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/nb921102

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(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SYD)(00001)

Australia: Auto Club Puts Road Repair Service Online 11/02/92
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA, 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- The Royal Automobile Club
of Queensland (RACQ) has established a data network for its
breakdown service which will virtually eliminate voice
communications. The new system will eliminate much of the problems
associated with the radio call and written methods of assigning jobs
to service technicians.

When a call is placed to the RACQ, the operator will enter the
details directly into a computer, which will automatically check
that the person's membership is paid up and that the membership is
for the vehicle in question. Once the membership has been cleared, the
system passes the job to the plotters, who have access to a series
of monitors which display information on traffic conditions in
Southeast Queensland. The plotter then assigns the job according to
who is on or off duty, who is at lunch or already handling a job so
that the call will be handled in the shortest possible time.

This process eliminates the need for the technicians to check the
spelling of street names or to ask for messages to be repeated.
The information is then passed to the assigned serviceperson via UHF
radio to his or her mobile display unit (MDU).

The system was modified from a similar system establish in Victoria
for the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV), and the MDUs were
manufactured in Perth. This modification included adding spell
checkers and online help, which has been sent onto the RACV for
inclusion in its system.

When this new system, which can handle up to 7,000 calls a day, was
phased in, the manual system was working to capacity -- up to
1,800 calls a day in wet conditions.

"By providing visual computer messages, we were able to eliminate
many of the problems caused by handwritten messages and the quality
of voice messages which also suffered during peak, wet conditions,"
said Bruce Rice, RACQ's development manager.

(Sean McNamara/19921030/Press & Public Contact: RACQ, phone in
Australia: [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEL)(00002)

New For Macintosh: Indian DTP Package Goes Arabic 11/02/92
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- Ivy Systems, the creator of the
successful multilingual DTP package called Imprint, is now releasing
it in Arabic. Developed to work on the Apple Macintosh, the $US650
software package consists of an Arabic operating system, Arabic
fonts, and an application -- the basic requirements of any publishing
system.

The software, Ivy claims, is thus time- and trouble-saving in the sense
that the user does not have to look for each of the constituents
individually.

The main attraction to the package is the application Imprint which
has been indigenously developed by Ivy Systems. The common features
available with most word processing and page layout packages such as
the WYSIWYG (What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get) feature, text rotation,
text wrap and repel, and use of advanced graphics, are available
in this application also. New features being provided include the
polygon tool, which lets one create graphics of any shape. Its
multi-lingual feature allows the user to create documents in languages
with scripts as diverse as Urdu and English in the same version, without
having to use different language versions of the same application.

Imprint 1.3/A which is the version being given with the Arabic Language
Solution, supports the right-to-left Arabic script Naskh. This means
that all special features such as decimal tabs, indention, and
justification will work as per the right-to-left script as well.
In addition, this application has been totally localized to support
Arabic, i.e. the menus and commands will all be in Arabic. Alternately,
the users has the option of using the menus in English with the
application still working in Arabic.

Some other features are also provided which would be of specific use
to users in the publishing business at an advanced level. The
provision to use galleys, columns, and the ability to create documents
with a page size of up to 49" x 49", for instance, would be very
useful to those in newspaper publishing or publishing of dictionaries
and magazines.

Similarly, the option of Kashida extension, which makes the shape
of the characters in Arabic very flexible, would be of specific interest
to designers who can literally adjust the length of the characters
as required.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19921029)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEL)(00003)

India: OMC Readies Entry-level CAM Software 11/02/92
HYDERABAD, INDIA, 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- OMC Computers Ltd. will soon
introduce Ultracam, a set of computer-aided manufacturing (CAM)
software from Camax Systems Inc., of the US. The Hyderabad-based
indigenous CAD leader is the exclusive distributor for Camax in India.

An entry-level CAM software, Ultracam is designed to bridge the gap
between low-end PC-based CAD/CAM and the expensive workstation-based
high-performance systems. All Ultracam modules have a built-in provision
for customizing through a macro programming language capability termed
UltraCPL. Ultracam also furnishes Ultrapost, a post processor which
is exclusive to Camax. Ultramold, a mold design module for designing
molds and dies, also forms part and parcel of the package.

Ultracam is similar in many aspects to Cammand, a family of software
ushered in earlier by OMC from the Camax stock. The primary difference
between the two is Cammand has the ability to cater to five axes
machining software, whereas Ultracam can do so for a maximum of three
axes. One can acquire Ultracam in modular configuration depending on
one's needs and can finally upgrade it to Cammand. Ultracam is
structured around the same mathematical concepts, 3-D graphics
capabilities, and shop floor experience of Cammand.

While the Cammand package costs Rs 900,000 ($30,000), the company is
yet to put a price tag on Ultracam.

A few months ago, OMC introduced version 6.0 of its P-CAD Master
Designer Printed Circuit Board design software. It provides facilities
like auto dimensioning and resequencing along with offering a Master
Router 6.0 option, which is said to provide a faster routing capability
to ease the design process. OMC also has an agreement with IMSI of
the US, by which the foreign partner was appointed publisher and
distributor in North America of Draft Pack, OMC's computer-aided
drafting software under Windows.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19921028)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00004)

India: Progress Software Chooses Indian Distributor 11/02/92
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- Progress, an upcoming relational
database management system (RDBMS)/4GL, is now available in India,
courtesy JK Technosoft of the JK group of industries. This follows a
marketing agreement, signed recently between JK Technosoft and Progress
Software Corp., USA, that makes the former the exclusive distributor
of this RDBMS/4GL in the country.

Progress is a portable RDBMS/4GL application environment that combines
development modules, supports tools, utilities and run time options
in an integrated package for high productivity installations. Its
client/server architecture allows its applications to run not only on
heterogeneous environment but also to be ported across a wide range of
operating platforms, without modifications. Developers can simultaneously
connect up to 240 databases and are assured of data integrity during
multiple database transactions, the company contends.

Progress uses an English syntax instead of the usual third generation
languages but can also support subroutines written in any of these.

The minimum price of this package will be about Rs 20,000, the tag
varying according to its version and platform chosen for. JK Technosoft
is currently on the look out for sub-distributors to sell Progress
across the country. The tie-up has made it the first Indian
distributor of Progress Software Corp., a company that has been
developing and marketing the Progress fourth generation language
RDBMS since 1981.

In another move, JK Technosoft has tied up with Davis Business Systems
of Canada for an exclusive distributorship of the latter's entire
range of software packages in India. Davis develops and markets
application packages for production and financial accounting
in tea, coffee, fertilizer and similar industries. Available in
modules, these software packages are priced beginning at Rs 2 lakh.
JK Technosoft already distributes and supports computer-aided
design/manufacturing (CAD/CAM) and mathematical/statistical software
products of the UK-based Pafec Ltd., and Nag Ltd.

Recently, the company has released in India Nag Mark 5, the
latest version of Fortran library, and Nagware f 90, claimed to be
world's first Fortran 90 compiler for PCs and workstations.

JK Technosoft, which was conceived as the software division of JK
Synthetics in 1986, became an independent company in 1988. After
three years of success, however, the company has recently been victim of
frequent changes in management, non-aggressive marketing and limited
products range. The present tie-ups, therefore, are expected to
lease a new life to the company.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19921030)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SYD)(00005)

Microscopic OCR For Text Restoration 11/02/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- Sydney-based Spirit Technologies
has developed what it claims is the world's first system to convert
microfilmed text back into computer text files. The optical character
recognition (OCR) system reads the microfilmed pages directly without
requiring them to be printed first.

Sprit Technologies believes that working from the film gives much
higher accuracy as a printing stage before OCR will inevitably degrade
the image and lower accuracy. The company uses processing techniques
to overcome any distortion that the original photographic process
introduced. This include character break-up and merging and even
the effect of emulsion grain.

The company claims 99 percent accuracy on most projects, once the
software has been tuned to suit. Typical applications include cases
where the original documents have been lost or can no longer be handled,
so the microfilmed version is the only alternative.

(Paul Zucker/19921030/Contact Spirit Technologies [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00006)

Fast Data Services Coming Online 11/02/92
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- Rapid data
services, on the order of one million bits/second and faster, are
coming onstream rapidly. The services are producing competition
among data communication networks, long distance services, and
regional Bell companies.

Sprint, which runs the SprintNet data network under X.25
standards, has been certifying customers' equipment to work under
its new frame relay system. Frame relay offers less error-
checking than X.25 by putting data into large "frames," but can
run at much faster speeds as a result. The certification is
offered free but is required before equipment can use the
network. The company claims it is the premier frame relay
provider. Frame relay is often used to link local area networks
across great distances, and the company's program has won praise
from some equipment suppliers.

Another way to link remote LANs together is with what's called
switched megabit data service, or SMDS. MCI is now offering this
service under the name MCI VPDS HyperStream. It works under MCI's
Virtual Private Data Service network, and is due for full
commercial availability in mid-1993. The National Association of
Securities Dealers, which runs the NASDAQ over-the-counter
market, is testing the service by delivering stock information to
selected member firms over its own VPDS.

Regional Bell companies like US West see these fast data services
as their best opportunity to get into the data communications
market. The company announced that both its frame relay service
and switched multimegabit data service will add customer network
management features, usage billing and standard network
interfaces. This means customers will get online access to
selected management features for the networks they subscribe to,
a usage-sensitive billing option to replace the current flat rate
billing, due for late 1993, and two standards called the User
Network Interface for Frame Relay and the Subscriber Network
Interface for SMDS. The company said it will offer SMDS in
Phoenix, Portland and Sale Lake City for the first time early
next year.

US West also won FCC approval of its tariff for interstate access
to its frame relay offering, crucial in part because the
company's network covers many states throughout the West. The
company said its prices are 12 percent less than competing
private line services at 1.544 million bits/second, and 33-55
percent lower at the slowest speed of 56,000 bits/second.
Discounts are also available for those who sign extended
contracts.

For linking LANs directly, meanwhile US West is offering another
service called Transparent LAN service, which can link LANs at
their regular speeds of 4, 10 or 16 million bits/second. The
service is being enhanced to work at longer distances, with more
nodes, redundancy, and more fiber cable. TLS now supports up to
15 nodes within a 75-mile fiber loop.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19921030/Press Contact: US WEST Communications,
Andrea Lindsley, 612/663-3084; Sprint, Janis Langley, 202-828-
7427, MCI, John Houser, 202-887-3000)


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

Corel Updates OS/2, Unix Versions Of CorelDraw 11/02/92
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- Corel has shipped
Version 2.5 of its CorelDraw graphics software for OS/2, and
Version 2.01.1 for Unix. The new OS/2 version takes advantage of
OS/2 2.0's 32-bit architecture, while the Unix version adds support
for more Unix platforms and for the Open Look user interface.

CorelDraw 2.5 for OS/2 has most features of the flagship CorelDraw
3.0 for Windows, launched in May, company spokeswoman Janie
Sullivan said, including the CorelChart and CorelPhoto-Paint
modules, CorelTrace, the Mosaic visual file manager, and the
WFNBoss font utility. It lacks the CorelShow desktop presentation
facility, Sullivan said, "because that capability has not been put
into OS/2 yet."

The OS/2 version has one thing the Windows program doesn't: it
takes advantage of OS/2's threading capability to carry out more
than one operation at a time. For instance, CorelDraw 2.5 for OS/2
can open, save, print, import, and export files in the background
while the user does something else.

Available now, CorelDraw 2.5 for OS/2 has a retail price of US$595.
Users of the previous OS/2 version can upgrade for $149.

CorelDraw 2.01.1 for Unix adds support for HP Apollo Series 700,
Intergraph and Silicon Graphics workstations, and for Sun
SPARCstations running the Open Look user interface. The Unix
version of CorelDraw already supported DECstation 5000, Data
General Aviion, HP Apollo Series 400, IBM RS/6000, and SPARCstation
machines running the OSF/Motif user interface, as well as Santa
Cruz Operation's Open Desktop Unix implementation.

CorelDraw 2.01.1 for Unix has a suggested retail price of US$895
for a single version, or US$795 for additional licenses. Customers
who have the Technical Support Plan or the Software Update Plan
will get a free upgrade by mail automatically; others can buy one
for US$150.

(Grant Buckler/19921030/Press Contact: Janie Sullivan, Corel,
613-728-8200 ext. 1672, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00008)

New PC: BitWise Offers Big-Screen 486 Portable 11/02/92
SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- The major trend
in portable computers is toward smaller machines. But BitWise
Designs has taken a different tack with a suitcase-sized portable
computer whose 21.3-inch screen and Intel 486 processor are aimed
at users who need lots of power and a high-quality display.

According to BitWise, the ScreenStar portable's
1,280-by-1,024-resolution display will appeal to architects,
designers, scientists, and engineers who need a portable computer
suitable for applications like computer-aided design and data
analysis. BitWise is also going after public accountants who want
to run large spreadsheets -- the big screen will let them see more
of their spreadsheets at a time -- and people who want to
demonstrate software at customer sites.

Ira Whitman, vice-president of engineering and research at BitWise,
said police are showing interest in using the machine as a portable
electronic "mugshot book" for access to data on suspicious persons.

Finally, BitWise is touting the machine as a portable document
image processing system that will let users take "an entire file
room full of documents" on site and view them full size.

The gas plasma screen can display two standard letter-size pages
side by side at their full size, according to the company.

The machine also has an almost-full-size keyboard (the separate
cursor control keys are arranged differently than on most desktop
keyboards), a mouse, and two full-length AT-bus expansion slots.
The machine uses a 50-megahertz Intel 486DX processor. Eight
megabytes of memory, a 200-megabyte hard disk drive, and a 3.5-inch
diskette drive are standard equipment, and there is another drive
bay that can hold a second hard disk, a CD-ROM drive, or another
type of optical drive, the company said. The machine runs only on
AC power.

The suitcase is about 18 by 22 by seven inches and the complete
system weighs 40 pounds, Whitman said. The ScreenStar starts at
just under $10,000 and will be available shortly, he added.

(Grant Buckler/19921026/Press Contact: Olsen Advertising for
BitWise, 518-677-8954; Public Contact: BitWise Designs,
800-367-5906 or 518-356-9740, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00009)

Newbridge Networks Forms Two ATM Alliances 11/02/92
KANATA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- Newbridge Networks has
launched a push into the asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network
arena by forming alliances with two companies. Newbridge announced
a strategic alliance with Advanced Computer Communications of
Cupertino, California, and one with MPR Teltech of Burnaby, British
Columbia.

Asynchronous transfer mode is a high-speed networking technology
that offers high bandwidth and the flexibility to handle not only
data but other types of information, such as voice and video.

The alliance with Advanced Computer Communications calls for the
two companies to combine advanced bridging and routing features
with wide-area network services, producing local-area network (LAN)
products designed to make good use of ATM and frame relay
communications technology. (Frame relay is another high-capacity
communications technology, similar to packet switching but faster.)

Newbridge and Advanced Computer Communications announced the first
results of their cooperation: the 8231 MainStreet Ethernet Router
and 8251 MainStreet Token Ring Router.

Both devices use Fast Queuing, a protocol which allows routers to
react to congestion notification from frame relay switches and
adjust traffic flow according to user priorities. Newbridge and ACC
engineers worked together to modify the ACC Express Queuing
protocol with Newbridge standards-based frame relay technology.

In addition, the 8231 MainStreet and the 8251 MainStreet products
will support data compression and other bandwidth optimization
features meant to help users reduce recurring line costs. Both can
be managed by the Newbridge 4602 MainStreet Intelligent
NetworkStation or any other management system that complies with
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).

End-user trials are set to start by the end of the year, with
commercial availability expected during the first quarter of 1993.

Newbridge and MPR Teltech announced they will combine their ATM
development programs under the Newbridge umbrella. MPR Teltech
officials said that since their focus is primarily development and
applications, they wanted an alliance with a leading equipment
vendor.

Through this partnership, the companies said they hope to speed
delivery of an advanced ATM product, the Newbridge 36150 MainStreet
AtmNet Switch, to December of this year. Newbridge said this
product will let the company ship a complete line of fully
interoperable ATM LAN and WAN products that will be manageable as
a single network.

Newbridge expects the 36150 MainStreet AtmNet Switch will go into
commercial service with two major North American service providers
in the first quarter of 1993, company spokeswoman Sandra Plumley
said.

The ATM switch has a scalable architecture that can be configured
from 620 megabits per second to 10 gigabits per second, and can
transmit data, voice, or video over wide-area fiber-optic links at
speeds up to 620 megabits per second, Newbridge said.

Development is currently under way to incorporate routing
technology into the 36150 MainStreet AtmNet Switch.

Plumley said that while the two alliances are not directly related,
both are meant to help Newbridge move into the ATM market, which
the company believes will grow in coming months. "We have carriers
that are very interested in it as soon as possible, so we think
that as soon as it's available it will be used," she said.

Some industry analysts doubt that there will be widespread demand
for ATM before 1995, however. Paul Callahan, a senior analyst at
Forrester Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said applications
that really demand ATM's speed and flexibility don't exist today,
and technologies such as fast Ethernet and Fiber Distributed Data
Interface (FDDI) networks can meet today's needs at lower cost.

Advanced Computer Communications makes internetworking and network
management products. MPR Teltech, a subsidiary of regional carrier
British Columbia Telephone, is a communications technology company
that provides system integration, research and development,
consulting, and product development services. Newbridge Networks
makes and sells local-area and wide-area networking products.

(Grant Buckler/19921030/Press Contact: Jim Marshall or Sandra
Plumley, Newbridge Networks, 613-591-3600; Susan Shaw, MPR Teltech,
604-293-5404)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BOS)(00010)

Data General: $62.5 M Loss In '92, But 4th Quarter Rebound 11/02/92
WESTBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- Data General
experienced a $62.5 million operating loss in fiscal 1992, but made
major rebounds in both revenues and income in the final quarter.

Also on the positive side, the company has announced that two new
servers in its Unix-based Aviion workstation series, and two
versions of the company's new Clariion line of data storage
systems, will ship by the close of the current calendar year. Data
General unveiled the products during the fourth quarter of fiscal
1992.

Data General posted earnings of $2.7 million for the fourth quarter
of the fiscal year, taking a turn-around from a $9.9 million
operating loss for the third quarter, according to a newly released
financial report. Fourth quarter revenues were $288.2 million, an
11% rise over the third quarter.

"We are encouraged that we achieved increased revenues and
operating income during the fourth quarter compared to the prior
two quarters, particularly in light of a weak world economy and
industry-wide pricing pressures," Ronald L. Skates, president and
CEO, remarked in the report.

As other factors contributing to the 1992 operating loss, Data
General officials cited downward growth for the company's
proprietary Eclipse MV minicomputers, $48 million in expenses from
a reduction in force announced last April, and lower revenues from
Japan stemming from the sale of the Nippon-Data General subsidiary
in fiscal 1991.

For the fourth quarter improvement, officials credited an
unexpected upsurge in sales of Eclipse, together with the
continuing success of Aviion. "Sales of Eclipse have been
declining for the past several years, and there's no question that
the trend will continue. Our challenge is to more than offset this
pattern through our open system product lines, Aviion and now
Clariion," a company spokesperson commented to Newsbytes.

In an overview of fourth-quarter accomplishments presented in the
financial report, Data General pointed to the roll-outs of the
Clariion RAID disk array storage systems and the AV 6280 and AV
8000-8 high-end Aviion servers, in addition to a pact with Next
Computers for Data General to resell Next workstations with Aviion
servers.

Data General also stated that the new high-end Aviion servers and
SPARCserver and RS/6000 server editions of Clariion will ship in
calendar year 1992, and that Clariion systems for Unix-based
servers from Unisys, Hewlett-Packard and ICL will be delivered in
early 1993.

The AV 6280 and AV 8000-8 are each capable of processing at 235
million instructions per second (MIPS), a speed officials said is
twice the rate of previous high-end Aviion servers.

Fiscal 1992 revenues from Aviion exceeded $300 million, expanding
on an upward pattern of over $200 million for 1991 and more than
$100 million for 1990, the company spokesperson told Newsbytes.
"The primary avenue of revenues within Aviion is the servers," he
emphasized.

Company revenues from the Japanese marketplace have been hampered
by the loss of the Japanese subsidiary, the spokesperson noted. By
selling Nippon-Data General, Data General received a one-time gain
of $13 million that contributed to a net income of $85.6 million
for fiscal 1991, according to the financial report.

However, revenues from Japan were $53 million lower for fiscal 1992
than for the previous year, the company added. Data General is now
trying to rebuild its sales in Japan, the spokesperson told
Newsbytes.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19921030; Press contact: Jim Dunlap, Data
General, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00011)

UK: Samsung Unveils Very Low-Cost PCs 11/02/92
SURBITON, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- Claiming to be
meeting the needs of those caught in the recession in the UK, Samsung has
released a range of very low-cost machines, designed to boost the
company's presence in the budget end of the market.

Traditionally, budget machines are not seen as a great money-
spinner in the UK computer marketplace. That doesn't seem to
have deterred Samsung, however, which is pushing out the boat in
all areas of the computer and peripherals market here in Britain.

Spearheading the new machines is a range of Cyrix 80486SLC-based
notebooks -- the NM486C25 and the NM386S/25E.

The 25MHz NM486C/25 comes with a removable 2.5-inch, 80-megabyte
(MB) hard disk and 2MB of memory, expandable to 6MB internally. A
10-inch VGA screen completes the ensemble, which tips the scales
at six pounds, and tips the wallet at UKP 1,195.

The 25MHz NM386S/25E comes with internal arrow key mouse and dual
display facilities. The notebook comes with an 85MB removable
hard disk and 2MB of memory, this time expandable to 8MB
internally. Pricing has been set at UKP 1,095.

On the desktop front, three new "DM series" machines have made
their debut -- the industry standard architecture (ISA) 486SX/25,
the 486DX/33 and the 386S/33. The first group of figures denotes
the processor type, while the second is the speed of the chipset.

The ISA 486SX/25 comes with 4MB of memory, expandable to 32MB
internally. Three 16-bit optional slots are incorporated in the
machine, which sells for UKP 729.

The DM486/33 is an upgradable system with the same broad
specifications as the 486SX/25. The machine features improved
video performance, thanks to a Windows accelerator. Pricing has
been set at UKP 1,045.

The DM 386S/33 machine includes three 16-bit expansion
slots, 2MB of standard memory, upgradable to 16MB and a single
3.5 inch floppy drive. Pricing on the machine has been set at UKP
499.

According to a spokeswoman for Samsung, the new machines are
designed to undercut the competition. Newsbytes notes that the
prices of all the new machines are even less than those from
Dell, the direct-mail operator, despite the fact that they are
designed to be sold through the reseller channel.

(Steve Gold/19921030/Press & Public Contact: Samsung Electronics
- Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00012)

Japan: Oki Executives Step Down Due To Slump 11/02/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- Oki Electric has announced that
several executives including the chairman and the president of the firm,
resigned late last week in order to clear the way for younger executives
to take their place. Their resignations are also attributed to a slump
in the semiconductor industry.

The newly retired executives of Oki Electric include former chairman
Nakao Hashimoto, president Nobumitsu Kosugi and two vice presidents.
The news is considered the first time resignations have been offered for
these reasons in Oki's 111-year history, and the news has shocked the
industry.

Oki Electric's mid-term accounting reports sales were 261.8 billion yen
($2.2 billion), which is 8.5 percent decrease over the same term
last year. Net profit was 19.3 billion yen ($160 million) in the
red and profits are expected to be down a total of 25 billion yen ($200
million) for fiscal 1992, which ends in March 1993.

Due to this financial situation, Oki plans to stop giving dividends to
its stockholders this year.

One of the major reasons for Oki's severe financial situation is
the slump in sales of the firm's office equipment systems to
financial firms. There is another big reason -- over-investment in
memory chips. Oki, seeking to make a 30 percent profit from sales of
semiconductor memory chips, invested a huge amount of money to create
chip lines and facilities. The effort cost 50 to 60 billion yen (around
$460 million) to create a single plant. However, due to the slump
in the computer industry, demand for memory chips decreased and prices
went down.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19921102/Press Contact: Oki Electric,
 [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SYD)(00013)

Epson Connect! Matches Printers To Macintoshes 11/02/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- Epson Australia has introduced a
product which it claims means 21 new printers for the Macintosh market.
Epson Connect! is a hardware and software combination which allows most
Macintosh computers to connect to any Epson printer.

The Connect! package consists of cabling, drivers, manuals and a
quick-installation guide allowing users to set-up quickly. The
product was developed in Sydney and is set for introduction at MacWorld
Expo in Sydney next week on the Merisel stand.

The product allows any Epson printer, including lasers, to be connected
to most Macs, including Quadra and Powerbooks. Minimum system
requirements are a hard disk, at least 1M of RAM and System 6.0.5
or later.

There are three versions, matched to different requirements and budgets.
Prices are not yet available. Connect! 1 is said by Epson to offer
the highest performance and includes a LocalTalk interface which
enables the Epson printer to be part of an AppleTalk network.

Connect! 2 is aimed at the single user who wants a parallel port
connection. It has a serial to parallel converter which connects
the Mac serial port to the printer's parallel port.

Connect! 3 is the lowest cost system for single users. It connects to the
printer's serial port. A version of the pack is available to add a
serial port to the printer if necessary.

Features include: graphics up to 360x360 dpi; fast draft mode; System
7 balloon help; sheet feeder support; and TrueType and bitmap fonts.

(Paul Zucker/19920211/Contact: Epson Australia ph. +61-2-
4520666 fax [phone])


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

Australia: Satellite-Delivered Pay TV Due 11/02/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- After months of debate, the Australian
government has announced the latest plan for satellite-delivered pay TV
in Australia. It will authorize 10 channels.

Two commercial licensees will each be allowed 4 transponders and the
national broadcaster ABC will have the remaining two. Originally
it was planned to have just four analog channels on four transponders,
but now it appears we will have to wait for digital encoding/decoding
which will multiply the number of possible channels on each satellite
transponder.

Meanwhile two new satellite-delivered services from Australian sources
will commence beaming into Asia at the end of the year. The ABC and a
company operated by Kerry Packer will each lease a transponder from an
Indonesian satellite. While the ABC service is meant for re-broadcast
by Asian networks, Packer's service will pay its way by carrying
commercials.

Although the percentage of homes capable of receiving satellite
transmissions is extremely small, across Asia the total audience is
still measured in the millions.

(Paul Zucker/19920211)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00015)

US Business Reporter -- CD-ROM For PC or Macintosh 11/02/92
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- Dialog
Information Services Inc. has rolled out the Dialog OnDisc US
Business Reporter, a searchable CD-ROM disc packed with business
news articles from BusinessWire, The Journal of Commerce, and major
newspapers from 15 parts of the United States.

Articles in the CD-ROM new title cover such topics as market
opportunities, new products, industry trends, mergers and
acquisitions, business executive profiles, company stock offerings
and financial results, and the business climates in particular
cities.

A company spokesperson told Newsbytes that the articles are culled
from 17 of the 400 databases the company maintains through the
Dialog Information Retrieval Service, a modem-accessible online
service that boasts some 140,000 subscribers in 100 countries.

Aside from newspapers and business periodicals, the online
databases run the gamut from patents to child abuse, from
biotechnology to employee benefits, from insurance to the
environment, and beyond.

Content from about 40 of the other databases is also available from
Dialog through its OnDisc CD-ROM series. A sampling of available
titles includes Standard & Poor's Corporations, the Philosopher's
Index, the Directory of US Importers and Exporters, TrademarkScan
Federal and TrademarkScan State.

The US Business Reporter and other Dialog CD-ROM discs can be
accessed with the use of any CD-ROM reader or drive for an IBM-
compatible PC or Macintosh, according to the spokesperson. All discs are
updated periodically, on a predetermined scheduled.

CD-ROM subscribers who are also customers of the online information
retrieval service can switch from the disc to the online service in
cases where up-to-the-minute information is needed.

The US Business Reporter is priced at $2,495 for 1990 to 1992, and
$995 for any particular year. Annual renewals are also $995.

In addition to BusinessWire and the Journal of Commerce, the
business title contains articles from the Detroit Free Press,
Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Post, Arizona
Republic/Phoenix Gazette, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald,
Philadelphia Inquirer, St. Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch, San Jose
Mercury News, Seattle Times, Arizona Republic/Phoenix Gazette,
Oregonian, and Pittsburgh Press.

Dialog, a Knight-Ridder subsidiary, also offers a range of other
products and services, including the DialNet telecommunications
network, the DialMail electronic mail service, and two other online
retrieval services, Knowledge Index and the Dialog Business
Connection.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19921030; Press contact: Judy Hunter, Dialog,
tel [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00016)

 ****US Software Firms Find Global Partners, New Platforms 11/02/92
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- US-based software
vendors are making more international alliances, proliferating in
their product offerings, migrating to GUI-based operating
environments, and moving from the C development language to object-
oriented C++, say the results of a new survey of 796 company CEOs.

The nationwide 1992 Software Industry Business Practices Survey was
conducted by Price Waterhouse, under the sponsorship of the
Massachusetts Computer Software Council Inc., Information
Technology Association of America, and Software Publishers
Association. Also participating were 11 regional software
organizations, in states from coast to coast.

According to the CEOs' responses, in 1991, almost one-third (30%)
had entered into at least one development alliance and almost one-
half (49%) into one or more marketing alliances. A total of 44%
had engaged in an international alliance, and 82% a domestic
alliance. For 1992, all these figures were even higher.

As of February to March 1992, when the survey was carried out, 37%
of the CEOs anticipated a development alliance and 59% a marketing
alliance for the coming year. Exactly 60% anticipated an
international alliance, and 80% a domestic alliance. When asked
what they wanted in a marketing partner, 37% of the executives
replied, "international contacts."

Support for "multiple everything" was another trend detected by the
survey. In 1991, more than 80% of the respondents were supporting
at least two hardware platforms, and 26% offered network versions.
Regardless of company size or hardware environments supported, the
vendors planned to add one or two more new software products in
1992.

Of the operating systems, MS-DOS enjoyed the greatest support in
1991, but MS-Windows 3.X was expected to show the highest number of
new entrants for 1992. Two other GUI-based operating systems,
OS/2 and Windows NT, were also coming on strong, and Macintosh, the
original graphically oriented system, was more than holding its
own.

In 1991, a total of 64% of the companies offered packages for MS-
DOS, in comparison to 26% for MS-Windows 3.X, 18% for Macintosh,
14% for IBM-DOS, and 12% for OS/2. Support was also rampant for
the various flavors of Unix: SCO/Xenix (12%), IBM AIX (11%),
ATT/Unix International (10%) Sun OS (8%), Digital Ultrix (8%) HP UX
(7%), OSF/1 (2%), and "other Unix" (14%).

Another 13% of the companies supported minicomputers running
Digital VMS, while others were supporting operating systems for
large IBM computers: 6% for the OS/400 midrange operating system,
and 8% for the MVS and 5% for the VM mainframe systems. In
addition, 2% of the CEOs listed Windows NT as a currently supported
platform, and 1% mentioned pen-based operating systems.

For 1992, 38% of the companies were planning to release new
products for Windows 3X, versus 24% for DOS and 3% for IBM-DOS. A
substantial 15% had new software in the works for Windows/NT, while
11% apiece planned to add support for OS/2 or Macintosh.

Six-percent had new products coming for IBM AIX or SCO/Xenix, 5%
for the Sun OS or HP/UX, 4% each for DEC Ultrix, OSF/1 and
ATT/Unix, and 8% for "other Unix." Another 4% had new products on
the way for pen, and 3% were planning new software for VAX or IBM
AS/400, 2% for IBM MVS, and 1% for IBM VM, VM/CMS.

The companies planned to add support not only for such GUI-based
operating environments as Windows, the Macintosh, and OS/2, but for
GUIs themselves. Exactly half (50%) of the executives expected to
add new support for the Windows 3.X GUI in 1992, 14% for the
Macintosh GUI, and 11% for OS/2 Presentation Manager. Also cited
were Motif (12%), Open Look (7%), New Wave (3%), NeXT Step (2%),
and "other GUIs" (4%).

The boom in support for new operating environments and GUIs was
seen as being associated, perhaps, with the movement toward C++ as
a development language, a trend also evident in the survey. "The
significant growth in the use of object-oriented techniques may be
a result of the need to support more platforms and user
interfaces," theorized Frank Ingari, survey chairman and vice
president of marketing for Lotus Development Corporation.

A hefty 40% of the vendors cited C as their primary development
language in 1991, while only 13% said the same of C++. But more of
the vendors intended to add C++ as a new development language in
1992 than any other language.

The survey also found a wide range of application areas among
software packages on the market in 1991 and being readied for 1992.
Among the new packages being planned, accounting/financial (10%),
utilities and development tools (9% each), and communications
software and databases (7% apiece) were the most popular horizontal
market areas.

Regardless of the product proliferation, though, companies tended
to rely heavily on their single largest revenue-generating
applications. This thrust was most evident among the smallest
vendors, with one to five employees. Each of these companies
derived 75% of its revenues from one product, on average. But even
members of the "large company" category, with 100 or more
employees, depended on a single product for 46% of their revenues,
on average.

The investigation also determined that 51% of the vendors perform
at least some international sales. Again, though, the results
varied according to company size. Findings indicated that vendors
start out in the global market by selling direct. Then, when the
companies increase in size, they proceed to the use of local agents
or distributors, and ultimately to the formation of their own
subsidiaries.

Finally, the conclusion was drawn that, despite the growth in
global teamwork, international expansion isn't necessarily all that
easy. "International markets present opportunities for smaller
software companies, but exploiting these markets with limited
resources can be difficult. Financing international growth will be
a challenge for software companies of all sizes," explained Joseph
S. Tibbetts, survey director, and chairman of the Software Services
Group at Price Waterhouse.

Regional organizations participating in the survey included the
Application Development Center, Pennsylvania; Arizona Software
Association; Capital Regional Technology Development Council, New
York; Indiana Small Business Development Corporation; Minnesota
Software Association; Pittsburgh High Technology Council; Software
Association of Oregon; Software Entrepreneur's Forum, California;
Software Industry Association, Texas; Southeastern Software
Association, Georgia; and Washington Software Association.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19921030; Press contact: Paula Sinclair, Price
Waterhouse, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00017)

New For PC: Windows Version Of Info Select Shipping 11/02/92
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- Micro Logic has
started shipping the first Windows version of Info Select, a
personal information manager (PIM) specifically pointed at user
friendliness.

In an interview with Newsbytes, Woo Jin Kim, vice president of
sales, stressed that both the new Windows edition and previously
available DOS versions are carefully designed for four kinds of
ease of use.

"The first is an easy learning curve, so the user can get up and
running right away. The package also offers ease of entering
information, extracting specific data, and browsing," Kim told
Newsbytes during a stop in Boston on a nationwide press tour.

Info Select lets users jot down phone numbers, appointments,
addresses, lists of things to do, and other day-to-day information
much as they would do on paper, entering the data into blank
screens to create "notes," Kim explained.

Yet organizing and finding these random facts is simpler with the
PIM than on paper, he emphasized. Notes can be viewed
sequentially, but they can also searched by keyword, date or size.
A special "neural search" option will look for partial or best-fit
matches, a feature that comes in especially handy when the spelling
of a name is in doubt. Data can be easily moved to form templates
that accompany the package, he said.

The new Windows version adds standard Windows features such as
dialog boxes and cut-and-paste between applications, as well as
improved graphics and a host of new conveniences, including auto-
indenting, Undo methods, and a total of 23 form templates.

Info Select for Windows represents the fourth generation of a
product line launched in 1986, Kim told Newsbytes. Before becoming
available as a Windows-based product, the program evolved through
a succession of three DOS-based incarnations.

Tornado Notes, billed by the company as "the first PIM," was
followed by Tornado, and finally by Info Select, now in Version
2.0. "Each time we've enhanced the product, we've added more ease
of use," he asserted.

Info Select for Windows offers two methods of accessing features,
stressed the vice president of marketing. The new GUI in the
Windows version brings a new menu tree, designed to be consistent
with other Windows applications and also more logically organized,
he said.

But the function keys that are used in the DOS edition will also
work with the Windows program, preventing customers who are
familiar with the DOS program from having to learn a new menu
system.

The 23 form templates that come with Info Select for Windows
include forms for fax cover sheets, messages, and address lists.
The program also adds the ability to access forms from a pull-down
menu, according to Kim.

One of the two new undo features lets the user undo an
unintentional deletion of a section of text. Another, "File Undo,"
will undo all changes back to the last save to disk.

Other new capabilities include toolbar accelerator buttons, user
selectable fonts and sizes, instant access to the calendar
and calculator in Windows, and automatic save while editing.

Single-user versions of Info Select for Windows and the DOS-based
Info Select 2.0 are priced at $149.95. LAN groupware versions of
the programs are priced at $599.95 for a five-user package.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19921030; Press contact: Richard Leeds, Computer
Product Introductions Corp. for Micro Logic, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00018)

Bell Company Update 11/02/92
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS U.S.A., 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- New area codes, a
sign of economic growth, headline the day's national
telecommunications news.

Maryland's 301 area code, centered in Baltimore, is formally
splitting in two, with outlying areas becoming part of the new
410 code. Meanwhile. South Texas' 512 area code is also being
split, with people in San Antonio south to the Rio Grande River
being asked to use the new 210 code. Southwestern Bell Telephone
is planning to move its headquarters to the new 210 area,
specifically a former bank building in downtown San Antonio,
early next year.

Mindful of the scandal which gripped NYNEX a few years ago when
its supply unit was found to be overcharging regulated phone
units and spending the money unwisely, Illinois regulators have
begun an audit of Ameritech's Illinois Bell unit, saying its
increased equipment purchases from Ameritech corporate deserve
scrutiny. Illinois had passed a new telecommunications law
favoring the Bell company a year ago, but Republican Governor Jim
Edgar balanced that with a new Illinois Commerce Commission
tilted in favor of consumer interests. Frederick & Warinner of
Overland Park, Kansas will conduct the audit, for which Illinois Bell
will pay.

Illinois Bell parent Ameritech is continuing its campaign of
promoting the benefits of its new technology in its bid for
further regulatory relief. The company has begun a $750,000
awards competition in its service area to find new ways to use
electronic communication to improve the quality of education.
It's part of the company's traveling SuperSchool exhibit, a
showcasing services already enhancing learning.

In other Bell company news, US West won a $76 million contract to
improve communications at the US government's Los Alamos
National Laboratory in New Mexico, which was instrumental in
development of the atomic bomb in the 1940s. New Mexico is a
state serviced by US West. And PacTel, which is considering a
split-up between its regulated phone systems and less-regulated
cable and international enterprises, said its joint venture with
Cellular Communications earned $36.3 million for the September
quarter, up from $26.49 million a year ago.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19921102/Press Contact: Cellular
Communications,J. Barclay Knapp, 614-325-2305 Ameritech, Steve
Ford, Ameritech, 312/750-5205)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00019)

International Telecom Update 11/02/92
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- On the day before
US elections, politics dominates international telecommunication news.

Israeli workers are among the latest to come out against change in
their local phone monopoly. About 10,000 workers at Bezek struck
their employer, fearing that competition will cost them their
jobs. Israel's labor-run government has proposed opening the
cellular and overseas direct-dial markets to competition.

Cuba, facing increasing isolation as Democrats join Republicans
in praising a tightening of economic sanctions, called for a
renewal of telephone links. In past years, it has been Cuba which
fought the links, but now the nation fears that lines downed by
Hurricane Andrew in August may never be brought back on-line, at
least not until Castro's Communist government is replaced by one
more friendly to the US. US officials claim, however, that the
dispute is economic, with Cuba wanting the $80 million in phone
charges which remain on deposit in the US since the economic
blockade was first imposed a generation ago. AT&T tried to
restore service through third countries, but Cuba blocked it
because it would not be paid, US officials assert.

Angola is apparently joining Liberia among African countries
where Civil War is disrupting communications. In Liberia, an army
headed by Charles Taylor is fighting West African peacekeeping
troops. In Angola, the Unita movement renewed fighting after
losing to the MPLA in elections called fair by observers. Part of
the phone system in the capital of Luanda was knocked out. The
fighting is especially disquieting because the peace, and the
election, were the result of a long process following the end of
the Cold War, in which the West allied with Unita and Cuba allied
with the MPLA.

The on-again, off-again move to privatize Brazil's industry is
on-again, after reports that moves to sell-off the Telebras phone
monopoly, and other companies, are moving ahead. Stocks advanced
in price after a long downturn based on the news.

In non-political telecom news, Interdigital Communications,
formerly IMM, won yet another order from Mexico for its
UltraPhone system, which uses TDMA digital technology to bring
the equivalent of wired phone service to rural areas. To date,
InterDigital said it had orders worth $25.5 million from Mexico.
Southwestern Bell, a big booster of TDMA technology, owns about
10 percent of TelMex.

Finally, China said that Brighton Information Systems of Paramus,
New Jersey will be managing partner for a huge OnLine Trasaction
Processing network designed to automate credit card clearances.
Among the firms being brought to the job by Brighton are
Cincinnati Bell, Pyramid Technology, Shared Financial Systems,
and the Standard Chartered Bank of Hong Kong.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19921102/Press Contact: Jeff Dunster for Brighton
Information Systems, 808-734-3480; David L. Smith, InterDigital
Communications, 215-278-7831)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00020)

Chinon Owners Can Upgrade Their CD-ROM Drives 11/02/92
TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- In a move that is
unique in the CD-ROM industry, Chinon has just announced a program
under which current owners of Chinon's Series 431 CD-ROM drives can
upgrade to the company's 435 series equivalents.

The upgrade is done by Chinon and consists of both hardware and
software upgrades. Chinon is asking customers to call a toll-free
number (1-800-441-0222) and provide their drive's serial number,
their name, address, phone number, and a method of payment (i.e.
credit card or check). Then Chinon assigns a tracking number to the
order and requests that the drive be shipped to its facility in
Torrance, California. When Chinon completes the upgrade, it will
ship the drive back to the owner.

The upgrade costs $148. Chinon is promising a five-day turnaround
exclusive of shipping for the upgrade procedure at its factory.

This upgrade is a first in the CD-ROM industry. Chinon claims its goal
is to keep its customers satisfied. Upgraded drives will be fully
compatible with Apple's QuickTime, Microsoft's MPC, and Kodak's
PhotoCD standards, the company says. The latter is a new capability
that Chinon has just developed and which is only available to new
customers or those who take advantage of this upgrade.

The upgrade offer period runs from November 1, 1992 to June 20, 1993
for US customers. Company spokespeople were unable to tell
Newsbytes if similar offers are being made to customers in other
countries.

(Naor Wallach/19921102/Press Contact: Jeffrey Swartz, Daly-Swartz
Public Relations for Chinon, 714-361-6888/Public Contact: Chinon,
310-533-0274, 800-441-0222)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00021)

Philips Recorder To Make CD-ROM, CD-I Discs 11/02/92
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- Philips,
the company that invented compact disc read-only memory (CD-
ROM) and compact disc interactive (CD-I), has introduced a
recorder that produces both CD-ROM and CD-I disks from data
stored on a desktop computer.

The CDD 521 records in CD-ROM, CD-I, and CD Audio format on
blank optical discs at two times normal playing speed, Philips
said. The higher recording speed cuts one and a half hours off
the normal recording time, according to Bill Harlow, product
manager of CD-ROM products for Philips.

The company said it introduced the CDD 521 to developers in May
and in the retail channels for connection to IBM and compatible
personal computers (PCs) and Philip's own workstation computers
in September. Plans are to introduce a Macintosh Quadra-
compatible interface for the unit as well.

The uses a small computer systems interface (SCSI) and the
company recommends a 386DX 25 megahertz-based PC as the minimum
for operation. Harlow says it can be difficult for a PC with a
slower microprocessor to keep a sustained data rate fast enough
to feed the CDD 521 for an entire 600 megabytes (MB) of
transferred data.

The CDD 521 only records, meaning the data has to be resident
and ready to go on the hard disk. The unit can be used as a
back-up system, but is rather expensive at a retail price of
$7,995. The CDD 521 can be obtained for $5,995 if built-in to a
Philips workstation, Harlow added.

Philips said it plans to demonstrate the unit at COMDEX in
November as well as new high end Photo CD and CD-I authoring
systems.

(Linda Rohrbough/19921102/Press Contact: Bernie Mitchell,
Philips, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00022)

 ****Videofax Sends Video Remotely To Kiosks 11/02/92
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- A New York-
based company has demonstrated multimedia authoring with a twist.
Videofax is the name of the product, and the twist is the
product allows for fully automated, totally unattended transfer
of video data over phone lines to unmanned video stations.

Videofax comes in two models, the "send" system, and multiple
receive systems. The software allows the user to create
multimedia presentations doing all the standard things one
would expect, including titling over video, capture and
modification of video images, manipulation of text, animation,
and so on. A Targa or Visionetics card is required in the IBM
or compatible personal computer (PC) to allow the video input.

The company says the strength of the system is a user can
use the software to create and then update a multimedia
presentation for use in hotels, information channels, or kiosks
run by PCs at remote sights equipped with modems. The
receive software can remotely update each site, one by one,
with totally automated telecommunications software built-in
that's smart enough to do error correction, only update what's
needed, and call a number of systems all by itself.

The company claims the system works so well that it was used to send
color images from Paris to New York during the day without a problem
and without any user intervention.

The company says Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) image
compression is built-in to the software and creation of slide
presentations is fast. One hundred fonts are included with the
package and a paint program is also available for extra charge.

The Videofax system can support modem data transfer rates of up
to 115,000 baud, but the company says most users prefer 9600 or
14,400 baud rates. The software supports standard video formats
including NTSC, S-Video, and even the European PAL format if
the video card will support PAL.

(Linda Rohrbough/19921102/Press Contact: Guy Nouri, Videofax,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00023)

Digital Canada Changes Service, Pricing Policies 11/02/92
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- Canada's Bureau of
Competition Policy has told Digital Equipment of Canada to offer
software service separately from hardware service. And in an
unrelated move at the same time, Digital Canada has changed pricing
policies, eliminating volume discounts for all but its biggest
computers.

Effective January 1, DEC's Canadian customers will be able to buy
software service contracts separately from hardware service.
Digital Canada had sold software service only as a part of a
package with hardware service, company spokesman David Paolini
said, because the company did not like spending time on what first
appeared to be software problems, only to find they were hardware
problems and thus the responsibility of a separate hardware service
provider.

However, Canada's Bureau of Competition Policy has ruled that this
practice constrained competition, and ordered DEC to offer software
service separately. This will bring DEC Canada's practice in line
with that of its US parent, which already offers software service
separately, Paolini said.

In a move Paolini said was not related to the service issue,
Digital Canada also changed pricing policies, following the lead of
its US parent company. List prices on DEC hardware from PCs up to
the VAX 4000 minicomputer are being cut, but the company said it
will no longer negotiate volume discounts on those products.

Working out discounts with each customer was introducing an added
delay into the sales process, Paolini said. He said sales of DEC's
priciest hardware, such as VAX 6000 and 9000, will still be subject
to volume discounts, but maintained that there will be no discounts
on smaller systems, no matter how large the sale.

"If we've done our job right and priced them properly," Paolini
said, "any attempt at a discount (on the new list prices) would
probably end up as a loss leader, and that's against the
competition law."

DEC Canada also announced a standard discount to customers for
multi-year service contracts, and a fixed auto-addition discount
for all products allowing them to be added to a service contract
automatically when the service contract expires. And, the company
will offer a discount to service-contract customers who set up
their own help desks to handle routine user questions and do
initial problem diagnosis.

DEC Canada said it will offer its Business Partners (dealers) new
discounts to cover costs they share with the manufacturer.

(Grant Buckler/19921102/Press Contact: David Paolini, Digital
Canada, 416-597-3529)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00024)

Toshiba Intros Color Notebook, Pen Computer, Cuts Prices 11/02/92
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- Hoping to
increase its share of the highly lucrative notebook and portable
computing markets, the Computer Systems Division of Toshiba
America Information Systems Inc., has introduced the T4400C
family of color notebook computers, and at the same time has
cut prices on its portable computers, ranging from 14 percent
to 25 percent. The company has also introduced a pen computer
called the Dynapad T100X.

Color notebooks are becoming increasingly popular as manufacturers
manage to overcome problems of high power-usage, and the costs of the
units decrease to respectable levels.

According to the company, the 25 megahertz (MHz) 486-based T4400C
offers a 9.5-inch color TFT-LCD (thin film transistor-liquid crystal
display) active matrix display, and a 120 or 200 megabyte (MB) hard
drive.

The T4400C comes in two models: a 25MHz 486SX with a 120MB hard disk
drive or 25MHz 486DX with a 200MB hard disk drive. According to the
company, both are available with an eight kilobytes (KB) cache and
an integrated coprocessor (on the 486DX model) or an optional 486DX
upgrade (on the 486SX model).

The VGA-compatible display offers 256 colors at 640 by 480 resolution,
from a palette of 185,193 colors. The notebook is powered by a
NiCad battery with three-hour battery life and 1.5-hour recharge
time. Standard interfaces include a serial port, a parallel port,
a PS/2 mouse port, external VGA (Super VGA color) port, and an
external keypad/101-key keyboard adapter port.

The T4400C includes a built-in dedicated Toshiba "E"-style
modem slot, a dedicated Toshiba credit card sized memory slot,
and 150-pin bus expansion for the Desk Station IV and other
peripherals. The company claims that, when used with the Desk
Station IV docking unit, the T4400C can be utilized as one's
primary computer.

The T4400C measures 11.7-inches by 8.3-inches by 2.3-inches
and weighs 7.75 pounds. Available immediately, the T4400C/120
with a 486SX CPU (central processing unit) carries a suggested
retail price of $3,999. With shipment scheduled for December,
the T4400C/200 with a 486DX CPU will be $4,799.

The new Toshiba Dynapad T100X 3.3-pound pen computer is
powered by a 25MHz AMD 386SXLV (3.3 volt) microprocessor,
and comes with 4MB of RAM (expandable up to 20MB), a 9.5-inch
VGA-compatible black and white transreflective (with backlight)
display with 16 gray scales, a 40MB hard disk drive, two PCMCIA
2.0 slots (industry standard for I/O (input/output) devices such
as modems and flash memory cards, and a user-installable credit
card sized memory slot. The system also includes such standard
features such as a serial, parallel, PS/2 keyboard and floppy drive
ports.

There are two configurations of the Dynapad available: one with
the hard disk preinstalled with Go Corp.'s PenPoint, and one with
Microsoft's Windows for Pen Computing operating systems. Both
software products utilize the pen as a replacement for both the
mouse and the keyboard.

Speaking of the price cuts to the company's portable systems,
Steve Lair, vice president of marketing for the Computer
Systems Division, said: "We are raising the bar for the competition
while at the same time lowering it for our customers to provide
them with greater product affordability and accessibility. The
competition among notebook computer manufacturers is intense
and the winners of the price reductions are the customers who can
improve their productivity and efficiency with Ferrari products
at Ford prices."

(Ian Stokell/19921102/Press Contact: Howard Emerson,
Toshiba America Information Systems Inc., 714-583-3925)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00025)

New For Macintosh: Miniaturized Docking Unit For PowerBook 11/02/92
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- Envisio Inc., has
announced Dynamic Duo, a portable docking unit designed to compete
with those just introduced by Apple Computer for its recently
announced PowerBook Duos.

The Dynamic Duo is about the size of a deck of playing cards,
incorporates 16-bit video and stereo sound capabilities, and can
display up to 32,000 colors on 13-inch monitors at 640 by 480
resolution and 256 colors on 16-inch displays at 832 by 624
resolution. Envisio says the unit works with Apple monitors up to 16
inches, the Radius Color Pivot, most VGA-compatible monitors, and LCD
(liquid crystal display) panels. Users can add an NTSC upgrade for
output to a television or VCR. The unit weighs about five ounces.

Expected to ship in January, the Dynamic Duo will be priced at about
$600, and the company says it will be the first of several docking
units offered.

Envisio also markets Color Frame, a flat-panel, active matrix color
display for PowerBooks as well as most desktop Macs and PCs.
ColorFrame can be combined with Dynamic Duo. Previous Newsbytes
stories have reported Envisio's 8-bit and 16-bit color display
adapters for the PowerBook, which are installed in the PowerBook's
memory slot and are available with memory configurations up to 8MB.

(Jim Mallory/19921102/Press contact: Thomas Burke, Envisio,
612-339-1008; Reader contact: Envisio, 612-339-1008, fax
612-339-1369)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(DEN)(00026)

Cray Research In Major US Energy Department Project 11/02/92
EAGAN, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- Cray Research has
announced that it has entered into a preliminary agreement with the
Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a massively parallel processor
that the company says will result in greater capabilities for DOE's
laboratories and enhance competitiveness for US firms in the global
market.

Cray will be working with DOE's laboratory in Los Alamos (New Mexico)
and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories in California to create
operating systems and capabilities for use on Cray's massively parallel
processing computer systems. Cray says the project's goal is to
increase productivity, reduce research and development costs, improve
manufacturing techniques and help bring higher-quality products to
market more quickly.

DOE and Cray will jointly fund the project at $70 million over a
three-year period. The announcement says the four areas to benefit
from the deal are environmental modeling, defense systems, materials
design, and advanced manufacturing. Specific areas include models
for reducing and containing pollution, improving manufacturing
processes, and designing the next generation of semiconductor and
microelectronic components. According to Los Alamos Labs Director
Siegfried Hecker, "Modeling and simulation are becoming increasingly
useful tools for industry. They are faster, cheaper and more
environmentally conscientious than older methods of trial and
error."

The agreement is part of the government's High Performance Computing
and Communications Initiative signed by the President in October
1991. DOE is one of four major federal agencies involved in the
initiative, with goals of extending US technological leadership in
high performance computing and communications, speed the pace of
innovation of information technologies, serve the national needs,
and enhance the nation's industrial competitiveness.

(Jim Mallory/19921102/Press contact: Steve Conway, Cray Research,
612-683-7133, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00027)

 ****Microsoft's Windows Database Due This Month 11/02/92
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- Windows users who
have been waiting for Microsoft's own database for Windows don't
have much longer to wait. Microsoft says it will introduce Access,
which was demonstrated at the Workgroup For Windows rollout in New
York last week, at Comdex in Las Vegas later this month.

Access is expected to compete with Borland International's Paradox
for Windows, and may beat Borland's product to market. Microsoft
database products general manager, Charles Stevens, says Access
has been in beta testing at 5,000 sites since February, and the
program will be released in seven languages by year-end. "We hope
to have a six month lead (on Borland)," said Stevens.

Access will have an introductory price of $99 through January 31,
1993, when the price will go up to $695. A Microsoft spokesperson
told Newsbytes that Access will be able to read and write data in
all of the popular file formats, including Paradox and dBase.
Access uses drag-and-drop technology to create forms and reports and
supports object linking and embedding (OLE) which allows a database
to include sounds, bitmap images, charts and full-motion video,
according to Microsoft.

Access data can be shared with other applications, using a
copy-and-paste approach. Access also supports dynamic data exchange
(DDE) which automatically updates other applications when the
database is updated.

Access comes with 40 pre-defined macros which automate a number of
routine tasks and a feature called "Wizards." Wizards ask the user a
series of questions to build a report, such as what fields you want
included, how you want to group your data, and how you want the
report to look. The program also offers "Cue Cards," a
learn-as-you-work feature that Microsoft says walks you through a
task such as creating a table, designing data filters, or adding a
column to a report.

Access isn't Microsoft's only database entry. The company said it
expects to introduce new DOS and Windows versions of FoxPro by the
the end of 1992.

(Jim Mallory/19921102/Press contact: Cindy McKendry, Waggener
Edstrom for Microsoft, 503-245-0905, fax [phone]; Reader
contact: Microsoft Corporation,800-426-9400)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(DEN)(00028)

Cray Computer Gets Demonstration Site For Cray-3 11/02/92
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- Cray
Computer has found a demonstration site for its Cray-3 supercomputer.
The company announced late Friday that it has established a
cooperative hardware and software relationship with Thinking Machines
Corporation which includes the delivery of a demonstration Cray-3
system to the National Center of Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in
Boulder, Colorado during the first quarter of 1993.

Cray says the deal is contingent upon the availability of fiscal
year 93 federal computing facilities funding for NCAR.

As reported by Newsbytes last July Cray has been seeking other
companies interested in a cooperative arrangement with massively
parallel processor manufacturers and in locating a small number of
demonstrations sites for the Cray-3.

Cray says it anticipates a 6- to 12-month evaluation and development
project that addresses the optimal interconnection of the two
machines in large meteorological applications. Since the
Cray-3 will be functioning as a demonstration and evaluation unit,
the company does not expect to receive any revenue from the deal.

Cray Computer lost its only order for a Cray-3 last December after
it missed a major milestone in the system's development and the
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories canceled its order. The
company stopped work on the 16-processor version of the Cray-3 in
February of this year, saying it would continue to work on four and
eight-processor versions. In April the company reported a first
quarter loss of $13.9 million, and President Neil Davenport
resigned. The company said Davenport's resignation was not related
to the loss of the only Cray-3 order and its financial results. In
July the company reported a $12 million second quarter loss, and
said it was looking for partners to help finance, market, and
manufacture the smaller machines. Two weeks ago the company
announced its third quarter results, posting a $12 million loss.

(Jim Mallory/19921102/Press contact: Terry Willkom, Cray Computer,
719-579-6464)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00029)

Lotus, France Telecom Announce Strategic Dev't Agreement 11/02/92
STAINES, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- Lotus Development
Corporation and France Telecom have announced an agreement to
develop technology linking Lotus Notes and the France Telecom
ISDN (integrated services digital network) service.

Under the term of the memorandum of agreement between the two
companies, Lotus will work with France Telecom to develop a
version of Notes that will link directly to Numeris, the French
ISDN service.

"This partnership is a model for collaboration between the
information processing and communications industries," said Jim
Dinsmore, Lotus' international manager for strategic alliances.

"France Telecom has been a pioneer in providing the
communications services needed to facilitate the flow of
information between workgroups of all kinds. There is a high
level of synergy between France Telecom's philosophy of enterprise
computing and Lotus' workgroup computing strategy. We're excited
to be the first company outside France to partner with France
Telecom," he said.

The deal, though in the vaporware stage at the moment, is
interesting, since it shows great promise. France Telecom is
known worldwide for its innovative approach to telecom
technology. The company now has several million home/business
videotex sets in use throughout France in place of paper phone
directories. The Minitel service sets, issued free of charge, are
used for a variety of services.

Actual product stemming from the deal between the two companies
is not expected until early next year.

(Steve Gold/19921102/Press & Public Contact: Lotus Development -
Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00030)

UK: Orbitel Delays GSM Portable, Claims Market Not Ready 11/02/92
BASINGSTOKE, HAMPSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1992 NOV 2 (NB) -- Orbitel
Mobile Communications has announced it is by-passing its first
generation of GSM digital handportable phones, which were due to
launch at the beginning of the new year. Instead, the company is
concentrating on developing a second-generation unit for launch
during the second half of 1993.

According to David Sims, the company's newly appointed managing
director, the second-generation phone is being designed for use on
the micro-cell version of GSM, known as the Micro Cellular Network
(MCN), which is planned for introduction in the spring of '93 by
Vodafone.

Cellnet, the other mobile phone service supplier, says that its
plans for a GSM network are still two years away.

"The decision to refocus our handportable product line was taken
after a careful review of the company's policies and in the light
of our views about the market requirements for GSM handportables
in 1993," Sims said.

Sims reckons that a competitively priced portable handset, which
delivers good performance and includes two hours of talk time, is
the most important requirement. The second-generation portable
will deliver this, he claims.

"At the same time, we recognize that it will be several months
before many GSM networks across Europe will be able to provide
wide geographical coverage suitable for effective nation-wide
communications with GSM handportables. We have therefore decided to
cease activity on the development of our first-generation
handportable, which in our view, no longer meets next year's
market requirements," he said.

Interestingly, both Vodafone in the UK and LM Ericsson of
Sweden endorse Orbitel's decision. Gerry Whent, Vodafone's CEO,
said that he welcomes the decision to "concentrate on a type of
handset which will be important to use in our MCN program."

Newsbytes notes that, although GSM has been available from
Vodafone for the last year, it is only in the last few months
that the car-based technology has been actually available over
the counter from Vodafone's dealers in the UK.

The Orbitel decision to delay the development of a handportable
suggests that the network providers intend to soft-peddle publicity
about the technology until a full national network is in
place, together with inter-country roaming agreements. Pan-
European roaming is the mainstay of GSM's advantage over the
existing analogue cellular networks.

(Steve Gold/19921102/Press & Public Contact: Orbitel - Tel: 0256-
843468; Fax: [phone])