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/nb041194

Text File | 1994-04-11 | 105KB | 2,235 lines

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00001)

Japan - Matsushita Starts 3DO Sales 04/11/94
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- Matsushita Electric has begun to
actively promote sales of The Real, its latest multimedia player
which operates to the 3DO standard.

Plans are in hand to ship the machine in the UK and Canada, although
Newsbytes notes that, in Japan at least, sales of the machine have
been slow. Newsbytes understands that the 3DO machine launched in
the US last October is also experiencing sluggish sales.

Interestingly, Matsushita had originally pencilled in a mid-March
launch date for Japan, but the launch was been held up while
executives re-evaluated the machine's pricing in the market. As a
result, the launch price is $200 lower than previously expected.

Despite the price cut, interest in The Real is not overwhelming and
below the company's expectations. Analysts suggest this is due
to the slow economy in Japan as well as a general lack of
software for 3DO machines.

To help things along, Matsushita has been working with a number of
third party software houses to encourage the development of software
for The Real. The fruits of this are now starting to appear, with 21
packages currently available for the machine and more on their way.

Now that the system has got a small portfolio of starter software,
Matsushita is advertising The Real on TV. No expense seems to have
been spared, with the electronics giant taking up long advertising
space on TV in order to get the message about the 3DO technology
across to consumers. One of the ads features Albert Einstein playing
a game on the Real.

Over in the US, Matsushita is reported to be working steadily to
increase the number of outlets for the system. Currently, around
2,000 dealers handle the machine -- Matsushita says it want to
increase this to 15,000 outlets by the end of the year and has
been talking to Sears and Walmart about possible dealerships.

Matsushita has also confirmed plans to launch The Real in Canada and
the UK this coming fall, when users will be able to enjoy a wide
range of software, including games, educational, laser disk movies
and the inevitable karaoke packages.

Newsbytes understands that The Real will plug into most standard TV
sets for those users without a monitor. A key selling point of the
system is its ability to play ordinary audio compact discs.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19940411/Press Contact: Matsushita
Electric, [phone], Fax, [phone])


(EDITORIAL)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00002)

Editorial - And The Winner Is... 04/11/94
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- By Kennedy Maize.
And the winner is... my retirement account!

Thanks to the many readers who responded to my plea for help
on whether I should upgrade my antiquated but still
serviceable computer system.

By a 7-1 margin, Newsbytes' readers made a clear statement: put the
money into savings and wait out the current confusion in the
hardware market.

The exercise has reaffirmed my confidence in the basic sensibility
of Newsbytes' readers, because I had independently decided that the
best course of action was shoving the money into the individual
retirement account. The fundamental message you sent was, let the
hardware market shake down a bit before you leap into new
technology.

Several readers also posed the question in a way that raises the
fundamental issue: is what you are using your computer for today
satisfactory? Are you getting out of your computer the work you
need? And the answer to that question is yes, I really don't need
anything more than what I have now with my 386/486 (its a Cyrix
upgrade), with 4 megabytes (MB) of RAM and 85MB of hard drive,
running a few DOS applications, including PC Write and Sidekick 2
and InfoSelect in memory.

Clearly, Windows is in my future, simply because not much
interesting software is being written for DOS. For example, the
latest Quattro Pro for DOS is pretty good, but not as good as the
Windows version.

But in the meantime, the DOS applications I have work just fine,
allowing me to do my job with ease. So I'll stick with them and
with my still adequate but boring hardware.

On the other hand, several readers made persuasive pitches to
upgrade. There were suggestions to damn the torpedoes and go full
speed ahead toward the Pentium solution: superfast chip, OS/2
operating system, mucho applications. Others argued for the Power
PC path, especially for the Power Mac.

I must admit that I am drawn strongly in the Mac direction. I've
worked in CP/M, DOS, Windows, and Mac environments, and have a lot
of respect for the Mac approach the world of computing. It is, I
believe, a superior operating system. But I'm not a Mac evangelist.
DOS works just fine.

Until recently, the Mac environment was also dramatically more
expensive than the world of DOS and Windows. As a result, I have a
major investment in DOS and Windows software, which serves my needs,
and I don't want to run it in emulation, which I understand is
another way to spell s-l-o-w. Faster is better every time.

So, in the final analysis, I'm going to keep on keeping on with
my somewhat geriatric but serviceable Zeos system, while I watch
the world evolve.

But I must confess (and this from someone who read hot rod
magazines as a kid) that I really covet one of those hot shot,
megaMIPS systems. It's not about practicality. Maybe it's a guy
thing, testosterone making itself felt. But I still want a
rocketship.

Maybe after I get my retirement funded, I'll go for that computing
equivalent of a dragster: 64MB of RAM, 2 gigabytes (GB) of hard
drive, a megabyte of cache memory, high speed video, triple speed CD
ROM, 64 bit stereo sound, speech synthesis, and a quarter mile time
of under 10 seconds. Screeeeeeeeeeeeech!

(Kennedy Maize/19940411)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00003)

IBM Japan Transfers Optical Disc Production To SE Asia 04/11/94
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- IBM Japan has announced plans to
transfer production of its optical discs to Southeast Asian plants.
The move forms part of the Big Blue's major restructuring plan.

As part of the restructuring, Newsbytes notes that IBM has ended its
early retirement program, which is known as the Second Carrier
program. The program, according to Big Blue sources in Japan, ended
earlier this year.

IBM Japan is currently manufacturing optical discs at its Fujisawa
plant in Kanagawa Prefecture. These optical disks are shipped to IBM
group companies in other countries, as well as offered to
third party companies on an original equipment manufacturer (OEM)
basis.

The main reason for transferring production overseas seems to have
been the appreciation of the yen against other currencies. Although
this is good for Japan generally, it does make the country's exports
more expensive and, as a result, overseas production becomes cheaper
for products destined for export sales.

Under the restructuring plan, IBM Japan will send its engineers to
Malaysia, and will start producing 3.5-inch optical discs at the
Malaysian plants this June. Big Blue also plans to transfer 5.25-
inch optical disc production to Asian facilities this year.

IBM Japan has already undergone major restructuring. One of
the major changes has been the early retirement plan. Under this
plan, about 3,000 staff have left IBM since early last year.
According to IBM Japan, the firm's early retirement plan was
successful. It is reported that IBM Japan expects to save around 15
billion yen ($150 million) on salaries as a direct result of the
plan in this year alone.

Although IBM Japan suffered from a major financial loss -- $235
million loss -- in fiscal 1993, officials are confident that the
worst is now over, and the firm will move back into the black his
year.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19940411/Press Contact: IBM Japan, +81-
3-5563-4310, Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00004)

Windows World Expo Tokyo Preview 04/11/94
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- Windows World Expo Tokyo will be
held at Japan Convention Center in Chiba, Makuhari between June 15
and 17 this year. IDG World Expo Japan, the event's organizer, has
announced that it will be the largest show of its type this year.

In parallel with the show, which is the third in an annual series, a
number of conferences are planned. The number of exhibitors,
Newsbytes understands, will almost be double that of previous years
-- last year there were 109 firms exhibiting; this year there are
204 firms taking up an impressive 942 booths.

IDG estimates that a total of 80,000 people will visit the show
during its three-day run. Besides major participating firms such as
Microsoft, NEC and Fujitsu, 12 overseas firms are also participating
-- they include Information Resources Japan, Corel, Progress
Software, Media Vision, SoftWinds, Netmanage (Forval Creative),
Pacific Software Publishing, Buslogic and Uni Precision Industrial.

Plans call for the exhibition to focus on the latest versions of
software for Windows 3.1, including word processors, spreadsheet
programs and database programs. Also, visitors will be able to get a
peek at future Microsoft products, including the already famous
Chicago.

The parallel conferences to the show will operate under three main
themes: Trends & Technical, Corporate Systems and Multimedia.
Several noted speakers will talk along these themes. Among several
other noteworthies, Microsoft's senior vice president, Paul Maritz,
will talk about "Microsoft's Technology Strategy" on Windows 3.1,
Windows NT, Chicago, and Cairo. He will talk about the firm's
strategy for the next five years.

PC World's Phil Lemmons, meanwhile, will talk about "Latest Personal
Computer Trends in the US," while Microsoft's Windows NT Program
Manager Mark Ryland will talk on the technology in "Chicago &
Cairo."

Other conference topics will include Intel's Strategy on Pentium,
PCI technology, and Plug & Play. Authorware's developer, Michael
Allen, will talk about multimedia, while the information super-
highway will form part of the topic under discussion from Jonathan
Epstein of Multimedia World magazine.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19940411/Press Contact: IDG World
Expo Japan, [phone], Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00005)

IBM Execs Investigated Over Election Contributions 04/11/94
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- The Federal Election
Commission is investigating political contributions made by former
IBM Chairman John Akers and a number of other IBM executives, which
may have violated rules on corporate donations.

The donations reportedly were made to the campaign of former
President George Bush late in 1991, following a fund-raising
dinner hosted by Akers. They were made by senior IBM executives
and apparently solicited by Akers.

Corporations cannot make contributions to federal election
campaigns directly, though employees and officers of corporations
can do so. The FEC is apparently concerned with whether IBM used
its corporate resources in an improper way to gather
contributions for the Bush campaign.

IBM has acknowledged the existence of the investigation in a proxy
statement issued March 10, a copy of which Newsbytes has obtained.
It states that the FEC notified IBM of the investigation in November
of 1992, and that the FEC said it "was investigating whether IBM
resources or personnel were improperly utilized in the fund-raising
effort in violation of federal election laws and regulations
governing the activities of federal contractors."

IBM said it had responded to the FEC, and denied any wrongdoing. The
proxy said IBM had not been informed of the investigation's outcome.

Spokespeople at the FEC's press office said they could comment only
on investigations which are closed, and they had no record of an
investigation of IBM having been closed. This means, Newsbytes
concludes, that the investigation is still ongoing.

(Grant Buckler/19940411/Press Contact: Rob Wilson, IBM, 914-965-
6565; Kelly Huff, Federal Election Commission, 202-219-3440)


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

Phar Lap Desktop For Windows 04/11/94
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- Phar Lap
Software will this week begin shipping FrontRunner, a desktop
package for Microsoft's Windows. According to Phar Lap, FrontRunner
adds features to the DOS box in Windows and blurs the boundary
between Windows and DOS applications.

As a replacement for the standard DOS box in Windows, FrontRunner
will let users run Windows programs directly from the DOS prompt,
the company said. It will also let them scroll back and forth
through the DOS session, as well as copy and paste or print any
part of the session.

FrontRunner can also serve as a replacement for Windows' Program
Manager, explained John Benfatto, vice-president of the company.
It provides a launch bar from which users can launch both Windows
and DOS applications.

"It has all the functionality of the Program Manager inside it,"
Benfatto said, and he added that PC users who are accustomed to DOS
are likely to find FrontRunner more comfortable than the Program
Manager. "What we tried to do is kind of blur all the lines" between
native Windows applications and DOS programs, he told Newsbytes.

The package also offers Visual Batch Language Extensions for DOS,
which Phar Lap said will let users create visual front ends for
their DOS batch files.

FrontRunner is due to begin shipping worldwide on April 12,
Benfatto said. The list price is $139. Free demonstration disks
are available from the vendor.

(Grant Buckler/19940411/Press Contact: John Benfatto, Phar Lap,
617-661-1510, fax [phone]; Public Contact: Phar Lap,
800-292-9622/PHOTO)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00007)

Compaq To Double Singapore Manufacturing 04/11/94
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- Compaq Computer
Corporation has announced it will spend more than $50 million to
increase the manufacturing capacity of its Singapore facility.

The new facility adjacent to the existing plant is expected to be
operational in early 1996 and will add eight manufacturing
lines for laptop and desktop personal computers, a warehouse,
distribution and service center, and administrative offices. The
plant also builds printed circuit board assemblies.

Recently, Newsbytes reported the $10.5 million expansion of Compaq's
facilities in Erskine, Scotland, a $20 million investment in the
Houston facilities, and the establishment of a new manufacturing
plant in San Paulo, Brazil. The company opened a 70,000-square-foot
plant with one central processing unit (CPU) line and three printed
circuit board lines in Shenzhen, China in July 1993.

Compaq says that the present 360,000-square-foot Singapore plant
employs more than 2,000 people and operates around the clock seven
days a week. The expansion will bring the facility up to over
730,000 square feet.

Tan Chin Nam, managing director of Singapore's Economic Development
Board, calls Compaq "a major player in Singapore's computer
systems industry."

(Jim Mallory/19940411/Press contact: Linda Parsons, Compaq Computer
Corporation, 713-374-0484; Reader contact: Compaq Computer
Corporation, 800-345-1518 or 713-374-1459)


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

Micron 90MHz Pentium Systems 04/11/94
NAMPA, IDAHO, U.S.A., 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- Micron Computer has
announced a line of Pentium-based desktop systems it says are
designed for users with advanced graphics and memory intensive
applications such as computer-aided design (CAD), multimedia, and
desktop publishing.

The basic configuration of Micron's P90PCI Powerstation includes
eight megabytes (MB) of system memory, a 256 kilobyte (K) write-back
cache, a 420MB hard drive , and a PCI graphics accelerator with 2MB of
video memory. Buyers also get a 14-inch color monitor, a double-speed
CD-ROM drive, Microsoft DOS 6.2, Microsoft Windows for Workgroups
3.11, and Microsoft Office 4.2 on CD-ROM.

Microsoft Office includes Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft
Powerpoint presentation graphics, and Microsoft Mail. The base
system has a suggested retail price of $2,999. The P90PCI is
available in a desktop or minitower case.

Options include additional system memory up to 192MB, 512K write
back cache, hard drives with as much as two gigabytes (GB) of
storage capacity, and a 17-inch color monitor. The top of the line
P90PCI has a suggested retail price of $6,899.

(Jim Mallory/19940411/Press contact: Pete Scamardo, Micron
Computer, 208-465-3434; Reader contact: Micron Computer,
208-465-3434)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00009)

 ****Rasterops Out Of Printer Business, Sells To Tektronix 04/11/94
WILSONVILLE, OREGON, U.S.A., 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- Printer maker
Tektronix has announced that its Graphics Printing and Imaging
Division (GPID) has purchased Rasterops' color printer business.
Rasterops, known for its high-end monitor line for the Apple Computer
Macintosh, says it is getting out of the printer business.

Santa Clara, California-based Rasterops is selling its printer
inventory as well as its customer support and service of the
installed printer user base, but terms of the transaction were
not disclosed. Bob Anderson, senior vice president of worldwide
sales and services for Rasterops, said: "We believe that the
dynamics of the color printer market are incompatible with our
strategic plan. We selected Tektronix because of their leadership
in the dye sublimation color printer market."

The deal, effective today, turns over the Correctprinter 300i dye
sublimation color printers and supplies to Tektronix, which will
begin immediately handling all printer products, service, and
support. Tektronix is offering a simple and free conversion kit to
make its printer supplies compatible with the Correctprint 300i.

All that is necessary to get the conversion kit is to contact
Tektronix. Company officials told Newsbytes it will probably be
easiest for users to order the kit when ordering replacement supplies
for the Correctprint 300i.

Tektronix is encouraging Rasterops Correctprint 300i users to
convert their 300i models to Tektronix Phaser IISDX. Both the
Correctprint 300i and the IISDX are based on the Sharp printer
engine. Tektronix claims that the IISDX offers better color output
and higher processing speeds as well as offering Adobe Postscript
Level 2 software compatibility and network compatibility. The
conversion or upgrade kit will be available in July of this year for
$2,995. A one-year, on-site technical support warranty is offered
with the upgrade kit.

Tektronix may be contacted by mail, via an technical 800 support
number for US users, by phone by those outside the US, and via a
fax-back line at the company's 24-hour Highly Automated Library (HAL).

Wilsonville, Oregon-headquartered Tektronix was founded in 1946
and has operations in 23 countries outside the United States. The
company describes itself as ranking 305th in the Fortune 500 with
revenues of 1.3 billion in fiscal 1993.

(Linda Rohrbough/19940411/Press Contact: Jennifer Jones, Tektronix
Graphics Printing and Imaging Division, tel [phone], fax 503-
682-3408; Anne-Lise Stannard, Rasterops, 408-562-4200; Public
Contact: Tektronix, P.O. Box 1000, MS 63-583, Wilsonville, OR 97070;
Technical Support, US 800-835-6100; Support Worldwide, tel 503-682-
7377; Fax Back Via HAL 503-682-7450)


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

 ****Wordperfect Launches 19 New Main Street Products 04/11/94
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- Less than two weeks after it
was acquired by Novell Corporation, Wordperfect has launched its
first attack on Microsoft's dominance of the software market,
announcing 19 new educational, entertainment, and productivity
software programs as part of its Main street software line.

Entertainment products include a CD-ROM-based animated series for
children age four to 10, and multimedia singalong software for kids
and adults that includes a microphone. Children's songs include
Itsy, Bitsy Spider, Pop! Goes The Weasel, and Bingo. For adults,
offerings include New York, New York, Wild Thing, and We Will Rock
You.

For personal productivity Wordperfect is offering grammar checking,
a dictionary, word processing, personal information management, fax
and data communications, spreadsheets, databases and graphics
programs. Later this year the company says it will offer
educational products that focus on reading, writing and math.

Wordperfect's grammar program is Grammatik, and it says it will
ship version 6 for DOS and Microsoft Windows in May and a version
for Apple Computer's Macintosh platform in September. The new
version will include sentence rewriting (the software offers
alternative examples of the user's sentence), improved statistics
to make sure users are writing on the level of their target
audience, and a more usable grammar checking style.

The personal information manager to be offered is Wordperfect
InfoCentral 1.0 for Windows. Users can use the outline view to
connect items to other items. A calendar view is available to
schedule meetings. InfoCentral comes with several databases,
including wines of the world and a directory of computer hardware
and software companies.

Wordperfect will go head-to-head with Microsoft Works with its
Wordperfect Works, a software suite that includes a word processor,
database, spreadsheet, communication, and paint and draw
applications. The Windows version will ship in May, with DOS and Mac
versions available now.

Also being offered is ExpressFax+ for Windows, a low-end fax program
that includes optical character recognition (OCR) that will ship
later this year.

Other items in the Main Street line include Letterperfect for
Macintosh and DOS platforms, a clip art collection on CD-ROM for
Windows and the Mac, and some clip art designed specifically for
children.

Main Street products have suggested retail prices of $29 to $149
in the US and $35 to $179 in Canada. The Main Street offerings were
developed in partnership with Infogrames S.A., Megatoon
Entertainment Group, Tune 1000 Corporation, Waterford Institute and
Random House Publishing.

(Jim Mallory/19940411/Press contact: Blake Stowell, Wordperfect
Corporation, 801-228-5063; Reader contact: Wordperfect
Corporation, 801-225-5000, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00011)

Cray Develops Cray-4 - Cash Low, Time To Buy Stock? 04/11/94
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- With cash
running low and not a single order on the books for its Cray-3
supercomputer, Cray Computer Corporation has revealed it is working
on the Cray-4, the company's next generation supercomputer.

Reclusive computer genius and company founder Seymour Cray is
apparently an optimist. The company, formed as a spinoff from Cray
Research Corporation, acknowledges that it hasn't received a single
order for a Cray 3 system yet and only has enough cash to sustain
operations through next month. However an employee said that
engineers are working overtime on the design of the new system and
are buying company stock. That report could not be confirmed.

The company told Newsbytes that the Cray-4 will increase the logic
density of the gallium arsenide integrated circuits tenfold over the
Cray-3 technology. The clock speed has been doubled to one billion
cycles per second, and some changes in the architecture will improve
performance in some of the operations performed by the computer.

Other improvements include doubling the maximum memory size and
quadrupling the maximum number of processors. The smallest air-
cooled Cray-4 will have four processors and 256 million words of
memory in a single cabinet. Cray believes a prototype system will be
ready before the end of 1994 -- if the money holds out.

Cray has one demonstration Cray-3 running at the National Center for
Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado but has not received any
money yet for that system. The company recently hired Chuck
Breckenridge, a former Cray Research executive, as its executive
vice president of marketing.

Cray Computer Corporation was originally funded for $98.6 million when
Seymour Cray thought he could built a faster computer using gallium
arsenide chips. However he ran into quality control problems with the
chips provided by a vendor, so Cray opened his own foundry in Colorado
Springs.

Problems compounded when the Lawrence Livermore Laboratories
National Energy Research Supercomputer Center pulled out of its $30
million Cray-3 contract after Cray missed an important demonstration
milestone. With no income, the company has reported losses of about
$11 million each quarter.

In early 1992 Cray scaled back the Cray-3 from the originally
designed 16-processor system to smaller computers using four and
eight processors. In June 1993 additional funding was obtained
through the sale of nearly 13 million shares of stock, much of it
purchased by Seymour Cray.

(Jim Mallory/19940411/Press and reader contact: Cray Computer
Corporation, 719-579-6464, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00012)

Networking Roundup 04/11/94
PENN VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- This is a
regular feature, summarizing networking news not covered elsewhere
by Newsbytes in the past week: Control Data Systems, Siemens
Stromberg-Carlson, Data General, Comdisco, Trinzic, Madge Networks,
Hughes LAN Systems, and Wollongong.

Control Data Systems (612-482-4319) has announced that Mail-Hub, the
company's electronic messaging integration product, now supports HP
OpenView -- a multivendor Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
network management system for OSI (Open Systems Interconnection)-
and TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)-based
networks from Hewlett Packard.

Control Data said it envisions using the management capabilities of
HP OpenView to create a "highly integrated, customized management
interface for large enterprise networks found in environments such
as scientific, manufacturing, and financial. The interface would
coordinate the operation of tools that handle the various management
requirements of Mail-Hub, including specialized directory user
agents (DUAs) that manage set-up and configuration, other DUAs that
manage administration, and SNMP that manages the day-to-day
operations.

Mail-Hub with HP OpenView support is available immediately,
with pricing based on the number of users in an organization and the
types of services needed. A basic Mail-Hub "backbone," which
includes X.400, SMTP and X.500 directory synchronization, plus two
PC mail gateways, ranges from $21,000 to $54,000 in the US.

Siemens Stromberg-Carlson, (407-955-6706), has announced a non-
blocking, second generation ATM (asynchronous transfer mode)
backbone switch, called the EWSXpress 3100 ATM Core Switch. The
company says that the new switch, when combined with Siemens
Stromberg-Carlson Cell Switching Systems already in service, will
enable telephone companies and carriers to offer broadband
application interconnection services across an ATM network. The new
EWSXpress 3100 system can be deployed in as small a size as 16
ports, and can grow in 16 port increments. The switch is fully
duplicated and fully redundant.

Meanwhile, Data General (508-898-6546) has joined the Fast Ethernet
Alliance, a multi-vendor group focused on developing specifications
for 100 megabit CSMA/CD Ethernettechnology. The Fast Ethernet
Alliance now has more than 30 members, and has submitted its
proposed specifications for 100 megabits-per-second (Mbps) Ethernet
for consideration by the IEEE 802 standards committees.

The focus of the alliance is to reportedly to provide interoperable
specifications for wiring that allows network administrators the
flexibility to choose between Category 3, 4, or 5 UTP, Type 1 STP
and fiber-optic cables. Fast Ethernet Alliance 100 BASE-T
specifications are available free of charge by calling the Fast
Ethernet Alliance hotline at 503-226-8247.

Comdisco (708-518-5618) says it will integrate Trinzic's (617-891-
6500), InfoHub middleware software technology in a new family of
client/server "solutions" it expects to introduce later this year.
The InfoHub technology will be marketed by Comdisco as part of an
integrated combination of hardware, software, and services that
reportedly will provide companies high-speed access between mainframe
and Unix-based applications. Trinzic claims that its products --
which include InfoHub, InfoPump, Forest & Trees, KBMS, Aion
Development System (AionDS), and Intellect -- allow customers to
build, integrate and implement applications in a client/server
architecture.

Madge Networks (408-383-1355) claims that, in response to market
demand for higher performance and simplified configuration and
setup, it has announced and shipped its next-generation ISA
(Industry Standard Architecture)-bus adapter for workgroup servers
and workstations, the Smart 16/4 AT Plus Ringnode adapter.

Included with the product is the latest version of Smart LAN Support
Software (LSS), which includes Fastmac Plus and Smart Software
drivers together with advanced diagnostic and configuration
utilities. The Smart 16/4 AT Plus Ringnode is available now for the
suggested list price of US $685 or C$895. All Ringnode products are
covered by a full five-year hardware warranty

Hughes LAN Systems (415-966-7460) and Hewlett-Packard (719-531-4429)
have announced a joint development effort to produce, what the
companies claim is the first integrated multi-port probe for hubs.

Hughes has also announced a new set of network management
applications for HP's Unix-based OpenView platform. Hughes says
that, as part of the joint development effort, it will incorporate
HP's LanProbe II segment monitor into its Enterprise Hub.

The new Hughes Enterprise Probe will reportedly simplify
the management of distributed networks and reduce maintenance costs
by enabling network managers to monitor and control all segments of
an enterprise hub network from a centralized management station
without the cost of a separate probe for each segment, claims the
company.

The Hughes 20/20 Enterprise Hub Manager for HP's OpenView Unix
platform will be priced at $5,995 and will be available in the
fourth calendar quarter of 1994. Pricing for the Enterprise Probe
Ethernet Module will be about $2,000, while the Token Ring Module
will be priced at approximately $3,000. The DOS-version of the
Enterprise Probe software will be priced at $4,500. All the
Enterprise Probe products will be available in the fourth calendar
quarter of 1994.

Wollongong (415-962-7156), and Data General have announced an OEM
(original equipment manufacturer) agreement to bundle PathWay
Runtime, Wollongong's TCP/IP transport stack and PathWay Client NFS
for DOS/Windows systems with AV Image, Data General's line of
document imaging products, and PathWay Runtime with AV onGo, a suite
of enterprise-wide office information software.

The firms also say that the agreement provides for Data General to
market Wollongong's PathWay product line on DOS/Windows systems
through its sales channels either as options to AV Image and AV
onGo, or as stand-alone products. The PathWay product line
reportedly includes Runtime, Client NFS, and Access.

(Ian Stokell/19940411)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00013)

Company Results Roundup 04/11/94
PENN VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- This is a
regular feature, summarizing company results not reported elsewhere
by Newsbytes: Advanced Micro Devices, Information Resources,
Superconductor Technologies, Western Digital, PhoneTel Technologies,
Alpha Microsystems, and All American Semiconductor.

The reason for Intel's fierce, ongoing defence of its semiconductor
market has been highlighted again as one of its main competitors,
Advanced Micro Devices, has continued to post huge profits.
Meanwhile, Information Resources estimates that first quarter 1994
earnings are down from last year. Increased revenue comes from
Superconductor Technologies, Western Digital, and telecom firm
PhoneTel. Fourth quarter revenue was relatively flat compared to
last year for Alpha, while sales were up for All American's latest
quarter.

As a result of an increase in sales of the company's Am486
microprocessors, Advanced Micro Devices, (408-749-3310), reported
record sales, record operating income and record net income for the
first quarter of 1994. On revenues of $513,080,000 the company
reported operating income of $121,528,000 and net income of
$84,587,000 before the preferred stock dividend, or $0.85 per common
share after the dividend.

In the immediate-prior quarter, AMD reported revenues of
$413,404,000 which resulted in operating income of $54,957,000 and
net income of $41,639,000 before the preferred stock dividend, or
$0.41 per common share after the dividend. In the first quarter of
1993 AMD reported revenues of $407,433,000, operating income of
$83,043,000 and net income of $61,451,000. After the preferred stock
dividend, quarterly net income amounted to $0.63 per common share.

Information Resources (312-726-1221) estimates that its earnings for
the first quarter 1994 would be approximately $.10 per share,
compared to $.22 for the 1993 first quarter. The company attributed
the first quarter decline from last year's earnings to increased
price competition in the domestic information business that,
supposedly, limited its ability to win new clients; a delay in the
roll out of new Windows versions of its decision support software;
and "slightly higher than anticipated" losses in its international
information operations.

The company has revised its operating and investment strategies for
the year, and established 1994 earnings objectives of $.65 per
share. The Chicago-based company provides a variety of information
and software services.

Superconductor Technologies (805-683-7646), announced a 27 percent
increase in revenue for the year which ended December 31, 1993.
Revenue in fiscal 1993 totaled $5,002,000, up from total revenue of
$3,951,000 in 1992. The company decreased its operating loss to
$2,138,000, or 42 cents per share, in 1993, as compared with an
operating loss of $2,817,000, or 68 cents, in 1992.

For the fourth quarter which ended Dec. 31, 1993, Superconductor
Technologies earned $1,324,000, compared with $1,563,000 in 1992.
Net losses for the period was $497,000 in 1993, compared with a net
loss of $443,000 for the fourth quarter in 1992. The company is a
commercial supplier of high-temperature superconductor (HTS)
products for the medical imaging, communications, high-speed
computing and aerospace electronics markets.

Western Digital Corporation (714-932-7834), a designer and
manufacturer of hard disk drives, integrated circuits and graphics
controller board-level products, reported a net income of $28.4
million, or primary earnings per share of $.64 and fully diluted
earnings per share of $.61, for its third fiscal quarter ended March
26, 1994, compared with net income of $1.6 million, or $.05 per
share, in its third quarter of fiscal 1993.

The company reported revenue of $421 million for the third quarter
of fiscal 1994, a 29 percent increase from revenue of $325.4 million
in the year-ago quarter. The company says that its third quarter
report represented the highest levels of revenue, net profits and
earnings per share in its history. For the first nine months of
fiscal 1994, the company posted net income of $35.8 million, or
primary earnings per share of $.91 and fully diluted earnings per
share of $.88, on revenue of $1.07 billion, versus net income of
$12.7 million, or $.39 per share, on revenue of $940 million for the
first nine months of fiscal 1993.

On the telecommunications front, PhoneTel Technologies (216-241-
2555) reported that fourth quarter and annual revenues grew 28.0
percent and 57.0 percent respectively in 1993, to a record
$3,265,618 for the quarter and $11,069,517 for the year compared
with $2,546,179 and $7,066,829 for the comparable periods in 1992.
The firm reported a loss for the fourth quarter of 1993 of $193,574
or approximately $0.03 per common share compared to income of
$125,727, or about $0.03 per common share in 1992.

The net loss for the year ended December 31, 1993 was $778,875, or
$0.10 per common share as compared to $783,005, or $0.19 per common
share in 1992. Earnings before income taxes, depreciation and
amortization rose from $58,222 in 1992 to $117,166 in 1993. PhoneTel
provides operator assisted long distance services, owns and operates
pay telephones nationally and provides telecommunication consulting
services to businesses of developers.

Alpha Microsystems, a designer, developer and integrator of business-
oriented computer systems and software, networking products and
peripherals, (714-252-8440), reported revenue of $9.8 million with
net income of $103,000, or 2 cents per share, for its fourth quarter
ended Feb. 27, 1994, bringing revenue for the year to $39.3 million
with net income of $336,000, or 8 cents per share. For the fourth
quarter of the previous year revenue was $9.5 million, with net
income of $260,000, or 8 cents per share. The previous year's revenue
was $45 million, with a net loss of $3.7 million, or $1.25 loss per
share.

All American Semiconductor (305-621-8282), a national distributor of
electronic components, announced that unaudited sales for the first
quarter of 1994 exceeded $23 million, claimed to be the largest
revenues for a quarter in the firm's history. The figures represent
more than a 65 percent increase over net sales of $13.8 million for
the first quarter of 1993.

Announcing the results, Bruce M. Goldberg, executive vice president,
said: "We are extremely pleased to have exceeded our previous record
by more than $4 million with significant growth in almost every
territory. The best news is that our backlog at the end of the first
quarter exceeds $30 million, $6 million larger than our backlog at
the end of 1993."

"To assure that future growth will be efficient and well managed, we
are now beginning to make significant new investments in expanded
plant capacity and computer and communication capabilities as well
as more automated inventory and warehousing systems," he said.

(Ian Stokell/19940410)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(00014)

50 Laid Off As Intuit Buys Best Tax Division 04/11/94
RESTON, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- Some 50 employees have
received pink slips following Best Programs's sale of its tax
preparation software to Intuit for approximately $6.5 million. Under
the deal, Intuit will offer to convert Best's 10,000 users of Master
Tax and Tax Partner to its Turbo Tax professional series.

About 100 employees in Best's customer support center in
Fredericksburg, Va., will get jobs with Intuit, based in Menlo Park,
Calif. "The addition of the Fredericksburg facility and its
experienced staff will assure a seamless transition in the short run
and significantly increase Intuit's customer service capacity in the
professional market for the long haul," explained Bill Harris,
Intuit's executive vice president.

The 50 employees Best laid off are unlikely to get other offers at
the company, spokeswoman Dorothy Webb told Newsbytes. "They were all
in the tax development team," she said, "so there is no place for
them here."

The sale of the tax business marks another move by Intuit to expand
and shore up markets for its software. It's hot selling Quicken line
of personal finance software is frequently on the best seller lists
and the company had sales of $121 million in the year ended
September 30. Last December, Intuit bought out Chipsoft for $225
million. Chipsoft developed the Turbo Tax line, as well as MacinTax,
both the best-selling tax software packages in their fields.

The sale of its tax division will see Best focusing on business
management software. Best markets fixed asset accounting software
under the names FAS1000 and FAS2000 and human resources management
software under the Abra line. It also markets the popular MYOB
personal finance software and Best Books, a small business
accounting program.

"Today, we have more than 80,000 small businesses using our
accounting programs and 30,000 subscribers in larger businesses
nationwide using our fixed asset and human resources software," said
James Peterson, Best chairman. "With the entire company now focusing
on these markets, I expect that Best revenues will grow in excess of
35 percent annually."

Best was one of the first entries into tax preparation software
on personal computers with its Tax Cut program in the mid 1980s.
Best eventually sold that to Mecca where it is marketed as Andrew
Tobias Tax Cut.

It is no accident that the Intuit-Best deal comes in mid-April.
"The timing of the sale is such that no changes will occur until
after tax season," said Intuit's Harris, "limiting customer
disruption and providing ample time for familiarization with the
product line."

Those Best customers who choose to move to Turbo Tax will not
only get help from Intuit, the company said, but also data
conversion tools to make the move happen as smoothly as possible.

(Kennedy Maize/19940411/Contacts: Dorothy Webb, Best Programs,
tel [phone] ext. 3290; Intuit, Debra Kelley, tel 619-453-
4446)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00015)

US Justice Dept Settles With Dynamics Research 04/11/94
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A. 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- Dynamics Research of
Andover, Mass., will pay the US government $1.79 million, settling a
lawsuit charging that the firm submitted false claims on a contract
to provide the centralized data system for the F-16 aircraft.

Dynamics Research won the $62 million, five-year contract in 1984.
After an investigation by the Defense Criminal Investigative
Service, part of the Defense Department, the Justice Department's
civil division brought charges against the company.

According to the government's complaint, Dynamics Research failed
to pass on volume discounts and other bargain basement prices to
the government from computer equipment vendors. For example, said
the Justice Department, one vendor discounted its equipment by
$200,000, which Dynamics Research pocketed.

Because the company had a "sole source" contract, awarded because
there was no other contractor that could do the work, the law
required the company to disclose this sort of information to the
government. "The disclosure is required to ensure the government
does not overpay for goods and services," says a Justice Department
news release.

The complaint said Dynamics Research overcharged the government
by about $1 million. "This case demonstrates the department's
commitment to ensuring the integrity of the government's
procurement process in the defense industry," said Assistant
Attorney General Frank Hunger of the civil division.

The computer system Dynamics Research developed allowed the US Air
Force to automate and simplify maintenance data on the F-16, one of
the service's fighter workhorses, as well as centralize information
about the aircraft.

(Kennedy Maize/19940411/Contact: Joe Krovisky, Justice
Department, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(BOS)(00016)

Interactive TV In 20 US Cities By Fall 04/11/94
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- Interactive
Networks (IN) plans to roll out its interactive TV technology to
the top 20 or 25 markets in the US by August or September,
officials said at Compass '94 in Boston.

The Mountain View, California-based company -- which has Tele-
Communications Incorporated (TCI), NBC, Gannett, and AC Nielsen as
major shareholders -- is also working with outside electronics
manufacturers toward the goal of integrating its interactive
technology within TV sets, noted Peter Sealey, president and COO, in
an interview with Newsbytes at the conference.

Already available on a commercial basis in the Sacramento/San
Francisco, Chicago, and South Bend, Indiana areas, IN's services now
provide subscribers with a wireless laptop set for playing along
with sports events, game shows, and other TV fare, and for voicing
their views in real-time polls.

Also at the Compass '94 show in Boston, Stu Segal, VP of interactive
marketing, told Newsbytes that IN will expand its services into
Dallas and Pittsburgh later this spring, and into all of the top 20
or 25 US markets by this coming September, including Boston, Los
Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC.

IN's interactive services allow subscribers to predict the plays in
professional and college sports events. and to compete with the
contestants in game shows like "Jeopardy," "Family Feud," and "Wheel
of Fortune."

IN has also developed interactive programming for soap operas,
news, documentaries, dramas such as "Murder, She Wrote" and "L.A.
Law," and educational shows like "Where in the World is Carmen San
Diego?" said Sealey, during a talk called "How Interactive TV
Works" at Compass '94.

IN's services have also been used to test jointly developed
promotions for advertisers. About 95 percent of subscribers who
interacted with the latest SuperBowl game chose to participate in
a game called the "Neon Challenge," which tested their ability to
remember ads for the Chrysler Neon car that aired during the game.

IN has previously conducted a similar test with Pepsi, and in
March, signed a contract to try out interactive commercials of
various formats and lengths with American Airlines.

IN's interactivity will ultimately extend to permitting
give-and-take between home viewers and TV talk shows like "Larry
King" and "Oprah," Sealey predicted during his presentation.

In response to questioning from the Compass '94 audience, which was
made up of advertising executives, Sealey said that sports
programming is now the "driving application" for male subscribers,
while game shows constitute the driver for females. Dramas and
situation comedies are "tougher" areas for creating interactive
programming, he maintained.

IN now has about 5000 subscribers, Sealey estimated. On average, he
added, the primary user in the subscribing household utilizes the
IN wireless set 47 minutes per day, a figure close to the 53-
minute-a-day level for VCR (video cassette recorder) users.

In a hands-on demo of IN's interactive programming for "Jeopardy"
at Compass '94, Newsbytes experimented with the laptop box, or
Control Unit, which contains a built-in processor, keypad, and LCD
(liquid crystal display).

Each question posed to contestants on the TV screen appeared on the
display of the Control Unit, as did a series of possible
answers. Like an actual subscriber, Newsbytes racked up points for
correctly answering questions ahead of the contestants on TV.

Rick Reid, sports coordinator, told Newsbytes that the wireless
sets operate off the unused portions, or "sidebands," of FM radio
stations. IN simulcasts its interactive programming alongside shows
on local cable and network TV channels.

By plugging the home phone jack into the Control Unit for a local
call, subscribers can enter their scores in a game against other
events for sports event tickets, gift certificates and other prizes
from IN, according to Reid. Results of the competitive tallies are
sent back from IN's central computer system within a few minutes.

When introducing its interactive services to new markets, IN airs
"infomercials" on local TV stations that explain the concept of
"playing along" with TV on the wireless set.

In the second half of this year, NBC plans to start identifying
programs that will work with IN's terminals by displaying
Interactive's logo at the start of the show.

Sealey told Newsbytes that two TV manufacturers are now evaluating
IN's interactive technology for possible licensing and integration
into their products at the chip level.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940411/Reader and press contact: Bill Flocco,
Adweek Seminars, 800-676-3387)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00017)

Canadian Product Launch Update 04/11/94
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- This regular feature,
appearing every Monday or Tuesday, provides further details for the
Canadian market on announcements by international companies that
Newsbytes has already covered. This week: Amdahl's new mainframes
and storage processor, IBM's new mainframes, parallel processing
systems, and server technology, Lotus ScreenCam for Windows,
WorldPlus service through AT&T affiliate Unitel.

Toronto-based Amdahl Canada has announced four new models in its
5995M series of mainframes, as well a high-performance storage
processor, the 6690 (Newsbytes, March 31). The 5995-5570M and
5995-6570M systems are to be available in Canada in the third
quarter of this year, while the 5595-10670M and the new high end of
the Amdahl line, the 5595-12670M, are due to ship in the fourth
quarter. The 6690 storage processor is due to be available in April.

IBM Canada of Markham, Ont., has joined its parent company in
announcing new System/390 models as well as the System/390 Parallel
Transaction Server and Parallel Query Server (Newsbytes, April 5),
and a new PowerParallel system model (Newsbytes, April 6). The MVS
and VM operating systems were also enhanced to provide more support
for open standards, the company said.

Pricing and availability information supplied by the company was
incomplete, but the new PowerParallel SP2 system has a base price
of C$554,000.

Lotus Development Canada of Toronto announced the immediate
availability of ScreenCam for Windows (Newsbytes, April 4), its
multimedia sound and screen capture utility. The Canadian suggested
retail price is C$105.

Unitel Communications of Toronto joined part-owner AT&T in
announcing WorldPlus communications services for business travellers
(Newsbytes, April 6). The service, which includes such features as
messaging, conference calling, information services, and itemized
billing, is to be marketed in Canada, the United States, and seven
European countries.

(Grant Buckler/19940411/Press Contact: John Challinor II, Amdahl
Canada, 416-510-3111; Jane Bargout, IBM Canada, 905-316-2262; Sue
Turnbull, IBM Canada, 905-316-3010; Marsha Connor, Lotus Canada,
416-364-8000; Carleen Carroll, Unitel, 416-345-2214; Jim Wentzell,
AT&T Canada, 416-756-5034)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00018)

Apple's New 17-Inch Monitor 04/11/94
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- Following the
recent release of a new 20-inch monitor recently, Apple Computer has
announced its Multiple Scan 17 Display, a full-page, 17-inch, color
Trinitron monitor targeted for mainstream business users in desktop
publishing, graphic design, presentations, spreadsheet analysis and
word processing.

As part of Apple's continuing bridge to the PC world, the Multiple
Scan 17 Display is Windows compatible and according to Apple, offers
the same high performance features on either platform. Company
officials say that the new monitor, featuring anti-glare and anti-
static screen coatings for reduced eye strain and more brilliant
colors, is a perfect compliment to the Power Macintosh line. Apple
resellers will be offering the Multiple Scan 17 Display for $1,069
sometime later this month.

With a virtually flat Sony Trinitron picture tube, the monitor
offers desktop ports for headphone, microphone, and mouse/keyboard
access and can be adjusted for three different color temperatures.

The higher resolution is designed for greater detail needed for page
layouts and lower resolutions meet the needs of high detail,
increased colors of presentations. Resolution from 640x480 to
1024x768 pixels is supported on the Mac and 640x480 to 1280x1024
pixels is supported on the PC side.

According to Apple, the $1,100 monitor is meets the Energy Star
regulations established by the Clinton administration for government
purchases, as well as the Swedish MPRII guidelines for electrical
and magnetic emissions. It offers plug and play compatibility with
the Power Macintosh series, the Quadra line, the Centris line, any
system using Macintosh Display Card 24AC, and all IBM/PC-compatible
computers.

(Patrick McKenna/19940411/Press Contact: Natalie Barreiro, Apple,
tel [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00019)

ImagePals 2, Image Mgt For Windows 04/11/94
TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 APRIL 11 (NB) -- Ulead Systems
has announced the shipment of ImagePals 2, a multi-feature media
management tool which offers cataloging, editing, OLE and file
management functions for video, animation, audio files and files
from any registered Windows application.

According to the company, source files can reside on a network,
compact disc (CD), Photo CD, hard disk or other media. ImagePals,
meanwhile, can import from scanners, digital cameras, video
grabbers, and Photo CDs. A built-in viewer allows previewing located
files by identifying thumbnails that mark the files.

According to Ulead, ImagePals competes with Shoebox and Kudo
ImageBrowser at a similar or lower price. Rosemary Bach, marketing
manager for Ulead, told Newsbytes: "Beyond being just a catalog of
files, ImagePals 2 features a built-in editor with special effects
filters, a global viewer, a cloning tool and an object pool of masks
and images.

"Our direct drag-and-drop to any OLE application will allow
designers the fastest means of moving an image to a presentation.
One of the special features of ImagePals is the slide show option
that can arrange images and sounds and be saved as a file," she said.

The catalog and search facilities allow users to enter custom
descriptions, create subject fields, and assign keywords to
thumbnails. More complex queries may be created and saved for later
use. ImagePals 2 provides image compression options such as JPEG,
LZW, and RLE and supports image data types from black and white to
24-bit color.

Ulead is offering ImagePals 2 at an introductory price of $129 and
registered users of earlier versions 1.0 and 1.2 are able to upgrade
for $49. Ulead is known for its PhotoStyler, VideoStudio, and Media
Studio.

(Patrick McKenna/19940411/Press Contact: Debbie Labinger, Ulead,
tel [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00020)

Personnel Changes Roundup 04/11/94
PENN VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- This is a
regular feature, summarizing personnel changes at companies not
covered elsewhere by Newsbytes: Tektronix, Taligent, Micropolis,
Legent, Computer Marketplace, Microsoft, Xerox Computer Services,
Mitek Systems, Micrografx, and Seagate Technology.

Tektronix (503-685-4038) has appointed Mr. Sang-Tae Yun
representative director of Tektronix Korea. In his new position, Yun
will report to John Vold, Tektronix vice president and president,
Pacific Operations. Yun will provide on-site support to all
Tektronix distributors in Korea and manage the day-to-day operations
of the Tektronix Korea subsidiary.

Prior to joining Tektronix, Yun was representative director of
Korean Operations for Bull Information Systems (formerly Honeywell
Information Systems Inc. and Honeywell Bull). Yun received his
bachelor of science degree in computer science from Soong-Jun
University in Seoul, Korea. He also has a masters degree in
international marketing management from the American Graduate School
of International Management (Thunderbird) in Glendale, Arizona.

Taligent (408-777-5093) has announced that Joe Beyers, 41, a 20-year
veteran of Hewlett-Packard Co., had been named corporate director of
product marketing and planning. In his new role, Beyers will be
responsible for defining and managing Taligent's product line
strategy, product marketing and promotion, and long-term product and
business planning.

He will report to Stratton Sclavos, Taligent's vice president of
worldwide marketing and sales. Beyers holds a M.S. degree in
electrical engineering and a B.S. degree in computer engineering
from the University of Illinois and is a resident of Saratoga,
Calif. Taligent is a system software company, jointly owned by Apple
Computer, Hewlett-Packard and IBM.

Disk-drive manufacturer Micropolis (818-718-5264) has named Joel A.
Appelbaum as executive vice president and general manager for the
company's Storage Systems Division (SSD), reporting to Stuart P.
Mabon, president and chairman of the company. In his new position,
Appelbaum will oversee marketing, sales, engineering and product
development for the division.

Prior to joining Micropolis, Appelbaum served as president and chief
executive officer of Univel, a joint-venture company formed by
Novell and Unix Systems Laboratories in December 1991. He has also
held senior-level management positions at AT&T's Computer Systems
Division and Bell Laboratories. Appelbaum holds a master of science
degree and a doctorate in physics from the University of Chicago.

Legent (703-708-3890) has announced the appointment of Daryll L.
Wartluft to the position of vice president and general manager,
applications and database division, responsible for the division's
management and strategic direction. Wartluft was most recently with
Groupe Bull Worldwide Information Systems, where he was vice
president, North America/Pacific (NA/P) marketing.

Before joining Groupe Bull in 1988, Wartluft worked for IBM in
a variety of management positions in systems engineering, marketing,
development, and systems management. He holds a B.S. degree in
mathematics from Marietta College in Ohio.

New and used computer equipment distributor, Computer Marketplace
(310-471-0643), appointed David Roekle to senior vice president of
the company. Roekle has been with Computer Marketplace for nine
years, advancing from sales to leader of the RISC 6000 mid-range
systems team and director of marketing. In his new capacity, Roekle
will have direct responsibility for a number of administrative areas
of the company as well.

Microsoft (800-426-9400) has announced the promotion of Deborah
Willingham to the position of vice president, Microsoft Product
Support Services. Willingham will report directly to Steve Ballmer,
executive vice president of sales and support, effective
immediately.

Willingham joined Microsoft in February 1993 as general manager of
end user support. Prior to joining Microsoft, Willingham was
director of IBM's Worldwide Manufacturing Technical Center in its
application business systems unit. She holds a bachelor's degree in
industrial and systems engineering from Georgia Institute of
Technology.

Xerox Computer Services (310-306-4000), a manufacturer of enterprise
resource planning software for discrete and repetitive
manufacturers, has added Michael Charles as new senior vice
president of sales and marketing. Prior to joining XCS, he held
positions as vice president sales development and operations and
vice president of product management and marketing for BT North
America, a subsidiary of British Telecom.

Charles was also with IBM more than 20 years in a variety of
positions. He started in computer sales in Denver and held several
marketing positions in IBM's US and European headquarters. In
addition, he served as the director of sales planning and finance in
IBM's $2 billion Northwest sales area.

Mitek Systems (619-587-9157) has announced that John F. Kessler will
join the company as president and chief executive officer, effective
April 30, 1994. John M. Thornton, chairman of Mitek Systems, is
interim president and chief executive officer. Lawrence C. Dolan,
president and chief executive officer, is taking a leave of absence
from the company for medical reasons. Dolan will remain on Mitek's
board of directors and provide consultation in support of the
company's daily business activity.

Kessler, 44, a director of Mitek Systems since August 1993, has been
vice president finance/administration and chief financial officer of
Bird Medical Technologies, a manufacturer of medical equipment. He
served in various positions at Wavetek Corp., including chief
financial officer, from 1987 to 1991. Mitek Systems is a designer,
manufacturer and marketer of neural network-based character
recognition products for intelligent forms recognition applications.

Software company, Micrografx (404-325-7555), has announced that
Gregory A. Peters has been named senior vice president/chief
financial officer. Peters previously served as vice president,
controller and treasurer for the company. Prior to joining
Micrografx, Peters held various financial positions at DSC
Communications Corporation. Peters began his career with Arthur
Andersen & Co., where he specialized in serving high-technology
clients. Peters has a BA from Rhodes College.

Disk drive maker Seagate Technology, (408-439-2276), announced that
Clarence L. Granger had joined the company as vice president, Media
Operations. Granger will report to Dr. Brendan Hegarty, Seagate's
senior vice president and chief technical officer, Components. In
the newly created position, Granger will be responsible for disc
product research, development, design and production activities
within the company's magnetic media and substrate operations in
Fremont, Milpitas, and Anaheim, Calif.

Granger joins Seagate from his position as president, chief
executive officer and chief operating officer of Hitachi Metals
Technology, a manufacturer of thin film magnetic discs. Granger
completed his undergraduate work at the University of
California, Berkeley, where he obtained a bachelor of science degree
in industrial engineering. His graduate work was done at Stanford
University in California, where he earned a master of science degree
in industrial engineering.

(Ian Stokell/19940410)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(ATL)(00021)

Education/Technology Update 04/11/94
ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, U.S.A., 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- While
policymakers and businesses push schools toward using more
technology, many remain mired in political and social turmoil.

In Albuquerque, Vice President Al Gore told the National Education
Association, the nation's largest teachers' union, that teachers
play a key role in making sure schools are linked to the Information
Highway. Educators must play a new role in a world with vast
quantities of data, he told the 2,000 delegates, pushing patterns
rather than mere retention of facts. He also pushed the
Administration's goal of getting every classroom in the nation
linked to computer networks by the end of the decade -- just four
percent of classrooms today have modems.

In Ohio, meanwhile, LCI International saw students as a new market
and began pushing the Earthtalk calling card, which will donate one
percent of revenues to environmental groups. The new card is a
follow-on to Campustalk, a card designed for college students,
offering mainly lower rates.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940411)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00022)

 ****PageNet, Motorola Work on Advanced Pager 04/11/94
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- PageNet, the nation's
largest paging company, said it will work with Motorola to
develop a new service based on a tiny wireless answering machine
which Motorola will develop.

The device will look like a pager, but instead of storing simple
numbers and letters, it will store digitized human voices.
PageNet said one of its subsidiaries will oversee development
and marketing of the product, including a required digital
transmission system.

The system will not be proprietary, and Motorola will be free to
make it available to other paging service providers, Newsbytes
understands. A prototype based on an existing Motorola analog pager
called Keynote as been tested since March, 1993, with the service
marketed by PageNet under the name VoiceNow. PageNet expects the
final device will cost just $20 per month.

PageNet has used conventional paging technology, a network of
antennas linked by regular phone lines, to offer services at
lower costs than its satellite-based brethren, like MobileComm
and SkyTel. PageNet, in fact, now has about 3 million subscribers
to its service, against 650,00 for the better-known SkyTel.

The company's price competitiveness recently forced SkyTel to drop
its regular monthly charge to $39, which in turn hurt its parent,
MTel, in terms of its stock price. The new offering could mark a
further differentiation between PageNet and SkyTel, since SkyTel is
moving, with its Nationwide Wireless Network, to more intense
exchanges of data, while PageNet, with this offering, moves farther
toward simplicity in message delivery.

Using the technology, a caller will dial a telephone number assigned
to the PageNet device and leave a voice message, just as though they
were calling an answering machine. PageNet's computer would then
send a short signal through its network to locate the device, which
would acknowledge the message. The message, now digitized, would
then be sent to the device via a nearby transmitter, and a tone or
vibration would alert the user of the device to the incoming
message.

"What's unique is that voice pagers haven't been popular with
service providers, because they can put more numeric pagers on the
network. With compression and frequency re-use, on this product,
that's no longer a problem," said Motorola spokesman Sandra
Humphrey. "Service providers will really like this. It will also be
interesting to the consumer market."

Ronald Turner, PageNet's director of systems and technology will
head the new unit -- he was architect of the VoiceNow prototype.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940411/Press Contact: PageNet, Jenny Hanes,
214-985-6749; Sandra Humphrey, Motorola 407-364-3816)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00023)

US West Debuts Mail Connection Service 04/11/94
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- US West's
Advanced Communications Services unit will launch a new service
to link disparate e-mail systems in Minneapolis, with an ad
campaign aimed at local e-mail consumers.

The new service is called Interact Message Switching Service, or
Interact MSS, and was developed by US West's ACS Interact
Services Group. It will initially work with LAN-based e-mail
environments from Lotus, Microsoft, DaVinci Systems, and CE
Software.

Newsbytes discussed all this with product manager, Teresa Taylor.
"Our plan is to eventually get it throughout our network, but
we're introducing it in Minneapolis to try out the marketing plan
and iron out the technical kinks.

"We know there have been other solutions like this offered, but
one thing we see happening in the industry is increased usage of
e-mail in general," she continued. "We know it has been used
internally -- but we see more electronic commerce and more
business communities sharing information. This acts as a
foundation for that. Certainly we'll be pitching to LAN managers.
But we're also going to be pitching to typical end users, to
start an awareness that there's a lot you can do with the
technology."

This has greatly influenced the company's marketing plans. "We've
decided to have more of a local focus on our ads. We'll be using
local newspapers and periodicals, a little more mass market,
hoping the end users will be influencers to the LAN managers."
The ads will identify the product as Interact MSS.

Future plans for Interact services call for expansion of the MSS
service to other public messaging networks, the global Internet,
X.400 and Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, or SMTP, and other,
proprietary messaging environments. The service goes public on May
16 this year.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940411/Press Contact: U S West Advanced
Communications Services, Theresa Conley, 303/292-7972; Customer
Contact: 1-800-672-8520)


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

Wireless Service From CELSAT 04/11/94
REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- A small
company called CELSAT has filed an application with the FCC for
nationwide access to 40 MHz of new spectrum being released within
the FCC's Emerging Technologies bands, between 1,970 to 1,990
megahertz (Mhz) and 2,160 to 2,180 MHz.

CELSAT said that it plans to use the spectrum for a new service it
calls a Hybrid Personal Communications System, combining patented
mobile satellite and ground digital technology. "Our extremely low
satellite cost, less than a penny a minute per phone call, will
permit drastic reductions in cellular prices," predicted CELSAT
President David D. Otten.

Recently, Newsbytes interviewed Otten about the technology. "It
would be most comparable to a PCS network that could be put up by an
Ameritech or something like that. This would have space and ground
elements. The satellites are like Iridium," which plans a
constellation of 66 satellites in low-Earth orbit, "but we have 20
times the capacity of Iridium. We'd have 88,000 circuits" to their
8,000, he told Newsbytes.

And CELSAT's satellite wouldn't move, either. "We use a
geosynchronous system with a 20-meter dish. That allows you to
operate with very low power -- our handheld phones operate on 1/10th
of a watt, and we offer very high capacity. Using that kind of
system you have a multiple-feed antenna and you break the US into
117 regions. Motorola uses just a dozen. The smaller your ground
focus the more capacity you have and the lower the power required.
You go up on one set of frequencies with the handheld, and the
satellites use a different set to get to the earth station. To
increase efficiency in that area we'll break the US into 10
regions." Otten said he's now negotiating with larger companies to
partner with him on the system.

As to what will happen to the needed frequencies, he added, he's
not certain. "It's not part of the PCS, which will be auctioned.
This may or may not be auctioned. They haven't decided yet. It
doesn't matter to us" which direction the FCC goes in. Otten
presented his idea before a US House subcommittee on
telecommunications chaired by Massachusetts Democrat Ed Markey on
May 20, 1993. Mr. Otten was an executive with TRW 27 years, managing
billion-dollar programs in spacecraft, communications and
navigation systems.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940411/Press Contact: David D. Otten, CELSAT,
310-316-6301)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00025)

 ****Ambra PCs Based on Intel DX4 100 MHz Processor 04/11/94
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, U.S.A., 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- Ambra Computer
Corporation, a wholly IBM subsidiary, has introduced the
D4100I/VL, a PC billed as the first Intel DX4 100 megahertz (MHz)-
based system to be available in the marketplace, along with
the P90PCI, a model that uses an Intel Pentium processor running at
90 MHz.

Unlike Intel DX4 100 MHz-based systems that have been announced by
other vendors, Ambra's D4100I/VL is shipping now, a company
spokesperson said. The Intel DX4 processor triples clock speed and
outperforms the 66 MHz Intel486 DX2 processor by 44 percent, she
told Newsbytes.

In contrast, IBM's Blue Lightning 100 MHz clock-tripling processor
outperforms the 66 MHz DX2 by 10 to 15 percent, the spokesperson
added. Ambra's new D4100I/VL PC is both Pentium-upgradable and
Energy Star-compliant.

Ambra's P90PCI computer, which is slated for availability at the
end of this month, delivers an iCOMP index measurement of 735 and
outperforms the 66 Mhz Intel Pentium by 130 percent, according to
Intel's ratings.

The D41000I/VL and P90PCI are both offered in desktop as well as
mini-tower models. Aside from the Intel DX4 processor, key
features of the D4100I/VL include memory capacity of 64 megabytes
(MB), 16 kilobytes (KB) of L1 cache, 256 KB of L2 writeback cache,
an integrated VESA/IDE (video electronic standards
association/integrated drive electronics) controller, an integrated
VESA local bus graphics accelerator, five drive bays, four 16-bit
ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) slots, and one 32-bit VESA
slot.

The T4100I/VL tower model provides six drive bays, seven 16-bit ISA
slots, and one 32-bit VESA slot.

The DP90PCI desktop and TP90PCI mini-tower configurations supply
memory capacities of up to 128 MB, 16 KB of L1 cache, 256 KB of L2
write-back cache, an integrated 32-bit PCI-IDE drive controller,
Flash BIOS, six drive bays, two 32-bit PCI (Peripheral Component
Interconnect) slots, one PCI/ISA slot, and four 16-bit ISA slots.
The systems will come pre-installed with MS-DOS 6.2 and Windows 3.1,
and will be Novell NetWare and Windows NT certified.

The TP09PCI mini-tower, aimed at departmental local area network
(LAN) environments among other applications, will furnish seven
drive bays for additional hard drives, CD-ROM (compact disk - read
only memory) drives, or tape back-ups.

As with other offerings from Ambra, the new systems are customizable
to user specifications. A sample D4100/VL configuration, priced at
$2,489, includes 8 MB of random access memory (RAM), a 540 MB IDE
hard disk, a 3.5-inch 1.44 MB diskette drive, VESA local bus
graphics accelerator, a VESA local bus IDE hard drive controller, a
14-inch SVGA (Super Video Graphics Array) color monitor, a Lexmark
PS/2 style 101-key keyboard, a mouse, MS-DOS and Windows 3.1. A
Pentium upgrade costs an additional $99.

A sample DP90PCI configuration, priced at $3,597, provides 8 MB of
RAM, a 540 MB hard drive, a PCI local bus graphics accelerator 2
MB, a 15-inch FST monitor, a Lexmark PS/2 style 101-key keyboard,
a mouse, MS-DOS 6.2, Windows 3.1, and an Ambra Multimedia Kit.

The Ambra Multimedia Kit includes a double-speed, multi-session CD-
ROM drive, a 16-bit dual channel sound card, and speakers.

Ambra systems can be ordered through Ambra's toll-free number, 1-
800-25A-MBRA. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8 am to
11 pm, and 10 am to 7 pm, Saturday and Sunday, Eastern Standard Time
(EST). All system purchases are protected by a 30-day money-back
guarantee and one-year limited warranty. Customers can also buy an
optional IBM on-site service contract for $29 for the first year of
ownership. Toll-free technical support is offered 24 hours a day,
seven days a week.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940411/Reader contact: Ambra Computer
Corporation, 1-800-25AMBRA; Press contacts: Craig Conrad, Ambra,
919-713-1550; Anne Marie Clark, Cunningham Communication for Ambra,
617-494-8202)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00026)

NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers 04/11/94
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- These are the
photos that have been digitized and correspond to stories Newsbytes
has reported recently. These photos are online on the Newsbytes menu
on GEnie and the Newsbytes private bulletin board systems in
Minneapolis and in the UK For information on how to become a
licensed Newsbytes publisher in any medium call Newsbytes US on 612-
430-1100 or Newsbytes UK/Europe on [phone].

Newspix weekly summaries will appear Mondays on the Newsbytes wire.
All photos are in JPEG format.

---------------------------

Week of April 11 - April 15,1994

---------------------------

94032417ReSource1 - Color from disc / View of Main Menu screen
of Pacific Bell Information Services' Re:Source Network Solutions.
IMPORTANT NOTE:thumbnail is pict (as usual) but full size is TIFF,
NOT jpeg as usually is the case.

94032417ReSource2 - Color from disc / View of one of the dialogue
screens from Pacific Bell Information Services' Re:Source Network
Solutions. IMPORTANT NOTE: thumbnail is pict (as usual) but full
size is TIFF, NOT jpeg as usually is the case.

94032901Dynapad - Color from slide / 2 workers in white coats
hold a Dynapad between them. Woman left, man right.

94032806ZDS-AER - Color from transparency / view of the new
lightweight,long life, zinc-air battery being developed by ZDS &
AER. The battery is seen with a sky background (illustration)
and a grid field in lower part of the frame.

94030301Pentium - B&W from disc / View of chip worker in clean
garb. We see chip/wafter disks on control monitor.

94031826radius - Color from transparency / Shot of 0381-Intelli-
Color Display/20. Nice background & screen display of name.

94032313Verbatim - Color from slide / CDR disc cover and CDR
disc in foreground. Disc has multiple colors refracting.

94032404Absolut - Color from color print ad / Reduced view of
ad promoting the Absolut Museum 3D program. Typically festive
Absolut ad. Free samples are available on CompuServe and all net
proceeds go to AmFAR (American Foundation for AIDS Research).

94032423UniF - B&W from photo / Informal portrait (at desk in shirt-
sleeves) of Andrew S. Grove President/CEO Intel Corporation. He
was a keynote speaker at UniForum 1994 in S.F.

94032506/4D - Color from slide / Graphic to explain 4th Dimension
Software's Enterprise Control Architecture. Caption for this
slide reads "Using the Enterprise ControlStation, operations
data is automatically translated and shared across distributed
systems."

94030805Envoy - B&W from photo / Looking down at the Motorola
Envoy personal wireless communicator. It's being held by a
mans hands with suits sleeves visible.

94031717Orray - Color from slide / Straight on view of the
Orray optical drive system. Hardware is on white background.

94030422Lundin - B&W from photo / Close two shot portrait of
Kathleen and William Lundin. They are authors of 'The Healing
Manager' and hold seminars on downsizing.

94031001Navig - B&W from photo / Screen shot of Packard Bell's
Navigator 2.0; the Kidspace section. Files and applications can
be organised on the bookshelf (frame left) or the chest drawers
(frame right).

94031720Notes - Color from slide / screen shot of AT&T's
collaboration with Lotus notes.

94022811Kiss - Color from transparency / An array of KISS (Keep
It Simple Software) products for the powerbook. These are
solar cells for portability. 1) Laying down, the SunPak Jr.
2) Standing up with the SP Jr. on it, the SunPack. 3) Standing
behind the Newton, the PAD pouch. 4) Folded out in front of the
Powerbook, the SunPack/PB. ADVISORY: This transparency was very
dark, and the scan however adjusted make not satisfactory.

94030815P'Turbo4MP - Color from slide / Shot of the ProTurbo 4MB
PCI board.

94030815P"Turbo2MV - Color from slide / Shot of the ProTurbo 2MB
VLB board.

94030816Davidson - B&W from photo / Portrait of Jan Davidson,
President and Founder Davidson & Associates, Inc.

94011811ReelMagic - Color from slide / ReelMagic image on monitor
with various 'movie' props about (reel, popcorn, etc)

94030921Brain - Color from slide / Woman at workstation with head-
band and leads to computer.

94030207Keydata - Color from photo / Product shot of the Keynote
Keypoint portable computer, with pen in foreground.

94030430MsgPad - Color from slide side: view (profile) of Newton
MessagePad 110 being held and written upon with the new tele-
scoping pen. Lighting is contrasty with highlights on the MPad
and the hand writing.

94030430MsgPad2 - Color from slide: Overhead look at the Message
Pad on a desk (on top of the Wall St Journal) with the messaging
card attached.

94030301PowerXplor - Color from photo of new Parsytec parallel
processor using PowerPc chip

94030206Medview - Color from photo of Fakespace medical device; guy
in white coat looks through it, medium shot from side.

94022401ASTexp60 - Color from slide of PC in question.

94030225MovieMan - Color from slide, shot of card.

94030320PBookCut - Color from slide of powerbook180c.

94030119ClarisRes - Color from slide of Claris Resolve box.

940222513Autodesk - Color from slide of cadcam screen.

940222263DOPlayer - Color from slide of Panasonic player.

94030222MData - Color from transparency of hand holding disc unit
with the M Data disc nearby.

94030208ProDrive - Color from transparency of Prodrive drives; very
lit shot with drives on cloth backdrop. Lower center: 3.5inch
ProDrive LPS 540, Upper Left: 3.5 inch Quantum Empire, Upper Right:
ProDrive LPS 170, Center Right (NO ID ON THIS ONE) Center drive:
2.5 inch Go Drive GLS for notebook systems.

(Newsbytes/19940411)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00027)

AST Pentium PC, CD-ROM PCs, CompUSA Deal 04/11/94
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- AST Research has
introduced a Pentium-based Bravo personal computer (PC) --
the Bravo MT P/60. In addition, the company has also announced a
number of new Bravo PCs preloaded with DOS and Windows-based
software, including several with CD-ROMs already included. Also, the
company has announced a distribution deal with CompUSA, and an
initiative targeting the former Soviet Union.

The new Pentium-based PC is available immediately at prices starting
at $2,300. According to the company, the Bravo MT P/60offers "the
high-speed graphics technology" needed to run advanced graphics
programs, such as CAD/CAM (computer-aided design/manufacturing),
three-dimensional graphics, and architectural rendering programs.

The Bravo MT P/60 Model 543C system comes with two free
Softbank CDs, which allow users to try and then purchase over 150
business software packages from major vendors. Users who want
to buy the demo'd products on the CD-ROM call 1-800-SOFTBANK
to receive the password to activate the software. Once the
software is purchased, it is "unlocked," which allows the user
to install software on the hard drive.

The model 543C comes standard with a double-speed CD-ROM drive,
two Softbank CDs, a 60 megahertz (MHz) Pentium CPU (central
processing unit), 16 megabytes (MB) RAM, a 540MB hard drive, 1MB
graphics RAM, 256 kilobyte (KB) cache, DOS 6.21, Windows 3.1, a
mouse, and mouse pad for an estimated sales price of $3,500.

The Bravo MT P/60 also features VESA (Video Electronics
Standards Association) local bus graphics. The Pentium PC comes
standard with 8MB RAM, expandable to 128MB on the system
board, and 256KB secondary cache, upgradable to 512KB.

The new Pentium mini-tower houses four external, two internal
drive bays, two VL/ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) and five
ISA expansion slots.

The Bravo LC family is available immediately at prices starting
at $930. According to AST, the line is intended for "budget-
conscious small business owners all the way up to employees of
large corporations, who require a quick and powerful Windows-
based machine."

The Bravo LC 4/50s, 4/66d, and 4/100t CD-ROM models come
with the CD-ROM sampler disks.

The Bravo LC family reportedly meets guidelines established
by the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) "Energy Star"
program. The system also features a 3.3-volt design for less
power consumption and reduced heat emissions.

The new 486-based Bravo LC desktop computers start with a
33MHz model and go up to the Bravo 4/100t, which uses Intel's
new DX4 clock-tripling processor. According to AST, the 4/100t
performs 100MHz internally and 33MHz externally.

The Bravo LC 4/50s uses Intel's SX2-50 processor with clock-
doubling capabilities -- and runs at 50MHz internally and 25MHz
externally. The PC offers fast local bus graphics and one VESA
Local Bus VL/ISA expansion slot, which allows the user to
upgrade graphics and other peripherals, and supports IDE
(Integrated Drive Electronics) hard drives up to one gigabyte (GB).

The Bravo LC 4/100t and 4/66d come standard with 64KB of
secondary cache memory and are upgradable on the system board
to 256KB second-level cache.

The company offers toll-free technical support, 24 hours per day,
seven days a week for the life of the product. The Bravo PCs have
a three-year warranty, with one year of on-site service for
systems with a hard drive. The company also offers the AST
On-Line bulletin board and Info-FAX facsimile services 24-hours
a day to allow users to access technical documentation.

Just a week ago, as reported by Newsbytes, AST introduced a
Pentium-based server, called the Premmia MTE P/60 mini-tower.
In addition, the company also introduced the Pentium-based
Premmia SE P/60 "full-size" server. The new servers feature
advanced cache design, 16MB of memory, FastSCSI (small
computer system interface) controller and AST local bus design.

Newsbytes notes that this is one in a line of Pentium-based
announcements. In October, Newsbytes reported that the company
had introduced the Premmia LX P/60 PC featuring the Pentium 228
processor and PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) local-bus
technology.

In February, AST announced the AST Advantage EXP/60 Pentium-
powered PC designed for the home office and small business
market, retail priced at $2,999. It offered a 60MHz Pentium and the
PCI local bus graphics subsystem aimed at speeding up graphics
and multimedia operations. The system was introduced with 1MB
of video RAM, expandable to 2MB for 1,280 by 1,024 resolution and
256 colors.

At the beginning of March Newsbytes reported that AST had
announced systems supporting Intel's new 100MHz Pentium. AST
said at the time that it plans to support the new high-speed Intel
Pentium processor with the Premmia GX desktop system set for
introduction in the second calendar quarter. The new system will
support both the 90MHz and 100MHz Intel Pentium processors.

In other news, Newsbytes notes that AST's deal with CompUSA is
further evidence of the current trend among hardware vendors to
offer their PCs in mainstream outlets and superstores.

Under terms of the deal, CompUSA will begin offering AST's
Advantage PCs, aimed at "consumers," and the Bravo and Premmia
lines of desktops that AST says are primarily sold to business
users.

CompUSA has more than 72 stores nationwide and is approaching
$2 billion in annual sales. The company says that it expects to grow
to 100 stores and be represented in 50 markets by year's end.

In one final piece of AST news, the company says it has launched
a "major" initiative to establish a "strong local sales and support
presence" in the former Soviet Union.

Robert N. McFarland, AST's director of international business
development will head the AST sales and support team. The firm
says that McFarland's charter is to "build upon the successful
partnerships AST has already developed with distributors and to
extend AST's market penetration through additional distribution.

This will initially entail the opening of a "formal sales and
support office as soon as AST closes pending agreements with
potential partners."

The new initiative will be launched at COMTEK '94, the fifth annual
Computer and Communication Technology Exposition and Conference,
held in Moscow, Russia, from April 25-29, 1994.

(Ian Stokell/19940411/Press Contact: Hollie Chriss Cronin,
714-727-7977; or Ann Foster Dupuis, 714-727-8858; or Gerry
Lynne Baker, 714-727-7959, all of AST Research; Noelle Green-
Hunt, 214-383-4404, CompUSA)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00028)

Banyan VINES 5.54, BeyondMail 2.0 04/11/94
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- Banyan Systems
has announced version 5.54 of its VINES network operating system
(NOS). Following Banyan's acquisition of Beyond in February, the
company has also announced BeyondMail 2.0 for Intelligent
Messaging III.

According to the company, the new release of VINES is the first
Banyan product to use CD-ROM technology to simplify installation
and provide full on-line documentation. Other software vendors
have also turned to CD-ROM as a way to simplify installation of
networking software, because of the huge amounts of files
necessary.

Newsbytes notes that Microsoft last year launched its Windows
NT Advanced Server product with a CD-ROM option -- because
without it, the user had to install 25 separate floppy disks
manually.

Announcing the new version, Bill Johnson, Banyan vice president,
product marketing, said: "With VINES 5.54, the customer's ability to
choose multivendor, multiprotocol hardware products for their
enterprise networks is significantly improved. (Also) Banyan has
embarked on an innovative way to provide powerful new administrator
learning tools and documentation."

"Our new ENS IQon-line documentation uses CD-ROM technology to
greatly facilitate the access and use of information in an
enterprise environment." Banyan says that the new VINES version is
available on 3.5-inch disks, tape, or CD-ROM, which can be
downloaded to the server via an attached CD-ROM SCSI (small computer
system interface) drive," he said.

"The CD-ROM-based technical documentation, called Enterprise Network
Services Information Query (ENS IQ), which the company says is
provided at no additional cost along with the server software, is a
network-level information help system which enables VINES
administrators to "perform powerful searches across the entire VINES
5.5x documentation set, and to automatically link and cross-
reference information as desired. Moreover, administrators can
annotate and customize VINES 5.5x documentation to produce their own
special purpose documentation and books," he added.

Folion Corporation's Folio Views graphical user interface (GUI)
search engine is used to access the information online. The two
companies combined Folio VIEWS with an on-line version of Banyan's
technical documentation. ENS IQ is designed to be loaded and
operated locally on a VINES client CD-ROM drive. The company says it
can be made directly accessible to other VINES client workstations
by means of third-party products. Alternatively, the company adds
that ENS IQ can be downloaded to a VINES network server to permit
on-line use across the enterprise.

VINES 5.54 is priced at $2,995 for 10 users; $7,995 for 50 users;
$9,995 for 100 users; and $14,995 for 250 users. The cost for
versions catering to more than 250 users are available on request.
The server price includes installation media for VINES 5.54 and
ENS IQ CD-ROM documentation, while printed documentation for
VINES 5.54 costs $395 per set, and extra copies of ENS IQ are
priced at $195 per copy.

Newsbytes notes that electronic mail is considered essential to
corporate communications, both in-house and out.

Banyan says that BeyondMail 2.0 and Intelligent Messaging III are
the first messaging products to be delivered since its acquisition
of Beyond.

BeyondMail for Intelligent Messaging reportedly provides a suite
of mail-based applications. Intelligent Messaging is claimed to be
an open platform providing message transport and management
functions to electric mail and mail-enabled applications from a
number of vendors.

Said Johnson: "Enterprise messaging is a cornerstone of Banyan's
network services strategy. Messaging -- including mail-enabled
applications and workflow tools built on a messaging backbone is
a primary network service that allows users to easily manage
networks and integrate workgroups, departments and business
units into seamless, cohesive enterprise information systems."

BeyondMail 2.0, formerly available only to MHS users, is now
available to Banyan VINES and ENS users. It is claimed to give
electronic-mail users and organizations the ability to automate
their workflow and provides a complete, scalable electronic-mail
system as well as platform for re-engineering business processes.

Banyan says that, with Intelligent Messaging's shared message
database, BeyondMail 2.0 users get the benefits of centralized
administration, eliminating the need to administer two separate
message databases. Users can also reportedly access their mail
from anywhere on the network regardless of the front end they
are using.

The product includes a Serial Routing Form which allows the
sender of a message to initiate a "canned workflow" application.
As the message is sent to the designated recipients, the
originator is able to track its progress.

BeyondMail 2.0 for Intelligent Messaging will also include
Watermark Software's Explorer Edition, an OLE (object linking
and embedding)-based imaging software package that provides
document image processing. BeyondMail users can embed image
thumbnails directly into messages, which recipients can then
view and annotate.

BeyondMail 2.0 for Intelligent Messaging Standard Edition for
DOS/Windows costs $695 for 10 users; $995 for 20 users; and
$4,500 for 100 users.

BeyondMail 2.0 for Intelligent Messaging Professional Edition
for DOS/Windows costs $995 for 10 users; $1,895 for 20
users; and $8,500 for 100 users.

At the time of Banyan's announced acquisition of Beyond in February,
Newsbytes reported that David C. Mahoney, Banyan's chairman and
chief executive officer, had said: "Banyan's Enterprise Network
Services (ENS) infrastructure, coupled with Beyond's products, will
enable Banyan to deliver significant new enterprise capabilities to
customers. Our goal is the delivery of `best-in-class' enterprise
network services, including products to enable our customers to
build messaging into their networks as a platform for a new breed of
mail-enabled solutions."

As with other major networking software vendors, such as
Novell and Microsoft, Banyan continues to provide its products on
new platforms. Also in February Newsbytes reported that its
ENS software was made available to run on top of the Hewlett-
Packard's 9000 Series 800 PA-RISC-based Business Servers.

(Ian Stokell/19940411/Press Contact: Slobhan Carroll,
508-898-1000, or Gary Wolfe, 508-898-1000, Banyan Systems)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00029)

230MB Portable 3.5-Inch Magneto-Optical Drive 04/11/94
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 APR 11 (NB) -- Higher capacity
3.5 inch magneto-optical drives are on the way from Pinnacle
Micro. The company has just announced a 230 megabyte (MB) 3.5-inch
Tahoe-230 drive that can be equipped with an optional battery pack
and used by the mobile computing user to replace a hard disk drive.

Pinnacle describes the Tahoe-230 drive as only 1.8 pounds in weight
with a footprint that fits in the palm of the hand at 1.4- by 4.5-
by 8-inches. The drive connects to a small computer systems
interface (SCSI) or parallel port and offers a 30 millisecond (msec)
seek time at a rotation speed of 3600 rotations per minute (rpm). In
addition, the optional battery pack offers 3.5 hours of use.

Users of magneto-optical disks in the 128 MB capacity do not have
to lose their investment either, as Pinnacle claims the drive can
automatically detect and read the lower capacity media as well.

The Tahoe-230 drive still retails at $999 for the Apple Macintosh
version and $1,199 for IBM and compatible personal computers
(PCs), which is the same price as the 130 MB drives. The optional
battery pack and travel case will be $199 and additional 230 MB
disks will cost $69 each.

Irvine, California-headquartered Pinnacle Micro said the Tahoe-
230 will be available in April. Interested parties can call toll-
free number to inquire about the drive.

(Linda Rohrbough/19940411/Press Contact: Scott Blum, Pinnacle
Micro, tel [phone] ext 220, fax [phone]; Public
Contact, Pinnacle Micro, 800-553-7070)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00030)

Multimedia Software, Sound Card Bundle 04/11/94
PLEASANTON, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 APRIL 11 (NB) -- Individual
Software's newly released multimedia primer, Professor Multimedia,
will be bundled with all sound cards in Aztech's Sound Galaxy
product line.

Also included in the agreement is a plan for Aztech to put its Audio
Applications and Utilities on the Professor Multimedia CD-ROM in two
new kits to be released by Aztech later this month.

According to the company, Professor Multimedia provides an overview
of multimedia by giving examples of business, educational and
entertainment uses. It covers tools, technology, and extensive
samples of offerings and titles.

Aztech Systems of Singapore is a $92 million manufacturer of
multimedia products for IBM compatible PCs and according to a
February, 1994 Dataquest survey, Aztech holds a 17 percent share of
the sound board market, making it the third largest supplier.

Speaking with Newsbytes, James Morgan, director of multimedia and
OEM sales for Individual, said: "Aztech will be releasing seven new
multimedia kits, according to my understanding, and all these kits
will include Professor Multimedia.

"Aztech appears to be aggressively pursuing R&D and it is our hopes
that we will remain with all future developments. We have been
working on this agreement and put it together in 61 days. The
selling point for this agreement is that we combined Professor
Multimedia, Learn to Use Windows, and the Aztech audio application on
one CD-ROM," he said.

"This provides customers with $90 worth of software just from the
Individual alone. And we are giving the first time users two of the
most important pieces of information and training tools that they
will need in offering the multimedia and windows CDs," he added.

(Patrick McKenna/19940411/Press Contact: Kathleen Turnbull,
Individual Software, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00031)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 04/11/94
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1994 FEB 11 (NB) -- These are  capsules of all
today's news stories:

1 -> Japan - Matsushita Starts 3DO Sales 04/11/94 Matsushita Electric
has begun to actively promote sales of The Real, its latest multimedia
player which operates to the 3DO standard.

2 -> Editorial - And The Winner Is... 04/11/94 By Kennedy Maize. And
the winner is... my retirement account!

3 -> IBM Japan Transfers Optical Disc Production To SE Asia 04/11/94
IBM Japan has announced plans to transfer production of its optical
discs to Southeast Asian plants. The move forms part of the Big Blue's
major restructuring plan.

4 -> Windows World Expo Tokyo Preview 04/11/94 Windows World Expo
Tokyo will be held at Japan Convention Center in Chiba, Makuhari
between June 15 and 17 this year. IDG World Expo Japan, the event's
organizer, has announced that it will be the largest show of its type
this year.

5 -> IBM Execs Investigated Over Election Contributions 04/11/94 The
Federal Election Commission is investigating political contributions
made by former IBM Chairman John Akers and a number of other IBM
executives, which may have violated rules on corporate donations.

6 -> Phar Lap Desktop For Windows 04/11/94 Phar Lap Software will this
week begin shipping FrontRunner, a desktop package for Microsoft's
Windows. According to Phar Lap, FrontRunner adds features to the DOS
box in Windows and blurs the boundary between Windows and DOS
applications.

7 -> Compaq To Double Singapore Manufacturing 04/11/94 Compaq Computer
Corporation has announced it will spend more than $50 million to
increase the manufacturing capacity of its Singapore facility.

8 -> Micron 90MHz Pentium Systems 04/11/94 Micron Computer has
announced a line of Pentium-based desktop systems it says are designed
for users with advanced graphics and memory intensive applications
such as computer-aided design (CAD), multimedia, and desktop
publishing.

9 ->  ****Rasterops Out Of Printer Business, Sells To Tektronix
04/11/94 Printer maker Tektronix has announced that its Graphics
Printing and Imaging Division (GPID) has purchased Rasterops' color
printer business. Rasterops, known for its high-end monitor line for
the Apple Computer Macintosh, says it is getting out of the printer
business.

10 ->  ****Wordperfect Launches 19 New Main Street Products 04/11/94
Less than two weeks after it was acquired by Novell Corporation,
Wordperfect has launched its first attack on Microsoft's dominance of
the software market, announcing 19 new educational, entertainment, and
productivity software programs as part of its Main street software
line.

11 -> Cray Develops Cray-4 - Cash Low, Time To Buy Stock? 04/11/94
With cash running low and not a single order on the books for its
Cray-3 supercomputer, Cray Computer Corporation has revealed it is
working on the Cray-4, the company's next generation supercomputer.

12 -> Networking Roundup 04/11/94 This is a regular feature,
summarizing networking news not covered elsewhere by Newsbytes in the
past week: Control Data Systems, Siemens Stromberg-Carlson, Data
General, Comdisco, Trinzic, Madge Networks, Hughes LAN Systems, and
Wollongong.

13 -> Company Results Roundup 04/11/94 This is a regular feature,
summarizing company results not reported elsewhere by Newsbytes:
Advanced Micro Devices, Information Resources, Superconductor
Technologies, Western Digital, PhoneTel Technologies, Alpha
Microsystems, and All American Semiconductor.

14 -> 50 Laid Off As Intuit Buys Best Tax Division 04/11/94 Some 50
employees have received pink slips following Best Programs's sale of
its tax preparation software to Intuit for approximately $6.5 million.
Under the deal, Intuit will offer to convert Best's 10,000 users of
Master Tax and Tax Partner to its Turbo Tax professional series.

15 -> US Justice Dept Settles With Dynamics Research 04/11/94 Dynamics
Research of Andover, Mass., will pay the US government $1.79 million,
settling a lawsuit charging that the firm submitted false claims on a
contract to provide the centralized data system for the F-16 aircraft.

16 -> Interactive TV In 20 US Cities By Fall 04/11/94 Interactive
Networks (IN) plans to roll out its interactive TV technology to the
top 20 or 25 markets in the US by August or September, officials said
at Compass '94 in Boston.

17 -> Canadian Product Launch Update 04/11/94 This regular feature,
appearing every Monday or Tuesday, provides further details for the
Canadian market on announcements by international companies that
Newsbytes has already covered. This week: Amdahl's new mainframes and
storage processor, IBM's new mainframes, parallel processing systems,
and server technology, Lotus ScreenCam for Windows, WorldPlus service
through AT&T affiliate Unitel.

18 -> Apple's New 17-Inch Monitor 04/11/94 Following the recent
release of a new 20-inch monitor recently, Apple Computer has
announced its Multiple Scan 17 Display, a full-page, 17-inch, color
Trinitron monitor targeted for mainstream business users in desktop
publishing, graphic design, presentations, spreadsheet analysis and
word processing.

19 -> ImagePals 2, Image Mgt For Windows 04/11/94 Ulead Systems has
announced the shipment of ImagePals 2, a multi-feature media
management tool which offers cataloging, editing, OLE and file
management functions for video, animation, audio files and files from
any registered Windows application.

20 -> Personnel Changes Roundup 04/11/94 This is a regular feature,
summarizing personnel changes at companies not covered elsewhere by
Newsbytes: Tektronix, Taligent, Micropolis, Legent, Computer
Marketplace, Microsoft, Xerox Computer Services, Mitek Systems,
Micrografx, and Seagate Technology.

21 -> Education Update 04/11/94 While policymakers and businesses push
schools toward using more technology, many remain mired in political
and social turmoil.

22 ->  ****PageNet, Motorola To Work on Advanced Pager 04/11/94
PageNet, the nation's largest paging company, said it will work with
Motorola to develop a new service based on a tiny wireless answering
machine which Motorola will develop.

23 -> US West Debuts Mail Connection Service 04/11/94 US West's
Advanced Communications Services unit will launch a new service to
link disparate e-mail systems in Minneapolis, with an ad campaign
aimed at local e-mail consumers.

24 -> Another Wireless Service Offered 04/11/94 A small company called
CELSAT has filed an application with the FCC for nationwide access to
40 Mhz of new spectrum being released within the FCC's Emerging
Technologies bands, between 1,970 to 1,990 megahertz (Mhz) and 2,160
to 2,180 Mhz.

25 ->  ****Ambra PCs Based on Intel DX4 100 MHz Processor 04/11/94
Ambra Computer Corporation, a wholly IBM subsidiary, today introduced
the D4100I/VL, a PC billed as the first Intel DX4 100 megahertz (MHz)-
based system to be available in the marketplace, along with theP90PCI,
a model that uses an Intel Pentium processor running at 90 MHz.

26 -> NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers 04/11/94 These are the
photos that have been digitized and correspond to stories Newsbytes
has reported recently. These photos are online on the Newsbytes menu
on GEnie and the Newsbytes private bulletin board systems in
Minneapolis and in the UK For information on how to become a licensed
Newsbytes publisher in any medium call Newsbytes US on 612- 430-1100
or Newsbytes UK/Europe on [phone].

27 -> AST Intros Pentium PC, CD-ROM PCs, CompUSA Deal 04/11/94 AST
Research has introduced its first Pentium-based Bravo personal
computer (PC) -- the Bravo MT P/60. In addition, the company has also
announced a number of new Bravo PCs pre-loaded with DOS and
Windows-based software, including several with CD-ROMs already
included. Also, the company has announced a distribution deal with
CompUSA, and an initiative targeting the former Soviet Union.

28 -> Banyan Intros VINES 5.54, BeyondMail 2.0 04/11/94 Banyan Systems
has announced version 5.54 of its VINES network operating system
(NOS). Following Banyan's acquisition of Beyond in February, the
company has also announced BeyondMail 2.0 for Intelligent Messaging
III.

29 -> 230MB Portable 3.5-Inch Magneto-Optical Drive Debuts 04/11/94
Higher capacity 3.5 inch magneto-optical drives are on the way from
Pinnacle Micro. The company has just announced a 230 megabyte (MB)
3.5-inch Tahoe-230 drive that can be equipped with an optional battery
pack and used by the mobile computing user to replace a hard disk
drive.

30 -> Individual Software Bundled With Aztech Cards 04/11/94
Individual Software's newly released multimedia primer, Professor
Multimedia, will be bundled with all sound cards in Aztech's Sound
Galaxy product line.

(Steve Gold/19940411)