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/nb012694

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(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00001)

Amdek Intros Energy Star Monitors 01/26/94
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994  JAN 26 (NB) -- In order to
comply with the new energy standards for government computer
purchases mandated by the Clinton Administration, Amdek created
a new line of EPA Energy Star-compatible, non-interlaced monitors
in four months.

All models are IBM PC and PS/2 compatible. The EPA guidelines
established a 180 day period for prospective contractors to meet
the new requirements. NEC, Viewsonic, and IBM are already
delivering Energy Star-compatible monitors, but Amdek claims
that the company is marketing the most aggressively priced
monitors in the field of energy saving models.

The new line of monitors feature a 15-inch (AM/815E) and 17-inch
(AM/817E) digital color display for high-end Windows users and a
14-inch monochrome (AM/432E), as well as a 14-inch (AM/732NI)
SVGA color model (energy option available April, 1994).

The first three all meet the EPA guidelines for government purchase
and the Swedish MPR-II electromagnetic emission standards. The
AM/817E is compatible with the Macintosh and the Sun
Microsystems Sparc Station and will be available in March, 1994.

Bob Goodman, general manager of Amdek, told Newsbytes, "We offer
a new technology and aggressive pricing to meet energy saving
guidelines. These new developments will increase the life of a
monitor, and our price is $10 less than earlier models."

He foresees these government purchasing standards as a sign of the
future for computing and notes that it will take time to make the
transition. Energy Star-compatible monitors have to be
accompanied by energy-compliant PCs and video cards that comply
to the standards or software that will meet the compliance.

Currently, Amdek is working with Berkeley Systems to produce
Energy Star-compatibility software and a number of companies
are working on the development of compliant video cards.

Amdek monitors are available through distributors and a direct
purchase program. The AM/815E is priced at $379, the AM/817E
will be $839, the AM/432E is $109, and the 732NI will be $299.

(Patrick McKenna/19940125/Press Contact: Jeannie Low, Amdek,
408-473-2013)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00002)

Fujitsu To Offer Financial Support To Amdahl 01/26/94
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- Fujitsu plans to support
deficit-ridden Amdahl, both financially and technically.
Fujitsu has a 45 percent equity in Amdahl.

Fujitsu has decided to lend $100 million to Amdahl at a low
interest rate. US banks are reportedly offering severe terms
for lending money to Amdahl, because of the firm's growing
deficit.

Due to the downsizing trend of computer use away from
mainframes, Amdahl's sales went down by about 30 percent
between January and September, 1993. Some reports are
placing the deficit as high as 60 billion yen ($545 million).

Fujitsu will also assist Amdahl on the production of
workstations. Currently, both firms are jointly developing a
32-bit workstation. Fujitsu plans to supply the workstation to
Amdahl on an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) basis by
the end of this year. By supplying the hardware parts and the
workstations to Amdahl, Fujitsu will also be able to reduce
total production costs.

Also, Fujitsu is planning to supply Amdahl with a 64-bit
workstation in 1995, and will provide the company with
the technology to create general purpose computers.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930124/Press Contact:
Fujitsu, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00003)

Japan - Seiko-Epson/Olivetti Expand Maintenance Deal 01/26/94
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- Seiko-Epson has agreed to
expand its personal computer maintenance services deal with
Olivetti Japan.

Seiko-Epson has recently begun mail-order sales of its
DOS/V-compatible personal computers. As a result, the firm
needs the reliable partner to handle maintenance services,
which will begin in April.

Olivetti Japan has already been providing such services for
Seiko-Epson's NEC-compatible Epson PCs, as well as printers.
Olivetti Japan will provide services for Epson's Endeavor AT
series via the firm's offices at 70 locations throughout Japan.

Services will include on-site maintenance and a PC rental
operation for use during the maintenance period. Olivetti
Japan will also link with a maintenance firm, called ATC.

Seiko-Epson has recently set up a PC mail-order firm called
Epson Direct, selling low-cost DOS/V-compatible PCs.
Maintenance service support is considered one of the most
important points for the buyers of PCs in Japan.

Other hardware vendors, such as Apple Computer, also offer
maintenance services through third party firms like NCR.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930120/Press Contact:
Seiko-Epson, 81-266-58-1705)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(DEL)(00004)

India - MAIT Asks For Tax Restructure 01/26/94
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- The IT (information
technology) policy committee of the Manufacturers' Association of
Information Technology (MAIT) has called for a special tariff
category of "Specific Special Inputs" on par with the "piece parts"
category for the component industry.

To begin with, the category would include key inputs like memory,
memory modules, CPUs (central processing units), hard disk drives,
and color monitor assemblies -- items which are not manufactured
in India.

The committee has also recommended for the 1994-95 Union Budget,
a customs duty rate on finished goods to be reduced to 70 percent,
and on components to 40 percent. The rates recommended for
Specific Special Inputs and raw materials are 20 percent and 10
percent respectively.

Gopal Srinivasan, the chairman of MAIT's IT committee, felt that
these recommendations would help eliminate the grey market. He
argued that the 16 percent growth last year was not due to the
recession alone, but was largely the cause of high duty on key
inputs which promoted the grey market.

According to Manu Parpia, chairman of the MAIT task force on the
grey market, that market's activities have increased greatly
in the past year, and its present volume is about 40 percent of the
hardware industry's total sales. Parpia, however, is not ready to
include the small assemblers within the grey market, and
essentially calls smugglers the grey marketeers.

Inputs such as memory, CPU, hard disk drive, color monitors and
printer heads are attractive to the grey market due to prevailing
custom duty rates which range from 50 to 80 percent. With the
high value and compact size of these items, bringing them through
illegal channels is a highly profitable business.

For example, a Pentium CPU which weighs 20 grams costs
R55,000 after duty, while the value of gold of the same weight
is R9,200.

Srinivasan estimates that grey market operators have a cost
advantage of 25 percent on the final product, as compared to
organized manufacturers under the existing duty structure. As
a result, the top 10 players in the industry recorded a negative
profit after sales tax in 1992-93. Losses to the exchequer by
way of customs, excise, and sales tax is put at R250 crore.

Noting that the typical retail price of products in India was 100
percent more than the international price, Srinivasan said that
the current scale of the industry was a major bottleneck for the
industry competing internationally. He reasoned that the cascading
effect of sales tax on local inputs, a high prime interest rate of
15 percent as against the international rate of five percent, a
historic cost relating to backward area location/capital goods
import, and the high cost of communication and transport, were
responsible for the high prices.

MAIT has also recommended the reduction of excise duty from 15
percent to 10 percent, introducing an equivalent of the MODVAT
system to remove the cascading sales tax system. Imports can
have a duty and central sales tax. Reducing interest rates to
international levels and bringing down duty on capital goods to
10 percent are also recommended. On the export front, unrestricted
domestic access on full duty payment and duty concession
adjustment based on DTA duty are the reforms suggested.

MAIT believes that the implementation of these proposals will
result in a 30 percent annual growth rate in sales, with PC prices
coming down by 32 percent on an average in the coming years. By
the turn of the century annual sales volumes are expected to grow
by 8.9 times, the annual sales value by 4.7 times, per capita sales
by 4.2, and hardware exports by eight times, claims MAIT.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19940126)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00005)

Chevalier Puts CT2 Into Hong Kong's Hospitals 01/26/94
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- Chevalier Telepoint has
embarked on an aggressive program to extend mobile CT2 coverage
to the entrances, waiting rooms, emergency and out-patient
departments of Hong Kong's hospitals.

Base station installation started in October, 1993, with the Queen
Mary Hospital in Pokfulam and the Tang Shui Kin in Wanchai among
the first hospitals to benefit from the program.

Since then, all the major Kowloon and New Territories' hospitals
have come on stream, including the Prince of Wales in Shatin and
the Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth hospitals. Coverage in
St. John's Hospital on Cheung Chau last month brought the total
number of Hospital Authority sites to 11.

"At the moment, the primary role of CT2 is to be a personal
phonebox in the hospital visitor's pocket," said Neil Montefiore,
managing director of Chevalier Telepoint. "But there is definite
potential for extending the service to professional staff. Many
doctors and nurses already carry pagers, for instance. With our
PageLink service, they can connect immediately to an incoming
pager call, instead of having to wait until they are back in the
office or near an extension phone."

Newsbytes spoke with the father of a young man who had had
minor surgery. He said that while the CT2 was definitely a step
in the right direction, it did not help family members outside
the hospital get in touch with patients.

Chevalier Telepoint has been operational for only 18 months. Its
TriLevel coverage gives extensive service, not only in densely
populated business and commercial areas, but in other places
such as housing estates, university campuses, and now hospitals.

"People can feel vulnerable while they're waiting in the public
areas of a hospital," said Montefiore. "It is a time when they need
to feel in touch with family, friends and the outside world in general.
They may simply have been visiting an in-patient and want to call
for a taxi. Equally, they may be there as a result of an emergency and
need to contact someone quickly without leaving the waiting room or
casualty department."

Hong Kong has been quick to adopt mobile communications of all
descriptions. More than 15 percent of the population carry pagers
and CT2 subscribers recently topped the 120,000 mark. This makes
Hong Kong the fastest growing CT2 market in the world, with many
more new customers opting for CT2 rather than the more expensive
and congested cellular mobile phone services.

(Keith Cameron/19940125/Press Contact: Neil Montefiore,
852-828-1218)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00006)

IBM Canada Loses In 1993 01/26/94
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- IBM Canada Ltd.,
has reported an operating profit for 1993, but lost money after
one-time charges of C$350 million which were mainly to cover
Canada's share of a worldwide restructuring announced last July.

Preliminary figures reported by the company give IBM Canada an
operating profit of C$147 million on revenues of C$6.7 billion,
compared with C$22 million in earnings on revenues of C$6.76
billion in 1992. However, after the one-time charges, the company
lost C$130 million.

The revenue figures include the contributions of companies in
which IBM Canada owns a majority stake. These include: ExperComp
Services Ltd., which sells Ambra PCs in Canada; ISM Information
Systems Management Corp., a computer services and outsourcing
firm; Nulogix Technical Services Inc., which repairs and
refurbishes computer parts; personal computer service provider PC
ServicePartners Inc.; and training firm Polar Bear Software Corp.

Export revenues also shrank slightly, from C$4.07 billion to
C$3.98 billion. Company spokesman Mike Quinn pointed out that
1992 was a record year for IBM Canada exports, and added that
price cuts in the company's export products helped reduce the
figure this year. IBM Canada said its manufacturing plants in
Toronto and in Bromont, Quebec, both produced record volumes in
1993.

Software and services continue to be the strongest parts of IBM
Canada's business. Together they accounted for about 58 percent
of the company's revenue in 1993, Quinn said, up from 52 percent
last year and less than 40 percent four years ago.

IBM's worldwide cost-cutting led to a reduction of about 13.5
percent in the Canadian operation's work force over the past
year. IBM Canada ended 1993 with 8,633 employees, down from
about 9,985 at the beginning of the year, Quinn said. Those
figures do not include some 2,431 people who work for separate
companies in which IBM Canada owns a majority stake.

IBM Canada does not report quarterly financial results.

(Grant Buckler/19940126/Press Contact: Mike Quinn, IBM Canada,
905-316-2255; Bob Waite, IBM Canada, 905-316-4500)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00007)

 ****Big Loss For Northern Telecom 01/26/94
MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- Northern
Telecom Ltd., has reported a US$884 million loss on slightly
reduced revenues for 1993.

In the year ended December 31, Northern said it lost US$884
million, or US$3.54 per share, on revenues of US$8.15 billion. This
compares to net earnings of US$536 million, or US$2.17 per share,
on revenues of US$8.41 billion in 1992.

The annual results include special charges of US$536 million,
recorded in the second quarter to cover worldwide cost-cutting
that is expected to mean more than 5,000 lost jobs, as well as
work to beef up its central-office switching software and a
writedown of goodwill for STC plc, a British telecommunications
firm Northern bought in 1991.

In the fourth quarter, Northern Telecom recorded net earnings of
US$105 million, or 42 cents per share, on revenues of US$2.46
billion, compared with net earnings of US$253 million, or US$1.02
per share, on revenues of US$2.54 billion for the fourth quarter
of 1992.

Order input for 1993 of US$9.18 billion was essentially flat as
compared with US$9.16 billion in 1992, Northern officials said.
Order backlog at year-end was a record US$4.82 billion, 35
percent above the US$3.58 billion backlog a year earlier. The
company said order input for the fourth quarter was also
essentially flat at US$2.82 billion, compared with US$2.84
billion in the fourth quarter of 1992.

In a prepared statement, Jean Monty, president and chief
executive officer of Northern Telecom, said: "Although 1993 was a
disappointing year financially, much was accomplished in product
development and international market development. Traditional
fourth-quarter volume strength combined with initial benefits
from restructuring generated a modest profit for the quarter."

Officials pointed to new product moves such as a wireless
portfolio, the Magellan broadband multimedia product line, and
a new advanced services software platform for central office
switching.

However, Toronto-based telecommunications consultant Eamon Hoey
said Northern still has a long way to go. He maintained that in a
quest for profits, former Chairman and Chief Executive Paul Stern
cut too many corners on new technology development and left
Northern trailing competitors, notably AT&T. Stern's abrasive
management style also led to the departure of a number of
valuable people from Northern during his tenure, Hoey claimed.

Stern was replaced as chief executive by Monty, a former chairman
of Bell Canada, on March 1, 1993. Monty had been appointed
Northern's president late in 1992. Stern resigned as chairman in
June, as Northern announced it expected its first quarterly loss
in five years. In July, Northern reported a second-quarter loss
of US$1.03 billion.

Although the company was in the black in the fourth quarter,
officials said they do not expect a profit in the first quarter
of 1994. Traditional first-quarter weakness, along with pricing
pressures and other factors, will probably mean an operating
loss in the first quarter, Northern said, but the effect of
cost-cutting and new products should start to appear in the
second half of 1994.

Hoey said he believes Monty is the right person to turn Northern
around, but "they have a lot of catching up to do. The problem is
whether they're able to do it."

(Grant Buckler/19940126/Press Contact: Tom Tropea, Northern
Telecom, 905-566-3178; Gary Brandt, Northern Telecom,
905-566-3098)


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

DesignCAD 3D Architectural 3-D Library For PC Intro'd 01/26/94
PRYOR, OKLAHOMA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- Architects and
interior designers who use computer-aided design (CAD) software
now have available a library of detailed three-dimensional (3-D)
symbols for use in their drawings.

American Small Business Computers (ASBC) is showing its new
DesignCAD 3D Advanced Architectural Library at the Builders
Show in Las Vegas this week. The library contains more than 350
ready-to-use 3-D architectural symbols that include kitchen
cabinets, appliances, bathroom and kitchen faucets, sinks,
doors and windows. Also included are office equipment, furniture,
furnishings, decorative items, and even adjustable human figures.
The figures can be used in animation, for ergonomic studies, or as
mannequins.

The library contains a detailed reference manual that guides the
user through the steps needed to load the symbols and create a floor
plan. The manual also explains how to set handles for precision
placement and scaling symbols for sizing. Symbols can be
modified and saved as separate drawings to conform to any
specification.

ASBC also offers other libraries of objects, including trees and
shrubs, tiles, borders, and quarry products. There is a second
human figures library, as well as one that contains a selection
of clothing for the figures.

The DesignCAD 3D Advanced Architectural Library is compatible
with DesignCAD 3D version 4.0 or later. System requirements are
an MS-DOS-based personal computer with at least one megabyte
of expanded memory. The library has a suggested retail price of
$99.95.

(Jim Mallory/19940126/Press Contact: Keith Campbell, American
Small Business Computers Inc., 918-825-4844; Reader Contact:
ASBC, tel [phone], fax [phone], ASBC bulletin
board, 918-825-4878)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00009)

Kodak Intros New Discount Film, Autofocus Camera 01/26/94
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- Eastman
Kodak Company has announced a number of new products, including
a new discount film called Funtime, a autofocus camera with
flip-up flash, and a new version of its Kodak Gold film line.

The company says that the products will be on display in the Kodak
booth at the Photographic Marketing Association meeting in
Atlanta next month.

The Funtime film is apparently an attempt to compete with the
lower cost generic films which have appeared on the market, as
well as the lower-cost film offered by competitors Fuji and Konica.
Kodak calls Funtime a specially priced promotional film that will
be offered twice a year in large value packs. Kodak spokesperson
Joe Runde told Newsbytes Funtime will be shipped to market in
April and October.

Kodak also unveiled its new Royal Gold Color film, which it claims
produces sharper pictures and is ideal for enlargements, and new
versions of the Kodak Gold Plus 100 and Kodak Gold Super 200
films. Runde told Newsbytes the 35 millimeter (mm) Royal Gold
replaces the Ektar high-end fine grain print film and will be
available in speeds of 25, 100, a new 400 speed, and 1000. Runde
said the Royal Gold provides better contrast control.

The new Cameo camera, an autofocus system with a 28mm lens,
joins its older sibling the Cameo Zoom Plus introduced last year.
Both cameras use the Cobra flip-up flash designed to minimize
"red-eye," the effect that sometimes gives the subject of a picture
a "creature from outer space" look by giving the eyes a ruby-red
color from the reflective glare from a flash. The new Cameo has a
minimum focusing distance of 2.5 feet. The Zoom Plus uses a
28-50mm zoom lens. Flipping up the flash on the Cameo turns
on the camera.

Runde said the Cobra flash puts the flash at an angle that
minimizes the "red eye" effect, rather than using a pre-flash
which can cause the subject to blink. Runde says that can result
in a picture in which the subject's eyes are closed. Cameo has a
suggested retail price of $129.95 and will be available in
May, 1994.

Kodak says it will also demonstrate some new digital imaging
products that enable users to enhance and edit photographs,
including a new walkup kiosk called Kodak Creation Stations.

(Jim Mallory/19940126/Press Contact: Mike Moore, Eastman
Kodak, 716-724-2349)


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

 ****Clinton's State Of The Union 01/26/94
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- After the end of his
first year in office, President Clinton fulfilled the requirement
of making a "report to the congress on the state of the union" by
the usual method of addressing a joint session of the House and
Senate. Several of this year's proposed projects will have an
effect on the computer industry if they get through congress.

The President's call for a world-class educational system is
almost certainly going to include a call for more computer
technology, more computer literate teachers, and a renewed
emphasis on educational software, when it is converted into
actual policy or recast in the form of legislation.

While the speech was short on any details, President Clinton
called on congress to fund Vice President Gore's information
superhighway with the aim of getting a connection to every
school by the end of 1994.

The call for private, non-cancelable health care insurance for
every American will indirectly cause an increased demand for
computerized billing and even health care management if it ever
sees the light of day. Some analysts argue this is because only
an increasing use of computer technology can allow doctors and
hospitals to increase their efficiency and thus continue to show
the same profit margins while being able to charge less.

Despite Republican claims that his health care and other policies
are not popular with the citizens, a CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll
taken after the address showed that 84 percent of Americans
feel that President Clinton is moving in the right direction with
his Administration policies. Details of the poll, e.g. the number
of people involved, were not available by Newsbytes press time.

(John McCormick/19940126)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00011)

 ****Spectrum Stock Drops After Sculley Feud Report 01/26/94
MANHASSET, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- Stock in
Spectrum Information Technologies, the wireless data company
headed by former Apple Chairman John Sculley, was among the most
actively traded on the NASDAQ market as reports swirled that
Sculley might be leaving.

The company's shares started the day at a little over $7.25 per
share, then fell to a little over $4.25 after CNBC columnist Dan
Dorfman reported not only that Sculley and former CEO Peter
Caserta, who recruited him, were feuding, but that a Securities
and Exchange Commission probe was underway on the company. The
company issued a statement claiming Sculley was happy and would
stay, and the shares closed near $6.50 per share.

Spectrum confirmed January 26 that the probe involves Caserta's
claims from last year that the company would reap hundreds of
millions of dollars from royalty contracts on its technology.
Those statements were later retracted and the company settled
shareholder suits in principle, out-of-court, shortly after
Sculley joined the firm in November. In its press statement
Spectrum called this a private SEC inquiry, but said the SEC has
called it confidential, without any indications that laws were
violated.

Spectrum has patented technology which is important in wireless
data transfers, including a means for linking cellular phones
with modems, an error-correction protocol for use on wireless
data links, and a means for determining whether a wireless call
involves voices or data. In the last year the company has signed
licensing deals on its patents with Rockwell, AT&T and Megahertz,
among others. Sculley was expected to offer credibility
following Caserta's claims, and management discipline, but some
observers have recently questioned whether he really controls the
company.

In its press release, Spectrum said it would be moving its head
office to Manhattan from Long Island, making it an easier commute
for Sculley, who lives in Greenwich, Connecticut. The company
also said it would change its name to SpecTel, a name supposedly
suggested by Sculley's wife. The press release did not address the
SEC action and attempts to reach spokesmen by Newsbytes were
unsuccessful.

Spectrum added it has settled a patent infringement suit it had
filed, under Caserta, against Data Race Inc., under which Data
Race will pay royalties on its modems, and was also licensed to
supply Spectrum with hardware, software and components.

It was the last major patent infringement suit filed by Spectrum to
be settled. Data Race head Herb Hensley confirmed those details of
the settlement to Newsbytes. "In addition, if we advertise their
products by putting a flyer in our modems, we get an advertising
credit that tends to offset the royalty," he added.

Hensley spoke to Newsbytes from the ComNet show, where the
company received the "hot products" award from Data
Communications magazine for its Wireless RediDOCKit, RediCARDrf
PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association)
Wireless Ethernet Adapter and In-Office RediROAM System, all of
which were introduced at the Fall Comdex show. At that show Data
Race also introduced RediCELL, a family of cellular phone adapters
which were the subject of the patent fight with Spectrum.

(Dana Blankenhorn/01261994/Press Contact: Dae Chang, Spectrum,
516-627-8992; Data Race, Garrick Colwell, 210-558-1900)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00012)

MCI Links With Banamex Parent In Mexico 01/26/94
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- MCI will build its
network in Mexico as a joint venture with that country's largest
bank, Banamex.

The company signed a deal to base its future networkMCI plans in
the country on a private network now run by the bank's parent
company, Grupo Financiero Banamex-Accival, known as Banacci.
The new venture will compete with TelMex, the former monopoly
now part-owned by Southwestern Bell of the US. TelMex currently
has an exclusive license to provide local and long-distance service
in the country, but the government has said it will open the long-
distance market to competition in 1996, and Banacci hopes to get
one of the licenses this summer.

"In addition to their private network, we'll construct a network
in Mexico and eventually provide total coverage" throughout the
country," MCI spokesman Kevin Inda told Newsbytes. "This joint
venture would use the existing Banamex network and the additional
links we're constructing, which will all become part of our
integrated North American network." Large businesses located in
Mexico, and Inda noted that Banamex does business with all of
them, will have access to "seamless" telecommunications services,
with identical features and functions throughout their North
American and worldwide operations, because of alliances that MCI
has formed with other companies like Stentor in Canada and BT
throughout the eastern hemisphere.

MCI noted that Mexico is one of America's most important trading
partners, ranking second in international telephone calling from
the US, with 13 percent of that market. More than 90 percent of
international calls originating in Mexico go to the United States
or Canada, and Mexico will become an even more important market
as the North American Free Trade Agreement, approved last year,
is phased in.

The joint venture will be 55 percent owned by Banacci and 45
percent owned by MCI. MCI's cash investment will total $450
million, spread over several years. The first $150 million could
be invested as soon as this summer, pending Mexican government
approval.

(Dana Blankenhorn/01261994/Press Contact: MCI, Kevin Inda,
202-887-3000)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00013)

US Telecom Firms Look South For Growth 01/26/94
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- Both BellSouth
and Scientific-Atlanta said they won new deals to expand in
South America.

BellSouth said it won preliminary approval to offer long distance
and international phone service in Chile. Its Cidcom subsidiary
will use a combination of microwave, fiber, and satellites in its
new network, and could offer service by mid-year. Chile is busy
opening up the local market to competition, using a US model.
The government wants to pass laws that would allow multiple
carriers, with callers choosing to dial either an access code for
specific calls or designate a carrier, as they do in the US.
BellSouth already runs a cellular operation in Chile.

Also in Chile, Scientific-Atlanta said its TerraStar-M antenna
was approved by Inmarsat to offer voice and fax services over the
consortium's Inmarsat-M network. Chile's government has already
used the system to transmit results of its December presidential
elections, including reports from Chilean territory in Antartica.

The earth station was announced in September, and began shipping
in December, weighing less than 30 pounds and able to fit under
an airline seat. Inmarsat-M service is currently available
through COMSAT, the US Inmarsat signatory, British
Telecommunications, Telstra Australia and KDD. Other signatories
around the world, such as Norwegian Telecom, France Telecom,
Hong Kong Telecom, Singapore Telecom and PTT Telecom
Netherlands are expected to begin offering the service later this
year.

Signatories charge users equipped with terminals a per-minute
tariff ranging from $3.95 to $5.50 to use the Inmarsat-M network.
The fees vary based on antenna size, the equipment used and other
application-specific parameters. TerraStar-M sells for less than
$25,000.

Elsewhere in South America, the situation is less clear. Columbia
is in the process of giving out cellular concessions, and a
consortium in which BellSouth had an interest led in early
bidding for the eastern concession, which includes the capital of
Bogata. But it was still unclear at press-time who the winner
was. The western concession, which includes the cities of Cali
and Medillin, was won by Cocelco, 51 percent owned by Sarmiento
of Columbia and 41 percent owned by Telefonica de Espana.

Even more potential profits could come north from Peru, where the
government hopes to sell a 20 percent stake in its Lima phone
company, and a 35 percent stake in its EnTel monopoly, later this
quarter.

(Dana Blankenhorn/01261994/Press Contact: Paul McKeon, for
Scientific-Atlanta, 404-698-8650; Kevin Doyle, BellSouth,
404-249-2793)


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

Prodigy Poll On Clinton's State Of Union 01/26/94
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- A survey of
users conducted by Prodigy in the wake of the President's State
of the Union showed that they were not exactly behind him in
his performance.

While up to 75 percent of those polled in other surveys rated the
President's performance as good or excellent, the 5,098 who
responded to Prodigy's questionnaire within the first hour of the
speech did not especially care for it.

The respondents were evenly split on whether his crime control
proposals would work, and on whether the country was headed in
the right direction, and only 43 percent said they would vote for
him again -- most surveys put his approval rating today in the
54-60 percent range.

In a separate poll on crime, with 3,902 responding, 71 percent
favored expansion of the death penalty, but only 18 percent of
women agreed with the sentiment.

Of those who completed the survey, 3,032 were male, 764
female.

The respondents also overwhelmingly cited crime and drugs as
the chief problem facing the country, with the deficit coming in
second, the economy third, and health reform coming in last.
Clinton repeatedly emphasized health reform in his hour-long
address.

(Dana Blankenhorn/01261994/Press Contact: Carol Wallace,
Prodigy, 914-448-2496)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(ATL)(00015)

 ****Privatized Schools Pick Up Steam 01/26/94
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- In his State of the
Union address President Clinton mentioned support for "charter
schools," and drew applause from both sides of the aisle for
the comment.

In a hearing earlier in the day, this concept was expanded upon.
The idea is that local school boards will contract with private
companies to run public schools. Teacher unions hate the concept,
while many Republicans love it.

Under the careful coaching of Pennsylvania Republican Senator
Arlen Spector, a panel of charter school advocates televised by
C-Span expounded on their efforts. John T. Golle, chairman of
publicly-traded Education Alternatives Inc., is the current market
leader, operating 11 schools in Baltimore and negotiating with
the District of Columbia to operate 15 more.

The firm also has proposals out to operate more schools in
Milwaukee, San Diego and the Detroit suburb of Pinckney, Michigan,
and is aiming at the Hawaii market.

He compared himself to Federal Express in its battle with the
Postal Service. "They introduced competition and made it the best
in the world," he said. But critics say FedEx and others simply
cherry-picked the best postal customers, leaving the government
with the less-desirable ones.

Benno C. Schmidt Jr., president of the Edison Project, said
he will follow Golle's strategy instead of building his own
schools, and is talking to officials in six states over the next
few weeks. "It's an idea whose time has come," the former Yale
University president, now working for publisher Chris Whittle,
said. He said Edison plans to open its first 10-30 public schools
in 1995.

But not only have nine states endorsed the charter school concept
through legislation, but now the US Education Department is
starting to cheer. "We should be open to new ways of thinking and
educating that will result in the improvement of teaching and
learning," Thomas Payzant, the Education Department's assistant
secretary for elementary and secondary education, said in another
panel. "If communities want to hire companies to come in and help
their schools, they ought to be able to do so," he added. "But
they must require the private contractors to meet the same
expectations established for public school educators and ensure
that all children have access to the schools private firms
manage."

While Bella Rosenberg of the American Federation of Teachers told
Spector and Sen. Dale Bumpers, an Arkansas Democrat who also
attended the session, that there have been "financial scandals"
with the schools, and there's no "magic bullet," Clinton's
endorsement of the concept in his speech assures more will be
said, and done, on this in the year ahead.

(Dana Blankenhorn/01261994)


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

Zenith Announces Cable LAN Link 01/26/94
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- At the ComNet
trade show, Zenith announced a new modem for linking local
area networks over cable television systems.

The ChannelMizer500 is an extension of HomeWorks, a residential
PC gateway for cable TV introduced last year that supports
delivery of four separate 500,000 bits-per-second sub-networks
on a standard cable TV channel over a span of 100 miles,
spokesman John Taylor told Newsbytes.

The new product allows Ethernet connections at speeds as much
as 1,000 times faster than traditional modems. Because they use
the regular Ethernet interface, they permit universal connectivity
of computers, including Apple Macintosh computers, IBM PCs and
compatibles, graphic workstations, routers, bridges, file servers,
terminal servers or X terminals, to each other over cable networks.

A demonstration of the technology was held in a distance learning
trial in Carrollton, Georgia early this month sponsored by Tele-
Communications Inc.

In addition to distance learning applications, Taylor said, the
modems could also be used for many business uses. Most cable
networks are now installing fiber backbones which pass by major
office buildings, and selling phone services to businesses along
the networks. The fiber backbones also have the effect of
shortening the lengths of coaxial cable required to serve
neighborhoods, and thus of increasing the capacity of those coax
cables to handle TV signals, since coax must be amplified as it
passes homes while fiber does not.

(Dana Blankenhorn/01261994/Press Contact: John Taylor,
Zenith, 708-391-8181)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00017)

Mac Program Serves Comic Book Collectors 01/26/94
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- ComicBase
is what is called the first interactive comic book encyclopedia
and collection management system for Macintosh personal
computers

ComicBase, priced at $149, is designed to manage collections
for the estimated two million collectors in the US and many more
overseas. The program offers full color illustrations, descriptions,
and notes on nearly 300 titles, and the thousands of issues
those titles represent. Genres include romance, war comics,
super-heroes, as well as sword-and-sorcery.

With the click of a mouse, its creators claim, users can find
origin issues, first appearances, major character changes, story
lines, and other special events during a title's history.

ComicBase is also a  tool for managing collections. It offers
current market values, catalogs collections, totals their
current value, and provides checklists of issues needed to
complete it.

"The idea for ComicBase grew out of the need to better manage
my own collection," says developer Pete Bickford, a computer
engineer and interface designer who owns over 8,000 comics.
"Generic database software wasn't up to the task; there was
simply too much I wanted my collection management system
to do. And existing software for comic book collecting wasn't
much better than using a pencil and paper."

For more information, contact Pete Bickford at [phone]
at Human Computing.

(Wendy Woods/19940126)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00018)

Crystal Walls Virtual Artwork For Windows 01/26/94
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- In the
category of unusual products, Domain Virtual Worlds Inc., has
announced Crystal Walls 1.0, a software product that creates a
virtual world behind your monitor screen and lets you interact
with the animated characters.

The company says the "high quality" artwork that allows the user
to see and interact with the 18 "worlds" is the work of eight
programmers and more than a dozen artists. The characters
continue their interactions while the user is performing other
operations, and react to input from the computer user.

The Domain Virtual Worlds productions available include:
Serengeti Savannah; Bert the Windows Washer; Superheroes:
Nightmask and Twilite; Gargoyles; Saturn Above Titan's Sky;
Earthrise; Utah: Brunch at Courthouse Wash; and Cowboy Bar:
The Highline.

The company says Crystal Walls 1.0 will be available on
February 17, 1994, at the introductory price of $49.95. The
regular price is $69.95.

System requirements include any Windows 3.1-compatible PC
powered by a 25 megahertz 80386 chip or better; four megabytes
(MB) of system memory; and at least a 16-color VGA (Video
Graphics Array) monitor.

The company claims that if you have a 256 color Super VGA
monitor Crystal Walls "will knock your socks off with lush
textures and photorealistic details." Users of multimedia PCs
also get the advantage of sound effects, however, you do not
need a CD-ROM drive to run Crystal Walls.

(Jim Mallory/19940126/Press Contact: Joseph King, Domain
Virtual Worlds Inc., 206-328-7200; Reader Contact:
Domain Virtual Worlds Inc., 206-328-7200 or 800-896-7537)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00019)

Claris Intros ClarisImpact Business Graphics For Mac 01/26/94
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 26 (NB) --
Claris Corp., has announced the release of ClarisImpact, a
business graphics application program for Apple Computer's
Macintosh platform.

The company says ClarisImpact automates the production of
business graphics with built-in artwork and seamless
integration with word processing. The program features
seven automatic chart types, called Models: outlines, tables,
data charts, organization charts, flow charts and network
diagrams, timelines, and calendars.

Claris spokesperson Greg Cornelison told Newsbytes that
ClarisImpact integrates the user's business graphics needs
with word processing text in either of two ways. Claris
recommends you create the entire document in ClarisImpact,
since it also has a word processing module that is very similar
to that found in Clarisworks. If you prefer to create your text
in your favorite word processor, you can import that document
into the ClarisImpact document.

You can also import the ClarisImpact graphic image into your
word processing program, although some of the benefits are
lost. For example, you are not able to change the images
while working in your word processing application.

ClarisImpact works with drawings, reports, and presentations.
Information such as sizing, connections, style attributes, and
data source is maintained regardless of the type document the
user is working in. The graphics can be edited by clicking on
the graphic wherever it is.

The program includes seven professionally designed style
families for non-artist and novices. Over 3,000 pieces of
editable, object-based clip art are included in customizable
drag-and-drop libraries and can be placed anywhere in the
report presentation or report.

Claris says ClarisDraw for the Macintosh, the successor to
MacDraw II and MacDraw Pro, is scheduled to ship before
June. A Windows version of ClarisImpact and ClarisDraw is
scheduled to be released before the end of the year.

ClarisImpact has a suggested retail price of $399. Registered
owners of MacDraw Pro can purchase ClarisImpact for the Mac
for $99. If you bought your MacDraw Pro after June 1, 1993, you
can get the program for $49. Registered owners of MacDraw II,
Clarisworks, or comparable competitive graphics applications
can buy ClarisImpact for $149.

System requirements include a Mac Plus, Centris, Classic,
LC, SE, Performa, Powerbook, or Quadra system, with a hard
drive and at least two megabytes (MB) of memory, if you are
running System 6.0.7 operating system or later. You need
4MB of memory for Mac's running any version of the System
7 operating system.

(Jim Mallory/19940126/Press Contact: Greg Cornelison,
Claris Corp., 408-987-7542; Reader Contact: Claris Corp.,
tel [phone] or 800-544-8554, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00020)

Storagetek Loses $77 Million In '93, Dismisses Lawsuit 01/26/94
LOUISVILLE, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- Storage
Technology Corp., reported a net loss of $77.8 million for 1993,
characterized a multi-billion dollar lawsuit as "frivolous," and
expressed optimism about its much delayed Iceberg data storage
system.

The company says nearly all the 1993 loss - $74.8 million -
was due to restructuring and other charges. Storagetek
reported a net income of $9.3 million for 1992. Revenue for
1993 was $1.4 billion compared to $1.55 billion in 1992.
Revenue for the fourth quarter of 1993 was $400.2 million,
down from $421.3 million for the same period in 1992.

Storagetek spokesperson Judith Hargrave told Newsbytes
the $2.4 billion lawsuit filed by a group of former investors is
"frivolous." Hargrave said the group, Stuff Technology II, was
formerly known as Storage Technology Partners II (STP II).

She said STP II and Storagetek had signed an agreement in
the 1980's to develop optical disk drives. Hargrave said the
partnership raised about $40 million, with the funds to be
paid out to Storagetek as the technology was developed. As
part of the agreement, Storagetek received the right to use
any technology developed in non-optical drive products. The
optical disk project was canceled before any product was
developed.

Storagetek spokesperson David Reid said STP II had signed
a release when an earlier suit was settled agreeing to never
make any additional claims against Storagetek.

Hargrave said Storagetek President Ryal Poppa is optimistic
about the future of the company. She told Newsbytes four of
the long-awaited Iceberg units are now in the field. One unit
is in customer evaluation and three are in beta testing, and
production is expected to ramp up in the near future.

Hargrave said some additional Iceberg units are scheduled
to ship in the next few weeks. Storagetek says it plans to add
about 1,000 additional sales and support personnel in the
near future due to availability of Iceberg, the Nordique disk
storage system, and some yet-unannounced products. "The
emphasis right now is on selling," said Hargrave.

(Jim Mallory/19940126/Press Contact: Judith Hargrave,
Storage Technology, 303-673-5559)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00021)

Computer Translation Service Debuts In Spain 01/26/94
MADRID, SPAIN, 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- Hilo Traductor and Telefonica
Servicios Avanzados de Informacion (TSAI), two Spanish technology
and telecommunications companies, have announced the launch of
what they claim is, the first large-scale computer-assisted
translation service.

Tests of the service, which are being carried out in conjunction
with Globalink, the Fairfax, Virginia-based computer company,
allows users to dial using suitable communications software and
upload their text files in one language, and receive them back in
another.

Like the previous small-scale tests carried out by the European
Space Agency over the European packet data networks (PDNs) in the
late 1980s, the resultant translated text is not word perfect and
does require final "vetting" by human translators.

According to Globalink, which is providing much of the hardware for
the project, the service is available to anyone with a telephone on
the Spanish telephone network.

"Based on the growing need for foreign language translation, we are
meeting the challenge by assisting customers around the world
communicate with each other," explained Dominic Laiti, Globalink's
president.

"To our knowledge, this service will be the world's first large-
scale computer-assisted translation service and introduces a model
that could be used in other countries. The service will be available
to virtually every company and individual in Spain via the Spanish
telephone system," he added.

So how will the system work? According to TSAI, the Spanish
telecoms company, computer/modem users will dial up their
nearest access point to TSAI's electronic mail service and upload
a file in one language.

Hilo Traductor will access its mailbox regularly and download the
files, processing them on its system, before uploading the output
file back to TSAI's electronic mail service. For urgent translation
tasks, customers will be able to dial direct into Hilo Traductor's
computer or else use a standard fax service.

Initially, the translation service will be based on English to, and
from, French, Germany, Russian, and Spanish. Plans call for the
service to be extended to allow translation to, and from, French
and Spanish, as well as to, and from, French and German this
summer.

Although the service is aimed at general business translations,
Newsbytes understands that special subjects such as computers,
insurance, legal, medical and mining areas will also be catered for.

Exact pricing on translation services is dependent on the amount of
text required to be translated, as well as the languages the text is
being translated to/from.

(Sylvia Dennis & Steve Gold/19940126/Press & Public Contact:
William Gregory, Globalink (US), 703-273-5600; TSAI,
34-1-358-0241)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00022)

Greek NATO Computer Center Hit By Fire 01/26/94
ATHENS, GREECE, 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- The North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) has revealed a major fire occurred at its Athens
computer center earlier this month, although communications at the
center were unaffected, backup systems cut in automatically.

According to a communique from Admiral Christos Limberis, the
chairman of Greece's joint chiefs of staff and the head of the
country's NATO operations, the fire injured three members of staff,
but communications at the center were unaffected.

The communique from the Greek defense ministry said that the fire
was started by a short circuit in the main electronics room, causing
a number of electronic devices to start burning. Although only three
members of staff were injured, a further 30 staffers attended the
naval hospital for checkups and treatment relating to smoke
inhalation.

Although full details of the fire are scarce, apparently due to the
military classification of the site, Newsbytes understands that the
fires were put out by the staff.

(Sylvia Dennis/19940126)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00023)

Germany Opts For BT Videoconferencing Technology 01/26/94
BONN, GERMANY, 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- One of the biggest problems
facing videoconferencing systems is the wide number of standards
in operation around the world.

And, although integrated services digital network (ISDN) technology
has meant that research into standardization of videoconferencing
is now under way, existing services are technology incompatible
with each other, are causing headaches for customers. Now,
Deutsches Bundespost Telekom (DBT) is taking steps to resolve the
problem, by the simple expedient of marketing the British
Telecommunication VC5000 and 7000 series of videoconferencing
systems in Germany.

The deal is quite significant for BT, Newsbytes notes, as DBT has a
virtual monopoly on selling high-end telecoms hardware in Germany.
This means that DBT can ensure that the BT "VC" videoconferencing
system -- already a de facto standard in the UK -- will achieve a
similar success in Germany.

BT's VC5000 and 7000 series of videoconferencing systems are based
on PCs equipped with video cards and cameras. The British telecoms
giant claims that its technology, though still into five figures in
cost terms, is substantially more cost effective than that of the
competition.

(Sylvia Dennis & Steve Gold/19940126/Press & Public Contact:
BT, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00024)

Olivetti Reports Good Preliminary 1993 Figures 01/26/94
MILAN, FRANCE, 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- Olivetti's managing director,
Corrado Passera has revealed that the company has boosted sales
by an average of 7.15 percent over the year.

In an interview recently in Le Figaro, the French daily newspaper,
Passera said that turnover rose 5.4 percent in the first six months
of 1993, rising to 8.9 percent in the latter half of the year.

Passera said that, primarily as a result of increasing expenditure
on marketing of Olivetti's products throughout 1993, the company
had boosted its share of the European PC marketplace from 5.4
percent in 1992 to more than six percent in 1993.

The news comes in the wake of Olivetti's preliminary agreement
with the Italian trade unions over proposed job cuts. These cuts,
Olivetti has stated several times over the past few months, are
necessary if the company is to pull substantially back into
profitability over the coming years.

Full details of Olivetti's results are expected to be announced in
late February, Newsbytes understands.

(Sylvia Dennis/19940126/Press & Public Contact: Olivetti,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00025)

Interface Group Takes Over Canadian Show 01/26/94
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1994 JAN 26 (NB) --
Computer-show giant, The Interface Group, of Needham,
Massachusetts, has bought the Pacific Rim Computer &
Communications Show from Southam Show Group of Toronto. The
annual Vancouver show will be merged with Comdex/Canada West,
an annual show that Interface announced last November, but now
will never hold as a separate event, to form Comdex/PacRim.

The Comdex/Canada West dates originally announced for September,
1994, are being dropped, said Interface spokeswoman Cheryl
Delgreco. Comdex/PacRim will be held in the Pacific Rim show's
traditional time slot in January. The first merged show is slated
for January 18-20 at the Vancouver Trade & Convention Center.

The Interface Group expects the show to serve both Western Canada
and the Pacific Northwest of the United States. It will also
attract visitors from other countries, organizers said, and may
interest exhibitors eyeing the broader Pacific Rim market that
includes Japan and other Far Eastern countries, according to
Delgreco.

IBM, Digital Equipment Corp., Lotus Development Corp., and
WordPerfect Corp., have already signed on as exhibitors,
organizers said. The Interface Group expects more than 200
exhibitors and about 16,000 visitors to the show.

Officials of Southam Show Group, a unit of the publishing company
Southam Inc., said they have decided to focus on resource, gift,
and consumer shows.

Last fall, Interface announced plans for regional Comdex shows in
Vancouver and Montreal in addition to its Comdex/Canada show,
which was held for the first time in Toronto last June. The
company also said Comdex/Canada will be substantially larger in
1994. The Canadian Computer Show, for many years the major
national computer show, attracted fewer exhibitors and visitors
in 1993 than in previous years.

(Grant Buckler/19940126/Press Contact: Cheryl Delgreco, The
Interface Group, 617-449-6600)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00026)

Symantec Extends Tech Support, Intros Mac Utilities 01/26/94
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- Hoping to
increase technical support response times, Symantec Corp., has
announced a new program of support services for US-based
customers. At the same time the company has also introduced
two Macintosh utilities.

With a growing customer base, a need for faster response times and
more custom responses, Symantec Support Solutions provides a
three-tier program offering StandardCare, PriorityCare, and
PremiumCare, said the company.

Speaking to Newsbytes, Symantec's Heather Hedin, said, "When we
consolidated our technical support groups, we began to develop a
consistent support policy for all of our products and decided to
move out of the 'one size fits all' service." It is Symantec's hope
that the new service will reduce complaints that many software
and hardware companies are experiencing.

StandardCare offers all users unlimited access to technical
product information, sample files, toll-free fax and electronic
messaging through on-line services and its own bulletin board
system (BBS). Limited telephone support for 90 days from the
time of the first call is provided to all customers regarding
installation and use of all Symantec software products.

PriorityCare offers telephone support for questions not covered
by StandardCare and is billed as a flat-rate of $25 using a toll-
free number (credit card only) or a $2 per minute rate using a
900 number between the hours of 6 am to 5 pm Pacific Standard
Time, Monday through Friday.

This may cause concern for some users who expect to have a free,
person-to-person contact whenever they have a problem.
Symantec says that it promises to watch closely to determine
the extent of any problems.

PremiumCare offers a Gold and a Platinum level of support for
small business and corporate use. For a set fee ($149 to $1,500
annually), the Gold level provides a licensed user with unlimited
calls, an 800 number, extended hours, and quarterly updates. For
desktop product users an introductory rate of $99 is available
until April 1, 1994.  The Platinum level, offering immediate phone
response from senior staff, manuals, and automatic software
revision updates, is designed for MIS (management information
systems) departments, developers, and help desks. The annual
subscription rate is $5,000 for two subscriber contracts.

Symantec has also announced two companion, Macintosh
utilities designed to facilitate software installation from a single
 administrator station. Installer Pro 1.0, a network distribution
utility, is designed to provide network administrators with an
automatic means of distributing software that uses Apple's
Installer Script Technology.

The program features open scheduling for software installation,
password protection, real-time status, and supports self-contained
remote status and server-based installations. Symantec provides
the network administrator with a tool to install a custom
installation package for updating system software from one
location to all remote locations.

The companion product, NetDistributor Pro, is designed for updating
applications, fonts and desk accessories, system extensions, control
panels and documents. NetDistributor Pro features auto-installing
packages for remote distribution, background operation and
distribution history.

Both programs require Macintosh Plus or higher, System 6.0.5 or
higher on the client Macintosh and System 7.0 of higher and four
megabytes (MB) of RAM on the administrator workstation.

Installer Pro requires an AppleTalk-compatible network and
supports Apple Installer Script 3.2 or greater. The price for
Installer Pro is $235 for 10 nodes to $2,100 for 100 nodes.
Registered users may purchase NetDistributor Pro for $141 for
10 nodes and $1,260 for 100 nodes.

(Patrick McKenna/19940125/Press Contact: Rebecca Fuller,
Wilson McHenry Company, 415-592-7600)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00027)

Wireless Newton Lease From Apple & MobileComm 01/26/94
PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- Furthering
a future outlined by David Nagel at Macworld, Apple Computer Inc.,
in collaboration with MobileComm of Jackson, Mississippi, is now
offering the Newton MessagePad, the Newton Messaging Card, and
the Apple Wireless Messaging Service in a lease package to be
delivered by MobileComm.

Apple states that it has "committed itself to a future" that includes
mobile communications and realizes the need to provide greater
services to Newton customers.

With the ability to receive alpha-numeric paging, a user receives
information from the office if it is equipped with the software or
through an 800 number provided by MobileComm.

This may be an opportunity for many people who are curious about
the Newton MessagePad, but find that the price is too high, to get
into the market. A small pager can run as much as $100 and have a
monthly fee of $10. MobileComm is offering the package and the
service for $49.95 per month on a 24 month lease agreement, after
which the hardware may be purchased for $89 and a monthly
paging fee to continue the services.

Speaking with Newsbytes, Tom Hinds, director of operations for
MobileComm, said, "We think that the pricing structure that we
offer will be very attractive to individual users, such as students
and people whose small business keeps them mobile. We clearly
see a corporate use that is extensive, but we hope to develop a
large market of new users."

In addition to the paging service, MobileComm is also offering a
news-drop feature of four different items released four times a
day.

(Patrick McKenna/19940126/Press Contacts: Jean Coppenbarger,
MobileComm, 601-977-0888 or Jennie Shikasio, Regis McKenna,
408-974-4104)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00028)

Sun's Intros "Customer Mgt Solutions," XTL Teleservices 01/26/94
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- Sun
Microsystems has introduced Customer Management Solutions, a
program that the company says is designed to provide organizations
with state-of-the-art open-systems customer management/
customer service "solutions" that incorporate hardware and
software from Sun.

The new program entails partnerships with several dozen leading
third-party software, telecommunications, system integration, and
reseller vendors, officials said in announcing Customer Management
Solutions.

Key components of the program include a dedicated delivery channel
for these kinds of solutions, along with SunSoft's newly unveiled
XTL Teleservices for Solaris, a set of features and application
programming interfaces (APIs) for the creation of telephony-based
applications and telecommunications hardware. XTL Teleservices
will be integrated into the next release of Solaris, due out later
this year.

Customer Management Solutions will leverage Sun's expertise in open
client-server computing, as well as the company's relationships
with vendors like Andersen Consulting, AT&T Network Systems, MCI,
Newbridge Microsystems, and SynOptics Communications, officials
added.

Sun has also joined with Access Graphics Inc., one of its major
distribution partners, to develop an accreditation program for
resellers. The accreditation program will train resellers in the
delivery of integrated computer-telephony "solutions."

The customer management/customer service systems to be delivered
through the program will be built on Sun's Sparc workstations and
servers, and will also make use of networking technologies from
Sun, including integrated services digital network (ISDN),
asynchronous transport mode (ATM), X.25, and Ethernet, according to
the company. SunConnect will contribute its product base and
networking expertise to Customer Management Solutions.

XTL Teleservices for Solaris, another program component, is aimed
at providing an open platform for services such as call centers,
video-on-demand, as well as integrated voice, mail, fax, and
electronic mail.

Sun has submitted the APIs for XTL Teleservices to emerging
telephony standards groups. XTL Teleservices has also received
endorsements from third-party product and service providers in a
range of computer-telephony integration (CTI) markets, including
Dialogic Corp., Newbridge Microsystems, Genesys Inc., Natural
Microsystems, and Linkon.

XTL Teleservices is targeted at customer service, order processing,
sales, telemarketing, and other business applications for all
industries, especially finance, manufacturing, telecommunications,
and healthcare.

Officials reported that Teleservices provides a layered
architecture with well-defined interfaces at both the software and
hardware levels, allowing third-party vendors to develop telephony-
based applications and telecommunications hardware that can later
be combined seamlessly in varied business environments.

Other key capabilities of Teleservices include: integrated access
to customer management resources; support for diverse hardware
and software platforms; quick customization of applications to new
business needs; and easy integration of networking technologies and
future object environments, including SunSoft's Project DOE
(Distributed Objects Everywhere).

Sun is demonstrating Customer Management Solutions applications
and XTL Teleservices at ComNet in Washington, DC this week. Also
at the show, SunSoft is distributing early developer kits for XTL
Teleservices to its strategic partners.

Customer Management Solutions from Sun are now available through
Sun's direct sales force and participating channel partners. In one
application, Fingerhut Companies Inc., a large mail-order operation,
has deployed Sun solutions for inbound telemarketing, customer
service, and credit authorization.

Fingerhut's telephone order-takers are able to click on images of
products that show color and style, and can also access extensive
data about customers and their buying histories. This system is
increasing efficiency, reducing training time, and improving
customer satisfaction, officials said.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940126/Press Contacts: Laura Ramsey,
SunSoft Inc., 719-528-3627; Claudia Carasso, Hi-Tech
Communications for Sun, 415-904-7000)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00029)

Sun Intros SunPro Workshop, Additional Dev't Tools 01/26/94
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- SunPro,
the software development business of Sun Microsystems, has
released SunPro Workshop, an integrated product suite for Unix
software development in the Solaris 2 operating environment
that is available in configurations C, C++, and Fortran.

SunPro has also announced three products -- SparcWorks 3.0, the
SparcWorks/Impact Ada 1.0 multithreaded development tool, and
SparcCompiler C++ 4.0 -- which can all be purchased either
separately or as part of SunPro Workshop.

All three configurations of SunPro Workshop include SparcWorks 3.0,
SparcWorks Impact, and SparcWorks TeamWare code management
tools, and SparcCompiler C, to ease cross-language development and
migration between C and other programming languages, officials
said.

In addition, SunPro Workshop for C++ includes the new native
version of SparcCompiler C++, and SunPro Workshop for Fortran
includes the latest release of SparcCompiler Fortan.

All SunPro Workshop products also support integration of other
tools through ToolTalk, the Common Open Software Environment
(COSE) standard for intertool communication.

The company said that SparcWorks is an integrated toolset that
supports rapid browsing of source code; display of source code
call-trees and C++ class hierarchies; navigation of C++ class
definitions; and visual comparison and merging of text files.

Other capabilities of SparcWorks include code debugging; graphical
analysis of runtime performance statistics; project building,
graphical analysis of runtime performance statistics; and
automatic reorganization of object code to reduce runtime paging.

New features in SparcWorks 3.0 include runtime error checking, as
well as three features aimed at speeding debugging. A new Debugger
Command Language allows Korn shell-compatible command scripts
to be executed within the debugger. A new Visual Data Inspector
graphically displays data structures.

New intelligent watchpoints are able to detect when variables or
data structures are modified during program execution. Also new in
SparcWorks 3.0 is the ability to fix and continually accelerate the
edit/compile/debug cycle by allowing on-the-fly changes to source
code and image execution.

The new multithreaded development tool in SunPro Workshop,
SparcWorks/Impact Ada 1.0, is designed to extend SunSoft's
Professional Ada development environment by linking Ada's
multitasking runtime model directly to the multithreaded system
software provided by the Solaris 2 operating environment.

The new SparcCompiler C++ 4.0 is based on native language
processing technology and implements the latest ANSI draft
definition, including C++ templates and exceptions, according to
the company. The new C++ compiler also includes the Tools.h++
reusable class library to improve developer productivity and
speed C++ application development.

SunPro Workshops for C, C++, and Fortran are available now for the
Solaris 2.2 (or later) operating environment. SunPro Workshop for
C is priced at $2,195. SunPro Workshop for C++ and SunPro Workshop
for Fortran are priced, respectively, at $2,995 and $3,195.

SparcWorks/Impact Ada 1.0 is separately available at prices
starting at $2,995, and as part of SparcWorks Professional 2.1
for prices starting at $9,995.

SparcCompiler C++ 4.0 is separately available for $995. SparcWorks
3.0 is available in a variety of configurations. SparcWorks
Professional C, which co-packages SparcWorks with SparcCompiler
C, is priced at $1,195.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940126/Press Contacts: Pattie Walters Barco,
SunPro, 415-688-9863; Emily Cohen, Hi-Tech Communications for
SunPro, 415-904-7000)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(WAS)(00030)

North Carolina Stakes Place On Information Highway 01/26/94
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 26 (NB) -- Governor Jim Hunt of
North Carolina has announced the location of the first 106 sites
for the North Carolina Information Highway, a joint public-
private funded telecommunications system being built in the
southern US state. A briefing on the project was also held at
ComNet '94 in Washington.

Beginning in August of this year, the 106 N.C. Information
Highway sites will be in service providing "state-of-the-art"
telecommunications for public safety (police), medical,
educational, and economic development. A further 80 sites are
expected to be on-line by January of 1995.

The new project is the result of a partnership between the
North Carolina State government and Southern Bell, GTE, and
Sprint/Carolina Telephone. The State's share of funding for the
project is initially $4.1 million.

The new network, the first of its kind in the world, will make
use of ATM or asynchronous transfer mode technology, fiber optic
cables, and SONET (synchronous optical network).

Selected sites must provide certain telecommunications
connection and computer equipment in order to qualify as nodes
on the new information highway.

(John McCormick/19940126)