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/mar_apr_94/nb031694

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(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00001)

IBM Japan To Push OS/2 03/16/94
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- IBM Japan plans to
strengthen OS/2 2.1, reportedly releasing different versions
of the operating system for various levels of computer.

IBM Japan also held a meeting, called the OS/2 Partners
Conference, in Tokyo recently. Through this strategy, apparently,
IBM is hoping to combat the growing threat from Microsoft's
32-bit Windows NT.

Over 500 firms reportedly participated in the conference,
including software makers, system integration dealers, and
peripheral equipment vendors. OS/2 software development
tools were demonstrated at the conference.

IBM Japan is planning to support OS/2 at such different levels
of computing as 64-bit processors, network servers, and low-
end personal computers (PCs). The firm also intends to add
object-oriented technologies.

Moreover, IBM Japan also plans to release powerful "Entry Client"
versions of OS/2 for Windows. IBM Japan will also reportedly
provide a common application programming interface (API). Under
this environment, users will be able to expand systems easily,
claimed the company.

For power users, IBM Japan will provide an environment called
OS/2 Enterprises Client. Under this system, IBM Japan will
provide a tool to convert 16-bit software to 32-bit software.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19940314/Press Contact: IBM
Japan, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00002)

Japan - Motorola & IDO's Mobile Phone Deal 03/16/94
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- It is hoped that the recent
agreement between Japan's IDO mobile phone service firm and
Motorola will put an end to the mobile phone dispute in Japan.
The deal called for an increase in Motorola's business in the
Japanese market.

The Japanese government says that it will observe the move
and support the companies' business plan. The deal calls for IDO
to set up 159 ground relay bases and channel facilities within
18 months, starting this April. The actual plan for these ground
bases and the facilities will be produced within 30 days.

Both firms plan to create an actual sales plan for car phones,
based on the North American car phone system. IDO will assign
an additional 1.5 megahertz (MHz) of radio wave width to
Motorola. It is currently allocated to NTT-type mobile phone
systems. As a result, both NTT and Motorola will reportedly
have 6.5 MHz.

Currently, IDO is mainly selling NTT-type mobile phones because
NTT-type mobile phone ground bases are already available in
Japan. However, under the new agreement, IDO will support
both NTT and Motorola mobile phones equally.

The Japanese government has sent an official letter to the US
Ambassador Walter Mondale. In the letter, the government has
pledged that it will observe the execution of this agreement.
It plans to evaluate their business development in Japan on a
quarterly basis, and if necessary, will encourage the smooth
execution of the terms of this agreement. The Japanese
government will also issue the necessary business certificate
to IDO for the execution of the agreement.

IDO needs to spend 60 billion yen ($600 million) in order to
set up the new ground bases. However, over 100,000 users and
an annual 12 billion yen ($120 million) in sales are expected.

Because of the increasing popularity of digital technologies,
IDO may soon have to support three types of mobile phone
systems -- Motorola, NTT, and digital.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19940314/Press Contact: IDO,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00003)

Hong Kong - Microsoft Tech Conf Set For May 03/16/94
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- Hundreds of delegates
from across Asia are expected to be in Hong Kong on May 11 for the
opening of Tech.Ed Asia '94, a major Microsoft conference aimed
at delivering technical "know how" to MIS (management information
systems) professionals. The three day event will comprise over 60
seminars delivering a "full technical curriculum," and include a
series specifically for developers working on Chinese, Japanese,
or Korean language products.

The keynote speakers at Tech.Ed Asia will be Roger Heinen and
Robert McDowell, respectively senior vice president for Microsoft's
Database and Development Tools Division, and vice president for
Microsoft's Consulting Services. They will "provide insight into
how companies are delivering solutions with today's technology
and what technology they will be able to harness in the future."

Heinen and McDowell will be joined by over 25 Asian and North
American speakers including Microsoft developers, engineers
and consultants, and industry experts.

"Our event should be extremely valuable for the IT (information
technology) business in Asia. I believe that Tech.Ed Asia '94 will
change the way people think about technical computer conferences
in this part of the world," said Laurie Kan, country manager of
Microsoft Hong Kong Ltd. "We're addressing the needs of systems
integrators, solutions developers, support professionals and
technical managers for detailed information on product
development, integration support, and management using the
full set of Microsoft tools and platforms."

Tech.Ed Asia '94 is one of four technical conferences being held
by Microsoft worldwide over the next two months, featuring
similar programs and many of the same speakers. It follows on
from the success of the first Tech.Ed conference, held in the
United States last year.

To meet the particular needs of local language developers, Tech.Ed
Asia will cover topics such as: techniques for handling double byte
characters; Unicode; migration of Far East language applications;
and operating in mixed language environments. These sessions will
be delivered by prominent Far East development and technical
support professionals, with a number in Japanese or Korean
simultaneously translated into English.

General conference sessions will include coverage of the following
Microsoft products and technologies: Windows, Windows for
Workgroups; Windows NT operating systems; Microsoft Visual Basic
and Visual C++ programming languages; Microsoft Access, FoxPro
and SQL Server database systems; Microsoft Excel, Project and Word;
the Microsoft Mail messaging system; Microsoft SNA Server;
multimedia technology; and Microsoft At Work technology. In
addition there will be opportunities for delegates to meet each
other and Microsoft technical experts, said the company.

Tech.Ed Asia '94 will also "address the realities of today's
multivendor environments." The program includes sessions given
by independent consultants that are intended to equip attendees
with the knowledge to optimize Microsoft products when they
are combined with other vendors' offerings.

Conference participants will also have the opportunity to
demonstrate their own products at the "Solutions Challenge,"
where delegates will vote for their favorite exhibit. The one
with the most votes will receive a round trip to Fall Comdex
in the US.

Each conference delegate will receive a complete set of notes
covering all sessions, a CD-ROM with technical information on
Microsoft products, free Microsoft software and sample code
from selected technical sessions, said the company. In addition,
attendees at Tech.Ed Asia will be able to take Microsoft Certified
Professional exams for half-price.

Individuals can register for the conference by calling Meeting
Planners (HK) Ltd on 852-660-4449 or faxing 852-667-6927.
Those who register before the end of March can do so at a
discounted rate of US$795 - registration will cost US$995,
thereafter.

(Keith Cameron/19940315/Press Contact: Fan Look, 852-804-
4262, Microsoft)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(TOR)(00004)

 ****Apple/Sun/HP In Mac Application Environment Deals 03/16/94
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- Apple
Computer Inc. has announced technology and marketing  agreements
with SunSoft Inc. and with Hewlett-Packard Co., aimed at making
applications written for Apple's Macintosh computer run on Sun's
Solaris version of the Unix operating system and on HP 9000
Series 700 workstations.

The SunSoft deal says that SunSoft -- a software subsidiary of
Sun Microsystems -- and Apple will cooperate in the development
and testing of Apple Computer's Macintosh Application Environment
(MAE). The agreement with HP is similar.

The agreements call for joint engineering, quality assurance and
performance testing, marketing, and distribution efforts.

The Macintosh Application Environment is a software operating
environment which runs off-the-shelf Macintosh 680x0-based
applications on Unix workstations. With the MAE software,
officials said, a user will be able to run an X Window desktop
with the major functions of a Macintosh  environment -- including
the graphical user interface, advanced file-handling capabilities,
and the ability to cut and paste between applications.

The software is expected to be available for Solaris and the HP
workstations by late April, Sylvia France, a spokeswoman for
Apple, told Newsbytes.

Apple will sell the software. SunSoft will include a trial
version of MAE in future versions of Solaris.

Carol Sacks, a spokeswoman for SunSoft, told Newsbytes the MAE
will be a counterpart to the Windows Application Binary Interface
(WABI), which lets Sun workstations run programs written for
Microsoft's Windows operating environment.

HP said its workstations also can run applications written for
IBM and compatible personal computers.

France said these deals are Apple's first concerning Macintosh
Application Environment, although a somewhat similar product
called Macintosh Application Services (MAS) is being developed
jointly with IBM in connection with the two companies'
PowerOpen system development project.

(Grant Buckler/19940316/Press Contact: Sylvia France, Apple
Computer, 408-974-4129; Carol Sacks, SunSoft, 415-336-1462;
Jim Barbagallo, Hewlett-Packard, 508-436-5049; Tim Hurley,
Hewlett-Packard, 508-436-5042)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00005)

 ****Germany - Cebit Opens To 1.2 Million Visitors 03/16/94
HANOVER, GERMANY, 1994, MAR 16 (NB) -- Mid-March and, once
again, Newsbytes finds itself in Hanover for the most important
computer show in Europe, the Cebit Computer Faire. With an
expected 1.2 million visitors this year, the event has claimed
its first casualty -- empty hotel rooms on Northern Germany.

Despite booking months in advance, this bureau has had to "make do"
with a hotel in Hamburg, a city some 100 miles north of the show,
although this is only one hour's express rail travel from the
show ground.

Others booking more recently have not been so lucky, with stories of
late bookers having to take hotel rooms in Berlin or chance their
arm with taking a room with families in the suburbs of Hanover for
inflated prices.

So what is it that brings people from around the world to a show
like Cebit? Like the famous Comdex show in Las Vegas, Cebit has
exhibitors keen to show off their new and existing technology. The
start of the show is the Apple PowerPC chip-based Power Mac, which
Apple Computer has wasted no time in promoting with eight
full-page inserts in most major daily papers across Western Europe.

During a pre-opening visit to the Messe Platze, the site of Cebit
on Tuesday, Newsbytes noted a massive display of Power Macs,
with staff on the stand claiming that around 150,000 machines
have been ordered already, mostly by major corporations.

Curiously, Acorn, the British RISC (reduced instruction-set
computing)-based computer manufacturer has piggy-backed a series
of ads in the European press to coincide with the Apple insert. With
a banner headline congratulating Apple on joining the RISC camp the
full-page advert goes on to stress the benefits of the RISC
technology -- with an Acorn bias, not unexpectedly.

One group that plans to use Cebit as a springboard for its own RISC
computer technology is the alliance of international semiconductor
companies that use processor technology from Advanced RISC
Machines (ARM) Limited. ARM is exhibiting at Cebit jointly with its
customer companies -- Cirrus Logic, GEC Plessey Semiconductors,
Sharp Corporation, Texas Instruments, and VLSI Technology.

According to Robin Saxby, managing director of ARM, Cebit is the
world's largest information technology (IT) trade show and, as
such, provides the first opportunity for all the partners to exhibit
together at a major international event.

"ARM is moving from being simple recognized as an innovator of RISC
processor design and development, to a leader in the merging markets
where computing, communications and consumer electronics converge,"
he explained.

"Our mission is to provide RISC processor designs which will become
the standard in the markets they address. We are fast reaching this
position, particularly in the areas of personal digital assistants
(PDAs), consumer multi-media and embedded control applications
such as communications," he said.

ARM, though still relatively young as technology companies go,
claims to be competing successfully with the rest of the industry's
established processor manufacturers, thanks to its design and
customer focus.

According to the company, beyond fabricating standard ARM
parts, each partner uses its own special technology, market and
applications expertise to add value through unique and effective
custom products based on ARM technology.

"We work very closely with our partners in order to provide the best
possible processor design for each of their particular markets.
Having everyone together at Cebit will provide an ideal platform,
not only to demonstrate the strength and commitment of our
partnership, but also the results of our work over the last three
years," he said.

Cebit takes place from March 16 through to March 23. Newsbytes
will provide daily reports from the show for the rest of this week.

(Steve Gold/19940316)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00006)

Cebit - Aashima Strengthens PC Range 03/16/94
HANOVER, GERMANY, 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- Aashima is probably an
unfamiliar name outside of its home market of Europe, but the
computer distributor now operates in five country markets. The
company is using Cebit to springboard its Trust range of PCs and
peripherals further by unveiling 12 new products.

The range of new products on show at Cebit includes a series of
486SLC-2 50 megahertz (MHz) local bus notebooks, VESA (Video
Electronics Standards Association) power management monitors,
tuner boards and PCTV cards. According to David Johnson,
Aashima UK's commercial director, Cebit is a watershed for the
company.

"This is a very important time for us. We see Cebit as an excellent
opportunity to enter new markets and meet new people, particularly
resellers and manufacturers looking to increase their trading
options across Europe," he said.

Johnson added that the new Trust branded products are designed to
promote the company as a multimedia supplier in the reseller
business. "These Trust branded products will strengthen our position
in the market and provide our customers with increased choice and
flexibility in their buying decisions," he said.

Based in Witham, Essex, in the UK, Aashima UK claims to offer a
wide variety of PC products to the computer dealers across the UK.
The company's various country operations in France, Germany, the
Netherlands and Italy, service the reseller market across Europe.
The company says it has 1,500 resellers stocking its products in
the UK and a further 7,500 across Europe.

(Steve Gold/19940316/Press & Public Contact: Aashima
Distribution UK, 44-376-502050)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00007)

Cebit - IBM Intros DOS Workplace Shell, Speech Recog 03/16/94
HANOVER, GERMANY, 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- IBM Personal Software
Products (PSP) is showing its DOS Workplace Shell for the first
time at Cebit. According to Big Blue, the DOS Workplace Shell is
an object-oriented version of DOS, and aims to joint OS/2 2.1 as
a main member of what BM calls its "strategic family of scalable
operating systems."

In parallel with the new shell package, IBM PSP is demonstrating its
speech recognition products, which officials on Stand C50 in Hall 2
say will shortly be available in English, French, German, Italian,
and Spanish.

The new products being demonstrated at Cebit include the IBM
Continuous Speech Series, which officials on the stand claim
as providing the most accurate and sophisticated speech
recognition capabilities available today.

Although the stand was still under construction yesterday (the seven
day show opens today), Newsbytes notes that there will be more than
30 demonstrations of PSP products running. Products scheduled to be
shown include OS/2 2.1 with multimedia, LAN (local area network)
Server and other networking products, and new versions of the C
Set ++ programming utilities.

Big Blue is pulling out all the stops with OS/2 at Cebit. With a
theme of "OS/2 Magic Time," the company is using executives to
explain who and why OS/2 is so important. A speech is planned
by Hermann Lambert, general manager of IBM PSP Europe, on
the strategy of IBM's PSP products.

(Steve Gold/19940316/Press & Public Contact: IBM UK,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00008)

Cebit - Deutsches Bundespost Telekom Goes Digital 03/16/94
HANOVER, GERMANY, 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- Deutsches Bundespost
Telekom (DBT) is exhibiting with a major presence at this year's
Cebit computer show, which opened today (Wednesday) in Hanover.
According to the telecoms giant, the analog trunk network of ten
years ago is now almost all digital, meaning that call quality is
far ahead of what it used to be.

The bottom line, according to Helmut Ricke, DBT's chairman, is
that Germany could well end up leap-frogging the US in the digital
superhighway stakes, as its network is far more modern overall.

Creating the network infrastructure is one thing. Getting the
Germany economy to appreciate the technology is another, he noted.
"We have to produce the same sense that we are embarking on a
new beginning that has been created in the United States," he said,
adding that, despite the advances made in the computerization of
the German phone network, the US has succeeded in getting the
message across to its population far better.

Interestingly, while AT&T is making incursions into certain areas
of the German telecoms market that were previously the exclusive
domain of DBT, Ricke said that he does not expect any real
competition, owing to a 1950s bilateral agreement between the
governments of the US and Germany about telecoms market
competition.

Ricke admits that, while the trunk network is all digital, only
about 30 percent of the local exchanges (often referred to as the
local loop) are also digital. Upgrading the local exchanges is a
major task, he said, but this is made easier by the access the
company has to its digital networks. Creating digital superhighways
in Europe, he noted, would make the upgrading of the analog local
loop a much easier task.

Ricke claims that, even with 70 percent of the local loop to switch
over to digital networking, the whole network will be completely
digital within the next six years -- significantly ahead, Newsbytes
notes, of DBT's original plan for an all digital network by the year
2006.

(Sylvia Dennis/19940316/Press & Public Contact: DBT
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00009)

Japan - NEC Receives SONET Order From Sprint 03/16/94
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- NEC says it has received
a large purchase order from Sprint in the US, which will include
a multimedia data transmission system to be used for the
information superhighway. Sprint has reportedly placed orders
totaling $350 million with electronics firms, including NEC and
a French firm.

Under the contract, NEC will supply a system worth 20 billion
yen ($200 million), involving SONET (synchronous optical network)
technology. Through this system, users will reportedly be able to
send pictures and voice data at 2.4-gigabits per second. Also,
this system can be used for home entertainment, such as the
"video-on-demand."

It is said NEC will supply the system through the firm's
Oregon plant. NEC is currently producing such systems in NEC
Miyagi, which is located in the Northern part of Japan. Now,
the firm is preparing to shift production to the Oregon plant,
beginning in this May.

So far, NEC has reportedly shifted about 70 percent of
production for the US market to its US plants. With the
shift of SONET's production to the Oregon plant, the ratio
will be about 80 percent. In this way, NEC hopes to provide
a faster supply of products, as well as to avoid trade
friction.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19940316/Press Contact: NEC,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00010)

Microsoft Announces Foxpro Upgrade For DOS, Windows 03/16/94
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- Microsoft
Corporation has announced an upgrade to its relational database
management system RDBMS, Foxpro.

The new release, which will make its US public debut at the
Federal Office Systems Exposition (FOSE) that opens in Washington,
DC on March 22, 1994, will be demonstrated at the CeBIT show in
Hanover, Germany, this week. The latest version, designated
2.6, is available in Windows and DOS editions.

Microsoft says new features include the Foxpro Catalog Manager, a
graphical interface for managing tables, queries, screens, reports
and other database elements. A feature called Automigrate
automatically senses dBase components and converts them to Foxpro,
and 10 new Wizards have been added that Microsoft says simplify
common database tasks. Foxpro 2.6 also includes more than 50 new
dBase language extensions that the company says allows users to
run most dBase programs unchanged.

In addition to the standard edition of Foxpro 2.6, Microsoft is
offering Professional Edition 2.6 for Windows and DOS, which
includes a variety of developer tools in addition to the standard
database management system.

Microsoft says if you buy Foxpro 2.6 for Windows or DOS by June 30,
1994, you can get it at the special promotional price of $99, and the
product comes with a 90-day money back guarantee, less freight
charges. After the introductory period the price goes to $495. Users
of Foxpro 2.5 can upgrade for $19.95 The Pro version has a suggested
retail price of $695.

Microsoft says the new Catalog Manager allows the user to organize
their data by providing descriptions of file contents as well as
showing the relationship between tables and other database
elements such as reports and screens.

The new release also includes the ability to work with Truetype
fonts, place bit-maps on screens and reports, exchange information
with other applications through dynamic data exchange (DDE), and
incorporate video and sound objects through object linking and
embedding (OLE).

Ten new Wizards, the tool that helps the user perform a desired
task by asking a series of questions then carrying out the job,
have been added. A Table Wizards is available to create new
database tables. Three Query Wizards, two for querying local
tables, and a client/server Wizard available only in the Pro
version, and a label Wizard to assist in creating various types
of labels, are also new.

There is also a Mail-merge Wizard for merging data from Foxpro
tables and queries with letters created on a word processor. It
supports Microsoft Word for Windows, Wordperfect, and some
other popular word processing programs.

A Multi-column Report Wizard helps you set up customized multi-
column reports, and a group/total report Wizard creates reports in
which data is arranged by groups, with totals provided for each
group. The Screen Wizard helps build multiuser data entry screens
complete with built-in search and printing capabilities, and the
Application Wizard lets the user build simple one-to-many
applications.

Standard and Pro versions of Foxpro 2.6 for DOS and Windows are
scheduled to ship by the end of March. Microsoft says it expects
the Macintosh version, including a Power Mac edition, and a Unix
edition to be available in the late summer of 1994.

(Jim Mallory/19940316/Press Contact: Monica Harrington, Microsoft
Corporation, 206-882-8080; Reader Contact: Microsoft, 206-882-
8080 of 800-426-9400)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00011)

Wordperfect 3.0 For Power Mac Now Shipping 03/16/94
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- Wordperfect Corp., has
announced it is currently shipping Wordperfect 3.0 for the newly
introduced Power Macintosh from Apple Computer. The company
says it is the first to ship word processing software for the
Power Mac platform.

Wordperfect President and CEO Ad Rietveld says Wordperfect 3.0
for the Power Mac shows speed increases in scrolling, search-and-
replace, spell checking, and other common tasks.

"Although we just recently released Wordperfect 3.0 for 68KB
(kilobyte)-based Macintosh systems, we wanted users to be able
to take advantage of the benefits of PowerPC technology as soon
as it was available," according to Roger Bell, Wordperfect for Mac
marketing director. PowerPC is the name of the chip used in the
Power Mac, and is marketed as the challenger to Intel's Pentium
chip.

The company says the software has been recompiled and optimized
to take full advantage of the speed of the Power Mac. A recent
Newsbytes story reported on Power Macintosh tests conducted by
Macworld magazine, which reportedly showed business applications
running as much as one-third faster than on a IBM-compatible PC.
However, the maker of the PC, Compaq Computer, challenged the
tests as unfair.

The new version contains a smart installer routine that
automatically detects which Macintosh computer the user is
installing on and sets up the appropriate version, says the
company.

Wordperfect Corp says it will ship a character-based (Kanji)
Japanese language version of the software in early April. Other
language versions are set to ship in the next 90 days.

Wordperfect spokesperson Dan Cook told Newsbytes current users
of Wordperfect 3.0 for Mac can upgrade to the Power Macintosh
version for $19.95. Users of earlier versions can upgrade for $59
through the end of March 1994, then their upgrade cost goes to
$89. The suggested retail price for new users is $495.

Standard Mac users need at least a Mac Plus, System 6.0.7 operating
system, two megabytes (MB) of system memory and 9MB of available
hard disk space for complete installation. For the Power Macintosh
you need 4.5MB of memory, System 7.1.2 or later, and 11MB of
available drive space.

(Jim Mallory/19940316/Press Contact: Dan Cook, Wordperfect
Corp., 801-228-5014; Reader Contact: Wordperfect, tel 801-225-
5000 or 800-451-5151, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00012)

Peachtree Windows Acct Software On CD-ROM 03/16/94
NORCROSS, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- Peachtree
Software says its accounting software program Peachtree
Accounting for Windows is now available as a CD-ROM edition.

The CD-ROM version of Peachtree includes on-line documentation,
a tips and techniques resource library, and expanded sample
companies. There is also a collection of software designed to
streamline business tasks and provide increased access to
business information.

The company says the new format is now shipping, and has a
suggested retail price of $169. According to Peachtree the entire
collection of products has an aggregate value of over $500 if
purchased separately.

In addition to release 2.0 of the accounting package, the CD-ROM
disk contains the Multimedia Business Library, a collection of the
complete text of 12 books written by experts in various business
fields in hypertext form which allows the user to quickly locate
desired information. Book subjects include: successful selling, a
guide to business travel in Europe, marketing research, direct
marketing methods, and successful telemarketing. You also get
more than 60 digitized interactive videos that cover a diverse
range of business topics.

Also included is the Compuserve Information Manger for Windows
(WinCIM), a graphical user interface that automates navigation on
the subscription service. A special icon in WinCIM takes the user
directly to the Peachtree forum on Compuserve where the company
provides technical support and product information.

You also get the Andrew Tobias Tax Cut 1993 Final Edition by Meca,
Faxworks 3.0 for Windows by Softnet, and LabelPro for Windows by
label maker Avery. A product called Professor Windows, published
by Individual Software, is a learning guide on how to take full
advantage of the Windows graphical environment and the
applications that come with Windows.

Tip-A-Day from Mastering Computers provides users with tips that
take advantage of Microsoft Windows and boost system performance.
Also, an animation engine shows users how to perform each tip ,
and a search function lets you find a particular tip quickly.

(Jim Mallory/19940316/Press Contact: Brad MacAfee, Alexander
Communications for Peachtree Software, 404-325-7555; Reader
Contact: Peachtree Software, tel [phone] or 404-564-5800,
fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00013)

HP, Integral To Co-Market InPower Software 03/16/94
WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- Hewlett-
Packard Co. and Integral have announced a joint marketing
agreement under which HP will help the developer of human
resources and financial applications software sell its packages
to HP customers.

The two firms said they will jointly develop and sell Integral's
InPower applications series for HP 9000 business servers. Jim
Christensen, a spokesman for HP, told Newsbytes that the
arrangement will be a cooperative selling one, in which HP sales
staff will be able to outline the capabilities of the InPower
software to their customers, but Integral's sales force will be
called in to give detailed demonstrations and take orders.

InPower HR, a human resources package, will be the first piece of
the InPower software line to be made available on HP 9000
servers. It is available immediately, company officials said, and
pricing begins at $125,000, rising depending on the number of
users and the customer's hardware configuration.

Other terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but the deal
makes Integral a member of HP's Cooperating Computing Solutions
Program, a framework under which the computer maker works
with third-party applications developers.

Integral's InPower series includes human resources and financial
applications designed for client/server computing architectures.
In addition to Hewlett-Packard's HP-UX operating system, the
software is also available for Novell NetWare and for IBM's OS/2
AS/400 midrange systems, and RS/6000 workstations and servers.
It works with a variety of relational databases, including Oracle,
Sybase, Gupta, and databases complying with Open Database
Connectivity (ODBC) standards, according to Integral.

(Grant Buckler/19940316/Press Contact: Carmen Hernandez,
Integral, 510-946-4898; Jim Christensen, Hewlett-Packard,
408-447-1678)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TOR)(00014)

CA Brings Manufacturing Software To Unix 03/16/94
ISLANDIA, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- Computer
Associates International Inc., has ported its CA-CAS Manufacturing
Resource Planning II (MRP-II) software to the Unix operating
system. The company announced CA-CAS/Unix along with a
special version for the aerospace and defense industry, called
CA-CAS/Unix AD.

John Capobianco, director of business applications for Computer
Associates, told Newsbytes that CA-CAS uses a three-tier
architecture that separates data retrieval, application services,
and the user interface.

The user interface runs on a personal computer equipped with
Microsoft Windows 3.1, he said, and parts of the application code
run on the desktop as well. The other components can run on an
IBM mainframe -- the traditional platform for CA-CAS -- or now
on a Unix system. From the end user's point of view, Capobianco
said, it will make little or no difference where those parts of
the system run.

According to CA, customers will be able to run their existing
CA-CAS applications on Unix without change and with no need
for additional training. Additions made to the applications by
customers should run with no changes to the code, Capobianco
said.

CA-CAS/Unix supports bill of materials, inventory, material
requirements planning, master production scheduling, shop-floor
control, purchasing, customer order entry, cost control, accounts
payable, accounts receivable, and electronic data interchange
(EDI).

CA also announced five extensions to CA-PRMS, manufacturing
software for IBM's AS/400 midrange computer. CA-PRMS: Sales
Analysis Workbench is a decision support system that provides
access to and reports on data such as sales history, cost of sales,
and gross margins. CA-PRMS: Buyers Workbench provides access
to planning data. CA-PRMS: Costing Workbench gives access to
purchasing and shop-floor variance information. CA-PRMS:
Engineering Management Workstation is meant for managing
documents associated with engineering product development.
CA-PRMS: Production Scheduling Workbench is designed for
shop-floor control.

(Grant Buckler/19940316/Press Contact: Michael Kornspan,
Computer Associates, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(TOR)(00015)

VMI, Computervision To Take Case To Supreme Court 03/16/94
BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- The United
States Court of Appeal for the Sixth Circuit has denied a move to
reinstate an earlier jury verdict in an antitrust dispute between
Virtual Maintenance Inc., and Computervision Corp. The parties
will now ask the Supreme Court to review the case.

In the original complaint, made in 1989, Virtual Maintenance
claimed Computervision had blocked it from providing maintenance
for certain Computervision products -- a charge Computervision
considers without merit, company spokesman Robert McDonough
told Newsbytes.

A District Court jury ruled in favor of Computervision on two
counts. On appeal to the Circuit Court, a three-judge panel in
December upheld rulings on those two counts, but offered
VMI a new trial on a third count.

VMI then asked for a review of that decision by all judges of the
Circuit Court. The court has denied that request, leaving the
three-judge panel's ruling as the final word from the Circuit
Court.

According to McDonough, the first two counts are now closed,
and only the third count remains in doubt. The Supreme Court is
unlikely to decide before May or June whether it will review the
case, and if it decides to do so, a decision would not likely be
made before the end of the year, company officials said.

(Grant Buckler/19940316/Press Contact: Paula Slotkin,
Computervision, 617-275-1800 ext 1838; Robert
McDonough, Computervision, 617-275-1800 ext 5854)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00016)

AT&T, IBM In Disaster Recovery Pact 03/16/94
DAYTON, OHIO, U.S.A., 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- AT&T Global Information
Solutions, formerly NCR Corp., and IBM have signed an agreement
to market disaster recovery services jointly and cooperate to
support each other's disaster-recovery customers in the United
States.

According to company officials, the deal will bring together
IBM's expertise in computer disaster recovery with that of
AT&T in data and voice communications.

Chris Stellwag, a spokesman for AT&T Global Information
Solutions, told Newsbytes it will mean a customer can deal with
one point of contact for a collection of services that previously
would have required contracts with two companies.

IBM has 17 disaster recovery sites across the US, with remote
recovery options at 14 of those locations. AT&T operates a Crisis
Management Center in Rochelle Park, New Jersey, to serve the
New York metropolitan area, and provides a variety of disaster
recovery services from the Dayton headquarters of AT&T Global
Information Solutions, Stellwag said.

AT&T said its services are designed let customers occupy the
Crisis Management Center within two to four hours after a
disaster, where the customer will have fully restored voice and
data communications as well as 24-hour access to stored records.
Located at an AT&T communications hub, the facility is equipped
with 200 computer workstations, desks, phones, and extensive
communications capabilities, according to AT&T Global
Information Solutions.

The deal will give both companies 24-hour access to each other's
recovery centers across the country. IBM's Business Recovery
Center in Sterling Forest, New York, is already networked with
the AT&T center in Rochelle Park, the companies said.

(Grant Buckler/19940316/Press Contact: Chris Stellwag, AT&T
Global Information Solutions, 513-445-4178; Steve Foley, IBM,
914-288-3653)


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

Telecommunications Education Research Net Turned On 03/16/94
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- College
students studying telecommunications now have their own
network to play with -- the Telecommunications Education
Research Network, or TERN.

The president of TERN is James Sobczak, who also teaches at the
University of Pittsburgh. He emphasized to Newsbytes that this is
not an Internet-linked network, but a separate private network.

"Some schools have telecommunications degrees, often associated
with electrical engineering or computer science" departments, he
explained. "When you walk in their labs, they have good premise
equipment, but nothing on a wide area. The professor teaching"
standards like "SMDS (switched multi-megabit data services),
SONET (synchronous optical networks) ATM (asynchronous transfer
mode) or frame relay can't give them hands-on experience." Or
they couldn't, until now.

TERN is designed to ultimately link 34 universities. It drew a
$90,000 grant from the US Department of Commerce as well as
major funding from Siemens Stromberg-Carlson, MCI, and Bell
Atlantic. To date, equipment and services valued at more than
$10 million have been donated to the project.

"It's going to be strictly a test-bed network," Sobczak added.
"No production. We have SMDS technology installed now, and hope
to get ATM later this year." ATM is an emerging technology for
sending millions of bits per second between systems.

"The idea is it might be ATM one week, SMDS another." The ATM
standard, however, is not settled, and Sobczak said the TERN
network could be used for "interoperability" testing, making sure
ATM switches from different vendors can work together. "It's not
just ATM talking to ATM," he added. "It's SMDS talking to ATM,
and vice versa." All fast-data standards have to work together
over time.

Also, "They'll be education and research traffic. The first would
be performance tests. We could knock the network down and have
them bring it up. The research could include interoperability --
it could come from companies requesting a certain study or
funded by a government agency."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940316/Press Contact: James Sobczak,
TERN, 412-624-9431)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(ATL)(00018)

Education Focus in Elections 03/16/94
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- Education funding
issues were addressed in two mid-western states which went to
the polls March 15.

Michigan voters handed a major victory to Gov. John Engler,
approving Proposal A by a 2-1 margin. The proposal shifts the
funding burden for education from local property taxes to state
sales taxes, creating a new tax on telecommunications and greatly
increasing the cigarette tax. Had the proposal lost, income taxes
would have had to go up to fund the property tax cut. Engler, a
Republican who is running for re-election, campaigned in 1990 on
a promise to cut property taxes.

In Illinois, Dawn Clark Netsch won the Democratic party's
gubernatorial nomination based in large part on her proposal to
shift the education funding burden from local property taxes to
state income taxes. Netsch said such a shift would guarantee
steady funding to the state's schools. Critics called her plan a
$2.5 billion income tax increase. Netsch will lead an all-female
ticket against incumbent Gov. Jim Edgar, a Republican who faced
only token opposition.

Finally, in Texas, Holt, Rinehart and Winston decided to withdraw
its health textbooks from the state's "adoption" procedure,
refusing to make changes demanded by the state Board of
Education. Four other publishers, however, will make the
changes, deleting explicit illustrations, information on abortion
procedures and toll-free numbers for gay or lesbian groups and
teen suicide hotlines. The board also required that information
on sodomy laws be added, emphasizing legal opposition to
homosexual practices. Holt's textbook will continue to be
marketed, and school districts in Texas can still buy it with
local funds.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940316)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00019)

Susan Ness Named For FCC 03/16/94
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A, 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- As expected,
President Clinton nominated Susan Ness to the last open seat
on the Federal Communications Commission.

If confirmed, Ness will take a Democratic seat vacated by Ervin
Duggan, a Bush appointee. By law independent agencies like the
FCC must have a 3-2 split between the parties.

Earlier, Clinton had filled an open Republican seat on the panel
with Rachelle Chong, and filled the chairman's position with Reed
Hundt. Once confirmed, Chong will replace Ervin Duggan, now head
of the Public Broadcasting Service. Hundt, who replaced Al
Sikes, a Bush appointee now heading the multimedia operations of
Hearst Corp., pushed for strict interpretations of the 1992 cable
re-regulation act after his confirmation, and won a seven percent
decrease in allowable rates, which TCI and Bell Atlantic blamed
for the collapse of their merger discussions.

The other two commissioners are Andrew Barrett, a Republican
appointed by President Reagan, and James Quello, a Democrat
appointed in 1974 by President Nixon.

Ness, a native of New Jersey, now lives in Bethesda, Maryland.
While trained as a lawyer, she has been working for almost a
decade at the American Security Bank in Washington, most
recently heading its communications industries division.

During the mid-1970s, Ness had been an assistant counsel to
the House Committee on Banking, and later headed the judicial
appointments project of the National Womens' Political Caucus.
Ness was active in Clinton's presidential campaign in Maryland,
and has been a regular participant in the Renaissance Weekend
parlays over New Year weekends.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940316/Press Contact: FCC Press,
202-632-5050)


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

MFS Launches Tender Offer For Centex 03/16/94
OMAHA, NEBRASKA, U.S.A., 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- MFS Communications,
one of the largest competitive access providers in the US, has
launched a cash tender offer for Centex Telemanagement at $9 per
share. Competitive access providers compete for the local leg of
long distance calls, and MFS is also involved in long-distance
data services.

On early trade in New York, prices of both MFS and Centex rose,
with Centex' price rising above the $9 per share offering price,
indicating traders' hopes the bid will be raised or another
bidder may emerge. Before the bid, Centex stock was trading at
around $5 per share. MFS already owns 8.4 percent of Centex,
which runs corporate telecommunication networks for about
11,000 customers. An MFS spokesman told Newsbytes that
Centex's business is similar to that of MFS' own Intellenet
operation.

In his letter to Centex Chairman Peter Howley announcing the
offer, MFS Chairman James Q. Crowe noted that it currently has
fiber networks in operation or under development in 18 of
Centex' 21 branch locations, and could serve those customers
at a low cost. The offer is conditioned on Centex invalidating a
"poison pill" provision, under which directors get preferred
share purchase rights in the event of a hostile takeover attempt.
Crowe's letter did, however, praise Centex management highly.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940316/Press Contact: MFS Communications
Company, Josh Howell, 402-271-2890)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(BOS)(00021)

 ****Power Mac - Early Users/Analysts Enthusiastic 03/16/94
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- Beta testers
and analysts attending the Apple Power Macintosh product launch
in New York City said they were impressed with the new RISC-
based, cross-platform computer line's technical capabilities and
chances for market success.

In a series of informal interviews conducted by Newsbytes at
New York's Lincoln Center, where the launch took place, early users
and technical analysts pointed with enthusiasm to the Power
Macintosh's speed, and also reported that they found the machine
to be quite effective, on the whole, as a tool for cross-platform
computing.

A financial analyst told Newsbytes that Apple has gained a
competitive advantage over IBM by shipping product ahead of IBM's
PowerPC. IBM, though, may respond by offering PowerPC at lower
prices when its product hits the streets later this year, speculated
the consultant, Stuart Skaika of Lieber & Company, Purchase, NY.

The Apple launch also attracted throngs of journalists from major
magazines ranging from MacWorld and MacWeek to business,
financial, and general interest publications such as Time, Forbes,
and Fortune.

Newsbytes and other members of the press joined customers and
analysts for Apple's main presentation, and for a Power Mac product
showcase held afterward, but met separately with Apple's top
executives for a 30-minute press conference in between.

In one interview with Newsbytes, carried out just before the main
presentation began, beta tester Jon E. Harms, VP of information
services for Val-Pak Direct Marketing Systems, Largo, FL, said he
found the first generation of the Power Mac, which is based on
the PowerPC 601 chip, to be equivalent in speed to a Pentium-
based PC.

Val-Pak, a Cox Enterprises subsidiary, produces and distributes
some 6.4 billion coupons per year, using a total of 300 Macintoshes
at its nationwide sites, including PowerBooks for remote access.
The coupon company also has an IBM-compatible mainframe from
Tandem, along with a smattering of IBM-compatible PCs. Val-Pak's
Mac users employ DAL (Data Access Language) for accessing
database information from the mainframe.

Val-Pak has been testing the Power Mac for use in scanning and
output, two tasks that can benefit substantially from increased
processing power, according to Harms. Now that the beta period is
over, the company plans to keep using Apple's new systems for
these purposes.

Development is another application area with strong potential for
the Power Mac, suggested Harms, who has 31 developers on his staff.
Traditionally, a developer's familiarity with a given architecture,
such as Nubus or EISA (Extended Industry Standard Architecture),
and with a given operating system, such as Macintosh or DOS, have
been important considerations to employers, he said.

But the Power Mac's cross-platform attributes are going to start
changing the way developers are hired, he predicted. "The conflict
between DOS and Macintosh is finally gone," Newsbytes was told.

Another big plus for the Power Mac is its ability to let users
cut-and-paste between applications running on different
operating systems, the vice president noted.

Harms briefly alluded to some "font problems" he experienced in
using the Power Macintosh version of Quark Xpress, but attributed
these to the usual beta glitches.

Jim Benenati, manager of electronic media presentations for General
Media Publishing Group (GMI) in New York City, is another early
user who is favorably impressed with the Power Mac. Benenati told
Newsbytes that GMI produces multimedia electronic documents for
online services and on CD-ROM (compact disk - read only memory).
Examples include an online version of Omni Computing magazine for
America Online, and a CD-ROM version of Penthouse which "will
probably never be used online."

Benenati's job involves creating multimedia presentations for GMI
salespeople to use in promoting the company's products. The Power
Mac has allowed him to run the Mac- and Windows-based versions
of Aldus Persuasion on the same machine.

During the test phase, the presentations manager noticed some
"differences in the color scales" between the two Aldus products
operating on the Power Mac. "The colors didn't exactly match," he
told Newsbytes.

On the whole, though, Benenati has been pleased with the Power
Mac as a cross-platform computing tool, and sees application
areas in this respect to be virtually limitless.  He also likes
the "fast screen redraw" capabilities of the new machine.

The Power Macintosh represents the third major phase in Apple
Computer's evolution so far, said a technical analyst, Alan
Rubinsky, in another interview with Newsbytes at the launch.

The first major stage in Apple's growth, the Apple II, served as a
model for the IBM-compatible PC, according to Rubinsky, who is
president of the Integra Group, Brooklyn, NY. The Apple II also
evolved into Apple's "original Mac," the machine that was the
hallmark of Apple's second phase, he theorized. But Apple's third
phase is only in its infancy, added the consultant, who was briefed
about the new platform, and viewed hands-on demos, during the
test period.

The "next step" for the Power Mac will involve a move to the faster
PowerPC 604 chip, along with the use of the more efficient PCI
(Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus instead of the Nubus, along
with the addition of new I/O (input/output) capabilities, Rubinsky
speculated.

The Power Mac's prospects also look good from a financial
perspective, according to Lieber & Company's Skaika. The Power Mac
will achieve bottom line results much more quickly than the Newton,
another recent innovation from Apple, said Skaika, speaking with
Newsbytes just after a briefing for financial analysts held by
Apple the morning of the launch.

Generally speaking, he asserted, the PDA (personal digital
assistant) market has been slow to develop, and will probably
remain uncertain for the next several years, until the need for
using PDAs becomes more clearly established.

If IBM brings down prices on its PowerPC, Apple may have to follow
suit with the Power Mac, the analyst maintained. "But with the
Power Macintosh, the numbers (of potential users) are already
there."

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940316/Public Contact: Apple Computer, 408-
996-1010; Press Contacts:  Betty Taylor, Apple, 408-974-3983;
Stuart Skaika, Lieber & Co., 914-641-2262; Jon E. Harms, Val-Pak
Direct Marketing Systems, 800-237-6266; Paul J. Benenati, General
Media Publishing Group, 212-496-6100; Alan Dubinsky, Integra
Group, 718-499-7457)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00022)

Creative Technology Intros New Sound Blaster Cards 03/16/94
SINGAPORE, MALAYSIA, 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- Creative Technology
Ltd., has announced a new line of Sound Blaster cards with lower
priced and new packaging.

The new Value Line of sound cards includes renamed versions of
Creative's eight-bit monaural Sound Blaster Deluxe and stereo Sound
Blaster Pro Deluxe audio boards. The Sound Blaster Deluxe will be
known as the Sound Blaster Value Edition, while the Pro Deluxe has
been re-christened the Sound Blaster Pro Value Edition.

The Sound Blaster Value Edition ships with free software that
includes Lemmings from Psygnosis, Electronic Arts' Indianapolis
500 The Simulation, Monologue for Windows, and a selection of
Windows and DOS utilities the company says were designed
specifically for the Sound Blaster cards. The Sound Blaster Value
Edition is now priced at $79.95, down from $179.95.

Creative's Sound Blaster Pro Value Edition includes the same
software as the Value model. Its new price is $115.79, reduced
from $179.95. Both models in their new packaging are shipping
immediately.

Other Creative Technology products include Sound Blaster 16 Basic,
Sound Blaster 16 MultiCD, SoundBlaster 16 SCSI-2 (small computer
system interface type 2) and the recently announced sound Blaster
AWE32. The company's products are distributed in the US through
Milpitas, California-based Creative Labs.

(Jim Mallory/19940316/Press Contact: Benita Kenn, Creative Labs,
408-428-6600; Reader Contact: Creative Labs, tel [phone],
fax [phone]


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00023)

Iomega's 10 Ways To Prepare For Disaster 03/16/94
ROY, UTAH, U.S.A., 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- Disaster preparedness took
on a whole new meaning to some California companies when the Los
Angeles area was struck by a major earthquake recently. Now one
computer peripheral supplier offers some ways to avoid data loss
in case your company is faced with such a situation.

Iomega Corporation, best known for its removable media data storage
Bernoulli drives, says that while computer data is irreplaceable, it
is often the most neglected part of any business. The company
recommends some steps to follow to avoid the heartache and expense
that goes with recreating that data - if it is even possible to do so.

Iomega says you should back up your data onto a medium other than
your computer's hard disk. That can be done on floppy disks, but
could require as many several hundred floppies depending on the
amount of data involved, a tedious and time-consuming task. The
company recommends tape drives or removable storage devices.

It says you should also have an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), a
device that will supply power to your computer system long enough to
back up data and shut the system down properly. Software packages
are available to initiate that process automatically for unattended
systems, and UPS devices are available that will run the computer
system for varying lengths of time.

Iomega says surge protectors are also important tools in avoiding
system failure. Surge protectors condition the power to ensure a
constant voltage during the period of service restoration when
power levels are likely to fluctuate dramatically. They also protect
your equipment against potentially damaging electrical spikes,
sudden changes in voltage.

You should also make more than one backup copy of critical data such
as payroll information. Iomega says those extra copies should be
stored off-site in order to avoid being destroyed in case of a
fire or other disaster. The company also recommends you examine
the area in which your computer lives, to assure that falling objects
aren't likely to damage the hardware, and that it sits on a sturdy
platform that isn't likely to collapse.

You can also check to see if the manufacturer of your computer
equipment subjects it to stress testing, and they recommend
consideration of computer insurance. Check the amount of
coverage and know what is and what is not covered.

You may also want to investigate the services of one of the
companies that provide backup computer sites that can be activated
in the event of a disaster. Your data can be taken to one of these
sites and restored to the installed equipment, or a mobile computer
van can be brought to your site.

(Jim Mallory/19940316/Press Contact: a. Cory Maloy, Iomega
Corporation, 801-778-3712; Reader Contact: Iomega Corp.,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00024)

DEC Cuts Prices Of Desktop & Notebook PCs 03/16/94
MAYNARD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- Digital
Equipment Corporation has announced price cuts of up to 20
percent on its XL and MTE lines of PCs, notebooks, and options,
including models with such capabilities as Pentium processors,
PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) buses, and PCMCIA
(Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) slots.

In DEC's Premium Line, for example, the DECpc XL 566 system with
a 66 megahertz (MHz) Pentium processor and a 340 megabyte (MB)
hard drive moves from $4,299 to $3,449, for a 20 percent reduction.

Among the active matrix, dual scan, and monochrome notebooks, a
DECpc 425 SE monochrome machine with a 120MB hard drive and
Type III PCMCIA slot is now $1,649, instead of $1,899, for a 10
percent reduction.

The price cuts follow a doubling of DEC's unit shipments of PCs in
1993 over 1992, plus a series of actions over the past few months
that have included the rollout of new servers, desktops and mobile
systems and an expansion of DEC's distribution channels, company
officials noted.

Among the other PCs in the Premium Line, pricing has been lowered
from $2,999 to $2,649 for the DECpc XL 466d2; $3,699 to $3,199
for the DECpc XL 560; $2,849 to $2,549 for the DECpc MTE 466d2;
and $2,849 to $2,549 for the DECpc MTE 433dx. The price of the
DECpc XL 433dx remains the same at $2,599.

The DEC 433 SLC, an active matrix color notebook, has been reduced
from $4,399 to $4,199. A DECpc 425 SE dual scan color notebook
with a 170MB hard drive is now $2,449 rather than $2,749. The same
system with a 120MB hard drive has been lowered from $2,599 to
$2,349.

A DECpc 425 SE monochrome notebook with a 170MB hard drive
can now be purchased for $2,049, instead of $1,799.

Digital has also reduced the pricing for video adapters by 43
percent, hard drives by 29 percent, and XL memory by 21 percent.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940316/Reader Contact: Digital Equipment
Corporation, 508-493-5111; Press Contact: Greg Soucy, DEC,
508-496-8152)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(MSP)(00025)

Microphone LT Comms Software For Under $50 03/16/94
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- Software
Ventures has come up with a "lite" version of its popular Macintosh
and Windows telecommunications package -- Microphone LT --
which has a suggested retail price of $49.95.

"It is aimed at Macintosh communicators who are frustrated by
shareware-grade communications software, but are unable to
afford the price tag typically associated with higher-end products,"
says David Hindawi, Software Ventures' president.

Mark Harris, spokesman for Software Ventures, told Newsbytes
that Zterm is one of those shareware programs.

The LT program does not allow the creation of scripts, as
does its more powerful sibling, Microphone II. However, it does
have the same templates designed for navigating one's way onto
the major online services, and it does offer its own built-in
bulletin board system (BBS) software, allowing the user to set
up a "mini" BBS right on their own machine. It also allows
multisessions, or the opening of several windows at once, each
dedicated to a different online connection.

The package also offers all file transfer protocols, including
Zmodem, and a variety of terminal emulations. It also supports
System 6.05 or higher.

Users get free technical support and a 30-day money-back
guarantee. The package runs on a Macintosh Plus, Classic, LC, SE,
II-family, Performa, Quadra, Centris, or Powerbook and requires
a minimum of 450 kilobytes (KB) of RAM, and a hard drive with
1.5 megabytes (MB) of free disk space. The product appeared on
store shelves on March 7.

Harris told Newsbytes that Microphone LT is similar to one that
modem manufacturers have been bundling with their modems in
the past year. Versions were customized for the modems with
which they were sold. "Hundreds of thousands," of copies were
shipped with those modems, he says.

Harris also said the product is receiving a good response from
dealers. "Response has been particularly strong," among
distributors, "because of the price point."

(Wendy Woods/19940316/Press Contact: Mark Harris, Software
Ventures, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SFO)(00026)

Orchid Files $30 Million Counter Suit Against Creative 03/16/94
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- The continuing
court battles of the audio card market players have deepened with
a $30 million counter suit of Creative Technology, maker of Sound
Blaster audio card, by Orchid Technology.

Recently, Newsbytes reported on the court decision in which
Creative won their injunctions and an undisclosed settlement
against Cardinal Technologies in a similar case.

Creative has also petitioned the court for injunctions against
Prometheus and Computer Peripherals, as well as Orchid.

After a Dataquest study that predicted a change in the audio card
market due to the inclusion of audio chips on motherboards in
1995, the audio market becomes even tighter in the race to stay
even with a past that has been meteoric.

Orchid, in response, has claimed that the actions taken by
Creative are libelous and attempt to damage Orchid's role as a
major player in the audio market.

Speaking with Newsbytes, Thomas Neubert, director of marketing
for Orchid, said, "When we advertised our SoundWave 32 as 100%
Sound Blaster-compatible, we are referring to the software level.
Out of the thousands of games on the market, Creative named
three games that have minor differences in sound quality. We have
already corrected, in two of the games, the areas in question and
made those corrections available to our users. It is our opinion
that Creative is taking these legal moves as a means of unfairly
fighting their competition and not truly addressing any specific
complaint."

According to Orchid, the damages done to its name and customer
base is Creative's goal and that Orchid has suffered a disruption
of business in excess of $30 million.

Neubert further says, "We continue to guarantee 100% compatibility
and assure our customers by rigorously testing new games on the
market and we find no problems with functionality and performance.
The claims by Creative involve such things as background audience
noise that did have a slight difference in sound, but there has never
been a case of any game not performing or having major defects in
its performance."

Creative Technology has claimed that any failure whatsoever is a
misrepresentation of the term, "Sound Blaster Compatible."

(Patrick McKenna/19940316/Press Contact: Jonathan Bloom
McGrath, Power West, 408-727-0351)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00027)

Adaptec Intros Entry-level SCSI Host Adapters For SOHO 03/16/94
MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- Driven by a
need to handle greater amounts of data being delivered by CD-ROM
drives, hard drives, DAT (digital audio tape) drives, scanners and
new applications, Adaptec has announced their Altra line of entry-
level SCSI (small computer system interface) host adapters in
two different kits for single-users and the SOHO (small office,
home office) environment.

TotalCD and TotalConnect are designed to provide SCSI-connectivity
to almost any SCSI CD-ROM drive or SCSI peripheral in a DOS or
Windows environment, says the company.

Adaptec's TotalConnect kit contains a 16-bit host board that
allows for seven SCSI devices to be connected simultaneously and
offers an on-board BIOS (basic input/output system) which will
allow users to boot a PC from a SCSI hard disk. TotalCD provides
an almost identical 16-bit card that does not offer the BIOS feature.

Speaking to Newsbytes, Matt Cuson, marketing director for Adaptec,
said, "We have designed our boards with ease of use as a primary
goal. We have eliminated jumpers and options so that installation
of the hardware and software will as easy as possible for the
customer. The most difficult part of installing our kits is taking
the cover off of the PC cabinet. There is no reason for a $69
(TotalCD) product to cause users to reconfigure their systems."

The TotalConnect kit sales for $109 and both kits are currently
being shipped.

(Patrick McKenna/19940316/Press Contact: Lois Long, Adaptec,
408-957-4893 )


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00028)

 ****Adobe & Aldus To Merge 03/16/94
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- The
two 10-year old companies that lead the desktop publishing
industry have announced that they will merge. Adobe Systems Inc.,
and Aldus Corp., said the stock-swap merger worth about
$525 million will create a new company with estimated annual
revenues of more than $500 million.

Adobe's flagship product is Adobe Postscript, the software
that lets personal computers work with a variety of printers and
print documents in a wide variety of typefaces. Aldus publishes
Pagemaker, a sophisticated software package that allows the users
to perform page-layout of newspapers, magazines and newsletters
other publications, as well as longer documents. Pagemaker,
presently in its fifth version, makes it easy to insert text and
graphics into the page format.

The deal is still contingent on approval by regulators and
stockholders. Shareholder approval is expected in July, and is
likely considered a shoe-in since Aldus President Paul Brainerd
has agreed to vote his shares for the merger. Brainerd will have
a position on the board of the new company.

Desktop publishing is one of the few applications software arenas
in which software giant Microsoft has not made a serious effort to
dominate. Microsoft does publish desktop publishing program, but it
does not have the sophistication of Pagemaker.

Brainerd told the Associated Press that the two companies would
continue to publish their respective products for the foreseeable
future.

Adobe Chairman and CEO John Warnock will hold those same positions
in the merged company. Adobe President Chuck Gerschke would be
president of the company. The yet un-named organization
will be headquartered in Mountain View, California, the current
home of Adobe.

"Over the past ten years (the two companies) have changed the whole
print-based structure," Brainerd told reporters in San Francisco
today, in a press conference attended by Newsbytes. "We have a
common vision for what we want to accomplish." Warnock said the
new company is particularly interested in expanding the Japanese
market, one of the most rapidly growing markets for US hardware
and software makers. Both companies already have strong European
markets.

Addressing the consumer market, Warnock said the consumer
division will be exploring mass markets for Aldus/Adobe products.
He said the video authoring market is a rapidly growing one,
hinting that the company will offer products in that market.

No specific decision regarding the fate of the majority of Adobe
and Aldus employees was announced, but Gerschke said some staff
reductions would be inevitable, although key executives will have a
place in the new organization. Each company employs about 1,000
people worldwide. Employees were advised of the merger
yesterday via a satellite link to meetings at both companies.

Adobe stock closed down $1.25 at $32.50 on the merger news, while
Aldus gained $0.75, closing at $26.25. The deal calls for Adobe to
give Aldus shareholders 1.15 shares of Adobe for each share of Aldus
held. The merger will be tax free and will be accounted for as a
pooling of interests. The two companies reportedly have agreed to
pay an undisclosed breakup fee if the deal should crash.

(Jim Mallory/19940316/Press contact: Brad Stevens, Aldus
Corp., 206-628-2361 or Adobe Systems Inc., 415-961-4400)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00029)

Handheld PCs To Grow Faster Worldwide Than In US 03/16/94
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- Sales of "smart"
handheld devices like Apple's Newton, BellSouth's Simon, and
Motorola's Envoy will grow more quickly in Europe, the Pacific Rim,
and Latin America than in US markets over the next five years, says
a new survey by International Data Corporation's LINK Resources.

LINK predicts that shipments of the devices -- also known as
Personal Productivity Partners, or "P3s" -- will experience an
annual growth rate of 46 percent in the US through 1998, in
contrast to 55 percent to international markets.

In Pacific Rim countries such as Japan, China and Korea, the
prevalence of handwriting in business communications will
stimulate sales of pen-based units, according to LINK.

The researchers theorize that, while pen technology has met with
a mixed reception in the US, due in part to the poor penmanship of
some Americans, success is more likely in Asian countries, where
"good penmanship is considered a sign of good education."

In Europe, the established infrastructure of information services,
such as France's Minitel, will provide the applications and
information resources that mobile workers and consumers want, the
study reported. Users will employ "smart" handheld devices to
access these resources while they are away from the home or office.

In Eastern Europe, as well as Latin America, demand will be driven
by the installation of wireless data and telephone services for
applications that are typically handled by regular telephone
networks in more established markets, added LINK.

Personal communicators such as Siemen's NotePhone, which is based
on Newton technology, and Simon, developed for BellSouth by IBM,
will increasingly provide voice, data and fax services in Latin
America and Eastern Europe, the researchers determined.

A similar study of the US market, conducted by LINK in 1993, found
that communications services like AT&T's recently announced
PersonaLink will be "vital" to the success of the next generation
of handheld devices.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940316/Reader & Press Contacts: Michael
French, LINK Resources Corporation, 212-627-1500; Mike Ault,
International Data Corporation, 508-872-8200)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(MSP)(00030)

ARPA Awards $11 Million For "Smart Antenna" Project 03/16/94
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- The Defense
Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) has given
three California companies grants to create wireless technology
for next-generation telephones.

ArrayComm Inc., of Santa Clara, Watkins-Johnson Company of Palo
Alto, and Spectrian, Inc., of Mountain View Santa Clara, CA, will
be attempting to commercialize a wireless technology that could
make personal communications systems (PCS) widely available at
a cost equal to or lower than that of present home telephone service.

ARPA is aiming its $11.4 million effort at the creation of a "smart
antenna" for the global wireless communications market. The grant
is part of a government program to help strengthen the economy
and enhance international competitiveness by converting defense
technology to commercial use, according to an ArrayCom
spokeswoman.

PCS's are the future's pocket phones that can be taken anywhere,
like cellular phones today, and will "find" the owner when a call
is made. The units are also to be used for data or image transmission,
including faxing, messaging and computer-to-computer
communications.

The market for PCS related products and services is expected to
reach $200 billion by early in the next decade, according to figures
provided by ArrayCom, which adds that more than 50 countries
plan to establish wireless telephone systems. In the last quarter
of 1994, the Federal Communications Commission is expected to
auction PCS licenses in the US, and bids are expected from the
Regional Bell Operating Companies, long-distance telephone
companies, and cable operators, among others.

Under the grant, the consortium will develop a prototype that will
implement ArrayComm's patented Spatial Division Multiple Access
(SDMA) technology which uses spatial signal processing to create
directional communication links. Through this technology, small
arrays of conventional antennas can be used to track mobile units
and receive and transmit voice, data and pictures more efficiently.

"The result," according to Martin Cooper, CEO with ArrayCom, "will
be greater coverage, system capacity, and efficiency, and clearer
communications signals. This technology addresses problems with
existing systems such as poor reception, cross talk, and dropped
calls. Moreover, we believe that SDMA will make possible the
manufacture of smaller, lighter, less-costly handsets with longer
battery life."

ArrayComm will provide the system architecture and software for
the signal processing in the project. Spectrian will provide its
power amplification technology, and Watkins-Johnson's
Communications Electronics Division will have a range of
responsibilities, including provision of receiver technology.

Keith Kennedy, president and CEO of Watkins-Johnson says he is
excited about the project because it will advance wireless
technology and because, "the program provides an avenue of
contribution for people previously engaged primarily in the
development of military products."

As a result of this project, the consortium expects to create more
than 300 new jobs in the San Francisco Bay Area as development
progresses and manufacturing begins. ArrayComm expects to
double in size by the end of 1994.

(Wendy Woods/19940316/Press Contact: Jill Roumeliotis,
ArrayComm Inc., 408-982-9080)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00031)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 03/16/94
PENN VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 MAR 16 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

1 -> IBM Japan To Push OS/2 03/16/94 IBM Japan plans to  strengthen
OS/2 2.1, reportedly releasing different versions  of the operating
system for various levels of computer.

2 -> Japan - Motorola & IDO's Mobile Phone Deal 03/16/94 It is hoped
that the recent agreement between Japan's IDO mobile phone service
firm and  Motorola will put an end to the mobile phone dispute in
Japan.  The deal called for an increase in Motorola's business in the
Japanese market.

3 -> Hong Kong - Microsoft Tech Conf Set For May 03/16/94 Hundreds of
delegates  from across Asia are expected to be in Hong Kong on May 11
for the  opening of Tech.Ed Asia '94, a major Microsoft conference
aimed  at delivering technical "know how" to MIS (management
information systems) professionals. The three day event will comprise
over 60  seminars delivering a "full technical curriculum," and
include a  series specifically for developers working on Chinese,
Japanese,  or Korean language products.

4 ->  ****Apple/Sun/HP In Mac Application Environment Deals 03/16/94
Apple Computer Inc. has announced technology and marketing  agreements
with SunSoft Inc. and with Hewlett-Packard Co., aimed at making
applications written for Apple's Macintosh computer run on Sun's
Solaris version of the Unix operating system and on HP 9000 Series 700
workstations.

5 ->  ****Germany - Cebit Opens To 1.2 Million Visitors 03/16/94
Mid-March and, once  again, Newsbytes finds itself in Hanover for the
most important  computer show in Europe, the Cebit Computer Faire.
With an  expected 1.2 million visitors this year, the event has
claimed  its first casualty -- empty hotel rooms on Northern Germany.

6 -> Cebit - Aashima Strengthens PC Range 03/16/94 Aashima is probably
an unfamiliar name outside of its home market of Europe, but the
computer distributor now operates in five country markets. The
company is using Cebit to springboard its Trust range of PCs and
peripherals further by unveiling 12 new products.

7 -> Cebit - IBM Intros DOS Workplace Shell, Speech Recog 03/16/94 IBM
Personal Software  Products (PSP) is showing its DOS Workplace Shell
for the first  time at Cebit. According to Big Blue, the DOS Workplace
Shell is  an object-oriented version of DOS, and aims to joint OS/2
2.1 as  a main member of what BM calls its "strategic family of
scalable  operating systems."

8 -> Cebit - Deutsches Bundespost Telekom Goes Digital 03/16/94
Deutsches Bundespost  Telekom (DBT) is exhibiting with a major
presence at this year's  Cebit computer show, which opened today
(Wednesday) in Hanover.  According to the telecoms giant, the analog
trunk network of ten  years ago is now almost all digital, meaning
that call quality is  far ahead of what it used to be.

9 -> Japan - NEC Receives SONET Order From Sprint 03/16/94 NEC says it
has received  a large purchase order from Sprint in the US, which will
include a multimedia data transmission system to be used for the
information superhighway. Sprint has reportedly placed orders totaling
$350 million with electronics firms, including NEC and  a French firm.

10 -> Microsoft Announces Foxpro Upgrade For DOS, Windows 03/16/94
Microsoft Corporation has announced an upgrade to its relational
database management system RDBMS, Foxpro.

11 -> Wordperfect 3.0 For Power Mac Now Shipping 03/16/94 Wordperfect
Corp., has announced it is currently shipping Wordperfect 3.0 for the
newly introduced Power Macintosh from Apple Computer. The company
says it is the first to ship word processing software for the  Power
Mac platform.

12 -> Peachtree Windows Acct Software On CD-ROM 03/16/94 Peachtree
Software says its accounting software program Peachtree  Accounting
for Windows is now available as a CD-ROM edition.

13 -> HP, Integral To Co-Market InPower Software 03/16/94 Hewlett-
Packard Co. and Integral have announced a joint marketing agreement
under which HP will help the developer of human resources and
financial applications software sell its packages to HP customers.

14 -> CA Brings Manufacturing Software To Unix 03/16/94 Computer
Associates International Inc., has ported its CA-CAS Manufacturing
Resource Planning II (MRP-II) software to the Unix operating system.
The company announced CA-CAS/Unix along with a  special version for
the aerospace and defense industry, called  CA-CAS/Unix AD.

15 -> VMI, Computervision To Take Case To Supreme Court 03/16/94 The
United States Court of Appeal for the Sixth Circuit has denied a move
to reinstate an earlier jury verdict in an antitrust dispute between
Virtual Maintenance Inc., and Computervision Corp. The parties will
now ask the Supreme Court to review the case.

16 -> AT&T, IBM In Disaster Recovery Pact 03/16/94 AT&T Global
Information Solutions, formerly NCR Corp., and IBM have signed an
agreement to market disaster recovery services jointly and cooperate
to support each other's disaster-recovery customers in the United
States.

17 -> Telecommunications Education Research Net Turned On 03/16/94
College  students studying telecommunications now have their own
network to play with -- the Telecommunications Education  Research
Network, or TERN.

18 -> Education Focus in Elections 03/16/94 Education funding  issues
were addressed in two mid-western states which went to  the polls
March 15.

19 -> Susan Ness Named For FCC 03/16/94 As expected,  President
Clinton nominated Susan Ness to the last open seat  on the Federal
Communications Commission.

20 -> MFS Launches Tender Offer For Centex 03/16/94 MFS
Communications,  one of the largest competitive access providers in
the US, has launched a cash tender offer for Centex Telemanagement at
$9 per  share. Competitive access providers compete for the local leg
of  long distance calls, and MFS is also involved in long-distance
data services.

21 ->  ****Power Mac - Early Users/Analysts Enthusiastic 03/16/94 Beta
testers and analysts attending the Apple Power Macintosh product
launch  in New York City said they were impressed with the new RISC-
based, cross-platform computer line's technical capabilities and
chances for market success.

22 -> Creative Technology Intros New Sound Blaster Cards 03/16/94
Creative Technology Ltd., has announced a new line of Sound Blaster
cards with lower priced and new packaging.

23 -> Iomega's 10 Ways To Prepare For Disaster 03/16/94 Disaster
preparedness took on a whole new meaning to some California companies
when the Los Angeles area was struck by a major earthquake recently.
Now one computer peripheral supplier offers some ways to avoid data
loss  in case your company is faced with such a situation.

24 -> DEC Cuts Prices Of Desktop & Notebook PCs 03/16/94 Digital
Equipment Corporation has announced price cuts of up to 20 percent on
its XL and MTE lines of PCs, notebooks, and options, including models
with such capabilities as Pentium processors,  PCI (Peripheral
Component Interconnect) buses, and PCMCIA  (Personal Computer Memory
Card International Association) slots.

25 -> Microphone LT Comms Software For Under $50 03/16/94 Software
Ventures has come up with a "lite" version of its popular Macintosh
and Windows telecommunications package -- Microphone LT --  which has
a suggested retail price of $49.95.   "It is aimed at Macintosh
communicators who are frustrated by  shareware-grade communications
software, but are unable to  afford the price tag typically associated
with higher-end products,"  says David Hindawi, Software Ventures'
president.

26 -> Orchid Files $30 Million Counter Suit Against Creative 03/16/94
The continuing  court battles of the audio card market players have
deepened with  a $30 million counter suit of Creative Technology,
maker of Sound  Blaster audio card, by Orchid Technology.

27 -> Adaptec Intros Entry-level SCSI Host Adapters For SOHO 03/16/94
Driven by a  need to handle greater amounts of data being delivered by
CD-ROM  drives, hard drives, DAT (digital audio tape) drives, scanners
and  new applications, Adaptec has announced their Altra line of
entry- level SCSI (small computer system interface) host adapters in
two different kits for single-users and the SOHO (small office,  home
office) environment.

28 ->  ****Adobe & Aldus To Merge 03/16/94 The  two 10-year old
companies that lead the desktop publishing  industry have announced
that they will merge. Adobe Systems Inc., and Aldus Corp., said the
stock-swap merger worth about  $525 million will create a new company
with estimated annual  revenues of more than $500 million.

29 -> Handheld PCs To Grow Faster Worldwide Than In US 03/16/94 Sales
of "smart" handheld devices like Apple's Newton, BellSouth's Simon,
and Motorola's Envoy will grow more quickly in Europe, the Pacific
Rim, and Latin America than in US markets over the next five years,
says a new survey by International Data Corporation's LINK Resources.

30 -> ARPA Awards $11 Million For "Smart Antenna" Project 03/16/94 The
Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) has
given  three California companies grants to create wireless technology
for next-generation telephones.

(Ian Stokell/19940316)