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/nb921118

Text File | 1992-11-18 | 63.8 KB | 1,417 lines

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00001)

 ****COMDEX: Bill "Wow, Neat" Gates Perspective On Industry 11/18/92
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- Bill Gates keynoted COMDEX
yesterday (Tuesday) on his company's perspectives on the industry. He
was introduced by The Interface Group's CEO Sheldon Adelson who said,
"Today Microsoft is the locomotive for the Pacific NorthWest -- in the
21st century it may well be the locomotive for the world."

Gates talked about the direction of the industry and used both his
company's and other's products to demonstrate his thoughts. In opening
he commented that the cab driver who had just dropped him off had
pointed out a few problems he was having with Windows 3.1. "But what
I want to know is, what does a cab driver use Windows for?"

He discussed the importance of hardware in pushing ahead our
use of computers. He said that some people are too preoccupied with
questions like "Do price drops mean no innovation?" and "Are there still
too many computer companies?" without seeing the exciting times ahead.

He explained that things were changing rapidly and gave the example that
not only was Microsoft shipping a million copies of Windows a month
(mostly through bundling), but that more than a million PCs would be
delivered in the next year, preloaded with Windows for Workgroups and a
network adapter, ready to plug-in and run. He said these were at the
middle of a range of machines running windows -- machines ranging in
price by a factor of 50. He predicted we'll soon see products with
specialized and feature-limited versions of Windows such as
white-boards and communications devices (telephones).

Gates used a demonstration of the upcoming Motorola Pentak (spelling)
machine to show how easy it will be to use hand-held computers that
have internal wireless mail facilities. He chided those (especially
in the press) who had complained that pen computing was slow to be
accepted or disappointing when it did come. "These people should be
patient. I firmly believe in this technology."

He spoke of the new Grid pen notebook, commenting that many people not
only wanted a pen computer but also wanted to use their existing
applications the way they know how -- with a keyboard. As an example of
pen applications he showed a medical system currently being tested. It
frees doctors from the tedious job of having to write and read
copious case histories, deal with other medical services, and
exchange information. The system works with Windows for Workgroups
to handle electronic mail such as requesting or receiving lab reports
and sending drug prescriptions to the pharmacy. He believes the PC
needs to become a more powerful communicator before we will
see its future potential.

Next Gates talked about the changing paradigm of computer supply and
installation. He said that in the early days, a mainframe application
price included installation and support from the vendor, but
now there is a need for what he calls third party "Solution Providers"
who are skilled in particular end-user areas and able to advise
on, install, and maintain systems. These would range from one-man
specialists to the giants like accounting firms. He said these people
would have a unique relationship with users, and would be fundamental
to the advancement of the industry.

His next example was a banking system that is now used by a number of
banks to speed routine bank procedures such as loan applications. The
developer said his company had prototyped the system in Visual Basic,
and then found it was completely suitable for commercial release in
that form. It incorporates features like image capture and retrieval
as well as integration of data sources such as bank records.

On the future of software manufacturers, Gates said everything was rosy
as new software will be needed for new hardware platforms, as new
categories are invented, and as new software platforms emerge. "Today
we're in a Renaissance -- everything is just a point-and-click away."
However, he was adamant that software had to change. "Applications
have to be able to feed each other and share functionality. In the
past this has been very weak. Apps are getting too big and the only
way to overcome this is to share common operations. "We'll see many
big changes in this area over the next year."

He also said that while products have to get leaner, there is a
great opportunity to pack extra features around products such as
multimedia training and support systems that could be delivered with
the product by CD-ROM or on network software delivery systems.

Gates then demonstrated the next version of OLE (object linking
and embedding). Unlike version one which launches applications that
created embedded objects, OLE 2.0 will maintain the object in its
containing document but change the menu structure to that of the
creating application. Thus, selecting a photograph in a word processor
for editing will cause the photo editing package controls to replace
the WP controls during editing. By doing this the user maintains his
WYSIWYG feel for the final document.

By this time the "neat" talk was running way over time and the satellite
cut out.

(Paul Zucker/19921118)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00002)

COMDEX: Computer Program Simulates B&W Artist's Drawing Tools 11/18/92
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- Much emphasis is
being made these days on getting traditional artists to enrich
computing and use computers. Fractal Design is demonstrating
tools for artists that mimic traditional artist's tools but are
employed on either PCs or Macintoshes.

The company most recently introduced Sketcher, which simulates
traditional drawing and sketching tools. Fractal says Sketcher
generates black and white images that look like they were
created with traditional drawing tools such as pencils,
erasers, chalks, charcoal, crayons, calligraphy pens, spray
paint, and a variety of paint brushes, the company said.
Sketcher can be used to replace or enhance traditional techniques
and it can even simulate paper grains.

In addition, the product can be used to do photo retouching of
scanned photographs and can even redraw a black and white
photograph via the Autoclone command with one of the drawing
tools such as charcoal or pencil so it appears to be drawn by
hand.

The product can also simulate tracing paper for taking a
preliminary sketch and refining it. The tracing paper can be
turned on, drawing or painting done over it, and then turned
off so all the new imagery is left independent of the original
sketch.

Type effects are also available including the ability to fill
Type 1 and Truetype fonts with brush strokes, paper textures, or
even photographs, Fractal Design said.

The product is available for the IBM compatible platform under
Windows and on the Macintosh. Artists at the Fractal Design
booth were using a Wacom pressure sensitive stylus, but the
company says the product will also support Calcomp and Kurta
styluses and mice as well. It requires a 386SX, a hard disk, a
color or gray scale monitor, 4 megabytes (MB) of random access
memory (RAM), Microsoft Windows 3.0 or later, and will use a
math coprocessor if one is available.

On the Macintosh, Sketcher will run on a Classic II, LC, SE30, II
series, Powerbook 140 or 170, or Quadra; requires a hard disk, 2.5 MB
of memory, Systems 6.0.5 or later and is System 7 compatible;
and 32-bit Quickdraw.

The products are unusually packaged as well. Painter comes in a
paint can while Sketcher comes in a box that looks like an
artist's box for storing sketching tools. Both the Windows and
Macintosh version are retail priced at $149, Fractal said.

The company has other products for color work as well. Painter,
a product for simulating color tools such as airbrush, colored
chalk, charcoal, crayons, felt pens, pencils, and water color.

The company announced at the show it has formed an alliance
with IBM to be an Ultimedia Tools Series (UTS) vendor. The
company says both Painter and Sketcher work seamlessly with all
of the other tools in the UTS collection.

(Linda Rohrbough/19921117/Press Contact: Laurie McLean, McLean
PR for Fractal Design, tel [phone], fax [phone];
Stephen Thomas, Fractal Design, 408-688-5300, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(ATL)(00003)

COMDEX: Field Computing -- A View from Two Rooms 11/18/92
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- There are many ways to
approach the selling of pen-based, mobile computing. Two
completely different approaches faced each other across a hallway
off the main floor of the Fall COMDEX show.

AT&T's NCR unit had a room on one side of the hall. The theme
here was "networked mobile computing." The idea behind it is that
people outside the office should be considered part of the
corporate network. Thus, a systems integration approach, directed
by a single vendor, is best. "We're a single contact for things
like wireless LANs, packet radio, cellular data, and satellite
paging," explained Tom Vallani of NCR. "The concept is
information on demand, mission-critical information delivered at
anytime, anywhere."

An example is the new NCR Virtual Office, a single plastic case that
contains a cellular phone, notebook computer, modem, and a connector
between the phone and modem. "There's a difference between mobile
computing and mobile networking," Villani continued. "We're talking
instant access to anywhere. Salesmen may need broadband data, in
a client's office, to make a sale. We can deliver it."

NCR is also interested in practical issues like security and
encryption, which may not occur to all users but remain important,
according to T.F. Kimmett of NCR. "We're also trying to do X.400
gateways with any and all networks," he said.

You can do that with money, time, and personnel. If you're a
small company, like Go Corp., which had the suite across the hall
from NCR, you need allies. Go's booth was crawling with them,
well over a dozen application developers, from Visicalc author
Dan Bricklin, now a vice president at Slate Corp., to Cam Clark
of Pen Cross, author of a medical program under PenPoint. As
Bricklin noted, "Pen computing is real. These guys are not
blowing smoke." The only problem, Bricklin admitted privately,
remains hardware. But that will come, and soon, from big new
vendors like Toshiba, which is starting to deliver product.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19921117)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00004)

 ****COMDEX: OEMs Promise Real IBM PCs For Less Than IBM 11/18/92
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- Two original
equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are at COMDEX boasting about how
they plan to sell true IBM personal computers (PCs) for less
than IBM will. The machines are being purchased from IBM but
service and support come from the OEM, as does the label on the
outside of the box.

Montana, named after the state where the company is located,
was demonstrating IBM PCs and offering prices lower than the
giant's new reduced prices.

The company offers a complete line of IBM PCs starting with 386
based systems. The firm will offer a 486DX2 25/50 megahertz
(MHz) PC with AT industry standard architecture (ISA), a 2.88 MB
floppy disk drive, an XGA video card with 1 megabyte of random
access memory on the card and a super video graphics array
(SVGA) monitor, 1 serial, 1 parallel, 1 mouse port, 5 16-bit
slots, DOS, Windows, 4 MB of RAM, a three-button mouse, and a
170 MB hard disk drive for $1,919. The machines are obviously
IBM with the characteristic blue disk eject button and IBM
case. However, Montana puts its own logo on the outside where
the IBM logo would normally be found.

Reply of San Jose, California says it offers a line of PS/2-
compatible Micro Channel 386 and 486 PCs and system upgrade
motherboards for IBM PS/2 systems as well. The company is also
demonstrating products at COMDEX.

OEMing IBM products has become a major thrust, according to IBM
Personal Computer Company President Robert Corrigan, speaking
at a COMDEX press conference. Corrigan said while IBM has been
accused of cannibalizing itself, it believes its service and
support will set it apart sufficiently to make the difference
to consumers. Corrigan also strongly predicted the coming
fourth quarter will be the biggest in the PC Company's history.

Newsbytes did ask the OEMs if they planned to handle IBM's
Ultimedia computer line. The answer according to Montana is
it's cheaper to buy a multimedia kit and install it to create a
multimedia IBM PS/2 compatible. So while Montana said it will
offer multimedia PS/2s, the firm does not plan to get them from IBM.

(Linda Rohrbough/19921117/Press Contact: Keith Zaman, Montana,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Reply 408-942-4804; IBM PC
Company 800-IBM-3333)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00005)

Japan: AT&T, Toshiba, NEC Link On Personal Communicator 11/18/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- AT&T Micro Electronics has signed
an agreement with Toshiba and NEC concerning development of
a next-generation personal terminal or communicator -- AT&T has
already produced a prototype. The three firms will continue to
develop the device and will sell it separately under their own
brand names.

President William Warwick of AT&T Microelectronics, the
semiconductor division of AT&T, held a press conference with
the executive directors of Toshiba and NEC in Tokyo. Warwick
said the joint development agreement concerns a multipurpose
hand-held terminal based on the prototype AT&T "Personal
Communicator." The communicator is equipped with AT&T's microprocessing
unit called "Hobbit" and California-based Go Corporation's Penpoint
operating system.

The device has a credit-card size LCD (liquid crystal display) and
at a glance, it looks like a photo frame. AT&T, Toshiba, and NEC,
in polishing up the system, will enable the device to support
multiple features such as telephone and fax functions, besides the
pen-input personal computing feature. The officers hinted that
the device may ultimately support transmission of motion pictures
via radio waves, and will be used as a TV phone.

The directors of NEC and Toshiba say the actual devices will be
released in Japan and the US within a year. The three firms will
jointly develop the products, but will sell them separately.
Initially the device will be aimed at insurance and financial firms.

Meanwhile, NEC has signed a license with AT&T to produce its Hobbit
chip and will supply it to AT&T and Toshiba. Toshiba may also produce
the Hobbit in the future.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19921117/Press Contact: NEC, +81-3-
3454-1111, Fax: [phone], Toshiba, [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00006)

COMDEX: Special Effects With Truetype Fonts In Windows/DOS 11/18/92
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- Micrologic says
its TrueEffects For Windows product can add special effects
to Windows Truetype fonts.

The company says the effects such as patterns, outlines,
shadows, and reverse effects can be added to any Truetype font
in Windows. Micrologic says the effects can be chosen at the
same time the user chooses a font in a Windows application and
the size of the font can be scaled as well.

The company says over 50,000 special effects are included with
the package, which only takes 500 kilobytes (K) of hard disk
space.

A DOS version of the product is also available called Truetype
for DOS. The company says the DOS product comes with 36
scalable Truetype typefaces that can be used in Wordperfect,
Word, or Works and printed to any laser, ink jet, or dot matrix
printer.

As with the Windows product, the user can combine the fonts
with a special effects outline as well, the company added.

Trueeffects For Windows retails for $59.95, while the Truetype
For DOS product is $99.95.

(Linda Rohrbough/19921118/Press Contact: Lucy Allison,
Micrologic, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Public Contact
800-888-9078)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00007)

COMDEX: Ergo Keyboard, Expensive But Worth It? 11/18/92
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- Kinesis says it
has adapted the traditional keyboard into a new, ergonomic
design that doesn't require the user to "re-learn" how to type.
The company says it has case studies of several full-time
typing professionals who have alleviated physical pain after
switching to the Kinesis keyboard.

The keyboard is the same rectangular shape as a traditional
keyboard, but two bowls, one on each side, are lined with keys
in the traditional order. The Space bar, Enter key, Ctrl, Alt,
Page Up, and Page Down keys are outside the bowl of keys and to
the inside of keyboard so they can be reached by the thumbs
when the hands are cupped over the home row keys. Placing the
keys down in a bowl shape allows for the rest of the wrist on
the flat surface of the keyboard about the bowl and eliminates
the twisting the hands have to do with traditional keyboards.

Kinesis says while the original typewriter was designed to slow
the user down so the machine wouldn't jam, the advent of the
computer has eliminated much of the interruptions common to
typing such as inserting paper and hitting the carriage return.
Those interruptions acted as breaks from the repetitive motion,
according to Kinesis whose representatives said they were
working on ergonomics before anyone cared about the subject.

What made people care was the problems arising out of computer
use, which the company says allows good typists to make 20,000
keystrokes. Kinesis says all the current evidence points to a
major and growing problem. It is estimated that 17 percent of users
run the risk of developing some form of repetitive strain
injury.

The company points to success stories with the Kinesis, such as
a journalist who was typing 8 hours a day, was taking
prescribed cortisone shots and anti- inflammatory drugs, and
after using the Kinesis keyboard for two weeks was off the
drugs and without pain.

The keyboard plugs into the personal computer in the same
manner other keyboards do. It does have an optional foot pedal
that can be programmed to imitate the press of any key, but
comes programmed to emulate the Shift key. Also, the function
keys are placed above the bowls and are smaller than the
function keys on a traditional style keyboard.

While all this sounds good, the price is prohibitive. Kinesis
wants $670 each for its ergonomic keyboards and another $25 for
the optional pedal. The company hope to lower prices as the keyboards
as they become more widely accepted.

(Linda Rohrbough/19921118/Press Contact: Jack Litewka, Kinesis,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00008)

COMDEX: New Avery Windows Label Program 11/18/92
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- While labels
don't sound like terribly important stuff, the ability to
easily print them can be very important. Avery Dennison,
manufacturer of labels, says it is becoming the de facto
standard as over 22 word processing and database software
programs now offer support for its labels and computer supply
templates.

Avery didn't just wait for other software makers to adopt its labels
for use with computers, but developed its own IBM and compatible
personal computer (PC) program, Personal Label Maker. In
addition, the company has announced it will offer a Windows
version of the label software which will also talk to the
company's Personal Label Printer.

The company has also announced Color Index Maker and Laser
Organizer Pages. Color Index Maker consists of clear laser
printer labels and colored file folders on to which the labels
can be attached when printed. Organizer pages prepunched for
most personal information management (PIM) systems such as Day
Runner, Day Timer, and Rolodex Desk are available. Microsoft is
promoting the Avery PIM pages in its new product Microsoft
Scheduler+ For Windows, Avery added.

Avery representatives told Newsbytes the company guarantees its
laser printer products to come through the printer the first
time without incident. However, Avery representatives don't
recommend running the unused adhesive labels a second time as
the labels could jam inside the printer.

(Linda Rohrbough/19921118/Press Contact: Jane Unger, Avery, tel
818-858-8245, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00009)

COMDEX: CD-ROM Jukebox Holds 240 CDs 11/18/92
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- Two hundred
and forty compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) discs can
be put in the Kubik Technologies "Jukebox" CD-ROM player.

The company says the unit can be used for medical image storage and
retrieval, library controlled access to reference CD-ROMs, microfiche
library replacement, business, automated multimedia access, and
computer-based mapping systems.

The company said the Kubik CDR240M allows convenient and automated
access to CD-ROM discs. Inside the unit, four CD-ROM drives allow
disc access of under 10 seconds, Kubik maintains. A standard serial
(RS232) interface controls via software the changing of the CD- ROMs
while small computer systems interface (SCSI) and software drivers are
the connections for the actual CD-ROM drives.

Kubik said the CDR240M offers software for use with Windows
and DOS as well as the mounting of CD-ROM players from other vendors.
The company said the unit is designed for unattended operation and
offers fault detection and self correction. A positive pressure filtered
air flow is said to keep the unit dust free internally, even under
factory conditions.

The systems can also be daisy-chained together. The unit with four
drives is priced at $20,000 while the single drive unit is $8,000.

(Linda Rohrbough/19921118/Press Contact: Karen Johnson,
Kubik Technologies, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00010)

India: Wipro Carves Niches To Compete 11/18/92
BANGALORE, INDIA, 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- Wipro's Software Solutions
Partnership Programme (S2P2), is designed to help the company
make its presence felt in the manufacturing and commercial segments,
two fields where its rivals seem to hold all the aces.

S2P2 has been designed on the lines of Sun Microsystems' Catalyst
program. It calls for Wipro to enter into arrangements with software
companies to develop software on Unix V.4 and Unix V.4 MP and Wipro's
own hardware platforms. Wipro will provide these companies a range of
services, which include information services, joint marketing
programs and migration services. Marketing support will allow
the companies access to Wipro's own channels and migration
services, including migration from MS DOS to Unix V.4, IBM to
mid-range Unix, VMS to Unix SVR4, Ultrix to Unix SVR4 and AIX to
Unix SVR4.

To enable software developers to port their software onto target
platforms, Wipro Infotech has established a porting center in
Bangalore at a cost of Rs 40 lakhs. The centre is equipped with
Intel, Sun, and Tandem platforms. Unix, Sun OS/Solaris, Guardian
and SCO figure prominently in its menu of operating systems. One
of S2P2's strong points is the number of endorsements Wipro has
managed for the program. Besides Unix international and SCO, it
has also got endorsements from Oracle, Unify, Ingress and Sybase,
which account for all the major RDBMSs available on Unix. The
porting centre has all four RDBMS. The company is yet to take a
decision on whether to charge its partners for the facilities at
the center. "We would let our partners under S2P2 decide that,"
says Sudhir Sethi, marketing manager, Wipro Infotech.

Though S2P2's main thrust will be in the commercial and
manufacturing segments, where integrated systems are preferred,
the company is "looking at a number of niche areas," says
Sethi.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19921110)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(DEL)(00011)

India: Drawing Archival System 11/18/92
HYDERABAD, INDIA, 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- OMC Computers Ltd., is out to
make a designer's job less cumbersome. A system for storing, retrieving,
and regenerating an illustration, Drawing Archival System-300 (DAS-300),
has been introduced by the company.

The system comprises a workstation, scanner, hybrid editor,
automatic raster to vector conversion software and an ink jet
plotter. DAS-300 automatically converts scanned drawings in
raster to computer-aided design and drafting (CADD)-compatible
vector format. Optical disc drives, if incorporated in the
workstation, will enable it to store up to 1500 drawings per
optical cartridge. The Scorpion SRV software in the system helps
in automatic raster to vector drawing conversions. The package is
much like a rule-based expert system which can identify elements
like circles, arcs, lines, dashed lines from the raster data. SRV
has a battery of tunable parameters which permit its operations
to be customized for various applications, and its end result is
a vector file which is compatible with industry standard CADD
packages.

Scorpion 8000, the hybrid editor, which can clean up raster
images produced by scanning and post processing the vectorized
file, can also take care of raster and vector data. It has
commands which enable raster data manipulation along with guided
text entry. The Scorpion 8000, the 800 dots-per-inch scanner
scans drawings which have a maximum width of 36 inches with
unlimited drawing lengths. The Novajet model 340 ink jet plotter,
which can also make use of standard HP-GL language for plotting,
plots scanned raster data without vectorization.

DAS-300 offers advantages like saving on storage space,
transmuting all paper drawings into electronic layout, and
transformation of a scanned drawing to a vector format for
modification.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19921113)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(TYO)(00012)

Apple To License "Script X" To Third Parties 11/18/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- Kaleida, a joint venture of
Apple Computer and IBM, will license the rights to its multimedia
data description language "Script X" to third party computer
makers. If Apple goes through with the plan, the actual names of
the firms to receive the licenses will be made public within a
couple of months.

Apple Computer's Senior Vice President David Nagel told the
press in Japan that Kaleida's Script X will be successful if it is
supported in many products from other firms. David Nagel is also
on the board of directors of Kaleida.

Nagel says that Apple Computer places a priority on software. "The
type of processors or operating systems may not be so important any
more. What is most important is the software. The so-called 'software
revolution' is going on at present, and the key to success [of personal
computers] is to raise the productivity of software," said Nagel.
"Apple Computer is changing from current hardware maker to a system
solution maker. It will provide a client-client-server system based
on the Macintosh, enterprise systems, and personal terminal systems."

Meanwhile, Apple Computer (Japan) will ship the latest version of
its multimedia extension software Quicktime in December --
Quicktime version 1.5. This new version supports larger screen
motion pictures and photo CDs. It supports a maximum 320 x 240-pixel
motion picture. With third party picture processing
hardware, it will support 640 x 480 pixels, Apple claims -- 4 times
more than the previous version.

Quicktime 1.5 will be available through major personal computer
networks and BBSs such as NIFTY-Serve and PC-VAN in Japan free of
charge. Also, it will be distributed by Apple dealers,
according to an Apple Computer spokeswoman in Tokyo.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19921118/Press Contact: Apple Computer,
Tokyo, [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00013)

Japan: Compaq Surprised By Success, Beefs Up Dealerships 11/18/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- The Tokyo office of Compaq Computer,
claiming that sales are "thriving," plans to beef up its
dealer presence in Japan from the current 44 to 50 shops by the end
of the years.

According to Compaq officer Murai, sales of low-cost personal
computers are doing very well in Japan. More than 100 firms and shops
on a waiting list to become Compaq dealers, Newsbytes was told.

Sudden demand for Compaq machines has been a pleasant surprise to the
company, said the spokesperson. Compaq is trying to set up more
manufacturing lines for its personal computers and plans to further
increase the number of dealer shops in 1993.

Compaq's low-cost personal computers were released in Japan
in late October. They surprised the Japanese market with their low
price -- more than 50 percent cheaper than existing Japanese personal
computers. The result was a flood of purchase orders to the company
and a waiting time now of about a month between order of product
and its receipt by a customer.

Mass production line of Compaq PCs is in full swing at the company's
plants in the US and Singapore, and monthly shipments recently reached
4,000 units.

Compaq's low-cost IBM-compatible personal computers have prompted
escalated the price war in Japan. IBM Japan, Digital Equipment and
Acer have since released low-cost personal computers in about
the same price range as those of Compaq.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19921117/Press Contact: Compaq, Tokyo,
[phone], Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(MOW)(00014)

COMDEX: Mustang Releases QmodemPro 11/18/92
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- Mustang Software has
released a new improved version of its QmodemPro, a popular
communications package. In addition to the regular off-line electronic
mail reader programs, it has an ability to work with various computer
systems.

Off-line readers usually allow people to receive all the mail from their
preferred computer system, read and reply to it off-line, saving on
communications costs, and then upload the mail to the system.

Usually systems like that work with just the one system. Mustang has
created something different. You can get all mail from MCI, Compuserve
and a number of your favourite BBSs captured and stored, and then reply
to it in various ways. For example, you can send a reply to the MCI
letter on the Compuserve, or just fax it to your party. QmodemPro employs
smart algorithms to make this both understandable and possible.

QmodemPro version 1.0 supports Compuserve, MCI, and BBS e-mail
exchange. It also works with Novell-based local area networks. It will
not work with GEnie or Delphi, the company says, and it cannot access
Compuserve forums at this time. These modules are said to be in
development, and will be included in the next release.

To facilitate international expansion, Mustang has developed French,
Spanish, and German language versions of QmodemPro, said John Friel, R&D
vice president.

The software retails for US$99 and is immediately available from a
number of software distribution chains. The first packages were
shipped to customers a week ago, according to John Friel.

Mustang Software is based in Bakersfield, California.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19921118/Press Contact: Robert Fisher, Fisher Business
Communications; phone [phone]; fax [phone]; Public Contact:
Mustang Software, phone [phone]; fax [phone])


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

COMDEX: Nonprofit Foundation Aids Eastern Europe 11/18/92
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- The East-West Education
Development Foundation, based in Boston, continues to expand its
efforts to provide computers to newly born European democracies.

The US Air Force's Space Systems Division recently donated 100 AT-
compatible computers, which are currently being shipped into Russia's
Institute of New Technologies, said Alex Randall, Foundation president.

Another donation to the Foundation was made recently by Microsoft, which
presented 4,000 copies of the slightly outdated international version of
the Works 2.0 software package. This number exceeds the current number of
machines -- 3,000 -- placed by the Foundation.

Recipients of donations in Eastern Europe include a number of independent
newspapers, new high schools, colleges and non-profit projects. Randall
has stressed the fact that donations are not resold and are used
exclusively by those institutions to which they were delivered.

The foundation was established in 1990 by IDG Chairman Patrick
McGovern, and is chartered to seek computer donations, half of which
are placed in non-profit sites across Eastern Europe, and
half in American schools.

Its president, Alex Randall, is the founder of the Boston Computer
Exchange.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19921118/Press & Public Contact: Alex Randall, East-
West Education Development Foundation, phone [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MOW)(00016)

Ukraine Gets Direct Dial 11/18/92
KIEV, RUSSIA, 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- The Ukraine has its own direct dial
facilities thanks to a joint venture with AT&T and Dutch
PTT. Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk inaugurated the new service.

The first 5ESS station out of a planned 13 has been set up and put
into operation to allow residents of Kiev and 16 other regions of
the Ukraine to have unrestricted access to the international
communications, bypassing the slow operator-only service, according
to Ministry of Communications reports.

Newsbytes was unable to receive independent reports on service
availability, as well as service pricing information from Kiev at
deadline.

AT&T said in early in January of this year that it would invest "tens of
millions" of dollars in the venture. It was the first time AT&T has
built and is running a phone network outside the US.

AT&T owns 39 percent of the venture, Dutch PTT Telecom of the Netherlands
own 10 percent, and 51 percent will be owned by the Ukrainian Ministry
of Communications. The venture will build, own and operate a new
international network, directly connecting the Ukraine to the rest
of the world, as well as build, own and operate a long distance network
connecting 13 of the country's 25 telephone districts.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19921118)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MOW)(00017)

COMDEX: Optima Has Fastest Digital Audio Tape Storage 11/18/92
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- Optima Technologies, of
Irvine, California, has announced the availability of high speed
4 millimeter digital audio tape (DAT) systems. The company claims
these are the fastest systems available on the market.

The storage devices, named MiniPak FAST 8000DAT and DisKovery FAST
8000 DAT, use standard 60 and 90 meter DAT media, and have a
non-compressed data transfer rate of 510 kilobytes per second.
Built-in compression raises the speed to the 2 MB per second.

This allows the user to run multimedia applications from a digital
tape, which, the company claims, was impossible before.

The storage systems can work with IBM (ISA, EISA, and Micro Channel bus),
Apple, and Sun-compatible computers with no extra hardware. The company
also provides the necessary software drivers for those various platforms.

No pricing information was available from Optima, although it claims
systems have already been shipped to clients. Optima products are
distributed through the Apple and Compaq distribution network.

The Optima company is actively spreading internationally. It has two
subsidiaries in Europe and Asia and achieved the successful sales record
with a relatively small number of employees, said Tarek Ayoub, the
manager.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19921118/Press Contact: Optima Technologies, phone 1-
714-476-0515; fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00018)

COMDEX: A Little Chili In The Air 11/18/92
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- The biggest social event
of COMDEX went off last night, and in the process added more than
$1.2M to a very worthy cause. It was the annual Micrografx Chili
Cook-Off and its sole beneficiary is the National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children.

Around 15,000 COMDEX delegates were treated to the favorite chili
recipes of dozens of industry companies and identities. Each
entrant had a booth from which the chili was served. Cook-off
attendees voted on which chili they liked best.

Concoctions like Stewart Alsop's "Alsop's Fabled Chili" and Canon's
"Laser Bean" ranged from the mild and soupy to something that fought
all the way from the pot to the lips, and then got mean.

Strangely the drink counters near some booths did a better trade
than others. To be honest, this correspondent only really
had a near-death experience after eating one of the "fixins"
whole -- a little biddy Jalapeno pepper. It's amazing how quickly
you can talk (whisper) your way to the front of the beer line.

Winners of the chili cookoff were: Borland for the popular vote
and Intel for the judges' blind taste test. The infamous Armadillo
races were won by Ziff-Davis publishing.

Sponsors paid thousands of dollars to take part in the event, and
some picked up the tab for whole sections -- IBM hired the
huge Thomas and Mack Center. Delegates paid $50 for their
tickets, but bowls of chili weren't all they got.

The entertainment of the evening was the Grand Scientific Musical
Theatre -- a multimedia extravaganza that incorporated hundreds
of people from the Nevada Symphony Orchestra to Charles Fleischer
(the voice of Roger Rabbit) to rock stars Graham Nash and Todd
Rundgren to that famous jazz musician Philippe Kahn. It had more
lights, loudspeakers, video effects, and people on the floor at
any time than most of the audience are ever likely to see again.
You want rock and roll? You got it. Ear plugs were handed to
every delegate at the door.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is
actively helped by computer companies which provide hardware and
software to establish a national link-up to quickly circulate
pictures and information about children who have been reported
missing, possibly interstate. Micrografx President George Grayson
said, "The success of last year's cook-off enabled the Center to start
plans for the National Technology Network which will be placed in
local law enforcement offices around the US."

(Paul Zucker/19921118)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00019)

COMDEX: New Programmer's Tools From Programmer's Paradise 11/18/92
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- One COMDEX booth aimed
more at the developer than the end user is publisher Programmer's
Paradise which is showing a number of new development and
programming tools and utilities. Products come from, among
others, LifeBoat, MKS, Watcom, Ed Hoc, AETECH, Kedwell software.

ED for Windows is the latest version of the popular Ed
programmer's editor which recently won best new software of 1992
by PC Week in Australia where it was written by Neville Franks.
PC Week said it had some of the most powerful features it had
ever seen in a Windows editor while UK Program Now said it was
the first significant editor available under Windows.

Not only is the product an intelligent editor (it understands and
implements syntax and formatting for most development languages)
but it contains its own programming language so the user can
completely customize it for his/her own needs. Price at the
moment is US$199, AUS$299 and UKP145.

Other products at the stand include Dan Bricklin's Demo II and
various graphics, C utility and communications add-on tools.
Programmer's Paradise direct markets through "mini-catalog"
advertisements in leading computer magazines. In addition it
offers literature distribution through its FAXcetera system.
It also offers international and US buyers a "seek and find" service
for non-standard products.

(Paul Zucker/19921118/Contact: Programmer's Paradise on 800-445
7899 or international calls on 201-389 9228)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00020)

China Plans to Buy $2B Chip Machines 11/18/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- Will China become the
next major semiconductor chip maker to compete with US
manufacturers? That is the question raised by the recent report
that Beijing is talking about purchasing up to $2 billion worth
of high-tech chip manufacturing hardware to expand and update
China's chip facilities.

Discussions held between industry representatives and Chinese
government representatives in Beijing last May were apparently
serious, because the Washington Post is reporting that similar
talks continued last week at an industry conference in Texas.

Leon Oboler, a spokesperson for Willow Grove, Pennsylvania,
US-based Kulicke and Soffa Industries, a $100 million-per-
year semiconductor manufacturing hardware supplier, told
Newsbytes today that his company has had a presence in the
People's Republic of China for many years through their Hong Kong
office and that China is definitely interested in increasing the
volume of semiconductor production.

Whether China would move quickly to enter the world semiconductor
market or not is purely a matter of speculation. China already
has an enormous internal market which is, by all indications,
hungry for consumer electronics.

Mr. Herbert D. Benjamin, vice president of sales for K&S, told
Newsbytes that in his opinion China is probably going to
concentrate on production for internal use rather than try to
become a major player in the export market.

He described China's semiconductor manufacturing facilities as
divided into two segments: joint provincial and Beijing
government-owned factories which lack the infrastructure to
easily become big exporters; and mainland factories operated by
major multinational manufacturers such as Philips and Motorola.

Although Mr. Benjamin says that his company, which supplies very
high-end wire bond machines that can be used to finish both
microprocessors and DRAM (memory) chips, has not had specific
talks about new large-volume sales to China, it has been
supplying equipment on an ongoing basis.

Describing the worldwide semiconductor manufacturing equipment
market in general, Mr. Benjamin said, "We have seen a continuing
strong international demand [for fabrication equipment]."

Since manufacturing hardware sales are a leading indicator of
semiconductor companies' plans to continue or increase
production, K&S's strong sales indicate a continuing or even
increasing level of semiconductor production.

If China focuses on supplying its internal market, then new
machinery could probably operate at full capacity for years and
still barely meet that domestic demand.

But some US chip makers are saying off the record that they are
not happy to see the Chinese enter this market. They point to
China's record of predatory trade practices, which reportedly
includes such things as drop-shipping products via South American
front companies to conceal the true origin of some exported
goods.

(John McCormick/19921118/Leon Oboler, K&S, 215-784-6518 or fax
215-659-7588)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00021)

Wall Street Not Impressed by COMDEX 11/18/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- As the world's
computer industry meets in Las Vegas, Nevada, to wine and dine
each other while announcing new products and patting each other
on the back, just what does the general financial community think
of this year's offerings? Not much, judging by Tuesday's price
drops on major high-tech stocks.

COMDEX, the gigantic computer industry trade show held each
autumn in Las Vegas, is the place where companies introduce new
products which will be available the following year -- in some
cases only if there is enough enthusiasm generated by the
announcement at the show.

But while the industry seems to be turning around in terms of
sales and, in some cases, even profits, after a year-long
hardware price war, Wall Street investors appear to have been
less than impressed by Monday and Tuesday's announcements as
Borland, Microsoft, and other high-tech leaders saw their stock
prices take significant hits.

In the way of financial analysts, the initial Wall Street insider
explanation for Borland's drop which was carried on most
financial reports was that Microsoft's new database announcements
were seen as hurting Borland's flagship products. The same
analysts offered no explanation for why Microsoft's stock also
dropped.

In the view of some industry insiders, what really happened to
software company stocks was that, after some significant run-ups
in prices over the past six months, investors took a look at the
interesting array of products being introduced this week in Las Vegas
and saw no major blockbusters. This led a number of investors to
take some profits and caused a minor drop in prices almost across
the board for high-tech companies.

As for the Borland/Microsoft database wars, some time ago
Borland bought, for what some think was an inflated price, the
graying dBASE program which it is now updating and marketing
beside its own database software, while Microsoft has announced
its first major release of dBASE rival FoxBase, which Mr. Gates'
company purchased at about the same time Borland made its
acquisition of Ashton-Tate's software.

(John McCormick/19921118/)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00022)

 ****IBM Offers Its 1st Parallel-Processing Systems 11/18/92
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- IBM has
announced its first parallel-processing RISC System/6000, and has
disclosed work on a much larger parallel-processing system using
the same reduced instruction set computing (RISC) chips as the
popular workstation line.

The IBM Shared Memory System Power/4 is a four-processor version of
the RS/6000 designed for specialized technical applications that
might previously have used a supercomputer. Company spokeswoman
Judy Radlinsky said the machine is to be available December 1 for
limited marketing to scientific and technical users.

The Power/4 system has four 42-megahertz IBM Power RISC processors,
and IBM said it can achieve a theoretical peak of 336 million
floating-point operations per second (megaFLOPS).

Several configurations are planned, and prices will depend on
configuration, but Radlinsky said the machines will start at about
$310,000.

At a supercomputing conference in Minneapolis, IBM also discussed
plans for a much larger parallel processing machine under development
at its Highly Parallel Supercomputing Systems Laboratory.
The machine, which will use the same Power processors found in the
RS/6000 but will have many more of them, will be a highly scalable
system aimed at the sort of applications traditionally reserved for
the most powerful supercomputers. It is nearing completion, IBM
said, but no release date was announced.

IBM announced several software-development projects related to the
upcoming parallel machine.

Halliburton Geophysical Services is to develop seismic processing
applications for the new machine.

The Cornell Theory Center at Cornell University in Ithaca, New
York, is working with IBM to develop scientific and technical
applications for the new system. The work will focus on
computational fluid dynamics and plasma physics.

BioNumerik, a biotechnology company, will use IBM's parallel
RISC-based systems and clusters of RISC machines to run software
meant to help develop a new generation of drugs for treating
cancer. The software will produce highly accurate information on
the molecular behavior of new drugs, the company said.

(Grant Buckler/19921118/Press Contact: Judy Radlinsky, IBM,
914-642-4634; Marta Decker, IBM, 914-642-5467)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00023)

Multimedia Markets To Quintuple By 1998, Says Report 11/18/92
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- According
to a study released by Market Intelligence, multimedia hardware
and software sales worldwide will nearly quintuple over the next
six years. The study also claims that prices will drop and potential
users will better understand the new technology's possibilities.

The study also estimates that the market will increase from $5
billion in 1992 to more than $24 billion by 1998, which represents
a 25 percent compound annual growth rate. Growth is also
anticipated to accelerate in the mid-1990s, peaking at over 40
percent during the 1993-95 period before flattening late in the
decade.

According to the report, called: "World Multimedia Hardware and
Software Markets," video products will expand from four percent
of the total market in 1992 to more that 20 percent of a much
larger market by 1999, while authoring software grows from a
six percent to 11 percent share in the same period. Audio products
are projected to peak in share at over 18 percent of revenues by
1994.

Computer platforms, which now make up nearly three-fourths of
the total world multimedia market, will correspondingly drop in
share to 58 percent by the end of the 1990s.

According to the report, multimedia currently finds its primary
uses in corporate training, education, and entertainment, with
North America its predominant regional market.

The report also anticipates that multimedia will gain acceptance
from low-end users later in the decade with interactive software
applications such as "shrink-wrapped" interactive books, games,
and lessons becoming "high-volume items."

Interactive video is expected to emerge on public networks during
the next decade. Multimedia will also become part of normal
application file such as spreadsheets and electronic mail.
The ability to send voice and video over local and wide area
networks is also expected to increase.

The report predicts that future multimedia machines will feature
advanced data compression for high-quality video, faster CPUs
(central processing units) and cheaper and larger mass storage.

(Ian Stokell/19921118/Press Contact: Amy Arnell,
415-961-9000, Market Intelligence)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00024)

Apple In Deal For Maps On Newton 11/18/92
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- Apple
Computer and RR Donnelley have announced a strategic business
relationship aimed at providing a wide range of digital
publishing services for Apple's Personal Interactive Electronics
(PIE) division. Additionally, GeoSystems, a unit of RR Donnelley,
will provide mapping technology and expertise for travel
applications designed to run on Apple's Newton.

According to the two companies, they intend to develop a "broad
range of digital information products" for Apple's new lines of
personal digital assistants (PDAs).

The first project planned by the companies will be undertaken
by Apple PIE's Newton group and GeoSystems, which will focus
on providing travel-based applications using GeoSystems' digital
library of street-level maps along with a variety of travel data
for the United States.

Bart Faber, group president of RR Donnelley's Information Services
group, said: "Apple's new PDA devices will help publishers reach
new customers by creating platforms for publishing information."

The GeoSystems/Newton project is seen as the first of several
projects planned between Apple and RR Donnelley.

Said Barry Glick, president of GeoSystems, "RR Donnelley provides
a bridge between the publishers and new platforms like the
Newton. We're a technology services provider, not a publisher.
Working with travel publishers and Apple, we can custom build
applications for Apple's platforms. For years, GeoSystems has
been building locational information solutions for companies such
as airline reservation systems, car rental agencies, and Bell
operating companies. With appliances like the Newton, this power
will now be in the hands of consumers."

(Ian Stokell/19921118/Press Contact: Chris Heivly, 717-293-
7435, GeoSystems; Tricia Chan, 408-974-3886, Apple Computer)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00025)

COMDEX: Zenith's First SubNotebook Computer 11/18/92
LAS VEGAS, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- Zenith Corporation unveiled
its first "subnotebook" computer to the estimated 140,000 vendors, end
users and press members attending this year's COMDEX trade show.

The 3.9-pound unit is the smallest PC ever produced by the Bull
company. Designated the Z-Lite 320L, the system uses an Intel 386SL
3.3-volt microprocessor, which the company says will run for as long
as six hours on its nickel metal hydride batteries when the built-in
power management features are used. There's even a continuously
displayed battery gauge to show estimated remaining battery time.

The Z-Lite uses a backlit black-on-white VGA display measuring 8.5
inches diagonally, and is equipped with a 60-megabyte (MB) hard
drive. Two PCMCIA Type II expansion slots can handle optional
devices such as modems or local area network cards. PCMCIA is an
industry standard which allows peripheral devices such as standard or
wireless modems, network cards or memory cards from third-party
suppliers to be compatible with most notebook-type computers.

ZDS is also offering LitePoint, an optional pointing device that can be
attached to the front slope of the keyboard slightly to the left of
center. Litepoint is a two-button roller ball cursor control device
that ZDS says allows the user to control the cursor without having to
remove a hand from the keyboard.

Z-Lite measures 9.9 inches wide by 7.6 inches deep by 1.5 inches
high at the back, sloping to 1.1 inches at the front. With its 64
gray shades and 16-bit video processing, ZDS President Enrico
Pesatori says the unit is "ideal for Microsoft Windows
applications."

The Z-Lite 320L comes equipped with 2MB of RAM, or system memory,
which can be expanded to 4MB or 6MB by the user. The hard drive is a
smaller than normal form factor 12.5mm high IDE hard drive from
Seagate Technology. An optional high density 3.5-inch external floppy
drive attached by a retractable connecting cable. An LCD status panel
above the keyboard shows the status of various functions, including
power, drive activity, PCMCIA card recognition, and keyboard settings
such as Caps Lock and Num Lock.

Equipped with a 60MB hard drive and 2MB of system memory, and without
LitePoint, the external drive, or Windows the 320L carries a price
tag of $1,899. Adding those features bumps the price tag to $2,199.
MS-DOS 5.0 is pre-loaded on all systems. The system will be available
directly from ZDS or through major distributors next month, a ZDS
spokesperson told Newsbytes.

This may be a good year for vendors to be introducing new products,
with show officials estimating that unlike previous shows where
about 75 percent of the attendees were resellers, more than half of
this year's showgoers are end users.

(Jim Mallory/19921118/Press contact: John Bace, 708-808-4848; Reader
contact: Zenith Data Systems, 800-53-0331)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00026)

Windows NT To Support Floptical Drives 11/18/92
ST PAUL, MINNESOTA, U.S.A.,1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- According to 3M,
Microsoft has included driver support for 3.5-inch Floptical diskette
technology for the first time in the October beta release of Windows
NT, the 32-bit multitasking operating system which Microsoft told
Newsbytes will be released in the first half of 1993.

Floptical drives can store up to 21 megabytes (MB) of data on a
single 3.5-inch floppy disk, as much as many notebook systems' entire
hard drive. The drives are also backwards compatible with 720
kilobyte and 1.44 MB disks. 3M started shipping 21M Floptical disks
in August, with a suggested list price of $31.45. A 3M spokesperson
told Newsbytes the street price would probably be $20-$25.

Earlier this month Newsbytes reported that Iomega Corp., announced a
second generation Floptical drive that uses laser holographical
optical tracking to read and write to the high density disks. The
internal version of the drive is expected to sell for about $350,
with the external version going for about $400.

According to Steve Timm in Microsoft's systems marketing group, "The
Floptical drive's 21 MB capacity, coupled with its downward
compatibility with the installed base of 720 KB ad 1.44 MB floppies
offers a good alternative for enhanced on-line storage. SCSI (small
computer system interface)-based devices like the Floptical drive are
readily supported by Windows NT's SCSI subsystem."

3M Program Manager Jim Milligan said Microsoft's recognition of user
needs further reinforces the growing trend toward Floptical
technology. "This is technology perfectly matched to the graphics-
intensive applications that will flourish under Windows NT."
Graphics image files require large amounts of disk storage space.

Driver support for Floptical drives complements a range of SCSI host
adapters and associated products offered by more than two dozen
companies, most members of the Floptical Technology Association.

(Jim Mallory/19921118/Press contact: Sheila Ambrose, Waggener Edstrom
for Microsoft, 503-245-0905; Reader contact: Microsoft, 206-882-8080
or 800-426-9400)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00027)

COMDEX: US Robotics: Future Products Revealed 11/18/92
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- US Robotics has
revealed to Newsbytes its plans for the product range over the
coming year. As well as the Shared Access network connectivity
products and data over cellular modem technology reported by
Newsbytes, the company has plans to expand its modem portfolio.

At COMDEX, US Robotics was showing an enhanced version of its
Worldport pocket modem. The unit has been enhanced to support
V.32Bis (14,400 bits per second or bps), and plans are in hand to
shrink the size of the Worldport's casing by around a third. Also
in the pipeline for a first/second quarter introduction is a fax
facility on the unit.

A PCMCIA version of the Courier HST modem is also on the way. The
modem, which will be unveiled in the second quarter of next year,
will feature enhanced driver software developed specifically for
data over cellular. Chris Coffin, vice president of strategic
planning with USR, confirmed to Newsbytes that the software allows
a 9,600 bps data throughput, rather than 4,800 bps available
using existing technology.

Rounding off the new products at COMDEX Fall was a V.32 version
of the budget Sportster range of modems. According to Marshall
Toplansky, vice president of marketing, the high-speed Sportster
should be out in the US by the end of the year, to be followed by
the launch of the complete Sportster range in the UK during the
first quarter of next year.

Toplansky has been working with his research and development
division on the development of the Worldport series of portable
modems, which the company began selling when it acquired
Touchbase Systems of New York 18 months ago.

The shift to high-speed modems is not without its problems, as
modem users have discovered this past few years. Toplansky is
aware of this problem and, with the cooperation of his R&D
division, quietly released an $87 advanced PC serial port card
known as the Powerport card four months ago in the US.

The card, which will shortly appear in the UK, contains a high-
speed UART that is found in many of the latest PCs. This UART
allows the serial port to handle large quantities of data without
placing a heavy load on the PC's microprocessor.

This is important, particularly on 286 and slower 386SX-based
PCs, or machines running Microsoft Windows, since Windows places a
heavy load on system resources owing to its graphical nature. On
conventional serial ports, the finite limit for data
transmissions is around the 9,600 bps mark -- if a modem transmits
data faster than this, the benefit is lost, since data to and
from the PC's serial port is slowed down.

The Powerport is similar to Hayes' Enhanced Serial Port (ESP)
unit which sells in the UK for UKP 199. According to Toplansky,
there is not that much difference between the Hayes ESP and the
Powerport -- except in terms of price.

"Dennis [Hayes] is a little upset with us about this, but that's
business," he said, when talking about the chairman of Hayes
MIcrocomputer Products.

Toplansky added that, on the near horizon, probably with a first
quarter '83 release date from US Robotics is a modem known as the
Macinfax, an Apple Mac-specific version of the Sportster series
of modems. "The Macinfax will be a Sportster modem, suitably
modified for use with Mac's serial port, and with Mac
communications software. We think it will sell well," he said.

(Steve Gold/19921118/Press & Public Contact: US Robotics - Tel:
708-982-5264; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00028)

Polish Satellite Contract For AT&T 11/18/92
WARSAW, POLAND, 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- Telekomunikacja Polska, the
state telecommunications operation in Poland, together with the
government purchasing agency, Elektrim, has contract with AT&T
Tridom for the installation of a very small aperture satellite
(VSAT) interactive data network.

The aim of the network, which will span Poland, is to establish a
packet data network as quickly as possibly. The network will
consist of a hub uplink station, together with 80 VSAT terminals
at remote sites around Poland. In the longer term, plans call for
as many as 1,000 remote site terminals to be installed.

Signals over the new network will be bounced off the Eutelsat
satellite family. The network, which goes live next Spring, will
bring packet data benefits to much of Poland, with the first
beneficiaries expected to be in the financial community.

A nine-meter hub station will be installed at a teleport complex
close to Warsaw. The remote stations will use 1.8 metre dishes
which, coupled with AT&T Tridom's clearlink technology, will
allow for network expansion, the company claims.

Announcing the deal, Andrzej Gorny, the TPSA's director of
satellite communications, said that he had selected AT&T Tridom
because it is the "best technology available on the market
today."

"Our decision is a further demonstration of our commitment to
support the needs of the business community as it strives to meet
the challenges and opportunities of new markets," he said.

(Steve Gold/19921118)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00029)

New For Macintosh: Software To Link PowerBooks And PCs 11/18/92
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- Exchanging
files between computers in a corporate or small business
environment is an important part of business computing. This
can be especially frustrating for environments involving PCs
and Macintosh computers, and for users who may have a PC
at work or home, and access to a Macintosh PowerBook for
work on the road.

Recognizing the problem, Apple Computer has  introduced the
PowerBook/DOS Companion, a bundled hardware and software kit
designed to allow DOS and Windows users to move files and
information between a desktop PC and an Apple Macintosh PowerBook
or PowerBook Duo computer.

According to Apple, PowerBook/DOS Companion brings together
key DOS/Macintosh products that enable "virtually any desktop
PC to exchange popular word processing, graphics, spreadsheet
and database files with a Macintosh PowerBook computer."

The kit also allows a PowerBook computer to print to a DOS
printer and connect to a VGA or SVGA monitor. The PowerBook/DOS
Companion contains four components developed by either Apple or
third-party partners.

Apple's Macintosh PC/Exchange software which allows PowerBook users
to insert a DOS diskette into their PowerBook computer and read,
write and format DOS/Windows files and use them in the same way
they would use a Macintosh file.

Dataviz's MacLinkPlus/PC is a hardware and software combination that
transfers and translates DOS/Windows files for most popular word
processing, spreadsheet and graphics programs into the Macintosh
format and back.

GDT Software's PowerPrint allows users to access PC printers
using a serial-to-parallel cable and printer drivers.

James Engineering's MacVGA provides cables that allow PowerBook
160 and 180 users to attach the computer to many  existing VGA and
SVGA displays.

The PowerBook/DOS Companion is available immediately in the
United States through Apple authorized resellers at a suggested
retail price of $219.

(Ian Stokell/19921118/Press Contact: Pat Kinley, 408-974-
2589, Apple Computer Inc.)


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

New For Macintosh: Print Pack Connects Macs To PC Printers 11/18/92
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 18 (NB) -- In an effort
to help its Macintosh users become more integrated with PC
printers, Apple Computer has introduced the Macintosh Print
Pack, a set of hardware and software tools that allows Macintosh
users to print documents on  non-Macintosh portable and
wide-carriage printers.

John Moon, vice president of Imaging Products at Apple, said:
"We recognize that there are Macintosh customers who have
specialized printing requirements not fulfilled by our product
line. The Macintosh Print Pack makes it easy and affordable
for both new and existing Macintosh users to connect to the
most popular portable and wide-carriage printers available."

According to Apple, the Macintosh Print Pack employs cabling
and printer drivers that connect Macs to printers equipped with
a standard Centronics parallel port. The Print Pack supports all
standard paper sizes, vertical or horizontal page formats and
reduction or enlargement.

Additionally, the Print Pack is compatible with all Macintosh
font formats (bitmap, TrueType and Adobe's Type 1), and
Macintosh graphics formats (bitmap, PICT and TIFF).

The product also supports Macs using System 7.1. The company
maintains that, for best performance, a minimum of four
megabytes of RAM is required.

Available worldwide from authorized Apple resellers, it
carries a suggested retail price of $99.95 in the United States.
Apple is also offering one-year toll-free telephone support
for Print Pack buyers in the US.

(Ian Stokell/19921118/Press Contact: Pat Kinley, 408-974-
2589, Apple Computer)