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/nb930802

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(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00001)

Spinnaker's New PFS:Resume & Job Search Pro For Windows 08/02/93
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- The next time
you're ready to make a career move, you won't have to pay a small
fortune to a resume shop. Neither will it be necessary to try to
track down the last unsold 1993 appointment book in town. You can
leave your exhaustive library of job hunting manuals on the shelf,
along with your 1,000-page thesaurus, thanks to Spinnaker.

All these resources, plus a whole lot more, can now be found in a
single, easy-to-use software package, Spinnaker's PFS:Resume & Job
Search Pro for Windows.

The new application is the only package on the market to combine a
professional resume builder with a contact database, calendar, and
full-blown word processor, according to Katrina Hanewich, product
manager, in a demo for Newsbytes at Spinnaker's headquarters in
Cambridge, MA.

What's more, the manual that comes with the Resume Pro is packed
with useful job search tips, ranging from sample cover letters to
suggestions on how to locate job openings and what to do at an
interview, noted Dan Chmielewski, a Spinnaker spokesperson who was
also on hand at the demo.

Hanewich emphasized that Resume Pro yields top quality results. To
prove it, she showed Newsbytes a pair of resumes she had prepared
with Resume Builder. Each had the highly polished look traditionally
available only through professional designers and typesetters.

The software lets the average PC user create resumes of that calibre
in 30 minutes or less, Chmielewski told Newsbytes. Resume Builder
offers ten different resume templates, including General, Business,
Academic, Recent Graduate, Military, and Technical, he said.

The user personalizes the templates by adding the appropriate
information to sections on Objective, Education, and Experience.
Users can also delete sections of the templates, add sections such
as Summary and References, and customize their resumes in countless
other ways.

Hanewich showed Newsbytes how, with a few quick clicks, the
appearance of the resume can be completely changed simply by
switching to another font. Resume Pro uses all the TrueType fonts in
Windows 3.1, and adds three more, she said.

You can reformat the resume by clicking on any of a series of Resume
Format buttons. Clicking on Resume Format button number two, for
instance, will format the resume so that section headings are left-
aligned, with colons. Geographic locations and dates in the
Experience and Education sections will be right-aligned.

Clicking on button number five will add a horizontal line to the
head of the resume, separating the name from the rest of the data.
The dates will now be left-aligned, but geographical locations will
still be right-aligned. Items in the resume will be separated by
bullets. No matter which button is clicked, Resume Pro makes sure
that the format selected is followed consistently throughout the
resume, said Hanewich.

From the Resume Builder, the user can access a Verify Dates utility
that scans the chronological sections for date errors. The utility
checks for illogical dates (such as "1790" versus "1970") and
misspelled text items associated with dates. It also flags any time
gaps that appear, preventing a serious resume sin.

From either the Resume Builder or Word Processor, the user can
access a built-in Houghton-Miflin spellchecker and thesaurus, as
well as an extensive glossary of "action words," a language job
seekers are expected by now to use.

Hanewich demonstrated how, when you key in Control+Shift+F9, the
action words appear in alphabetical order, each followed by several
synonyms. The synonyms for "accelerated," for example, are
"expedited," "hastened," and "stepped up." Any of the action words
can be copied to the Clipboard with a click or two, and pasted from
there into a document.

The Word Processor also provides WYSIWYG (what you see is what you
get) editing, instant paragraph alignment (left, right and center),
a full suite of writing and editing tools, and the ability to merge
with the Contact Database for personalizing cover letters and other
mailings.

Together, the Contact Database and Calendar form a third component
of Resume Pro called Job Search Manager. Through the Contact
Database, the user enters the name, address, phone and fax number
of each job search contact, along with contact activities.

The user selects the type of activity -- resume, interview, phone,
fax, letter, or other -- from a dropdown menu, and types in when
the activity will start and end. You can also ask Resume Pro to
post reminders of an upcoming activity, and specify when the
reminders will begin.

Until deleted by the user, the contact activity entries will
automatically appear on the weekly and monthly calendars in the Job
Search Manager. The weekly calendars show the contact name for
each activity, the time of the activity, and a graphic
representation of the activity's expected duration.

The monthly calendars represent activities with icons, one each for
resume, interview, phone, fax and letter. Users can readily click
back and forth between the weekly and monthly calendars and the
Contact Database.

A utility for the Job Search Manager called Time Conflict Check
will automatically scan the activities in the current database to
see if you have more than one activity planned at the same time, or
if any activity overflows into another activity's time buffer.

For example, if you plan to send a fax at 2:00 p.m. and make a
phone call at 2:15 p.m., and your "time conflict margin" to get
ready for phone calls is 30 minutes, a conflict is detected. You
set the time conflict margins through a dialog box known as
Preferences.

When Time Conflict Check uncovers a conflict, you are given the
choice of changing one of the activities or ignoring the warning.

With all these features, Resume Pro for Windows lists for just $59-
95. "But the best part of all is that, like other job search
resources, he software is tax deductible. I got that information
straight from my CPA," said Chmielewski.

The Spinnaker spokesperson told Newsbytes that the new Windows-
based package complements two other Spinnaker offerings that are
priced even lower, the DOS-based PFS:Resume Pro and Easy Working
Resume Kit.

Spinnaker holds a 70 percent share of the resume software
market-place, Chmielewski pointed out. The company also develops
and markets an extensive range of other personal productivity
software.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930802/Press contact: Dan Chmielewski,
Spinnaker, tel: [phone], ext 453; Public contact: Spinnaker,
tel [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEN)(00002)

Utah State University Upgrades Communications System 08/02/93
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- Utah State University has
upgraded its existing communications system with Intecom E, a
platform that the university claims will allow it to build a
campuswide multimedia communications network.

The multi-million dollar Intecom Inc contract replaces the two
existing systems -- an AT&T Dimension 2000 PBX private branch
exchange and a US West Centron system. The school says it sought a
telecommunications system capable of providing the same benefits it
already has in its fiber-distributed local area networks (LANs).

Intecom spokesperson Sara Knaggs told Newsbytes that one of the
principal features of the Intecom network is its telemanagement
capabilities. Telemanagement is the method of capturing information
what phones in a system receive and initiate calls in order to track
information for chargeback.

It also provides information that allows system managers to track
abuse of the phone system, such as individuals who charge personal
calls to the employer or overusing the phones, particularly to what
Knaggs called "inappropriate numbers."

Knaggs explained that the Intecom system integrates data tracking in
the switch and telemanagement packages. Intecom requires a single
database entry that updates both systems. There is also a wiring
spares database that tracks the location of all wiring spares,
making it easier to make changes to the system or add additional
phones.

The system also integrates an emergency call system that records the
location and other pertinent information and displays that
information at a designated terminal.

For example, if the university elects to assign the digits 9-1-1 as
the emergency call number, the Intecom database would not only
display the location of the phone for the campus police dispatcher,
but could also display such other information as special medical
problems of that particular dorm room.

The 400-acre USU campus is presently being re-cabled with new fiber
and copper. The school says the fiber backbone allows transmission of
all current future voice, data and video communications, and they will
be able to economically link the 100 campus buildings for voice and
data processing over the fiber-based E network.

The plan calls for administrative building to be on-line with digital
voice communications by March 1994 and the classrooms and dormitories
are scheduled to be on-line by September 1994.

The contract calls for Intecom to manage the cable installation,
telecommunications, voice mail, telemanagement, campus security, and
message center systems for the university.

Knaggs claims that the integration of the databases from a single
input greatly reduces the possibility of error, as well as
dramatically reducing the amount of data entry required.

The university says that, initially, it will utilize only the voice
networking capacities, but purchased the complete system with an eye
to the future.

According to USU Dean Glen Wilde, "It (the Intecom network) supports
our current voice communications needs, and has the bandwidth we
will require as we expand the network to support voice, data, and
video." In this case, bandwidth is the term used to describe the
capacity of computer systems to move data on networks.

(Jim Mallory/19930802/Press contact: Sara Knaggs, Intecom, 214-390-
8863 or 800-468-3266; Reader contact: Glen Wilde, Dean, Learning
Resource Center, USU, 801-750-1201)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00003)

Wordperfect Ships Wordperfect 5.2 For OS/2 08/02/93
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- Wordperfect Corporation (WPC)
has announced it is now shipping Wordperfect 5.2, its first product
for IBM's OS/2 2.1 operating system.

The company claims that this OS/2 implementation of its popular word
processor takes advantage of OS/2's 32-bit technology by supporting
drag and drop on the Workplace Shell, multi-threaded background
printing, and the OS/2 High Performance File System for the use of
file names longer than the eight character limitation imposed by
DOS-based systems.

One feature of the software is a patent-pending Automatic Document
Detection (ADD) feature that automatically registers existing
Wordperfect files with the Workplace Shell and associates them with
Wordperfect. Users can then drag any Wordperfect file to the printer
icon and print the document complete with Wordperfect formatting,
without having to launch the WP application.

The company claims that ADD also gives uses 32-bit document
management on the Workplace Shell by letting them view Wordperfect
documentary summary information such as author, subject, or abstract
from both the Wordperfect Object Settings notebook and the Detail
View of any folder.

Users can launch WP and automatically open any WP file by clicking on
the file name in the Workplace Shell. Drag and drop capabilities allow
the user to drag any WP file, supported graphics image, or spreadsheet
data and insert it into an open Wordperfect document. Spreadsheet data
is automatically converted to a table when inserted into the document.

Wordperfect 5.2 for OS/2 supports both Wordperfect and OS/2 printer
drivers, and also ships with 14 new Postscript fonts. The new fonts
area installed in the system font palette so they can be used with
other OS/2 applications.

The company claims that WP 5.2 for OS/2 is identical to the
Wordperfect 5.1 or 5.2 for Windows format for easier
transportability of files between platforms, including Rs/6000 and
VAX/VMS systems. Users can also exchange WP files from the AS/400
and IBM System 370 systems.

Wordperfect for Windows users will recognize the familiar graphical
interface, Ruler and Button Bar, and feature and functions can be
assigned to a Button Bar. Clicking the right mouse button (buttons
can be reversed if desired) brings up a QuickMenu that lists all
available Button Bars.

A Quickfinder facility speeds up searching, and users can choose to
index any number of drives and directories, with Quickfinder
building an index the company says is about five percent the size of
the selected files. A 32-bit version of Grammatik, the popular
grammar checking program, is also included.

WordPerfect 5.2 for OS/2 has a suggested retail price of $495.
Present WP users can upgrade from DOS or Windows for $129, and users
of other Windows and OS/2 word processors with a retail price of
$395 or more can switch for $149.

(Jim Mallory/19930802/Press contact: Liz Tanner, Wordperfect
Corporation, 801-228-5004; Public contact: Wordperfect Corporation,
801-225-5000 or 800-451-5151, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00004)

Datacraft Appointed First Overseas Synoptics ACE Partner 08/02/93
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JULY 30 (NB) -- Datacraft Australia has
been appointed as the first Synoptics authorised customer service
partner outside the US. According to the company, this level of
accreditation is the highest level of technical certification
available to a Synoptics products reseller and network service
provider.

The world-wide program was launched just over two years ago. To
qualify, a company has to demonstrate a long track record of
providing network service, and demonstrate a set of technical
capabilities and product knowledge such that it can fully support a
customer.

Datacraft national support manager Bernd Rottinger said that the
authorization process was a rigorous test of technical capabilities.
"It includes primary and secondary levels of engineers, technical
certification training, and specific rules for test equipment,
spares inventory and problem-escalation procedures," he said.

"Once these requirements have been met, an on-site inspection of the
reseller's service facility is conducted, then five customer
references are contacted to assure Synoptics that the reseller has a
proven track record for providing quality support. It's quite an
honor to be the first company outside the US to get this
accreditation," he added.

Datacraft is a publicly listed Australian company that provides
products and services in networking communications and integration,
with annual revenues in excess of AUS$100M and more than 500 staff.
The company develops, manufactures and markets an extensive range of
networking products for markets around the world.

(Paul Zucker/19930802/Contact: Datacraft on phone [phone] or
fax [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00005)

FGS Ships Utility For Mac Powerbooks 08/02/93
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- Fifth Generation
Systems (FGS) says it is now shipping MacPak, its new utility
software for Apple Computer's Mac desktop and Powerbook computers.

Product marketing manager Julie Boudreaux says that MacPak is a
collection of the company's top Mac utilities. MacPak includes file
launching, automatic background file compression, an access security
program, file backup, file management, and a fast copy utility. The
program also includes a group of personal information managers that
provide a calendar, phone pad, and two calculators.

The company claims that Launch Pad is a quick-launch program through
which all the other utilities are integrated, and allows users to
instantly access applications, files, and folders. Launch Pad is
installed in the startup folder, making the utilities automatically
available when the system is turned on.

The automatic background compression utility uses AutoDoubler's
compression algorithm to compress or expand all files on the hard
disk except those in the System Folder. File compression makes more
disk storage space available without having to install a larger
capacity hard drive.

FGS calls the DiskLock PB access security system "bulletproof" and
claims that access security prevents anyone who doesn't have the
correct password from accessing files and programs on the computer.

The backup utility included in MacPak uses FGS' Fastback Express to
backup and restore files. Backup can be scheduled for unattended
operation, and files can be selectively identified by the user for
inclusion in the backup.

MacPak also includes DiskTools, a desk accessory for file management
that allows users to easily find, copy, move, rename, and delete
files individually or by groups.

CopyDoubler Lite is a replacement for the System 7 operating system
Finder copy function that FGS says speeds up file copying by as much
as five times. It also empties the trash up to ten times faster than
the System 7 Finder and supports AutoDoubler compression while
copying.

MacPac runs on all Macintosh Plus and later models, including
PowerBooks with System 7.0 or later. The program has a suggested
retail price of $149.

(Jim Mallory/19930802/Press contact: Crystal Mayeux, FGS
504-291-7221; Reader contact: Fifth Generation Systems, 504-
291-7221 0r 800-873-4384)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00006)

Emerald Systems Intros XpressSERVE Backup Software 08/02/93
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A.. 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- One of the major
benefits of having a local area network (LAN) using a dedicated
server is that it is easier to backup data than in a peer-to-peer
networking environment. Now Emerald Systems says it is set to
introduce in August a network fileserver-based backup software
product called XpressSERVE.

According to the company, the package utilizes "NextWave," a new
modular architecture which the company says "enables quick
modification, end-user customization and easy expansion to fit
market needs."

XpressSERVE is a NetWare Loadable Module (NLM). According to the
company, it has a NetWare-like C-Worthy interface on the
workstation, a server console interface and a DOS command line
interface to allow job submittal and status from any workstation
in the network or the server. Individual users on the network also
will be able to initiate their own backup and restore operations.

Announcing the package, John E. Jones, Emerald president, said: "We
have invested much time and resources in this new software
technology because network growth and expansion demand high-
performance products which are flexible and can support a variety of
platforms, interfaces and hardware devices."

Dr. Lawrence Rogers, vice president/general manager of Emerald's
Software Systems Division, said that, "Speed, ease of use, and
flexibility were the main design criteria in XpressSERVE. We believe
we have built a product which is significantly faster than anything
comparable on the market today. We also wanted to build a product
which would be fully SMS (Storage Management Services) compliant."

The company is offering two versions of the software, supporting
both NetWare 4.0 and 3.11. XpressSERVE Enterprise will provide full
SMS support, including standard data and tape format compliance.

SMS allows enterprise-wide backup and restoration of multiple-file
systems so that all DOS, Windows, Unix, Macintosh and OS/2 files on
the server may be backed up. Through SMS, the company says that
XpressSERVE Enterprise also allows backup and restore of local
workstations running DOS/Windows and OS/2. The company also says
that Unix and Macintosh backup capabilities will be available soon.

The company expects complete Novell certification of XpressSERVE
Enterprise "in the near future" because to its full SMS support.

The product will be available in 50-user, 250-user, 500-user and
1,000-user versions, priced at less than $800 for the 50-user and
less than $4,000 for the 1,000-user version. For networks not
requiring full NetWare 4.0 and SMS support, a high-speed
backup/restore XpressSERVE package will be available for less than
$600.

Both versions will support all industry-standard 0.25-inch DAT
(digital audio tape) and eight millimeter (mm) tape drives as well
as a number of SCSI (small computer systems interface) cards.

The company also says that XpressSERVE has an integrated scheduler
for handling backup operations in a completely unattended and
automated mode, including the use of the editable job script files. A
file history database for tracking backup information and locating
archived files is also included.

(Ian Stokell/19930802/Press Contact: Karen Thomas, 619-673-2161 ext
4106, Emerald Systems)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00007)

Adobe Illustrator 5.0 For Macintosh Debuts 08/02/93
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- Adobe Systems
has announced the availability of Adobe Illustrator version 5.0 for
the Macintosh. The graphics illustration and design application is
available in both floppy format and in the Deluxe CD-ROM (compact
disc read only memory) edition.

According to the company, the new version offers plug-in filters,
including Adobe's Pathfinder technology - a set of filters that
allows users to modify the intersecting areas of overlapping
objects.

Additionally, the new software offers a number of other features,
including layers, multiple levels of undo and redo, edit in preview,
custom views, gradient fills with multiple colors, custom page sizes
and support for a pressure-sensitive calligraphic pen with a
variable nib.

User interface improvements include floating palettes for paint
styles, gradient fills, layers, tools, and character and paragraph
styles. Version 5.0 also includes 40 of Adobe's Type 1 typefaces.

Adobe's Pathfinder filters allow users to create special effects
and techniques such as shadowing, transparency and preview
overprinting. In addition, the company says that Pathfinder filters
can be used to perform shortcuts such as subtract objects from
one another or use lines to slice through and divide objects.

Adobe Illustrator 5.0 for the Mac is available now for the suggested
retail price of $595. Registered owners of Adobe Illustrator for
the Macintosh may choose either a regular upgrade on standard
diskettes or the Deluxe CD-ROM Edition upgrade. Both versions
include Adobe Separator and Adobe Type Manager (ATM) software.

The regular upgrade from version 3.2 to version 5.0 will be free to
registered users who purchased the Adobe Illustrator program for the
Macintosh after March 1, 1993. For customers who purchased the
program prior to March 1, version 5.0 costs $149 through October 31,
1993, and $199 after that. The Deluxe CD-ROM Edition will be offered
to registered users at the introductory price of $199 through
October 31, 1993, and $249 after that.

Adobe Illustrator 5.0 for the Mac requires a 68020-based Macintosh
computer with 3.1 megabytes (MB) of RAM available for the
application, running Apple System Software 6.07 or greater and a CD-
ROM drive for those who buy the Deluxe CD-ROM Edition.

(Ian Stokell/19930802/Press Contact: Patricia J. Pane,
415-962-3967, Adobe Systems Inc.)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00008)

Wordperfect Announces Back-To-School Offer 08/02/93
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- Wordperfect Corporation says
it will discount its popular word processing program Wordperfect for
DOS, Windows or Macintosh platforms as a special back-to-school
offer for the first time in the product's history.

The company says the special prices are available to teachers,
faculty members, college students, and schools. Those individuals
can purchase their preferred version of Wordperfect 6.0 for DOS or
Wordperfect for Windows for $99, while Macintosh users can get
Wordperfect for Macintosh for $79. Both offers are available until
October 1, 1993.

All three versions of Wordperfect usually sell to the education
community for $135. The company continues to offer Wordperfect
Presentation, DataPerfect, Plan Perfect, and some other products to
educators and students for $135.

Wordperfect Corporation spokesperson Laura Fankhauser told Newsbytes
that the package offered to educators and students is identical to
that sold to retail buyers. "It's the full package," she
said. Readers can contact Wordperfect Corporation to learn the
location of education resellers in their area.

(Jim Mallory/19930802/Press contact: Laura Fankhauser, Wordperfect
Corporation, 801-228-5051; Reader contact: Wordperfect Corporation,
801-226-7654)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00009)

Popular Australian Media Guide Now Available On Disk 08/02/93
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- Margaret Gees Media Guide
is the 'bible' for public relations companies in Australia. It is
the media "Who's Who" of Australia, giving contact details for more
than 10,000 people in the Australian broadcast and print media, and
now it is available on a monthly-updated disk.

The print version is 560 pages, but this is now all contained in
database form on a disk. The service is available three, six or
twelve times a year. The full subscription is AUS$640 a year (around
US$440) and this includes the hardcopy version.

The system is designed for non-computer users, and auto-installs on
most PCs. It is written in Dataflex, and requires a runtime version
of that product to operate. It can be supplied in a form suitable for
many non-PC platforms, including Xenix, Vax, CP/M and Concurrent Dos.

Searching can be completed on any of the data fields, such as
circulation, region, name, medium or, of course, name. Special
features include: area covered by broadcast stations; latest
personnel changes; multicultural media; media ownership.

Because the data is already in an electronic form, it can easily be
used for mail-merge applications, or production of personalized
faxes, and so on. The software is capable of doing this, though the
information can also be sent to third-party products.

(Paul Zucker/19930802/Contact: Information Australia on phone +61-3-
654 2800 or fax [phone]))


(NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00010)

Multiprotocol Router From Interlink Communications Debuts 08/02/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- ACE Router is claimed to be
one of the most fully featured routers available. The product was
designed in New Zealand and is manufactured in Australia.

According to the Prentice Hall Dictionary of Computing, a router is
used to transfer data from one local area network (LAN) to another,
though the two are not normally compatible. The ACE router's network
options include both user and manager levels of priority.

A full event log is available with SNMP MIB II support plus private
extensions. It has a built-in data scope for on-line monitoring of
traffic and performance. System management can be on PC, SUNnet,
Openview or NMC 1000/3000.

One example of the product's use is the New Zealand private virtual
network "TuiaNet" which uses ACE routers running Frame Relay to link
3,500 users in various government departments, national libraries and
universities.

Australian user Gerald Molly from the Department of Corrective
Services said "It provides us with integrated features not currently
available in competitive products, and a price/performance ratio to
match."

Features include:

[] Multiprotocol support - TCP/IP, IPX/Novell, X.25 and DECNet

[] Multiple simultaneous WAN ports at up to 10 Megabits per second

[] Full implementation of Frame Relay conforming to both CCITT and
   ANSI standards and supporting the important extensions,
   including LMI.

[] An integrated ISDN terminal adaptor supporting both basic and
   primary rate access including automatic switchover to ISDN dial
   backup.

[] An integrated terminal server to provide transparent access
   for Remote Terminal and Host-to-Server connectivity.

[] G.703/G.704 interfaces for efficient connectivity over microwave
   and satellite links as well as high-speed PABX port connections.

(Paul Zucker/19930802/Contact: Interlink Communications on phone +61-
2-975 2577 or fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00011)

Computer Associates To Charge $19.95 For Simply Money In Oz 08/02/93
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- Computer Associates has
announced that it will sell its Simply Money product in Australia
for AUS$19.95 plus postage, making it around twice as expensive as
in the US where it costs only US$6.95 for shipping.

The company expects to sell around 100,000 copies in Australia, but
around four million in the US. After this the price will increase to
$99 suggested retail -- the same as a number of other CA products
such as the word processor, Textor.

Computer Associates is believed to be keen to establish a strong
following in the Australian PC market-place and is forging ne
relationships with distributors and master resellers, while ending
others.

(Paul Zucker/19930802)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00012)

New Mouse Systems Turns Technology On Its Head 08/02/93
READING, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 AUG 02 (NB) -- Elinnor Technology
has announced that its force sensing platform (FSP) will now run
under both DOS and Windows. The touchpad can now effectively replace
a mouse, the company claims.

According to John Rodger, sales manager with the company, the
touchpad can now be adapted to allow users to customize various
single and double click mouse actions.

"With the introduction of the new DOS mouse driver, supplied with
every new Touchmate, the number of applications which users will be
able to control is significantly increased. The driver also
represents an important development for system integrators ho now
have more flexibility when writing software for Touchmate," he said.

So, what is Touchmate? According to the company, it's a completely
new type of touch screen where no glass panel or membrane is placed
in front of the screen. Instead, Touchmate is a compact platform
that is placed underneath a monitor -- any force exerted on the
screen of the monitor is carried through to the touchpad and
translated into a three dimensional plot of the monitor.

By extrapolating force and directional co-ordinates peculiar to the
monitor, Touchmate claims to be able to work out where on the screen
the user is touching. This is translated into a mouse-style command.

Touchmate costs vary, depending on the type of monitor it is being
used with. The company describes its products as price competitive
and notes that, unlike competing systems, Touchmate does not void
any warranties or service agreements.

(Steve Gold/19930802/Press & Public Contact: Elinnor Technology -
Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00013)

Austin Launches Pentium-Based Machines 08/02/93
KEMPSTON, BEDFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- Austin Computer
Systems claims to have taken the lead by shipping a range of
Pentium-based workstations and server systems. The HE series, the
company claims, are based around a unique modular stacking system
that allow a large number of configurations and for virtually
unlimited expansion.

The HE Pentium workstation comes with a 60 megahertz (MHz) Pentium
chipset, 16 megabytes (MB) of memory, a 2MB VESA VGA RAM card and a
VESA fast small computer systems interface (SCSI) 540MB hard disk in
a standard desktop casing.

"This machine is fast with a capital F," explained Richard Choi, the
company's sales and marketing director, who added that, supplied
with a choice of 14 or 17 inch mono-interlaced monitors, the HE
system costs UKP 3,850 or UKP 4,270, respectively.

The server version of the HE series comes in what Austin claims is a
unique box, known as the MS box. Designed with the same dimensions
as the workstation, the MS box allows up to six additional SCSI
devices to be plugged in.

According to Choi, the HE series can also be supplied with an 80486
chipset. @t's another example of the leading technology and
innovative design no available to Austin users in the UK," Choi
said, adding that he plans to start shipping the entire range to
users this coming September.

"You can expect the GE Pentium to take a large slice of the high end
server and workstation markets in a very short space of time," he
enthused.

(Steve Gold/19930802/Press & Public Contact: Austin Computer Systems
- Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SYD)(00014)

IDC Surveys Australian Computer Resellers Market 08/02/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- Sales and Marketing Issues
were given low ratings by personal computer and printer resellers in
the recent IDC Australia Reseller satisfaction survey. The survey,
which was conducted between March and May 1993, identified a number
of key issues for which resellers considered PC and printer vendors
were not providing adequate service and support.

Sales and marketing issues were given a far lower rating than
various issues in the three other categories. The respondents to the
survey covering all PC vendors gave sales and marketing issues an
average score of only 2.57 out of a possible 5.00. Support issues
for PC vendors were given an average rating of 3.24, while financial
issues were given an average rating of 3.36 and corporate issues an
average rating of 3.63.

PC and printer resellers of all sizes participated in the survey,
which was conducted across all states of Australia. The purpose of
the survey was to examine the current satisfaction levels of
resellers with their major suppliers of personal computers and
printers. Each vendor rated in the survey by resellers was rated on
36 separate issues. The survey showed a notable dissatisfaction with
most PC vendors on four specific issues within the sales and
marketing category.

Resellers considered PC vendors were of little help in generating
sales leads and gave an average rating of only 2.15 out of a
possible 5.00. Product sales training was also considered to be
quite weak, as indicated by the average rating of 2.43. Reseller
incentive programs were not given a good rating at 2.52, nor was PC
vendor marketing support at 2.58.

Even the two highest scoring categories within the sales and
marketing group, vendor advertising, at 2.77, and effectiveness of
the vendors' representatives at 2.98, were given relatively low
scores.

Printer vendors were also given a serve by the respondents to the
reseller satisfaction survey. The average scores for printer
vendors, however, were a little better than the scores given to the
PC vendors. Sales and marketing issues were given an average score
of 3.05, support issues an average score of 3.21, financial issues
an average score of 3.70 and corporate issues an average score of
3.98.

Of course, there was considerable variation between the ratings
given to individual PC and printer vendors. The survey has provided
a very clear means to identify the particular strengths or the
particular weaknesses of any one PC or printer vendor. For example,
one particular PC vendor scored a rating of 4.17 for the
effectiveness of its representatives, compared with the industry
average of 2.98.

The differences between the scores given to particular vendors
suggests that resellers are well able to differentiate between their
various vendors in terms of policies and support.

Although support issues were generally given higher scores than
sales and marketing issues, three of the issues in the category were
given low average ratings. Resellers gave PC vendor telephone
support beyond the normal 8 Hours a low rating of 2.35.

Resellers also expressed their general dissatisfaction with the
product technical training being provided by PC vendors, as
indicated by the average score of 2.58. Similarly, PC resellers were
not at all certain of PC vendors' alternate channels policies and
gave an average rating of 2.79.

The support issues, out of the twelve which were rated by resellers
of PCs in the survey, which scored higher average ratings were
willingness to assist at 3.65, ability to assist at 3.64, and
product maintenance availability at 3.60.

The average ratings for printer vendors were similar with these same
issues being given the highest ratings. Product technical training
was also given a low rating of 2.83 by survey respondents, although
this was higher than the rating of 2.08 given for PC vendors.

The average ratings for financial issues for PC vendors were
somewhat higher. Even in this category, however, margin flexibility
at 2.89, and credit terms at 3.06 were not rated particularly
strongly.

In contrast, the average ratings for corporate Issues given to PC
vendors by respondents to the survey were quite favourable. Once
again there was notable differences between PC vendors. This
confirms that resellers are well able to distinguish between each
vendor on these issues.

Interestingly, the two highest average ratings given to PC vendors
in the survey were for product performance (3.98) and quality of
product (3.97). Given that almost 700,000 PCs were shipped in 1992
and 760,000 PCs are expected to be shipped in 1993, the strength of
the average ratings for these issues would be reassuring for
prospective purchasers.

There were notable differences between PC vendors in the PC section
of the survey and similar differences between printer vendors in the
printer section of the survey.

The reseller satisfaction survey has highlighted key issues of
concern to resellers. It has also provided a means to assess the
current level of satisfaction with a particular vendor in comparison
with the industry average or with a direct competitor.

Further details regarding the survey and the availability of reports
can be obtained from IDC Australia. Contact Graham Penn on phone +61-
2-922 5300.

(Paul Zucker/19930802/Contact: Reseller Magazine on fax +61-2-652
2771)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00015)

CommWorld Continues Comeback 08/02/93
DENVER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- Communications World
International, a 10-year old franchisor of telephone product stores
doing business as CommWorld, is continuing its comeback. The
company, which was purchased from its original owners two years ago,
has announced it has signed four new dealers in July, bringing the
total number of affiliates to 49.

A spokesman explained how the system works to Newsbytes. "Dealers
used to pay a royalty on gross revenues. Now they pay a royalty only
on products purchased from CommWorld," he explained, adding that the
royalty system is a non-exclusive arrangement. According to the
spokesman, all franchisees also use the CommWorld name and signage,
as well as its advertising programs.

President Richard Olson expressed pleasure that the company has
signed 16 new franchises since last October, and said he's now
optimistic about the long term growth of the franchise. He said most
of the nation's 10,000 telephone equipment dealers are small
operations which can use the marketing strength of a franchisor to
compete against AT&T and the regional Bell companies.

Since taking over the company two years ago, Olson and his
management team claim to have converted 97 percent of their
franchises to the new program, learned how to identify potential new
franchisees, and established an operating network of franchisees
with better prospects than competitors who go-it-alone. Olson said
that the value of the franchise will only improve as more dealers
sign-on and the company can get better prices from suppliers.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930802/Press Contact: Communications World
International, Richard D. Olson, 303/721-8200; Beth Lawrence,
for CommWorld, 303/393-7044)


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

 ****Dell Announces New PC Lines, New Marketing Strategy 08/02/93
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- Dell Computer Corporation
announce three new families of personal computers today, each
targeting a different customer market.

The company, which likens the strategy to Tsunami (Japanese for Big
Wave) claims that the announcement introduces a major shift in how
it will market its products. The three new families of PCs are: the
NetPlex 486/P, the Optiplex 486/MX, and the Dimension XPS.

The NetPlex 486/P line is aimed at corporate customers who use a
computer network that allows users to share files and programs. Dell
spokesperson Kellie Leonard told Newsbytes that NetPlex systems
range in price from $1,349 to $3,523.

Priced from $1,699 to $3,749, the OptiPlex 486/MX line offers
upgradeable PCs for what Dell calls a "techo-critical" user. As
Newsbytes reported last week, that is one of several categories the
company designated to help users understand what computers can do
for them and how they can go about finding their perfect PC match.

Other categories include techno-wizard, techno-to-go, techno-boomer,
techno-phobe, and techno-teamer. A techno-critical user is defined
by Dell as a corporate or business user who relies on computers for
more sophisticated tasks which are critical to doing his or her job,
such as computer-aided design or computer-aided engineering.

The third new line is an upgrade of Dell's Dimension line called the
Dimension XPS, and targets the more sophisticated user who knows the
specific system they desire. Dimension XPS systems will carry price
tags ranging from $2,449 to $3,365 and will include sound boards and
CD-ROM drives.

Referring to the new marketing strategy -- the targeting of specific
user groups -- Dell Senior VP for sales, marketing and services, Rob
Howe, said the new PC lines are "a major part of our strategies from
here forward." Howe called the strategy a tsunami, saying "This is
the next huge wave from Dell." A tusnami is a very large ocean wave
caused by an underwater earthquake or an underwater earthquake.

The company said it will sell the new systems through it's direct
mail order system, but they may appear later in the retail channels
that currently handle Dell PCs. The new line will be unveiled
tonight at Palmer Auditorium in Austin.

All the new systems will include Microsoft DOS 6.0, Microsoft
Windows 3.1, a Dell mouse, and a 3.5 inch or 5.25 inch floppy drive.
Memory configurations range from 4 megabytes (MB) to 16MB, and hard
drives are available from 170MB to 450MB capacity. Various monitors
are available.

Dell established the techno-type categories after commissioning a
study that the company says shows half of all Americans are still
resistant to taking advantage of available technology in their
everyday lives.

According to the survey, one-fourth of all US adults have never used
a computer, set a VCR to record a television show, or even
programmed their favorite stations on a car radio.

(Jim Mallory/19930802/Press contact: Kellie Leonard, Dell Computer,
512-728-4100)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00017)

 ****Ambra Computer Corp., A New IBM Subsidiary, Is Born 08/02/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- Ambra Computer
Corporation, new wholly owned IBM subsidiary that will make and
market custom PCs for North American "enhanced users," was announced
today at a press conference in Boston.

At the company launch, Ambra introduced an initial line-up of 16
base models, including two color notebooks, a tower, a minitower,
and a variety of desktop configurations. Available immediately, the
systems range from 486SX to dual Pentium-processor models. Pricing
for the desktop PCs starts at $999.

The systems produced by Ambra are quite different from the computers
that the IBM PC Company sells in Europe under the Ambra brand name,
Dave Middleton, president of Ambra, told Newsbytes in an interview.

"Our products are designed for people who use their PCs extensively,
with multiple applications, and therefore have very demanding
requirements," he told Newsbytes. At the same time, this target
market is price sensitive, he added.

In another point of distinction, Ambra's products will be marketed
through direct telephone sales, in the US and Canada only. In
contrast, the IBM PC Company sells its Ambra brand through local
distributors, in Europe only. Last year, some of the IBM PC
Company's Ambra PCs were exported to Canada, but now, only the Ambra
Computer Corp.'s products will be sold in Canada, he said.

According to Barry Baxter, head of Ambra's European sales operation,
the US range of machines are very different to those sold in Europe.
He told Newsbytes that no decision on whether to source the US
products, which are manufactured by SCI Corporation, for the
European operation, had yet been made.

"They're extremely aggressive on price, but I have to say that Ambra
in the US is a completely separate operation. Whether we source
machines from them or anywhere else in the world has not been
decided upon," he said.

Ambra in the US was formed after IBM made an extensive study of
"enhanced" or power users in the US and Canada. "IBM found that the
enhanced user has a particular set of requirements that necessitates
a unique strategy. In looking at the requirement set, IBM decided it
made the most sense to create a new company tailored to meet those
needs," commented the company president.

Although Ambra is headquartered in Raleigh, NC, a city where IBM has
manufacturing facilities, company operations are separate from
IBM's. "We've woven together a business organization that allows us
to achieve a very low cost of operations, while producing
outstanding products at very rapid time to market," Middleton said.

Ambra's business strategy is based on the concept of a "virtual
corporation," in which Ambra subcontracts several key services to
outside companies specializing in those areas. Each company
contributes on the basis of core competencies.

"Ambra's core competency is to understand technology, keep in close
touch with customers, and quickly marry technology to customer
needs," said Middleton.

Ambra has out-sourced telemarketing to Merisel's new Channel
Services Group, and customer support and maintenance to the IBM
Service Organization and IBM Help Line Organization.

This "virtual corporation" model will permit Ambra to introduce new
or refreshed PCs every 90 to 120 days, Middleton told Newsbytes.
All systems will be built-to-order, and shipped within 72 hours of
order acceptance. On site service and support will be offered Monday
through Saturday, and telephone help will be available seven days a
week, 24 hours a day.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930802/Reader contact: 1-800-25AMBRA; Press
contact: Anne Marie Clark, Cunningham Communications for Ambra,
tel [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(WAS)(00018)

MacTV Schedule for Week of August 2-20, 1993 08/02/93
MARLOW, NEW HAMPSHIRE, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- Here are the
scheduled for MacTV, the daily one hour satellite computer product
news program broadcast every day on Galaxy 6, Channel 22 starting at
8 am Eastern time. Some shows are also broadcast on the Mind
Extension University cable channel, as well as on a number of
European and Asian satellite stations.

For Newsbytes readers without access to satellite, previously
broadcast programs are available by mail order in NTSC format at
$9.95 plus $3 shipping.

Monday, August 2, 1993: MacroMind Director 3.1, the multimedia
communications standard; ElectricImage, software that provides
animation for popular films; CPU Accelerators, how to get more
from your Mac; CD-ROM ToolKit, how to boost your CD-ROM drive
performance; Encore 3.0, professional music notation; ToasterLink,
this will join your Mac and the well-liked VideoToaster.

Tuesday, August 3, 1993: Buying Educational Software, what to look
for when purchasing software for children; Where in the World is
Carmen Sandiego?, see if you can locate Carmen and her band of
ruffians; Electronic Map Cabinet, one-of-a-kind CD-based software
for mapping; World Atlas, combination of almanac, atlas, and world
fact book; Swamp Gas Visits USA, an extraterrestrial aids you in
learning geography; Shakespeare's Life and Times, use this CD-ROM to
find out all you ever wanted to know about the Bard of Avon;
Berlitz: Think & Talk, how to learn a foreign tongue the Berlitz
way.

Wednesday, August 4, 1993: Maintaining Hardware, how to keep your
computer running and healthy; Personal Press 2.0, no-frills, low-
cost desktop publishing software; Reader Rabbit's/Letters, this
program will make learning fun for your child(ren); Miracle Piano, a
remarkably easy way to learn to play the piano; Dvorak on Typing,
the truly top-notch "talking" typing tutor; Beginning PageMaker 4.2
tutorial on cassette and/or disk.

Thursday, August 5, 1993: IntelliDraw, drawing is easy when you use
this program's features; 24-Bit Color Card, find out if you need a
24-bit color card; Color-It!, software with basic image editing and
paint features; An Introduction to CCI, view what some students have
done with digital mapping; Cachet 1.01, this software brings you the
very latest color editing technology; Bitmap vs. PostScript, what
their differences are.

Friday, August 6, 1993: TeachText, tells you what you have and why
you might have several copies of it; MacWrite Pro, another look at
this word processing program; WordPerfect 2.1, a detailed view of
this advanced word processing software, loaded with extras; The
Writing Center, how you can do school reports, create brochures, and
more; Word/FMP: Print Merge, how to import database-stored
addresses; FrameMaker, professional publishing software.

Monday, August 9, 1993: Quicken; CheckWriter Pro, simple yet
sophisticated; best books, good, old-fashioned bookkeeping program
for your Mac; TaxCut, software that helps you account for your
complete taxes; KeyPad/Adding Machine, this little number is a great
combination; WealthBuilder 2.0.

Tuesday, August 10, 1993: Clean Up Your Desktop; TouchBASE 2.0, how
to keep track of your business/personal contacts; ACT!, software
activities and contacts management; LapTrack, reporting of your time
and expenses; TeleMagic V12, follow up sales leads; Office Manager
2.5.

Wednesday, August 11, 1993: Ultima Home Office, combines answering
machine, fax, modem, and other features; MASSfm 24/96, another
external fax-modem that is portable; Going On- line/Research, a look
at several ways to do research on-line; Remote Network Access, a
look at how remote access affects work styles; PowerKey/Remote, how
to power-up your Mac no matter where you are; QuickMail 2.6, a quick
look at this total e-mail solution.

Thursday, August 12, 1993: Meeting Maker XP, this is a cross-
platform group and resource scheduler; Now Up-to-Date 2.0, gives you
built-in "what to do" lists and a calendar; File Management
Strategies, stores your documents as if into a file cabinet; Power
Team, helps you organize all your general office chores; M.Y.O.B.:
"To Do" List, tells you when to pay bills and collect monies owed
you; Personal RecordKeeper.

Friday, August 13, 1993: System 7.1: Application(s) & Memory, lets
you improve computer performance by designating memory; Illustrator
5.0: New Tools, detailed advice on blending/gradient tools that
professionals can use; Ashlar Vellum, blueprint floor plans drawn up
easily and quickly; Excel 4.0; MS Word: Tool Bar, gives you some
methods to make your toolbar one-of-a-kind; MacWrite Pro, a quick
look at MacWrite Pro; FileMaker Pro 2.0, expert advice on how to use
this software; Rebuilding the Desktop.

Monday, August 16, 1993: Authorware Professional, interactive
learning provided with an authoring tool; Persuasion 2.1, for
presentations that are top-notch; Apple Color Printer, a report on
this printer's features; Magic Scroll 2.0, create TV teleprompting
on your Mac; PowerLink Presenter, PowerBook Duos get presentation
dock.

Tuesday, August 17, 1993: EtherNet Tutorial, what you should know
about EtherNet; Asante EtherNet; System 7.1: Publish/Subscribe,
teaches you about this unique feature of System 7; Timbuktu 5.0, a
package for cross-platform collaborating and connectivity; FileMaker
Pro 2.0, how to use and share this software's files over networks;
SnapBack, automatically back up your networked Macs.

Wednesday, August 18, 1993: The Future of the Mac, what may be in
store for Apple; Aladdin Desktop Tools, a program that takes over
from the Finder; Magnet, give your Mac this premier smart agent;
Infini-D 2.5, software to enhance your sales presentations; Passport
Producer, provides almost instantaneous presentations; Bodymapper,
teaches children about their bodies.

Thursday, August 19, 1993: PowerBook Travel, what to take on the
road; Hard Shell Cases, how to protect your PowerBook while
traveling; PBTools, good PB power; Shadowgate & Deja Vu; On The
Road, how to fax and print: PowerPort internal PB fax-modem.

Friday, August 20, 1993: Panorama II, database, almost a mindreader;
Aldus Fetch, a graphics database that gives you all you might want
or need; 32-Bit Memory Address, how to use this package most
efficiently; Dynodes 3.0, helps you get in touch with your contacts
quickly and with no fuss; FileMaker Pro 2.0.

(John McCormick/19930802/Press Contact: Wayne Mohr, Executive
Producer PCTV and MacTV, 603-863-9322)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00019)

ScanMan EasyTouch Aims To Initiate 08/03/93
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- Logitech has
announced a piece of imaging hardware aimed at the estimated 98
percent of PC users who are not yet scanner owners.

The new ScanMan EasyTouch Boardless Hand-Held Grayscale Scanner
offers a parallel port interface with a passthrough adapter,
allowing a printer and the scanner to be connected to the parallel
port at the same time. According to the company, ScanMan EasyTouch
also features a new ergonomic design that lets the user hold the
unit with the hand extended straight out from the wrist, for
greater scanning comfort.

Priced at $399, the scanner is bundled with a pair of Windows 3.1
based applications that includes scanning software from Logitech and
an OCR (optical character recognition) package from Caere.

The scanner's parallel port interface is intended to make scanning
available to all PC users, including those with notebooks or
laptops and those who do not enjoy installing hardware inside their
machines, according to Molly Carlson, product manager.

"Today, only two percent of the installed base of PC users owns a
scanner, so there's a tremendous untapped market out there," she
said, adding: "We believe the ability to easily integrate images
into a document without having to open up computers or worry about
DMA channels and interrupts will help to bring scanning into the
mainstream of personal computing."

ScanMan EasyTouch plugs directly into the parallel port. The
special passthrough adapter permits the user to operate a printer
through the same port without disconnecting the scanner. Also, as
part of the scanner's new design, the main roller is made of a
polycarbon material that can be more precisely machined,
facilitating straighter, smoother scanning.

The scanning software that comes with the product, Logitech's
FotoTouch Version 1.2 Color Image Editing Software, is now being
bundled with all of Logitech's Windows-based scanners.

FotoTouch offers an extensive set of editing tools and effects,
along with the ability to open multiple images on screen and cut
and paste among them. A new feature, printer profiles, is meant to
optimize tone and contrast for specific types of printers.

The OCR package that is included, OmniPage Direct AnyFont OCR
Software for Logitech, was designed by Caere specifically for
Logitech, and will be sold exclusively with ScanMan handheld
scanners.

"OmniPage Direct AnyFont OCR Software for Logitech offers the power
of Caere's recognition technology and basic tools while leaving the
`bells and whistles' -- such as spell- and grammar-checking, cutting
and pasting, and other editing tasks -- to the destination
applications," explained Patricia Smith, another product manager for
Logitech.

More than 70 word processing, desktop publishing, and spreadsheet
applications are preregistered. The software will instantly register
any Windows application that is not preregistered.

The OCR package offers single-column, full-page, and spreadsheet
recognition modes. Other features include threshold grayscale
scanning for optimizing image contrast on colored or soiled
backgrounds, the ability to accept Rich Text (RFT) files for font
retention, and the ability to open and recognize existing files and
fine mode fax documents.

ScanMan EasyTouch is slated to ship at the end of August. System
requirements include a 386SX processor or above, 4 MB RAM, 5 MB
free disk space, a VGA or better graphics card, DOS 3.1 or higher,
Windows 3.1, and a Logitech or compatible pointing device.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930802/Reader contact: Logitech Customer Sales
Center, tel [phone]; Press contacts: Betty Skov, Logitech, tel
510-713-4463 or Amy Rupley, Logitech, tel [phone])


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

Satellite Tech Wins New Contract Extensions 08/02/93
COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- Satellite
Technology Management said it won expansions of existing contracts
with Mexican and US publishers.

Investor's Business Daily, a daily business newspaper based in Los
Angeles, said it is installing a new 5-meter C-band antenna this
month, which includes a return Ku-band VSAT link. The system
supports the daily transmission of the paper from its editorial
offices to a Boston printing facility. STM has served the company
since 1985, when it was basically a regional publication.

Organizacion Editorial Mexicana, the largest newspaper publisher in
Mexico with more than 70 dailies, is expanding its network with a
third, Ku-band 192,000 bit/second inbound satellite channel for its
Mexico City hub. This will permit the addition of transportable
very-small aperture terminals, or VSATs, to the 32 station network.

Satellite Technology Management makes proprietary VSAT-based
satellite equipment and software designed to support data, fax,
voice and video.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930802/Press Contact: Satellite Technology
Management, Emil Youssefzadeh, 714/557-2400; Daniel Saks, for
STM, 818/783-2400)


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

 ****Apple Signs Newton Deal with BellSouth 08/02/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- As part of its
roll-out of the Newton Personal Digital Assistant, Apple has signed
a deal with BellSouth's Mobile Systems Group for wireless
communications products and services.

BellSouth Cellular spokesman Larry Shealy emphasized to Newsbytes
that the deal is non-exclusive, and several units of the company are
involved. BellSouth Cellular, for instance, is promising only to
"investigate the market opportunities for a series of wireless
communications products and services based on Newton technology."
There is no commitment to make or sell anything.

MobileComm, the company's paging unit, however, has committed to
producing links between its local, regional and national networks
and the Newton MessageCard, a credit card-sized receiver made for
Apple by Motorola, and due to be marketed by Apple's Personal
Interactive Electronics division. The service itself will be
launched this fall.

Today, Shealy noted, Newton users can use a such as BellSouth
Cellular service called ProLink, a "one-number" service which lets
you link a single phone number to your home, office and cellular
phones, fax and pager. ProLink, combined with Newton technology,
will give customers visual interface for prioritizing and managing
their communications, said Shealy. All Newtons linked to cellular
phone services will be able to access their carriers' custom calling
features.

Separately, the PIE division said it signed contracts with Sprint,
owner of SprintNet, and BT North America, owner of Tymnet, for
packet network access to future online services. Apple currently
owns a single online service, called AppleLink, which market
researcher Jupiter Communications estimates has about 40,000
members.

But Apple is anxious to create new communication networks around the
Newton which can also be accessed by Macs, PCs and Windows-based
machines. Sprint will be primary contractor, BT North America the
secondary. BT North America is expected to be transferred to the
control of MCI under a deal MCI signed with BT earlier this year.
Sprint said its network has been customized to support users of
Apple's Online Services.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930802/Press Contact: Larry Shealy, BellSouth
Cellular, 404-604-6493)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00022)

Low-Cost Tool For Embedding "Fuzzy Search" In PC Apps 08/02/93
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- Horizons
Technology has begun shipping a tool designed to let developers
quickly and cost effectively embed "fuzzy search" as a native
feature in DOS- and Windows-based applications.

According to the company, the new Fuzzy Search Engine Developer's
Kit employs an algorithm that, when incorporated within a standalone
or networked application, permits users to search for and find words
and phrases despite missing, extra or out-of-position characters.

The Fuzzy Search Engine also allows proximity searching (find
"algorithm" within ten words of "fuzzy") and accepts Boolean logic
("and," "or," "not"). In addition, the engine can locate numbers
that are the same as or numerically close to a target number,
searching for these numbers either as text or by numeric string
value.

The mechanics of fuzzing searching are handled entirely by the Fuzzy
Search Engine library modules, said Shelley Draminski, product
manager. All a developer needs to consider is the selection and
syntax of the API (application programming interface) calls to be
used in the application.

Developers can set such parameters as single word or phrase, and
proximity or Boolean search. Other selectable features include
wildcard search, searches for "sound-alike" characters, on-the-fly
or indexed search, and for networked applications, an "index merge"
function that can combine search indexes from multiple machines to
speed indexing of large amounts of data on a network.

The development kit comes with an object code library that is
compatible with the most popular C compilers and a dynamic link
library (DLL) that works with most Windows development
environments. Sample source code and complete documentation are
also provided.

The kit is available now for $3,995, plus variable run-time fees.
According to Draminski, comparable products can cost $20,000 or
more.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930802/Reader contact: Horizons Technology,
tel [phone]; Press contact: Brian Ferrario or Shelley
Draminski, Horizons Technology, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00023)

 ****Low-Cost PC Video Via New Standard From Intel/ATI 08/02/93
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- Intel and ATI
Technologies are planning to unveil a new multimedia hardware
architecture that will bring low-priced, fast video capture and
playback to PCs.

The technology, dubbed Shared Frame Buffer Interconnect (SFBI),
reportedly works by integrating the video and graphics on one board,
going around the computer's motherboard and bus so the video is not
restricted by the bandwidth of the computer.

Santa Clara, California-based Intel and Scarborough, Ontario,
Canada-based ATI are expected to officially announced the SFBI
standard this week. While the standard has been reportedly called
the Shared Frame Buffer Architecture (SFBA), Intel verified it is
correctly called Shared Frame Buffer Interconnect (SFBI).

Currently, separate graphics and video boards require video data be
passed to the graphics controller over the system bus for display.
The SFBI shares the computer's memory and components, offering a 64-
bit wide memory bus and fast data throughput of 200 megabytes (MB)
per second, according to reports from the August 2 edition of PC
Week. Further, the specification is reported to provide the ability
to synchronize audio and video data and can use either dynamic
random access memory (RAM) or video RAM.

Current prices for video capture boards are in the $500 to $1,500
range, but this new standard could bring prices down significantly -
- into the $200 to $400 range of graphics boards -- the report
asserts. However, compatibility with the Video Electronic Standards
Association (VESA) standard for PC video is important to the success
of the new standard.

The claim has been made that the standard will be compatible with
the Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA), Industry
Standard Architecture (ISA), VESA-Local Bus, Peripheral Component
Interconnect (PCI) and IBM's Micro Channel. Reports are ATI will
release the SFBI board in the first quarter of 1994.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930802/Press Contact: John Thompson, Intel,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Henry Quan, ATI, 416-765-
0781, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00024)

Nintendo To Produce Game Boy In China 08/02/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- Nintendo, Japan's major game
machine company, has announced plans to manufacture its Game Boy
pocket game machine in China. This is the first time for the firm to
produce this machine outside Japan.

The main reason for the company's decision to move production
outside of the country is the strength of the Yen versus other
currencies -- moving production to China means that non-Japanese
pricing on the Game Boy can be lower in order to compete with other
games manufacturers.

Nintendo is currently producing the Game Boy at its Kyoto, Japan,
plant, but plans are already in hand with the electronics giant
sounding out a number of firms in the Canton region of China for
production. The successful Chinese firm is expected to form a joint
venture with Nintendo, with production slated for early 1994.

Game Boy could even sell to the Chinese market, Newsbytes notes. The
wage levels of the Chinese man in the street has been steadily rising
in recent years. Nintendo estimates that around 10 percent of the
1,200 million population of China will be in a position to consider
buying a Game Boy -- that's a lot of potential revenue for the
company.

Even without the expected sales rush on the domestic Chinese market-
place, Nintendo is planning to manufacture an astonishing 10 million
Games Boy units a year at the Chinese facility. Initially, the
machines will be shipped abroad for sale in the West, but,
ultimately, a good portion of production could find its way on to
the Chinese market-place at local price levels.

Will the price of the Game Boy fall as a result of this? Nintendo
isn't saying, although Newsbytes notes price falls of around 20
percent in several European countries so far this year.

If all goes well with Game Boy production, Nintendo claims it wants
to start producing its 16-bit Super Famicon TV games console at the
facility.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930802/Press Contact: Nintendo, +81-
75-541-6111, Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00025)

 ****PDA's -- The Paradigm Shift Begins 08/02/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- A fundamental need
in the market is driving the personal digital assistant (PDA)
revolution, according to market research firm Dataquest. The group
is predicting the number of PDAs will reach 70,000 units by the end
of this year and surpass 3 million units in 1997, displacing the
palmtop computers and electronic organizers of today.

"PDAs represent a ray of hope, a light at the end of the personal
information tunnel," said Gerry Purdy, Ph.D., Dataquest's vice
president and chief analyst of mobile computing. While John Sculley,
former chief executive officer at Apple Computer has been widely
credited for the PDA concept, Dataquest says the market would have
been driven to it with or without Sculley's intervention.

It appears consumers will have several choices of PDAs by the end of
the year and other companies have hinted they too will enter the PDA
market. The AT&T/EO Personal Assistant launched this summer, was the
first PDA to be available to consumers. Now Apple is launching the
Newton Messagepad and has licensed the technology to Sharp, Kyushu
Matsushita Electric, and Motorola so consumers can expect to see
Newton clones.

Casio/Tandy have announced the Zoomer PDA for fall availability and
even workstation manufacturer Sun Microsystems said it plans to
enter the PDA market. Computer manufacturer AST has hinted at
entering the PDA market as well and has the resources to do so with
its purchase of Tandy's manufacturing facilities and pen-based
technology.

The most immediate effect PDAs will have is to replace the
currently popular electronic devices such as the Sharp Wizard.
"The palmtop and organizer markets will start fade away as
their cramped keyboards and limited message ability become
obsolete, compared with the pen-based PDAs," said Purdy.

However, PDAs are in their infancy. Future PDAs will have
color, speech recognition, speech synthesis, compact disc
quality sound, video capability, excellent handwriting
recognition, and world-wide wireless connectivity, Dataquest
maintains.

"Remember what portable computers were like 10 years ago? Today's
PDA products will pale in comparison to the PDAs of the year 2003.
It is conceivable that personal communications are on the verge of a
paradigm shift of a dimension not seen since the introduction of the
telephone," Purdy said.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930802/Press Contact: Paul Wheaton,
Dataquest, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00026)

 ****NetWare for OS/2 Due This Week 08/01/93
PROVO, UTAH, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- NetWare for OS/2, enabling
software that will let Novell's NetWare local-area network (LAN)
operating system run on top of IBM's OS/2, will be formally
announced tomorrow (Tuesday).

Novell and IBM have invited customers to a launch event for the
software, which Novell spokesman Steve Genova said is aimed largely
at branch offices that want to run NetWare and OS/2 on a single
server. Usually, NetWare runs without another operating system on
the same machine.

A corporate license for the software will cost $200 -- "basically
we're giving it away," Genova said. However, NetWare for OS/2 itself
is only a software "patch" that makes it possible for the standard
NetWare operating system to run on top of OS/2. The customer must
still buy NetWare 4.0 or 4.1 separately.

Users will be able to run their OS/2 applications while also
taking advantage of NetWare's file and print resources and other
features, Genova said.

IBM and Novell, which have been working together for some time,
promised NetWare for OS/2 about two years ago.

Novell has also announced that it has selected Stac Electronics'
Stacker LZS as a data compression standard for its operating systems
and network services.

Under a strategic development agreement, Stac has granted Novell
a multi-platform license to its patented compression technology
and has agreed to work closely with Novell to develop new
compression products for Novell networks and operating systems.

Stac's Stacker LZS Compression technology will be integrated into
Novell DOS 7, the personal computer operating system Novell
inherited when it bought Digital Research. The companies said they
also plan to make Stacker LZS compression technology available for
NetWare.

With this announcement Novell joins the other two companies that
sell versions of DOS -- Microsoft and IBM -- in offering data
compression with the operating system.

(Grant Buckler/19930802/Press Contact: Steve Genova, Novell, 801-
429-5809)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00027)

 ****Apple To Intro New Low-Cost Powerbook 165 08/02/93
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- Apple Computer is
getting ready to introduce a new low-cost Powerbook 33 megahertz
(MHz) notebook computer, the Powerbook 165, according reports in
Macweek. Users can expect to see the new Powerbook toward the end of
this month.

While pricing hasn't been finalized, the report said the Powerbook
165 equipped with 4 megabytes (MB) of random access memory (RAM) and
a 40 MB hard drive will be about $1,600, which is the same price 25-
MHz Powerbook 160 sells for now. Apple does currently offer a 165C
color Powerbook, but the price is significantly higher.

The lower price is due to a less expensive manufacturing design, use
of less expensive on-board random access memory (RAM), and leaving
out disks containing the operating system which is already pre-
loaded on the Powerbook's hard disk, the report claims. However,
Apple representatives told Newsbytes that the Macworld reports
sounded speculative and they had no comment.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930802/Press Contact: Jennifer Almonte,
Apple Computer, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00028)

IBM Reorganizes Consulting Group 08/02/93
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- IBM is
reshuffling its Consulting Group in North America into eight units
focused on specific industry sectors. The entire IBM Consulting
Group will also now report through IBM North America.

IBM spokesman Scott Brooks said the North American operations of
the IBM Consulting Group will become known as IBM Business
Transformation Services North America.

Except for a small headquarters staff, all of this unit will be
divided along industry lines into eight groups: financial services,
insurance, retail, health care, production (manufacturing and
related areas), communications, a diversified group for utilities
and other industries, and emerging technologies.

This restructuring along industry lines applies only to North
America, Brooks said, but IBM's consulting operation is increasing
its industry specialization everywhere. "This type of thing, while
maybe not this specifically, is going on everywhere," he said.

Brooks described the move as more an expansion of what the group was
already doing than a complete change of direction. The organization
had already built up groups focused on particular industries, he
said, and this is being formalized and resources added to these
groups.

IBM Business Transformation Services North America will be a unit of
the world-wide IBM Consulting Group, which in turn will report to
Robert Labant, general manager of IBM North America and a senior
vice-president of IBM, Brooks said.

IBM's computer outsourcing business, Integrated Systems Solutions
Corporation (ISSC), also reports to Labant.

The organizational changes are effective right away, Brooks said.

IBM created the Consulting Group in October, 1992.

(Grant Buckler/19930802/Press Contact: Kevin Clark, IBM,
914-642-5085)


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

 ****Apple Denies Delay To PowerOpen 08/02/93
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- A report in PC
Week says that Apple Computer, is likely to delay the delivery of
its PowerOpen operating system, because of staff cuts. The report
also says that the company may also delay the porting of its
Macintosh Application Services for Unix.

However, Rene Austin, spokesperson for Apple, told Newsbytes that,
"It is ironic that this report came out this week, because we are
just getting ready to mail a letter out to some of those that we
briefed on PowerOpen when we first announced it after the World-wide
Developers Conference. And it is definitely still in the plans for
Apple and on the same schedule that it originally was." Austin
confirmed that that schedule would be by the end of 1993.

Apple had previously also announced its intention of porting its
Macintosh Application Services to a number of Unix platforms.

In answer to a question from Newsbytes as to whether the porting of
the Macintosh Application Services for Unix was still on the same
timetable, Austin said: "I believe so."

Macintosh Application Services had previously been promised by the
end of 1993 for a number of Unix strains, including AIX,  Sun
Microsystems' Solaris, Hewlett-Packard's HP/UX. That date now
appears to be in question.

PC Week reports that the porting effort is a vital element in
Apple's cross-platform development plans, code-named Companion, and
that providing application services for IBM's AIX is the first step
toward PowerOpen.

As part of Apple's sweeping work force reduction program, reported
on extensively by Newsbytes, the company is also said to have
halved the number of employees working on open systems projects.

In speaking to Newsbytes, Austin could not confirm cuts to the
number of staff allocated to those projects.

(Ian Stokell/19930802)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00030)

Fast Ethernet Alliance Formed 08/02/93
PORTLAND, OREGON, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 2 (NB) -- Ethernet is close to
being the most popular local area network technology. However, its
maximum data transfer rate is 10Mbps, which compares to 16Mbps for
Token-Ring.

Even that speed, though, is considered unsuitable for many new
applications. With the trend towards larger files and multimedia,
the move is on to increase that speed with a specification that can
capable of 100Mbps. Now a number of leading networking companies
have announced that they have joined forces to form the Fast
Ethernet Alliance.

The group plans to support the CSMA/CD (carrier sense multiple
access with collision detection) protocol of the original Ethernet
standard.

Those involved in the alliance include 3Com, Grand Junction
Networks, Intel, LAN Media, LANNET, National Semiconductor, SMC, Sun
Microsystems Computer, and SynOptics Communications.

Specifications developed by Alliance members will be submitted to
the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.3
standards committee.

The alliance claims that this announcement comes after the July 15
IEEE 802 meeting in Denver, at which the IEEE approved the CSMA/CD
project. At the same time, over 80 members, representing 50
companies, voted unanimously to retain CSMA/CD in the 802.3
subcommittee.

According to the Alliance, it "is committed to providing
interoperable 100Mbps specifications for multiple wiring structures,
offering customers the flexibility to choose from among UTP
(unshielded twisted pair) Category 3,4,5, Type 1 STP (shielded
twisted pair) and fiber structures.

Paul Sherer, chairman of the Fast Ethernet Alliance and director of
technology development at 3Com, said: "Interoperability is critical
to the successful evolution of a fast Ethernet technology that meets
real customer needs now and in the future."

The Alliance says that its approach to fast Ethernet will support
enterprise-wide networks and existing network management products,
as well as provide a bridge to other existing and emerging
technologies, such as ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) and FDDI
(fiber distributed data interface).

The alliance says that the Fast Ethernet Alliance is "expected to
exist until formal standardization of 100Mbps CSMA/CD is complete
and the relevant standards have been published by the IEEE."

(Ian Stokell/19930802/Press Contact: Shannon Gray or Colby
Phillips, 503-221-1063, Hastings Humble Giardini Inc.)