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/nb020994

Text File | 1994-02-09 | 65.3 KB | 1,478 lines

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00001)

CrystalGraphics Enhances 3-D Software For Macs/PCs 02/09/94
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 9 (NB) --
CrystalGraphics has unveiled three new editions of its Topas
three-dimensional (3-D) graphics and animation software for
Macs and PCs.

Topas 5.0 and Topas Professional (Pro) 5.0 -- two DOS-based
packages with Windows-like interfaces -- and Topas for the Mac
1.5 are each bundled with Crystal Gems, a new CD-ROM (compact
disc - read only memory) containing background pictures,
texture and reflection maps, and models.

Topas for the Mac 1.5, a package providing "broadcast quality"
output, is scheduled for release the first week of March, at the
newly reduced price of $1,995.

Debbie Derana, director of customer relations, told Newsbytes
that a special native-mode PowerPC version of Topas will be
shipped free of charge to version 1.5 users as soon as PowerPC
computers become available from Apple.

The two products for IBM-compatible PCs are shipping now. Topas
5.0, an upgrade of CrystalGraphics' Desktop Animator, is priced at
$995, and Topas Pro 5.0 at $2,495.

The desktop-oriented Topas 5.0 offers most of the same features
as Topas Pro 5.0, with the exception of the broadcast quality
output and distributed rendering in Topas Pro, a spokesperson
said. The distributed rendering capability is new in Topas Pro
Version 5.0.

Topas 5.0 and Topas Pro 5.0 are each equipped with new set of
scripting tools called Object Script, new area lights that can be
set to affect only part of a scene, and new tools for aligning 3-D
models with photos and video, and for creating refraction effects.

Topas for the Mac 1.5 is billed as 100 percent faster than its
predecessor in rendering high-quality images on 68040-based Macs.
In addition, image quality has been greatly enhanced, especially
for shadows, officials said.

The new edition for Macintosh also adds QuickTime compatibility,
the ability to read and write JPEG (Joint Photographics Experts
Group) compressed files in standard JFIF (JPEG File Interchange)
format, new controls in the TimeGraph editor for enhanced
management of object acceleration, and support for Type 1
PostScript fonts.

In Version 1.5, CrystalGraphics has also removed the hardware
block, a mechanism included with previous editions to protect
against unauthorized use of the software.

On the PC side, Topas 5.0 is also without a hardware block, but
Topas Pro 5.0 retains the mechanism. "At $2,495, Topas Pro is
still in a price range where we believe a hardware block is
needed," Derana told Newsbytes. The block for Topas Pro plugs into
the PC parallel port. The block in previous editions of the
Macintosh software was inserted into the Apple Desktop Bus (ADB)
port on the Mac.

The new tool for aligning 3-D models with photos and video,
offered in both PC packages, is known as Match Perspective. The
tool lets the user carry out such tasks as placing a proposed
building in a city scene, or adding an animated robot to a movie.

The new refraction mapping tool, also provided in both Topas and
Topas Pro, is aimed at easy simulation of objects like glasses and
lenses. The user ray-traces light paths through the specified
transparent object to an environment map composed to surrounding
objects.

The new area lights in the two DOS-based packages are intended to
speed up rendering for scenes containing multiple lights, such as
rooms with chandeliers or footlights.

Topas Pro's new distributed rendering capability allows
rendering jobs to be spread across a client-server or peer-to-peer
network, according to the company.

For a limited time, Topas Pro 5.0 will also be bundled with
SoftVTR, a package for frame-by-frame VTR (video tape recorder)
control that is separately priced at $999.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940208/Reader Contact: CrystalGraphics,
800-394-0700; Press Contact: Kristine Smalley, Technology
Solutions for CrystalGraphics, 415-617-4518)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LON)(00002)

Novell Ships Netware NFS & Netware Flex/IP 2C 02/09/94
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- Novell has
announced that the Netware NFS, Netware NFS Starter Kit, and
Netware Flex/IP version 2c have all started shipping in the UK.
Newsbytes understands that the packages have also begun shipping
in the US and throughout Europe.

According to Novell UK, the packages are upgrades to existing
products and aim to provide Netware 4.01 compatibility.

The company claims that Netware NFS (Network File System)
software transparently integrates Unix systems with Netware 3.11
or higher file systems and resources. In use, Novell says its gives
Unix users access to the Netware environment from their native
operating system.

In use, the software allows Unix users to use Netware NFS to share
files, Netware printers, Unix printers and other network resources
with Netware clients running under DOS, Apple Mac "System", and
OS/2 machines, in a "fully integrated and seamless manner."

Netware Flex/IP, meanwhile, is a set of Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) utilities that are claimed to
provide a cost-effective alternative to Netware NFS with a
bi-directional print gateway and supporting file transfers between
Unix and the Netware environment. In addition to this, the package
provides remote management capabilities from an X-Windows
system for those users who do not need transparent file sharing.

(Steve Gold/19940208/Press & Public Contact: Novell UK,
44-344-724000)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SFO)(00003)

Compuserve Adds To Services 02/09/94
COLUMBUS, OHIO, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- Continuing to increase
its basic service offerings, Compuserve has announced the addition
of Pamela Lanier's Bed and Breakfast Guide Online.

The new service is based on the best-selling, Complete Guide to
Bed and Breakfasts, Inns, and Guesthouses in the United States
and Canada. With 1.9 million copies sold, the book is currently in
the eleventh edition. It is published by Lanier Publishing and
distributed by Ten Speed Press.

The service offers categories by geographic location, name, or
special interest such as gardens, antiquing, decor, and fishing
for more than 9,000 inns in North America. On-line users
may take advantage of special discounts and complimentary
services offered by various listed inns.

For more extensive information and communication, Compuserve
has developed the Bed and Breakfast service into a forum as part
of their extended services area. The forum offers B&B travelers
a place to communicate with one another and with Lanier
Publishing regarding tips, special interests, experiences, finds,
recipes, and expenses.

Pamela Lanier, author/publisher, told Newsbytes, "It has been
my dream to develop an on-line service and I am so glad to be on
Compuserve. Responses are already coming back to us from inns.
One of the most interesting parts of the forum is the Innkeeping
Dream, where users can learn about the reality of the dream
that so many have of owning their own B&B."

The Bed and Breakfasts Guide is currently developing and
gathering information for an international section. The
commands are "GO: B&B" or GO:INNFORUM (CIS: 72662,1223).

Additionally, Compuserve announced the availability of 14,400
bits-per-second (bps) access in 37 additional cities and plans to
have a total of 60 cities by the end of March.

Speaking to Newsbytes, David Kishler, spokesman for the
company, said, "We are performing internal testing at 28,800
bps for future expansion. We are constantly trying to stay
a step-ahead with the latest technology."

(Patrick McKenna/19940208/Press Contact: Debra Young,
Compuserve Inc., tel [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00004)

DEC Gives To New England Schools 02/09/94
MAYNARD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- Digital
Equipment Corp., has named 23 schools that will receive grants
from DEC's New England-wide, K-12 Education Grant Program.

DEC said it will give a total of $75,000 in cash and equipment to
the schools, in 18 towns and cities throughout Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, and Maine. Individual grants range from $100 to
$5,000.

Digital said the program is meant to promote academic excellence
and increase the "core competencies" of students. The grants will
support a variety of academic activities, including teacher
training, curriculum development, and creation of resource
centers and classroom materials.

Examples of programs include: "Science All Around Us," a
partnership between a school and the Boston Museum of Science
that helps teachers integrate science into all school subjects;
"The Family History Book and Immigration Unit," a curriculum that
uses history, geography, map making, literature, and writing; and
"Books Are Great for Sharing," a program designed to encourage
parents and children to read together.

(Grant Buckler/19940209/Press Contact: Digital, 508-493-5111,
fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(BOS)(00005)

Lotus & SkyTel Release Notes Gateway For Paging 02/09/94
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- Lotus and
SkyTel have released the Lotus Notes Pager Gateway for the SkyTel
System, a wireless messaging product that lets on-the-go users
receive electronic-mail as well as information updates from Notes
applications based on criteria they set for themselves.

In an interview with Newsbytes, Tim Dempsey, director of new
technology marketing for Lotus, said that Notes users can easily
create macro agents that will work for them to filter information
from mail and other Notes documents. The agents will then forward
the designated data over the gateway for transmission to SkyWord
pagers and portable PCs equipped with PCMCIA (Personal Computer
Memory Card International Association) paging cards.

"The agent implements a process on your behalf. The way the
process is implemented is through the macro," Dempsey explained.
Accessible through all Notes client editions, including Windows,
Macintosh, Unix and OS/2, the Notes gateway runs on an OS/2 server.
When electronic-mail or other information from Notes arrives, the
SkyWord alphanumeric pager alerts the mobile user by vibrating or
beeping -- the same way it would respond to any other message.

Dempsey told Newsbytes that he has personally written a macro agent
that sends him a daily report on all software-related articles that
appear in a major business publication. He can then access the
stories of interest in full text, or have these documents "read" to
him over the phone through Phone Notes, a technology now under
development by Lotus that will enable text-to-speech and other
applications based on Interactive Voice Response (IVR).

Alternatively, a gateway user might stipulate that electronic-mail
be forwarded to the pager only from certain individuals. Similarly,
the agent could be told to send text document information only from
sales reports in Notes, and only when the information pertains to
changes in sales figures for a specified sales region -- New
England or the Midwest, for example -- or for specified accounts.

The macro agent can select information based on any database field
in a Notes document, the marketing director said. Users can
have information transmitted to themselves, or to other Notes
users. "So the applications are open-ended, limited solely by the
imagination of the macro writer."

The recipient of a message sent through the gateway gets a header
containing descriptive data such as subject, date, time and sender,
along with up to 240 characters of text per electronic-mail message
or information update. Users can also obtain services from SkyTel
that will append multiple 240-character messages to create longer
documents, according to Dempsey.

Lotus cc:Mail users with access to Notes can take advantage of the
pager gateway by using the Mail Exchange Facility to send messages
to the SkyTel system.

"With the Notes Pager Gateway, we want to extend the range of
people and places that can be supported by Notes. We'd also like
to encourage people to think more liberally about the nature of the
workgroup," Dempsey maintained. The pager gateway is one of many
new methods being implemented by Lotus to connect users to
information, he pointed out.

In the wireless arena, Lotus and RAM Mobile Data are already
providing two-way message transmission over the RAM network.
In addition, Lotus is now collaborating with McCaw Cellular
Communications to develop two-way messaging applications based
on McCaw's Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) technology, he noted.
CDPD converts unused cellular radio channels into packet networks
running data at 19,200 bits-per-second (bps).

"We've also been very active in supporting the HP LX, and we'll be
announcing support for other small-form devices in the future,"
Newsbytes was told. Meanwhile, he added, Lotus is working on its
applications as well, for compatibility with a wider range of
communications protocols, better operability over standard phone
lines, and improved ability to deal with the power consumption
characteristics and smaller disk space of small-form machines.

The Lotus Notes Pager Gateway for SkyTel is available immediately
through Lotus Business Partners and direct sales channels for a
suggested retail price of $995. A dedicated 2400 bps modem and
phone line are required to run the gateway. Notes users can access
the SkyTel system in the US via an 800 number. SkyTel subscribers
can auto-forward pages to any country outside the US where SkyTel
offers coverage.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940209/Reader Contacts: Lotus, 800-346-1305;
SkyTel, 800-456-3333; Press Contacts: Meryl Franzman or Diane
Horak, McGlinchey & Paul for Lotus, 617-862-4514; Ken Yamada or
Dana Kindel, Burson-Marsteller for SkyTel, 415-764-1369 or
212-614-4575)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00006)

Paralon Intros Serial Comms Security Device 02/09/94
BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- Paralon
Technologies has introduced Pathkey, a security device that provides
serial data communications and dialup network connection security
and encryption.

Pathkey is a device about the size of a small cellular phone, and is
inserted between the serial port of the computer and the modem. A
Pathkey device is required at each end of the communications link.

The device controls access to the Pathkey-equipped computers and
uses the Data Encryption Standard. Paralon says Pathkey is
compatible with most hardware platforms including IBM-compatibles,
Apple Computer's Macintosh, workstations, minicomputers, and even
mainframes.

According to Paralon nearly 33 million modem-equipped computers
will be in use by the end of 1994 and its makers say Pathkey is
"virtually hackproof." Users do not have to remember - and possibly
reveal - passwords, since that function is performed automatically
by Pathkey.

Once installed, the receiving computer checks to see if incoming
communications are coming from a Pathkey-equipped computer.
If the proper signals are exchanged, a unique single-session
electronic key is generated. Encryption and decryption is
automatic. Paralon says the recognition and key generation
process adds less than a minute to the communications session.

The necessary authorization information and encryption codes are
embedded in a microchip in the Pathkey device. For additional
security, opening a Pathkey device automatically erases the codes.

Since a Pathkey is required at both ends of a communications link,
Paralon has provided a enable/disable switch so you can use your PC
to access public networks that are not equipped with Pathkey.

Presently Pathkey can only be used with an external modem, but the
company says future versions will work with internal modems. A
Paralon spokesperson told Newsbytes the company plans to ship an
internal modem version of Pathkey in the September timeframe. That
model is expected to have a suggested retail price close to that of
the external version, which is $285.

(Jim Mallory/19940209/Press Contact: Chris Kenworthy, Paralon
Technologies, 206-641-8338; Reader Contact: Paralon Technologies,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00007)

India - Australia's Moldflow In CAD/CAM Joint Venture 02/09/94
BOMBAY, INDIA, 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd., is
setting up a software company in collaboration with Moldflow Pty.
Ltd., of Australia.

Godrej, a leading manufacturer of such products as soaps and office
equipment, has been a niche player in engineering workstations and
computer printers. To be called Geometric Software Services Ltd.
(GSS), the joint venture is being established at a cost of R3.2 crore
(about $1 million).

GSS will take over all activities of the Godrej CAD/CAM
(computer-aided design/manufacturing) group from April this year.
Along with these, it will also sell and support packages from its
new partner. GSS will also take on software development projects
in graphics, solid geometry, and machining.

The project is to have an equity base of R1.6 crore (about
$0.5 million). Godrej, as well as Moldflow, will hold 26 percent of
the equity, with 23 percent open to employees, and the remaining
25 percent to come from venture capital or from the public.
Initially, GSS will be housed within the Godrej complex at Bombay
and is likely to be shifted to a software technology park either in
New Bombay or Pune at a later date.

Moldflow has been present in India as a value-added partner of
HCL HP. The company deals in software intended for the plastic
injection molding industry.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19940209)


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

Wordperfect For DOS Maintenance Release Intro'd 02/09/94
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- Wordperfect Corp., has
announced it will ship a maintenance release for version 6.0 of its
word processing program for DOS this week.

The company says Wordperfect 6.0b improves performance, speeds
up screen regeneration time, and has added 25 new commands for
creating more powerful macros.

Wordperfect says it will continue to enhance Wordperfect 5.1 for
DOS, enhancing that program for word processing users of low end
hardware. "DOS development continues at Wordperfect," a
Wordperfect spokesperson told Newsbytes. "Despite recent rumors,
the development team is still in place and working."

Changes included in release 6.0b include a revised File Manager that
allows users to create, delete, move, and copy files. A new printer
installation program no longer requires users to leave Wordperfect to
install a new printer, and Quick Finder has a new feature that allows
users to search for any kind of a character, not just those supported
by the Wordperfect character set.

The company says other improvements include a new customizable
ruler that lets users change tabs and column widths, and manipulate
cells and columns. A new QuickAccess feature allows users to open
the last 10 documents work on, and an Auto Fill feature has been
added that automatically fills tables according to the text or
numerical pattern set by the user.

Once the maintenance release is installed the software will also
automatically detect the presence of a fax modem and configure
the software accordingly.

Wordperfect says the 6.0b upgrade will be available at no cost to
users who have called in to report bugs or suggest fixes. Other
registered users can get the upgrade for $12-$14. The exact price
is dependent on the shipping costs to your geographic location.

(Jim Mallory/19940209/Press Contact: Jeff Larsen, Wordperfect
Corporation, 801-228-5034; Reader Contact: Wordperfect,
tel [phone] or 800-451-5151, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00009)

HP Cuts Prices For Remanufactured Laser Printer Toner 02/09/94
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- Hewlett-
Packard says it is reducing the price of remanufactured HP Optiva
95R toner cartridges for Laserjet II, IID, III, and IIID printers, 17
percent -- to a suggested retail price of $79. The company says
lower raw material prices and customer demand is driving the
price reduction.

The re-use of toner cartridges for laser printers has become a
common practice and HP began selling remanufactured toner
cartridges for its printers in 1984. Each remanufactured toner
cartridge comes with a pre-paid UPS shipping label for the
customer to use in shipping the old cartridge back to HP for
recycling. The company also has an exchange program for volume
purchasers.

Estimates are there are three million HP printer users that could
use the Optiva 95R. While new toner cartridges are available, the
remanufactured cartridges are less expensive. In addition, HP
guarantees the quality of each, as the remanufactured cartridge
is disassembled, the parts are checked, worn components are
replaced, and HP's toner is added.

(Linda Rohrbough/19940209/Press Contact: Kirsten Wisdom,
Hewlett-Packard, 208-396-2213; Diane Bancroft, Ketchum
Communications for HP, tel [phone], fax [phone];
Public Contact, HP Sales Information, 800-527-3753/PHOTO)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00010)

Digivideo Electronic Business Cards, Valentines 02/09/94
TUCSON, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- A Tucson, Arizona-
based company is offering an electronic version of a fixture in the
business world -- the business card.

For $99 Digivideo will produce a customized electronic business card
to extol the features of your enterprise that can include anything
from roaming dinosaurs to classical music. You can also get nuclear
explosions, a space shuttle liftoff or rock music. Digivideo
President Langdon Hill says each "card" is produced specifically to
meet the client's desires. In addition to the initial production cost,
each individual card costs 99 cents.

Valentine's Day will soon be here, and if you want to express your
feelings for that very special person in a unique way, you may want
to consider the Digivideo's Video Valentine. The company will
produce a short personalized Valentine's Day card on videotape that
includes romantic images and background music introduced by your
own special message.

The message and picture can also be recorded on a digital optical
disk and kept in Digivideo's storage vault. The company says the
stored disk is guaranteed to last for the next 1,000 years. "Photos
fade and turn to dust, but using this technology, your image and
your love will shine as brightly in 2994 as they do today,"
according to Digivideo's Stephen Sloan.

The messages are also available on a computer disk for Macintosh or
IBM-compatible personal computers. That version presents 10-15
seconds of video and then your personalized message in text form.
The computer version of the greeting card is not dependent on the
user having any particular software application on their computer.

Digivideo spokesperson Erik Williams told Newsbytes the company
will also offer greetings cards for birthdays, a thank-you card, and
most of the major holidays of the year. The VHS version of the
greeting cards sell for $19.95, while the computer edition is
available for $14.95. Overnight delivery of this valentine is
available through February 13, 1994.

(Jim Mallory/19940209/Press Contact: Erik Williams, Digivideo,
602-321-4546; Reader Contact: Digivideo, 602-321-4546 or
800-636-3444)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00011)

UK - SCO & PSI Team On Open Systems Retail "Solutions" 02/09/94
WATFORD, HERTS, ENGLAND, 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- The Santa Cruz
Operation (SCO) has announced it is teaming with Post Software
International (PSI) to offer, what it calls, open systems retail
solutions. PSI is a vertical market reseller of computer systems
with offices around the world.

Plans call for PSI to combine its retail application products with
SCO's open systems software. The idea is to offer end-users a Unix
software suite running on an Intel microprocessor-driven computer.

Open systems is the term used to describe the "Holy Grail" of
computing -- the ability to run any software on any hardware
computing platform. Yet to be achieved in the industry, most
computer users now accept the term as referring to a Unix-based
system capable of running most Unix software.

Adrian King, PSI Europe's general manager, said that, as the leader
in Unix systems for Intel platforms, SCO will present PI with an
open systems platform for "powerful, cost-efficient retail
solutions."

Vince Jacobs, SCO's European market development manager for retail,
was equally enthusiastic over the deal. He said that, by working
together with market leaders "such as PSI, we can deliver the full
range of capabilities and services that world class retail
organizations require."

Despite its relatively low profile in the mainstream computer
marketplace, SCO seems to have quietly achieved a considerable
presence in the Unix systems marketplace. The company cites its
customer list as including Halfords, Dixons, de Boer, Goodyear, Le
Clerc Supermarkets, Kmart, MacDonalds, 7-Eleven, Petrofina,
Pizza Hut, Radio Shack and Taco Bell.

SCO claims, in fact, that a quarter of all Unix systems installed
around the world are its own.

(Steve Gold/19940209/Press & Public Contact: SCO,
44-923-816344)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00012)

UK - 3 Net Launches Two New ISDN Products 02/09/94
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- 3 Net, the telecoms company,
has launched two new integrated services digital network (ISDN)
products. The new products -- a low cost Basic Rate Inverse
Multiplexer and a node management system -- were launched at the
ISDN User Show, a three-day even, which opened February 8, in
London.

According to 3 Net, the Omniband range of inverse multiplexers has
been extended with the new Omniband 3015. The unit adds a multi
port Basic Rate (BR) variant to the company's existing Omniband
family of multiplexers.

In use the 3015 supports four BR ports and can dial up wide band
data calls at speeds ranging from 64,000 bits-per-second (bps)
to 512,000 bps. The target market of the units is videoconferencing,
"kilospeed" leased line backup, "kilofast" file transfer and
"kiloswitch" local area network (LAN) interconnect.

First shipments of the 3015 are expected in May of this year with
an anticipated price tag of under the UKP7,000 mark.

The Omniview node management system runs under Windows to give
what the company describes as a cost-effective, easy to use
environment. The system claims to provide network managers with
the ability to configure and operate remote node Omniband nodes
and so identify problems with the requirement for a site visit.

Announcing the two new products, Trevor Sokell, co-founder and
managing director of 3 Net, said that he sees the ISDN User Show as
a watershed for both the company and ISDN generally. "3 Net has been
living and breathing ISDN for the last seven years, but never before
have the opportunities been so great," he said.

"With the accumulated expertise, I believe that 3 Net is poised to
take full advantage of the growing European marketplace. The
products we are introducing here at the show reflect our
capabilities and underpin our technical leadership in ISDN," he
added.

(Steve Gold/19940209/Press & Public Contact: 3 Net,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00013)

Ovum's Eurie '93 Handbook - Details ISDN In Europe 02/09/94
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- Ovum, in conjunction with
Fischer & Lorenz, has announced the availability of the Eurie '93
handbook. The handbooks claims to build on the success of the show
of the same name, held last December, which toured 50 cities across
Europe.

According to Ovum's report for the book, Euro-ISDN (integrated
services digital network) basic access will be available from 66
percent of European exchange lines by July of this year. This
prediction is based on information supplied by 17 telecoms
companies for the Eurie '93 show.

Interestingly, individual country penetration and availability of
ISDN varies widely on a country by country basis, Newsbytes notes.
In France it will only be available to half of exchange phone users,
while in Germany, 95 percent of users will be able to obtain ISDN
service.

ISDN is a common standard for moving data around. The service
normally provides channels in groups of three (or multiples
thereof). Two data channels accept data throughput at 64,000 bits-
per-second (bps) and the third data channel, which operates at
16,000 bps, is normally used for control information.

The Eurie '93 handbook was produced on behalf of the 22 operators
and 64 equipment suppliers who sponsored the event of the same
name. As well as summarizing the demonstrations that took place in
December, the handbook details the current ISDN user based across
Europe, as well as plans for system rollouts. Also shown are
telecoms plans for ISDN connections from Europe to other countries
around the world.

The most interesting and useful information in the book are the Euro
ISDN tariffs and comparisons with the various country standard phone
tariffs, as well as contact names for all 22 operators offering iSDN
in Europe.

(Steve Gold/19940209/Press & Public Contact: Ovum,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LON)(00014)

Omniplex Signs Distribution Deal With Polish Distributor 02/09/94
ST ALBANS, HERTS, ENGLAND, 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- Omniplex, the Unix
software and utilities company, has signed a distribution deal with
Bonair of Poland. Bonair is a subsidiary of Bonair USA, which is
headquartered in New Jersey in the US.

Terms of the deal call for Bonair to offer the Planar range of Unix
color terminal emulators for sale in Poland, which is experiencing
massive growth in computer sales, on the back of a booming business
economy. The boom in business follows the country's attempts to
move from a Communist to a free-market society, Newsbytes notes.

The Planar range of packages allows PCs, ranging from 8088
microprocessors upwards,  to have full color access to Unix over a
variety of connections, including serial, dial-up (modem) and TCP/IP
(Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) or Novell-based
networks.

Bonair's Polish customer list is impressive, including the Ministry
of Justice, the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, LOT POlish
Airlines, the Polish army, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

"We have already achieved good success in other European markets,
such as the Czech Republic. We are confident of furthering this
success in the growing Polish market with Bonair," said Pat
Boswell-Saul, Omniplex's international sales manager.

According to Andrew Wach, Bonair's managing director, the Unix
market in Poland is extremely strong. especially in the public
sector and government. "There is a strong demand for users to link,
and to integrate, their PCs to Unix systems over a variety of
networks. We see the Omniplex range as the ideal products to meet
these needs," he said.

(Steve Gold/19940209/Press & Public Contact: Omniplex,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00015)

European Distribution Deal For Banyan & HP 02/09/94
CRAWLEY, WEST SUSSEX, ENGLAND, 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- Banyan
Systems and Hewlett-Packard (HP) have announced a European
distribution agreement, terms of which call for HP to exclusively
distribute and support Banyan's Enterprise Network Services (ENS)
software.

Banyan's ENS packages include the company's messaging, directory,
security and management services. The packages will, Newsbytes
understands, run on top of HP's 9000 Series 800 PA-RISC (reduced
instruction-set computing)-based business servers. The agreement,
which is effective immediately, runs for three years.

Under the agreement, Banyan's ENS for HP-UX will be sold by
cooperating HP and Banyan sales teams, selected resellers and
systems integrators across Europe. Resellers will be jointly
authorized by HP and Banyan. In the US, distribution of the products
will be routed through Banyan's Premier Network Integrators.

The agreement will, Newsbytes understands, also include several
marketing and technical support programs. Plans call for HP response
centers to provide what the companies call their front line support
to customers across Europe.

Peter Hamilton, Banyan's president and COO, said that, with this
agreement, the company will market for the first time products for
the RISC environment. The agreement is the direct result of the
announced relationship announced last April by both companies
implement open enterprise computing.

"With the availability of ENS for HP-UX and this distribution
agreement both companies can immediately respond to customer
demand for realistic and open client/server solutions, and for
better scalability, cost-effectiveness and access to enterprise
wide information," he explained.

Frits Rombach, HP's director for consultancy, education and systems
integration, said that, with the mutual business agreement between
the two companies, "we are able to provide our customers with a
complete client/server solution based upon Banyan's ENS network
services running on our 9000 Series 800 PA RISC platform. This
jointly developed and distributed product will be instrumental
in satisfying users' needs for integrating PC-LAN environments
into their enterprise-wide network."

(Steve Gold/19940209/Press & Public Contact: Banyan Systems
Europe, 44-293-612284)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00016)

UK - Mitsubishi Intros Budget Windows Color Printer 02/09/94
HATFIELD, HERTS, ENGLAND, 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- Mitsubishi has
unveiled the G270-S, a color printer for the Windows marketplace,
that the company claims is highly cost-effective, thanks to the
use of a thermal transfer Postscript system.

The A4 printer comes with a Superprint set of Windows printer
drivers, as well as a free consumables starter pack. The company
claims the whole ensemble is worth almost double its UKP1,395
price point.

The printer operates to 300 dots-per-inch (dpi) resolution and
claims to dramatically reduce the cost of color printing, even in
the thermal transfer marketplace. The cost per copy, Mitsubishi
claims, is around 50 pence (75 cents), and around 120 pence (180
cents) for overhead transparencies.

Despite its budget price and running costs, the printer is claimed
to be faster than many of the more expensive competition, especially
when it comes to producing OHP (overhead projection) transparencies
with color backgrounds.

Features on the printer include one color plane memory, plus the
ability to produce its first print in a minute. The intelligent
software in the firmware of the printer, plus in the Windows driver,
claims to allow typefaces from different companies to be mixed and
matched.

(Steve Gold/19940209/Press & Public Contact: Mitsubishi Electric
UK, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BOS)(00017)

REC To Buy Shows From NTP 02/09/94
STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- Reed Exhibition
Companies (REC) and National Trade Productions Inc. (NTP) have
announced that trade show organizer REC will be acquiring the
federal shows of NTP.

The shows to be purchased are FOSE, GovCom, and Federal Imaging.
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. REC and NTP officials
said, however, that the two companies will work closely together to
assure a smooth transition, and to continue to meet the short- and
long-term needs of the government market.

"We are extremely excited that the federal events from NTP will be
part of REC's expanding portfolio of North American high technology
exhibitions and conferences," noted Jim Alic, president of REC
North America.

REC's North American portfolio already includes intermedia, Media
Summit, Scan-Tech, COMDEX/Comexpo Mexico, and VARDEX Canada,
according to Alic. REC now holds a total of 280 events each year
in 25 countries, serving 40 different industries.

"The technology presented in our events offers solutions to
challenges being addressed by a wide range of government
initiatives, including the National Performance Review, REGO, and
the National Information Infrastructure (NII) programs," said Alic.

REC is a division of Reed Publishing (USA), a company that also
includes Cahners Publishing. Reed Publishing is, in turn, a member
of the London, UK-based Reed Elsevier group, an enterprise with
extensive worldwide publishing operations that include trade and
consumer magazines, directories, book publishing, newspapers, and
scientific and medical journals.

FOSE, a show originally known as the Federal Office Systems
Exposition, was established by NTC in 1977. At first, the show
served the information technology and office equipment needs of
the federal government. By now, though, FOSE is one of the largest
computer conferences and expos in the US, and also one of the
largest trade shows in Washington, DC, officials said.

FOSE addresses the latest technologies in networking, connectivity,
multimedia, CD-ROM, imaging, operating systems, and security. The
next edition of the show will take place March 21 to 24, 1994.

GovCom: The Government Computer and Networking Forum, is aimed at
the combined information technology needs of the federal, state and
local governments. The next edition of GovCom, will be held
October 11-13, 1994, also in Washington, DC.

Six pavilions will be featured at GovCom: Fed Micro Solutions;
Multimedia, CD-ROM & Graphics Solutions; Mobile Computing
Solutions; Client/Server and Enterprise Solutions; Workgroup
and LAN Solutions; and Systems Integration Solutions.

Held concurrently with GovCom will be Interchange, a program to
advance the Clinton/Gore initiatives and the principles of the
National Performance Review (NPR) and NII. The show will bring
together information policy leaders from federal, state and local
governments as well as industry leaders to showcase prototype
systems that support these initiatives.

Federal Imaging is a document management conference and expo for
the federal government. Participating user groups and associations
include NCC/AIIM, ARMA, DIAG, and SIGCAT. The next show is
scheduled for November 1 to 2, 1994, also in Washington, DC.

NTC, the founder of FOSE, GovCom and Federal Imaging, is an 18-
year-old company providing interactive marketing services to
corporate, government, and association clients.

The following organizations are among NTC's clients: the American
Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA); the American
Society of Plumbing Engineers; EDUCOM, a non-profit consortium of
higher education institutions; and the Association of Records
Managers and Administrators Inc. (ARMA).

NTC's services include the creation, production and management of
trade shows; association expositions and conventions; corporate
events and seminars; publishing and merchandising programs;
database marketing services; educational services; and
international events.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940209/Press & Reader Contact:  Reed
Exhibition Companies, 203-964-0000)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00018)

Wang Announces Workflow Software 02/09/94
LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- Wang
Laboratories Inc., has announced Open/workflow, software meant
to help its customers build applications based on workflow
management.

Open/workflow is client/server software with initial support for
client personal computers running Microsoft Windows and servers
running IBM's AIX variant of Unix. Support for servers using
Hewlett-Packards HP-UX flavor of Unix is to follow soon, the
company said.

According to Wang, the software will let users organize,
automate, manage, and fully integrate work processes using
existing applications.

The Open/workflow package includes a graphical builder, a tool
kit, and process measurement capabilities. It works with a broad
range of development tools, the company said, allowing users to
keep working with familiar applications.

The builder uses a flowchart metaphor, said Chris Martins,
product marketing manager for Open/workflow, but it is not just
a flowcharting tool. It also creates actual application code,
Martins told Newsbytes, as well as providing the means for
developers to assign responsibility for tasks, time allowed for
their completion, and so forth.

The tool kit includes application program interfaces (APIs) for
Windows applications, Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) query
access, and integration with applications on a variety of
platforms, Martins added.

Pre-coded business metrics are included to monitor and measure
work processes. Sample reports, queries for metrics, and
procedures for typical applications are also included.

Likely buyers of the software are organizations with well-defined
procedures that need to be automated. Martins cited loan
origination and servicing in banks, insurance underwriting, and
constituent services in government as examples.

While Open/workflow does not require image processing software
or business re-engineering, Wang said, it is designed to work
closely with Wang's Open/image software. Image processing and
workflow management are often complementary.

Open/workflow for IBM AIX servers will begin shipping by the
end of February, company officials said. Support for HP-UX is
scheduled to arrive in March. Prices begin at $7,500, including
the graphical builder, integration and reporting tools, and
sample reports and procedures. Open/workflow clients start at
$495, with volume discounts.

(Grant Buckler/19940209/Press Contact: Tom Mitro, Wang,
508-967-2081; Public Contact: Wang, 800-NEW-WANG)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00019)

Etak Offers Map Databases For Viewing On-line 02/09/94
MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 9 (NB) --  Etak Inc., a
unit of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, has announced an
agreement with Core Software Technology (CST), developer of
ImageNet, and Digital Equipment Corporation to provide its map
databases for an on-line service on the Internet.

The developer of "EtakGuide of California" on CD-ROM, and
collaborator with Sony in the development of Sony GPX-M1
Technology for global positioning to be used in American cars,
Etak continues to develop newer and more detailed metropolitan
maps.

The Internet access or direct-dial modem to ImageNet, where a
user can select and preview the maps before downloading, will
begin in February and have an annual fee of $500.

CST, of Pasadena, California, founded ImageNet and joined with
DEC which provides the Alpha-based personal computers at its
customer service center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

ImageNet provides access to Etak's map databases which include
street and address maps, US Geological Survey maps, Landsat
Thematic Mapper scenes, aerial photography, SPOT satellite data
and others. According to  ImageNet, the service will typically be
used by government and civilian agencies that require geological
surveys for petroleum work, resource management, environmental
engineering, and agribusiness. Etak says its databases cover
metropolitan areas in the US, Europe, and Japan.

Speaking with Newsbytes, Clinton Libbey, international account
manager, Core Software Technology, said, "With the addition of
Etak, users can populate their databases with a variety of data
sets in a short period of time. Streamlining the data acquisition
process will increase the use of GIS (geographic information
system) in both the public and private sector."

(Patrick McKenna/19940208/Press Contact: Les Goldberg,
Etak Inc., 714-545-3117)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00020)

Advanced Pocket Pagers To Debut In Japan 02/09/94
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- Japan City Media is planning to
release a unique pocket pager with advanced features this April.

It will support fairly a long messages on quite a large screen.
Users will be able to return messages to the sender. Japan's major
electronics device firm Casio is also planning to release a pocket
pager next year.

Japan City Media's new pocket beeper is based on a radiowave
receiver and a transmitter. It has flat-square shape and is as small
as a regular electronic pocket organizer. It has a large screen,
which supports a 15 by 10 line message, and an antenna for data
reception and transmission.

The device is called the Message TC301. Users will be able
to write the message on the screen with a proprietary
electronic pen. The message can be both letters and/or
a picture.

Users will be able to transmit the data to other device through
Japan City Media's radiowave network. The service is expected to
begin first in the Tokyo area. The retail price of this device will
be 128,000 yen ($1,160). Also, users will have to pay a
registration fee and a data transmission fee to Japan City Media.

Meanwhile, Casio is also planning to release a pager with a
keyboard and small LCD (liquid crystal display) screen in Japan.
It is called the IP800 and is already sold in the US market. The
device supports a maximum 240-letter message, which is about
six times more than that of current pocket pagers.

Also, Casio intends to provide information through the pager,
including news, weather, and stock prices. It is expected that
the retail price will be around 45,000 yen ($410).

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19940208/Press Contact: Japan
City Media, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Casio,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00021)

Japan - Dataquest Foresees Chip Sales Growth 02/09/94
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- Japan Dataquest predicts
that semiconductor chip sales will increase this year. In
particular, the Japanese market is expected to double its
growth rate over last year.

According to Japan Dataquest, Japan's chip sales will grow by
4.8 percent this year. This is almost double, compared with that
of last year -- there was only a 2.5 percent increase in 1993.
Total sales in Japan is estimated to be around 2.8 trillion yen
($25 billion) for 1994.

Meanwhile, Japan Dataquest foresees that the chip's sales will
grow by 20 percent in North America and by 25 percent in the
Asia Pacific regions, except Japan, this year. In these regions,
sales grew by 33 percent in North America and by 42 percent
in the Asia Pacific regions last year.

The key to Japan's chip's market growth is tied to the popularity of
personal computers and pocket telecom devices. It is expected
that sales of PCs and telecom devices will increase, and
as a result, the demand for various semiconductor chips will also
grow.

The chips with most potential for growth include memory chips,
telecommunication chips, voice data integrated circuits (ICs), and
pictorial data processing ICs. Also, chips for cars are expected to
grow this year due to the advanced electronics features in many
new vehicles.

Despite the bright forecast, some Japanese chips makers expect
only a moderate sales growth this year, believing that it will
take some more time for the industry to recover from the slow
economy in Japan.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19940208/Press Contact:
Dataquest Japan, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00022)

Exabyte Intros Minicartridge Tape Cleaning System 02/09/94
BOULDER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- Exabyte Corporation,
best known for its tape backup systems, has introduced a
minicartridge tape drive cleaning system the company claims is
completely automatic.

The cleaning kit cartridge contains a foam pad that aligns with the
read/write head of the tape drive. When you insert the cleaning
cartridge in the drive the system saturates a foam pad in the
cartridge with a quick-evaporating cleaning solution. No freon or
chlorofluorocarbons are used, according to Exabyte, so the process
is non-detrimental to the environment.

The kit comes with enough single-use pads to perform eleven
30-second cleanings. The kit also contains a pad-placement device
and a form on which the user can record cleaning frequency. Exabyte
Marketing Director Mike Befeler recommends tape drives be cleaned
after every 20 hours of use.

The company says the kit can be used in all quarter-inch
minicartridge tape drives, including its own one gigabyte (GB)
capacity SCSI (small computer system interface)-based EXB-2501,
a drive that uses compression technology to double its capacity to
2GB. Exabyte plans to start shipping the EXB-2502, a drive that can
handle up to 4GB of data with compression, later this year.

(Jim Mallory/19940209/Press Contact: Susan Merriman, Exabyte
Corporation, 303-447-7434)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00023)

Leading Edge Announces Cash Rebates, Longer Warranty 02/09/94
WESTBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- Leading
Edge has announced a Winter Rebate Program of $50 to $100 in cash
for customers who buy WinPro and WinTower systems through
March 31, 1994.

The company has also increased the carry-in warranty option that is
part of its AdvantEDGE Support Program to three years on desktop
and tower PCs and monitors.

"With industry predictions of soaring PC sales for the coming year,
this is the perfect time to bring attention to Leading Edge's
product line," noted Walter Foley, VP of sales and marketing.

The rebates being offered are $50 on WinPro 486 systems with
486/SLC processors; $75 on WinPro 486e and WinTower systems
with 486/DX or 486/DLC processors; and $100 on WinPro 486e and
WinTower systems with 486/DX2 processors.

Effective immediately, all shipments from Leading Edge will
contain a revised warranty certificate detailing the longer carry-in
warranty program, the company said.

In addition to the carry-in option, Leading Edge offers an
alternative one-year on-site warranty option on its PC systems.

Carry-in service is provided at any of more than 800 Leading Edge
Authorized Service Centers nationwide. On-site service is provided
in the US by GE Computer Service, a division of General Electric
Company.

Other features of the Leading Edge AdvantEDGE program include a
toll-free technical support hotline, open Monday through Friday
from 9:00 am to 8:30 pm, Eastern Standard Time (EST), and an on-line
bulletin board. The company's technical support staff will respond
to customer inquiries within eight business hours, according to
officials.

Leading Edge systems are available through computer dealers,
computer and office superstores, and mass merchants nationwide.

Assistance in locating a Leading Edge outlet, as well as general
information on the rebate program, can be obtained by calling 800-
870-3340. Instructions for buyers are also detailed on the rebate
coupon.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940209/Reader contact: Leading Edge, 800-
870-3340 or 508-836-4800; Press contacts: Susan Zephir, Leading
Edge, 508-836-4800 ext 1219; Amelie Gardella or Nick Berents,
Copithorne & Bellows for Leading Edge, 617-252-0606)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00024)

Computer Radio Show Debuts February 27 02/09/94
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- Veteran radio
personality David Lawrence told Newsbytes he will launch a new
national radio show on computers starting February 27.

The show, called "OnLine Tonight," will be delivered over the ABC
Satellite System on Satcom C-5, Transponder 23, Channel 16. The
Broadcast Group, a Washington, DC, syndicator best-known for its
work with film critic Leonard Maltin, will handle the syndication
of the show, and WQIK-AM in Jacksonville, Florida has already
signed up.

"OnLine Tonight" will be different than current shows on
computers, Lawrence told Newsbytes, because it is designed first
to entertain. Besides Lawrence, who describes himself as a
"Macintosh fanatic," the cast includes Rita Daniels, an expert on
MS-DOS and Windows, veteran Mutual News anchor Peter Burns, and
a news team with correspondents across the country. The show
will be "fast, funny, and 100 percent geek-free," Lawrence says,
with professional, custom-made jingles.

The launch of the new show indicates a growing market for
computer news in the mass market. It goes against two national
shows, "On Computers" with Leo Laporte and "Computing America"
with Craig Crossman. WQIK already runs the Crossman show, while
Laporte's show has about 60 affiliated stations, Newsbytes has
learned. While the two current shows are aimed at a Sunday
morning and afternoon audience, Lawrence's show is aimed for
broadcast Sunday evening. Newsbytes has learned two other
syndicated shows may also be in the works, which could mean a
very crowded market.

Lawrence discussed his plans with Newsbytes. "We're
radio people first," he said, adding he aims at the kind of
market now enjoyed by car experts "Click and Clack" on CBS
Radio. "The car guys on CBS don't sound exciting. But their
personalities make it happen. They manage to entertain you"
even when you are not interested in the specific subject.

"More people own computers than own their own home," Lawrence
continued. "More own them than own their own cars. Knowing that
real estate and car shows are popular, and gardening shows are
popular, the whole thing is the medium, not the message."
Lawrence's goal is to do "something my mom will listen to."

In addition to taking calls over a toll-free number, Lawrence's
show will be on CompuServe, Prodigy and America OnLine while it
is on the air, Lawrence said. That means people with specific
questions that don't reach a broad radio audience can still get
help from the experts on the show.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940209/Press Contact: OnLine Tonight, David
Lawrence, 301/854-5459; station contact: The Broadcast Group,
Matt Coates, 202/337-3111)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00025)

 ****TV Networks Going On-line 02/09/94
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- CBS and NBC
have both announced plans to go on-line.

CBS said it would take its Winter Olympics coverage on-line in an
alliance with Prodigy. Members of the service will be able to
leave notes for the CBS Sports crew in Norway, and CBS will have
its own section or "hub" on the service, including program
information, highlights, news and information about its marketing
efforts. Prodigy will also conduct polls relating to the coverage
and post the results online, and offer "bulletin boards" on the
games.

In a press statement, CBS senior vice president George Schweitzer
called this the "first major opportunity" for going on-line by
CBS, indicating the company has been looking at the growing
online market for some time. The service will be promoted on-air
during CBS' coverage of the games, and Prodigy will note it in
its ads as well.

NBC announced deals with both Prodigy and America Online. In the
latter case, the network will offer a comprehensive service,
including announcements, detailed information on hit shows, a
bulletin board, a contest center, and an "NBC Store," among other
features. The company's strategy in this area includes launch of
an over-the-air marketing initiative called the "NBC Viewer
Service" and a viewing guide called "NBC Preview." The first
includes ads and a toll-free number with additional information.

An NBC spokesman told Newsbytes the company is not finished
with its on-line plans. Published reports have indicated that the
company may sign an alliance with GEnie, a service owned by
parent General Electric, but that was not confirmed. "We only
announce deals that are done," a spokesman said.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940209/Press Contact: Ellen Hamilton,
NBC, 818-840-3637)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00026)

Ameritech Filing Illinois Deregulation Plan 02/09/94
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- Ameritech said
it will file February 15 to totally deregulate Illinois
telecommunications.

The company said it would file a detailed tariff embodying its
"Customers First" scheme with Illinois regulators. They are based
on a waiver of the Bell break-up decrees prohibition against
regional Bells entering the long distance market, which
Ameritech has already requested before the US District Court.

Ameritech has said that it wants to open its local networks to
competition, and in exchange it wants the right to enter the long
distance business. Such integration was prohibited by the 1982
decree which broke up the Bell System, creating Ameritech and six
other regional Bell companies, in 1984. But the regulatory
situation has changed markedly recently, and a bill which could
drastically change the situation is now before the US Congress.
That bill, which has the support of the Clinton Administration,
would only open the long distance market in stages, however,
which is why Ameritech still needs the waiver.

Ameritech chief executive Richard Notebaert testified on the plan
before the House subcommittee on telecommunications, chaired by
Massachusetts Democrat Edward Markey, on Feburary 9.

The Markey committee is marking-up two bills which would
deregulate cable and telephone networks as part of the
Administration's "Information Superhighway" initiative. Illinois
was chosen in part because regulators there have been urging a
more open market for years -- at one point they proposed that
Chicago become a "telecommunications free market."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940209/Press Contact: Lorrie Secrest,
Ameritech, 312-750-5211)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(ATL)(00027)

Government Distributes Budget On-line & On CD-ROM 02/09/94
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- The Clinton
Administration is selling a CD-ROM version of its 1995 budget,
alongside a printed copy of it. The CD-ROM sells for $30 and
includes the main budget book, analysis, historical tables and an
explanation of the budget system. A detailed appendix will also
be available on CD-ROM.

In addition details of the budget can be downloaded through the
Internet and several government-run computer bulletin boards, as
well as commercial services such as America Online, CompuServe,
GEnie, and MCI Mail. The White House has had a forum on CompuServe
for about a year now and has posted numerous government documents
there, including Vice President Al Gore's speeches on
telecommunications policy reform.

The Clinton moves are a departure from past practice, when only
the tapes used to produce the paper budget was available from the
Government Printing Office. There have been other changes as
well. The new budget book includes a three-page "budget user
survey" aimed at soliciting reader ideas on more convenient
online access to the numbers. The new book also includes an
alphabetized list of staff members who contributed.

All this is part of a broader "reinventing government" initiative
launched by Vice President Gore and the President at a ceremony
last year. Other agencies are now making greater use of
technology, with the Department of Labor adding forums to its
bulletin boards so interest groups and others can debate things
like occupational safety rules.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940209/Press Contact: Budget Customer
Contact: Government Printing Office, 202-783-3238; BBS, NTIA,
BBS, 202-482-1199, NTIS FedWorld BBS, 703-321-8020; Internet:
e-mail, whitehouse.gov; telnet, ntiabbs.ntia.doc.gov; gopher,
ace.esusda.gov or sunsite.unc.edu)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00028)

Book-To-Bill Up In January 02/09/94
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- The
Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) says the book-to-bill
ratio -- a key indicator of the health of the industry -- is up
for January. The ratio of North American semiconductor orders
(bookings) to shipments (billings) is 1.07 in the first month of
1994, up from 1.04 in December of 1993.

Based on a three month moving average, January bookings for were
$2.456 billion up 6.0 percent from the $2.317 billion reported in
December and 20 percent higher than the same period last year.
Billings were $2.305 billion, an increase of 3.9 percent from the
$2.218 billion in October and 35 percent higher than last year.

Single-month billings (shipments) showed health in the
semiconductor industry. January shipments were $2.277 billion, up
9.0 percent from December and 44.4 percent higher than January of
1993.

The SIA says the semiconductor industry appears to have slowed
its break-neck speed compared to last year's record growth of 33
percent and book-to-bill ratios as high as 1.20 in January of
last year. However, growth is continuing and Personal computers
(PCs) are still being given the credit.

The SIA obtains its book-to-bill ration figures from statistics
collected by a survey of key semiconductor manufacturers
participating in the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics. The
figures released by the SIA for January are preliminary and
therefore subject to revision.

(Linda Rohrbough/19940209/Press Contact: Doug Andrey,
Semiconductor Industry Association, tel [phone], fax 408-
246-2380)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00029)

 ****PowerPC Mac Set For Release Soon? 02/09/94
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- While Apple
Computer will neither confirm or deny widespread reports that the
PowerPC will be launched on March 14, some reports claim
the PowerPC will give users more "bang for the buck." Apple has
announced that the PowerPC will also run MS-DOS and Windows
applications.

Andy Bose, an analyst with Link Resources in New York says his
firm expects the PowerPC to capture 10 to 15 percent of the
market in the next 2 to 3 years. Martin Reynolds, an analyst with
CI/Info Corp. agrees, but says Apple will account for most of the
growth in the PowerPC market. "There's no doubt Apple has a
commitment to making the PowerPC its main processor. We expect
to see $2,000 PowerPC systems from Apple in the very near future."

"Given IBM's decision to not manufacture a Pentium chip, we can
sort of read between the lines and see that IBM and Apple both
plan to aggressively push PowerPC systems," Bose said.

Reynolds said the PowerPC is very scalable and can easily be
doubled and quadrupled in clock speed. The PowerPC 601 will be
the brains of the first Macintosh PowerPCs introduced, but users
can expect to see a 604 PowerPC chip that is twice as fast and a
620 PowerPC that quadruples the speed of the 601 in the very near
future, Reynolds added. He also noted the PowerPC 601 is about
the same speed as Intel's fastest microprocessor, the Pentium,
but sells for the same price as Intel's mid-range 486 chip.

In comparison to workstations, the PowerPC is definitely not as
fast as chips from Hewlett-Packard or Digital Equipment
Corporation (DEC), but it is faster than the SPARC microprocessor
from Sun Microsystems, Reynolds claims. "Sun holds the biggest
portion of the workstation market, but one wonders for how long
when the it has the lowest performance workstations." Sun would
have a lot to gain by signing up for the PowerPC -- it certainly
couldn't beat the price," Reynolds quipped.

Apple has made it clear it will make currently available
Macintosh applications run on the PowerPC, and a large portion of
its current installed based are expected by analysts to convert
to the new system. To get the larger Intel-based population to
convert, however, is a different matter and depends on the
applications available for the new system.

Analysts agree software emulation should certainly help sales
of machines based on the new chip. Insignia Systems just
announced a deal with Apple that will make its Softwindows
product available on certain configurations of the PowerPC.
Softwindows allows users to run DOS and Windows applications

Insignia said licensed copies of Windows 3.1 and MS-DOS will be
included with Softwindows and users can expect the same
performance they would enjoy on 386- or 486-based Intel systems.
Users can run Windows in standard mode and Softwindows offers
personal computer (PC) network support for Novell Netware, LAN
Manager, Banyan Vines, Windows NT Advanced Server and TCP/IP
(Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). PC devices and
systems will also work such as COM and LPT ports, floppy drives,
memory systems, video displays, and compact disc read-only
memory (CD-ROM) drives.

Emulation will work fine for applications 2 to 5 years old, but
newer applications are going to be frustratingly slow in that
kind of environment, Reynolds observed. If users are depending on
emulation for applications they expect to use everyday, they
won't be happy," Reynolds maintains."

In a 5 year time frame, Bose said he could foresee the PowerPC
garnering 25 to 30 percent of the total market, but said it was
difficult to imagine any further market penetration than that
given Intel's huge market share. Much depends on the availability
of software. Apple plans compatibility between the PowerPC
software available for the Macintosh now, but IBM's plans in that
arena are less defined.

Further, Apple has announced an upgrade path for current
Macintosh owners who wish to move to the PowerPC. The upgrade
can either be in the form of a add-on board or a system board
replacement and upgrade prices range from $700 to $2,000.

(Linda Rohrbough/19940207/Press Contact: Andy Bose, Link
Resources, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Kate Paisley,
Apple Computer, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Paul
Kerr or Nancy Tatum, Insignia Solutions, 415-694-7600)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00030)

Software Village Planned For Calcutta 02/09/94
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1994 FEB 9 (NB) -- George Soros, a fund manager
who made his fortune speculating in the currency, debt, and equity
markets, will soon join hands with Techna Digital Services Ltd. to
promote a computer software village in Calcutta.

By taking a majority stake in the Calcutta-based 100-percent export
oriented software company, Soros aims to prove that complex large
operations centers can work in India. His interest in India is
believed to be growing. Also, he plans to shift his strategy from
volatile instruments to industrial outlets.

Techna plans to set up a software village to house about 10,000
computer professionals over the next two years, complete with
offices, satellite network, residential accommodations,
recreational facilities, and other infrastructures.

The reasons for choosing Calcutta are being cited as: relatively
cheap real estate; large numbers of professionals willing to come
back to their home town if they get the right work environment;
shorter distances than in Bombay or Delhi; and proximity of
institutes like IIT and ISI to tap potential recruits.

Soros has a majority stake in 12 of the leading software companies
in the world, according to Alo Ghosh, president of Techna. The debt-
equity ratio and the holding pattern is being worked out. Techna
associates in Philadelphia, Hong Kong, and Japan would be merged
into one entity before one of the Soros funds pick up equity in the
company, following which, the company would enter the capital
market.

Currently, Techna is busy starting up management information
system (MIS) projects in 48 countries on behalf of Pepsi. The firm
has tied up with Sun Microsystems to set up training centers at
five major metros linked through a private satellite network with
a gateway in Singapore. Techna has 500 employees and expects to
notch up an export turnover of $12.5 million in 1994.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19940209)