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/1994/jan_feb_94/nb010794

Text File | 1994-01-10 | 73KB | 1,580 lines

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(ATL)(00001)

Consumer Electronics Show - 3DO On The Attack 01/07/94
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- Trip Hawkins, CEO
of 3DO, went on the attack against the competition in the
crowded video game market during a press conference at the
Winter Consumer Electronics Show.

Hawkins claimed that over 10,000 3DO machines were sold last
year, claimed he'll have 30,000 retail outlets and over 100
titles by the end of this year, and pooh-poohed the competition.
He called the proposed Sega and Nintendo CD-based game machines
"toys" and their licensing schemes "fascistic." He called the
Philips CD-I system "out of gas." He claimed 3DO systems are
120 times faster than PCs, and more likely to be used in living
rooms anyway. The Atari Jaguar, he claimed, is a cartridge-based
toy, not even comparable to 3DO's machine.

3DO, of course, doesn't sell a machine. It licenses a design for
a machine. So far, only Matsushita, through its Panasonic label,
sells a 3DO machine in the US. Hawkins said AT&T will sell one,
however, in a few months, and will include a modem supporting
its VoiceSpan technology with it, so players can talk while
their game machines interact. He said Sanyo will launch a 3DO
machine this summer, and claimed a fourth, unnamed company will
also be shipping a product by year-end. All told, Hawkins said,
3DO has sold 6 hardware licenses, over 500 software licenses, 184
in the last 90 days, and has shipped 174 development kits. While
just 18 titles are out now, Hawkins said 219 are in development,
in a variety of categories.

Hawkins also claimed he's not discouraged at all by the slow
ramp-up of sales. "More 3DO players were sold last year than VCRs
in their first year, and more 3DOs were sold in the last 90 days
than CD players were in their first 90 days on the market." He
scoffed at the idea that no hot titles are available, noting
that Lotus 1-2-3 came out 18 months after the IBM PC, and Sonic
the Hedgehog came three years after Sega's Genesis hit the
market.

Hawkins also got into the question of rating systems. The
Software Publishers' Association and Sega are planning ratings
systems, the Motion Picture Association has been solicited to
work on one, and lawmakers are warning of dire consequences if an
effective system isn't found soon to keep violent and sexually
explicit titles away from youngsters. Hawkins, of course, claimed
he has one, based on the motion picture system. A green circle
with an E will denote titles for anyone, yellow stickers with the
numbers 12 or 17 will denote games parents should worry about,
while a red stop sign with the letters AO will denote an adults-
only title. This, of course, is nearly identical to the G, PG, R,
and NC-18 system used by movies. "We'll support any other rating
system," Hawkins added, "but we're launching this right away."

Despite widespread skepticism by analysts and the press, the
recent hammering of 3DO stock and negative comments by CNBC's
Dan Dorfman about the firm's prospects, Hawkins, sporting a
hairdo like New York Knicks coach Pat Riley, remained
unflappable. "We went public at $15, went up, then down, and
we're at $23. Obviously we don't have fundamentals -- we're a
concept stock. It's easy for competitors to spread
misinformation about us."

"We captured the beach," Hawkins concluded, "but it's going to be
a long war."

Sanyo Electric, meanwhile, unveiled its prototype video game
machine based on the 3DO standard in Tokyo and at CES. Sanyo
expects to release the unit in Japan and the US in
August through toy and discount stores. By December, the unit
will be released in Europe. The retail price is still unset,
but it is expected to be less than Matsushita's video game
machine, which costs about $700.

(Dana Blankenhorn & Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930106/Press
Contact: Sanyo Electric, [phone], Fax, [phone];
Press Contact: Cindy McCaffrey, The 3DO Company, 415-261-3236)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00002)

$100 Million In CD-ROM Sales For First Part Of 1993 01/07/94
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- The Software
Publishers Association reported sales figures for CD-ROM sales
for the first three quarters of 1993. The numbers show that
nearly 4 million discs shipped from January through September
with a total value of nearly $100 million and that sales are
increasing.

Gathering its data from the sales reports supplied by 53 leading
CD-ROM marketers, the SPA found that nearly 60 percent of the
3.86 million CD-ROMs sold went directly from the publisher to the
end-user, the rest being sold through the reseller channel.

The value of the CD-ROM discs sold in the third quarter alone
totalled $38.3 million on sales volume of 1.3 million units, up
from 1.2 million units ($28.3 million) in the previous quarter
and also above sales in the first quarter of 1993 which totalled
1.3 million units ($30.4 million.)

The actual dollar value of units sold through the retail
distribution channels was actually higher than that of those sold
directly by the publishers because the units carried at the
retail level tended to be more expensive.

Home education software accounted for 21 percent of the sales,
with an increased percentage in the third quarter.

Databases and file collections accounted for the largest number
of sales, totalling 40 percent for the three quarters.

Third quarter sales showed an increasing move toward retail as
opposed to direct sales, indicating, according to SPA research
director David Tremblay, that this marked the "beginnings of the
development of a viable consumer market for CD software."

(John McCormick/19940106/Press Contact: Terri Childs, SPA, 202-
452-1600 x320)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(WAS)(00003)

OverNET BBS For Cellular And Paging Industry 01/07/94
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- Saying that he himself
had been unable to locate important information about the
telecommunications industry in one convenient place, Scott
Goldman recently launched a one-stop source for information on
the paging, cellular phone, mobile radio, and personal
communications industries in the form of his OverNET electronic
bulletin board system.

Access for Windows or Macintosh users is through a custom program
which is available for free, along with 30 days of free time to
sample the service) by contacting Mr. Goldman in Calabassas,
California by calling 800-OVERNET.

In a telephone interview with Mr. Goldman, he told Newsbytes
that although the new service has only been in operation
for three months, there are already more than 100 subscribers,
most of whom were described by OverNET's sysop as being "very
well placed in the wireless industry."

Early corporate subscribers include the Arthur D. Little
consulting firm, Northern Telecom, and others well-known in the
telecommunications industry.

News sources available for the $216 yearly subscription include
Newsbytes, the PR Newswire, and BusinessWire, but there are also
a number of conference areas where industry associations,
manufacturers, distributors, and service providers post new
product announcements, participate in discussions, and answer
questions posed by users.

Although users will have to pay long distance charges, Mr.
Goldman told Newsbytes that the alternative would have been to
charge an hourly rate and that his subscribers seem happy with
the arrangement where they pay a flat fee for unlimited use.

(John McCormick/19940106/Press Contact: Scott Goldman, OverNET,
818-880-5400, Public Contact - for access software: 800-OVERNET
fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00004)

HP Becomes Taligent's Third Parent  01/07/94
MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- Taligent has
announced Hewlett-Packard (HP) will adopt Taligent, joining the
two founding companies Apple and IBM. Taligent, now nearly three
years old, has yet to deliver a product, but will share soon-to-
be-released object-oriented technology with HP in return for a 15
percent investment and an HP seat on the Taligent board of
directors.

HP representatives placed emphasis on plans to create an object-
oriented, client-server distributed computing environment by
integrating Taligent technology into the HP-UX operating system
environment used in its line of Precision Architecture Reduced
Instruction Set Computing (PA-RISC) computers. While this implies
an emphasis on workstations rather than personal computers (PCs),
the companies say plans are to eventually focus on both.

In an emphasis on open standards, Taligent says it hopes to gain
technology for network computing from HP. It specifically
mentioned licensing HP's Distributed Object Management Facility
(DOMF), which helped form the basis of the Object Management
Group's Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA)
specification for the distribution and interoperability of
objects across networks, components of HP DCE/9000 for allowing
users to share information and resources across a network.

Officials also said Taligent intends to take advantage of HP's
and IBM's recent agreement to integrate the HP DOMF with IBM's
System Object Model (SOM) with extensions for distribution (DSOM)
so it can add common messaging mechanism for sending and
receiving objects to Taligent products.

Started in 1991, the focus of the privately held Taligent has
been to develop an object-oriented operating system that would
run software from various platforms as well as make programming
more efficient by the use of self-contained, reusable "building
blocks" of software code. The company has yet to issue a product,
but claims it will ship the initial toolkit of its Application
Frameworks to investors, independent software vendors, and
corporate developers in the first part of 1994 and the entire
product suite as promised in the mid-1990s. The company has also
been expanding its operations and hiring in the last 12 months.

There was some skeptism expressed by attendees of the
announcement as to whether or not a company formed by Apple and
IBM could successfully develop an open standards architecture,
given the histories of the two parent companies with proprietary
architectures. Taligent and HP spokespersons assured attendees
the emphasis is a sincere one, and HP's involvement appears to
offer an endorsement to that emphasis.

While HP is the first new partner, Taligent claims that from the
company's inception it has invited partners. HP is simply the
first partner that Taligent felt would "understand and use
its technology."

No additional cash for development or research was added to
Taligent in adding HP as a partner, according to Taligent, but
officials were unwilling to release figures as to how much the
deal might be worth. Taligent issued additional stock to HP, so
IBM and Apple each have the same number of shares, but both now
have 42.5 percent of the total shares. However, the HP investment
is subject to regulatory approval.

(Linda Rohrbough/19940107/Press Contact: John Giddings,
Cunningham Communication for Taligent, tel [phone], fax 408-
982-0403)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00005)

TV/VCR Controller Battle Continues 01/07/94
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- After being sued last
for patent infringement last November by StarSight Telecast, and
also filing a suit against StarSight last fall, Gemstar Development
has fired its latest shot in the VCR programming wars by filing a
counterclaim charging StarSight with patent infringement.

After years of jokes about people not being able to program their
VCRs, companies have, in recent years, developed stand-alone
programmer controls which transmit signals to both videocassette
recorders and television cable control boxes that turn them on
and off based on the special Gemstar PlusCodes published in many
newspapers.

The latest lawsuit involves alleged violations of two or more
different patents, one being the "Levine" Patent (US patent
4,908,713, "VCR Programmer"), on which Gemstar's VCR Plus
programming system is based.

Gemstar charges StarSight Telecast with infringing that patent,
while StarSight has charged that Gemstar's product violates that
company's system for controlling cable TV boxes.

The Levine Patent also covers on-screen programming of VCRs, a
system which Gemstar says it has licensed to all major VCR
manufacturers.

(John McCormick/19940106/Press Contact: David Ellis, Rogers &
Associates, 310-552-6922)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00006)

"Out Of The Blue" Newsletter Aimed At Former IBMers 01/07/94
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- A new
newsletter has been launched for the 150,000 people who spent a
career with International Business Machines (IBM), known in the
trade as "Big Blue," only to be laid off. Titled "Out of the
Blue," the publication written for and by former IBMers
will debut this month.

Publisher Alex Auerbach told Newsbytes: "IBM deliberately created
a world of its own. If you moved with IBM, your neighbors were
probably IBMers. Your spouse probably associated with other IBM
spouses. Your friends were probably other IBM employees. Only the
best of the best were hired and you were encouraged to believe
you'd be there your entire career. Being suddenly thrust out of
that world can be traumatic."

Cutbacks at the computer giant haven't been easy and
"Out of the Blue" is focused on how ex-IBMers are handling
their lives now. It is about how men and women are finding new
career positions or are starting small businesses of their own.
Like those at whom the newsletter is aimed, Editor Rick Weiner
is a former IBM employee who took early retirement when his
corporate communications post was eliminated after 26 years.

Weiner said: "'Out of the Blue' will also encourage networking
among IBM alumni. If you are setting up as a computer consultant,
you know that there are a lot of your former colleagues out there
who were -- and still are -- the best in their business."

A significant portion of the newsletter will focus on how Wall
Street sees IBM. The company heavily emphasized company-sponsored
investment programs, and for many IBMers, a significant portion
of their investments are in Big Blue stock, Auerbach maintains.

The new publication is not endorsed or supported in any way by
IBM and names of potential subscribers are coming via the rather
extensive network IBMers enjoy. Auerbach says one of his contacts
has been able to round up a list of 5,000 former IBM employees so
far. The monthly newsletter costs $39.95 for 12 issues and a
toll-free number is available for subscription requests.

(Linda Rohrbough/19940107/Press Contact: Alex Auerbach, "Out of
the Blue," tel [phone], fax [phone]; Public Contact,
subscription info, 800-871-BLUE)


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

Roundup - Stories Carried By Other Media This Week 01/07/94
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- Roundup is a brief
look at some computer stories carried in other publications
received here this past week.

Computerworld dated December 20, 1993 says that Hewlett-Packard
will formally launch an outsourcing division that will provide
systems management services for customers moving to distributed
processing systems. The annual forecast issue also looks forward
to 1994 and sees the recreation of the mainframe computer but
also views this as the year when client/server tools finally grow
up.

InfoWorld for December 20, 1993 says that the latest version of
Chicago (Microsoft's long-awaited 32-bit Windows) is looking
pretty good, especially the user interface.

January's Data Based Advisor looks at three Macintosh/Windows
cross-development systems: FoxPro 2.5 (Microsoft), Blyth
Software's Omnis 7, and the Claris FileMaker Pro. The article
examines how easy it is to port applications from one platform
to the other.

The December 27 - January 5 issue of Network World contains the
publication's "Nineteen Ninety-Fourcast" which focuses on the
potholes you may encounter when speeding down the information
superhighway while many parts of it are still being built. Among
other things the issue sees LAN Hubs as being a fast-growing part
of the LAN market, with sales jumping from $3.8 billion in 1994
to $7 billion by 1997.

(John McCormick/19940107/)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00008)

Macworld Expo - "Ancient Cities" on CD 01/07/94
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- Scientific
American and Sumeria announced the development of "Ancient Cities,"
an interactive CD-ROM title. This marks the fist venture of
Scientific American, the oldest continuous running publication
in America, into the world of digital imaging.

They have chosen Sumeria, a young multimedia publisher, to form a
collaboration for the production of "Ancient Cities." Sumeria
has previously released its Ocean Life series, QuickTime the CD,
Space--A Visual History, and other titles.

"Ancient Cities" is developed from the book of the same name, which
is a collection of articles by leading academics on their research
of eighteen ancient cities. The CD allows users to explore
Teotihuacan (Mexico), Pompeii, (Italy), Petra, (Jordan), four of
Crete's Bronze Age Palaces, and other well-known sites.

Sumeria uses interactive maps, video, narration, sound, text
export, text search, and video and photo export in the development
of this cross-platform CD.

With the extensive libraries and research expertise of Scientific
American, the collaborators of "Ancient Cities" foresee a source
of projects to follow their first release scheduled for early
May of 1994. The suggested retail price is $59.95.

(Patrick McKenna/19940107/Press Contact: Jerry Borrell, Sumeria
Inc., 415-904-0800 or Richard Sasso, Scientific American,
212-754-0594)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00009)

Macworld Expo - Apple's Personal Mac Diagnostics 01/07/94
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- From the
Apple Pavilion at Macworld Exposition/San Francisco, Apple Computer
announced a new utility for system diagnosis of Macintosh
computers. The new software product, Personal Diagnostics, is
designed to aid the user in determining a specific current
problem and to detect problems that have not surfaced.

Apple states that this new program will reduce downtime by
allowing the user to make manual system adjustments where
possible, or Personal Diagnostics will issue commands to make
the repair. This minimizes support calls and allows the user
to have specific information for faster support when needed.

Apple Personal Diagnostics includes hardware testing, system
profiling, disk file-structure repair, benchmark testing, and
system software analysis. The hardware diagnostics test the
logic board, RAM/VRAM, SCSI hard disk drives, floppy disk
drives, and monitors. Software diagnostics lists all
applications and system files, including extensions, installed
on the computer.

An optional automated diagnosis feature (System 7.0 or later)
will perform tests while the Macintosh is not in use and most
of the tests may be run in the background. The benchmark
feature shows the user the standards and specifications
established by Apple and uses that data for a comparison with
test results.

The suggested retail price is $129 in the United States with
availability at all customary resellers in March of 1994.
Later in 1994, Apple Personal Diagnostics will be released
in other countries. This software requires a Macintosh Plus
or newer or a PowerBook with 2 MB of RAM, using system
software 6.07 or later.

(Patrick McKenna/19940107/Press and Public Contact: Apple
Computer, Inc., 1-800-776-2333)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00010)

Macworld Expo - Booklet Maker 01/07/94
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- BookMaker,
a new software company headed by Martin Mazner, former publisher
of MacUser Magazine and Ashton-Tate VP, announced a Macintosh
printing utility, ClickBook. Previously available on the Windows
platform, BookMaker's utility automatically turns the files
of any Macintosh program into a double-sided booklet by
rearranging and resizing the print signatures of a file with
simple mouse commands.

For example, a user can take an eight-page Microsoft Word
document and reduce it to a two-page booklet.

ClickBook supports 17 styles of double sided-booklets for printing
on any laser or inkjet printer. The product includes a double-sided
printing instruction sheet issued at the end of the first-side
printing. By following the arrow on this sheet for the insertion
of the paper back into the paper loader, the user completes the
task of double-sided printing and is ready for copying, collating,
folding and stapling.

The company states that the Window version of ClickBook has been
used to print company telephone directories, event programs,
inspirational booklets and other short-run tasks. DayRunner,
Franklin, Filofax and Day-Timer print sizes are all supported.
Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, and FileMaker Pro are examples
of supported applications.

ClickBook runs on Macintosh computers that support 6.07 or later.
The suggested retail price is $69.95 and is available direct
from Book Maker by calling [phone] or [phone]
(International).

(Patrick McKenna/19940107)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00011)

Macworld Expo - Wireless Localtalk Networking 01/07/94
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- Digital
Ocean of Lenexa, Kansas, announced Grouper, a line of wireless
products that connect Macintoshes, PowerBooks, printers, Newtons,
and any other LocalTalk-supported products through a wireless
LocalTalk network.

A Grouper-adapted device is linkable to a wired network or
companies may establish a completely wireless network to a series
of adapted devices and computers (16 maximum), the firm contends.

Grouper supports five separate, auto-selecting channels in the 902
to 928 MHz ISM band. The company states that a supported device
can transmit in a radius of 800 feet unobstructed, and as low as
100 feet in a dense office with concrete and steel walls. The
wireless transmitter operates on AC power or rechargable
battery. Registered units are configured by a factory-assigned
identifier to protect from unauthorized entry into the network.

Every Grouper product is an AppleTalk device and does not
require any special software; a wireless unit appears as any
wired product would on the network, as demonstrated at Macworld.

Digital Ocean predicts the product will be successful among
small offices and businesses, corporate departments, classrooms,
and other places where mobile, wireless computing needs are
specific. The prices range from $400 to $500.

(Patrick McKenna/19940107/Press and Public Contact: Digital Ocean,
800-345-FISH)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(BOS)(00012)

Macworld Expo - Xerox's $99 Mac Version Of TextBridge OCR 01/07/94
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- At MacWorld,
Xerox has announced a Macintosh version of its technologically
advanced but low-priced TextBridge optical character recognition
(OCR) software.

Introduced for Windows at Spring Comdex, and available before that
for Unix only, TextBridge incorporates artificial intelligence and
other sophisticated features -- developed at the Xerox Palo Alto
Research Center (PARC) and Xerox Imaging Systems (XIS) -- for
gaining electronic access to a wide variety of paper documents,
including faxes and other degraded documents.

TextBridge works with fax and scanning software to recognize text
within a document, and to format and convert the information into
word processing or desktop publishing files.

Neural networking and other artificial intelligence techniques are
used to let the software "learn" as it reads, employing information
from "clean" sections of text to help interpret difficult-to-read
areas.

One capability, the "lexifier," is able to recognize lexical
classes, or known "patterns of information" such as social security
numbers, month/day/year configurations, and postal zip codes. When
a postal code is being scanned, for example, the lexifier will
automatically recognize that the first character must be the number
"0," not the letter "O."

In addition, page orientation and segmentation are performed
automatically. The automatic page orientation capability corrects
the placement of a skewed, or crooked, page.

Through automatic segmentation, TextBridge can distinguish the
number of columns, locations of images, and correct read order of
text in a compound document.

Priced, like the Windows edition, at $99, TextBridge 2.0 for the
Macintosh incorporates complete support for AppleScript, a
capability aimed at allowing the user to customize workflow.

The Mac version also features a preview window, for assessing image
quality, with support for up to 127 zones. Support is provided for
Multiple TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) processing, permitting the
user to quickly process large batches of TIFF files as a single
document, and to handle multiple-page TIFF files received from fax
applications.

Scheduled for shipment in February, the Mac edition will come with
the ability to identify text written in English, French, Italian,
German, and Spanish. Support for additional languages -- including
Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, and Portuguese -- will
be available as an optional upgrade.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940106/Reader contact: Xerox, tel 800-248-
6550; Press contacts: Janet Knudsen, Xerox Imaging Systems, tel
508-977-2125; Lisa Gillespie, Cunningham Communication for Xerox,
tel [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00013)

Time Signs Ikonic To Help Develop News Service 01/07/94
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- Time Inc., has
chosen Ikonic Interactive Inc., a San Francisco-based multimedia
developer, to help put a user interface on its planned news on
demand service.

The news service is to be offered on parent company Time Warner's
Full Service Network, an interactive multimedia network using
cable television technology. Customers in Orlando, Florida, will
be offered the first chance to use this new network late this
year, according to Time officials. Plans for the further
expansion of the service are not yet public, said Time spokesman
Peter Costiglio.

Like news services already offered on computer online services,
Time's service will let customers choose from several categories
-- such as national, world, or local news, sports, and
entertainment -- and then select from a list of headlines or
subcategories to get to the news that interests them.

According to Time officials, the system is meant to let customers
dig deeper into those stories they find interesting.

Time officials said they met this week with a team from Ikonic to
discuss the user interface and software tools for the new
service.

According to Ikonic, a number of the people involved in the
project have a background in broadcast news or daily newspapers,
which the multimedia developer said will help its developers
understand the needs of the new service.

Ikonic, founded in 1985, produces interactive multimedia software
for interactive television, compact disc read-only memory (CD-
ROM), personal digital assistants (PDAs), and retail kiosks. Time
Warner has interests in magazine and book publishing, recorded
music and music publishing, film, and cable television.

(Grant Buckler/19940107/Press Contact: Peter Costiglio, Time,
212-522-3927; John McCoy, Ikonic Interactive, 415-864-3200)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00014)

Consumer Electronics Show - AT&T Shows Voice-Data Multiplexing 01/07/94
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- Many modem and fax
owners are frustrated that they can't talk and fax, or
telecommute, at the same time on the same line. At this Winter
CES, AT&T's Paradyne unit of Largo, Florida, offered a solution
to that problem, called VoiceSpan.

VoiceSpan is, for lack of a better word, a voice-data
multiplexer. It divides a line so that a 14,400 bit/second data
transmission can share an analog phone line with a regular voice
call. The technology is embedded in a Paradyne product called the
DataPort 2001, now shipping at a retail price just under $600 ---
street prices should be considerably less.

Both ends of a call need the technology in order for the
multiplexing to occur, Stan Bottoms of AT&T told Newsbytes. But
having both ends of the call buy a $600 multiplexer isn't the
only way to go. "The intent is to offer the technology across
multiple market segments -- modems, phones, fax machines, and
game machines, etc." In other words, the necessary circuits could
become a feature inside other products, so they'd gradually
become ubiquitous. And there's another way to go. "We'll partner
with software vendors on an OEM basis to sell with their
applications." In other words, the technology could become a
feature in modem or fax software, working transparently.

All this brought to mind the vision of AT&T executive vice
president Robert Kavner, who envisioned a day when videogame
players could kibbutz while playing across the country, or when
he and his daughter in San Francisco could visit an interactive
mall while talking about the merits of the merchandise. Another
case, Bottoms noted, of "You will" becoming "You can."

(Dana Blankenhorn/01061994)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(ATL)(00015)

 ****Consumer Electronics Show - Sega And Nintendo 01/07/94
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- The South Hall of
the Las Vegas Convention Center, across Desert Inn Drive from the
main hall, was totally occupied by just two exhibitors. But these
were no ordinary exhibitors. These were those masters of the
videogame universe, Nintendo and Sega.

The 1992 book "Game Over" left Nintendo on the verge of taking
over the world. That, like Napoleon's conquest of Moscow,
Hitler's conquest of Stalingrad, or Japan's own follow-up to
Pearl Harbor, turned out to be reversible after all. Sega now
claims 55 percent of the installed base of "16-bit" game
machines, with its Genesis now far ahead of Nintendo's Super NES.
Sega's "Sonic the Hedgehog" character is now a $1 billion market
in his own right, and February 2 will see the launch of "Sonic 3"
in, of all places, Punxatawny, Pennsylvania -- home of Groundhog
Day.

Sales of the hand-held Sega Game Genie device rose 200 percent in
1993. And Sega has played a very clever hand in getting licensed
characters onto games it designs. Its baseball, football, and
basketball games are endorsed by professional leagues and
players, and its kids' games feature hot character's like
Disney's Aladdin and Barney the Dinosaur.

Nintendo hasn't been silent, and its Winter CES empire still
looked a trifle larger than Sega's. It's launching a Super NES
game endorsed by Ken Griffey Jr., a new car racing game called
Stunt Race FX designed by Shigeru Miyamoto, Mario's own creator,
and a host of other titles with Nintendo-created characters like
Mario and Kirby -- the latter is like a Pac-man with personality.
On the technology front, it's put Nintendo Gateway players into
seat backs on major airlines, in hotels, and on cruise ships, and
it's demonstrating "Project Reality," a CD-based game system
designed with Silicon Graphics.

The weakness of both companies, as Trip Hawkins of 3DO was quick
to point out at his own Winter CES press conference, is that
neither Sega nor Nintendo is up-to-date on CD technology. Sega's
Sega CD plays music CDs, cartridge games and CD games, but only
with the 16-bit technology of the Genesis system. Nintendo's
"Project Reality" game machine is at least a year from the
market.

The most fearsome point, however, is the size and power of both
contenders. Nintendo, which started off making playing cards, is
now one of the largest companies in all Japan -- right up there
with Sony, Matsushita, Mitsubishi and NEC. Sega, at least in the
US, has reached a nearly equal size. Between them, they were
like Sumo wrestlers standing among a group of boxers, huge and
surprisingly agile.

(Dana Blankenhorn/01071994/Press Contact: Golin Harris, for
Nintendo of America, Don Varyu, 206-462-4220; Manning, Selvage,
and Lee, for Sega of Ameria, Beth Wagner, 818-509-1840)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(ATL)(00016)

CES - Casio Rolls Out The Gadgets 01/07/94
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- The spirit of the
Winter CES show was on display at a press party hosted by Casio
Inc. Its Japanese parent is the stern product of two driven
brothers named Kashio. Its CES offerings are the kind of hip,
quirky technology offerings that differentiate a consumer show
from a computer show like Comdex.

How about a watch that doubles as a TV remote control? The CMD-
20, retailing at $99.95, can change the channel of nearly any TV
with an infrared remote sensor -- a US executive joked about
switching a sports bar's TV to a classical music concert. Or how
about a portable clock radio with a built-in color TV? The AV-100
runs on six "AA" batteries, and retails for $299.95.

To keep its line of BOSS Organizers going, it's created a version
for young girls called the "Secret Sender," which can also
communicate by infrared or act as a TV remote. Where the BOSS
offers calendaring functions, the "Secret Sender" has features
which can tell fortunes or let girls draw pictures of their
special boyfriends. Don't laugh -- it sold out at Christmas.

The BOSS, meanwhile, still costs just $109.95, has 32
kilobytes of memory for storing 1,370 phone numbers, and can
operate in any of five European languages. There are also alarm,
scheduling, and communication functions.

The niche Casio really dominates, however, is low-priced
electronic keyboards. The latest model, the $699 CTK-750, offers
"magical presets," featuring things like break beats, arpeggios,
and shadow drums, providing unique chord progressions and other
sound combinations. A demonstration of the units, following a
buffet dinner at the MGM Grand, showed them capable of serious
music. And, along with the usual batch of news releases, the
press was also offered the new QA-100GY-S, a calculator which
doubles as an alarm clock with a real clock face.

(Dana Blankenhorn/01071994/Press Contact: Pat Carrasco, Casio,
201-361-5400x439)


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

Consumer Electronics Show - Analog-Digital Cellular Phones 01/07/94
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- Slowly, US
cellular phone system operators are beginning to offer digital as
well as analog service. While some are claiming commitments to
Code Division Multiple Access, or CDMA, the current upgrades all
use Time Division Multiple Access, or TDMA.

Given that all TDMA phones are dual-standard, meaning they'll
handle analog service when digital isn't available, you might
expect them to be heavy. Nokia's Technophone Corp. unit was at
CES to disabuse anyone of that notion with its $899 TD815. At
less than 1-inch thick, about 3 cm., and weighing in at 8.3
ounces, about .2 kg, the TD815 includes memory for up to 125
phone numbers, including 99 speed dial slots, and delivers up to
three hours talk time or 50 hours of standby use with an optional
nickel metal hydride battery. It also provides connections for
data users, standard, and a five-line screen with a "soft key"
interface of four buttons which let the user scroll through and
select functions on the screen.

According to Nokia, TDMA digital service is now available
throughout most of Florida as well as major cities of the Pacific
Northwest, Chicago, and Las Vegas itself. McCaw and Southwestern
Bell have both money into cell sites to support TDMA service.

(Dana Blankenhorn/01071994/Press Contact: Heidi Hollowell,
Technophone Corp., 813-920-6076/PHOTO)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00018)

Japan - Sega Games Via Satellite 01/07/94
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- Sega, second largest maker of
videogame players in Japan, will launch a video game business
via space satellite in cooperation with NHK (Japan Broadcasting
Corporation) and software makers.

Sega is the second firm to enter the satellite-based video game
machine business in Japan. The venture between Sega, NHK, NHK
Information Network, Taito, Capcom and Konami is called
Entertainment Project Association and currently in discussion
are issues concerning the type of the receiver adaptor, the fee
system, and the broadcasting system which the new service will use.

Sega and the software makers plan to develop the software which
will be used to broadcast and transmit games to a subscribing
user's adaptor, which is connected to a Sega video game machine,
either the Mega Drive or the Genesis. The team may also transmit
game software via cable television.

The idea is to allow satellite-linked game players to compete
in tournaments.

Currently, the advisory committee of the Japanese Posts and
Telecommunication Ministry is still working on the technical
details involved in data broadcasting via space satellite.
Their decision will be presented to the public by the summer
of 1995. Meanwhile, private firms are also discussing
technical standards concerning space satellite broadcasting
at the Space Data Broadcasting Business Development Association.

Rival Nintendo is also preparing to launch a space
satellite-based video game business jointly with Saint Giga
Corporation. Nintendo purchased this firm and continues to
work on the project.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930106/Press Contact: Sega
Enterprises, [phone], Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(WAS)(00019)

WETA Puts Washington Week In Review On America Online 01/07/94
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- This coming April
America Online will once again expand its offerings by adding
interactive discussions with reporters on the popular Public
Broadcasting program "Washington Week In Review" to its wealth of
information services.

Washington Week In Review, a Friday evening panel discussion
among noted Washington reporters which has been airing for 28
years, will become interactive on America Online by providing a
way for AOL subscribers to have live discussions with the
panelists immediately following the live broadcast at WETA-TV.

WETA says that the new service, called Washington Week In Review
Online may also add text information relating to current
government activities - this could include public documents and
further information on the current week's government news.

Another noted Public Television news program produced by
Washington-based WETA is The McNeil/Lehrer Newshour but Newsbytes
was unable to obtain any information from WETA about whether any
similar arrangement might be under consideration for this
program.

Other news sources and information suppliers on AOL include
services from Newsbytes, Time-Warner, The New York Times, CNN,
Knight-Ridder, Tribune Company, IBM, and Apple.

(John McCormick/19940107/Press Contact: Su-Lin Cheng, WETA, 703-
824-7335 or Jean Villanueva, America Online, 703-883-1675)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00020)

US/China Trade War Heats Up, May Spill Over To High-Tech 01/07/94
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- After nine months
of talks which went no where, Mickey Kantor, US Trade
Representative has thrown some muscle behind US unfair trade
practice complaints against China by imposing a new textile quota
on Chinese exports to the US. The reason this could be important
to the computer industry is because China is already threatening
retaliation against US imports and high-technology products are
thought by many observers to be a likely target.

Growing trade tensions between the two countries (China already
has a massive trade surplus with the US) could well affect this
year's Congressional consideration of whether or not to continue
MFN or most favored nation trade status for China, a status
which ensures that the lowest import duties will be imposed on
imports from China, but does nothing specific about ensuring that
US imports into China also receive favorable terms.

For years China has been accused of using prison labor to produce
export items in violation of US import laws and more recently
US garment makers have been vocal in their complaints that they
are being badly hurt not by legitimate Chinese clothing exports,
but the estimated $2 billion in illegal exports which the US
Commerce Department claims are trans-shipped through other
countries, then imported into the US as non-Chinese goods.

The new textile import restrictions which will be imposed on
China this January 17th will bypass the fruitless talks with
Chinese officials over stopping what the US considers illegal
moves to bypass current trade rules by reducing the "official"
Chinese imports by $1 billion in 1994.

Chinese government officials have already called the US action
unreasonable and threatened unspecified retaliation against US
goods. This is being seen as a matter of concern to US high-tech
companies exporting goods to China or software publishers which
are fighting to gain a share of the market and block intellectual
property rights violations (software piracy) which is thought to
be so prevalent in many Asian countries.

(John McCormick/19940107/)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00021)

CES-Wordperfect Unveils Home/Office Software 01/07/94
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- Wordperfect
entered the home and small business in head-to-head competition
with Microsoft this week when it introduced a new line of software
called Wordperfect Main Street.

Wordperfect is showing its new products, which includes several
interactive and multimedia products, at the Consumer Electronics
Show being held in Las Vegas this week. Showgoers got to see
the new Wallobee Jack series and Kap'n Karaoke, interactive
children's entertainment products for Windows and Macintosh
systems; Wordperfect InfoCentral 1.0 for Windows; Wordperfect
Works 2.0 for Windows; and Wordperfect ExpressFax+ 3.0 for
Windows.

The Wallobee Jack series, shipped on CD-ROM disc, features a
kangaroo named Wallobee Jack that leads children through
various geographic regions of the world accompanied by
thousands of digital animation frames and original orchestrated
music. The first two Wallobee Jack titles are Bingi Burra Stone,
an Australian adventure, and Thai Sun, a tour of Thailand.
Additional Wallobee Jack adventures are scheduled for later this
year. Wallobee Jack carries a $49 price tag.

The Kap'n Karaoke product includes a microphone and sing-along
songs for children with a special interface Wordperfect says
was designed especially for kids. Songs include "Old MacDonald
Had a Farm" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." Wordperfect says
additional song packs will be released later. Wallobee Jack and
Kap'n Karaoke are recommended for children 4-11 years old. The
program has a suggested retail price of $29. Both children's
programs are scheduled to ship by the end of March 1994.

On the business side, Wordperfect InfoCentral 1.0 for Windows is
a personal information manager (PIM) that helps the user
organize information and includes support for OLE (object linking
and embedding) 2.0 to connect objects and simple user-definable
fields. InfoCentral can present information in an outline view and
has calendars, to-do lists, and address books. It ships with some
pre-established databases and templates and includes a quick
tour to help the user become familiar with the program.

WordPerfect Works 2.0 for Windows is a software combination of
word processing, database, spreadsheet, drawing and painting,
and communications. The program will sell for $149.

ExpressFax+ 3.0 for Windows includes functions to send and receive
data and faxes, and voice communications. It offers optical
character recognition through the Xerox Textbridge technology.
ExpressFax+ 3.0 for Windows has a suggested retail price of $99.

Wordperfect says the Main Street line will include more than 28
products by the end of the first quarter, and will nearly double
that by year-end. The products will be available through
traditional retail outlets, computer superstores, warehouse clubs,
and directly from Wordperfect Corporation.

(Jim Mallory/19940107/Press contact: Blake Stowell, Wordperfect
Corp, 801-228-5063; Reader contact: 800-321-4566 or 801-225-
5000, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00022)

 ****Apple, Microsoft Sign Interoperability Deal 01/07/94
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- The
distinction between computer platforms may have gotten just a
little more hazy this week when Apple Computer and
Microsoft Corporation signed an agreement to ensure
interoperation of their messaging and directory services.

The deal calls for the two companies to provide their customers
with the necessary software to share information across the
Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows operating system
platforms, but no specific products or ship dates were
announced.

The agreement calls for access from either platform to the
messaging and directory servers provided by either vendor;
interoperation between the two vendor's messaging and directory
servers; support of the Apple Open Collaboration Environment
(AOCE) capabilities in principle Macintosh productivity
applications from Microsoft, and support for Common Mail Calls
(CMC) on both platforms.

The two companies say the deal will give users an integrated user
interface while application developers get a common set of
application programming interfaces (APIs) that ensure
interoperability between client and server products.

The suite of Messaging Application Program Interface (MAPI)
service providers and AOCE-based gateways are expected to
allow users to build cross-platform client-server applications for
greater productivity. They will also give MAPI-compliant
applications for Windows access to Apple's Powershare
technology while AOCE-based applications and Powertalk APIs
on Macintosh and Powerbook computers will be able to access
current and future Microsoft information management products.

Users will also get a gateway between the two company's server
products and support for the basic send capability Common Mail
Calls in their respective products. Apple says the deal will allow
Macintosh and Windows users to work together in a multiplatform
team environment using both Apple and Windows products.

In October 1993 Microsoft committed to provide updated versions
of Microsoft Excel, Word, Powerpoint and Works that would be
able to use the Powertalk Mailer to send and receive mail through
the standard Powertalk universal mailbox. Powertalk is Apple's
personal communication software based on AOCE technology
and is incorporated in System 7 Pro, the newest Macintosh
operating system.

The two companies say specific products will be announced
throughout 1994.

(Jim Mallory/19940107/Press contact: Christopher Escher, Apple
Computer, 408-974-2202; Julie Larkin, Microsoft, 206-882-8080)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(ATL)(00023)

Consumer Electronics Show - New Brother Word Processors 01/07/94
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- Dean F. Shulman,
senior vice president for Brother International, with US
headquarters in Somerset, New Jersey, is not convinced the word
processing market is dead. He sees a big niche in the nation's
39 million home offices. There, many home-based businesses face
a choice between $400 cost of a low-quality, dot matrix word
processor and the $2,000 cost, with software, of the average PC.

His answer, unveiled at a breakfast press conference at the
Consumer Electronics Show, held in Las Vegas, is the $599
WhisperWriter, a DOS-based, ink jet word processor with most of
the software home offices need, supplied as standard. It features a
14-inch black-and-white screen, and Shulman says a user can learn
to operate it in 30 minutes.

"People don't care about technology," he insists. "They care
about 'what does this do for me.'" Shulman says Brother sold
1.2 million word processors in 1993, and estimates he'll sell
1.6 million in 1995 -- that compares to 16.9 million PCs sold
last year.

The second major announcement by Brother, which bills itself as
"The Ultimate Home Office Company," is the P-Touch PC, a labeling
printer that can be used with any PC computer or Macintosh, with
custom fonts and support for TrueType. The key to this market,
Shulman notes, is that Brother holds patents on the tapes needed
for output. This also makes the labeler doubly profitable for the
retailer.

Shulman's constant message throughout his 30-minute presentation
was that "Technology has far outstripped the capabilities of the
average person. How many VCRs are still flashing 12:00?" He
predicts Brother International, a $240 million company when he
joined it in 1986, will reach $1 billion in sales in four years,
from a 1993 base of $700 million. Helping make that happen is the
fact that his office now controls a manufacturing operation,
Bartlett Manufacturing, as well as a research facility, and
control over both Latin and North American marketing.

(Dana Blankenhorn/01061994/Press Contact: Bill Henderson, Brother
International Corp., 908-356-8880x4307)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00024)

More On Kyle Foundation's On-Line Network For Sick Kids 01/07/94
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- Newsbytes
has obtained more information concerning the Kyle Foundation's
on-line network for seriously ill children. The network will be
based on Apple Computer's new eWorld service.

The Kyle Foundation was cofounded by best-selling author Tom
Clancy initially in November, 1992, in memory of eight-year-old
Kyle Haydock, who had died of cancer. Kyle was read Clancy's "The
Hunt For Red October" by his grandfather during one of his stays
in hospital for treatment. Kyle and Clancy became friends as a
result of fan mail the boy sent to the author.

The Kyle Foundation is a non-profit, public foundation intended
to provide an on-line interactive communications network for
seriously ill children and their families. The network was
officially announced at Macworld in San Francisco this week, as
reported previously by Newsbytes. The Foundation says that it
will have a continued presence at future Macworld's in the US,
and as the network expands across platforms, it will have a
presence at other trade shows as well.

The Foundation says that the network will be "a bridge to a
world of support for children and their families - providing
education, communication, entertainment, information and
opportunities." The Foundation will also provide special programs
and supportive services for seriously ill children and their
families.

Said Katherine Robinson, co-founder and executive director of
the Foundation, "We believe that by working together
collaboratively and in partnership with the industries we've
outlined, as well as hospitals, non-profit organizations and the
education community, we can build a network rich with resources,
services and programs that will empower people to learn, dream,
communicate and work in new and extraordinary ways."

Continued Robinson, "The Kyle Foundation's network is intended
to reach all children and all families, nationwide and around the
world. The network will help seriously ill children because it will
help all children."

Robinson told Newsbytes that she envisions the many thousands
of service groups (for all illnesses) around the country forming
alliances in order to coordinate their services to be
"readily available and accessible to people." She added that, "One
of the problems that I have found is that, when someone gets ill,
it's very difficult to find out where the services are."

The Foundation already has a number of board members, including:
David R. Dukes, co-chairman of Ingram Micro; David Nagel, senior
vice president and general manager of Apple's AppleSoft Div.;
Steven Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D., chief of surgery for the National
Cancer Institute; James SanSouci, M.Ed, the Foundation's secretary
and director of operations; actor Tom Selleck; and Clifford Stoll,
PH.D., scientist, astronomer, and author. Also included is
Katherine Robinson, executive director and executive vice
president of the board, and Clancy's wife Wanda, a cofounder,
board member, and the Foundation's treasurer.

David R. Dukes, co-chairman of Ingram Micro, and a Kyle
Foundation board member, said: "The personal computer industry
has a great yearning to support a very substantial project that
uses advanced technology to provide services that are so
desperately needed but not readily available."

The Foundation has recruited the American Academy of Pediatrics
to help in the providing of information to users. Said Dr. Betty
Lowe, president of the Academy, "The network meets our national
goal of educating children and their families about a wide
variety of medical and psychosocial issues. This network
represents an exciting new technology that will enable the
Academy to reach more children and parents with our important
pediatric health messages."

The Foundation proposes to "actively recruit the involvement of
leaders from the education, entertainment, health care,
therapeutic, technology and business communities." The
Foundation will form "strategic alliances, collaborative projects
and partnerships, to build the network."

Robinson told Newsbytes that the name of the network on
eWorld is to be decided by children. "We're letting the kids name
it. The first committee is a group of children and families - they
should name it."

Information will be a major factor in the new network. Said
Robinson, "We've got the American Academy of Pediatrics as
our partner. Dr. Steven Rosenberg is very concerned about getting
adequate information out to families that they can understand."

She told Newsbytes that there will be databases to provide basic
information on different illnesses. "But beyond that, the
databases will also tell you where the organizations are and
how to reach them that have the broader amounts of information.
There are organizations out there doing that. But people need
to know how to get hold of those organizations."

Clancy wrote an essay about his friendship with Kyle, called
"Turn Back." In it, he wrote: "It's easy to turn away. It's
even safe, because doing so is soon forgotten. Turn back anyway.
There are children who need us."

Anyone interested in information on the Kyle Foundation write to
the organization c/o 35 Melrose Dr., Oroville, CA 95966. The
telephone number is 916-533-8622, and the fax number is
916-345-0570.

(Ian Stokell/19940106/Press Contact: Kirsten Kappos,
714-566-1000 ext 2727, Ingram Micro Inc; Katherine
Robinson, The Kyle Foundation, 916-533-8622)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00025)

AMD Posts Record 1993 Revenues 01/07/94
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- Despite its
ongoing legal actions involving arch rival Intel, Advanced Micro
Devices (AMD) has reported record annual revenues for the third
successive year.

AMD's battle with Intel to clone that company's 386 and 486
microprocessors have been a major factor in the continued price
reduction of personal computers. Other companies also now offer
clones of the 386 and 486 processors, providing alternative
sources of central processing units (CPUs) to the industry,
particularly to low-cost Far Eastern hardware vendors. As a
result of the court battles, Intel decided to name it next-
generation processor Pentium, instead of the expected 586,
because rulings decided that the numbered-name was not
allowed to be used as a trademark.

According to the company, sales of $1,648,280,000 for the
fiscal year ended December 26, 1993, represented an increase
of nine percent over the prior year, and operating income of
$305,053,000 was also a record.

However, the company noted that a higher tax rate -- 28 percent in
1993 versus about 10 percent in 1992 -- resulted in lower net
income. As a result, net income amounted to $228,781,000 before
the preferred stock dividend, and $2.30 per common share after
the dividend. By contrast, AMD reported revenues in 1992 of
$1,514,489,000 and net income of $245,011,000 before the
preferred stock dividend. Net income for 1992 amounted to $2.57
per common share after the dividend.

The company's fourth-quarter revenues were $413,404,000, which
produced net income of $41,639,000 before the preferred stock
dividend, or $0.41 per common share after the dividend. The
immediate-prior quarter revenues were $418,351,000 and net
income of $61,338,000 before the preferred stock dividend. In the
fourth quarter of 1992 AMD reported revenues of $400,224,000
and net income of $69,564,000 before the preferred stock dividend,
or $0.73 per common share after the dividend.

In reporting the results, W.J. Sanders III, chairman and chief
executive officer, said: "1993 was a very good year for Advanced
Micro Devices. We achieved a third consecutive year of record sales
and operating income. In the final quarter, however, sharply
increased sales of Am486 microprocessors were insufficient to
offset a decline in sales of certain other products, principally
Am386 microprocessors and programmable logic devices (PLDs)."

Continued Sanders: "Sales were stuck around $410 million per
quarter through all of 1993 as we worked to offset declining sales
of some older products and sharply declining sales of Am386
microprocessors by ramping production of flash memory products
and Am486 microprocessors."

Looking ahead to 1994, he said: "Recovering demand for our
networking and communication products coupled with continuing
strength in the personal computer marketplace encourage us to
expect growth in the first quarter."

AMD's ongoing legal battle with PC microprocessor-provider
Intel, reported on extensively in Newsbytes, has been one of the
industry's longest running soap-operas.

In a recent round of legal in-fighting between AMD and Intel,
AMD admitted in September it did probably include Intel
microcode in its 486 microprocessors which started shipping
in the summer of 1993.

Originally, Intel and AMD came to an agreement in 1976, and
renewed it 1982, under which AMD licensed the rights to
Intel's technology, although exactly what technology was
involved is still under question.

(Ian Stokell/19940107/Press Contact: John Greenagel,
408/749-3310, Advanced Micro Devices Inc.)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00026)

JetForm Software To Be Image-Enabled With Watermark 01/07/94
WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- JetForm Corp.
and Watermark Software Inc., have announced that JetForm will bundle
Watermark Explorer Edition, an OEM version of Watermark's Windows-
based image enabling software, with JetForm Filler 4.0, an upcoming
edition of JetForm's mail-enabled forms automation software.

Slated to ship at the end of this month, the JetForm/Watermark
combination is designed to eliminate the need for businesses to
move large amounts of paper from place to place within the
organization.

Users will be able to attach scanned or faxed paper documents to a
JetForm form, add comments and other annotations, and
electronically route the form and attached documents throughout the
enterprise over a local area network (LAN).

One JetForm user, Pacifica Hospital, plans to launch its
utilization of the new image-enabling capability by attaching
scanned photos of hospital supplies to existing materials
requisition forms, allowing departmental personnel to view the
selection of available supplies as they enter their orders.

"But that's just the tip of the iceberg," said Jeff Johnson,
materials manager for the Huntington Beach, CA-based hospital.
Johnson told Newsbytes that he ultimately foresees possibilities
like attaching patients' photos -- as well as X-rays and other
medical images -- to the medical records forms that have also been
produced as part of the hospital's PC LAN-based hospital
information system (HIS).

JetForm Filler is an intelligent, mail-enabled electronic forms
fill product that lets the user bring up a form that was created
with JetForm Design, fill in information, and then route the form
to others in the organization.

"Watermark products allow JetForm users to automate an important
component of forms processing -- the attachment of documentation
such as receipts for an expense report of pictures for an insurance
claim," said Langley Steinert, JetForm's director of marketing.

Watermark Explorer Edition, the OEM version of Watermark Discovery
Edition, is designed specifically for bundling with third-party
applications. Watermark products employ Microsoft's Object Linking
and Embedding (OLE) technology to image-enable Windows-based
software applications by integrating scanned or faxed documents as
image objects.

"Combining JetForm's electronic forms with Watermark's image-
enabling software takes form processing to the next logical step.
By eliminating the remaining paper component from forms automation,
Watermark and JetForm are streamlining forms processing and
improving communications across the enterprise," commented
David Skok, president and CEO of Watermark.

Attaching scanned photos of hospital supplies to forms created with
JetForm will permit users throughout Pacifica Hospital to "visually
verify what they want, instead of relying on written descriptions
alone," corroborated Johnson. Users will be able to actually
"see" the differences between three varieties of Q-Tips, for
example.

"I'm a very happy end user," Johnson told Newsbytes. Pacifica
first implemented its JetForm-based HIS six months ago, converting
from an entirely paper-based system after installing its first LAN,
he explained.

Beyond materials ordering and requisition, the system automates
such functions as laboratory testing and hospital billing.
Physicians' orders for lab tests can be entered by a nurse on to
the appropriate forms, and sent to the hospital medical laboratory.
After completing the requested tests, lab personnel can enter the
results on the forms, and then instantly transmit copies of the
newly annotated documents to the physician, nursing station, and
hospital billing department.

Before using JetForm to create a custom HIS, the hospital was
spending $100,000 a year on paper-based forms, Johnson estimated.
Most commercially available HIS systems are mainframe-based, he
added. Although Unix- and PC-based systems are starting to emerge,
prices are still prohibitive to small hospitals.

For Pacifica, creating a custom HIS system with JetForm has turned
out to be a highly affordable alternative. "We captured the price
of the (JetForm) software within the first month of use," noted
Johnson. The JetForm software also allows easy modifications to
form design, Newsbytes was told.

"Now we're gearing up to Version 4.0. And when the image-
enablement comes, we're going to jump all over it," said the
materials manager.

JetForm 4.0 for Windows will be priced at $199 for a singer-user,
$745 for a five-pack, and $2580 for a 20-pack. Aside from Windows,
JetForm's family of products is available for many other operating
environments, including Windows NT, OS/2, DOS, Macintosh, Unix,
VAX/VMS, and Hewlett-Packard minicomputers. The product family
includes JetForm Server and The Forms Disk form manager, in
addition to JetForm Design and JetForm Filler.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940107/Reader contact: JetForm Corp., tel 800-
JETFORM; Press contacts: Langley Steinert, JetForm, tel 617-647-
7700; Barry Gillespie, BAZ Communications, tel [phone]; Kevin
Lach, Watermark Software, tel [phone]; Leahanne Hobson or
Peter Gorman, tel [phone]/PHOTO)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00027)

Creative False Advertising Suit Against Competitor 01/07/94
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- Creative
Technology, who just settled a suit against competitor Covox over
the "Sound Blaster" name, is now suing another competitor,
Cardinal Technologies. Creative is claiming Cardinal's product
isn't really as compatible with its products as consumers are
led to believe.

Cardinal makes the Digital Sound Pro 16 sound card, a competing
product with Creative Technologies' Sound Blaster. The suit
claims Cardinal falsely advertises its sound card as compatible
with Creative's product.

In particular, Creative asserts the Cardinal sound card doesn't
properly playback speech in popular personal computer (PC) games
such as "Mortal Combat," "4-D Boxing," and "Kings Quest V." The
reason given is Cardinal's product doesn't duplicate Sound
Blaster's generation of speech and sound through technology used
in the Sound Blaster identified as the Adaptive Differential
Pulse Code Modulation (ADPCM).

The ADPCM is a proprietary technology from Creative Labs, a
Milpitas, California-based subsidiary of Creative Technology. The
technology has not been licensed as of yet by any other sound
card company, according to Technical Marketing Manager Gary
Davenport, but is available for licensing.

Creative is asking the court for a recall of Cardinal's products,
a correction to be issued to trade journals, and stickers to be
given to resellers to place on Cardinal products already out in
the retail channel to disclaim compatibility. These requests are
in addition to one for prohibition advertising Cardinal products
are "Sound Blaster compatible."

Singapore-based Creative Technology admits it is using the US
legal system to force licensing of its technology from those who
claim compatibility. K.S. Chay, president and chief operating
officer of Creative Technology, said in a prepared statement:
"The lawsuit we have filed against Cardinal will establish that
it is virtually impossible to achieve full Sound Blaster
compatibility without working directly with us. Creative is
taking strong actions to protect, maintain, and enhance the Sound
Blaster standard and our intellectual property rights. As we have
demonstrated in the past and will continue to do so, Creative
will not tolerate others who take advantage of Creative's proven
success within the industry."

Company officials did acknowledge other sound card products, such
as the Pro Audio Spectrum, can also play back speech in the above
named game programs. However, Davenport said game developers
write to the technology in the other products and users either
pick the brand of sound card from a pick list upon installation
or the software configures itself to that particular audio card.

(Linda Rohrbough/19940107/Press Contact: Steffanee White,
Creative Labs, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Raymond
Sobieski, Cardinal Technologies, tel [phone], fax 717-293-
3055)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00028)

 ****Analyst Downgrades Apple After Successful Macworld 01/07/94
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- The New York stock
market organization Oppenheimer & Company downgraded Apple
Computer stock from market performer to underperformer, despite
Apple's enthusiastically received showing of new products at
Macworld this week and its recent strong stock prices. Analysts
at the firm said their biggest fear is Apple could lose profits
due to overstocked inventory.

The announcements of new products in the next few months, such as
the PowerPC-based Macintosh, as well as the sudden 20 percent
jump in Apple stock prices have Oppenheimer analysts wary. The
firm claims the word on the street is Apple products didn't move
as well in the retail channels in December as the company had
hoped. The low-end Powerbook notebook models seem to be in ample
supply without demand, according to the report, and an overstock
there is likely.

In addition, Computer Reseller News reported that Apple dealers
made the company rescind a relatively new price protection policy
that had them worried about being stuck with obsolete products.
Apple changed its price protection guarantee to dealers allowing
only 30 to 45 days from the former 60-day guarantee, but went
back to 60 days after dealers complained.

The price protection guarantee means Apple would credit price
cuts to dealer's existing inventory to protect the dealer's gross
profit margins on systems that are not moving in the retail
channel. The company went back to the 60-day policy for the
period between December 21 through March 31.

While the firm has not downgraded Apple's performance in the long
run, it claims conservative money should be wary now with the
product transition the company faces.

(Linda Rohrbough/19940107/Press Contact: Oppenheimer, tel 212-
667-7000)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00029)

Media Vision & Recording Academy In Multimedia Grammy Deal 01/07/94
UNIVERSAL CITY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- Interactive
multimedia is a current hot-topic in the industry and
development alliances are being struck between firms from
different industries. One company that enters into such agreements
on a regular basis is Media Vision. Now the company has announced
a licensing arrangement with the National Academy of Recording
Arts and Sciences designed to produce interactive multimedia
entertainment.

The companies expect the collaboration to result in the development
of CD-ROM titles relating to the music industry's 1994 Grammy
Awards. The companies say that the titles to be produced will be
the first CD-ROM discs ever to show video footage of performances
and award presentations.

In announcing the deal, Paul Jain, president and chief executive
officer of Media Vision, said: "Relationships between companies
like Media Vision and (the Academy) allow for the production of
new forms of interactive entertainment featuring great artists."

Media Vision manufacturers multimedia hardware and software
for personal computers. Hardware components include CD-quality
sound cards, sound chips, graphics and video chips, as well as
CD-ROM/CD-Audio players. Media Vision's interactive multimedia
software titles include children's entertainment and education.

As part of the deal, Media Vision is working with Aptos,
California-based UniDisc to develop the Grammy titles.

Media Vision has been busy linking up with other companies lately.
In October, Newsbytes reported that the company signed a deal
with integrated circuit manufacturer Analog Devices to
develop "next generation" multimedia semiconductors for PCs.

At the time, Newsbytes reported that the deal called for Media
Vision to have an exclusive license to use Analog's core DSP
(digital signal processing) technology in the PC sound market for
four years, with the technology being integrated into its 16-bit
audio architecture.

In November, Newsbytes reported that Media Vision licensed
technologies from Spectron Microsystems and Microsoft. Under
terms of the deal, Media Vision licensed Spectron's SPOX operating
system and Microsoft's Windows-based DSP resource manager and
DSP application programming interface (API). According to the
company, the technology simplifies the development of
applications software for use with DSPs.

Most recently, in December, hardware vendor Gateway 2000 said
its sound card will use the Jazz16 chipset from Media Vision.

(Ian Stokell/19940107/Press Contact: Allan Thygesen,
510-252-4217, Media Vision)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00030)

 ****Home Computer Use Predicted To Boom In 1994 01/07/94
CARROLLTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 7 (NB) -- 1994 should be
a boom year for the sales of multimedia personal computer
systems, according to market research group Channel Marketing.
1993 was a record-setting year with sales of an estimated
six million units, but market analysts are predicting more market
growth and Channel Marketing predicts sales could be as high as
9.3 million units.

A whopping 34 percent of US households now have personal
computers and many households have more than one. Carrollton,
Texas-based Channel Marketing claims its findings are 36 million
personal computers are installed in 33 million homes nationwide.

However, Link Resourses, a New York-based market research firm
takes a more conservative estimate of 26 million homes with
computers.

But declining prices and the avid interest in multimedia systems
with compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) drives will boost
sales up 50 percent over last year's numbers, according to the
Texas-based group. Over a third, or 36 percent, of the computers
sold in 1994 will be to home users, the group added. Inteco
reports 23 to 28 million American households intend to purchase a
computer.

Education is a main use for the home computer and CD-ROM titles
are feeding that use, Channel Marketing said. Link Resources, a
New York-based marketing research firm concurs saying 46 percent
of computer households have kids. Inteco claims the presence of
children is the one of the biggest factors in families planning a
computer purchase. Other factors include work related use,
including a further spread of home-based businesses.

The 1993 survey of more than 27,000 households by Computer
Intelligence Infocorp found that the most common uses of
computers in the home are family computing tasks. This includes:
personal finances or household activities; fun, entertainment or
games; school or children's education; work brought home from the
office; and home-based businesses. Channel Marketing claims the
availability of reference, education, and entertainment software
on CD-ROM is a major factor in the decision to purchase a
multimedia system.

(Linda Rohrbough/19940107/Press Contact: David Goldstein, Channel
Marketing, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Jake Winebaum,
Family PC, 212-633-3624)