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/nb921203

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(NEWS)(APPLE)(LON)(00001)

UK: First V.32Bis Portable Modem For Mac Debuts 12/03/92
FELTHAM, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- Portable PC
Peripherals (PPCP) has announced the availability of what it
claims is the UK's first approved V.32Bis modem for Apple
Computer's Macintosh. Called the Multimodem/Mac, the UKP 745
unit comes bundled with Quicklink II communications/fax
software.

Announcing the deal, John Nolan, PPCP's managing director, said
that the Mac market on this side of the Atlantic has, to date,
been poorly serviced by fax modem suppliers: "You either had to
buy a cheap non-approved product, the use of which is illegal in
the UK, or an approved modem with woefully inadequate Macintosh
fax software," he said.

According to Nolan, the Multimodem/Mac is expected to appeal to
the growing number of Mac portables, especially where there is a
need for high data throughput.

The Multimodem/Mac tips the scale at just seven ounces. In use,
the modem combines 14,400 bits-per-second (bps) data
transmissions with Class 1 fax capabilities -- Group III/9,600
bps transmissions.

(Steve Gold/19921202/Press & Public Contact: PPCP -
Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00002)

UK: Microcom Intros High-Speed Fax/Data Modem 12/03/92
WOKING, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- Microcom UK has
launched the Microporte 4342bis/fax modem, a portable battery-
powered unit that features V.32Bis (14,400 bits-per-second)
data transmissions plus Group III fax facilities.

The key difference between the Microporte and the seeming
hordes of other portable data/fax modems on the market is the
inclusion of Microcom Networking Protocol Class 10 (MNP Class
10) error correction and data compression as a standard feature
alongside the expected V.42Bis (extended to MNP Class 5) error
correction and data compression facilities.

According to Microcom, the MNP Class 10 facility optimizes the
performance of the modem for use on noisy lines, even over
cellular phone links. Commenting on this addition to the
company's range of modems, Don Winston, Microcom UK's general
manager and vice president, said that, in designing the unit, "we
have made sure that performance has not been sacrificed for
portability. Indeed, our customers do not simply demand a
lightweight product, but also a modem that is easy to set up
and to use while providing the most reliable communications
possible."

In addition the MNP Class 10 facility, the Microporte also
has an automatic dial connection restore facility. In use, this
feature allows the modem to continue redialing to a number if
the connection is broken, without the need for a modem reset.

Bundled with the Microporte modem is a copy of Delrina's Winfax
and Dosfax fax software for the PC. The Microcom version of the
software includes a number of features unique to the Microporte.
Because the software is optimized for the modem, several of
Winfax and Dosfax's features have been enhanced.

Another interesting feature of the UKP 699 modem is the
inclusion of a set of rechargeable batteries with the unit for
use when non-rechargeable batteries are unavailable. Despite
this facility, the modem is still fairly compact. It measures
4.56 by 2.75 by 1.5-inches in size and tips the scales at 10
ounces.

(Steve Gold/19921202/Press & Public Contact: Microcom - Tel:
0483-740763)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LON)(00003)

Aimtech Plans Iconauthor For Mac Multimedia Tool 12/03/92
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- Aimtech Corporation has
announced plans to create a Mac version of Iconauthor, its
authoring utility for creating interactive multimedia
applications.

According to the company, which has its parent headquartered in
the United States, Iconauthor's presentation system for the Mac
will enable multimedia applications created under Iconauthor in
either MS-Windows or OSF/Motif environments, to run on the Mac
without modification.

"We've made a firm commitment to fully support platform-
independent delivery of multimedia applications," explained David
Hendon, Aimtech Europe's general manager. "Our support for the
Mac allows our customers to create applications on a PC or a
Unix workstation and deliver them on a Mac."

Plans call for Iconauthor on the Mac to provide users, who are
developing commercial titles, with the ability to develop their
applications for several platforms at once, regardless of their
level of abilities on the "weak" machines.

Iconauthor claims to be the only fully-featured multi-platform
multimedia authoring system for Windows and Unix platforms
running OSF/Motif and VMS environments. The Mac version
should be available during the second quarter of 1993.

(Steve Gold/19921202/Press & Public Contact: Aimtech
Europe - Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00004)

Radius Intros PrecisionColor Pivot Display For Mac & PC 12/03/92
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- Hoping to
appeal to both Macintosh and PC users, Radius Inc., has
introduced the PrecisionColor Pivot display.

According to the company, the Radius PrecisionColor Pivot is a
multifrequency 15-inch display that delivers a full-page view
of color documents in either portrait or landscape orientation.
Radius claims that the PrecisionColor Pivot is the first Pivot
model to work with both Macintosh and PC computers. The
monitor is available now at a list price of $1,149.

Andy Ramm, spokesman for Radius, told Newsbytes that, "It
is the exact same display (for both platforms). There is no
difference whatsoever. The reason being is that it is a
multi-frequency display....and is compatible with both Mac
and PC."

The company says that the display is re-oriented by rotating
the screen from landscape to portrait mode or vice-versa. The
on-screen image is automatically changed to accommodate
the display's re-orientation.

Ramm told Newsbytes that the "biggest market (for the display)
is going to be workplace productivity, office productivity, home
office users.....desktop publishing. But you are not going to find
a lot of high-end color publishing users."

According to Radius, the PrecisionColor Pivot offers
multiple resolutions, including 640 by 480, 832 by 624,
864 by 640, and 1024 by 768 (for landscape only). The display
also offers low magnetic emissions and is claimed to meet
Swedish MPR guidelines for low ELF/VLF magnetic emissions.
The PrecisionColor Pivot also features a light, silica-etched
screen to reduce glare.

Ramm said that, "The biggest advantage (with the display) is
that you have a display that pivots. So you can see a full-page
view in both landscape and portrait mode. You switch on the fly,
there is no restarting the computer. It automatically re-orients
the image onscreen."

There is one difference between the two platforms though.
Ramm said that, "Even though on the PC-side we are compatible
with other people's graphics interfaces, in order to pivot the
display, Radius' graphics interface is required."

(Ian Stokell/19921202/Press Contact:  James Strohecker,
408-954-6828, Radius Inc.)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00005)

Chinon Intros New Optical Products 12/03/92
TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- Chinon is
planning to release several new lines of optical storage products.
The products include CD-ROM drives in both the traditional
format and the new 3.5-inch format, as well as 3.5-inch
magneto-optical drives.

The CD-ROM devices come in two versions. The first, known as
the 535 series, will be the first series of Chinon CD-ROM drives
that will use dual-speed technology to speed data transfer rates
from the drive to the computer. Other important specifications
include an average access time of 280 milliseconds (ms) and a
256 kilobyte (KB) buffer on board which will allow the drive to
look ahead and store data prior to it being requested, thereby
increasing the throughput rate.

All models in this line will be compatible with Apple's
QuickTime, Microsoft's MPC multimedia standard, and Kodak's
PhotoCD.

There are three models in the product line: the CDS535 is an
internal unit for PCs that will retail for $640; the CDX535 is an
external unit for PCs that will cost $795; and the CDA535 is a
unit for the Macintosh that will also retail for $795. The 535
series will be available in the first quarter of 1993.

The Chinon 355 series are intended for use with the new 3.5-inch
CD-ROMs. This new "standard" is being derived from the Sony
DataDiscman product, which will allow the Chinon devices to play
musical CDs as well as data CDs that use the format.

In keeping with the Sony standards, the drive has an access time
of 1.5 seconds. To help performance, Chinon has included a 32 KB
buffer on the device. The 355 series will have two models: the
CDS355 is intended for use as an internal device for PCs; while
the CDX355 is for external use. Retail pricing is $395 and $495
respectively. The first units are expected to begin shipping in the
first quarter of 1993.

Chinon has also introduced two new lines of magneto-optical
products for both Macintoshes and PCs. Both series use the ISO
standard 3.5-inch rewriteable magneto-optical disks that can
hold up to 128 megabytes (MB) of data.

The Series 100 is a low-cost entry in to this arena. These drives
feature a 60 ms average seek time with a transfer rate of 384
kilobytes-per-second (KB/s). The Series 300 has a 45 ms average
seek time with a transfer rate of 625 KB/s. Shipments of all
models in these lines are expected to begin in the first quarter
of 1993 and prices will range from $1,295 to $1,695.

(Naor Wallach/19921202/Press Contact: Jeffrey Swartz,
Daly-Swartz, Chinon, 714-361-6888/Public Contact: Chinon
America, 310-533-0274)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00006)

Santorini Server Manager For Appleshare Networks 12/03/92
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- Apple
Computer has long been chastised for failing to produce network
management capabilities as part of Appleshare or other Apple
networking components. Finally, Apple seems to be making amends
to this situation with the upcoming introduction of Apple's SNMP
(simple network management protocol) strategy and the release
of an application programmers interface (API) to Appleshare
itself.

Santorini Consulting is the first company to take advantage of
Apple's new API by releasing a product that they are calling
Server Manager. The product will allow network administrators
to manage Appleshare servers from their Macintosh. This is a
unique ability that was not possible before, as a network
administrator would need to go over to every server in person
to perform some of the necessary functions.

There are three main functions that Server Manager performs.
The first is one of monitoring. This function has the software
performing continuous monitoring of the servers. If any one of
the conditions defined by the network administrator occurs,
then the Server Manager will notify the network administrator
of the problem. Notifications can occur in various ways, including
audible and visual indications on the Macintosh and pager.

A second function is control. Server Manager allows for the
starting and stopping of the server, disconnecting users from
servers, unmounting volumes, and editing of server setups. The
third function is the administration of the network's resources
so that network administrators can add, remove, or change user
configurations on any file server as well as copy such information
among file servers.

Santorini has a history of developing Macintosh networking
software. Up until now, the company has always done so under
contract to other companies so their name may not be familiar
to most users. Santorini is claimed to be the company behind
such products as Farallon's TrafficWatch II and Dayna's NetScope
Console and Network Vital Signs. With Server Manager Santorini
is attempting to market its own products directly to network
administrators.

Server Manager will be available January 1, 1993. It will be sold
in either a single server version for $395, a five-server version
for $695, a 10-server version for $995, or 20 server version for
$1,495.

(Naor Wallach/19921202/Press Contact: Philip Zarboulas,
Santorini Consulting & Design, 415-563-6398/Public Contact:
Santorini Consulting & Design, 415-563-6398)


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

New For PC: Intelligent Windows Comms Board 12/03/92
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- Digiboard
is introducing an intelligent asynchronous communications board,
called the PC/2e, which the company claims will give Windows
users true multitasking uninterrupted communication capability
and inexpensive remote access for local area networks (LANs).

The PC/2e has an 80186 microprocessor which serves the two
serial ports on the board and relieves the host central
processing unit (CPU) of the communications tasks.

This may be a special boon to Windows users, who are able to
multitasking communications tasks through two serial ports,
but often find the serial ports to be a bottle neck, especially in
high-speed communications. Users with dumb serial ports,
especially those with no ability to hold characters until the
CPU can pick them up, find problems with dropped characters,
data loss, and an inability to multitask communications tasks
under Windows.

Joe Owen of communications firm Xcellenet in Atlanta, Georgia,
said in a prepared statement: "We need an intelligent
communications device that allows us to capture the data from
high-speed modems and not kill the host processor in doing it."

Digiboard says the PC/2e is that communications device. The
company claims the PC/2e can also offer remote LAN access for
one or two users to small companies with satellite offices.

The PC/2e will offer software drivers for Microsoft's Windows
and will support Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups,
Digiboard added. Support for Windows NT, Novell's Netware,
OS/2, and LAN Manager will also be available.

Retail price for the PC/2e is $299 and the board is expected
to be available in January, 1993, through resellers, distributors
and value added resellers (VARs).

(Linda Rohrbough/19921202/Press Contact: Cindy Bergevin,
Digiboard, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00008)

Japanese Govt Begins Atom Memory Technology Project 12/03/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- The Japanese Ministry of
International Trade and Industry (MITI) says it will begin
developing technology to create extremely large memory devices,
which will be based on atoms or molecules. As many as 46 firms
from Japan, the US, and Germany will participate in the project.

MITI will back up the development of the technology for the next-
generation memory devices. The name of the project is "Atom
Technology."

Under the project, private firms will jointly develop technologies
to deal with atoms and molecules. For instance, the firms hope to
remove an atom or a molecule from a particular object, or even
replace them. They also hope to control the movement of the atom
or the molecule.

With these technologies, the participants hope to develop new
memories with 1,000 times more capacity. According to the
companies involved, it may be possible to develop a 16 gigabit
memory chip, for instance. The technologies can also be applied
to the field of bio-technology.

The participating firms for this project team will be NEC,
Hitachi, Toshiba, Fujitsu, Shin Nippon Steel, Sumitomo Electric
Industry, Hitachi Kasei, Motorola, Texas Instruments, Du Pont,
and National Data Processing Laboratory (GMD) in Germany.
Australian and Canadian firms are also expected to join in the
project.

Under the current technology, the largest possible memory chip
can be of one or four gigabit capacity. This is due to the drawing
technology which will allow the circuit lines with the width of
minimum 0.5 to 0.6 micron. Dealing with atoms, however, the line
width can be much narrower. It is claimed that a line width of
about a 10 millionth of a millimeter is possible. IBM and Hitachi
have already been studying this basic technology.

This project is expected to start in January, 1993. MITI says it
will pay 25 billion yen ($210 million) during the next 10 years.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19921203)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00009)

Japan: Mitac & AST Cut PC Prices 12/03/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- Mitac Japan, a subsidiary of
the Taiwanese personal computer maker, and AST Research, have
both lowered the prices of their 80486-based personal computers.

Both firms have cut about 20 percent of the prices in order to
compete with other low-cost PC makers including Compaq
Computer.

Mitac Japan's entry model, the 4062F/M, has been reduced to
198,000 yen ($1,650) from 248,000 yen ($2,050). The high-end
version, the 4060iT/M, was cut from 498,000 yen ($4,150) to
398,000 yen ($3,300).

Mitac Japan has also beefed up the maintenance services of its
PCs, by creating a technical support center. The firm has also
signed a maintenance service agreement with Tokyo software
company, Algotechnos 21. Under the agreement, Mitac hopes it
will be able to provide fast maintenance service for users
throughout Japan.

Meanwhile, AST Research has also cut the retail prices of its
personal computers by up to 24 percent. The products include
three models of the PC Vision, six models of the Power Premium,
and eight models of the Premium SE. For instance, the price of
the PC Vision 4/33 model 83V with an 80 megabyte (MB) hard
disk was lowered from 413,000 yen ($3,450) to 345,000 yen
($2,870). This is the second time that AST Research has reduced
prices this year - the last time was in September.

Apparently, these price cuts were triggered by the recent
release of low-cost DOS/V PCs by Compaq.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19921203/Press Contact: Mitac
Japan, [phone], Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00010)

Japan: KDD Links With MCI Mail 12/03/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- Japan's major international
telecommunications firm KDD has linked with MCI Mail in the US.
Under the link, KDD users and MCI Mail users will be able to
exchange electronic mail using personal computers.

The connection was made between KDD's international mail box
service, called MESSAVIA, and MCI Mail. Both users can access
each other's mail box with a simple command on-line.

This is the second time KDD has linked with electronic mail
in the US. The previous agreement was with AT&T. Also, KDD has
links with France's Atlas 400 of Transpac and Korea's Dacom.
Under these systems, the user can send messages to target mail
boxes. These messages can be received through telex, fax or
postal mail. It costs additional charges of three yen (2.5 cents)
per 100 characters.

KDD's MESSAVIA is a message handling system with a variety of
mail box services. It is a hybrid message handing system with
a combination of packet electronic mail, telex, and fax system.
The service started about seven years ago. The service is aimed
at firms and organizations. According to a KDD spokesman, only
50 to 60 firms are currently using the service.

The registration fee for MESSAVIA is 800 yen ($6), the monthly
basic fee is 10,000 yen ($80), and the connection fee is 10 yen
(8 cents) per minute. A mail storage fee, a transmission fee, a
fax fee, and a telex fee are also charged.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19921203/Press Contact: KDD,
[phone], Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00011)

Holiday PC Sales Expected To Set Records 12/03/92
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- Analysts
are saying it will be a good Christmas season for personal
computer producers, with some companies taking a new foothold
in the marketplace. However, no matter who sells the most,
behind the scenes, Microsoft is likely to win.

Reports are that Compaq Computer said in a filing sent to the
Securities and Exchange Commission it might not be able to
meet demand. IBM Personal Computer Company President Robert
Corrigan strongly predicted in November the coming fourth
quarter will be the biggest in the PC Company's history.

However, analysts are also predicting PCs will take the market
by storm. "Demand has far outstripped everyone's wildest dreams,"
said Seymour Merrin, president of Merrin Information Services
was quoted as saying.

Newsbytes asked analyst Kimball Brown of Infocorp what is
happening in the PC marketplace this season. Brown said the
companies to watch are Apple Computer, Compaq, IBM, AST,
Gateway, and even Packard Bell.

Apple is poised for strong growth, Brown said, with its moves
into the consumer marketplace. The surprise on the Apple side
is that the higher priced high-end consumer-oriented products -
such as the PowerBooks and the CD-ROM-equipped Performa
line - are in short supply, a scenario Brown believes Apple
was unprepared for.

Compaq's components have been in short supply for some time.
Brown said the good news for Compaq is that the company has
finally moved into a price point that is attractive to consumers.

Brown confirms Corrigan's predictions for IBM's PC Company
and said IBM has attractive products for the first time in a
long time.

Dell has not been a player in the consumer gift-giving market
before, but has moved in with price cuts and advertising and is
expected to do well also.

Packard Bell, a privately held company, has shipped 100,000
units in October for the holiday season and expects to match
that in November. "We don't know if they're making any money or
not, but they are definitely moving PCs," Brown added. Packard
Bell has expressed concern over the moves by the more
traditionally business-oriented companies into its arena, with
good reason, Brown maintains.

Brown predicts the holiday season will fare the companies
well and is saying by the year-end Dell will break the $2
billion mark while AST and Gateway will each break $1
billion.

The real winner in all this is Microsoft, Brown quipped. Even
when IBM sells an OS/2-based PC, Microsoft gets a cut because
there is some Windows code in OS/2. Microsoft with its DOS and
Windows operating systems on the PC and the lion's share of the
application products for the Apple platform wins no matter who
sells the box, said Brown.

(Linda Rohrbough/19921203/Press Contact: Kimball Brown,
Infocorp., tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00012)

UK: Cellnet Sets Up New Cellphone Operation 12/03/92
SLOUGH, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- Cellnet has
set up a new company -- Call Connections -- to exploit the sales
potential which it claims is available under its new "consumer"
tariffs for mobile phone users.

Like Vodafone, the UK's other cellphone network provider,
Cellnet is prohibited from selling its "airtime" direct to end
users. Ever since cellphones became available in the UK in the
mid-1980s, therefore, Cellnet's parent company (British Telecom)
has set up BT mobile communications (BTMC) to sell its airtime,
while Vodafone set up Vodac.

The new BT operation, Call Connections, has been set up to sell
the "low cost" subscriptions to Cellnet airtime. The low cost
subscriptions reduce the sign-up costs to UKP 30 (from UKP 60)
and the monthly "line rental" from UKP 25 to UKP 15. Call
charges, however. are doubled at peak times to compensate.

Call Connections has unveiled a selection of special rates for
early subscribers to the Cellnet consumer tariff on its
cellphones. Sign-up fees have been waived and the company is
discounting the monthly connect fees by 17.5 percent (the
amount of the sales tax here in the UK) for the first year.

Derek Evans, Call Connections' general manager, said that his
new company will offer rapid connections to the Cellnet service,
backing this up with, what he calls, a comprehensive trade
and customer care program.

"Our goal is to be the first choice in service provision for both
the retail trade and consumers. We believe our comprehensive
service support package will ensure that our trade partners
are foremost in the customer's mind when acquiring handsets
and the Cellnet Lifetime (Cellnet's name for its consumer
tariff) service," he said.

Call Connections is offering its dealers "free-of-charge" sales
training, along with what it calls merchandizing and in-store
demonstrations. This is unusual in what has become a highly
aggressive marketplace for cellphones in the UK, now that the
market is fairly well saturated with mobile phone users.

So what does the subscriber to Cellnet get out of the deal, apart
from a relatively modest (by current standards) reduction in
upfront and fixed-line rental subscriptions? Call Connections
seems to be copying BTMC's range of facilities, which includes a
toll-free 24-hour support line, plus an extensive (UKP 10 million
initially) advertising campaign to explain how the service works.

The Call Connections formula seems to have worked on the retail
side. The company has signed up more than 1,000 sales outlets,
including Sony Centres, independent dealers, Comet, House of
Fraser, the regional electricity companies, and BT shops. It now
remains to be seen whether the consumers will be similarly
persuaded.

(Steve Gold/19921203/Press & Public Contact: Cellnet -
Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00013)

UK: Dataflex Design Begins Dealer Recruitment Campaign 12/03/92
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- Dataflex Design is
recruiting up to 50 dealers for its new accredited dealership
program. The idea of the program is to give a select number of
its existing dealers the opportunity to develop the data
communications market in their area. In short, Dataflex will
provide the expertise, leaving the dealer to sell more modems.

Accredited dealers on the program will receive free training,
as well as what Dataflex calls, sales, marketing, and technical
support. As part of the program, Dataflex has restructured its
sales department and has recruited two new distribution
account executives to provide better support.

"The purpose of the accredited dealer program is to give
dealers the opportunity to gain a firm grasp of the rapidly
growing datacoms market, We want to create a group of dealers
who understand the datacoms market inside out, and are as
committed to Dataflex products as we are ourselves," explained
Alan Stone, the company's sales director.

According to Stone, Dataflex has established relationships
with all the major distributors in the UK. "We believe that it is
through these relationships that Dataflex's future success lies.
Dataflex will provide its dealers with everything they need to
profitably exploit the datacoms market," he said.

Training will include sales and marketing techniques in the
datacoms marketplace, along with pre- and post-sales support
at all levels. The company is also offering to accompany dealer
sales representatives when they are pitching for new and
important business. A sales engineer is also available to advise
on the installation or modification of equipment, should this be
required.

(Steve Gold/19921203/Press& Public Contact: Dataflex Design -
Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00014)

UK: Dataflex Design Applies Pressure To Oftel 12/03/92
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- Dataflex Design has issued
an open letter to the UK's modem manufacturers, asking them to
give support in forming an industry pressure group. Under the title
of the "UK Approvals Group," the organization's aim is to put
pressure on the telecommunication regulatory authorities to
enforce modem approvals in the UK.

The primary reason for the setting up of the new body seems to
be the growing number of unapproved modems being sold in the
UK. Industry estimates put this as high as 15 to 20 percent of the
total number of modems sold in the UK. Dataflex claims that
these modems could endanger the safety of the user and possibly
corrupt the public switched telephone network (PSTN) network.

It is not actually illegal to sell unapproved modems in the UK --
merely to use them on the PSTN . To date, Oftel, the government-
appointed telecoms watchdog, has not prosecuted anyone for
using an unapproved modem. Clearly, Dataflex wants this
situation to change.

"There can be little doubt that Oftel's inactivity has encouraged
the growth of the illegal modem market. It would only take one or
two high profile prosecutions to make people think twice about
breaking the law," commented Phil Benge, Dataflex's marketing
director.

"Everyone can see the sense of having standards as a way of
ensuring that everything on the PSTN functions properly. But what
good are standards if they go unenforced? We're forming this
pressure group to persuade Oftel to take far more positive action
against these grey imports," he said.

(Steve Gold/19921203/Press & Public Contact: Dataflex Design -
Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00015)

UK: Hutchinson Sets Up Direct CT-2 Phone Sales Co 12/03/92
HERTFORD, HERTS, ENGLAND, 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- Hutchinson
Personal Communications has set up a new company -- Telepoint
Direct -- to sell cordless telephone type two (CT-2) mobile
phones to end users.

CT-2 phones are digital versions of analog cordless phones. The
use of digital technology allows cordless phones to be used away
from their normal home or office base station on an outgoing call
basis -- each phone is assigned a unique ID (identification) which
is generated at the start of each call. This ID, once validated on
a public CT-2 network, allows outgoing calls to be made
anywhere within range of a public base station.

Hutchinson's public CT-2 service in the UK is called Rabbit. For
a monthly fee of UKP 6, subscribers can make calls at rates
similar to payphone tariffs, provided they are within range
of a public base station.

Telepoint Direct's CT-2 offering is the Silverlink handset. This
is a Motorola-manufactured unit that is being sold as a mobile
CT-2 phone rather than as one associated with a private base
station.

Because of this, Telepoint Direct is "bundling" the phone with a
voicemail service, backed up with a radiopager alert system.
Inbound calls to the CT-2 phone are routed to a voice mailbox
and the phone users are then "beeped."

The idea is that the CT-2 subscriber uses the mobile phone to
retrieve the message and then call the caller back. All this
adds to the CT-2 service provider's call revenue, which is why
Hutchinson has set up Telepoint Direct to sell CT-2 phones at
low prices.

Announcing the formation of Telepoint Direct, Peter Wright,
the managing director of the company, said that, in the current
economic climate, where companies are fighting for every
penny, the costs of mobile communications can be hard to
justify.

"We believe Telepoint Direct offers businesses exceptional
value for money with a service which will satisfy the majority
of their day-to-day communications needs," he said. "Telepoint
Direct offers an advanced digital cordless phone to use
inexpensively in towns and cities and at the roadside, as well
as a messaging service for two-way communications. For many
businesses, that's enough."

(Steve Gold/19921203/Press & Public Contact: Telepoint
Direct - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00016)

GTE 2nd Cellular Outfit To Reach 1Mil Subscribers 12/03/92
PLEASANTON, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- GTE said it
has become the second company, following McCaw Cellular, to
reach one million paid subscribers. GTE did it in part by merging
its Mobilnet unit with Contel Cellular.

In a press statement, Russ Partridge, who heads the Mobilnet
unit on the west coast, noted that GTE's subscriber growth is
in  keeping with industry-wide growth rates. The Cellular
Telecommunications Industry Association trade group says
there  are now nearly 10 million total subscribers. GTE has
about  a 10 percent share of the market, Partridge said. The
company  opened its cellular operation in 1984.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19921203/Press Contact: June Delaney,
GTE, 510-416-3757)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00017)

 ****Centel Merger With Sprint Probably Approved 12/03/92
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- Centel shareholders
apparently approved a decision by their board to merge with
Sprint, opponents of the move conceded. But the vote was close,
and the official tally will not be available for about a week.

Centel Chairman Jack Frazee claimed victory right after the
company's special shareholders' meeting in Chicago, saying he
thought the company had enough proxies to prevail. Sprint
shareholders gave their assent in Westwood, Kansas, with
managers saying about 70 percent of the 156 million shares
were voted. The merger still must go through regulatory
approvals, but that is not thought to be a major problem.
Approval required a majority of Centel's 85.4 million shares
being voted in favor of the proposal.

Mike Pfeffer, an associate with Moran & Associates of Greenwich,
Connecticut, a leading opponent of the deal, acknowledged defeat
to Newsbytes. "We think Frazee's saying he won this thing...he
probably did. We just think it's gotta be very close."

Frazee's initial statements, however, had left the opponents in a
cheery mood, much as losing candidates in a close election take
heart from early returns. "We were a little skeptical when he
initially said he was confident he won, but wouldn't say how
many  votes he had," said Pfeffer. Then, much like a losing
candidate, he talked about the high hurdles opponents had to
overcome just to get close.

"They've had these votes coming in all along. Shareholders don't
really have rights because Centel sent out six proxy cards, and
they've had a toll-free number soliciting people...there's so much
in their favor that it's a huge uphill battle. But it's very close,
indicating a lot of people were against this thing."

The record date for shares to be eligible for the vote was
October 30. The tally must be made public officially by December
11, but the numbers could come out earlier.

"We still don't think it was a good deal for Centel or Sprint.
We'll see what happens  to the price of Sprint stock if it does go
through," concluded Pfeffer. Moran officials had claimed Centel
was worth $50 per share, but Sprint's offer was reportedly worth
only about $34 per share.

Once the deal is completed, Centel shareholders will get one and
three-eighths shares of Sprint for each Centel share they own.
The $2.85 billion deal gives Centel holders roughly one-third
control of Sprint. As the deal was closed, Centel declared its
regular quarterly dividend of 22.5 cents per share, payable
January 30 to shareholders of record January 8.

There will be votes contested on both sides, predicted David
Shell of Eagle Capital Management, another opponent of the deal,
who, unlike Moran, was not ready to concede defeat. "It will be
very, very close," he predicted to Newsbytes.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19921203/Press Contact: William K. White,
Centel, 312-399-2735; Mike Pfeffer, Moran & Associates,
203-661-9600)


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

US-Cuba Phone Links Will Not Be Restored 12/03/92
MIAMI, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- Americans can once
again call Vietnam, but they cannot call Cuba. AT&T has
confirmed it will not rebuild an old, primitive, radio and copper
cable relay linking the US mainland by phone to Cuba. Meanwhile,
Cuba says it will not allow activation of a more modern cable
because of a dispute with the US over payments.

The decisions mean that Cuban-Americans who wish to call
relatives on the island 90 miles away must route their calls
through Italy, which is helping the Castro government
modernize its domestic network.

The decisions are reported to have been welcomed by South
Florida's Cuban-American leaders, who have been hoping for
decades to topple the Castro government. The fall of the Soviet
Union, which had bankrolled the Communist island's government,
heartened many, and US politicians of both major parties have
since been bidding to see who can seem toughest on Castro
without actually risking US lives or funds overthrowing him.

The former microwave radio links were cut down in September by
Hurricane Andrew, which knocked out the tower in south Dade
County and damaged the radio facilities in Florida City.
Frequencies formerly reserved for the calls have been reallocated
to cellular telephony. AT&T estimated that before Andrew, 60
million attempts were made each year to call Cuba from the US
with about 500,000 calls getting through.

Even if Castro falls tomorrow, it may prove difficult to renew
phone links. AT&T is leading construction of a major network of
fiber cables throughout the Caribbean, with St. Thomas as a hub.
The new Taino-Carib system sets-off from Puerto Rico, and
cables to Europe will link via St. Thomas. Cuba will probably
always be off the beaten path.

AT&T has lain a cable to Cuba which could handle 750,000 calls
per year, but Cuba hasn't allowed its activation because the
US has refused to release over $60 million in revenues held in
an escrow account since 1966, because of the US trade embargo.
That embargo was recently tightened by a law called the Cuban
Democracy Act of 1992, an act which was condemned by the UN
General Assembly for demanding that foreign subsidiaries of
US companies also obey the boycott.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19921203/Press Contact: Tricia Sieh,
AT&T, 201-326-4224)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(ATL)(00019)

Dow Jones Launches FaxLetter 12/03/92
PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 2 (NB) -- Dow Jones,
publishers of The Wall Street Journal, has launched a late-
afternoon fax letter called JournalFax, containing business and
financial news highlights and closing statistics from the major
markets. The one-page report will be deliverable at 5 pm Eastern
Time Sunday through Friday. It is created from stories written by
Dow Jones reporters and filed on the Dow Jones News Services.

The company said its first distributor is InnFax, a service of
AlphaNet Telecom that provides fax machines in hotel rooms
throughout North America. InnFax makes the newsletter available
to hotel guests, who enter a four-digit code into the fax machine
inside their rooms.

Timothy Andrews is the product manager for JournalFax. He
called it a device for business travelers to get a quick, accurate
summary of the day's news, delivered before evening meetings.

The one-page size of the report is also important -- that
minimizes delivery costs and makes the whole report more
acceptable to readers stuck with thermal-paper machines.
Andrews said the new product will be the first of several
products of its type to be rolled out in the next few months.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19921203/Press Contact: Dow Jones,
Maggie Landis, 609/520-4638)


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

International Phone Update 12/03/92
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- New services from
the US highlight international telecommunications news.

Executive Telecard introduced a prepaid calling card that can
be used to place direct-dial calls within and from over 40
countries. The World Direct calling cards will be marketed
directly to travelers by PTTs, travel agents, and issuers of
travelers' checks. They will be available in increments of 12,
24, and 36 minutes. The company said the cards will save
callers 50 percent as compared to the rates charged by AT&T's
new TeleTicket prepaid cards, or other cards proposed by MCI
and Sprint.

MCI made two pieces of news. It cut international calling rates
under its Friends and Family plan, allowing members of calling
circles to add a second international number to their circles.
The plan, called Friends Around the World, allows for discounts
of 20 percent off rates to all members of a calling circle. The
discount will be offered for a $3 monthly fee and will be
available January 1.

MCI also said its subsidiary, MCI International, and Societe
International de Telecommunications Aeronautiques, or SITA,
which manages telecom and computer facilities for the world's
air transport industry, will sign a jointly developed quality plan
which defines service level targets, restoration agreements,
fault reporting procedures, quality improvement strategies,
and performance review criteria. SITA is based on France.

AT&T added the Philippine language of Tagalog to those used in
its San Jose, California customer service center. Specially
trained Filipino representatives fluent in both Tagalog and
English have been hired to staff the service around the clock,
providing information on AT&T products and services, answering
billing questions and suggesting ways consumers can save on
long-distance calling. Other languages spoken by AT&T
representatives include Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese,
Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Vietnamese and English.

Ericsson of Sweden signed two important contracts. The first is
a $16 million order from the cellular operator in Kuwait, Mobile
Telephone System Co., for expansion of that nation's network. The
network will be able to handle 50,000 users when it's expanded.
Ericsson also signed new contracts with Mexico's Telmex
company for the 1993 delivery of its AXE central office
switches covering 780,000 lines, as part of a five-year deal.
Southwestern Bell of the US owns about 10 percent of TelMex,
and helps in its management.

Finally, three groups signed for a tender to launch Argentina's
new telecommunications satellite. Intelsat manages one group,
General Electric the second, and three European companies,
along with Embratel of Brazil, constitute the third. The contract
is due to be awarded at the end of December. The satellite,
which would handle domestic communications, would be
operating by end-1995, and is estimated to cost $1.7 billion.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19921203/Press Contact: AT&T, Michael D.
Johnson, 213/239-7290; Ericsson, Kathy Egan, 212/685-4030;
Robert N. Schuck, Executive TeleCard, 914-627-2060; Jane
Levene, MCI International, 914-934-6480; Edouard Graham,
SITA, [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00021)

Lasermaster To Cut 85 Staff 12/03/92
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- Lasermaster
Technologies, faced with stiff competition from Hewlett Packard
and Digital Equipment, says it will cut its sales staff by 85
people and de-emphasize sale of some of its WinPrint products.

Mel Masters, Lasermaster president, said that until the recent
Comdex trade show in Las Vegas, "all indications, including
industry reviews, orders by resellers and sales trends, were
very positive."

However, because of the new lower pricing for competitive
products, including the Hewlett Packard Laserjet 4 and the
DEClaser 1152, the company now believes that the amount of
investment necessary to increase market share for its WinPrint
products is prohibitive. "We are thus refocusing our efforts into
specialized markets in which our products are more easily
distinguishable."

Masters said the company will now focus on the sale of more
specialized Windows printing products, including large format
printers, high resolution printer enhancements, and network
printing software for Windows-based workgroups.

"We have decided to avoid an unprofitable nose-to-nose battle
between our WinPrinter 800 and the new Hewlett Packard
Laserjet 4 for the low end of the office laser printer market."

The company said it will continue to sell the product and
expects that Winprinter 800 sales will reach almost $750,000
in November. Lasermaster also said it will continue to
introduce new WinPrint products as planned.

Based on revised estimates, Lasermaster says that it doesn't
expect to achieve its revenue and earnings estimates of $75.4
million and $0.13 per share for the fiscal year ending June 30,
1993. "We expect to lose money this quarter," according to
Masters, but it's still too early to determine what the final effect
will be on the fiscal year. However, Lasermaster does expect to
exceed the 1992 fiscal year revenue of $59.9 million.

In a memo to Lasermaster employees, Masters said feedback from
attendees at Comdex made it clear that the company will have a
strong play with its large format 11 by 17 TurboRes Typesetters,
which print at 1200 dots-per-inch (dpi) resolution, as well as its
600 dpi 11 by 17 Winprinter, which recently started shipping.
Masters told employees that he also expects the WinJet 1200
upgrade kit for the new Laserjet 4 to be a hit.

However, because of the stiff competition, Masters said the
company would trim their entry into the superstore and chain
reseller environment through independent field sales
representatives dramatically.

While most of the personnel cuts will be in domestic sales,
marketing and support staff, Masters said other sectors of the
company will also be affected. The company will make office
resources, including office equipment and phones, available to
assist in employees finding other jobs. The company will also
move from its present facility into its old building.

(Jim Mallory/19921203/Press contact: Karen Neset,
Lasermaster Technologies, 612-941-8687)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00022)

Iomega Expects Lower 4Qtr Net Earnings 12/03/92
ROY, UTAH, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- Iomega says that
it expects that its net earnings for the fourth quarter will be
"substantially lower" than for the comparable period last year.

The company says that actual revenue for October and November
are about equal to last year, but higher operating expense and
lower gross margins have resulted in the reduced net earnings.

The higher operating expenses are primarily related to investments
in research and development, and sale and marketing to support and
launch several new products.

In November Iomega introduced a second-generation Floptical
drive, a 150 megabyte (MB) Bernoulli drive, and a new magneto-
optical drive. Earlier this year it announced a new tape drive
product.

Contributing to the lower earnings were lower gross margins for
October and November, which were several points lower than the
previous year and slightly lower than the third quarter this year.

The company said that lower prices on its products in order to
meet competitive pressures and lower gross margins on the new
tape and Floptical products also contributed to the anticipated
results.

(Jim Mallory/19921203/Press contact: Paul Slack, Iomega
Corporation, 801-77-1000)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00023)

Random Access Reports Record FY92, But Loses Money 12/03/92
DENVER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- Rocky
Mountain-area microcomputer seller Random Access reports
that fiscal year 1992 was a record year for net sales for the
company but still reported a net loss of almost $176,000.

Sales for the year topped out at $75.3 million, compared to
$58.6 million for the previous year. The figure does not include
sales of $24.3 million from the company's discontinued Bizmart
operations.

However, despite increased net sales, net income from continuing
operations declined to $0.01 per share compared to $0.18 per share
last year, primarily due to increased expenses and declining
margins. With a per share loss of $0.04 per share on discontinued
operations, shareholders ended the year with a net loss of $0.03.
The company said margins dropped from 14.1 percent to 12.6
percent of sales due mostly to manufacturers reducing or
eliminating dealer rebate programs.

Random Access Chief Executive Officer Bruce Milliken said the net
sales increase was attributed to market share gains in the Rocky
Mountain area as well as continued penetration of regional
markets. The company decided it could no longer operate its
Bizmart franchise locations profitably due to increasing
competition and shrinking margins. As a result, it lost $414,000
from those operations which, adjusted to reflect a tax benefit,
contribute a $261,000 net loss from discontinued operations.

(Jim Mallory/19921203/Press contact: Bruce Milliken, Random
Access, 303-745-9600)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00024)

Dell Enters India PC Market 12/03/92
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- Dell Computer says
that it will begin marketing its products in India as part of an
exclusive partnership with Pertech Computers Ltd (PCL) of New
Delhi, India.

Pertech will serve as Dell's exclusive distributor in the country,
and says it has 16 percent of the country's PC market. The deal
was reportedly finalized after PCL spent a year negotiating with
various US computer makers. Part of the agreement calls for Dell
to buy an undisclosed number of motherboards from PCL over the
next two years.

Dell spokesperson Roger Rydell told Newsbytes that the boards,
built to Dell specifications, will be used at its manufacturing
facilities in Austin, Texas and Limerick, Ireland. Dell said the
purchase quantity qualifies the order for tariff reductions under
the Indian government's new Electronic Hardware Technology
Park program.

That program relaxes stiff tariffs on PC components used in
Indian-made personal computers and prohibits the import of
assembled PCs except those high-end systems that don't compete
with those made in-country. The relaxation of tariffs only applies
to companies that export certain amounts of Indian-made
hardware. Dell says their agreement with PCL is the first to take
advantage of the new program.

Rydell told Newsbytes that India has about 300 million people in
its  "middle class." "The market potential is enormous, and the
(present) penetration minuscule at this point," according to
Rydell.

Dell has also initiated a $4 million stock offering, with its road
team  talking to analysts and investors in Europe and the US over
the next few weeks. Asked what the proceeds would be used for,
Rydell said it would be used to fund growth. Michael Dell calls
the money "rocket fuel," said Rydell.

In other Dell news Joel Kocher, until now senior vice president
of Dell USA, has been appointed to the newly created position
of president of Dell USA. The company also announced that senior
vice president of Dell International Andrew Harris will assume
the newly created position of president of Dell International.

(Jim Mallory/19921203/Press contact: Michele Moore, Dell
Computer, 512-794-4100; Reader contact: 800-289-3355)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(DEN)(00025)

 ****Livermore Labs Attorney In Cray Insider Trading Suit 12/03/92
DENVER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- A senior lawyer at
the Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore Laboratories has
settled accusations of insider trading in the stock of Cray
Computer Company without acknowledging guilt.

William DeGarmo was accused in a civil enforcement action by the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of making more than
$27,000 through trading 5,000 shares of Colorado Springs-based
Cray Computer last December, according to documents filed in US
District Court in Denver.

According to the SEC, DeGarmo was guilty of "selling short", or
selling borrowed shares after he learned that Livermore Labs
would cancel its $30 million contract to purchase a Cray-3
supercomputer. DeGarmo is general counsel for the laboratory in
Livermore, California. The SEC said it discovered the suspicious
trading action during "routine market surveillance."

The Livermore order was the only order the company has ever
recorded for its gallium arsenide chip-based supercomputer, and
has since scaled back its efforts to develop a high speed computer.
Cray stock plummeted when the news of the contract cancellation
was announced.

DeGarmo told the Associated Press that he made the trades but
assumed that Cray had already released the news of the canceled
contract. He also said he voluntarily complied with the SEC but
chose to settle rather than go to trial over whether the matter
was inside trading.

"In retrospect, I should have asked (whether the news was made
public). I negotiated a settlement because basically its very
expensive to litigate this kind of thing," said DeGarmo. He told
The Denver Post "it's been a very long year."

A spokesperson for Cray Computer said it had been unaware
of the probe, and had no comment. In the settlement DeGarmo
agreed to turn over his profits from the trading and pay a fine
of $27,000.

(Jim Mallory/19921203)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00026)

Systemhouse Reports 4Qtr Loss, Pins Hopes On Services 12/03/92
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- The cost of a
failed alliance with telecommunications holding company BCE
Inc., of Montreal, coupled with a recession, has put SHL
Systemhouse Inc. in the red for the fourth quarter of fiscal 1992,
and for the year, which ended August 31. However, the company
hopes a new focus on services will bring better news in the
coming year.

Paul Damp, Systemhouse's vice-chairman of finance and chief
financial officer, said in an interview with Newsbytes that while
the company does not like to predict its future financial
performance, he believes Systemhouse is now well positioned
"with the change of the underlying economics of the business to
more systems management."

The company reported a 24-percent year-over-year growth in
revenues in the fourth quarter, from C$153.9 million to C$190.4
million. This is the highest quarterly revenue growth
Systemhouse has ever reported, officials said. For fiscal 1991,
over-all revenues grew seven percent from C$688.9 million to
C$738.6 million. Services revenues led the charge, growing 21
percent.

Damp said services -- which include outsourcing, systems
management, systems integration, maintenance, and other
activities -- now account for about 45 percent of Systemhouse's
revenues. This area of business is expected to continue growing,
he said, and virtually all of the company's current order backlog
is in the services area.

For fiscal 1992, Systemhouse reported net income of C$6.9
million before interest, taxes, and unusual items. The final figure
was a net loss of C$9.5 million, which compares to a net loss of
C$19.9 million in fiscal 1991.

In the fourth quarter, the company had net income of C$569,000
before interest, taxes, and unusual items. After those items,
there was a net loss of C$7.4 million, compared with a net loss
of C$30.9 million in the fourth quarter of 1991.

Unusual items in the fourth quarter totalled C$6.4 million, the
largest being C$4.9 million in costs for abortive negotiations
with BCE. The companies announced early in 1992 plans for a
strategic alliance that would have seen Systemhouse take over
the computer operations of Bell Canada, a BCE subsidiary and
Canada's largest regional telephone company. The deal was later
called off. Damp said the costs were mainly for professional
services such as legal assistance in the course of the
negotiations.

Damp emphasized the company's order backlog, which grew from
about C$226 million at the end of August, 1991, to some C$760
million at the end of August this year. Working capital was
C$103.2 million as of August 31, 1992, compared with C$56.1
million a year earlier.

Systemhouse has also announced the acquisition of Abraxas
International Inc., a telecommunications systems integrator
based in Orlando, Florida. Abraxas had 1992 revenues of about
$4.4 million, officials said. Terms of the agreement were not
disclosed.

(Grant Buckler/19921203/Press Contact: Paul Damp, SHL
Systemhouse, 416-366-4600)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00027)

Praxis Employees Buy Back Remaining Shares From Crownx 12/03/92
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 3 (NB) --
Employees of Praxis International Inc., have purchased all
remaining stock of their company from Crownx Inc., a Toronto
holding company. The move is one of the last footnotes to the
story of Crowntek Inc., once hailed as a Canadian information
technology conglomerate in the making.

Praxis launched its employee buyout plan in 1988, after officials
of the Canadian holding company decided to get out of the
information technology sector. According to company spokesman
Michael McWilliams, the original plan was to buy all of Praxis'
preferred shares and 70 percent of its common stock, leaving 30
percent of the common shares in Crownx's hands. However, he said,
"it just became apparent that this was a good time to do it," and
the employee shareholders' group decided to buy the remaining 30
percent of the common stock.

Praxis was able to do this largely because the past year's profit
was up "significantly" and the firm has no debt and a strong cash
position, McWilliams said. Praxis reported revenues of about
$36.1 million in the year ended June 1992.

Praxis is itself a holding company with three operating
subsidiaries. One is Computer Corporation of America, the original
database software company which Crownx bought in the early
1980s, which is focusing more and more on client/server
computing, McWilliams said. The others are MarketPulse, which
sells software and consulting services for database-driven
marketing, and Segue Partners, a newly created client/server
consulting firm.

Crownx, whose other main lines of business are the Crown Life
insurance company and Extendicare, a chain of nursing homes,
launched Crowntek in mid-1983. It was an outgrowth of
Datacrown, a computer service bureau that had evolved from the
insurance company's internal data processing operations to
become one of Canada's largest.

The company also bought a successful Toronto software firm,
Polaris Computer Systems, and in 1984 set up its own
microcomputer reseller chain, Crowntek Business Centers.
Officials talked of a vertically integrated technology firm with
software development, services, and distribution operations.

Since early 1988, however, the empire has been dismembered.
The former Datacrown merged with former rival Canada Systems
Group under the ownership of International Semi-Tech
Microelectronics to form STM Systems, which then merged with
Saskatchewan-based Westbridge Computer Services and, fuelled
by IBM Canada's purchase of a substantial interest, became ISM
Information Systems Management.

The reseller operation was sold to MCW Computers Ltd., of
Mississauga, Ontario, which adopted the Crowntek name, only
changing the American spelling of "Centers" to the
British-Canadian "Centres."

The price Praxis employees paid Crownx for their shares was
not disclosed. The company employs about 250 people.

(Grant Buckler/19921203/Press Contact: Michael McWilliams,
Praxis International, 617-661-9790 ext. 523, fax [phone])


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

 ****AMD Loses Rights To 486 Chip In Ruling 12/03/92
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- The October
jury decision preventing Advanced Micro Devices from using
Intel microcode has been extended. AMD was hoping that it might
gain the legal rights to use the Intel 486 microcode under a 1976
contract with Intel, if the decision had been in its favor.

US District Court Judge William Ingram has extended the October
jury decision which prevented AMD's use of the Intel 80287
microcode for the math coprocessor, a chip that works in tandem
with the 80286 microprocessor chip. However, AMD had formally
announced its intentions to produce a 486 clone in January of
this year and has already successfully marketed a 386 chip.

AMD may have gotten over-confident due to an awarded of $25
million it received last February from a decision in a suit it
filed against Intel. In the suit, AMD claimed Intel violated a
1982 technology sharing agreement between the two companies.

Intel's vice president and general counsel Thomas Dunlap bashed
AMD by saying in a public announcement about the ruling, that:
"AMD has been forging ahead as though this issue had already been
decided in their favor. They will now have to go back to the
drawing board and develop a product that does not use microcode
copied from Intel."

Intel is not only fighting AMD, but chip maker Cyrix which has
released a 486 clone, both in the courts and in the marketplace.
Intel cut profits for its competitors by substantially lowering
the price of the 80486SX 25 megahertz (MHz) chip from $282 to
$119 in May of this year. That price reduction has spawned a
number of low-priced PCs for which analysts are predicting
record sales this holiday season.

Reports are that AMD intends to fight back via legal channels
and the company, and other clone chip makers, have complained
bitterly to the Federal Trade Commission, who is currently
investigating Intel regarding unfair trade practices.

However, Intel's business in the enormous microcomputer
market is growing. The company reported it will build more
manufacturing capability to its existing Santa Clara,
California, plant at a cost of $400 million.

Intel has also renamed the next generation PC chip the Pentium
and trademarked the new name, instead of using "80586" as
expected. The decision to change the naming was made to keep
its processors from becoming confused with clone offerings
from competitors, Intel maintains.

(Linda Rohrbough/19921203/Press Contact: John Greenagel, AMD,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Pam Pottace, Intel, tel
408-765-1435, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(MOW)(00029)

IBM Opens Office In Ukraine 12/03/92
KIEV, UKRAINE, 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- IBM has opened its
representative office, as well as the Computer Integrated
Manufacturing Center (CIMC) in the Ukrainian capital Kiev.

The IBM center is located in the Kiev Politechnical Institute and
is equipped with the ES/9000 Model 150 mainframe, seven RISC
System/6000 workstations and 13 graphics workstations, all
loaded with various software intended for "engineers' and
managers' education."

IBM said the creation of those education facilities was a result of
the close cooperation between the company, the Education Ministry,
the Politechnical Institute, and two local sponsoring companies -
Alter Corporation and Vema Trading House.

The equipment has been paid for in hard currency, although the
company declined to reveal the size of the deal and offered
educational discounts.

At the same time, the company has opened its representative
office in Kiev. It will work with seven local business partners and
report to the IBM Trade Development subsidiary in Vienna, Austria.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19921203/Press & Public contact: IBM
Ukrainian office, phone [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(MOW)(00030)

Russia: Pick Systems Awarded Tax Authority Contract 12/03/92
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1992 DEC 3 (NB) -- Pick Systems has won an
order to supply Russian tax authorities with 350 multi-user tax
data processing computers within next 12 months. Although this
equipment will be used mostly in Moscow, the company expects
more orders from other cities.

Every Moscow regional tax administration will get a computer
system and specially developed software to track citizens' and
businesses' tax records.

The contract was signed with the Russian Tax Department through
the commercial arm of the Russian Ministry of Finance.

Pick established its presence in Russia more than 10 years ago, at
the time, through its French subsidiary. Its  direct marketing/sales
office was opened in Moscow three years ago. Recently the
company opened a research and development facility there.

Pick received permission from the Russian government to
create a wholly-owned and controlled subsidiary in Moscow, in
order to hire Russian scientists, engineers, and programmers
locally. With nearly 50 Russian employees on board now, Pick
expects to double its programming staff by the end of 1993. The
Pick research and development center in Moscow also provides
support to more than 30 independent Russian resellers.

Pick is a multi-user relational data base management system,
developed by the company with the same name, that is portable
across Unix, DOS, PC, mid-range and mainframe software and
hardware platforms.

Pick can also run in without the need for a host operating system
on all Intel-based platforms. Any Pick-based application can be
shared by up to 2,000 users on a single system. The company
claims to have four million users worldwide.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19921203/Press Contact: Pick Systems, Bob
Boatman, 714-261-7425)