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

Japan: Apple Computer Organizes Dealers 12/02/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- Apple Computer (Japan) reports it has
created an association for its dealers to exchange information on
the Macintosh. Apple Computer will also provide up-to-date
information on the computer to the 37 members.

The Japan Apple Dealer Association will disseminate information about
new sales techniques and campaigns, and methods of better serving
customers. The member dealers will also increase their technical
knowledge on the Macintosh as Apple Computer (Japan) will supply them
with the latest information on the Macintosh periodically.

Member dealers include Canon Sales, Minolta Camera, Seibu
Department store, Mitsubishi Trading, Catena Group, Fuji Xerox
and Brother. The association, at its first meeting, chose
Canon's Norio Harauchi as its chairman.

Within the past couple of years, Apple Computer (Japan) had nearly
doubled the number of its dealers. That also translated into a doubling
of sales for the past two years. Apple Computer (Japan)
sold 180,000 Macintoshes in Japan for fiscal 1991 and expects to
sell 240,000 more this fiscal year -- a 33 percent increase.

Apple Computer (Japan) has not plans to continue to increase its
dealers in Japan, but hopes to improve the ones it already has.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19921202/Press Contact: Apple Computer,
 [phone])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TYO)(00002)

Japan: Sharp Automatic Language Translation System 12/02/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- Japan's Sharp has developed a
workstation-based language translation system that is small in size
but powerful, according to Sharp.

Sharp's automatic language translation system which runs on Sharp's
Unix workstation, is called the Duet Qt. Sharp claims it can
translate Japanese to English and vice versa, and consists of
a laptop Unix workstation, a laser printer, and an optical scanner.

The Duet Qt has a 79,000-word Japanese dictionary and a 70,000-word
English dictionary. The system analyzes phrases and sentences as
well as words and translates them at a speed of 5,000 words Japanese
to English per hour, and English to Japanese at 12,000 words per hour.
This is equivalent to about 7 pages or 30 pages of standard type on
A4-size, paper respectively.

A major concern for the users is the quality of the translation.
Sharp claims that the system provides "appropriate" translation
with a huge dictionary and an unique technology to analyze
language. The user must input into the workstation an original
language document before translation can begin. But
Sharp has tried to make this process by including in the package a
proprietary scanner which can process 30 pages of documents at a time.

Sharp has prepared optional dictionaries for technical fields such as
information processing, electronics, machinery, and economics.
The total system costs 3.28 million yen ($27,000).

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19921202/Press Contact: Sharp, +81-6-
621-1221, Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00003)

New For PC: Studio Magic, Windows-Based Video Production 12/02/92
LOS GATOS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- Brown Wagh is
bringing out Studio Magic, an inexpensive Windows-based video
production system geared to using the TV instead of the PC as the
presentation vehicle.

In an interview with Newsbytes, Dick Brown, president, said that
Studio Magic is the first product in his eight-year collaboration
with Steve Wagh to have been developed from scratch by Brown Wagh,
a company that's made its mark mainly as a marketer of other
vendors' offerings.

"For two years, Steve and I looked for a product that would let
IBM-compatible PCs perform the same production feats as the Amiga.
When we weren't able to find such a product, we decided to sit
down, spec something out, and find the right development team. And
here we are, a year after that, ready to release Studio Magic
during the first quarter of next year," reflected Brown.

Steve Wagh, vice president, reported that the full-slot board and
software set, priced at $499, takes an approach diametrically
opposed to that pursued by most PC-based video systems.

One main screen in Studio Magic, arranged according to a "TV
studio" scenario, is meant mostly for simple presentations, made up
of either graphics from Windows-based programs, video from external
sources, or a combination of the two. Another interface,
resembling a TV remote control device, allows highly sophisticated
editing of the two media.

But the thrust of both production screens is toward eventual video
playback on a TV or VCR, Wagh told Newsbytes. "Most of the other
systems on the market take video into the computer for viewing in
a window. That's OK for computer-based training, but not for other
purposes," he pointed out.

In an era when videos produced by consumers are airing on national
TV, the public needs a product that uses the PC as a tool, added
Wagh. Television programs like America's Funniest Home Videos, I
Witness Video, and MTV are riding a rising wave of popularity, he
suggested.

"Camcorders are all over the place," the vice president observed.
Less ambitious videophiles might use Studio Magic for business
presentations or home movies of the spouse and kids, put together
with professional flair for a medium that's practically universally
accessible by now.

"Not everyone you want to reach will own a PC. And not all of the
PCs out there will have video and sound cards compatible with your
equipment. But almost everybody has a VCR, either at home or at
work," asserted Wagh.

Each of Studio Magic's two main screens lets the user control such
video sources as camcorders, laserdisk players, and VCRs. Already,
Brown Wagh has made plans to use the Sony Vbox as an interface to
video devices that conform to Sony's proprietary VISCA protocol,
Dick Brown told Newsbytes.

But this week, the company will hold a meeting with outside
officials to determine whether Studio Magic can also support the
open ARTI protocol, Brown disclosed. An ARTI-compliant box exists
that is similar to Sony's, Brown added. "We want our product to
have an entirely open architecture," the company chief commented.

Studio Magic's simple-to-use "TV studio" interface comes with a
series of small monitor-like windows, along with wipe controls,
visual and audio special effect selectors, external video controls,
and additional windows for preview and final output.

The monitor-like windows can show a background and color screen,
title screen, two still images or animations, and two full-motion
video sources, all at the same time. Wagh told Newsbytes that this
"studio" screen is designed primarily for direct output to TV, via
a VGA-out option.

The more intricate "remote control" interface gives the user a
choice of capture formats (still-frame vs. full-motion), video
style (VGA-out, video-thru, or VGA-out overlaid with computer
graphics), and audio source (MIDI, CD-audio or .WAV). Also
provided are external video controls, special visual effects, and
the opportunity to exit into the "TV studio" screen.

Studio Magic can access video from two S-video or composite or S-
video sources, and output to either S-video or composite. The user
can capture still-frame images of up to 710 by 480 in resolution,
as well as 160 by 120 full-motion video. Full-motion video can be
played back under Microsoft's Video for Windows, and still images
can be converted into PCX, DIB, TGA, TIF or GIF formats.

The system also supplies a variety of preset visual effects,
including metallic, high contrast, black/white posterization,
colorization, subtle to extreme solorization, and luma key to
color. In addition, custom effects can be created.

The titler in the package permits full-color lettering to be
created via any Windows font. Titles can be imported as bitmaps
from any Windows-compatible program.

Studio Magic requires a PC/AT or compatible (386/16 MHz
recommended) with a hard disk and 2 MB of RAM, a standard VGA
monitor, a VGA card with a feature connector, DOS 3.1 or higher,
and either Windows 3.0 with Multimedia Extensions or Windows 3.1.

Wagh explained that Windows 3.0 users need the Multimedia
Extensions to achieve compatibility with a range of outside sound
devices. The same audio compatibility is built into Windows 3.1,
he noted.

Optional equipment for Studio Magic includes an audio board, a CD-
ROM drive or player, a video output device, one or two external
video sources, and an external video source control box.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19921201; Press contact: LouAnn Meier, Brown
Wagh, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(BOS)(00004)

New Products: High-End Monitors For PS/2s And Mac IIs 12/02/92
MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- Three new high-end
multiscan monitors, one for PS/2s and the other two for Mac IIs,
are now available from Relisys, a Milpitas, CA-based maker of
desktop peripherals.

The 17-inch RE-1764 monitor for PS/2s and 14-inch RE-1422 and RE-
1420 displays for Mac IIs are all intended for high-resolution
color applications, a company spokesperson told Newsbytes.

The top-of-the-line RE-1764 is specifically targeted at desktop
publishing and PC CAD, with features that include a non-glare flat
screen, manual deguassing for color correction, and special
controls for precise horizontal and vertical placement of documents
on the screen.

The spokesperson stressed that the 17-inch flat screen allows a
document to be shown in large scale with total accuracy, free of
distortion around the edges.

Priced at $1,495, the RE-1764 offers super fine 0.31 mm dot pitch,
ultra high resolution of 1280 by 1024 noninterlaced, and rapid
scanning frequencies of 30 KHz to 64 KHz horizontal and 50 Hz to
120 Hz vertical.

The RE-1422 and RE-1420 constitute a new line of Mac II-based 14-
inch monitors known as VividView. The economical RE-1420, priced
at $745, offers resolutions of 1024 by 768 (interlaced), 800 by 600
(non-interlaced) and 640 by 480 (noninterlaced) at a 66 Hz vertical
scan rate.

The spokesperson told Newsbytes that although flicker-free display
is generally reserved for noninterlaced mode, the RE-1420 manages
to achieve an unwavering picture even in interlaced mode by
combining high 1024 by 768 resolution and a relatively fast scan
rate.

Priced at $745, the RE-1420 offers a vertical scanning frequency of
47 to 89 Hz, a horizontal scanning frequency of 30 to 40 KHz and a
fine 0.28 mm dot pitch.

The slightly more costly RE-1422, priced at $850, provides
resolutions of 1024 by 768, 800 by 600 and 480 by 480 (all non-
interlaced), the same 0.28 dot pitch and 47 to 89 Hz vertical
scanning frequency as the RE-1420, and a 30 to 50 KHz horizontal
scanning frequency.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19921201; Press contact: Mike Peak, Peak Public
Relations for Relisys, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00005)

Texas Micro, Novell, In Dev't, Marketing Pact 12/02/92
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- Texas Micro has signed
an agreement with Novell that will allow it to equip its
fault-tolerant and ruggedized PC with Novell software.
This alliance is seen by Texas Micro as more than a mere
licensing agreement as  Texas Mirco and Novell will coordinate
marketing, sales, and training activities.

Texas Micro is currently well-known in the ruggedized and fault-
tolerant PC marketplace. However, the company has decided to
expand its sales from its current $40 million annual range
to a significantly higher gross by entry into the  internetworking
arena. They believe the internetworking market is ready for
explosive growth.

Texas Micro officials told Newsbytes in a series of interviews that
they see themselves as fit for the internetworking market due to
their background and expertise in making standard PC components
like motherboards and due to their construction of rack-mounted
enclosures for sometimes hostile envirnoments. This is the
difference between them and competitors like Synoptics,
Cabletron, and Wellfleet, they reason.

By choosing Novell, Texas Micro officers say they now have the
most popular networking software available to run on their new
lines of rack-mounted PCs. The agreement covers practically all
of Novell's Netware product line.

Texas Micro will not roll out every possible combination of
products right away. Instead, the company has adopted an approach
that calls for identification of products that will have the
most immediate impact on sales.

The first product to be shipped is a Netware 3.11 File Server that
is fully   compatible with SFT III levels of security, and housed in a
rack-mounted, ruggedized, chassis. Texas Micro expects pricing on
such a device to fall into the $10-25,000 range,  lower than
competing $40,000 devices. This first product will be shipped
around the February timeframe. Routers are another line that
Texas Micro is contemplating.

(Naor Wallach/19921202/Press Contact: Jessica Solodar, Rogers
Communications for Texas Micro, 617-224-1100/Public Contact: Texas
Micro, 713-933-8050)


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

Sen. Glenn Calls For Halt To GSA Appeals 12/02/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- Senator John Glenn (D-
Ohio), chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee,
recently called for the suspension of all activities of the
General Services Administration's Board of Contract Appeals until
there is a new chairperson named to head the Board and new
administrative guidelines are drafted by the GSA and the Board.

About a year ago Senator Glenn launched an investigation of now-
retired Board Chairman Leonard Suchanek, and the recently
completed report on that investigation calls for greatly
increased control over expenditures made by the General Services
Board of Contract Appeals.

New guidelines were promulgated last spring by GSA Administrator
Richard Austin, but the Senate Committee's recent report says
that those changes did little or nothing to change what Senator
Glenn characterizes as a lax management style at the Board of
Appeals.

In a strange turn of affairs, Mr. Suchanek, who was being
investigated because of alleged improper expenditures during a
disabled users' technology conference, was unable to comment on
the Senate Committee's report because no copies were provided in
Braille and Mr. Suchanek is legally blind.

Mr. Suchanek also served as the chairman of the Council on
Accessible Technology but resigned that position in May 1992
after being criticized for playing a major role in organizing the
December 1991 technology conference while remaining the top GSA
judge of whether contracts were properly awarded.

The Senate report calls for a number of changes in the way the
GSA contract appeals process is conducted, saying that Mr.
Suchanek at least gave the appearance of operating a closed
review process by nearly always appointing the same couple of
judges to oversee major contract appeals.

The Board of Contract Appeals, General Services Administration,
makes the final decisions when losing vendors appeal contract
awards given to competitors.

According to a report in Government Computer News, Senator
Glenn's Committee has called for a better distribution of cases
among the available judges, with specific rationale
presented in writing when a judge is reassigned.

The Committee's report also calls for an end to the way a panel
of "super" judges has been used to decide many cases.

(John McCormick/19921202/Press Contact: Senate Governmental
Affairs Committee, 202-224-4751, or Sen. Glenn, 202-224-3353)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00007)

New For CD-I: Philips Titles 12/02/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- Philips Interactive
Media has introduced a slew of new titles for its Imagination
Machine Compact Disc-Interactive home multimedia player, just
in time for the Christmas season.

CD-I titles fall into a number of categories, including
interactive adventure and arcade games; music; art; and
educational/information.

"Lords of the Rising Sun" is a $40 12th-century war game to see
who can become Shogun.

"ABC Sports Presents: Power Hitter," which also lists for $40,
features Dave Stewart and Dennis Eckersley, with the player
taking the part of a "power hitter."

"Zombie Dinos from the Planet Zeltoid" features Dexter the
Dinodroid and his motto, "Let's Kick Some Brain!" You get the
idea, and for $40 list you can also get the game.

"Laser Lords" is a space adventure, list $40.

"Pegasus," is a mythological adventure as told by Mia Farrow,
with simple games for children ages 3 and up, $20.

"James Brown: Nonstop Hit Machine, 1965-1971" is a collection of
13 rhythm-and-blues hits from the peak of the career of the
"Hardest Working Man in Show Business," complete with
synchronized lyrics and album notes, $18.

"Private Lesson Series- Jazz Guitar" is an interactive beginner's
tutorial on playing jazz, going from Lesson One through mastery
of nine jazz classics, $70.

Philips Imagination Machine titles contain top-quality CD audio,
and many of them include either advanced animation or actual
videos.

These titles play on the $700 Philips CD-I home player which
connects to any television, and optionally to a home stereo
system. The player also plays Kodak PhotoCD discs and regular
audio CDs.

(John McCormick/19921202/Press Contact: Marijane Levee, Burson-
Marsteller, 213-386-8776; Philips, 310-444-6600, fax 310-478-
4810; or Consumer Hotline, 800-845-7301)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00008)

GSA Outlines No-Nos For Bidders 12/02/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- The General Services
Administration has released a new set of guidelines that tell
federal employees just what they can and should discuss with
bidders on government contracts. Just as importantly, it
emphasizes that as much information as possible be made public.

The eight no-nos, topics whose discussion is prohibited under the
preliminary guidelines, are: source selection reports; source
selection plans, expected costs, prices bid by others; details
of plans for technical evaluation of proposals, methods of
evaluating prices; and any mention of the standing of bids
(how the bidders stand).

These are all pretty much common-sense guides dictated by the
need to treat all bidders fairly, but they were not put into
written form before now.

The draft guidelines were published by the General Services
Administration's Information Resources Management Service, which
will make them available to the public upon request.

Covered by the complete guidelines are how government employees
should behave from the very early pre-solicitation process right
through post-award protests.

Suggestions aimed at broadening the bid process so more
businesses can compete and thus drive down costs  include the use
of electronic bid solicitation such as that now being used on
GEnie by the Air Force.

Currently companies wanting information on potential government
contracts must read Commerce Business Daily, a relatively
expensive daily publication, but the GSA recommends that agencies
also make hand-outs describing bids available at various locations
and actively contact editors and reporters who might cover the
bidding process in their publications.

(John McCormick/19921202/Press Contact: GSA IRM, 202-566-0291)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(WAS)(00009)

MacTV Schedule 12/02/92
MARLOW, NEW HAMPSHIRE, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- MacTV, the
daily one-hour satellite computer product news program broadcast
every day on Galaxy 6, Channel 22 starting at 8 am Eastern
time, has supplied the following schedule for first part of
December.  Some shows are also broadcast on the Mind Extension
University cable channel.

MacTV Schedule - December 1:

StickyBusiness Plus - Custom-designed labels for individual needs;
At Ease - Relieves computer anxiety; Nisus Compact - compact
word processing format; SuperPaint.

December 2:

System 7 - Introduction to the new desktop; Prograph 2.5 - using
icons and symbols in custom applications; FileMaker Pro 2.0 -
general information on the flat-file database; DeltaGraph Pro -
charting and graphing program.

December 3:

Network Glossary - understanding network terminology;
Networking Solutions - software used to build networks;
System 7 - how to use the program to exchange or share files;
FolderBolt - desktop security for the Macintosh;
Network Vital Signs - software to manage network monitoring;
LanRover/L - dial-in server for Macs (especially the PowerBook).

December 4:

Utilities - understanding their use and why they might be needed;
Wallpaper - creating, display, editing, and saving desktop patterns;
WindoWatch - tracks windows automatically; INITPicker 3.0 -
immediately prevents INIT problems; StarTrek: Screen Saver;
Power Utilities - gives the PowerBook extra power; Voice Navigator
II 2.0 - voice recognition on the Macintosh.

Previously broadcast programs are available at $9.95 plus $3
shipping.

(John McCormick/19921202/Press Contact: Wayne Mohr, Executive
Producer PCTV and MacTV, 603-863-9322)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00010)

Software Toolworks Plans Multimedia Titles 12/02/92
NOVATO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- The Software
Toolworks, which already publishes a wide range of CD-ROMs, has
joined forces with CEL Communications to produce a new line of
multimedia CD-ROM titles utilizing video material from CEL's
archives.

Toolworks titles based on CEL's academically oriented "The Video
Encyclopedia of the 20th Century" will include both an overview
of the century and special editions focusing on topics such as
war, politics, and technology.

The new line of educational multimedia, which should be available
by the fall of 1993, will include video, sound, graphics, and
text material.

CEL's own education marketing division will sell into library and
academic markets, while Software Toolworks will develop the
titles and market them through the commercial retail channel.

Using video and audio compression techniques, Software Toolworks
plans to place up to one hour of video on each disc along with
the equivalent of a small book's worth of text.

(John McCormick/19921202/Press Contact: Martin L. Waldman, CEL
Communications, 212-421-5000)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00011)

IBM Gets Army CCTT Contract 12/02/92
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- IBM has been
chosen to supply 49 prototype Close Combat Tactical Trainers to
the US Army. Under the contract, IBM will develop sophisticated
computer-based simulations of a combat environment where several
people can interact controlling vehicles, weapons, and infantry.

US Army's Simulation Training and Instrumentation Command
awarded the development contract to a team which includes
Dynamics Research Corp., ECC International, Evans and Sutherland,
General Dynamics, Science Application International Corp. (SAIC),
and Pulau, but IBM is the lead contractor and integrator.

IBM RISC System/6000 computers will be used as the basis of a
battlefield simulation which can be used to train tank and other
armored vehicle crews, as well as command and control and
logistics personnel.

The total value of the contract depends on a number of factors,
but it will be worth a minimum of $27 million and will probably
involve a maximum contract of more than $100 million over the
next decade if the Army orders additional training systems after
evaluating the prototype units.

Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp. told Reuters that it was
selected by IBM to provide the optical components of the training
units and that the total number of trainers involved in the
contract could total nearly 650 systems.

(John McCormick/19921202/Press Contact: Barbara A. Shinrock, IBM
Federal Systems Co., 703-367-2897)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00012)

Microsoft Hosts OLE Developers Seminars 12/02/92
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- Microsoft
Corporation is hosting OLE developers seminars in three cities
to offer developers a head start in designing object-oriented
Windows-based applications.

The seminars are being held at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers in
Boston today and tomorrow; at the Sheraton Palace in San Francisco
December 7-8, and in the Kodiak Room, Building 12 on the Microsoft
Campus in Redmond, Washington December 10 and 11. Registrations are
still available, and there is a $249 charge for attending,
Microsoft spokesperson Sheila Ambrose told Newsbytes.

OLE, or object linking and embedding is the technique which allows
the creation of documents which use text, graphics, audio, video and
animation using multiple applications.

Microsoft says the final version of OLE 2.0 is scheduled to be
released to developers in the first half of 1993. New features in
OLE 2.0 include the ability to directly activate objects within
documents without switching to a different window, such as editing,
displaying, recording and playing. A drag and drop feature allows
objects to be dragged from one application windows to another, or
dropped inside other objects or onto printers.

Microsoft says it has included programmability which allows one
application to drive another. For example, the user could invoke a
command from within a word processing program that would sort a range
of cells in a spreadsheet using a common macro language. A feature
called Optimized Object Storage allows objects to remain on disk
until needed, rather than be loaded into memory each time the
document is opened. There's also an incremental read/write ability
which only loads portions of objects to be read or written from disk
into memory, rather than loading the entire object into memory.

OLE is designed to support both the Windows NT operating system when
it's released some time next year as well as the currently available
Windows 3.1, and Microsoft says a Macintosh version is on the
drawing boards. Multiple platform support will enable developers to
build applications that work the same way on different systems and
would allow compound document files to be easily moved between
platforms without conversion. Version 2.0 is backwards compatible
with applications developed with version 1.0 according to Microsoft.

The company says about one hundred independent software developers
have received the beta version of the software developers kit. The
preliminary version of version 2.0 is available to developers at no
cost by contacting Microsoft through Internet, fax, or mail.

(Jim Mallory/19921202/Press contact: Beverly Flower, Microsoft,
206-882-8080; Developers contact: OLE Beta Coordinator, via Internet
at olebetamicrosoft.com; by fax at 206-936-7329)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00013)

Dell Computer's Newest 486-based PCs, Price Cuts 12/02/92
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- Dell Computer has announced
a new line of 18 Intel 486-based desktops which are upgradable to
Intel's Pentium technology when it becomes available next year.

The new systems are based on the Intel 486SX, DX, and DX2 chips
running at 25, 33, 50, and 66 megahertz (MHz). The company said
the new line will replace its present line of 486-based systems,
and are priced less than the old line.

The new line consists of four product families. The 486/L systems
are industry standard architecture (ISA)-based, with prices
beginning at $1,200. The 486/M are mid-size ISA systems starting at
$1,450. The 486/ME are extended industry standard architecture
(EISA) PCs with prices starting at $1,750, and the 486/T are
ISA-based floor-standing systems starting at $1,950. Those base
prices include 4 MB of system memory, an 80MB hard drive, and one
5.25 or 3.5-inch disk drive. Monitors are not included in the price,
and are available beginning at $249 for a VGA display.

Features of the new line include an integrated local bus video
subsystem that accelerates video performance in graphical
environments such as Microsoft's Windows. Dell says it used the
Winbench benchmark system to establish that its new 66 MHz systems
run more than five times as fast as the old line. The serial ports
are buffered to prevent data loss during communication under
Windows, and the flash memory for BIOS storage allows the BIOS to be
user-upgraded if necessary. The systems will also support 2.88 MB
floppy drives, which can store twice as much data as the present
1.44MB disks, but will read the older disks.

The new industry standard architecture (ISA)-based system has a set
of diagnostic programs embedded in flash memory which Dell says can
diagnose a wide range of failures down to the component level.
Because the diagnostics are stored in flash memory, they
are able to pinpoint problems even when the system will not boot
from the operating system.

The 486/L series, at the entry level of the new family, has an
expansion card cage to replace the traditional expansion slots. The
cage can hold up to three full-length 16-bit expansion boards. The
entire cage can be removed with the cards and cables intact by
removing one screw. Components which are more apt to require service
such as disk drives and the motherboard also snaps out easily, as do
the hard drives. Dell's service personnel estimate that the snap-together
design will reduce upgrade and maintenance time for the average user
by up to 65 percent.

Meanwhile, Dell Computer has announced price reductions on its
486SE family of EISA-based floor-standing systems and its 320SLi
portable.

Prices on the floor-standing systems were cut as much as $600,
depending on the model, while the notebook unit was reduced by $150.
Dell has positioned the 486SE systems as file servers. Last month
the company dropped the price of its 650MB, 1-gigabyte (one million
bytes) and 1.4GB SCSI (small computer system interface) hard
disk drives.

The 486-based tower units all come standard with 8MB of system
memory, and are available with hard drives ranging from 170MB to 1GB
in capacity. The biggest reduction was for the 486SE with 8MB of
memory and a 1GB SCSI hard drive, dropping from its old price of
$6,470 to $5,500, a 15 percent decrease. The notebook 320 models are
available with 2MB of system memory, and hard drives ranging from 60
to 120MB.

(Jim Mallory/19921202/Press contact: Jill Shanks, Dell Computer,
512-794-4100; Reader contact: Dell Computer, 800-289-3355)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00014)

Compaq's Three-Year Free Warranty 12/02/92
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- Compaq Computer
Corporation has announced that it is now including a free three-year
warranty with every personal computer it sells.

In addition to the new warranty policy, the company has also
extended its free lifetime technical telephone support to seven
days a week, around the clock. Previously telephone support was
available on weekdays from 7AM to 7PM. Around the clock support for
the recently announced line of Compaq Pagemarq printers will be
available beginning January 1st.

Compaq President Eckhard Pfeiffer said the new policies are part two
of Compaq's worldwide strategy started in June when the company
announced price cuts. "No other competitor -- not IBM, not DEC, not
HP, not AST, not Dell -- backs all of its products the way we do,"
said Pfeiffer.

In addition to the standard warranty, the company also offers
additional support programs. In North America, all Compaq desktop
and portable computers include the first year of service on-site.
Systems designed as file servers, such as the ProSignia, Systempro,
Systempro/LT, Systempro/XL and ProLiant receive on-site service for
three years. Compaq said that discontinued products that are sold
after December 1 will continue to be covered by a one-year on-site
warranty. Users can also purchase warranty upgrade contracts to
extend the warranty period and service upgrade contracts for
extended on-site support.

(Jim Mallory/19921202/Press contact: John Sweney, Compaq,
713-374-0484; Reader contact: Compaq, 800-345-1518)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00015)

 ****Microsoft To Ship Bug Fix For Mac Version Of Word 12/02/92
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- Microsoft will ship
a free "bug fix" disk next week to users of the Macintosh
version of its Microsoft Word word processing program.

Designated Word 5.1a, the patch takes less than a minute to make
the necessary changes in the users software and corrects a problem
users may have when using the Fast Save option. That option doesn't
save document headers and footers, but no other data is affected.

Until you get the patch, you can avoid the problem by disabling the
Allow Fast Saves option in the Tools/Preferences/Open and Save menu
item.

The patch is available from several sources. It can be downloaded
from AppleLink, CompuServe, America Online, GEnie, UseNet, and the
Microsoft Download Service, or you can call the Microsoft toll-free
customer service number and ask them to mail you the disk.

Microsoft says that if your version of Word was manufactured on or
after November 4, you won't need the patch as the correction was
made in the program software. You can check your software's date by
clicking on "About Microsoft Word" on the menu.

The company also told Newsbytes it would ship Release 2.0c for Word
for Windows users this month to enhance the way the word processor
works with Windows for Workgroups and Microsoft FoxPro for Windows.
The release adds an option in the macro language to let users send
Word documents through electronic mail as an attachment or as text,
and also repairs a minor bug that occurs between Word and Microsoft
Mail.

The company has also updated Word's dBASE converter so it can read
FoxPro for Windows files. That release is expected to be ready to
ship by mid-December. Call Microsoft customer service to receive the
maintenance release.

(Jim Mallory/19921202/Press contact: Russ Doerr, Waggener Edstrom
for Microsoft, 206-637-9097; Reader contact: Microsoft, 800-426-9400
or 206-635-7200; Microsoft Download Service, 206-936-6735)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00016)

 ****Microsoft Ships Windows For Consumer Devices 12/02/92
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- Microsoft
Corporation will begin shipping a scaled down version of Windows
today for use with digital consumer devices such as personal
digital assistants, compact disk-interactive players, and smart
phones. One such product, Tandy's CD-ROM-based multimedia player
Video Information System, is already on the market.

Called Modular Windows, the smaller version of Windows requires only
one megabyte (MB) of storage, compared with the 8MB the standard
version needs. The company expects typical applications will require
an additional 1MB of memory. Microsoft says the new member of the
Windows family is a key component of its strategy to make Windows
the preferred environment for digital consumer devices. It maintains
75 percent of the Windows 3.1 application programming interfaces and
allows developers to write programs on desktop PCs with existing DOS
and Windows tools. The initial version is designed for devices that
use television sets as the display.

Rob Glaser, Microsoft's VP for multimedia and consumer systems, says
Modular Windows is targeted at platforms that are not traditional
desktop computers, such as multimedia CD-ROM players and the
transmission of data via telephone, cable or wireless systems.

Microsoft says more than 90 software companies have already lined up
to support Modular Windows. Like any operating system, applications
availability is the key to consumer acceptance. In addition to third
party support, Microsoft says its Visual Basic programming system
version 2.0 for Windows can be used to create applications for
Modular Windows. For the first six months, the Modular Windows
software developers kit (SDK) will include the necessary extensions
to create applications using Visual Basic for Windows.

According to Microsoft, Modular Windows includes new user interface
controls, and adaptations for use with wireless-based controllers
and memory cards, and it integrates with Microsoft Video for Windows
to allow developers to include motion video playback in their
applications. The SDK includes debugging utilities and tools,
dynamic link libraries for the user interface enhancements, drivers
and fonts. The default font for TV display is a 14-point sans serif
face. It also includes some sample code, such as the on-line TV
programming guide Microsoft uses to demonstrate Modular Windows. The
SDK is available now from Microsoft at a cost of $99.

Microsoft says that "all aspects of the Windows operating system are
published, leading to a high degree of third-party participation and
innovation." That's undoubtedly a reference to recent criticisms
leveled by competitors that there were undocumented calls in some of
Microsoft's operating system code that gave it an advantage over
other application developers.

Later versions of Modular Windows will support the Personal Computer
Memory Card Industry Association (PCMCIA) and other formats. The
PCMCIA standard was established to provide compatibility of
third-party manufacturers devices such as modem and memory cards
with notebook computers.

Features of Windows which have been eliminated for Modular Windows
include Write, Paint, File Manager, and the dynamic data exchange
capabilities. The Windows printer drivers and TrueType fonts are also
left out.

Microsoft's system recommendations for development of applications
using the SDK include a 386-based PC running Windows, 4MB of RAM
(random access memory, or system memory), a Windows-compatible VGA
to NTSC display adapter, 16-bit multimedia PC with a sound board, a
CD-ROM drive, an 8-button hand controller such as the Gravis PC
Gamepad hand controller, an 80MB hard drive, the Windows 3.1 and the
Modular Windows SDKs, and a C/C++ professional development language
or equivalent or authoring tool.

(Jim Mallory/19921202/Press contact: Kim Wolfkill, Waggener Edstrom
for Microsoft, 206-637-9097)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00017)

IBM, Sears Officially Launch Advantis 12/02/92
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- IBM and Sears,
Roebuck have officially launched Advantis, their new voice and data
network outsourcing venture. The company began operations December
1. Plans for Advantis had been announced August 18.

IBM signed the agreement through its wholly owned subsidiary,
Integrated Systems Solutions Corp. (ISSC), which will hold a
majority interest in Advantis. The companies are not disclosing
the exact stake each holds in Advantis.

At the launch, Syd N. Heaton, formerly general manager of IBM's
Networking Systems Services operation, was named Advantis' chairman
and chief executive officer. Gary R. Weis, who was senior
vice-president of networking technology services at Sears
Technology Services, Inc., becomes president and chief operating
officer, and a director.

Advantis, which combines IBM's Networking Systems Services
operation and Sears' Technology Services unit starts life as a
billion-dollar company with about 3,000 employees. It has about
9,000 customers representing roughly a million users, IBM
spokeswoman Roberta Paul said. She would not say how much of the
company's initial business is with units of Sears, but Advantis
will provide networking services to various units of that company.

In prepared remarks, Heaton said Advantis is responding to the need
of businesses to focus on their core competencies in order to
become more competitive. Turning to outside experts for help with
technology -- a practice known in the computer and communications
industries as outsourcing -- will help them do this, Heaton said.

(Grant Buckler/19921202/Press Contact: Roberta Paul, IBM,
914-642-5362; Perry Chlan, Sears, Roebuck, 312-875-7079)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00018)

Micrografx, IBM Extend Mirrors Agreement 12/02/92
RICHARDSON, TEXAS, U.S.A, 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- Micrografx and
IBM have extended for two years an agreement covering software to
help developers adapt programs written for Microsoft's Windows
operating environment to IBM's competing OS/2 operating system.

The new two-year agreement, covering software called Mirrors,
extends portions of a previous joint licensing and development
agreement signed in April, 1991.

Under this new deal, Micrografx will extend its Mirrors toolkit to
support Windows 3.1, the latest version of the graphical user
interface software. It will also provide for multimedia extensions
and international language support.

Micrografx will be responsible for the sales, marketing, and
support of the Mirrors toolkit, which now will be produced by the
company under the Micrografx name. IBM formerly sold the software
under the name DMK/2. IBM will still sell the software, said
company spokesman Keith Lindenburg, "but not under that name."
Instead, IBM will resell Mirrors with a Micrografx label on it.

According to Micrografx, the agreement offers Windows applications
developers quick access to an installed base of more than a million
OS/2 users.

Micrografx will provide sales, marketing, support, and training to
help software vendors port applications from Windows to OS/2 using
the Micrografx Mirrors tool kit and Mirrors dynamic link libraries
(DLL). This assistance will include porting analysis, project
planning, telephone support, and consulting services.

(Grant Buckler/19921202/Press Contact: Andy Cohen, Micrografx,
214-994-6086 or 800-733-3729; Keith Lindenburg, IBM, 914-642-5363)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00019)

Adra Creates Division, Signs Computervision As Reseller 12/02/92
LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- Design and
manufacturing software supplier Adra Systems has created a new
division to produce product information management (PIM) and
work-group software. Adra also announced a reseller agreement with
Computervision, a supplier of computer-aided design software.

Adra's new Matrix division is an independent operating unit based
in New Haven, Connecticut. It is to produce software, also called
Matrix, designed to manage all the data needed to design and
manufacture product, and allow access to it in real time by
multiple users on a network.

Matrix's first product is expected in early 1993, said Patrick
Pecorelli, a spokesman for Adra. He added that the Matrix software
will be tightly integrated with Adra's Cadra-III design and
drafting software, which runs on a variety of workstations
including those from Digital Equipment, Hewlett-Packard, Silicon
Graphics, and Sun Microsystems. Matrix will also work with
computer-aided design software from other vendors, Pecorelli said.

A recent deal provides for Computervision to resell Cadra-III as
part of its CVware family of products. Computervision officials
said they plan to use the workstation-based Cadra-III to offer
users of mainframe-based computer-aided design software an easy
transition to workstations. It will be sold with a bi-directional
translator that can convert Cadra-III files to work with
Computervision's CADDS software and vice versa.

Computervision's CADDS-5 software is designed for aerospace,
automotive, and consumer products engineers.

Adra also sells Cadra-NC, manufacturing software for controlling
numerically controlled (NC) machinery.

(Grant Buckler/19921202/Press Contact: Patrick Pecorelli, Adra
Systems, 508-937-3700 ext. 783, fax [phone]; Sharon Israel,
Computervision, 617-275-1800 ext. 5907)


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

New Cellular Phone Standard 12/02/93
LIBERTYVILLE, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- The
Telecommunications Industry Association has approved a version of
Motorola's Narrow-band Analog Mobile Phone Service, or N-AMPS, as
a new standard for US cellular services. The news means other
companies besides Motorola will be able to make N-AMPS equipment,
so that US companies can install it to expand the capacity of
their networks.

N-AMPS increases the capacity of a cellular calling channel
three-fold by dividing that channel into mini-channels, then
sending analog phone signals in each. The version approved by the
TIA offers the same capacity as a digital standard, Time Division
Multiple Access, or TDMA, now being offered by some US cellular
operators, most notably McCaw Cellular and Southwestern Bell.

Unlike TDMA, however, N-AMPS will not require that system
operators offer new, dual-standard phones to subscribers. Some
system operators may upgrade to N-AMPS and wait for another, more
improved digital standard to emerge -- either a Hughes offering
called Enhanced-TDMA, or a version of the Code Division Multiple
Access scheme offered by Qualcomm and Interdigital. CDMA sends a
number of digital signals over a wide frequency band, while TDMA
divides the band up into slices.

Motorola first offered N-AMPS in December, 1989. Along with the
TIA's announcement, Motorola said that Syracuse and Utica
telephone companies in New York and Telcel de Venezuela will
upgrade their systems to N-AMPS in 1993. The N-AMPS standards are
known as IS-88, IS-89 and IS-90.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19921202/Press Contact: Motorola, David Pinsky,
708-523-2841)


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

HDTV Work Proceeds 12/02/93
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- Digital
Equipment sent out a complex press release concerning its support
for an "interoperability" standard on high definition TV (HDTV).

DEC's Branko Gerovac, who worked on the committee discussed in
the release, and who has an office at MIT's Media Lab, explained
the report to Newsbytes.

Interoperability, the ability of different systems to work
together, would allow HDTV to be rolled-out first on computers,
at prices from $2,000-10,000, before high definition TV sets
become a mass market consumer item at prices under $1,000.

While all this sounds nice, it won't happen easily, said Gerovac.
"There are four digital proposals out," he explained. "There's an
alliance between General Instrument and MIT, there's one known
as the American TV alliance, there's one among AT&T, Zenith and
Scientific-Atlanta, and there's a group including Philips of
Holland, the Sarnoff Labs, and Compression Labs," which makes
videoconferencing equipment.

He said the problem is that none meet all the criteria for
interoperability. "None are fully interoperable. That raises the
question, can we do a mix and match of the 4 schemes? It's
unclear what will happen -- the official FCC decision process
doesn't provide for doing that kind of thing. Then there are
questions of whether that would be the wisest way to approach it.
The report does, however, set some technical guidelines for how
you might want to move a system to be interoperable."

Gerovac says the Digital press release was an endorsement of his
committee's findings, which are being funneled to a group headed
by former FCC chair Richard Wiley. Wiley's Advisory Committee on
Advanced Television Services, or ACATS, will meet in February
and review all its reports, "then come out with a recommendation
to be given to the FCC. The FCC would then have a comment period,
under a notice of proposed rulemaking, lasting 3-6 months
depending on how things go, and then there would be a ruling
sometime next fall."

Meanwhile, "All the proponents are looking at their systems, making
subtle modifications, and a lot of them are along the lines of
things pointed out in this report." That, for advocates of a
strong HDTV standard, may be the best news of all, and it's a
follow-on among the American participants in the process to share
royalties no matter which scheme wins out.

Gerovac says his group's findings "list a number of recommended
features you'd want for a truly interoperable system, for uses
other than terrestrial broadcast." These would involve cable,
satellite, computers, and imaging. With digital encoding of video
and images, images can now be manipulated using computer technology,
"giving you a lot of functionality. And computer companies are
adding media to base computer functions."

While PCs cannot now handle HDTV, Gerovac says, "Computer
technology is moving very rapidly. In 10 years we've gone from
not being able to handle images at all, except in supercomputers,
to being able to handle that coding on high-end workstations. In
the next 5-10 years we'll be able to handle compressed video on
inexpensive PCs. The technology is moving rapidly. Our internal
projections are for another 5-10 fold improvement in performance
over 5-10 years. That will let you handle video in real time,
virtually all in software." That means that the bottleneck for
digital video will be in the links transferring the data between
PCs, not the PCs themselves.

One thing that's very unclear is how the new Clinton
Administration will react to all this. "It's very unclear what
the change in administration will do to this," but Gerovac is
hopeful. "People recognize it's important to not delay the
process for non-fundamental reasons. Right now we're moving
rapidly in this digital encoding of television signals, and it's
to our advantage, both from an industrial and consumer
perspective, to not unnecessarily delay this. What I'm hoping is
that we end up being able to accommodate these interoperability
features within the current schedule." That would bring us an
HDTV standard in about a year. And it would mean the first HDTV
applications arrive at a 1994 COMDEX, not a 1995 CES.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19921202/Press Contact: Ed Delaney, Digital
Equipment, 508-467-6295)


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

AT&T, NYNEX Define Views on Competition 12/02/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- Top executives
from AT&T and NYNEX made speeches praising competition yesterday.
But they were quite different speeches.

AT&T vice chairman Randall Tobias emphasized global competition
to the World Telecommunications conference sponsored by the
Financial Times newspaper in London. Global competition is coming
in both services and equipment, he said, and those who don't meet
it will be bypassed by satellite, wireless, or cable companies.

His remarks seemed aimed at European PTTs which have been
reluctant to open their markets. Tobias said multinationals spend
between $20-50 billion per year on telecom equipment, and if the
local PTTs don't offer competitive pricing and services, these
companies are prepared to create their own alternatives. All this
was a way to endorse the current GATT trade deal, now languishing
in disputes over steel and wine, which also addresses telecom
services and equipment for the first time.

At almost the same time, NYNEX Chairman William Ferguson
addressed AT&T's pending purchase of a major interest in McCaw
Cellular Communications, and saw it as an opportunity to press
for the lifting of restrictions on his company. He said if the AT&T-
McCaw deal is approved, the Bell break-up decree becomes "moot"
since AT&T will in effect be involved in the local services
business through McCaw's cellular operations. That's fine, he
said, as long as he in turn can then offer long distance services
in competition with AT&T. He called the AT&T/McCaw deal "like
putting the Bell System back together," transforming the two
companies into a vertically integrated, full-service provider.
He said "that's OK, as long as everyone else has that opportunity
and customers have a wide array of choices."

In addition to competing in long distance, Ferguson also wants
the right to go after the global information services business,
cable television, and manufacturing. His belief is that cellular
competition from AT&T, combined with the efforts of "bypass"
companies like Metropolitan Fiber, microwave-based PCN cellular
phones and cable television, eliminates his local monopoly.

AT&T issued a statement in reply to Ferguson, saying that its
deal with McCaw does not mean it is competitive in local services.
Newsbytes discussed it with spokesman Andrew Meyers. "The
prospective alliance is not related to local telephone service
monopoly, and monopoly it is," he said "Any claim we're back in
the local exchange business is a smoke screen. When the monopoly
gives way to real competition, it will be time to consider
removing the restrictions." The fact that some competition exists
doesn't make the Bell break-up restrictions moot. "It's almost
unmeasurable. When we can choose which dial tone we like in
picking up the phone, that's competition."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19921202/Press Contact: NYNEX, Sean Healy,
914/644-7250; AT&T, Andrew Meyers, 908-221-2737)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00023)

Bell Company Update 12/02/93
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- Ameritech, which is
pressing for price caps to replace rate regulation, is making
considerable progress in its bid to lift profits. The Indiana
Utility Regulatory Commission is beginning hearings on moving
toward such a plan, with a report due to state legislators July 1.

The idea is to come to a consensus on deregulating the state's
telecom policy, where GTE North and Indiana Bell now hold the
lion's share of the market.

Ameritech's Illinois Bell unit is using a carrot-and-stick
approach to regulators there, offering to invest $3 billion in
its network if it gets price caps instead of rate regulation.
The plan is called "Advantage Illinois." The company said it
would also free basic residential phone rates until January, 1997,
but that gives it plenty of room to hike other fees, critics
note. Illinois passed a new Telecommunications Act this year,
which gives more flexibility to regulators in allowing price
caps, but Gov. Jim Edgar then appointed more consumer-oriented
commissioners, partly negating the impact of the law. Illinois
Bell President Richard Brown emphasized the impact of that $3
billion investment, claiming it would enhance long-distance
learning and save lives through remote medical diagnosis. The
implied threat, of course, is that the investments won't be made
without the price caps.

The same day, Ameritech's Michigan Bell unit announced a cut in
in-state long distance rates, reducing the costs of some calls, such
as 5-minute calls between Detroit and Ann Arbor, up to 25
percent. Michigan approved a law sponsored by Michigan Bell
giving it regulatory relief in exchange for letting AT&T, MCI and
others in the in-state long distance business. Finally, the
Wisconsin Public Service Commission approved an order letting
the major long distance companies to compete there, starting
next year.

Meanwhile, Southern Bell got hammered by a state decision in
Georgia. The Public Service Commission made final adjustments to
the boundaries of the 404 area code, which was ordered split in
two to make more numbers available. The final plan added 280,000
exurban phone lines to 404, taking them out of 706, and
guarantees that another split in the 404 area code will be
necessary before the 1996 Olympics. Residents of counties
like Forsyth, Carroll and Lamar, pressed hard for the change,
which gives 404 area code two million lines and gives 706 area code
760,000 lines.

Observers say the move by the PSC was sparked in part by the
recent elections, which saw a Republican elected to the
commission and saw sweeping GOP gains elsewhere, with the
likelihood increasing that a Republican governor might be elected
in 1994. The exurban counties are key to holding state power, so
Democrats in the state were anxious to appear friendly to those
interests. This was the first opportunity to prove it.

But the decision makes the situation very complex for Southern
Bell, which serves the area. The 404 area code was designed to be
toll-free -- the new code boundaries stretch across over 100
miles, from the Alabama line to points 60 miles east of Atlanta.
Plus the company will have to seek a fourth area code for the
area at a time when the phone network is running out of such
codes.

A Southern Bell spokesman told Newsbytes the company is pleased
that the decision has been made and finalized, because it clears
up customer confusion. "We'll work diligently with the commission
to implement the order," Lynn Bress told Newsbytes.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19921202/Press Contact: Illinois Bell, Larry
Cose, 312/220-2379; Lynn Bress, Southern Bell, 404-391-2484)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00024)

UK: Cellnet Launches CallAccess At TMA Show 12/02/92
BRIGHTON, SUSSEX, ENGLAND, 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- Cellnet has
announced the availability of CallAccess, a new service for
businesses using a number of mobile phones, in England.

The service, which caters to businesses with 40 or more
cellular phones, claims to cut the cost of calls by linking the
subscriber's offices directly with the cellular network, or
by-passing the public switched telephone network (PSTN). This
allows Cellnet to offer call rates of 18 pence per minute,
compared with the 25 to 33 pence per minute that is normally
charged for calls during peak times.

According to Cellnet, UKP 2 million has been invested in the
CallAccess service to bring the service within 25 kilometres of
75 percent of businesses with more than 100 employees. Subscribers
to CallAccess then rent a data line from the nearest access node
to their premises.

Cellnet has been beta testing the CallAccess service for some
time and claims to have achieved cost savings of 25 percent on
calls, resulting in a cost payback within the first year of operation
for most customers.

(Steve Gold/19921202/Press & Public Contact: Cellnet: Tel - 0753-
504814; Fax - 0753-504063)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00025)

CCITT V.Fast Modems -- Development Going Slowly 12/02/92
WALLINGTON, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- On a recent visit
to US Robotics' headquarters in Chicago,  Newsbytes asked Dale Walsh,
the company's representative on the CCITT study group for V.Fast
high-speed modem technology, his thoughts on when the V.Fast modem
would appear on the market.

Walsh replied that he thought a fourth quarter time frame for the
standard was a likely possibility. Now these comments have been
confirmed from other CCITT sources in the modem industry.

According to Motorola Codex, delegates from a wide variety of US
modem companies, including Motorola, General Datacom, Octocom
Systems, UDS Motorola and US Robotics, all agreed that the V.Fast
standard could be worked out, but not before the end of 1993.

"We are quite pleased with the number of agreements that
were reached and are now optimistic that a firm V.Fast standard
can be completed during 1993," said Dave Forney, Motorola's vice
president.

The V.Fast group agreed to include a number of enhanced
technologies into the interim standard proposals. Subject to
further tests, these include: precoding, adaptive pre-emphasis,
shaping, non-linear encoding and adaptive power control.

The meeting, which was held in late September of this year in
Bath here in the UK, agreed on multiple symbol rates and multiple
center frequencies for each data rate with a top speed of 28,800
bits per second.

Each member of the CCITT study group on V.Fast has agreed to
carry out selected tests on the technologies involved. Dale
Walsh, vice president of advanced development at US Robotics,
said that his company has agreed to coordinate computer
simulations to test the various codes on simulated phone
channels. "This will help to find the best "complexity vs performance"
trade-off," he said.

The next meeting of the US V.Fast standards development committee
will take place in Florida later this month. The next
international meeting of the CCITT will take place in Geneva in
January.

While a lot of technical issues have clearly yet to be discussed
by the CCITT's various groups meetings on the V.Fast standard,
it's equally clear that some progress is being made. The delays
in the introduction of the standard are, however, beginning to
take their toll on the modem manufacturers, with several
companies introducing interim high-speed modems capable of being
"upgraded" to V.Fast, when it arrives.

(Steve Gold/19921202)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00026)

Cirrus Logic's VGA Chips Used In NEC's Ready PCs 12/02/92
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- Cirrus Logic's
CL-GD5422 True Color VGA graphics controller chip is being used
in NEC Technologies's new Ready personal computer systems.
The chips provide  high-quality graphics and hardware-assisted
Super VGA video capabilities in a Windows environment.

Connie Duncan, spokesperson for Cirrus, told Newsbytes that
there are a number of other vendors using the CL-GD5422 in
their systems. Including, "AST Research's Bravo family, IBM's
PS ValuePoint, DEC's PC333SXLP, and also systems from Acer
and Hyundai."

The three NEC Ready machines are targeted at the small and
home-business markets and, according to the company, offer
users "photo-realistic image display capability by supporting
640 by 480-pixel resolution with 16.8 million-color graphics."

Denny Lane, director of desktop marketing for NEC Technologies,
said: "We selected Cirrus Logic's CL-GD5422 true color VGA
graphics controller because its 24-bit color and performance
are ideal for true color applications."

Cirrus says that the CL-GD5422 True Color VGA Controller
combines within a single chip "all of the functions required for
high-performance graphics display, including the analog
frequency synthesizer and RAMDAC elements."

Duncan told Newsbytes that the CL-GD5422 was announced June
15, 1992. "It is part of a family of products...which is comprised
of four pin-compatible single-chip graphics controllers...our
24-bit True Color (chips)," she said.

(Ian Stokell/19921202/Press Contact: Joe Fowler,
510-226-2239, Cirrus Logic)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00027)

Inline Design To Publish French Games In US 12/02/92
LAKEVILLE, CONNECTICUT, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- Inline Designs
has  reached an agreement with Atreid Concept SA of France to
publish Atreid's Macintosh and PC games in the US.

The agreement was reach as a result of contacts made at the last
MacWorld Expo show in Boston last August and should result in Atreid's
games being available in the US almost immediately.

There are three games covered by the agreement. Cogito comes in
Macintosh and Windows versions and is described as a
puzzle/strategy game. The object of the game is to restore a
geometric figure made of marbles to its original shape after it has
been mixed randomly. This is done by clicking on specific spots and
watching the marbles move. There are 120 different levels to this
game and the rules governing which spot does what change between the
levels.

The Tinies is described as an arcade/strategy game. The object of
this game is to get all of the Tinies to go to sleep. Unfortunately,
they are not interested in that and would rather romp around. To
complicate the player's task even further, the Tinies' spaceship
contains all kinds of devices that need to be disabled. There
are 100  levels to this game in 11 different landscapes.
Tinies comes in versions for the Macintosh and for PCs under DOS.

The third game is called S.C.OUT and it represents a departure from
Inline Design's original intention to shun violent games. In
S.C.OUT the player's task it to eliminate aliens that have populated a
colonized moon.  This can only be done by killing.  This
action/strategy game is more of an adventure than a shoot-em-up
although it has elements of both.

Cogito and Tinies are currently being shipped by Inline Design.
S.C.OUT will begin shipping within the next two weeks. All three
games will retail for $59.95.

(Naor Wallach/19921202/Press Contact: Darryl Peck, Inline Design,
203-435-4995/Public Contact: Inline Design, 203-435-4995)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00028)

New For Networks: Lancast Hub 12/02/92
AMHERST, NEW HAMPSHIRE, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- Lancast has
announced the availability of inexpensive 8-port hub --  the
ENT-4391.

The hub can connect up to 8 devices using its 10 Base-T ports.
An additional BNC connector can be used to attach the hub to a
coaxial backbone. In such a configuration it is possible to attach
a maximum of 1024 devices to different hubs and have them all
communicate together.

In order to remain competitively priced, Lancast has provided the
minimum levels of network management functions in this hub. So, there
are only 2 LEDs on the box which display Power and Activity status.
Should the customer desire more management features and more
intelligence in the hub, Lancast will suggest its ENT-4392 product
which was designed for those needs.

The ENT-4391 weighs less than 1 pound. It measures 3.75 inches by
1.25 inches by 8 inches. The suggested list price on the unit
is $375. The ENT-4391 will be available on January 1, 1993.

(Naor Wallach/19921202/Press Contact: Roberta Corbinand, Lancast,
603-880-1833/Public Contact: Lancast, 603-880-1833, 800-752-2768)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(WAS)(00029)

New For Macintosh: Mobius Accelerator 12/02/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- Mobius 040 accelerator
boards based on Motorola 68040 and 68LC040 microprocessors which
operate at 25 or 33 megahertz (MHz) will provide Quadra-level
workstation performance in a variety of Macintosh systems.

Although memory and hard drive performance will not improve, the
accelerators will provide dramatically improved performance for
those doing graphics-intensive work such as computer-aided design
or desktop publishing work, especially if they are working with
color images.

Mobius designs provide full compatibility with existing Apple
hardware and software in 68030-based Macintosh computers and most
third party peripherals.

The inexpensive Motorola 68LC040 lets Mobius provide a powerful
25 MHz accelerator board for as little as $799 because the LC
design does not include a floating point processor unit.

The Mobius 040 operating at 25 MHz and including a floating
point unit (FPU) lists for $1,000, while a 33 MHz version with
FPU lists for $1,200.

FPUs are not used for most computer operations such as word
processing or database work, but they are used in many graphics
applications so an accelerator board lacking an FPU would not
provide peak performance for CAD (computer-aided design) operations.

Motorola makes the microprocessors which are used in all
Apple Macintosh desktop systems.

(John McCormick/19921202/Press Contact: Kristen Hausman,
Motorola, 512-891-2386, or Bert Armijo, Mobius Technologies, 510-
654-0556)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00030)

New For PC: Pkzip 2.0, Pkware Data Compression Library 12/02/92
BROWN DEER, WISCONSIN, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- Pkware,
makers of the popular shareware data compression utility Pkzip,
has announced Pkzip version 2.0 and the Pkware Data Compression
Library for software developers.

Pkware's Pkzip creates compressed files with the extension .ZIP.
Pkunzip extracts or decompresses .ZIP files, and Pksfx creates a
self-extracting compressed file with an .EXE extension. The product
allows the user to select either high speed or high compression
with a balance between the two selected if no option is specified.

New features in version 2.0 include the ability to create
backup copies of entire hard disk drives by offering creation
of .ZIP files which span more than one disk. Large files which
could not otherwise be moved can be compressed using version
2.0.

Pkware says Pkzip can be used as a back-up program as it will
also format floppy disks on-the-fly so it is no longer
necessary to know how many disks are needed in advance.

The new version also includes "Pk Safe ANSI," a terminate and
stay resident (TSR) program requiring less than 1 kilobyte of memory
that acts as protection against rogue programs which can remap
the keyboard during decompression. If ANSI.SYS is loaded at the
boot of a personal computer as a device driver, it allows the
display of text in color. However it can also permit a rogue
program to remap the keyboard so for example the F1 key could
execute a format hard disk command, a situation known as an
"ANSI keyboard bomb."

Also new is Pkunzip Junior, a version of Pkunzip which is less
than 3K in size designed for space-saving distribution of
compressed files, Pkware said.

A 32-bit cyclic redundancy check (CRC) is used to check the
integrity of the data compressed by Pkzip and checked during
decompression by Pkunzip. This is a newer and more
sophisticated method than the 16-bit CRC used previously.

Pkware says a single .ZIP file can include as many as 8,000
files and compresses an average of 50 to 70 percent. However,
some database, spreadsheet, and image files compressing as much
as 1/10th of original size. An internal configuration file
allows users to set up Pkzip to their tastes with a setup
program provided to make the configuration easier, Pkware
added.

Pkzip version 2.0 is in the beta test stage and is expected to
ship in the first quarter of 1993. It will be offered as
shareware, so users can try-before-they-buy and registration is
$47 plus $3.50 shipping and handling.

The Pkware Data Compression Library is not shareware. Pkware
says the library does not offer the source code and does not
produce files in the Pkzip format, but does offer royalty free
runtime usage. Also, the library routines allow developers
control over the input and output data as well as the ability
to specify where compressed data is sent or extracted from.

The library routines compress unformatted text also known as
ASCII and binary data, allow for application controlled
input/output and memory allocation, allows adjustment to the
data dictionary size so software can be fine tuned for maximum
speed or compression efficiency, works with any 80X86 central
processing unit (CPU) in either real or protected mode, and is
compatible with compilers such as C, C++, Pascal, Basic,
Assembly, and Clipper.

The library was written in assembly language, requires only 35
kilobytes (K) of memory for compression and only 12 K for
extraction of compressed data. Developers can expect the
compression routines to add an additional 7 K to the size of
their executable program, the company said.

The Pkware Compression Library is available from Pkware for
$295 with an additional $3.50 shipping and handling charge in
the US and $5.00 overseas.

Pkware is headquartered at 9025 N. Deerwood Drive, Brown Deer,
Wisconsin, 53223.

(Linda Rohrbough/19921202/Press Contact: Lauren Finkelman, S&S
PR, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Pkware, tel 414-354-
8699, fax [phone])