the i860, and the i960.

The i750 is the engine for Intel's DVI products which enable
video manipulation, the i860 is geared toward the display and
manipulation of graphics, and the i960 offers image
reproduction to printed output on hard copy generators, like
laser and color printers, Intel said.

The market for integrated chips to operate hand-held computing
devices alone is estimated by SRI International to grow to 17
million units annually by 1995. Chips says it plans to take
advantage of this emerging market.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920807/Press Contact: Gavin Bourne, Chips
and Technologies, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Pam
Pottace, Intel, tel [phone], fax [phone])


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

New For PC: Delrina PerForm Pro Plus 08/10/92
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- Delrina Technology has
announced PerForm Pro Plus for Microsoft Windows 3.x, the
centerpiece of a series of introductions delivering a new standard
in PC-based forms automation software.

Delrina said the new release adds "push-button" functionality that
will allow forms to be used as an automated system for collecting
and communicating information. The redesigned user interface is
also customizable, company spokesman Josef Zancowicz said, allowing
users to tailor it to resemble that of other familiar software.

The new release takes full advantage of the features of Windows
3.1, Zancowicz added, including the Object Linking and Embedding
(OLE) and Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) facilities. These make it
easier to share and exchange data among applications. Interaction
with various database management packages has been expanded.

PerForm Pro Plus will ship with more than 100 form templates which
users can modify easily, Delrina officials said. It will also
include several object libraries made up of pre-built objects such
as drop shadow boxes, arrowheads, and flowchart items. "There's
much more object orientation" in the new release, Zancowicz said.

Five form applications -- Fax Form System, Order Entry System,
Contact Management System, Expense Form System, and Personnel
System -- will be provided to show how forms can work together as
systems.

Also built into the package is Delrina's WinFax Pro facsimile send
and receive software, which is also sold as a stand-alone product.

Delrina said it will launch PerForm Pro Plus at the Windows OS/2
Conference in Boston in late August. The software is due to be
available by August 31, at a suggested list price of US$399
(C$479). Users of the current PerForm software will be able to
upgrade for US$79 (C$99.

Zancowicz said PerForm Pro Plus is not intended to replace the
present PerForm Pro, which will continue to be sold.

Later this year, Delrina plans to offer two further pieces of its
forms software suite. PerForm Communicator will be a communications
module to use the transport mechanism provided by electronic mail
systems for forms and data routing. A server-based Structured Query
Language (SQL) option will permit use of the software in
client/server computing.

Delrina will market PerForm Pro Plus through its existing retail
and distribution channels and through its Major Account Value-Added
Resellers, which include Uarco, Wallace Computer Services, and NCR.
Delrina is also initiating a special VAR program to encourage
third-party forms application development.

(Grant Buckler/19920806/Press Contact: Josef Zankowicz, Delrina,
416-441-3676 ext. 308, fax [phone]; Public Contact: Delrina,
800-268-6082 or 416-441-3676)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00007)

Europe: Lotus Has Dominant Network E-Mail Position 08/10/92
STAINES, MIDDLESEX, 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- Lotus claims that it has
achieved a dominant position in the European network e-mail
market, thanks to its cc:Mail package. The software company cites
recent figures from the Software Publishers' Association that
show cc:Mail as achieving 41 percent market share in the first
quarter of this year, putting it into pole position.

In the UK, cc:Mail's dominance in the market is even
stronger. Figures from Romtec, the market research company, show
Lotus as securing 71 percent market share in May, up from 64
percent in April and 23 percent in January of this year.

Nigel Thomas, Lotus' business communications product manager,
attributes cc:Mail's success as sue to its ability to deliver
what customers are looking for in a total e-mail system which
runs seamlessly across most operating systems and platforms.

A key feature of cc:Mail, according to Thomas, is cc:Mail's
"connectivity to all major and private third party mail systems,
and the availability of popular accessories, including integrated
calendaring and scheduling."

"The first version of cc:Mail shipped back in 1985 and we're now
in our third generation. We shipped 18 new products and releases
within the cc:Mail family over the past nine months, including a
number of gateways and accessories and we'll be shipping another
12 before the end of the year," he said, adding that, "while
other companies are only beginning to ship their first Windows 3
and 3.1 mail clients, we're close to shipping our fourth."

(Steve Gold/19920806)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00008)

New Product: Storagetek Tape Systems For RS/6000 08/10/92
LOUISVILLE, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- Storage Technology
has announced that several of its tape systems are now capable of
attaching to IBM's RS/6000 computer system via the Small Computer
System Interface (SCSI).

The compatible tape back-up systems include the 9914, 4280, and 4220.
The 9914 is a drawer-mount, automatic loading, half inch 9-track
open reel system with the capability to read quad-density tapes such
as those used in seismic activity monitoring systems. Storagetek
says the standard 9914 will feature common code for the SCSI
interface and the RS/6000 rather than the unique code previously
required. According to Storagetek vice president, Larry Hemmerich,
the 914 can read any density tapes. "That's an important capability
for out seismic customers," he told Newsbytes.

The 4280 and 4220 are both 18-track cartridge subsystems. The 4280
uses a controller and two tape drives, while the 4220 is a single
drive system. An optional 10-cartridge automatic loader is
available for both systems. Storagetek says these are the first
18-track products exclusively manufactured for the RS/6000 market,
and expects the software drivers to be ready in the third quarter.
Both units feature five megabyte per second data transfer rates.
Hemmerich said previous software limitations made it impossible to
utility Storagetek's 18-track technology to the fullest. The new
drivers will remedy that problem, according to the company.

(Jim Mallory/19920806/Press contact: Judith Hargrave, Storagetek,
303-673-5559; Reader contact: Storagetek, 303-673-5151, fax
303-673-5019)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(BOS)(00009)

Macworld: Maxa Corporation Shows Snooper 2.0 08/10/92
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- Maxa Corp.
showed its Macintosh diagnostic software program Snooper v2.0
at MacWorld Expo. Snooper 2.0 will not begin shipping for a couple
more weeks but the company wanted to show off its new features.

Snooper is a diagnostic program that runs on your Macintosh and can
perform over 200 diagnostic tests on various components in your
Macintosh. These tests are useful not just for your own peace of
mind, but can also serve to hasten any needed repairs by alerting
the technician at the repair shop to the likely trouble spots.

Version 2.0 of the program features many new capabilities. Among
them is a new icon driven graphical user interface that will even
query your computer and display the proper logic board diagram
that corresponds to the exact model of computer that you are using.
Other new features include the ability to print out test results,
40 different video tests, correct testing of the Daystar Digital
accelerator card series.

There are two version of the program. Snooper 2.0, the Kit, comes
with an additional NuBus board that serves to help the program in
cases where the computer does not even boot up properly. The
software-only version of Snooper 2.0 does not include this board.
The software-only version will retail for $249, the Kit version for
$349.

Even though the new version will not be shipping for several weeks,
Maxa was taking orders from customers at the show. Newsbytes has
learned that the company intends to offer a free upgrade to all of
its registered users when version 2.0 comes out.

(Naor Wallach/19920807/Press Contact:Pat Meier, Pat Meier Associates
PR for Maxa, 415-957-5999/Public Contact:Maxa Corporation, 818-543-
1300)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(BOS)(00010)

Macworld: Baseline Publishing Shows New Programs 08/10/92
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- Baseline
Publishing showed four of six new programs that they are planning
on making available for the Macintosh over the next few months.

The programs include Spectator which is a QuickTime Screen
recording package. Spectator "watches" the screen for
the activities occurring there. While it is doing this, it saves
everything that it sees in the form of a QuickTime movie which can
then be played back or made into a stand-alone movie that plays when
you double-click on its icon. The program is fully customizable so
that you can decide how much of the screen you want to capture,
what events will get captured, what will get skipped, and how
the movie will operate when it is run.

I Like Icon is an icon design program. It comes with a twist, not
only can you design the icon using the drawing tools provided,
but you can also cause the icon to be animated in the form of a
very small QuickTime movie. Once the animation has been captured,
it is possible for you to view it by clicking on the file one time.
A double-click will cause the application that is associated with
that file to execute without running the animation.

DiagnoSYS is a diagnostic utility that searches your hard disk for
any programs that it knows can cause conflicts of problems when
attempting to execute them. Systems extensions and INITs are well
known for sometimes causing problems and this program comes with
its own database of information that is regularly updated by
the company.

Thunder 7 is the company's well-known spelling checker. At this
show, the company was demonstrating version 1.5 of the program.
The new version is primarily a maintenance release in that it
incorporates some user suggestions and an improved user interface
but no significant new functionality. One of the main user
suggestions that did get implemented was the ability to scan a
document or a section of a document and perform different operations
on that text. Operations like capitalizing the first letter of each
word, or modifying the quote symbols to what are known as "smart
quotes" can now be done with a simple menu choice.

Two programs that the company was talking about but was not showing
were Startup Commander and PowerBoost Utilities.

Startup Commander is a utility intended to help control
the start-up process as well as the order in which the extensions
are displayed in the menu bar. With Startup Commander it is a simple
matter of dragging the menu items to the order in which you want
them to have them rearranged. It also allows you to specify any
rules that you may wish the computer to follow in the order in
which it loads the various extensions.

The PowerBoost Utilities was supposed to be a collection of
utilities for the Apple PowerBook computers. Unfortunately, the
programs were not ready to be shown and so the company decided
at the last minute not to talk about it or show any part of it.

Spectator retails for $149.95 and is shipping now. I Like Icon
retails for $59.95 and is shipping now. DiagnoSys retails for
$99.95 and is shipping now. Thunder 7 v1.5 is shipping now and
retails for $99.95. Current owners can upgrade for a fee of $30
which includes shipping and handling. Startup Commander will ship
in the fall of this year. It is expected to retail for $69.95.
PowerBoost Collection may begin shipping in September. The
company has set a retail price of $149.95 on the package.

(Naor Wallach/19920807/Press Contact:Marcus Stafford, Baseline
Publishing, 901-682-9676 Extension 104/Public Contact:Baseline
Publishing, 901-682-9676)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(BOS)(00011)

Macworld: Mass Microsystems' Slew Of New Products 08/10/92
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- Mass
Microsystems unveiled six new products ranging from a new fax
modem to a gigabyte drive and a couple of software programs.

The DiamondDrive 1000 line of one gigabyte hard disks is now
comprised of three models. There is a standard external version,
a compact portable version, and an upgrade kit which allows for the
internal installation of the drives into a Macintosh II chassis.
Prices run $3495 for the external drive, $3395 for the portable
drive, and $3295 for the internal upgrade kit.

The "Siesta" software utility is now being shipped with all of the
company's SCSI-based storage devices. Siesta is a utility that
allows the user to configure the length of time that a hard disk
remains spinning. After the specified length of time has passed,
the drive will spin down to an idle state. This feature is of
particular importance to Powerbook and other portable computer
users since a spinning hard disk consumes more power from the
battery.

Another utility set that will be coming standard with every
removable and fixed storage product that you buy from Mass
Microsystems is the set of seven utilities called 7th Heaven.
This collection sold separately for $79.95. The collection of
utilities tries to address the limitations of the Finder in terms
of copying and moving files back and forth.

The Massfm 24/96 is a new network fax product that the company
was showing. This product allows an unlimited users to share a
single fax modem across a network. One of the Macintoshes on the
network needs to be identified as a fax server, but that Macintosh
is not dedicated to this task. The device can handle both outgoing
and incoming faxes by using the storage capabilities of the fax
server. The new product retails for $549 and comes bundled with
the company's own fax software called StfFax. The fax modem will
be shipped later this month.

Speaking of modems, the company also announced a new
internal fax modem for the PowerBook series of laptop computers.
The Massfm PB 24/96 is exactly the same electronics package as the
company's regular fax modem. The only difference is that it is
arranged in a form that would fit inside of a PowerBook computer.
The internal fax modem retails for $249 and shipments are expected
to begin next month. In addition to this announcement the company
has also reduced the price of its external fax modems from $299
to $249.

Finally, the company showed its Macintosh-based video editing
and archiving software called Zorro. This is a QuickTime-based
product that allows the user to edit analog video tapes on the
Macintosh. Zorro's picture editing method, a storyboard of digital
sequences, is used to creat an edit decision list as well as the
finished analog master videotape. Zorro will be released in the
fourth quarter of this year.

(Naor Wallach/19920807/Press Contact:Diane Scott, Mass Microsystems,
408-522-1221/Public Contact:Mass Microsystems, 408-522-1200)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(BOS)(00012)

Macworld: Expert Software Shows 2 New Packages 08/10/92
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- Expert Software
which is associated with Softsync and Bloc Publishing showed off two
new products in its Expert line. The Expert line is a collection of
low cost ($49.95) software programs for the Macintosh that allow the
user to perform certain actions that otherwise might require expert
advice.

Within the Expert line, Expert software is preparing a Design series
of programs. The first of these was introduced and shown at the show.
This is Expert Home Design. As its name suggests, Expert Home Design
is a program that helps you to design your own home. The program
starts up and looks somewhat like MacDraw. Once the walls and the
layout of the house has been drawn in the main window, the user can
bring up palettes of designs that represent different elements
within the home that can be dragged and added to the design.

For instance, the Kitchen module presents the user with the drawings
for various kinds of sink layouts or range layouts. The user drags
the icon from the palette to the room drawing and then sizes it
according to his needs. To help in the sizing operation, the program
displays the current size and the changes as they occur.

A second program that was being shown is Expert Astronomer. This is
a program that fits into a new category discussed at the
show: Edutainment. The idea is that this program can both teach and
provide amusement at the same time. The user can select his
location in space and ask to view specific astronomical elements.
When looking at a particular planet, one can also see
all the stars that fit within your window. Clicking on any of these
other stars will bring up a small window with some of the known
astronomical information that is related to the star.

You can search the database for any stars and/or celestial bodies.
The program contains information about almost 9000 objects. This
is obviously not the complete known database that exists, but it does
encompass the most famous and brightly lit objects that can be
seen in the sky.

Expert Home Design retails for $49.95 as does Expert Astronomer.
Both programs are currently shipping.

(Naor Wallach/19920807/Press Contact:Scott Brand, Softsync, 305-
529-3428/Public Contact:Softsync. 305-444-0080)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(BOS)(00013)

Macworld: Trik Software Shows Two Updated Programs 08/10/92
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- Trik Software
is showing two updates to their programs Net Distributor and Nok
Nok. Both updates are recognizable by the Pro suffix. So, Net
Distributor has become Net Distributor Pro and Nok Nok has become
Nok Nok Pro.

Net Distributor Pro implements such features as it-then-else
scripting, font installations, desk accessory installations, and
password security. All of this is in addition to the program's
original capabilities in performing managed software installations
across the network. The network administrator creates an installation
script that is posted to all those needing new installations. By
running the script, the users then get the program and the network
administrator gets the piece of mind that comes from knowing that
the installation was done according to his or her desires.

Nok Nok Pro addresses the important security, accounting, and
performance issues that arise out of using AppleShare 3.0.
Nok Nok Pro performs such functions as detailed logging of all
connections, automatic disconnection of idle users, unmasking of
users logging in as guests (especially when they are known
trespassers), and alerting of the network administrator when
log-ins occur.

Net Distributor Pro is available now for a price of $695 which
covers 100 users. Nok Nok Pro will become available in September
and will be priced at $295 per server.

(Naor Wallach/19920807/Press Contact:Throop Wilder, Trik, 617-933-
8810/Public Contact:Trik Inc.,617-933-8810,800-466-TRIK)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(BOS)(00014)

Macworld: Reality Shows Version 2.0 of WealthBuilder 08/10/92
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- Reality is the
company selected by Money magazine to develop its WealthBuilder
program. This program is intended to act as a friendly financial
adviser to the user.

To use the program properly, the user first provides the program
with some important information. The program needs to know a
user's salary, property, savings, and investments. Then it asks
for a set of goals. These can be things like saving for a car,
planning for retirement, or setting up a fund for your kids'
college expenses. Mind you, these are just examples, the program
can handle almost any financial goals that you care to set.

Once this process is complete, the program analyzes your investments
and earnings against your goals and tells you how well you are doing
toward achievement of these goals. Should a discrepancy arise -
perhaps you need more money to do what you want - the program can
recommend different courses of action for you to take.

A separate part of the program helps to manage your investments.
In analyzing your data, the program suggests an investment strategy
with specific recommendations based on a link it establishes with
the "Reality Central Computer." Use of this service is an option on
the program. However, to encourage you to try it, the company
provides you with one month's free usage when you buy the program.

Reality Central contains information on more than 1500 mutual
funds, over 5000 stocks and many bonds. If you should desire so,
the computer will scan through these and will suggest some that
you may wish to consider purchasing. Some of the sources of
information that Reality uses include S&P and Morningstar.

WealthBuilder 2.0 will start shipping at the end of September.
It will retail for $169.95. Users of version 1.0 can upgrade for a
fee of $50. The update service is sold separately.

(Naor Wallach/19920807/Press Contact:Wendy Grubow, Reality
Technologies, 215-387-6055/Public Contact:800-346-2024)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(BOS)(00015)

MacWorld Boston: New Expanded Books Toolkit and Titles 08/10/92
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- Summer is always a good
time of year for reading a great book...or for publishing one, if
that's your inclination. But this summer, literary pursuits can be
more fun than ever, with the introduction of new Mac-based software
from Voyager.

Released at MacWorld Boston this week, the packages include four
new titles in Voyager's Expanded Books series -- extending upon the
best-selling prose of William Gibson, Ken Kesey, Isaac Asimov, and
Gloria Steinem -- plus a toolkit for turning anyone's words into an
Expanded Book.

The Expanded Books are designed for PowerBooks as well as desktop
Macs, so they're as portable as paper-based books. The electronic
volumes also let readers interact with text in familiar ways.

Voyager's Roger Devine told Newsbytes that the viewer can use the
mouse or keyboard to mark favorite sections, underline key
passages, and even write in the margins.

But in addition, the Expanded Books are embellished in ways not
possible in the paperbound world, said Devine. Titles can be
enhanced with annotations from a range of media, including
QuickTime movies, CDs, videodiscs, and spreadsheets. In one title
shown at MacWorld, for instance, when the reader clicks on the word
"dinosaur," an animated primoridal beast pops up and roars.

Devine added that another function not found in conventional books
is a search function that locates all appearances of a word in the
text, and then lists these appearances by page. This feature is
valuable for anyone using nonfiction titles for research, he
suggested.

Creating your own title with the Expanded Books Toolkit is a simple
matter, he maintained. "All you do is import a document from a
word processing program or scanner. The formatting is done
automatically and then -- presto! -- out comes the book," he
commented.

The automatic formatting incorporates page marking, text
highlighting, note taking, and word search, as well as pagination,
chapter headings, and table of contents capabilities, he explained.
Importing is done by merely specifying the name of the document to
be brought in.

The Expanded Books Toolkit also includes a customization Palette.
The user clicks on desired features in the Palette, and the Toolkit
responds with step-by-step dialog boxes. The dialog boxes can be
used to create annotations, as well as for block indents, space
adjustment, text reflow and reorganization, and more.

The toolkit and titles are each supplied on a single high density
3.5-inch floppy disk, according to Devine. Each disk is capable of
holding multiple books, he emphasized.

The new William Gibson title contains a trio of books:
Neuromancer, Count Zero, and Mona Lisa Overdrive. Never before
published together, the three novels are presented with an
afterword by the Hugo and Nebula award-winning author, written
especially for this Expanded Book.

Voyager notes that, unlike Gibson's most recent computer-based work
-- which was designed to erase its own files after being read by
the user -- the Expanded Book can be read and enjoyed repeatedly.

The other Expanded Books released at MacWorld include Kesey's
"Sailor Song," marking the first simultaneous release of hard cover
and electronic editions of the same work; Asimov's "The Complete
Stories, Volume I," and Steinem's "Revolution from Within,"
complete with an appendix containing Steinem's "Outrageous Acts and
Everyday Rebellions."

The library of Expanded Books also encompasses about a dozen
previously released titles. These range from Douglas Adams' "The
Complete Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy," to John Robbins "Diet
for a New America," to "The Complete Annotated Alice."

"Alice" -- a work based on Lewis Carrolls' "Alice in Wonderland"
and "Through the Looking Glass" -- is enhanced with annotations
that attempt to unravel Carrolls' intriguing rhymes and tantalizing
riddles.

The Expanded Books toolkit is priced at $250. Each title is
$19.95, except for two that go for $24.95 apiece. One of those in
the top price range is Robert Pirsig's "Zen and the Art of
Motorcycle Maintenance"/"Lila," and the other is the American
Social History Project's two-volume project "Who Built America."

In the event that you run through all the available Expanded Books
titles in your summer reading, more's in store for the fall.
Slated for September release are four electronic editions of books
from Random House's Modern Library: Ralph Ellison's "Invisible
Man," William Faulkner's "The Sound and the Fury," "Selected
Stories" by Eudora Welty, and Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian
Gray."

Later this autumn will come editions of four more Modern Library
works: "The Complete Novels, Volumes I and II" by Jane Austen,
Charles Dickens' "David Copperfield," Fyodor Dostoevsky's "Crime
and Punishment," Gustave Flaubert's "Madame Bovary," Herman
Mellvile's "Moby Dick," and "In Search of Lost Time, Volumes 1 and
2," by Marcel Proust.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19920807; Press Contact: Wendy Dwyer or Elizabeth
Collumb, Voyager, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00016)

New For Macintosh: Fastback Plus 3.0 08/10/92
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- Fifth Generation
Systems has announced it will begin shipping Fastback Plus Mac 3.0
later this month.

New features include additional tape drive support, a snapshot
feature that lets the user be more specific about what to restore, a
copy function that lets users back up files in Finder-readable
format, and an erase feature that allows the user to erase all
selected files without backing them up first.

Files to be backed up can be displayed and sorted in the Choose
Files window by name, size, kind, label, and creation or
modification date. The Choose Files window can be customized to
limit the files to be displayed.

Fifth Generation says there's also a new Server Menu which allows
the network administrator to schedule unattended back-ups. If the
back-up is scheduled during operating hours, the administrator can
schedule a broadcast message to the users warning them of the
impending back-up, take the server off line, perform the back-up, and
re-start the server, all without being present.

The program also uses a dBASE/Foxbase-compatible database for
storing history information instead of the proprietary format used
in older versions of Fastback. The database is maintained in
Fastback, which the company says makes it easier to restore the
exact version of files that the user needs.

Seven back-up and three restore options are offered. Users can
back-up completely, do a selective back-up on specified files, back-up
only those files that have changed since the last back-up, or omit
applications files from the back-up. An Archive mode lets you back-up
selected files then delete those same files, and a Purge mode backs
up files that have been changed then erase those files.

The three restore modes allow restoration of all files, selected
files, or just the latest version of the back-ups. Files are
automatically compressed and decompressed as they are backed up and
restored respectively.

Fifth Generation spokesperson John Crowe told Newsbytes that there's
also a more basic version of Fastback for the Macintosh called
Fastback Express. Crowe said Express, which sells for $99, has five
back-up and two restore functions, and is targeted at the beginning
computer user and the home computerist.

Express doesn't offer the Archive or Purge modes, but offers all the
other back-up choices, Crowe told Newsbytes. The only restore mode
not offered in the Express version is the "restore latest version"
choice. For systems running under System 7 or Multifinder under
System 6, Express operates in the background, allowing the user to
continue doing other work.

(Jim Mallory/19920807/Press contact: John Crowe, Miller
Communications for Fifth Generation,310-822-4669 or Jorge Vallery,
Fifth Generation Systems, 504-291-7221)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00017)

Storagetek's "Iceberg" Delayed Again 08/10/92
LOUISVILLE, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- Storage Technology
says its "Iceberg" project will be delayed "at least one quarter
from previous estimates." This is at least the second time the
project has been delayed.

Iceberg is a fault-tolerant data storage project which utilizes
advanced array architecture, storing data in multiple locations on
various disk drives to cut down on the possibility of data loss in
case of system failure.

About two hours after the announcement, Storagetek's David Reid told
Newsbytes that Storagetek stocked had already dropped slightly
before trading was halted. Suspension of trading is common in cases
when an announcement which could affect the stock's price is
expected.

"Microcode development is a difficult and complicated job. The
delay we are experiencing is a difficult and complicated job," said
Storagetek President Ryal Poppa. Reid told Newsbytes that the
problems were in both the massive amount of code being written, and
in problems being experienced in "debugging" or locating and
removing problems in the code. Programs such as Iceberg require
literally millions of lines of instructions and must anticipate
every possible situation in order to function properly.

Reid told Newsbytes that no changes have been made in the original
team of programmers working on Iceberg. He was unable to comment on
the possibility of further delays.

(Jim Mallory/19920810/Press contact: David Reid, Storage Technology,
303-673-4815)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00018)

Infomart Gets New General Manager 08/10/92
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- Infomart announced
that Thomas E. Jones has been named its new president and general
manager.

Infomart's Jeff Andersen told Newsbytes that the Infomart facility
encompasses 1.6 million square feet for display areas. Other
facilities include training areas, demonstration areas, and
conference rooms. Some of the Infomart participants are Apple, IBM,
AT&T, NCR, Xerox, and GTE. Andersen said that the facility also
includes 300,000 square feet to accommodate trade shows.

Jones said the mission of Infomart has not changed since it opened,
but the company's marketing strategy continues to evolve
with the new requirements of its high-tech industry customers.
"Infomart continues to serve both buyers and sellers of information
technology by providing an efficient environment for the exchange of
ideas, products, and services," said Jones.

Jones, formerly Infomart's vice president of marketing, says his
experience working with the resident companies will be invaluable in
his new position. "I'm looking forward to continually improving
the value we provide to our customer's marketing efforts," he said.

Jones spent seven years with Texas Instruments before joining
Infomart. He holds a masters degree in computer science and
operations research from the University of Missouri, and a B.S.
degree in mathematics from Harding College in Searcy,
Arkansas.

Earlier this year Infomart completed a wiring project that will
link the building's tenants in a computer network that is used for
demonstration purposes by the various hardware and software makers.

Jones replaces Bill Winsor, who has been named president and chief
operating officer of the Dallas Market Center, Infomart's parent
company.

(Jim Mallory/19920810/Press Contact: Alan Weinkrantz, 512-820-3070;
Reader contact: Jeff Anderson, Infomart, 214-746-3605)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00019)

Novell Floating a Joint Venture in India 08/10/92
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- The Bombay-based Onward
Technologies Pvt. Ltd. has signed an agreement with Novell Inc.
of the US to set up a joint venture in India for software
development and exports on the three operating platforms:
DR DOS, Unix, and Netware.

A new company, christened Onward-Novell India Ltd., is being
floated with Onward and Novell fifty-fifty partnership.

Onward Technologies, born of a split in the Hinditron group last
year, is led by Harish Mehta, the current president of NASSCOM, the
Indian software industry's prime professional lobby. It has clinched
Indian distributorship of Novell software products from Zenith
last year to coordinate marketing and sales as well as
training and educational programmes, certification testing and
technical support.

This distributorship will now come under the umbrella of the new
company. Reluctant to provide further details of the venture,
Mehta said that the nitty-gritty is being worked out and the
venture will be on within the next three to four months.

Novell seems to have prompted into this step by the likely threat
posed by Banyan's own preparations to enter India. Novell is only
the latest entrant to the list of international IT giants that
have set shop, in the last one year, to tap Indian software
resources. The list reads like a veritable who's who. While
IBM has joined hands with the Tatas and formed Tata Information
Systems Ltd., to develop software for exports and domestic
market with a particular focus on OS/2 and Aix/Unix operating
systems, Motorola has preferred to go alone with a 100 percent
software exports unit at Bangalore. Siemens Nixdorf
Informationssysteme AG has floated Siemens Information Systems
Ltd. in last April. Hughes Network Systems, of the General Motors
group, has an export-oriented software unit going near New Delhi.
Apple Computer Inc. has signed four software developers in the
country to officially launch their Developer Services Program
for users in India and export purposes.

Other international companies like Digital Equipment Corp.,
Hewlett-Packard, Unisys, Groupe Bull, and Texas Instruments,
Citicorp, ANZ Grindlays are already running their software
development units in India, in the form of affiliates/subsidiaries.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19920808)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(MOW)(00020)

Russia: Govt Info Network Planned 08/10/92
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- The Russian government has
issued a decree concerning responsibility for the dissemination
of government information. General supervision of the project
and hiring of subcontractors will be performed by the Russian
President's Bureau of the Information Support.

The bureau, which is among Russian President Boris Yeltsin's
advisers, will also coordinate "informationizing efforts"
with other countries, according to Vassily Kuprijanovsky, bureau
chief.

The bureau will distribute state funds to build the system. No
information on the size and the terms of the implementation of the
project was available at press time.

(Kirill Tchashchin & Vladimir Shliemin/19920810)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MOW)(00021)

Lithuania: Int'l Direct Dial Available 08/10/92
KAUNAS, LITHUANIA, 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- Lithuania, the first of
three former Soviet Baltics republics, has installed a direct
dial international switch which is available for all callers
in the country.

The exchange LINTEL is the joint venture between the state
telecommunications monopoly Lietuvos Telekomes and US West
International.

The first "ceremonial" international calls from Kaunas, where
the exchange is actually located, are to be made by Lithuanian
Prime Minister Aleksandras Abisala later this week.

Countries immediately available for direct dial from Lithuania
are the United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands, France, Germany,
Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Italy, and
Israel, with others to come later.

Meanwhile dialling Lithuania from abroad has not changed. You must
dial your international access code, then "7" for the former Soviet
Union, then "012" for Lithuania, then city code (2 for Vilnius) and the
phone number. The call will probably be routed through the new
exchange in Kaunas.

The US$2.5mln system consists of a System 12 switch provided by
Alcatel/SEL of Stuttgart, Germany, and an earth station with a 5.5-meter
dish provided by Radiation Systems of the US. A specialized
computerized billing system was developed by Kenan Systems of the
US.

Lietuvos Telekomes has 800,000 domestic subscribers, most of whom
are expected to be able to immediately benefit from the new exchange.

Latvia and Estonia, two other independent Baltic countries, have several
private links abroad as well as a special subscription international
direct dial service, which usually requires hefty monthly and usage
fees. They have no automatic international dialling service yet.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19920810)


(NEWS)(IBM)(MOW)(00022)

Russia: IBM Ends Road Show, Plans Ukraine Subsidiary 08/10/92
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- IBM recently completed a trip
to C.I.S. cities showing its AS/400 mid-range computer system. In a
related announcement, IBM said is has opened IBM-Ukraine, a
wholly owned subsidiary.

The road show visited Kiev, Ukraine, Ekaterinbourg (formerly
Sverdlovsk), Russia, Novosibirsk, Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, St Petersbourg
(formerly Leningrad) and Moscow.

Ilya Kucherenko, IBM Russia's information service and show
manager, said there has been "overwhelming interest" and a large
number of new contracts. "We make it possible for people in
remote parts of the country to speak directly to IBM's own experts
and technical people to find answers to questions," Kucherenko said.

(Kirill Tchashchin & Vladimir Shliemin/19920810/Press & Public Contact:
IBM Russia, Ilya Kucherenko, phone [phone]; fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00023)

Gupta Commits To Microsoft Open Database Connectivity 08/10/92
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- Microsoft's Open
Database Connectivity (ODBC) got another boost with the announcement
that Gupta Technologies will enhance its SQLWindows and Quest
products to support ODBC.

ODBC is a vendor-neutral programming interface for database
connectivity that provides access to a variety of PCs, minicomputers
and mainframe systems, including Microsoft's Windows and the Apple
Macintosh computer, and is another step toward computing across
platforms and software.

The SQL Access Group consists of more than 40 vendors working
toward database interoperability. In making this announcement,
Gupta joins other database vendors, including Oracle and Sybase, in
announcing ODBC drivers for their database servers.

Microsoft's Jonathan Lazarus, vice president for systems strategy,
says ODBC support allows users and developers to access data stored
on any major database system through Windows.

Gupta said it will include the ODBC client driver as a standard
feature of all versions of SQLBase Server, including DOS, OS/2, NLM
and Unix, in the first half of 1993.

According to Microsoft, Gupta's support will give users another way
to connect Gupta's tools to the database server of choice. Gupta
said that by building an ODBC client server for its SQLBase, it will
provide access from many ODBC-enabled applications to its database
server.

ODBC is a major piece of the Microsoft Windows Open Services
Architecture (WOSA), an open-ended interface to computing
environments which attempts to hide the complexities from end users.
WOSA also enables applications for Windows to connect to all the
services they need across multiple computing environments.

(Jim Mallory/19920807/Press contact: Marty Taucher, Microsoft,
206-882-8080; Dan Berkowitz,Gupta Technologies, 415-617-4617)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00024)

Australia: DEC Donates Computer/Research Funds To University 08/10/92
PERTH, AUSTRALIA, 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- Digital Equipment Corp (DEC)
has donated a massively parallel (maspar) supercomputer and AUS$1,5M
for research funds to Western Australia's (WA's) Curtin University.
The computer and research funds will be used to aid the state's
management of land, forests, and other renewable resources.

The maspar system, installed late last month, will collate
information from satellites, aircraft and other sources to gauge
dieback disease in jarrah forest and heathlands, the defoliating
effects of insect attacks, and the extent and condition of
native vegetation across the state. The research is a collaborative
effort between the University, the Commonwealth Scientific and
Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Division of Mathematics and
Statistics, and the state government departments of Land
Administration, Conservation and Land Management and Agriculture.

One of the main tasks of the system will be to automatically match
photographs taken by satellites and aircraft, a task which was
previously carried out laboriously by hand. When collated with
information collected by government departments over the years, this
data will allow the state to manage land degradation and loss of
native vegetation. DEC's regional managing director, Ron Larkin,
said, "The research work undertaken in WA is highly significant on a
global scale. DEC is supporting three similar projects in Europe and
North America so that environmental management data can be made
available to the international scientific community."

(Sean McNamara/19920807)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00025)

Bells Settle Union Talks At Deadline 08/10/92
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- As this was
written, a strike threat remained at Bell Atlantic, but most
other regional Bell companies had settled with their unions near
strike deadlines.

Bell Atlantic unions agreed to schedule a negotiating session for
August 11, but their leaders warned they could walk out at any
time. The talk was tough, with the union charging the company
with demanding concessions, and the company assuring customers
the computerized system will run with managers. But analysts said
the likelihood of a real walk-out is slim.

BellSouth, which covers the Southeast US, agreed to 11.3
percent wages over three years for its 62,000 union workers, as
well as improvements in medical benefits, job security and leave
programs. That is a little less than the same unions got from
NYNEX in a contract extension last year, but that 13 percent wage
hike over three years was signed when inflation was a bit higher,
and followed a bitter 4-month strike in 1989.

Ameritech signed a three-year deal with the engineers' union,
and continued to talk with communication workers. Talks were
extended on the larger contract. Pacific Telesis also agreed to
"stop the clock" on a strike deadline and keep talking to the
unions. In all the negotiations, the main stumbling blocks are
health care, wage hikes and pensions, as well as job security
issues.

Southwestern Bell appeared to give its unions the best deal, a
three-year wage of 12.3 percent. Details were yet to be released,
and all the contracts are subject to ratification votes by union
members.

Southern New England Telephone, which uses the Bell logo but
covers only southern Connecticut, also reached a three-year deal
with its workers. Contracts at US West, the final regional Bell
company, expire August 15.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920807/Press Contact: Beverly Levy, SNET,
203-771-4474, Ameritech Services, Dave Onak, 708/248-2133)


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

BellSouth Closes RAM Deal 08/10/92
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- BellSouth closed
its deal with RAM Broadcasting. The deal included an agreement to
buy half of RAM Mobile Data, the radio packet network running
under the Mobitex standard.

As part of the final deal, RAM has transferred its paging
properties and its engineering interests to joint ventures
established by the two companies. BellSouth also contributed
complementary paging properties to the joint venture.

The joint venture calls for equal interests in ventures that
include RAM's mobile data operations in the US, UK and other
countries, its paging assets, its engineering and consulting
interests and its 49 percent interest in Honolulu Cellular
Telephone. BellSouth contributed complementary paging properties
and more than $300 million in equity funding. Earlier this year,
the companies consummated the mobile data and cellular telephone
portions of the transaction.

The paging organization begins operation with more than 330,000
customers in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Honolulu, Indianapolis,
Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and nearby markets. RAM's engineering and
consulting subsidiary, RAM Communications Consultants, will also
be managed by the joint venture.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920810/Press Contact: Larry Shealy, BellSouth
Enterprises, 404-249-4130)


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

New For Networks: Lotus Ships Multimedia SmartHelp 08/10/92
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- Lotus
Development has begun shipping the network version of Multimedia
SmartHelp for 1-2-3 for Windows with CD/Networker. The package lets
1-2-3 for Windows users access a guided tour, "ShowMe" movies and
illustrative graphics on compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM)
over networks.

Multimedia SmartHelp for 1-2-3 for Windows is bundled with the most
recent version of CD/Networker, Lotus' software for delivering
CD-ROM data over corporate networks. The main component of
CD/Networker is dedicated CD/Server software which gives multiple
users simultaneous access to as many as 28 CD-ROM drives.

The product includes an animated and narrated guided tour that
leads users through all aspects of 1-2-3, with many "try it"
sections. There are also animated "Show Me" movies in the help
system that present the steps needed to complete specific tasks in
dozens of two-minute animated movies.

Also all the paper manuals have been replaced with "online books."
The only printed documentation in the package is a brief pamphlet
explaining how to load and start up the software.

This last fact could make the network version of SmartHelp
attractive to microcomputer managers in large organizations, who
could use it to avoid the problem of buying and keeping track of
paper manuals for large numbers of users.

At a product demonstration in Cambridge this spring, Rob
Lippincott, director of product development for Lotus' Multimedia
Products Group, showed how users can switch back and forth between
the multimedia help and their own worksheets, using what they have
learned before returning to the same point in the help system to
find out more.

"Multimedia is not the most important thing about 1-2-3,"
Lippincott said, "but we think this is the first time that
multimedia is important to people who use 1-2-3."

The suggested retail price of the networked version of Multimedia
SmartHelp for 1-2-3 for Windows is $1,890. This price reflects
standard server edition pricing of $895 for 1-2-3 and $995 for
CD/Networker software. Additional 1-2-3 nodes are available for
the standard price of $595. The product is available through Lotus
1-2-3 sales channels in the United States and Canada.

CD/Server requires a PC with a 386 processor or better, DOS 3.3 or
5.0, and at least six megabytes of RAM set up as extended memory.
One to 28 SCSI-compatible CD-ROM readers are needed, with one
Adaptec 1540 or 1640 SCSI adapter for every seven CD-ROM drives.

The desktop workstation must have a 386 or better processor, four
megabytes of memory, DOS 3.3 or higher, Microsoft Windows 3.0 with
Multimedia extensions or Windows 3.1, a standard VGA 16-color
graphics adapter and monitor, an eight-bit sound device supported
by Multimedia Extensions, speakers or headphones, and a mouse.

Novell Netware 2.15c and higher or 3.11 and higher, DEC Pathworks
4.1, IBM PC LAN 1.3 and higher), IBM LAN Server 1.2 and higher,
3Com 3+Share 1.6, Microsoft LAN Manager 2.0b and higher, and Banyan
Vines 4.11 currently support the software, Lotus said.

(Grant Buckler/19920810/Press Contact: Nancy Scott, McGlinchey &
Paul for Lotus, 617-862-4514; Public Contact: Lotus Development,
800-343-5414)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00028)

 ****Judge Rethinks Apple's Copyright Case, Says No Again 08/10/92
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- Apple
has all but lost in the latest ruling in its four-year-old $5.5
billion suit against Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard. At Apple's
request, US District Court Judge Vaugh Walker reviewed his
April decision that threw out most of Apple's claims of copying
levied against Microsoft's Windows and HP's Newwave, but says
the original decision will stand.

The overriding question now is what is left to fight about.
Judge Walker took another look at Apple's claims that the
graphical displays in Windows and Newwave are infringements on
its graphical display for the Macintosh computer. In a 75-page
decision Judge Walker reiterated what he said the first time --
the elements in the case are not infringing.

Apple started with 189 alleged infringing visual displays in
Windows 2.03, but in March all but 10 of those were ruled to
have been covered by a 1985 agreement between Microsoft and
Apple. Those 10 were then dismissed by Walker in April. Despite
Apple's attempts to get the Judge to change his decision, Judge
Walker reaffirmed on Friday, August 7 that those 10 are either
covered by that same 1985 agreement or not copyrightable at
all.

Apple's plans at this stage are not clear. Apple's general
counsel Edward B. Stead said after the ruling in April:
"...(W)e may ask the court for a reconsideration to make sure
that we can proceed with our infringement claim based on the
substantial similarity and overall appearance of the
defendants' works, or if not, obtain a clear appellate ruling."
Apple has asked for the reconsideration and has been turned
down, so it appears the only other step is to appeal.

Suits such as the one between Apple and Microsoft/HP are being
watched closely as precedent-setting cases in the new field of
copyright law concerning computer software. Several of these
"look and feel" suits are expected to be settled this year,
though the appeals process may drag out the cases longer.

Borland recently was ruled against in a pre-trial hearing of a
similar suit filed against it by Lotus over the similarity of
Quattro Pro to Lotus 1-2-3.

However, there are several issues in the Lotus/Borland case
that make it different from the Apple/Microsoft/HP case. One is
Lotus has never licensed its software or any part of it to any
other software company, nor does it intend to, Lotus officials
maintain. Also, the keystrokes, file structure, and macros
Lotus is attempting to protect were developed at Lotus, while
in the Apple/Microsoft/HP suit, the assertion has been made
that the visual structures Apple is defending were developed at
Xerox and were not original with Apple.

In the Apple case, Microsoft is asserting there isn't anything
left to fight about. Apple is saying it won't base its business
on this decision and all the decision means is things are
status quo. Apple has not said as of press time what its future
plans are, including whether or not it plans to appeal the
decision.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920810/Press Contact: Cindy McCaffrey,
Apple, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Waggener Edstrom for
Microsoft, 503-245-0905)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00029)

IBM Offers 66MHz DX2 Upgrade For Top-End PS/2s 08/10/92
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- Like several of
its rivals, IBM has wasted no time in offering customers Intel's
new top-of-the-line microprocessor. IBM announced that the
66-megahertz 486DX2 chip is available now as a processor complex
upgrade for its Personal System/2 Model 90 and Model 95 machines.

The new 486DX2 uses Intel's clock-doubling technology to run at 66
megahertz internally while exchanging data with the rest of the
system at 33 megahertz. According to IBM, using it to replace the
existing processor in a Model 90 or 95 PS/2 can boost the machine's
over-all performance by as much as 71 percent.

The processor upgrade card replaces the existing microprocessor,
memory controller, memory cache options, and control for system
throughput.

IBM said the upgrade card is ideal for the high-performance
requirements of computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM),
financial modelling, image and presentation graphics, and other
compute-intensive applications.

The 486DX2-66 upgrade can be installed in PS/2 Model 90 XP 486 and
Model 95 XP 486 systems. At Newsbytes' deadline, an IBM spokesman
was unable to confirm whether an end-user can install the card or
whether it requires a technician.

US customers can purchase the upgrade from IBM-authorized dealers
and remarketers, as well as direct from IBM. For installation
information and technical guidance, customers can call on IBM's
Systems Support Center in Dallas.

Customers can upgrade from a 20-megahertz 486SX processor for
$3,000, from a 25-megahertz 486SX for $2,500, from a 33-megahertz
486DX chip for $2,170, and from a 50-megahertz 486DX2 for $1,670.

Initial supplies are shipping now and the upgrade will be available
in volume "soon," the spokesman said.

Rivals Compaq and Dell have also announced machines based on the
new 66-megahertz DX2 chip.

(Grant Buckler/19920810/Press Contact: Lisa Figlioli, IBM,
914-642-5367; Public Contact: 914-765-1900)


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

 ****MacWorld: Demos Were As Interactive as Products 08/10/92
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- From the very
start of MacWorld Boston, attendees began to brandish
not just their badges, but the proud relics of product demos at the
hundreds of booths that lined the Bayside Exposition Center and
World Trade Center. By the time the call came to clear the
floor four days later, visitors were still putting on
pins, hats, and T-shirts, while piling pens, posters, and CDs into
bags emblazoned with the names of exhibitors.

Promotion is the hallmark of any trade show, but the
marketing methods at MacWorld were exceptionally interactive and
user friendly, as well as multimedia-oriented. And why not? So
were the products on display.

Attendees got their first look at what was coming even before
stepping on to the floor. After standing in line to register at
the World Trade Show, each received a CD from Apple along with the
coveted show badge. The disk, a QuickTime starter kit, contains
the MoviePlayer, Movie Converter, Movie Recorder, and Picture
Compression utilities, plus animation sequences, video, still
clips, and an electronic index of products that support QuickTime.
What a way for Apple to stress its strength in multimedia.

Making their way to the booths inside, visitors heard cheers from
the Microsoft booth, where other attendees were being rewarded for
voicing enthusiasm over Microsoft's Excel 4.0. Each time the
Microsoft gallery gave out a yell, a company staffer tossed a
Microsoft hat into the crowd.

Not far away from Microsoft in the CalComp area, an individual
conference goer, thronged by onlookers, posed for a professional
artist. As the artist captured the attendee's image with the new
Calcomp Drawing Pad -- a pressure-sensitive digitizer -- the image
was projected on a large color monitor. After watching the
process, many onlookers signed up as models. When a Boston TV
station showed up to film the event, interest grew still higher.
CalComp promised to mail portrait print-outs to all the models after
MacWorld was done.

Across the floor, another vendor borrowed a page from Siggraph and
other high-end graphics exhibitions. A long line of visitors was
queued up for posters being printed on a large format engineering
plotter. Embellished with an image of Christopher Columbus, the
posters proclaimed: "1492 Christopher Columbus Discovers America,
1992 American Discovers MacDraw Pro 1.5; Printed on Encad NovaJet
with MacPlot DMA InkJet." How about that for something a little
different on your wall?

When the souvenir-saddled attendees left the World Trade Center for
the show's second site, the Bayside Exhibition Center, they ran
into demos that leaned less to business and graphic design and more
to sound and video. In the Prosonus booth, Scott Page of Pink
Floyd, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter of the Doobie Brothers, and Steely Dan
were giving rock performances -- not live, but on CD -- each day at
1:00 and 3:00.

And from the time the doors opened at 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.,
visitors could view three new interactive videos from Warner New
Media -- "Funny," "Hell Cab," and "L Zone." Also throughout the
day, RasterOps screened video demos of its own products.
Displayed on RasterOps' huge new Video Wall, the RasterOps show
could be seen from miles away.

But RasterOps sweetened the pot a little to draw potential
customers near. Not only were visitors given fresh popcorn during
the performance, they walked out with flashlights at the end.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19920610)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00031)

Compression Labs Stockholders File Class Action Suit 08/10/92
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- Compression
Labs Incorporated's (CLI) stockholders have filed a class
action suit against the company for those who purchased stock
between October 22, 1991, and July 23, 1992. The suit says the
company and one or more of the company's current or former
officers misrepresented or concealed critical information and
the suit also claims violations of the federal securities laws.

CLI develops and markets Compressed Digital Video (CDV)-
products for videoconferencing and is the company which is
manufacturing the video compression portion of AT&T's awaited
Videophone 2500. The Videophone allows consumers to see video
images of the person they are communicating with during regular
telephone call, yet plugs into standard modular telephone
outlets.

AT&T announced the Videophone would be available in April of
this year, but had to revamp the estimate to "early summer" and
the phone is still not available. When AT&T announced in May
that the production schedule was not what they estimated, CLI
made a public announcement of its own saying the delay was not
their fault. CLI asserted the delay in getting the videophones
to market was on AT&T's side, it had shipped production-
quantity boards to AT&T in the March quarter, based on AT&T's
own schedule, and was continuing to ship product.

Most recently, CLI announced major increases in revenue over
last year, but substantial losses for its second quarter
earnings for the quarter ending June 30, 1992. CLI reported a
65 percent increase in revenue to $26.9 million in its compared
to the $16.3 million in revenue reported in the same quarter a
year previously. However, the company reported losses of $2.2
million (19 cents per share) compared to a profit last year of
$0.7 million (7 cents a share).

For the sixth-month period the company reported a 56 percent
increase in revenue to $48 million compared to $30.9 million
for the like period a year ago. However losses for the period
were reported as $1.4 million (13 cents per share) compared to
a $1.3 million profit (13 cents per share) for the same period
a year earlier.

Company president, John Tyson, explained the disparity by saying
the company sold fewer high profit margin products than it had
expected. Tyson said the company offered the critical video
conferencing software (CCITT H.261) unexpectedly late, so
customers deferred orders for the high margin products that
depend on the software.

CLI also blamed a shift in product mix to new lower margin
products, a greater than anticipated shift from direct to
indirect sales, increased competition in the low-end
videoconferencing market segment, the delay of planned product
cost reductions, and operating expenses geared to anticipated
higher gross margins for the losses.

Tyson said about the shareholder's suit: "Suits such as these
have become an unfortunate fact of life among companies in the
high technology field. CLI has consistently fulfilled its
disclosure obligations to investors, and will continue to do
so. These lawsuits are completely meritless, and we intend to
defend ourselves vigorously."

(Linda Rohrbough/19920810/Press Contact: William Berry,
Compression Labs Incorporated, tel [phone], fax 408-922-
5429)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00032)

 ****Intel Releases 486 DX2 66 Megahertz Chip 08/10/92
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 10 (NB) -- Intel has
announced its fastest version of the speed doubler family
microprocessor chips, the 486 DX2 66 megahertz (MHz) clock
speed central processing unit (CPU), is now shipping.

The chip is designed to help original equipment manufacturers
(OEMs) to upgrade the computing performance of computers
they've already manufactured without redesigning their
motherboards. The new DX2 chip runs internally at 66 (MHz), but
works on motherboards designed for 33 (MHz) so a simple
replacement of the CPU is all that is necessary to upgrade the
computer.

While the 66 MHz processing speed means the data may move
through the chip faster, it may still have to wait on the
slower 33 MHz motherboard to get to it. Intel estimates users
will see performance increases of as much as 70 percent
overall.

This is the highest performance chip in the DX2 family. Earlier
this year Intel released a 486 DX2 50 MHz chip designed to be
placed in motherboards designed for the 486 DX 25 MHz CPU.

On the heels of the Intel announcement, several major
manufacturers have announced the availability of personal
computers based on the new chip. Dell, Compaq, and Everex, have
announced new models based on the 486 DX2 66 MHz chip.
IBM has announced an upgrade card so users can upgrade PS/2
Model 90 and 95 systems.

A consumer version of the chip, so users can upgrade a 486 33
MHz IBM or compatible personal computer to the 486 DX2 66 MHz
is expected next year. Intel already has a consumer version of
its 486 DX2 50 MHz chip which can replace the 486 DX 25 MHz
chip.

In order to ramp production on the 486 DX2 line, Intel has
already announced it is putting off the release of the next
generation chip, internally code named the P5, until next year
as well.

Intel says the 486 DX2 66 MHz chip costs $682 each in
quantities of 1,000 and the company says it has shipped more
than 20,000 of them already.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920810/Press Contact: Nancy Pressel,
Intel, tel [phone], fax [phone])