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/1993/nb100693

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(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00001)

Novell In AppWare Deals With Gupta, Borland 10/06/93
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- Novell has entered into
development, bundling and technology exchange agreements with
Gupta Corp. Also, Borland International has announced that it
will incorporate Novell's AppWare Foundation Framework into its
ObjectWindows Library (OWL) technology to provide developers
with a C++ based cross-platform development library.

Under terms of the deal with Gupta, that company will produce an
AppWare Loadable Module (ALM) version of its SQLBase database
engine. Gupta will also build a Quest ALM for use in Visual
AppBuilder, deliver an AppWare version of its SQL (structured
query language) Windows development tool; and incorporate the
AppWare Foundation in the next generation of all of its SQL
Windows and Quest products.

AppWare was announced in June. According to Novell, it is a
comprehensive application development system that improves and
accelerates the process of creating and deploying cross-platform
network applications. It includes two existing technologies - the
Novell Visual AppBuilder and AppWare Foundation.

In reference to the deal with Gupta, Joe Firmage, vice president of
Novell's AppWare Systems Group, said: "Partnering with Gupta
represents an important step for AppWare in addressing the needs
of corporate software development. For AppWare to be successful,
it needs to support a broad range of client/server solutions.
Support of SQL is a significant milestone for AppWare."

Gupta intends to deliver stand-alone and network-accessible ALMs
for its SQLBase database. According to the company, the stand-alone
SQLBase ALM is ideal for database applications that can reside on
the desktop, and also serves as an excellent environment for
prototyping distributed network applications. The network-
accessible ALM is well-suited to deploy those distributed network
applications. The Gupta ALMs will provide for the development of
full-featured multi-database applications.

In addition to the query ALMs for Novell, Gupta intends to implement
core technologies of AppWare -- the AppWare Bus and ALMs -- in
its SQL Windows development environment. Gupta plans delivery of
the SQLBase ALM by June 1994 and the Quest ALM during the third
quarter.

Borland's ObjectWindows is an application framework that provides
a set of pre-fabricated, reusable classes for developing object-
oriented MS Windows applications.

The AppWare Foundation Framework, based on the AppWare
Foundation, is a set of C++ libraries that provide developers
cross-platform functionality, regardless of operating system,
graphical user interface or network service. Developers reportedly
write to a single application programming interface (API) and
then simply recompile their applications for the platforms
supported. Platforms supported include Macintosh, MS Windows,
UnixWare, SunOS, and HP-UX.

The two companies plan to jointly develop the product and cross
license each other's technology. Pricing will be announced at a
later date and technical support will be provided by both companies.
Both Novell and Borland plan to sell the resulting product, with
a pre-release version set for availability in late 1993. A beta
version should be available in the first quarter of 1994. The
combined product is scheduled to ship by the summer of 1994.

"This is a very significant step forward for the AppWare strategy,
and in particular, the AppWare Foundation," said Doug Donzelli,
vice president of Novell's AppWare Systems Group.

Borland says that the MS Windows-specific implementation
underlying ObjectWindows will be replaced by the AppWare
Foundation API.

(Ian Stokell/19931006/Press Contact: Claire Campbell,
512/794-1442; or Jennifer Johnson, 801-429-5804, both of
Novell Inc; or Susan Nicolls, 408-439-4833, Borland
International Inc.)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00002)

First PCMCIA SCSI Card Intro'd From New Media 10/06/93
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- New Media
claims to have introduced the first Personal Computer Memory
Card International Association (PCMCIA) Small Computer System
Interface (SCSI) adapter card.

The Visual Media card allows computers with credit-card sized
slots to communicate with a range of SCSI peripherals, including
optical scanners, networks, cameras, printers, CD-ROM drives,
and tape drives.

Those familiar with SCSI adapters will remember that most
adapters of this type require configuration via jumpers.
However, the Visual Media card comes with an advanced SCSI
programming interface (ASPI) as well as Corel SCSI Version 2
software that configures itself.

New Media President Carl Perkins said: "With the Visual Media card,
our ASPI manager, and Corel SCSI Version 2, you simply plug in your
SCSI peripherals and run the install program. The software does the
rest, from hunting out the peripherals and selecting the needed
device drivers to then modifying the CONFIG.SYS file."

The needed device drivers ship on the three 3.5-inch installation
disks that come with the Visual Media SCSI Card, which requires
the user have both a 3.5-inch drive and a PCMCIA slot on the
computer in question. Users also have a choice of three cables with
their SCSI Card - a Centronics cable, a DB25 cable, and a SCSI II
cable.

The card itself is the thin Type 1 form factor, which means it
will fit into any industry standard PCMCIA slot. It can sense
periods of inactivity, switching into low power mode, and
allows users to daisy chain up to seven SCSI peripheral
devices. In addition, the company boasts the card offers hot
insertion, meaning it can be removed and inserted while the
computer is on, also an unusual feature.

Corel SCSI Version 2 is a superset of Corel's popular software
Corel SCSI Pro and offers automatic loading into Windows or
OS/2, universal backup, and support for virtually any SCSI
peripheral. In addition, the SCSI interface offers data
transfer rates 200 percent faster than parallel port adapters,
which are currently the most widely used connection point for
adding peripheral devices to portable computers.

The Visual Media SCSI Card offers direct memory access (DMA)
emulation and can maintain an average sustained data transfer
rate of 500 kilobytes per second. The card is also compatible with
Windows NT, the Multimedia PC (MPC), and SCSI II standards, the
company said.

The Visual Media SCSI Card is $399 and is distributed via
Merisel and Tech Data as well as by New Media. The company
says the SCSI Card comes with a lifetime warranty.

Irvine, California-based New Media has also shipped US made
integrated circuit (IC) dynamic random access memory (DRAM)
cards, a Type 1 Ethernet card, and a PCMCIA modem card.
Company officials claim a PCMCIA Sound Card for Windows
will be available in the fourth quarter of 1993.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931005/Press Contact: Tim Dubes, Lages &
Associates for New Media, tel [phone], fax [phone];
Saundy Hill, New Media, 714-453-0100; Public Contact, New
Media, 800-453-0550)


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

ATI Intros MCA Graphics Card, OS/2 Drivers 10/06/93
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- Hoping to
capitalize on corporate users' growing concern about graphics
performance, ATI Technologies Inc., has announced a version of its
Graphics Ultra Pro graphics accelerator card for Micro Channel
Architecture (MCA) expansion slots, plus OS/2 2.1 drivers for
several of its products.

A number of corporate customers that use IBM's PS/2 systems and
OS/2 expressed interest in graphics hardware and software that
would work with their systems, said Andrew Clarke, spokesman for
ATI. The company had previously produced one MCA card - the 8514
Ultra - in a previous generation of products, he said.

The new Graphics Ultra Pro MC uses ATI's mach32 graphics
controller, and the company claimed it provides better graphics
performance than higher-priced local-bus graphics. The card will
also allow Video for Windows video images to be scaled to
full-screen size without motion becoming jerky, ATI officials
said.

The card works with standard 8514/A drivers, ATI said, and comes
with support for Windows, Windows NT, OS/2, AutoCAD, and
MicroStation. Due to be available October 15, it will have a list
price of US$549, or C$699.

ATI also released drivers for the OS/2 2.1 operating system for
its Graphics Ultra+ and Graphics Ultra Pro mach32 accelerators
and its Graphics Ultra, Graphics Vantage, and 8514/Ultra mach8
accelerators. The drivers will run the OS/2 Presentation Manager
desktop at resolutions up to 1,024 by 768 with the mach8 cards
and 1,280 by 1,024 with the mach32 cards, the company said.

Clarke said increased use of Microsoft Windows and other
graphical software has drawn attention to graphics performance,
making corporate users more inclined to buy graphics accelerators
and related products.

(Grant Buckler/19931005/Press Contact: Andrew Clarke, ATI
Technologies, 905-882-2600 ext. 8491, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00004)

Wordperfect Gets Mac Medical Dictionary/Spell Checker 10/06/93
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- Wordperfect has signed a
distribution deal with Baltimore-based Williams & Wilkins
Electronic Media to distribute an electronic medical dictionary
and a medical terms spell checker for its Wordperfect word
processing program.

The company said it will distribute an English-language version
of Stedman's/25 Plus electronic medical/pharmaceutical spell
checker and Stedman's Definitions, a pop-up electronic medical
dictionary as early as next month.

Stedman's/25 Plus contains more than 200,000 medical and
pharmaceutical words and will be available for the Macintosh
version of Wordperfect including the newest release, version 3.0.
The program is also available for the DOS and Windows versions of
Wordperfect. Stedman's Definitions contains about 40,000
definitions of medical words.

Don Emery, Wordperfect VP of market solutions and electronic
publishing, said the Stedman's products are the first in a
planned suite of word processor-centered products that are
specific to the health care industry. The company claims there
are about 13 million Wordperfect users worldwide.

(Jim Mallory/19931005/Press contact: Ken Merritt, Wordperfect
Corporation, 801-228-5059, Valerie Stewart, Williams & Wilkins;
Reader contact: Wordperfect Corporation, 800-451-5151


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00005)

SPT Intros High-End Digital-To-Analog Converter 10/06/93
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- A
Colorado company has introduced a high-resolution video
digital-to-analog (DAC) converter that includes virtual reality
among its many potential uses.

The SPT5220 DAC has a conversion rate of 80 million words per
second and 10-bit resolution. Colorado Springs-based Signal
Processing Technologies says that makes it one of the fastest
high-resolution video DACs available.

The SPT5220's on-chip features include sync, blank, and bright
inputs that make it directly compatible with video and graphics
display signal standards. SPT says it is also well suited to
visual simulation, CAD (computer-aided design) and CAE
(computer-aided engineering) workstations, high definition
television (HDTV), solids modeling, and medical imaging displays.

According to SPT Director of Marketing Rick Mintle, most high-end
systems have had to use 8-bits of video resolution per red-green-
blue channel. He says that provides plenty of colors but not
enough intensity dynamic range. "With the 10-bits of resolution,
the SPT5220 gives four times the range of gradations from light
to dark, as well as four times as many possible colors." Mintle
says the DAC's high conversion speed and accuracy also make it a
good match for photo-realistic rendering prepress color matching
and retouching, and animation.

The SPT5220 accepts 10-bit input words at rates up to 80 million
words per second and produces analog video output that can
directly drive double-terminated 75-ohm load to standard RS-343A
and RS-170 video levels. Integral and differential linearity
error is rated at less than (plus or minus) 1 LSB. Input data formats
are binary, two's complement, inverse binary and inverse two's
complement.

The DAC is manufactured in low-power CMOS (complimentary metal
oxide semiconductor) technology and operates from a single five-volt
power supply, with a typical power dissipation of 260 milliwatts.
Digital inputs are CMOS/TTL-compatible. Pricing is $9.50 per DAC in
 quantities of 100, and SPT says the zero to +70 degrees C
commercial temperature range product is available immediately.

SPT was founded in 1983 as a business unit of Honeywell Inc., and
became an independent, privately-owned corporation in 1989. The
company became a subsidiary of Toko Inc., in 1990.

(Jim Mallory/19931005/Press contact: Jill Goebel, Origin Systems
for SPT, 719-630-3384; Reader contact: SPT, 719-528-2300 or
800-643-3778, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00006)

UK - PPCP To Intro PC LAN Modem-Sharing Product 10/06/93
FELTHAM, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- PPCP, the
portable technology distribution company, has announced plans to
diversify into the local area network (LAN) communications
marketplace with the MultimodemLAN, a modem-sharing and
remote control access product for Novell Ethernet LANs.

According to PPCP, the MultimodemLAN enables LAN-based users
to dial out to information services, PCs or other LANs through a
shared modem, rather than allocating a stand-alone modem and
phone line to each workstation on a network.

The technology also allows remote users to dial into the LAN to
access files and applications in remote control sessions.

The MultimodemLAN is a self-contained data/fax modem with an
integral 80386SX microprocessor, 2 megabytes (MB) of memory and
Ethernet network hardware, housed in a casing about the same size as
a desktop modem. The unit is supplied with a modem sharing software
package and a dial-in/dial-out remote control PC comms package.

When used as a dial-in remote control server, the unit's internal
processor acts as a node on the Novell network for access to the
LAN. The unit can also be used to connect two remote LANs over
the public switched telephone network (PSTN).

Announcing the MultimodemLAN, John Nolan, PPCP's managing
director, said that unit can be configured to take up to 16MB of
memory, providing coax (10Base2) and twisted pair (10BaseT)
connectivity for thin-net or UTP (unshielded twisted pair)
networks.

The internal fax modem on the unit supports all data speeds to
14,400 bits-per-second (bps) with V.42Bis data compression as
standard. Support for Group 3 (9600 bps) fax transmission and
reception is featured as standard on the fax modem.

Nolan told Newsbytes that pricing on the unit very much depends
on what configuration the user wants on his system. "Typically,
you're looking at a price tag of under the UKP2,000 mark," he said.

(Steve Gold/19931005/Press & Public Contact: PPCP -
Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00007)

Sun In Master Reseller Deal With Merisel 10/06/93
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- Sun
Microsystems Computer Corp., (SMCC) has cut the number of master
resellers authorized to sell its equipment to just two. According
to the company, the action was taken in an effort to provide
focused support to its resellers in the United States.

As a result, Merisel Inc., has joined Access Graphics Inc., as
a SMCC master reseller. Both Merisel and Access will have a
dedicated SMCC support team comprised of sales, marketing,
and technical personnel.

SMCC says that Merisel and Access will provide the majority of its
value-added resellers (VARs) and a number of original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs) with distribution and logistical and
operational support.

Under the agreement, master resellers will also help create
business opportunities for SMCC's indirect resellers through ISV
recruitment programs and vertical market development activities.

In explaining the SMCC strategy, Neil Knox, vice president of the
national reseller area, said: "The two tier model has been successful
for SMCC. SMCC is focusing its attention on two master resellers,
who in turn will increase their investment in the resources and
infrastructure required to successfully support SMCC's commercial
and technical indirect resellers and thus effectively enhance
SMCC's business proposition."

Merisel is described as a "full-line channel specialist with
extensive knowledge and experience supporting the Unix
operating system."

Just a week ago, Newsbytes reported that ComputerLand had
signed a letter of intent to sell its Franchise and Distribution
Division to Merisel. The two companies also announced the
formation of a "strategic relationship." Merisel will also become
the preferred supplier of software and hardware products under
a volume purchase agreement to ComputerLand Corp.

(Ian Stokell/19931006/Press Contact: Lisa Ganier,
415-336-5637, Sun Microsystems Computer Corp.)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00008)

Correction - Nintendo Profits Dive, NTT Cutting Heads 10/06/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- Note: This story replaces one
with the same headline which ran on our wire yesterday.

Japan's major game machine maker Nintendo has announced that
profits will be less than those of previous terms. Nintendo's
profits have increased every year -- this will be the first
quarter in ten years to break the pattern. Meanwhile, times
are still lean for Japan's  telecommunications firm NTT, which
has requested  voluntary retirement  from its executive employees.

In the fiscal year ending in March 1994, Nintendo expects to record
500 billion yen ($5 billion) in sales, which is 11 percent less
than in this quarter last year. Earlier this year, the firm expected
sales to be 600 billion yen ($6 billion), a projection which has
not come to pass due to the surge of  Japanese currency against
the dollar. In fact, export sales will be 254 billion yen
($2.54 billion) or 22 percent less than that of this quarter last
year.

Nintendo's net profit is expected to also fall in comparison to
last year.  Nintendo reports that net profit will be
121 billion yen ($1.21 billion), which is  26 percent less than
the similar term last year.

Sales of  Nintendo software overseas is also expected to
decline about eight percent to  76.25 million units. Sales of
game machines will also go down by 10 percent to 15.87 million
units.

In another economy-related story, former domestic telephone
monopoly NTT has requested that executive employees aged
45 or over, voluntarily retire. The firm wants to eventually cut
6,000 out of 25,000 executive jobs, but its immediate goal is
to cut 1,000 with today's offer. Those who choose the buy-out
will be given a year's salary.

Currently, NTT has about 230,000 employees and the plan is
to eliminate 30,000 of them by the end of  fiscal 1996.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19931005/Press Contact:
Nintendo, [phone], Fax, [phone]; NTT,
[phone], Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00009)

The "Fax" About Windows For Workgroups 10/06/93
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- Microsoft
wants you to get the "fax." They mean the fax that Microsoft
Windows for Workgroups version 3.11 can send using WFW
3.11's built-in Microsoft Mail client interface.

As reported recently by Newsbytes, major features of the
newly announced WFW 3.11 include its integrated networking
capability and its Microsoft At Work fax software. The fax
connection is the first part of Microsoft's Microsoft at Work
(MAW) concept to be released. MAW is an architecture designed
to provide an information path between formerly incompatible
devices like fax machines, telephones, copiers, and personal
computers.

In announcing the MAW architecture in June of this year Microsoft
Chairman Bill Gates said, "Software technology is the key to
making the features of office products easy to use, and to
getting information to the user when, where, and how the user
needs it."  Gates talked about telephones with graphical point-
and-touch screens, documents composed on a personal computer
that are sent via electronic mail to a fax machine and held until
it can be sent during of hours when phone rates are lower, and
documents created on a PC that can be sent to a copier that
prints as many copies as the user needs.

Microsoft says that, when users of WFW 3.11 or MAW-based fax
machines communicate, they get benefits beyond today's Group 3
(an international standard to which most fax machines adhere) fax
device compatibility.

Karen Hargrove, senior general manager of the digital office
systems group at Microsoft, says they get the ability to send and
receive file attachments, or binary files, over fax lines. They also
get secure communications.

The security capability included in WFW 3.11 uses an encryption
technology based on RSA Data Security Inc.'s public key/private
key method of ensuring that the contents of a fax message can
only be read by the intended recipient. Digital signatures ensure
that the contents of a document have not been altered during
transmissions.

At least 70 companies have already announced support for
Microsoft At Work.

(Jim Mallory/19931006/Press contact: Collins Hemingway,
Microsoft Corp., 206-882-8080; Reader contact: Microsoft Corp.,
206-882-8080 or 800-426-9400)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00010)

Supra Buys PSI Integration, Some Jobs To Go 10/06/93
ALBANY, OREGON, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- Modem marketer
Supra Corp., says it has completed the purchase of PSI Integration
(PSII), a Campbell, California-based modem manufacturer
specializing in Macintosh-based products.

Supra spokesperson Sally McMillan told Newsbytes both companies
had agreed not to disclose the terms of the purchase. The deal
closed on September 30, 1993. McMillan said PSI's 31 employees
have all been laid off and are now being interviewed for possible
employment by Supra, but some will not be rehired. No decision
has been made about possible relocation of the PSII functions.

McMillan told Newsbytes PSII manufactured modems for Apple
Computer's PowerBook line under the Suprafaxmodem label, with
models for data and fax communications at speeds from 4800
bits-per-second (bps) to 14,400 bps. Purchase of PSII gave Supra
an entry into the European modem market, since PSII had several
modems already certified as meeting European communications
standards.

Supra was formed in 1985 to manufacture peripherals for the
Atari market. With the decline of that market Supra began making
modems in 1987 to broaden their product line. They market their
high speed modems to the PC and Macintosh marketplace under
the Supra label.

(Jim Mallory/19931006/Press contact: Sally McMillan,
Supra Corp., 206-750-9600; Reader contact: Supra Corp.,
503-967-9075)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00011)

 ****Apple's Austin, TX, Land Purchase Sparks Move Talk 10/06/93
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 5 (NB) -- Apple
Computer is denying reports that it has decided to move a
significant portion of Apple USA to Austin, Texas, over the
next two years. Apple's negotiation with the city and county
government for a piece of land in Austin may have sparked
the speculation.

Apple did say in its announcement of reorganization this summer
that it would seek sites outside Silicon Valley that were less
expensive. However, what would be moved, who would move, and
when was left up in the air. The company did move its Apple USA
service and support personnel to Austin in 1991 at the same
time it opened up a repair center in Fountain, Colorado, 12
miles south of Colorado Springs.

Newsbytes sources said speculation over an Apple USA move to
Texas may have come from the fact that Apple is negotiating for
a piece of land in the Austin area. However, those same sources
claim the land is proposed permanent housing for the estimated
300 existing Apple employees who are now in locations leased
by Apple, and not necessarily new housing for a major move by
the company.

Kate Paisley of Apple Computer said: "When we said we would be
restructuring, we said we would look at moving some operations
out of Silicon Valley. We have no specific plans for any location
right now, though we are considering many different options."

(Linda Rohrbough/19931005/Press Contact: Kate Paisley, Apple
Computer, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00012)

Low-Cost Sound/Cellular Notebooks From Inex 10/06/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- A low-cost,
sound- and cellular-capable 486SX-based notebook is now shipping
from a Santa Clara, CA-based startup, Inex Technologies. In
addition, Inex plans to deliver two 486DX2-based members of the
new Inex 4000 Series, along with a cellular phone, in December.

At a meeting with Newsbytes in Boston, David Marr, marketing
director, said that the currently shipping Inex 4250 comes with a
25 megahertz (MHz) Intel processor, an AudioDrive multimedia chip,
a 120 or 240 megabyte (MB) removable hard drive, 4MB of memory
(upgradable to 16 MB), an 84-key keyboard, and a choice of
monochrome or passive matrix color LCD (liquid crystal display)
screen.

The 486SX model also includes an internal microphone and speaker,
ports for an external mike and speakers, a math coprocessor slot,
and another slot that will accommodate a proprietary card from Inex
together with two PCMCIA Type II cards, he said.

The proprietary cards, which constitute the company's Connectivity
Solution PAK Series, include communication interfaces to cellular
phones, Ethernet and token ring local area networks, X.25 packet
networks, and 3270 and 5250 environments, he told Newsbytes.

Marr demonstrated the Inex 4250 for Newsbytes, displaying the
proprietary slot and a smaller, slide-in drawer inside the
proprietary slot for PCMCIA cards. For cellular connectivity,
users can employ either the Cellular Data PAK from Inex or a
PCMCIA cellular card, he said. Either card will operate with
cellular phones from other vendors, as well as with the
forthcoming phone from Inex.

In addition to voice calling, the Inex 4000 Series lets users
perform such applications as recording conversations and
dictation, adding voice annotation to electronic-mail, and
playing back multimedia presentations, Marr told Newsbytes.

The AudioDrive multimedia chip allows users to take advantage of
all Windows 3.1 audio capabilities, he explained. Sound recorder
tools in the AudioDrive software, the Windows 3.1 Program Manager,
and third-party applications can be employed for recording voice
annotation or dictation.

Further, pre-recorded sound clips can be used to liven up voice
annotations or the audio tracks of presentations. Marr played a
few sample clips for Newsbytes from the AudioDrive software
and Microsoft SoundBits.

AudioDrive produced statements like, "This is a reminder" and,
"Time to go to lunch," in addition to the sounds of a frog and a canon.
SoundBits contributed comments from Ray Bolger in "The Wizard of
Oz," George Jetson of "The Jetsons," and other stars of Hollywood
movies and Hanna Barbara cartoons.

The sound clips are OLE (object linking and embedding)-compliant
WAV files that can be cut and pasted into any Windows 3.1
application, Marr explained.

In other application spheres, multimedia presentations with voice
playback are going to become an increasingly common business
mechanism as authoring tools get easier to use, he predicted.
Typically, the presentations will be authored on a desktop PC, and
then downloaded to a notebook like those in the 4000 Series for
on-the-road sales applications, he added.

The 4000 Series can also be used with applications in the emerging
arena of speech recognition, the marketing director pointed out.

The Inex 4000 Series is differentiated from its competitors by its
use of the AudioDrive chip, its internal microphone, and its
pricing, said Marr. "We're the only ones to offer an internal
mike," he asserted. Suggested list pricing for the 4250 starts at
$2,995, but actual street pricing is as low as $2,000, he noted.
The proprietary Connectivity Solution PAK cards are priced at
$249 each.

"Our lower pricing should compensate for the name recognition
factor," he told Newsbytes. Inex Technologies was founded in
August, 1992 with 60 percent funding from Nae Wae Semiconductor,
a Seoul, Korea-based notebook manufacturer and component
distributor with annual sales of over $100 million.

Inex Technology's products are being designed by Inex and
manufactured by Nae Wae, said Marr. Inex is also building name
recognition by advertising in Mobile Office, Computer Reseller
News, and other publications, and through a cooperative advertising
program for retailers.

In addition, Inex will be present at Fall Comdex, where the two
upcoming 486DX2-based notebooks and cellular phone will be
shown. One of the new notebooks will be based on a 50MHz 486DX2
processor, and the other will use a 66MHz 486DX2 chip, said Marr.

Aside from faster processors, the new models will feature an active
matrix screen as a third LCD option and 3.3-volt battery technology
in place of the 5.0-volt technology used in the Inex 4250.

The 3.3-volt technology will roughly double battery life,
according to Marr. "We're shooting for eight hours of battery life on
units with monochrome screens and five hours of battery life on
units with active matrix screens," he told Newsbytes. Pricing for
the 486DX2 notebooks and cellular phone has not yet been set.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931006/Press contact:  Christine Kohlstedt,
S & S Public Relations for Inex, 415-986-0966; Reader contact:
David Marr, Inex, 408-986-9941)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00013)

C++/Views 3.0 Cross-Platform Object Dev't Tool Intro'd 10/06/93
FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- Liant
Software has unveiled a major upgrade of its C++/Views
cross-platform object-oriented development tool.

C++/Views is aimed at speeding up and simplifying the creation of
graphical user interface (GUI)-based applications, and at making it
easier to port these applications among Microsoft Windows, Apple
Macintosh, OS/2 Presentation Manager, and OSF/Motif, a company
spokesperson told Newsbytes.

The new release 3.0 expands portability to a new DOS character
version, and also adds a visual development tool -- C++/Views
Constructor -- that is designed to let developers deliver
applications to multiple platforms without rewriting code or
recompiling.

C++/Views Constructor combines a visual interface builder with an
improved browser, permitting users to switch from drawing and
archiving "portable resources" -- binary files of GUI objects
such as bitmaps, dialogs and menus -- to viewing and editing
C++ code.

The new C++ Interface Builder is a WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-
you-get) tool for designing and testing the behavior of these
"portable resources."  The developer calls the binary files from
the application at runtime. The same file can be called from an MS
Windows, Macintosh, Presentation Manager, Motif, or DOS
application.

The file will have a "look and feel" consistent with the host
environment under which it runs, according to the spokesperson.
For example, a "pushbutton" object created under Windows that is
ported to a Motif application will become a Motif pushbutton, she
said.

C++/Views Browser 3.0, the enhanced browser, is a multiple
document interface (MDI) application intended to let users open
and cut-and-paste among multiple C++ applications. The new
browser is also easier to use than the browser in C++/Views
Browser 2.0, the spokesperson told Newsbytes. The interface has
been enhanced with new menus, graphical toolbars, a new visual
representation of the class hierarchy, and a class finding utility.

Within the browser, the developer can create and update header
files, make files, and linker files, and also view the class
hierarchy and edit, inherit, add and delete classes.

For Release 3.0, Liant has completely rewritten the C++/Views
documentation. The new documentation includes a manual for
C++/Views Constructor.

C++/Views 3.0 for Windows will ship in mid-October, the
spokesperson told Newsbytes. The Macintosh, OS/2, Motif, and DOS
versions are scheduled to become available in the fourth quarter.

Pricing is $749 for the MS-Windows version, $1,499 for the
Macintosh version, $999 for the OS/2 version, $1,999 for the Motif
version, and $499 for the DOS version. Upgrade pricing is also
available. Special multiplatform developer suites can be purchased
for $899 to $2,999. No royalties or runtime fees are charged.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931006/Reader contact:  Liant Software,
508-872-8700; Press contact:  Christine LeCompte, Beaupre &
Company Public Relations for Liant, 603-436-6690)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00014)

India - UK's Uniplex In Manufacturing Deal With Tata 10/06/93
BOMBAY, INDIA, 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- Tata Unisys Ltd., has paved the
way for a third foreign computer company to set up a manufacturing
base in India. It is now the turn of UK-based Uniplex Corp., to set up
shop. A manufacturing and distribution deal between the UK
company and TUL has been signed in Bombay.

According to company executives, "Initially the joint venture will
cater to the growing needs of the Indian market, but in due course
will expand to other Asian nations." Uniplex becomes TUL's fourth
foreign partner -- the others being US-based Microsoft, Santa Cruz
Operation, and AutoDesk. For the UK company, it will be its first
manufacturing joint venture in Asia.

The joint venture is expected to commence manufacturing
operations at TUL's existing unit in Goa, near Bombay, by
November-end. The venture will concentrate mainly on integrated
office automation and electronic mail equipment.

(C. T. Mahabharat/19931001)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00015)

Japan - Sharp To Move LCD Production To Taiwan 10/06/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- Sharp is preparing to move
its computer color LCD (liquid crystal display) production
operation to Taiwan. Moving the operation overseas will help
avoid losses caused by the high price of Japanese currency.

Sharp already has a subsidiary -- Sharp Electronics Component
-- in Taiwan. It was created in 1992, and has been producing
monochrome LCDs and semiconductor chips for LCDs.

Sharp has recently updated the facility in order to produce
super-twist nematic-type color LCDs at the plant. The company
is planning to produce 5,000 color LCDs a month initially.
Later, it hopes to produce 10,000 units per month. Sharp will
supply some components, such as semiconductor chips, from
its Nara plant in Japan.

Some Japanese PC makers have linked with Taiwanese
manufacturers to produce PCs on an OEM (original equipment
manufacturer) basis. These makers have started making color
notebooks, and they are gradually increasing production rate.

Sharp will produce color LCDs and hopes to supply them to these
color PC makers. Sharp is currently producing the color LCDs in
Japan and the US.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19931004/Press Contact: Sharp,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00016)

ADI To Ship Real-time Video Compression Chips 10/05/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 5 (NB) -- Arlington Heights,
Illinois-based Audio DigitalImaging (ADI) has announced that the
company's Apogee M-1 Series ASIC (application specific
integrated circuit) will be ready by the end of October.

The Apogee M-1 is a video compression processor used in video
conferencing and computer-based multimedia workstations.
Intended for use in high-end video production boards, the Apogee
chips offer inexpensive broadcast-quality television processing
capabilities for PCs, claims the company.

The Apogee chip family are three-volt CMOS (complimentary metal
oxide semiconductor) devices. They include MPEG and H.261 (video
compression) and support chips, as well as a soon-to-be-released
decode-only chip.

These chips are intended for board and computer developers rather
than end-users, but their availability should mark the beginning
of a new generation of professional-quality yet inexpensive video
enhancement and manipulation boards.

(John McCormick/19931005/Press Contact: Jean Monroe, ADI,
708-439-1335)


(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00017)

Antex Intros Digital Audio Board 10/05/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 5 (NB) -- Gardena, California-
based Antex Electronics has introduced the SX-22 digital audio
board.

The product is the seventh in its line of high-performance digital
audio boards in the Antex Series 2 catalog, and the third which
includes advanced Dolby encoding. This sophisticated real-time
broadcast-quality PC and PS/2 audio compression board lists for
$2,300 and comes with advanced Dolby AC-2 noise suppression
technology.

The SX-22 uses the Texas Instruments MS320C31 digital signal
processor (DSP) chip and is the only board to utilize the Dolby
AC-2 bit-rate reduction technique for high-quality compressed
sound in three sample rates of 32-, 44.1- and 48-kilohertz.

This sophisticated DSP, along with the Dolby AC-2 sound
processing algorithm, lets the board store full-fidelity (20
kilohertz) audio in stereo at a rate of only 256 kilobits per
second, greatly reducing the size of full-fidelity stereo sound
files. This would allow multimedia PC systems to carry full
CD-quality sound in applications and in wide area networking
applications over T1 (1.5 megabit per second) telephone lines.

Besides the new Dolby AC-2 format, the SX-22 also supports PCM
(pulse code modulation), ADPCM (adaptive PCM), DV-I (digital
video interactive), and CD-ROM XA (extended architecture) formats.

A special security feature can be implemented in the SX-22
hardware, which could make it highly attractive to high-end audio
and video development software publishers. This would allow
them to key their software so it only works in a system with
the SX-22 installed.

The audio specifications of the board match those of very high-end
audio components, with a frequency response of 20 hertz to 22
kilohertz plus or minus 3 dB, dynamic range of 92 dB (comparable
to CD), and a signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of 90 dB minimum. The
total harmonic distortion is .005 percent for both record and
playback operations. The frequency range is slightly decreased
for Dolby AC-2 recordings, but the S/N ratio is improved.

(John McCormick/19931005/Press Contact: David Buccola,
Antex Electronics, tel [phone] or 310-532-3092,
fax [phone])


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

 ****Dow Jones Debuts Personal Journal On-Line Service 10/06/93
PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- Starting with
hand-held devices using Microsoft at Work software, Dow Jones is
rolling out a new on-line service it calls Personal Journal.

The product is aimed at giving customers an on-line, customized
view of Dow Jones' news products, including its Wall Street
Journal daily and Barrons' weekly newspapers, as well as its
newswires. Subscribers can create a "personal profile" of stocks
and news subjects of interest, explained spokesman Maggie Logan
Landis.

The hand-held device would be plugged-in each morning to
download both the Journal's "What's News" digest of major
stories, and other stories chosen as part of the profile. Entire
stories could be read by clicking on a listing. Updates on
stories and stock quotes could also be downloaded throughout
the day.

What may be most interesting about the product is its projected
cost. Landis said it will be on the order of the cost of a daily
newspaper -- the Wall Street Journal carries a street price of 75
cents. "Absolutely, other products are what we want to do," she
added. "We want to go after other handhelds, but also other
computing platforms."

Microsoft said it will ship the Personal Journal application
software with its handheld software. Owners of Microsoft At
Work-based handheld devices who want to subscribe will do so
through Dow Jones.

Personal Journal is the first news publication Microsoft is
actively supporting as part of its new operating system. In
addition to business coverage, the service also offers scores
from major professional sports and college games involving
the "Top 25" schools.

The target market includes frequent travelers and mobile
salespeople. Access will be via a toll-free number. Each day's
Wall Street Journal becomes available at 2 am each morning
before publication, and the newswire stories are available
once they clear the desk. The product's due for release in early
1994. All news sources are owned by Dow Jones.

Microsoft is shipping a version of Microsoft At Work fax software
with version 3.11 of its Microsoft Windows for Workgroups,
allowing PCs with fax hardware to use the Microsoft Mail client
interface. Microsoft At Work was announced in June with the
support of 70 office machine, communication, and computer
companies. Telephones, printers, and copiers, as well as hand-
held devices, are targeted by the product.

The new Dow Jones product will enter a surprisingly crowded
market. In addition to current news profile services like
NewsEdge and Individual Inc., there are new entrants like Reality
Technologies Inc., of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. That company
announced, in conjunction with Money Magazine, a new personalized
news clipping service called Reality's Smart Investor Network by
Money Magazine. In addition to sourcing Money, a Time-Warner
publication, the new service also offers Dow Jones' wires and
publications, investment newsletters and news from the CNBC
business news channel. Subscribers choose subjects by company
names, industry names or mutual fund names. All stories are
downloaded to a hard drive, so any story can be read without
going online. Network software costs $49.99, and ships November 1.

The service is said to be priced at $6.95 per month, but that is
misleading because Reality has other services with their own
costs. In addition to the software, there's a flat fee of $9.95
per month for the basic service, which updates a user's portfolio
based on current prices of stocks, bonds, and funds. For another
$8 per month, investors can get updates on stock and bond
research databases as well as historical pricing charges.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931006/Press Contact: Dow Jones & Company,
Maggie Logan Landis, 609/520-4638; Microsoft, Collins Hemingway,
206/882-8080; Wendy Grubow, Reality Technologies, 215-277-
7600x216)


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

 ****MFS Opens Local New York Network 10/06/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- MFS
Communications has launched the new era of local telephone
competition by announcing MFS Intelenet, which has started
competing with NYNEX for local telephone service business on
Manhattan Island. The company said it will expand service to the
other five boroughs of New York quickly, and in time offer local
service in the suburbs and in other cities where MFS does business.

MFS Intelenet is targeted at small and medium-sized businesses,
which spokesman Steve Ingish defined as those with between
5-200 phone lines. "There might be some moms and pops," small
businesses with a single phone line asking for the service, he
added. "If they want it, they can get it."

In addition to offering local access and an expanded toll-free
calling area which includes the suburbs, MFS Intelenet also
offers long distance services and facilities management, using
both its own MFS Datanet network and others. The company said it
has software which can determine the lowest-cost route for all
long distance calls, depending on destination and time of day.
Other services offered through the company include calling card,
toll-free service, voice mail, customized billing, management
reports and facilities management.

With this announcement, MFS becomes the only one-stop shopping
option for small businesses' phone service needs. Because of the
1982 decision breaking up the Bell System, companies and
consumers for almost 10 years have had to go to one company for
local service, and a second company for long distance.

When local competition came to the United Kingdom a few years
ago, there was a great deal of confusion because British Telecom
made people who switched carriers change phone numbers, and some
complained their listings were no longer available in BT phone
books or through BT operators. Those problems have already been
dealt with, Ingish said. "We have made arrangements for people to
keep their same numbers, at no extra cost. We've also made
arrangements that their numbers will still be listed as well."

MFS started in business with fiber rings in major cities, and now
has 14 such networks. Its original business lay in moving calls
for big companies from their offices to the long distance
switches of major carriers, bypassing local Bell companies. It
has since linked its networks and is offering its own long
distance service between cities for both voice and data through
a unit called MFS Datanet. MFS' common stock is traded on the
NASDAQ  National Market System under the symbol MFST.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931006/Press Contact: Steve Ingish,
MFS Communications, 708-218-7200; Customer contact:
800-938-6374)


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

 ****MCI Going Ahead With PCN Plans 10/06/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- MCI will push
ahead with its plan to offer a national network of PCN (personal
communications network) carriers despite an FCC decision
against offering national licenses for the technology.

Newsbytes discussed the company's stance with Steven Zecola,
MCI's vice president of personal communications services, whose
job involves executing the strategy.

"We had signed up over 200 partners and had a nationwide
consortium committed to 75 percent of the potential customers
nationwide, but that was contingent in a nationwide licensing
scheme. We even had small businesses, tailored to specific
markets. The question for small businesses is how are they going
to bid on an metropolitan area license. It's not clear. We're
going to have to work to see how they can play in the new
environment."

But Zecola insists it will be a player. "We'll do some" deals before
PCN auctions "and we'll do some after," he said. In addition to the
existing consortium members, which include a broad range of
companies from major cable operators to small businesses, MCI
will also seek other partners, including regional Bell companies
and others like NexTel, who might want to link with it through
its long distance network.

Zecola said the promise of PCN lies in the large amount of
spectrum being made available for it. "There's 120 megahertz (MHz)
of spectrum in PCN. Cellular has only 50. There's an enormous amount
of spectrum." By contrast, where specialized mobile radio operators
like NexTel aggregate frequency licenses in order to compete with
local cellular operators, they are talking about 8-12 MHz of
frequency in each area.

Zecola does not expect the September decision of the FCC on this
matter to change much, he adds. "There's a final report and order
dealing with the 30 MHz, major trading areas, etc" and that
will not change much at all. "There's another that deals with
auction procedures, and that could change" to a greater degree.
But, "I wouldn't want (people to believe) there's going
to be a wholesale change, and the FCC staff has indicated that.
This is on a fast track, for the government."

Zecola also expects some controversy to continue in this area,
but says that no decision by the FCC could have prevented that
because the stakes are too high. "I don't think this is going to
settle down. It's going to be very political. They have to come
out with final auction rules in March. People will also go to
court, until the auctions in May. You're going to see a
tremendous amount of activity until then. At that point, the
people with spectrum may litigate but they'll move ahead. "

Zecola also addressed MCI's own new structure, which has three
key executives who seem to be in charge of domestic business,
international business and wireless. "The guy in charge of
wireless is also in charge of strategy and technology. He's got
data, he's got corporate development," which means doing deals,
"he's got technology, and he's got me. Wireless is still a key
strategic initiative.

"We're still looking for other partners" worldwide, after the BT
deal, he added. "There's a lot of activity. There's a lot of
uncertainty. Technology is moving quickly."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931006/Press Contact: Steve Zecola, MCI,
202-887-3300)


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

NexTel Signs Billing Deal 10/06/93
EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- NexTel, which
is working to turn a number of specialized mobile radio licenses
into a real competitor to local cellular companies, announced it
signed a billing agreement with Computer Sciences Corp.

CSC estimated the value of the contract at $25 million over four
years, and calls for its CSC Intelicom telecommunications unit to
provide a business-management system that streamlines the way
customers are billed.

The system tracks services like paging, phone and voice mail
onto a single simplified bill. It also supports carriers with
inventory tracking, customer communications, point of sale and
marketing. In addition, CSC will give Nextel data on customers'
needs, such as when their calling patterns change and they could
use a different billing plan.

The contract with CSC initially applies only to California.
Service was introduced in Los Angeles in August and will be
expanded to include most of California by January 1994.  Other
markets to be served by Nextel include New York, San Francisco,
Chicago, Dallas, and Houston. Nextel currently serves about
190,000 subscribers. Computer Sciences has $2.5 billion in annual
revenues divided equally between federal and commercial markets.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931006/Press Contact: Computer Sciences
Bruce Plowman, 310/615-0311)


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

CA Ships Visual 20/20 Spreadsheet For Windows 10/06/93
ISLANDIA, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- Computer
Associates International Inc., said it has begun shipping
CA-Visual 20/20 for Windows, a new version of its 20/20
spreadsheet software with added graphical features.

Last spring CA announced plans for a version of Visual 20/20 to
run on Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Solaris variant of Unix. That
version is still under development, said Stu Cartwright, a CA
marketing manager, so the Windows version is the first Visual
20/20 package to reach the market.

The company is also working on versions of 20/20 for Digital
Equipment Corp.'s Open VMS and Hewlett-Packard Co.'s HP-UX
operating systems. Cartwright said its ability to run on multiple
systems will be a major selling point for the software.

According to the vendor, Visual 20/20 has an object-oriented user
interface in which users select an object to act on and then
choose an action. It uses familiar graphical user interface
devices such as toolbars, pull-down menus, buttons, and dialog
boxes. Visual 20/20 is a three-dimensional spreadsheet, and like
certain rival products such as Lotus Development Corp.'s 1-2-3
Release 4, it lets users create multiple pages within a single
spreadsheet file.

The software can also be used to extract data from host databases
on Digital VAX systems, using the structured query language (SQL)
standard, and can import data directly into spreadsheets. The
software also has graphing and macro features, the company said.

The list price for CA-Visual 20/20 for Windows will be $395, but
CA announced an introductory price of $195 good until December 31.
A Database Connection Server, needed to use the software for
querying host databases, is $1,995 until year-end, then $2,995.
Upgrades from any DOS spreadsheet are $59 until year-end, then
$99.

While Visual 20/20 builds on CA's existing character-based 20/20
spreadsheet, it will not replace the older product, Cartwright
said. "We will continue to develop 20/20," he said, adding that
CA is currently working on a version of 20/20 to run on DEC's
Alpha hardware.

(Grant Buckler/19931006/Press Contact: Bob Gordon, Computer
Associates, 516-342-2391)


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

Exabyte Intros New Tape Drives, Libraries 10/06/93
BOULDER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- Exabyte Corp.,
has announced the addition of four new tape libraries to
its existing product line.

The new products include a 4 millimeter (mm) library and three
new half-height 8mm libraries. The EXB-210, which includes a
newly designed robotics mechanism with an intelligent gripper
that can pick and mount a tape in less than 10 seconds,
incorporates one or two 5.25-inch half-height drives with ten
8mm data cartridges. It can be horizontally rack mounted or used
standalone as a tower unit. An optional bar code reader is available.

The EXB-440 uses up to four 5.25-inch half-height drives and 40
8mm data cartridges. A higher capacity version, the EXB-480 can
accommodate up to four 5.25-inch half-height drives and as many
as 80 8mm data cartridges. Both are rack mountable or can
function as standalone units, and are about the size of a two-
drawer file cabinet. They use snap-in 10-pack cartridge holders
that, when removed, can be covered and stored.  An entry/exit
port allows the insertion or removal of one cartridge at a time.

The EXB-218 can use up to two 4mm drives and 18 4mm data
cartridges. It uses a smaller robotics mechanism than the other
units, and has a removable data cartridge holder with up to 18
bar coded cartridges. When configured with two DDS-1 4mm drives,
it can deliver 38 gigabytes (GB) of data. Other configurations
provide up to 152GB of data storage.

All of the new products contain random-access robotics, enabling
automated storage management operations, and all libraries
include a fixed cartridge location for automated drive cleaning
or an additional data cartridge.

The company says that, when coupled with software available from
Exabyte resellers, the new libraries can completely automate
operations such as hierarchical storage management, unattended
backup and restore, scheduled archiving, image storage, remote
vaulting, disaster prevention and data collection.

Peter Behrendt, Exabyte chairman, president and CEO, says that
while tape libraries are normally associated with high
capacities, the real productivity gains are realized through
automating storage management. "A typical 5GB network can
have 250,000 files and manual storage management costs can
exceed  $100,000 annually. Tape libraries automatically manage
this data and reduce storage management costs by an estimated
30 to 50 percent."

(Jim Mallory/19931006/Press contact: Heather Collaton, Exabyte
Corp, 303-447-7741; Reader contact: Exabyte, 303-447-7741 or
800-392-2983)


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

 ****Iomega To Cut Jobs 10/06/93
ROY, UTAH, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- Iomega Corp., the
company that makes the popular Bernoulli removable cartridge
drives, has announced that it will implement a reduction in
force that will affect about nine percent of its workforce.

Iomega spokesperson Kristy Pregill told Newsbytes the company is
cutting almost 100 of its approximately 1,100 jobs.  Pregill said
the affected employees have already been notified, but the exact
date the cuts are effective has not been decided yet. She said it
would be "quite soon." All the layoffs will take effect on the same
date. Iomega said reductions will affect what the company
described as "non-critical, non- direct labor positions." A voluntary
resignation program has been offered prior to the reduction in
force.

In early September Newsbytes reported that Iomega had announced
the most aggressive price reductions in its 13-year history,
reducing prices on some items by nearly 50 percent, saying the
reductions were necessary to remain competitive. It also said
further expense reductions would be necessary since it has to
operate on lower gross margins. The impending labor force
cutbacks are part of that expense reduction plan. In February
1993 Iomega reduced the pricing of various Tape250 minicartridge
tape drives by up to 20 percent, saying the reductions were based
on the falling prices of personal computers.

Fred Wenninger, Iomega chief executive officer, said the changes
are not due to lack of sales. He says unit volumes continue to
climb as a result of the price cuts and other steps taken by the
company. "These steps are necessary to allow us to continue to
grow our business by keeping our costs down and keeping our
prices competitive."

(Jim Mallory/19931006/Press contact: Kristy Pregill, Iomega
Corp, 801-778-1000)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00025)

European Windows NT Academic Center Announced 10/06/93
WOKINGHAM, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- Microsoft has
announced the opening of the European Microsoft Windows NT
Academic Center (EMWAC), a jointly-funded unit that aims to provide
information, training, and support services tailored to the needs and
budgets of the academic community.

According to Microsoft, the EMWAC has been set up to cope with
interest in the recently-introduced Windows NT operating
system and the surge of interest shown by the European
university and higher education community.

The consortium is being jointly funded by Microsoft Europe,
Edinburgh University, Digital Equipment Corp., Sequent, Datalink
Computers, and Research Machines. Plans call for the UK side of the
consortium's operations, operating out of Edinburgh University,
to supply support direct to universities. Elsewhere in Europe,
EMWAC will work with a number of academic centers to provide
local support.

Sharon Bayley, a spokeswoman for Microsoft, said that the primary
aim of EMWAC is to act as a focus for the support, promotion and
integration of Windows NT into UK and European academia, and that
it will provide a cohesive technical information channel between
consortium partners and the academic community.

Plans also include the running of targeted showcase projects with an
academic bias. These projects will aim to show Windows NT in action
within an academic environment, and identify methods of integration
into that environment. They will cover four main areas: Unix
integration, electronic mail, academic porting, and databases.

EMWAC training and support services will be available shortly.
Edinburgh University is acting as the coordinator for training and
support services. Further information on EMWAC's activities may
be obtained from Edinburgh University on [phone] (Anne
McVelvie) or over the Internet on [e-mail].

(Steve Gold/19931006/Press & Public Contact: Microsoft -
Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00026)

Lotus UK Opens Northern Offices 10/06/93
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- Lotus Development
UK has announced the official opening of its new offices in the
Southgate Center in Cheadle, South Manchester, in the North of
England. The opening of the offices, according to Lotus, is due to
the larger number of sales successes in the North of England
over the last year.

According to Don Cowan, regional manager at Lotus Manchester, the
office opening was sought to provide enhanced training and support
facilities for all of the company's customers in the region, and to
help develop the business and technical skills of the 50 Lotus
systems centers and authorized resellers across the whole of the
North of England.

"With users the size of ICI and Manchester City Council, as well as
the 50 or so Lotus reseller outlets across the North, we need to be
able to offer localized support and training. The new complex
includes purpose-built seminar, training and meeting rooms, as well
as a fully-equipped user lab, which will enable us to demonstrate
all of our products in a variety of different environments," he
said.

(Steve Gold/19931006/Press & Public Contact: Lotus Development
UK - Tel: [phone])


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

UK - Vodafone Claims #1 Slot In Mobile Line Quality 10/06/93
NEWBURY, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- Vodafone is
claiming that it has maintained its position as providing the best
quality mobile phone network in the UK.

The mobile phone service provider claims that this was the
conclusion of the latest nationwide quality survey published by
Oftel, the UK government-sponsored telecommunications regulatory
body. The survey, which was completed in the second quarter of this
year, covered more than 120 routes around the UK, and involved
around 14,500 calls being made on each of the two national
networks - Vodafone and Cellnet.

Vodafone claims that it had a consolidated lead on all 120 routes of
three percent, with an overall success rate for call connection of
94.2 percent, compared to 91.2 percent for Cellnet. In each of the
four regions - London, South, North and Scotland - Vodafone achieved
a higher quality of service for calls made from a fixed line to a
mobile phone and calls made from a mobile to a fixed line.

Vodafone also claims it was the best network on 90 of the 120
routes and was at least five percent ahead on at least a quarter
of the routes.

"As with the original quality survey conducted by Oftel in the first
calendar quarter of 1993, the results again show that the UK has two
excellent nationwide analog networks providing very high quality
service," explained Chris Gent, Vodafone's managing director.

"We're delighted that Vodafone once more had the best results on
every category measured. It was especially pleasing to note that our
overall success rate for calls made has improved by 1.2 percent
since the last survey," he said, adding that this was a direct
result of the investments that the company is making in its analog
network.

"This improvement was achieved despite dealing with more than 40
million calls each week, and having 180,000 subscribers more than
our rival. Whilst the Oftel survey was conducted using fixed car
phones, our trials show that we also have a similar lead on quality
using hand held portables," he added.

(Steve Gold/19931006/Press & Public Contact: Vodafone -
Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00028)

 ****Stratus To Cut Jobs 10/06/93
MARLBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- Despite
claiming to be financially healthy, Stratus Computer Inc., said
it will cut 80 jobs in engineering and manufacturing now, with
plans to chop 80 more positions in other parts of the company by
the end of the year.

In a prepared statement, WIlliam E. Foster, president and chief
executive of Stratus, said the company believes it is, "important
to proactively make changes to our expense structure to maintain
our financial strength. Our business objective is to keep our
operating expenses in line with expected revenues and margins."

Officials said the company's third-quarter results will be in
line with earlier projections, except for a one-time charge of
about $3.5 million to cover severance expenses for the jobs to be
cut now and in the fourth quarter. They added that results for
the full year are expected to be about as projected despite the
special charge.

The company, which supplies fault-tolerant computers, had
revenues of $486.3 million in 1992. It is listed on the New York
Stock Exchange.

Stratus reported net income of $13.5 million on revenue of $124.1
million in the second quarter, which ended July 4. Revenue was up
six percent from $117.4 million in the same quarter of 1992,
while net income was the same as in the year-earlier quarter, the
company said.

In September, Stratus announced the purchase of Shared Financial
Systems Inc., a Dallas-based software and services firm that
specializes in the financial sector. Officials said that purchase
was part of a plan to expand into areas such as financial
services, retail, and travel systems. At the time, company
spokeswoman Susan Cashen said Stratus would do this partly
through further acquisitions.

(Grant Buckler/19931006/Press Contact: David Hayward, Stratus,
508-460-2796)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00029)

Interactive CD Player Wars Begin 10/06/93
SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- The
Interactive compact disc (CD)-player wars have begun. 3DO
reports Matsushita's subsidiary, Panasonic, is placing its Real
brand 3DO Interactive Multiplayer in stores beginning this month.
Company representatives said Panasonic will not talk numbers,
but claims it can have multiplayers in 2,000 retail stores by
Christmas.

The players connect to a television set, retail for $699.95,
and have been dubbed the new video cassette recorders (VCRs) of
the 90's. The Real 3DO players come with two CDs - one containing
the Electronic Arts game "Crash and Burn," and the other offering
information about the system and previews of software titles that
will soon be available.

Eight titles for the player are expected to be available by the
end of October, and a total of 27 titles from 13 companies are
projected to be available in time for the holiday season.

Sanctuary Woods says it is shipping the first shrink-wrapped
title for the 3DO, "Shelley Duvall's It's A Bird's Life," retail priced
at $54.95. Panasonic says the titles will range in price from $40
to $60 each.

Television advertising campaigns and nation wide mall tours in
seven major cities are getting underway to promote the Real
players, Panasonic representatives said. Mall tours offer about
15 3DO units set up with games for mall shoppers to visit and
play as long as they like. In Los Angeles, Panasonic will offer
the only mall tour at two malls on the same weekend,  October
16-17. One will be at the Del Amo Mall and the other at the Los
Ceritos Mall.

Philips has the jump on Panasonic as its Compact Disc
Interactive (CD-I) players have been in retail stores since
last year. The company has started airing "infomercials" on
national television to educate consumers concerning the units.

Besides over $150 game and educational titles, the company is
offering digital movies on CD beginning this month in a deal
with Paramount. Nine movie titles will be offered including Top
Gun, Black Rain, Fatal Attraction, and Star Trek VI. Music
videos will also be available, Philips representatives said.

Philips has also dropped the price of its player down to $499,
but the catch is a $250 MPEG Digital Video cartridge (which
offers Motion Picture Experts Group decompression) must be
added to the CD-I unit in order to play back the compressed
movies.

Both the Panasonic Real 3DO and the CD-I player boast playback
capability of audio CDs and Kodak photo CDs.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931006/Press Contact: Cindy McCaffrey, 3DO,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Bill Pritchard, Panasonic,
201-348-7182; Todd Green, Philips, tel [phone], fax 310-
476-5937)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00030)

Newton Connection Kit For Mac Intro'd 10/06/93
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 6 (NB) -- Macintosh
users with Newton Messagepads can now update their personal
digital assistants (PDAs) from the Macintosh and vice versa via
the Newton Connection Kit version 1.0. The stand-alone version
of the kit is now shipping, Apple Computer said.

The Connection Kit allows Messagepad owners to create, view,
edit, synchronize, and back up the PDA. "Smart Synchronization"
is what Apple calls its technology to update information
between the PDA and the Macintosh when the two are connected.

The kit has been bundled with the $899 version of the
Messagepad that includes the fax/modem since the beginning of
September, but this is the first time its been available as a
separate product.

The kit can create an automatic backup of the Messagepad's
information on the Macintosh hard disk, and tracks previously
synchronized information which may have been deleted on the
Messagepad, automatically storing it in an archive file. In
addition, Apple says the kit can be used to update the system
on the Newton with downloadable system updates from Apple's
on-line sources such as Compuserve, Applelink, or American
Online, or to transfer applications to the Newton from the
Macintosh.

While this is just version 1.0, Apple is already talking about
version 2.0, which is expected later this year. Apple was going
to call version 2.0 the Newton Connection Kit Pro, but changed
the title and said all registered purchasers of the Newton
Connection Kit 1.0 will receive a free upgrade to version 2.0.
Also, Macworld Boston attendees who received a complementary
preview version of the kit are also entitled to both the
version 1.0 and 2.0 releases, Apple maintains.

Of course, the Connection Kit will also work with the Expertpad,
Sharp's Messagepad work-a-like that is also available through
retail outlets. Sharp manufacturers the Messagepad for Apple.

The kit does not require a fax/modem to connect to the
Macintosh, but comes with a cable, software, and a manual,
Apple said. A Microsoft Windows version of the Newton
Connection Kit is being jointly developed by Apple and
Traveling Software of Bothell, Washington. Apple says it was
demonstrated at the Boston Macworld show and should be
available this fall. Retail pricing is around $149, though
users might find lower prices in consumer outlets, Apple said.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931006/Press Contact: Emma Bufton,
Regis McKenna for Apple Computer, tel [phone],
fax [phone])