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/nb111693

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(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00001)

Comdex - Federal Express Demos High Technology 11/16/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- More than one
attendee at Comdex, the computer industry's annual fall
extravaganza, wondered why Federal Express was exhibiting at
the trade show in Las Vegas this week.

But the red, white and blue shipping company wants the country to
know that it is high technology all the way, from the minute the
driver picks up the package until someone signs for it at the
destination.

To get their message out, 20-year old FedEx, as it is known to many
people, is here in force, showing videotapes of its commercials and
demonstrating PowerShip, its proprietary hardware and software
that generates the requisite air bill and then keeps track of the
package in nearly real time until it is signed for at its final
destination.

Powership is a Unix-based system that includes a thermal printer.
Once the user enters an air bill number, Powership automatically
dials into FedEx's main computer system, checks the status of the
package, displays that information and logs off. The phone call is
to a toll-free number.

The man in charge of the technology is Dennis H. Jones, FedEx's
senior VP of information and telecommunications, as well as the
company's chief information officer.

Newsbytes recently reported on Powership 2 and 3, hardware and
software provided at no cost to FedEx shippers that tracks the
package at each major transition point in its journey, prints a
FedEx air bill for the package - a process sportswear company
Nike says saves it 5.5 hours of labor per day - and can tell the
shipper who signed for the parcel and when. Powership is available
to FedEx shippers who dispatch as few as three packages a day,
and can even automatically summon a FedEx courier to pick up
outbound shipments.

Jones says Powership is neither the end of technology offerings
for FedEx customers nor is a plateau on which the company can
rest. "Technology is what allowed us to build a very different
product and create the type market we have today," the senior
executive told Newsbytes. "Technology has been one of the
critical success factors that has allowed us to create a
business like we have."

Jones told Newsbytes Powership is not just a way to keep track of
packages in transit. Instead, it is a tool that shippers can use to
better serve their own clients. "It's a process they can employ to
manage their businesses better. They use our service to better
serve their customers.

While Jones would not provide specifics, he told Newsbytes that
shippers can expect a major technology product announcement
within the next 12 months, possibly at Comdex 1994. He said the
company has no plans to compete with the US Postal Service in
delivering first class mail.

(Jim Mallory/19931116/Press Contact: Kevin Patsel, White &
Cromer for FedEx, 415-274-8100)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00002)

Comdex - Borland/Wordperfect Intro Borland Office 2.0 11/16/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- In a multi-screen
multimedia sound and light show, frequently punctuated by gentle
joshes at competitors, Borland International and Wordperfect
Corp., rolled out Borland Office 2.0.

The software suite consists of spreadsheet program Quattro Pro 5.0
for Windows, database Paradox 4.5 for Windows, and word processing
application Wordperfect 6.0 for Windows. WP 6.0 for Windows has
recently begun shipping. The two companies took advantage in their
announcement of the fact that all three products had been picked as
PC Computing magazine's Most Valuable Product in their respective
categories, and displayed MVP trophies on greek column-type stands
that followed through with the motif of Caesar's Palace, the site
for the rollout.

A feature of Office 2.0, according to the two companies, is what
they call "perfect fit technology" that includes a common install
routine that automates installation of all three programs in one
routine. Common icons are used throughout the three applications,
and the user can elect as standard, either the Borland or the
Wordperfect pictures. Selection can be designated during
installation - the Wordperfect icons are the default - and can be
changed during use.

The desktop application director (DAD) icons can be located on
either side or the top or bottom of the screen, or can float, like
the button menu included with Wordperfect 6.0 for Windows. Buttons
can display icon images or text descriptions of the button function,
and can be deleted just by dragging them off the button bar.
Additional button bars can be created - a feature borrowed from
Wordperfect 6.0 for Windows - and applications can be launched by
clicking on a file name. Common file management functions such as
move, delete, or rename can be performed from within Office using
the Desktop Finder feature.

Representatives of the two companies also stressed the ability to
integrate data across applications, demonstrating the creation of a
Paradox database, then publishing that data for use by Quattro Pro.
A set of application programming interfaces (APIs) and a software
developers kit (SDK) is scheduled to ship in December, 1993.

Alan Ashton, Wordperfect president and CEO, reiterated that
Borland and Wordperfect would not merger, but will work closely on
sales and marketing of Office 2.0.  The earlier version of Office was
sold only by Borland.

Ashton's disclaimer was supported by Borland President and CEO
Phillipe Kahn. "We can work together and still retain our separate
corporate identities," Kahn told reporters. The two companies say
they will conduct joint training, seminars, and executive training
on Office 2.0, and will launch a concentrated effort to get more
shelf space in retail outlets and more page space in mail order
catalogs. Distributors fight spirited battles in retail outlets of
all kinds to retain as much "frontage" on a store's shelves as
possible.

Borland Office 2.0 is scheduled to ship in December, 1993, and will
have a suggested retail price of $595. Users of earlier versions or
competitive products can upgrade for $299.

Borland also had a second product announcement, saying it is
showing Borland C++ 4.0 for DOS, Windows, and Windows NT at
its booth at this year's Comdex.

(Jim Mallory/19931116/Press Contact: Jeff Larsen, Wordperfect
Corp., 801-228-5034; Reader Contact: Wordperfect Corp.,
800-331-0877)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEN)(00003)

Comdex - Videophone A Reality For Under $2,000 11/16/93
LAS VEGAS, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- Videoconferencing is not
big news - its been around for a while, if you are willing to pay the
price. But now a Wilmington, North Carolina, company has introduced
C-Phone, a device that combines audio and the necessary interfaces
for use with a desktop personal computer -- for under $2,000.

C-Phone, officially known as a PC-to-PC video phone system, was
introduced Comdex, the annual computer industry trade show held
each fall in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Developed by Twincom, C-Phone reportedly uses high-quality audio,
full-motion 30 frames-per-second video, and the users' existing
local area network wiring in an office workgroup. By adding some
additional technology, the system can be extended to call anywhere
there is a PC.

Twincom Chairman and CEO Daniel Flohr said existing
teleconferencing systems are conference-room based, requiring
users to leave their offices and PCs to make a video conference
call, and can only transmit images over special telephone lines to
remote sites.

Newsbytes recently reported that equipment would soon be
installed in Kinko's copy centers around the country for video
conferencing. The cost of such a service is expected to be $25 to
$30 per half-hour.

According to the company, C-Phone's proprietary technology allows
users to make live, television quality video phone calls from their
own desktop PCs to other people on the network, as well as over
high-speed phone lines to remote sites.

C-Phone runs on 386 and 486-based PCs running Microsoft Windows
on a Novell Netware or Artisoft LANtastic-based network. The
system supports up to 32 simultaneous two way calls without
impeding network efficiency, according to Flohr. C-Phone can also
be connected to a standard television cable or antenna for viewing
television channels throughout the network, or for company-wide
broadcasts.

C-Phone uses a camera/microphone/speaker unit that sits on top of
the user's PC monitor. The unit is specially engineered to make it
appear that the user is looking right into the eyes of the video caller
and the voice is coming directly from the other party. The video
window size is user-selectable.

Flohr said the company's goal was to design a unit that did the
things a conventional phone does, including call waiting, call
forwarding, and the recording of messages. In C-Phone's case the
message left can be a video one. The device also offers
speed-dialing by clicking on the icon of the party you want to call.

Flohr says C-Phone will be available in December, 1993, and will
be sold and installed through value-added resellers.

(Jim Mallory/19931116/Press contact: Glynnis Gibson, Gibson
Communications for Twincom, 312-868-9400)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00004)

Sun Micro Backs Australian America's Cup Bid 11/16/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- Sun Microsystems
Australia has become the official supplier of information
technology (IT) to the Australian challenger for the America's
Cup -- One Australia. The race is to be held in May, 1995.

Sun is supplying all of the team's workstations and notebooks (the
SPARCbook), as well as supercomputer time. The project is probably
the largest single sporting effort in Australia other than Olympic
games preparation. Australia One Executive Chairman John Bertrand
said "It's bigger than a boat race - it's an opportunity to focus a
nation towards the benefits of technology and leave a legacy well
beyond 1995."

One Australia's technology partner, Fluid Thinking, has development
projects in five Australian sites as well as Canada and the US. As
a result, it has communications needs as well as computing
requirements. This includes networks in the Sydney and Melbourne
sites. Software used includes word processing, electronic-mail,
spreadsheet, finite element modeling, computer-aided design,
along with race simulation programs. The software come from 15
different vendors.

As many team members come from DOS and Mac backgrounds, their
transition to the Sun environment must be as smooth as possible,
says the company. Fluid Thinking's Alan Ramadan said this was
possible with Sun's graphical user interface and Solaris operating
system.

Bertrand said the power of the computer came in developments
cycles. To test a new design in the water takes six months. In a
towing tank that period can be reduced to just six weeks. However,
that can be cut down to just six hours by using a computer.

The method used is computational fluid dynamics (CFD), which
simulates the three-dimensional (3-D) flow of fluids and air
traditionally created in the tank or wind tunnel. The results can
then be used to analyze their effects on various yacht and sail
designs at the computer stage of development. The technology
can also be used for aircraft and automobile design.

(Paul Zucker/19931115/Press Contact: Lorraine Golden,
tel [phone], fax [phone], Sun Microsystems
Australia,)


(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00005)

INSCI Will Not License Document Archival System To IBM 11/16/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- Information
Management Technologies's INSCI Corp., has been in licensing
discussions with IBM's Pennant Systems concerning the INSCI
COINSERV document archiving system. However, the company now
says that the talks have terminated.

Since IBM will continue to market INSCI software for use with its
RS/6000 systems, the company's management says that ending
discussions will actually be a benefit, because it will end possible
marketplace confusion over several versions of the company's
COINSERV products.

The software provided by INSCI offers advanced indexing and
retrieval programs for optical disk-based storage systems which
can contain gigabytes of data. Indexing and retrieval software is
vitally important for managing such massive libraries of
information, because the performance of the entire system will
often depend mostly on how efficient the retrieval software is.

(John McCormick/19931115)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00006)

 ****Comdex - Intel & Motorola Processor Wars 11/16/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- Intel and
Motorola are both attempting to outdo the other at this Comdex,
in Las Vegas, Nevada. While Intel has a giant simulated wafer
fabrication plant for show goers to walk through, Motorola has
Bret Spiner, who plays Lt. Commander Data on the science fiction
television show "Star Trek" signing autographs.

The Intel exhibit is reminiscent of a Universal Studios
Hollywood tour and features a giant 486DX2 computer which
is upgraded to a Pentium chip during the demonstration.

While Intel is boasting it was the first to invent the
microprocessor chip in 1971, Motorola is showing demonstrations
of a prototype Macintosh equipped with its new MPC 601 PowerPC
chip running three-dimensional (3-D) graphics compared to
Pentium-based personal computers (PCs) running Windows and
the same graphical simulation.

The Motorola-based Macintosh is obviously running the graphical
program faster. Motorola officials told Newsbytes the hard disk
access times and graphical controllers of the computers
compared were comparable.

However, Motorola officials did admit the fastest Pentium-based
PC in the demonstration was the 60 megahertz (MHz) model
because they were unable to obtain a 66 MHz Pentium-based PC
before the presentation. They also mentioned that the 66 MHz
Pentium would run as fast as the MPC 601.

Compatibility is an issue with the PowerPC. The Pentium is
currently compatible with all the DOS and Windows software
titles on the market. However, Microsoft announced last week it
will port Windows NT to the PowerPC. While Windows NT will
run DOS and Windows applications, it does run those applications
slower than they would run without NT because of the system
drain placed on the processor to handle all the "layers."

The PowerPC does have significant backing. Both Apple and IBM
are behind the chip as well as Motorola, and IBM is suggesting
at the show that consumers will see PowerPC-based AS 400
minicomputers in the foreseeable future.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931116/Press Contact: Anne-Marie
Larking, Motorola, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00007)

Comdex - Intel Verification Program For Pentium Upgrade 11/16/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- Intel said at
Comdex that users would be able to upgrade to the Pentium on
486DX2 personal computers (PCs) that were "Intel Verified."
The announcement deals with potential heat problems with
motherboards designed for the 486 microprocessor that are
suddenly equipped with the hot-running Pentium chip.

With 3.1 million transistors, consumers can expect heat,
according to Intel officials, but heat is the enemy of
integrated circuits. Intel says it has been, and will continue
to, offer its stamp of approval to motherboards for upgrade
to the Pentium by testing motherboard samples in its labs.

Part of the problem with upgrading to a faster microprocessor
is consumers may still find performance lower than expected if
they do not also upgrade their memory and hard disk drives.
Often the total cost of upgrading, including labor, is more
than simply purchasing a new PC with the desired components.

Intel said demand for PCs equipped with its microprocessors
is at 40 million units a year and analysts are saying those
numbers should continue to increase over the next six years.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931116)


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

 ****Comdex - Lotus, IBM Broaden OS/2 Agreement 11/16/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- As part of IBM's
continued push to build momentum for its OS/2 operating system,
the company has broadened its sales and marketing relationship
with Lotus Development Corp.

Lotus announced it is ready to deliver the OS/2 version of its Ami
Pro word processing software right away, and it will offer its
SmartSuite collection of applications for OS/2, which includes the
new Ami Pro release, starting in December.

At a press conference run by IBM, Jim Manzi, Lotus' president
and chief executive, also said the company plans to bring its
applications for OS/2 into parity with those for other platforms,
meaning that new upgrades to Lotus packages will come out for
OS/2 at the same time as they come out for rival Microsoft
Windows.

The companies also said IBM's own Personal Software Products sales
force will now sell and support SmartSuite for OS/2. This is an
extension of a deal the two companies signed in June 1991, under
which IBM sells and supports Lotus' Notes workgroup development
software and cc:Mail electronic mail software through its own
sales force.

Over the past year, said Lee Reiswig, president of IBM's Personal
Software Products (PSP) division, the company has built up its
PSP sales force to more than 1,000 people around the world, and
wants to use that sales force to sell applications as well as OS/2.

The alliance is a perfect example of the old adage that the enemy
of my enemy is my friend. Microsoft has become a bitter rival of
IBM in the systems software field and of Lotus in the application --
and notably the software suite -- arena.

Manzi joined several IBM executives at the IBM press conference
in getting a dig in at their mutual rival, saying that a few years
ago, "system clarity from IBM was oxymoronic -- I think system
clarity from another company right about now might be
oxymoronic."

SmartSuite for OS/2 includes Ami Pro, the Lotus 1-2-3
spreadsheet package, Freelance Graphics, and cc:Mail. It is to be
available in retail stores in the US in early December, and
versions in French, German, Spanish, and Italian are due in the
first quarter of 1994, Lotus said.

(Grant Buckler/19931115/Press Contact: Bryan Simmons,
Lotus Development, 617-693-1697)


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

Comdex - Corel Extends SCSI, CD-ROM Support 11/16/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- Corel Corp., is
extending its software for compact disk read-only memory
(CD-ROM) drives and the Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI)
standard in both directions. At Comdex, the company launched a
new low-end package of tools for CD-ROM users and a beefed-up
version of its Corel SCSI 2 software.

Soon, the firm plans to follow up with new high-end SCSI
software, designed for corporate local area networks and with
built-in support for disk arrays.

The CD-ROM market is "just exploding right now," said David Madden,
product manager for the SCSI and CD-ROM software. He said the cost
of CD-ROM drives has come down, and enough CD-ROM titles have
now appeared that many users are making the move to CD-ROM.

Corel is going after new CD-ROM users with CD PowerPak, a
collection of software that supports both SCSI and non-SCSI
CD-ROM drives. CD PowerPak includes: CD-Audio, which allows users
to play audio compact disks; a WAV file editor for editing sound
clips; headphones that attach to the CD-ROM drive: a photo CD
conversion utility called Photo CD Lab; the CorelMOSAIC visual file
manager; a CD-ROM with 100 royalty-free Photo CD images; a
CD-ROM of sound clips for multimedia presentations; CD-ROM
extensions, including caching software and support for Microsoft's
Windows for Workgroups; and CorelBook, an application that
provides media and systems information.

Corel also announced version 2 of its CorelSCSI software. Madden
said Corel is moving this product upmarket to serve customers who
formerly bought CorelSCSI Pro. It includes most features of the CD
PowerPak. New features include support for more SCSI devices and
adapters.

Company officials said a new SCSI Network Manager, will be formally
launched soon. Madden said the company has built into this release
all the features of its former high-end offering -- CorelSCSI
Pro -- plus support for Novell Inc.'s NetWare 3.12 and 4.01 local
area network operating systems.

CD PowerPak and CorelSCSI 2 are available now, at $99 and $129
respectively. The new Network Manager will list for $595.

(Grant Buckler/19931115/Press Contact: Julie Galla, Corel,
613-728-8200 ext 1672)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00010)

 ****Delaware Court To Decide Viacom-Paramount Fate? 11/16/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- The battle between
Viacom and QVC over the movie assets of Paramount has moved
from Wall Street and federal anti-trust regulators to the Delaware
courts. The courts may have the final word on whether QVC will
get an even chance to compete for Paramount, despite the fact
that Viacom has the favor of the Paramount board of directors.

Paramount owns production facilities and holds copyright to a
vast number of hot video properties and is therefore a plumb
acquisition for any telecommunications-related company which
wants to become a major cable or interactive media player.

Since the Federal Trade Commission gave the nod to QVC indicating
that it did not consider the purchase to be monopolistic, the
fight for Paramount has come down to the $90 per share bid by QVC
verses the $85 per share bid by Viacom. However, some argue
that the playing field is not level, which is why the fight has been
brought into the Delaware Chancery Court.

Because Paramount's managers favor a merger with Viacom, the
board of directors has adopted a "poison pill" arrangement which
would make Paramount far less valuable if it is bought by QVC
than if Viacom wins the fight.

QVC has gone to court for a decision as to whether Paramount
constructively put itself up for open bid by certain actions,
thus making it illegal for the board to give preference to any
one bidder. If QVC wins this case then it has a good chance of
acquiring Paramount, but if it loses there is a likelihood that
it may drop its efforts to buy the company.

The irony of this case stems from the fact that QVC is making
exactly the same argument that Paramount itself made several
years ago when it attempted to acquire Warner.

Many companies incorporate in Delaware precisely because that
state's business court system is designed to provide fast and
authoritative decisions based on 200 years of case law.

The case for both sides is being presented today and the judge
is expected to reach a decision within a few days.

(John McCormick/19931116)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(ATL)(00011)

 ****Comdex - Spindler Keynote Promises RISC Everywhere 11/16/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- In his inaugural
Comdex address, Apple Chairman Michael Spindler promised a
RISC (reduced instruction-set computer) machine on every desk,
a Newton for every pocket, and a new attitude toward
price-performance.

Sounding like a successful politician now charged with making
his plans a reality, Spindler said, "We won't price technology at
a premium, never again. We'll use technology to drive volume, and
be price-performance leaders," he said. "This is what I promise:
it does more, it costs less, it fits in, it stands out. It's just
that simple."

As Spindler spoke, he demonstrated his vision using a number of
Apple computers, including what he called a "low-end" PowerPC-
driven Macintosh which seemed to operate faster than the Pentium-
based PC next to it. But he downplayed that apparent speed
advantage. "The importance is not speeds and feeds, it's making
RISC the volume mainstay on the desktop," said Spindler, who
promised very aggressive pricing for PowerPC-based Macs when
they are rolled-out early next year.

Spindler said his vision for Apple is to make it, "The customer
advocacy company in this industry." That means Apple will offer
comprehensive "solutions," spread multimedia everywhere, and put
Apple technology onto many different platforms, running multiple
operating systems, he said.

Spindler told most of his story through demonstrations of new
media and new or pending products. His themes were managing
information, mobility, and the new price-performance paradigm
of moving Apple's entire product line to the PowerPC RISC chip.

He demonstrated AppleSearch going through many databases and
presenting stories on NAFTA (North American Free Trade
Agreement) in order of relevance. He said search software should
be an agent that eliminates "SQL (structured query language),
boolean structures, and things that are non-human." Spindler said
that idea should then be extended to use with visual databases.

Spindler called this the "re-purposing" of information. The aim
is not just to make it digital but to make it usable. He
demonstrated two CD ROMs linked to phone lines for shopping --
one for clothes and one for software. This will not only make
catalog shopping more immediate and exciting, he said, but will
help small software vendors reach their market and end software
piracy.

Spindler also demonstrated mobility in a demonstration linking a
Lotus Organizer database to a Newton database, synchronizing the
two so they became identical in a few moments. "This will change
the nature of communication," he promised. The Newton Connection
demonstrated in this section of the speech was created through an
alliance with Traveling Software Inc., makers of Laplink.

Mostly, though, Spindler's talk centered on changing the nature
of Apple, from a high-cost technology company to a mass-market
customer advocate. Making that vision a market reality is the
challenge of his new Administration.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931116/Press Contact: Chris Escher,
408-974-2202)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(ATL)(00012)

 ****Comdex - Spindler Outlines Apple Strategy 11/16/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- Michael Spindler's
first Comdex press conference as Apple CEO was a group affair. He
took the stage at the Aladdin Hotel surrounded by his top
executives, all of whom took questions from the media.

The effect was to emphasize that Apple is no longer the one-man
band it was under former Chairmen Steve Jobs and John Sculley,
but a large, disciplined organization out to capture multiple
markets.

Not only is Apple out to re-establish its position on the
desktop through aggressive pricing of current Macs and future
PowerPC Macs, but it is also out to take the mobile market with
Newton, the applications software market with AppleSoft and
Claris, and even the on-line market. Apple will no longer cede
anything, the executives emphasized, aiming at Windows users
with the Quadra 610, featuring an Intel 486 daughter board which
can run Windows, at network markets with new client-server
products, and at mobile markets with the Newton.

"Apple is now a multiple-business company," concluded spokesman
Chris Escher. The effect, perhaps unintended, was of a "kinder,
gentler IBM," with the discipline to quickly cut its losses --
employees, managers, or products -- when they no longer
contribute to the bottom line.

"This represents Apple's business streams," said Spindler,
introducing the strategy. "The technologies we're investing in
are tied together, but each has a distinct view on how they
compete and who they compete with." Spindler credited former
Chairman Sculley, now with Spectrum, for setting the strategy
in motion back in 1993.

Spindler was immediately asked how he was attacking the
installed base of Windows users. "Our first product is a plug-in
card with the 486DX. But we believe the PowerPC has enough
hardware to do emulation at a 486-level. It's not a flat-out
attack on the Windows market, but going forward we'll be bridging
investments in Windows and bringing them over" to the Mac. "We
don't want to pit against anything, we want to be broader and let
people move between platforms."

What about licensing the Macintosh operating system, Spindler was
asked. "We have the chance to re-set our business model, which has
been a distribution game" until now. "We haven't finalized any
license strategy, but we're working on it."

Bastiaens was then asked about Spindler's commitment to the
Newton. "It's a total commitment, not just of Apple but a large
industry. Ten major corporations have agreed on industry
licenses, technology licenses, and companies are committed to
bringing products to market. There are 2,000 developers working
on Newton applications you'll soon see. Plus we have plenty of
happy customers."

Ian Diery was asked about the short-term future of the Macintosh,
and in his understated British accent showed the fighting spirit
Apple is now trying to emphasize. "We've found a pent-up demand
for the Macintosh. About 56 percent of our buyers in the fourth
quarter are first-time users. When we get our price to the point
where they can get Mac for the same price" as Windows, "they opt
for the Mac. In business, the biggest complaint has been price. Large
accounts are now looking at the Mac again, because we took away
the issue of price."

Spindler then took up the theme, discussing the PowerPC Macs
due out next year. "The PowerPC architecture will be driven by
volume. The volume is in desktops -- we will make RISC the
mainstay in desktop space." On networks, Spindler said he would
favor Unix, and standard NetWare. But Apple will always remain
the home of the Mac. "The Mac OS drives the volume," even
though, "we are upgrading all our products to PowerPC."

Spindler next predicted that AppleLink will become the wireless
networking software of choice. "We're now defining chip sets to
put it in PowerBooks." Apple will also build gateways between
AppleLink to the Internet, and bundle on-line services with
Windows, Macs, and Newtons.

Spindler was asked how he could continue to spend 10 percent of
revenues on research and still drive prices down. "We have been
using the PC engine profit to fund R&D," he admitted. But, "These
businesses can now stand alone. Because of the size of our PC
business, over $8 billion, there's enough money to innovate. If a
manufacturer drops to gross margins of distribution, you can't
innovate. We're a systems company with enough size and enough
profit to apply it to research."

Spindler also took a crack at his image, that of a dour manager
succeeding the visionary Sculley. He called the comparisons
unfair. "If you're a meat and potato guy you can't have a vision,
and if you're a visionary you're not a meat and potatoes guy. We
put emphasis on every business by forcing management to keep
an eye on their objectives, and managing for those objectives."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931116/Press Contact: Chris Escher,
408-974-2202)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(ATL)(00013)

 ****Comdex - PDA's Galore 11/16/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- It is a flashback
and the future all in one. Bunches of PDAs (personal digital
assistants) are on display all over the Comdex show floor. Some
have cute names like Newton or Simon, while others carry
industrial numbers like PT-7000 and GridPad 2390.

In some ways, it is like the good old days of the S-100 bus, with
everyone requiring their own special software, and no one
agreeing even on what the thing should look like. There is the
IBM-BellSouth-Mitsubishi Simon, which looks like a slightly-
overgrown cellular phone. On the other end there is the AT&T-Eo
Personal Communicator, a sort of notepad with wings. Between
them are devices like the Apple Newton, the GridPad 3690 --
actually a clone of the Tandy-Casio Zoomer -- and others.

Gaston Bastiaens, general manager for the P.I.E. division of
Apple Computer Inc., which developed the Newton, said the
success of any of these products will lie in third-party
applications. That requires not just development kits, but easy-
to-use development tools, he told Newsbytes. "Newton Toolkits
are an object-oriented scripting system that allows creative
developers to work in record time," he said. "Most of the
products you see here took only a few months, and 40 will ship in
the coming weeks. By Christmas they'll be 30 times that number,"
and there are over 2,000 developers working now on even more
products.

Applications already released range from Fingertip Golf, which
combines golf scoring with details on the course, to Hippocrates,
a serious tool for doctors. New markets are being opened up.
"About 25 percent of Newton buyers have never used a computer
before," he said.

Apple is not even the only company offering Newton technology.
Sharp makes the Newton, and sells a version of its own called the
Expert Pad. But at this show it is also displaying the PT-9000, a
larger machine based on the Geoworks operating system, as well
as Wizard, which still has 60 percent of the organizer market.

The three sit side by side in a corner of the company's booth
commanded by Gil DeLiso, director of marketing for the consumer
business products division. "We're offering appropriate
technology to all segments that exist," he said, from "sub-
notebook users who want an add-on keyboard" like that on the PT-
9000, to "communication-intensive users who are not doing a lot
of data entry" and might prefer the Expert Pad, to managers who
need "a highly evolved personal information manager with
communications," like the Wizard.

Neither Tandy nor Casio has a booth at this show -- both are
expected at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. The
closest thing to a Zoomer at Comdex is the GridPad 2390 from AST
Research Inc. The 2390 runs Geoworks, like the PT-9000, but looks
more like the Newton. Spokesman Lauren Baker said her firm's
strength is it can put vertical market applications onto the
platform, using Grid's PenRight! application development
environment. "We're trying to get it out that we're a player in
this market," added Baker. "At Comdex we're having conversations
with distribution channels to see where it makes sense to carry
the product," and seeking software developers to write
applications.

What the PT-9000 and AST 2390 have in common is Geoworks, an
operating system that was originally written as a low-end
competitor to Microsoft Windows. Spokesman Deborah Dawson said
its real value is found in the mobile environment. "It's got full
functionality, but because it runs on lower-speed chips it allows
far longer battery life" than units based on RISC (reduced
instruction-set computer) processors.

Geoworks is also flexible. "The AST 3690 and Sharp PT-9000 look
completely different, but run the same operating system and
applications." Geoworks' flexibility lets applications adapt to
their environment -- they don't have to be re-written," she said.

AT&T's strategy, with its Eo Personal Communicator, is to build a
full-function computer, with communications built-in, then bring
the price down over time, said Wayne Dyer, vice president of
product management for the Eo unit. AT&T, through Eo, also owns
Go, which created the Personal Communicator's operating system,
PenPoint. Future releases of PenPoint will run only on the Hobbit
processors used in the Eo units.

The Eo is heavier and larger than its rivals, and costs twice as
much. But it is far more powerful, says Dyer. "We have a fax send
and receive modem, which can work on wired networks or cellular.
You can place cellular phone calls with this, using a headset. We
have full-featured applications" and 18 are being demonstrated
in AT&T's booth at Comdex. "Of those companies who are thinking
serious project, we haven't lost one to Newton," Dyer claimed.
AT&T's Phone Center stores, and its links to cellular phone
retailers, give it another advantage.

The biggest advantage, Dyer added, is that the Eo has been on the
market a year, and so applications for it are proven. "We're
faxing from the beach, and it's not hype or promises." And watch
at future Comdexes for more Eos, Dyer added, smaller and more
compact, as well as less costly. "It's not one size fits all --
they'll be a whole product line."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931116)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00014)

Comdex - Dauphin To Expand Into "Super PDA" Line 11/16/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- Dauphin is
unveiling the DTR-Sound System at Comdex. The new sound-capable
version of Dauphin's DTR-1 represents the start of wider expansion
plans for the pen-notebook convertible.

Alan Yong, company president, told Newsbytes that Dauphin plans
to add video, wireless and voice capabilities to the DTR-1 in 1994,
thereby transforming the hand-held computer into a "super PDA"
(personal digital assistant).

Also in the future, the DTR-1 will come with a choice of processors
beyond the 486 SLC chip from Cyrix now used in the DTR-1 and new
DTR-Sound System, he said.  Dauphin plans to produce models using
the low-power Intel S series of processors, to be offered all the
way up to the DX66 level, he said. Further, Pentium processors
will be added when these chips start to incorporate 3.3-volt
technology.

Dauphin's newly introduced DTR-Sound System brings a 16-bit
sound card to the Dauphin PC, along with an internal microphone,
an external microphone, two external speakers, and software for
performing such tasks as recording voice memos and attaching
sound files to documents. The system is slated to ship in the
first quarter of 1994, at a retail price of $2,995.

When video, wireless and voice are added to the sound capabilities,
Dauphin will have produced a "super PDA" that offers all the
functionality the mobile user needs, including desktop-quality
computer processing, according to Yong. Dauphin will present the
"super PDAs" as a family of products that offers the user a choice
of processors, he said.

Unlike the DTR-1, all models in the upcoming family will come with
PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card Industry Association) slots,
he noted. Use of these slots with the variety of PCMCIA cards that
are becoming available will allow users to select from among a
wide range of wireless options, including Ardis, RAM, CDPD,
infrared, and spread spectrum radio, he told Newsbytes.

But ultimately, PCMCIA slots will be used mainly for additional
storage, because wireless and other communications capabilities
will come to be integrated entirely at the board level, Yong
predicted.

The new DTR-Sound System supplies 16-bit sound quality, sample
rates up to 48 kilohertz (KHz), stereo sound, 64-level digital audio
output volume control, 20-voice FM synthesis, and Sound Blaster
Pro Mixer Register emulation.

The 16-bit sound card incorporates the Codec, Yamaha Synthesis,
and Mozart chips, according to the company president. Mozart is
an integrated 16-bit digital sound controller designed to be fully
compatible with Sound Blaster Pro, Ad Lib, and the Microsoft
Windows Sound System.

Like the DTR-1, Dauphin's DTR-Sound System offers an internal
fax/modem, four to eight megabytes of RAM, standard
input/output ports, a six-inch backlit VGA display, and pre-
installed DOS and Windows.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931116)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00015)

Comdex - Goldmine Groupware For Windows 11/16/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- In a press
conference at Comdex, Elan Software introduced Goldmine 2.5 for
Windows, claimed to be the first non-DOS edition of a contact
management program specifically designed for networked users.

Goldmine, a package on the market since 1989, differs from other
network contact management applications by virtue of integrating
electronic mail capabilities and a client database with the usual
network scheduler, said Jon Ferrara, executive vice president, at
the briefing.

Used by Sony/Columbia Pictures, Honeywell, State Farm Insurance,
Novell, Banyan, and a variety of other corporate customers, Elan's
groupware also offers such features as remote synchronization,
fax/merge, user-definable screens, sales forecasting and analysis,
call analysis, and telemarketing scripts.

The new Windows version offers "99 percent" of the capabilities of
Goldmine 2.5 for DOS, while adding an "objects view" feature and a
multiple document interface (MDI), Ferrara said. The Windows
version is 100-percent compatible with the DOS edition.

The new features were added to take advantage of the graphical
capabilities of Windows, Ferrara explained. "Objects view" gives
the user three separate graphical views: a contact view showing
all the contact's pending and completed activities; an activity
view showing the user's pending and completed activities; and
a calendar view.

Goldmine for Windows 2.5 is written in C++, Ferrara said. The
three views are made possible through the use of a contact object,
activity object, and calendar object.

The MDI capability in the Windows package allows simultaneous
screen viewing of multiple contact, activity, and calendar views.
Users can quickly toggle between calendars, detailed contact
information, and facts pertaining to phone calls, meetings,
electronic-mail messages, and other actions, according to
Ferrara. The contact information is stored in tabbed file folders.

Goldmine will not end with DOS and Windows, the executive vice
president suggested. "We want to be multiplatform, and we're
now exploring Unix and Macintosh," he said.

Elan Susser, president of Elan Software, told Newsbytes at the
close of the press conference that the "one percent" of features
in the DOS version that have not been carried over to Windows
consist of functions related to "DOS issues."

These features include terminate-and-stay resident (TSR)
capabilities, shelling out to other programs, and certain keyboard
preferences, such as macros. "Macros are very difficult to
implement in Windows," Susser told Newsbytes.

Goldmine 2.5 for Windows is slated to ship in the first quarter of
1994, at prices ranging from $295 for a single-user edition to
$1,495 for a ten-user license.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931115/Reader contact: Elan Software
Corp., 310-454-6800; Press contact: Brenda Christensen, Elan
Software, 310-454-6800)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00016)

Comdex - Samsung Intros Notebooks/Monitors/Printer 11/16/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- Samsung
Electronics America intends to double its annual revenues by the
year 2000, and to get the ball rolling, the US subsidiary of the
Korean electronics giant has announced a plethora of new hardware
at Comdex.

Made known at a press conference in Las Vegas, the new entries
from Samsung include the SyncMaster GL series of 14-, 15- and 17-
inch "green" monitors, the NoteMaster S3995 series of monochrome
and active matrix color notebooks, the quiet SP-2417 dot-matrix
color printer, and an array of hard disk drives.

"We're here to stay, and we plan to be number one," said Eric J.
Korman, director of monitor marketing, in an overview of the new
hardware. To meet this goal, Samsung is moving further and further
beyond its role as an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) into
the arena of private labeling, while also placing a concerted
company-wide emphasis on quality, he explained.

Speaking next, John Grundy, product marketing manager for monitors,
said that all three models in the new "green" series operate with
Macintoshes as well as IBM-compatible PCs, and all three offer a
PowerSaver feature that operates at four levels.

In addition, the 17-inch GLs, a monitor engineered for graphic
intensive applications, provides on-screen programming and digital
controls on the front panel for making quick and high accurate
screen adjustments, he said. Digital readouts for each adjustment
are displayed on the monitor screen, and can be stored for future
use.

Another feature, RealColor, allows the user to adjust saturation
and hue for consistent color between the display and input/output
devices.

Each of the new monitors operates in "on," "standby," "suspend" and
"off" modes, according to Grundy. In the "on" mode the monitors run
at 100 percent power. In the "standby" condition, the screen has no
video and power recovery is instantaneous. In the "suspend" mode,
power consumption falls to less than 30 watts and recovery takes
about three seconds. In the "off" state, energy usage falls to less
than five watts of power and recovery time is slightly longer.

Samsung's new NoteMaster S3935T is the thinnest active matrix
color notebook on the market, and also one of the lightest, said
James Yim, senior international planning coordinator.

Dimensions for the color unit are 11.2- by 8.57- by 1.85-inches,
and the weight is 6.2 pounds. The S3935 -- the monochrome unit
in the new notebook series -- measures the same, but weighs
only 5.5 pounds.

Samsung's color notebook comes with a 9.4-inch active matrix
screen, and the monochrome notebook with a 10-inch backlit LCD
(liquid crystal display).

Each notebook also offers a choice of an Intel 487SX or 486SX
processor, 4 megabytes (MB) of memory (expandable to 20MB), an
integrated trackball, a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card
Industry Association) Type II slot, local bus video, simultaneous
display on the notebook and an external monitor, and an advanced
power management system.

Samsung's new SP-2417 color dot matrix printer is aimed at
providing full-featured color printing capabilities at a price of
only $349.

The printer offers 360-by-360 dot-per-inch graphics resolution
and a choice of top, rear or bottom printing. It also offers the
following paper handling features: paper parking, paper feed, push
tractor, auto paper loading, friction feed, and micro adjustment
reverse line feed.

In the hard disk drive arena, Samsung is a new player, having
entered the market only 12 months ago, said James Yim, senior
international planning coordinator. But the company expects to
be one of the top five manufacturers in the field by 1997, he
asserted.

Samsung now produces four models of drives: a 125MB, a 178MB,
a 251MB, and a 356MB, he said. All four have recently received
ISO 9001 certification for high quality engineering, design and
manufacture. The company is investing heavily in research and
development on hard disk drives, and plans to offer models with
even larger storage capacity, according to Yim.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931115/Reader contact:  Samsung
Electronics America, 201-229-4000; Press contacts:  Bob
Rinklin or Stephanie Friedman, HWH Public Relations for
Samsung, 212-355-5049)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00017)

 ****Newsbytes CD-ROM Wins 1993 Digital Quill Award 11/16/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- The Birmingham,
Alabama-based Digital Publishing Association has announced the
winners in most categories for the second annual Digital Quill
Awards. Newsbytes took first place in the "Miscellaneous"
category for its archive CD-ROM of past stories.

Due to the large number of entries the decision on the
announcement of the winners of the Short Story Category was
delayed. The DPA, founded by President Ron Albright, is the only
trade association for electronic publishers - that is, those who
publish information and fiction primarily on-line or in other
digital format such as on CD-ROM or diskette.

Upon releasing the names of the winners, President Albright
stated, "While the industry press shows that the big players are
just sticking their toes in the electronic publishing waters, the
grassroots authors and publishers are already swimming about in
the waters. This year's Quill entries were an amazing array of
quality works that are pushing paperless publishing to the limit
of their imagination and skills."

He went on to say, "It is clear to the DPA that 1993 was a
breakthrough year for digital publishing and that the industry
is poised to take off in the next 12 months."

The Digital Quill winners for 1993 included a variety of
subjects.

Serial Publication - a weekly, monthly or otherwise
regularly-scheduled publication that has been issued for at least
six months (or at least three editions) available prior to July,
1993. This category included both fiction and non-fiction
magazines and newsletters. The winners were: First Place - Ruby's
Pearls (Del Freeman, Editor); Second Place - WonderDisk (Walter
Gammons, Editor); and Third Place (TIE) - Smoke & Mirrors (Lucia
Chambers, Editor) and Random Access Humor (Dave Bealer, Editor).

Fiction Book - an original fiction work. Minimum: 30,000 words.
The winners were: First Place - Vamp! (Larry Blasko); Second
Place - The Angel of Death (Bruce Gilkin; FloppyBack); and Third
Place - Eternal Man (Vernon Davis).

Non-Fiction Book - an original non-fiction book in digital format.
Length: 35,000 words minimum. The winners were: First Place -
Civil War Computer Archive (Bob Patterson); Second Place -
Prism Guide (Gary Smith); and Third Place - Financial Survival
(Vernon Davis).

Publishing software - a software program (Shareware or
traditionally marketed) designed for publishing text and/or
graphics and facilitating their distribution and viewing. The
winners were: First Place - DART (Ted Husted); Second Place -
ReadRoom (Michael Gibbs; Exhibit A Communications); and Third
Place (Tie) - Orpheus (Rod Willmot) and HyperRead Generator
(David Leithauser).

Miscellaneous - a niche to encompass poetry, graphic collections,
comics, CD-ROM and other publications outside the standard
categories. The winners were: First Place - Newsbytes Archives
(Newsbytes Staff; CD-ROM); Second Place - "It All Comes Does
to ___" (Robert Kendall); and Third Place - "Mack the Mouse"
(Don Lokke).

Announcement of the winners for the "Short Story" category
(featuring a single original story appearing either alone or as
part of an anthology or magazine and published in digital
format) will be delayed due to the complicated judging involved
in evaluating the nearly fifty entries in this category.
Announcement of the winners will be made later this week.

The Digital Publishing Association is located at 1160 Huffman
Road, Birmingham, AL 35215. DPA Digital Quill Awards are open to
all entrants regardless of whether they are members of the DPA,
and are limited to works primarily published in digital format.

(John McCormick/19931116/Press Contact: Ron Albright, DPA,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00018)

Computer Superstore Opens In Sydney, Australia 11/16/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- Australian retail
maestro Gerry Harvey has opened his first capital city computer
superstore. The event went virtually unadvertised and was
designed to give the 14,000 square foot complex a "soft start."

The first of his Harvey Norman Discounts computer superstores
opened a few weeks ago in regional center Newcastle, a few
hours north of Sydney, but the Sydney store is seen as the
make-or-break site. Not that the industry has much fear that it
will break, as Harvey Norman has operated extremely successful
stores on the floor of recent computer shows in Sydney.

"I could write a million dollars in the first week with a bunch of
superspecials" said Harvey. He decided on the "soft" opening
as a way of letting the store find its retailing feet. The plan is to
have the store up to speed in time for the Christmas rush. Harvey
expects a revenue flow of around AUS$300,000 (US$200,000) a
week, or more than US$10M a year.

Other stores are planned for Brisbane and Canberra, and eventually
20 to 30 sites Australia wide, making it the largest information
technology retailer in the country. Sydney will get another three
stores.

Street consumers are not the only target in the Harvey strategy.
In the new year a direct sales task force will go after large scale
PC and networking contracts and Harvey hopes to eventually make
large business and government sales 40 percent of the superstore
business. On hand for the big jobs are Novell-certified network
technicians. Brands on the shelves for the opening included Apple,
IBM, Compaq, Olivetti, Acer, and Hartland PCs.

There is a separate mobile phone department, and a service
counter at the front of the store hopes to do a brisk trade in
hardware service and upgrade work. For example, the installation
charge for an expansion card is AUS$25 (US$16), and for a
motherboard, $99 (US$66).

(Computer Daily News and Paul Zucker/19931115/Press Contact:
Frank Gutteridge or Gerry Harvey at Harvey Norman Discounts,
61-2-647 2611)


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

Australian Style Checker Better Than US Checkers? 11/16/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- StyleWriter for
Windows is an  Australian-developed writing style checker, and
the developers claim it has several advantages over exiting
US-written products.

The product was created for UK-based software house Editor
Software by Australian company Stanton Software and was
released in the UK in September. Director Peter Stanton said that
the product mimics the work of a professional editor. "It checks
over 25,000 common style faults an grammar problems in text
written in any Windows application. It also picks up over 2,000
of the most commonly mis-spelled words and their derivatives. It
highlights and corrects errors on screen with advice showing how
to redraft for better style and greater clarity."

He said the product highlights passive verbs and checks for
correct word usage and hyphenation. It has a graphic display of
sentence length analysis and shows how to adapt writing to make
it more effective. "With StyleWriter, everyone with a word
processor can quickly turn out clear and concise documents."

He added that the product used advice from more than 1,000 books
on good writing, and draws on the Editor Software's experience
in running plain English courses for government and corporate
departments.

The program also checks for foreign words, weak words,
overwriting, jargon and cliches, and redundancies. Users
can modify the program to skip any advice or add their own
house style. The product retails for AUS$265 in Australia
(around US$170).

(Paul Zucker/19931112/Press Contact: Editor Software in UK,
or Stanton Software in Australia, tel [phone], or
fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00020)

India - Tata Telecom Intros Voice Processor 11/16/93
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- Tata Telecom has launched
a new product -- the Orator - a voice messaging system priced at
Rs 5-6 lakh ($16,000-20,000) for the minimum standard features.

The product is being distributed in India, but Tata Telecom claims
to be the first company in India to have obtained a software
duplication license from Brite Voice Systems Inc.

Voice messaging allows for the recording, storing and retrieval
of voice in a digital form. What is noticeable in the process is
the good output of the recorded voice, claims the company,
which is a feature that makes it acceptable for most of the
applications it is intended for. The system can be linked to a
database to give out requested information.

Such interactive voice response systems can be used in banks,
stock exchanges, airlines, railways, travel agencies, and
wherever a computer database is used.

Auto Attendant can be understood as an automated switchboard
operator, according to the company. Fax messaging provides
facilities such as fax-on-demand, one-call and two-call faxing,
scheduling, broadcast, and text-to-fax conversions.

Other applications are also available from Tata Telecom that have
been manufactured by Brite. However, the cost goes up by Rs
40,000 ($1,300) for each. TATA hopes to sell Rs 10-15 crore
($3.5-$5 million) worth of the product annually once the system is
established.

On whether Tata Telecom is considering offering some other
value-added services in view of recent favorable Department of
Telecommunications regulation, Vijay Gupta, the company's
managing director said: "Not in the near future. We have pumped
in Rs 30 crore ($10 million) in investments during the last
couple of years and are yet to realize any returns.''

(C. T. Mahabharat/19931112)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00021)

Toshiba Released Digital VCR For HDTV 11/16/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- Toshiba has announced that
it has released a digital video cassette tape recorder for high
definition television (HDTV) sets. It was jointly developed with
Germany's BTS Inc., and is claimed to be compatible with both
Japanese and European HDTV standards.

Toshiba's digital VCR is called the GBR-1000. HDTV programs
can be recorded on the cassette tapes, which come in three
different sizes. The longest L-size tape accepts up to 64
minutes of recording.

Under Toshiba's method, the VCR does not use a compression
method. Instead, the video data is recorded on the three-
quarter-inch tape in real-time at 1.2 gigabit-per-second.
A major advantage of Toshiba's digital VCR is claimed to be
compatibility with the European standard.

Other Japanese electronics firms such as Sony and Matsushita have
already released digital VCRs. Toshiba's latest digital VCR is
designed for business use, and is priced at 2.9 million yen
($29,000).

Meanwhile, Japan's Posts & Telecommunication Ministry has just
introduced a provisional HDTV broadcasting license system
for each private TV broadcasting firm, set for 1995.

Currently, Japanese TV broadcasting firms, including NHK, are
broadcasting HDTV programs through the HDTV Promotion
Association on an experimental basis. This experiment will stop
at the end of December 1994. The Ministry is planning to launch a
broadcast satellite by the summer of 1997.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19931116/Press Contact: Toshiba,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00022)

Magic 5.5 Wins Best Database Development Product 11/16/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- Irvine, California-
based Magic Software Enterprises's Magic 5.5 development system
was declared the winner at the recent International Developers
Competition held on November 6 and 7 in Duram, North Carolina.
Competing against the industry giants, this is the second year in
a row that Magic was found to be the overall winning database
management development system at the IDC.

Coming in behind Magic in the overall ratings were Borland
Paradox for Windows, Gupta's SQL Windows, Oracle, Microsoft's
FoxPro, dBase IV and C++ (also from Borland), Clarion's Clarion,
WordPerfect's DataPerfect, DataEase, and Powersoft's
Powerbuilder.

The judging, by a team of six, was based on "real-world"
categories, including: user interface, reporting capabilities, and
data entry module functionality. Magic scored 96 out of a possible
112 total points.

Magic is based on a unique table-driven methodology which the
company claims allows programmers to build flexible mission-
critical applications much faster than most other systems.

(John McCormick/19931115/Press Contact: Lisa Parkhurst,
Magic Software Enterprises, 714-250-1718)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00023)

Toshiba EMI Links With Sega, Sony Ties With Namco 11/16/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- Toshiba EMI, a music joint-
venture between Toshiba and EMI, has signed an agreement with
Sega Enterprises, which calls for Toshiba EMI to release
music CDs and video of Sega's game software.

Under the agreement, Toshiba EMI will collect Sega's game
software music and will release it in CD format in January,
1994. The first CD will be called the "Virtual Fighter," and is
taken from Sega's game software. The firm will also use
motion pictures in the game software in its video software.
A video cassette tape, called "Computer Graphics Video,"
will be released in February, 1994. Toshiba EMI has already
created a special team to produce the CDs.

Meanwhile, Sony has signed an agreement with Tokyo-based
game developer Namco. Under terms of the agreement, both firms
will jointly develop three-dimensional game software for Sony's
new game machine.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19931116/Press Contact: Toshiba
EMI, 81-3-3587-9111; Sony, tel [phone],
fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00024)

Comdex - NT & Netware Threaten Unix Market 11/16/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- International
Data Corp., held a conference at Comdex titled: "The Emerging Server
Operating Systems and Impact on Unix Market Strategies," by analyst
John Morrell. IDC's main thrust was that Novell Netware and
Microsoft Windows NT both pose new threats to Unix systems
positioned as servers.

IDC says the companies it surveyed are looking for a personal
computer (PC) local area network (LAN) technology -- an area
where the Unix market has been traditionally weaker. Novell's
Netware product and Microsoft Windows NT are rapidly moving in
to fill that gap, posing a threat to Unix.

IDC spent more time on Windows NT, and analyst David Card said
Microsoft is attempting to market NT as a combination of the
best of the PC, workstation, and minicomputer worlds combined.
Card said NT is a big threat to the Unix world, especially in
the commercial desktop market and will move in within
18-24 months on small-to-midsize servers.

Unix is well-positioned today and will stay that way in the
enterprise-information server and for specific, lower volume,
local application server business -- especially in high capacity,
mission critical applications.

To service the larger, local application server market, however,
Unix will need to move toward a simplistic end-user, services-
oriented model that IDC believes NT and Netware will
successfully drive.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931116/Press Contact: Deborah Butler,
IDC, 508-872-8200)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00025)

 ****Comdex - Visa Reveals Fraud Prevention Tactics 11/16/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- Visa International has
announced that it has started field-trials of new technologies
that prevent alteration or duplication of a card's magnetic stripe.
The real life testing, which ultimately will involve 70,000
cardholders on both sides of the Atlantic, reportedly comes after
several years of laboratory research and evaluation, the card
issuer claims.

The live user trials will test the reliability of new technologies
under normal, day-to-day conditions. According to Visa, the idea
behind the scheme is to implement a global system to prevent card
fraud -- no mean feat, Newsbytes notes, since around 15 percent
of many plastic payment card issuer's profits are now lost due to
card fraud of one type or another.

According to Visa, complete protection of the magnetic stripe is a
key component of Visa Cardshield, a worldwide program reported on
previously by Newsbytes, to provide what the card issuer claims is
the ultimate in card security.

Visa claims that, following the outcome of the trials in early
1994, the payment card industry will be in a position to choose a
technology capable of protecting cards against the most
sophisticated electronic counterfeiting method known as
"skimming." The new technology could be implemented on all
Visa cards by 1998.

"Incorporation of advanced card authentication technologies into
Visa cards represents the most significant card security feature
since Visa first introduced its Card Verification Value (CVV)
program in 1989," explained Roger Peirce, Visa International's
executive vice president for Delivery Systems.

"The Visa Cardshield program is committed to implementing high-
tech weapons that will drive criminals out of the Visa card
counterfeiting business - ensuring that our brand stands for the
most secure and convenient way for people to pay," he said.

According to Peirce, in markets such as France, where Visa cards
are already protected by integrated circuits, the counterfeit-proof
magnetic stripe will provide cardholders and financial institutions
with the same level of security when they use their cards abroad.

One technology currently being tested by Visa is Watermark
Magnetics, developed by Thorn Secure Science International in the
UK. The technology is based on a proprietary process which embeds
a digitized number into a conventional magnetic stripe at the
manufacturing stage.

This number cannot be erased, copied, or altered. Peirce said that
this technology was proven very reliable and highly secure during
Visa's laboratory tests. Alternative anti-counterfeit technologies
will be tested by Visa early next year, he said, adding that Visa is
also analyzing the feasibility of integrating low-cost computer
chips in cards as a means of anti-counterfeit card protection.

According to Peirce, Visa has been intensifying its attack on card
fraud in two different areas. One is organizational, with Visa
organizing fraud committees in major cities. The other, he said, is
technological, involving the distribution of a simple piece of card-
reading hardware to law enforcement agencies.

The card association put both to the test in Los Angeles, one of the
capitals of counterfeiting. According to Visa, approximately 50
percent of all people arrested in that city carry forged cards. In the
Los Angeles fraud committee, which started last January, Visa
brought together investigators from 15 of the issuing banks in the
city that suffer significant losses.

San Francisco was the second city to have such a committee. Visa
expects to have five more committees running by the end of the
year. In the second initiative, Visa is giving devices called "BIN
checkers" to the police, customs and immigration, and other
agencies. BIN checkers get their name from the bank identification
numbers (BIN) encoded in the cards' magnetic stripes and read the
encoded data to verify that a card is valid.

When the plastic card is swiped through a checker, the machine can
detect a counterfeit and identify its type. A card might be
completely fake or might have been lost or stolen and then tampered
with, either by altering the information in the magnetic stripe or
re-embossing the raised account number on the front of the card.

Newsbytes notes that BIN checkers are not entirely new. For the past
two years, Mastercard International has been distributing them in
the US, as well as in Asia, an area renowned for its card fraud.

According to Visa, the first 15 Visa-issued machines have already
been issued and, by the end of this year, around 300 units will have
been distributed.

(Steve Gold/19931116/Press & Public Contact: Visa International,
415-570-2039)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00026)

Computer Assisted Fraud Hits China - Report 11/16/93
BEIJING, CHINA, 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- More types of computer-
assisted crime are being committed in China, but officials insist
that the situation is under control.

According to Lu Zhiqian, a senior official from the Public Security
Ministry in Beijing, "The law and order situation is basically
stable. But the number of problems concerning law and order has
increased and the damages incurred have intensified.""

Zhiqian said that the increase in crimes might continue in the face
of the "transition from the old system to a new system", referring
to the replacement of a planned economy by a market economy.

He said that a team of public security officers able to tackle
emergency crime cases, including computer and other high
technology crime, was urgently needed in China.

"Hard-fisted social control is essential for the preservation of
social stability," he said, adding that the recent severe crackdown
on serious crimes had acted as a deterrent in the country.

Zhiqian added that a worrying trend in crime in China is that
crimes of violence have sky-rocketed in recent months, as have the
incidence of computer crime, which he admitted is causing concern
in government circles, owing to the technology involved.

(Steve Gold/19931116)


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

Comdex - Radiomail System Under Active Test By Newsbytes 11/16/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- Following
pre-Comdex publicity by Radiomail Corp., a wireless data
communications company in San Mateo, Newsbytes is undertaking
a field test of the company's technology. In the test, Newsbytes'
team of reporters at Comdex has been issued with a series of
Motorola Infotac wireless modems, which operate in the 890
megahertz (MHz) waveband, and will be using these units,
along with the Radiomail software, to keep in touch with each
other.

According to Bill Hipp, Radiomail's president, the Radiomail
software has been designed to operate over a range of wireless
topologies. "We're currently using Ardis and Embarq technologies,
but our software is flexible so we can work over almost any
wireless technology that comes along.

So how does the system work? Users of Radiomail are issued with an
Ardis or a Motorola radio modem. The units under test by Newsbytes
are the latter and retail for $849. The Radiomail software, which
runs under DOS or Windows, is configured and, providing the wireless
modem is within range of a base station, your network link is live.

Radiomail currently only offers inter-subscriber messaging, as well
as conventional access to the Internet for seven-bit electronic
mail. According to Hipp, tests are under way to evaluate telnet and
FTP (file transfer protocol) links over the Internet, but such real-
time data calls are expensive in terms of network resources.

"The Motorola units operate at 4,800 bits-per-second and our
network has been tailored to meet this level of data transmission.
With Telnet links, the load on the Radiomail network is a lot higher
than with store and forward electronic mail, which is much more
what Radiomail is about," Hipps told Newsbytes.

Radiomail started life under Hipps back in 1988, but it took him
some time to get the network up and running or, as he put it, "For
the technology to catch up with us."

Today, Radiomail has around 30 staff and a number of companies who
use the network for their mobile staff to keep in touch with each
other. Newsbytes understands that a total of around 100 journalists
attending Comdex have been issued with Radiomail systems, so the
industry can expect a number of reviews/evaluations in the printed
press over the coming months.

Since Newsbytes is an electronic and daily publication, however, we
are in a position to report back a lot faster. Newsbytes intends to
publish a second story about the network at the end of this week,
reporting on how effective the system was.

(Steve Gold/19931611/Press & Public Contact: Radiomail, tel
415-286-7811, fax [phone]; Email on the Internet:
[e-mail])


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

Comdex - Mobile Communications Industry Discussed 11/16/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- The great thing about
Comdex Fall other than the hundreds of exhibitors are the lectures.
With company majors in hand, the Interface Group (the show
organizers) tap their knowledge and arrange special conferences
at which these major companies explain their rationale and the
way they see the business heading.

So it was that Newsbytes found itself listening to Larry Crume,
vice president of electronic messaging with Lotus; Pradeep Singh,
group manager for mobile services with Microsoft; and Jim
Bartlett, worldwide product line executive with IBM's mobile
computing operations.

Over the next three days, Newsbytes will be reporting to readers on
the details of this conference. Today, we'll look at the background
to the conference and how William Ablondi, the conference's
chairperson, views the industry. Tomorrow we'll look at what Jim
Bartlett has to say, and on Thursday, we'll hear what Pradeep Singh
and Larry Crume have to say on the subject.

First on the podium was Ablondi, vice president of BIS Strategic, a
company that has specialized in issuing reports of leading edge
technology such as mobile comms.

Ablondi explained that there are numerous forces involved in the
mobile communications market. These range from the rate at which
networking has evolved -- forcing the industry to offer seamless
mobile communications "solutions" to the mainstream businessman.

"The mobile market is worth around $20 billion at the moment. We
expect that figure to rise to $44 billion by 1998," he explained to
the audience, clearly demonstrating why the industry is so keen for
us to use the technology.

"Partnerships are forming as the industry matures," he said, adding
that, because of the nature of the free market that the comms
industry finds itself in, many of them are uncontrolled technology
linkups between companies.

Because of the changing nature of the business, BIS decided a year
ago to undertake a major survey into the needs of the mobile user.
The results threw up some interesting facts. For starters, around 86
percent of mobile comms technology users are managers and, of this
86 percent, around 33 percent are involved in sales in one way or
another (sales involvement is defined as spending 25 percent of
one's time in connection with sales).

So what is a mobile comms user? According to Ablondi he is a
technology user that spends 20 percent or more time away from
base. But why, he asked, do users need to make use of mobile comms
technologies? There are three reasons, Ablondi explained: the need
to collaborate; the need for workflow technology; and the need for
single user applications.

But who is using what technology? Ablondi revealed that the BIS
report turned up the fact that 35 percent of users use cellular
technology, 23 percent use portable PCs, 22 percent use pagers,
seven percent electronic organizers and three percent palmtop PCs.

On the portable PCs front, a hefty 88 percent use desktop PCs for
work, a figure that is much higher than usual, he said.

Of this 88 percent, 17 percent intent to acquire a new portable PC
within the next year, a figure, Newsbytes notes, that extrapolates
out to 2.8 million portables being bought in the next year in the US
alone. That figure, Ablondi said, will rise at the rate of 20.2
percent over the next five years, reaching 21.1 million unit sales
in 1998.

Tomorrow, Newsbytes will look at what Jim Bartlett, worldwide
product line executive with IBM's mobile computing operations has
to say on the subject of mobile communications.

(Steve Gold/19931116)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00029)

Comdex - Infra-Red Data Assoc Reveals Plans 11/16/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- The Infra Red Data
Association (IrDA), a group of 50 companies aiming to promote and
standardize infra-red wireless link technology, has announced its
timetable for standards. According to John LaRoche, IrDA's
administrator, plans have been formalized for an IR standard, a
logo and a certification plan.

Plans call for IrD to formally unveil its IR connectivity standard
for data devices during March of next year, specifically, at the
Cebit '94 computer show in Hannover, Germany.

Also in hand are plans for a logo, details of which will be
announced shortly, and a certification process for member's
products, as well as those from third parties.

John Romano, IrDA chairman, who is also a senior Hewlett-Packard
manager, the standard will allow data communications of up 115,200
bits-per-second, but with an emphasis on ease of use and the ability
to use the technology anywhere within line of sight of the two
communicating devices.

"Infrared data transmission has a number of strong and practical
advantages of mobile computer users in today's environment. No
present domestic or international regulatory constraints exist and
interference problems are minimal. Implementation costs are low
and data exchange between IrDA devices will be simple, fast and
convenient," he said.

Fundamental to the concept of IrDA is that infra-red transmission
technology is not for technically minded users. At the launch of
IrDA earlier this year, the association said that the idea behind
the group was that users have come to expect and demand that the
technology works under all conditions.

IrDA's membership includes more than 50 companies in the technology
industry, including AND, AST Research, Compaq, IBM, Intel, Siemens,
Toshiba, Traveling Software and VLSI Technologies. The next meeting
of the association will be on December 14-15 and will be hosted by
AT&T in San Jose, Ca.

According to IrDA, extensive use of the Internet is being made to
enable worldwide communications between members. So far, IrDa
has around 200 of its members on an Internet "reflector" list for
information and conferencing. The association claims it welcomes
new members all the time and is inviting anyone with Internet
access to take out a test drive of the association's membership.

(Steve Gold/19931116/Press & Public Contact: John Laroche, IrDA -
Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone]; Email over the Internet -
[e-mail])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00030)

Comdex - AER Announces First 20-Hour Portable PC Battery 11/16/93
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, 1993 NOV 16 (NB) -- Advanced Energy Resources
(AER) has announced that its existing AER Energy Power 20 battery
system has entered beta testing for portable PC users.

The Energy Power 20, Newsbytes notes, is a standalone battery unit
that will run most portable mono PCs for between 15 and 20 hours
between charges. The battery used a rechargeable zinc-air battery
system that has a claimed 200 to 400 percent advantage over
existing nicad battery technology.

According to Dave Dorheim, president of the company, the battery can
also be used by portable phone users. To this end, the unit comes
with two 12-volt DC sockets to drive both a portable PC and a
cellphone.

Under the beta tests, around 30 Energy Power 20 batteries are being
supplied to mobile workers who will test the battery in real life
conditions. The tests, which will last between 90 and 120 days, will
involve the use of software to analyze usage patterns and power
consumed.

"We're looking forward to learning how beta users react to the
freedom and convenience of full day portable computing and
communications capabilities," Dorheim explained. "Pending tests
results, we plan to begin selling the Energy Power 20, our first
product, to mobile workers next year," he said.

Dorheim said that he is confident about the success of the Energy
Power 20. So much so, in fact, that the company has been talking to
original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in recent months about
supplying zinc air technology to them for use in third party
products.

(Steve Gold/19931116/Press & Public Contact: AER, tel 404-433-
2127, fax [phone])