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/may_jun_94/nb051094

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(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00001)

Communications '94 Joins Networld, Windows World 05/10/94
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- The Networks Expo
(previously Networld) and Windows World show combination will
now add a third show, Communications '94, during the same third
week in September, according to show organizers The Interface
Group and The Blenheim Group. The three shows are expected to
draw 800 exhibiting companies and over 50,000 attendees.

In a surprise announcement earlier this year, the two trade show
organizers announced a partnership to bring Windows World and
Networks Expo together to Dallas. Communications '94 is a new
trade show focusing on communications, transport, infrastructure
issues, and is expected to pull together the worlds of telephony
and data communications as a compliment to Networks Expo.

Dallas is heavily populated by telecommunications companies. In
fact, a portion of the freeway system in the city is informally
called "The Telecom Corridor." Along just a few miles of State
Highway 75 heading north from Dallas into the suburbs is
clustered Texas Instruments, Northern Telecom, and a host of
other telecommunications companies.

The show organizers said Communications '94 is expected to draw
as exhibitors local and long distance carriers, private network
carriers, packet-switch providers, satellite networks, cellular
telephony and data carriers, videoconferencing, and workgroup
computing companies. Over 60 conference sessions are planned to
discuss such subjects as telephones and telephony, data
communications, and the convergence of telephony and data
communications in creating systems supporting voice, data, fax,
video, and other services.

The three shows are scheduled for September 20-22, 1994, at the
Dallas Convention Center. The show organizers say trade shows are
becoming more regional, so they are talking about taking the
shows to Chicago and San Francisco as well. Networks Expo is
already held in San Francisco and Windows World has been held in
conjunction with Spring Comdex in Atlanta.

(Linda Rohrbough/19940509/Press Contact: Cheryl Delgreco, The
Interface Group, 617-449-6600, fax [phone]; Annie Scully,
The Blenheim Group, 201-346-1400 ext 145, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00002)

VGA Controller For Notebooks Adds Video, Low Power 05/10/94
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- Chips and
Technologies (C&T) has announced it is offering a new family of Video
Graphics Array (VGA) display controllers that will bring desktop
video and graphics to portable notebook computers. C&T claims the
Mustang 65540 and 65545 VGA controllers are the world's first
flat-panel controllers to add video overlay capability.

The company claims the new controllers will create new markets
for entertainment, business presentations, and video networking
on notebook computers as the Mustang line allow original
equipment manufacturers (OEMs) an "economical" way to offer the
ability to display full-motion video in a Microsoft Windows
environment. The video sources can be video cassette recorders
(VCRs), laser disks, camcorders, and other video devices.

Since one of the most time-consuming and expensive parts of
notebook computer design is the graphics subsystem, the hardware
and software compatible Mustang controllers offer a single design
that serves the requirements of several market segments -- from
low end monochrome systems up to high end desktop replacements,
C&T said.

Both controllers are available in either standard five-volt or
energy saving 3.3-volt power consumption versions and both
feature conservation-oriented "power down" modes. The 65545 uses
a hardware accelerator that multiplies the speed of data transfer
to the display to offer desktop performance in notebook display
systems. The 65540 is designed for mainstream applications that
do not require hardware acceleration, but still need high-speed
performance. Each Mustang controller also comes equipped with a
VGA-compatible basic input-output system (BIOS).

The Mustang line is a subset of the company's Vampire flat-panel
controllers. C&T lists Vampire customers as IBM and its AMBRA
subsidiary, AST, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and Gateway.

The Mustang 65545 will be available in sample quantities in July
and production quantities in September. OEM pricing has been
announced at $31 each in quantities of 1,000. C&T said the
65540 is available in now in both samples and production
quantities and the OEM price, in 10,000 unit quantities, is $24.

(Linda Rohrbough/19940509/Press Contact: Abbas Tehrani,
Chips and Technologies, tel [phone], fax
408-894-2077/C&T940509/PHOTO)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00003)

Systems Support Expo Set For May 18 &19 05/10/94
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- How can
technical support professionals and corporate executives establish
more effective strategies for network support, hardware
maintenance, and help desk management? Systems Support Expo, a
conference to be held May 18 and 19 in Boston, will use a
"customizable" format to answer those questions.

Systems Support Expo is being sponsored by Service News, and
co-sponsored by AT&T, DEC, Hewlett-Packard and IBM, with
support from Novell.

The two-day event will feature these six components: keynote
sessions; general sessions; a product expo; a Vendor's Academy; an
Executive Briefing on Professional Services; and concurrent tracks.
The tracks will cover: Network Integration and Support, Hardware
Maintenance, and Help Desk Management.

The keynotes and general sessions will take place on Wednesday and
Thursday mornings, the executive briefing on Wednesday afternoon,
and the concurrent tracks in the afternoon on both days. The
Vendor's Academy and product expo will span both parts of each day.

The keynotes are slated to start Wednesday, May 18 at 9 am with a
talk by Kim Cooper, VP of services for WordPerfect, on "Building
Loyalty to Support." In his one-hour presentation, Cooper will tell
how WordPerfect has "turned its support division into a powerhouse"
by creating a "devoted and loyal customer base."

From 10 to 11 am, at the "Senior Support Executive Roundtable,"
conference participants will be able to pose questions to technical
support experts on delivery strategies, pricing structures, and
other support-related matter.

Roundtable members will include Ken Johnston, services VP for AT&T
Global Information Solutions; John Page, VP of DEC's Multivendor
Customer Services for the Americas; Deborah Nelson, marketing
manager for HP's Americas Support Marketing Center; and Jan
Newman, executive VP of service and support for Novell.

The Thursday morning time slot will feature two general sessions:
"Setting up an Internal Support Group," and "Choosing an External
Service Provider."

Wednesday and Thursday from 11 am to 3 pm, participants will be
able to attend vendor-sponsored sessions on the product expo floor.
The Vendor Academy offerings will range in content from
"Multivendor Support" and "Help Desk Outsourcing" to "Easing the
Move to Client/Server" and "Remote LAN (local area network) Access
for Mobile Computing," and beyond. Presenters will include AT&T,
DEC, HP, IBM, and Novell.

On both days from 3 to 6 pm, the conference will run concurrent
sessions on current issues in network support, hardware
maintenance, and help desk management. Faculty for the concurrent
sessions will encompass representatives of Dataquest and other
industry consulting companies, Harvard and other colleges and
universities, and a variety of large internal corporate support
organizations.

Topics in the network support track will include "NetWork
Management Platforms and Applications," "In-House Profile: Barnes
and Noble," "Managing the Migration to a New OS (Operating System)
Platform," "Lifecycle Support: Networks," "Outsourcing Profile:
Ford New Holland," and "Managing Network Growth and Change Without
Support Meltdown."

The track on hardware maintenance will cover "PC Management
Software: Strategies and Products," "Staffing for the Future,"
"LifeCycle Support: Desktop Computing," "In-House Profile:
University of Rochester," "Outsourcing Profile: Desktop Services,"
and "Implementing No Down Time Hardware Support."

Concurrently, help desk support professionals will be hearing about
"How to Choose and Use Help-Desk Software," "Successfully
Consolidating Multiple Help Desks," "Insights on Outsourcing,"
"Finding the Right Outsourcing Partner," "In-House Profile: DHL
Airways," and "Marketing the Support Center to Senior Management
and Your Customers."

The Executive Briefing on Professional Services, which is scheduled
for 2 to 5 pm on Wednesday, will include talks by Mike Melenovsky,
an IDC analyst, on "Business Profess Re-Engineering;" Julie
Schwartz, a Dataquest analyst, on a new model for choosing an
outsourcing partner: and Linda Musthaler, VP of research for Currid
& Company, on "management issues related to migrating to client-
server computing."

Meanwhile, a least 85 organizations will be showing display their
wares at the product expo, including Apple, Boston University,
Microsoft, Wang, and Micro 2000.

For information on fees for Systems Support Expo, and how to
register, contact United Publications in Yarmouth, Maine at
207-846-0600.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940509/Reader & Press Contact: United
Publications, 207-846-0600)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00004)

Aldus Ships Paint & Publish Bundled Mac Software 05/10/94
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- Aldus Corp.,
has announced it is bundling two of its most popular products in a
single package.

The company says it is shipping Paint & Publish, a one-box
collection of SuperPaint 3.5 and HomePublisher 2.0, at an
estimated street price of $89.99. Aldus is one of a growing list
of companies, including Microsoft Corporation, that no longer
publishes suggested retail prices (SRPs). The street price is the
price the consumer actually pays for a product and is often 20
percent or more below the SRP.

Aldus says the two products are designed to create and
print invitations, flyers, brochures, logos, charts, graphs,
stationary, forms, and newsletters.

HomePublisher is an entry-level page layout program that was first
introduced in January of this year. It includes Personal Press 2.0,
document templates that prompt the user with the steps needed to
create the document, home and small business Clickart images from
T/Maker, 12 Bitstream TrueType fonts, and 25 sheets of specialty
paper.

HomePublisher supports two and three text columns, has a
copy-fitting features that automatically adjusts the font size and
spacing to fit the copy into a user-designated space, and has a
preview feature.

Superpaint 3.5 includes keyboard or tablet pressure-sensitive
drawing tools, TWAIN support, and an Apple QuickTime plug-in module
that lets users place Quicktime movie frames or Kodak Photo CD
images directly into SuperPaint at a specific resolution. A copy brush
tool allows the user to select any scanned image as a reference, then
either paint, copy or modify it by applying one of several visual
effects that are part of the program.

SuperPaint 3.5 supports PICT, TIFF, EPS, MacPaint, Apple Scanner,
Thunderscan TIFF, Paint Texture, Draw Texture and Quicktime formats,
as well as images from TWAIN-compatible scanners. The program was
first introduced in September 1991, with version 3.5 shipping in
July 1993.

Paint & Publish has a suggested retail price of $89.99 and requires
an Apple Macintosh SE/30 or later-model computer, system 6.0.5 or
later, four megabytes (MB) of system memory, and a hard drive. Aldus
says the minimum hardware necessary is a Mac Plus with the above
memory and operating system.

Aldus spokesperson Teri Bruno told Newsbytes there is no upgrade
price for current users of either SuperPaint or HomePublisher since
Paint & Publish is sold only through retail outlets and is not
available direct from Aldus.

(Jim Mallory/19940509/Press contact: Teri Bruno, Aldus
Corporation, 714-454-8056; Reader contact: Aldus Corporation,
800-888-6293, 619-558-6000)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00005)

Electro '94 Expo Opens Today In Boston 05/10/94
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- Electro '94
International, this year's edition of an annual showcase and forum
for engineers and marketing specialists, opens today in Boston,
with a new emphasis on emerging technologies, education, global
business, and other needs that are gaining in significance as
electronics heads toward the 21st century.

Co-sponsored by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical & Electronics
Engineers) and the ERA (Electronics Representatives Association),
the electronics extravaganza rotates between Boston and New York
City on a yearly basis.

The '94 event, which is set for today through Thursday at the Hynes
Auditorium in Boston, will feature Gregory N. Hughes, president of
AT&T Transmission Systems, as keynoter. Hughes will talk on the
subject "Making Global Networking Easy."

In other special activities, the Virtual Reality Alliance of
Students and Professionals (VRASP) will present a pair of virtual
reality (VR) events at Electro: "The PC-Based VR Glove Workshop,"
and "The PC-Based VR Animation Workshop."

In addition, more than 60 conference sessions are scheduled for
the three-day show. There will also be nine tracks: Emerging
Technologies, Careers/Education, International Business, Engineering
Technologies, Software and Standards, Manufacturing Processes,
Purchasing/Business Issues, Networks, and Executive Business.

Specific session titles include "Neural Networks Technology,"
"NAFTA," "Selling to the Americas," "Parallel Processing: Tools and
the Virtual Machines," "Integrating Diversity in the Workplace,"
"Digital Signal Processing," "Advancements in Imaging for
Medicine," "Engineering Careers in the 90's," and "Innovations in
Electrical Engineering Education."

The Electro show floor has been enlarged this year to accommodate
more than 800 exhibits. The exhibition hall will be open Tuesday
and Wednesday from 9 am to 5 pm and Thursday from 9 am to 3 pm.

Exhibitors will include Digital Equipment Corporation, Motorola,
Seiko, Du Pont, and National Instruments, as well as smaller
companies ranging from ACL Inc., and Alpha Wire Corp., to
Yokogawa Corporation of America and Zippertubing Company.

On-site registration is available. Call Electro '94 at 214-419-7869
for information on registration fees and procedures.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940509/Reader & Press Contact: Electro '94,
214-419-7869)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BOS)(00006)

Leading Edge Adds The Good Guys! To Retail Partners 05/10/94
WESTBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- Leading
Edge, a PC maker based in Westborough, Massachusetts, has added The
Good Guys! Inc., a West Coast chain of 48 consumer electronic
stores, to its list of retail partners.

A newly signed deal between Leading Edge and The Good Guys! is
designed to expand the computer vendor's presence in "key
California markets," according to Walter Foley, VP of sales and
marketing for Leading Edge.

The Good Guys!, a company established in 1973, has 23 locations
in southern California and 24 in northern California, including
multiple store locations in San Francisco, San Jose, and San
Francisco.

The Good Guys! site in Los Angeles is billed as the first consumer
electronics store to be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Other Good Guys! locations include Anaheim, Berkeley, and
Pasadena, California, as well as Reno, Nevada. Additional branches
in Las Vegas and the Pacific Northwest are planned for 1995.

Leading Edge sells its desktop, tower, and multimedia PCs mainly
through mass merchants, superstores, and other retail outlets,
although some marketing is also conducted through value-added
resellers (VARs), a company spokesperson told Newsbytes.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940510/Reader Contact: Leading Edge, 800-874-
3340; Press Contacts: Susan Zephir, Leading Edge, 508-836-4800;
Amelie Gardella or Nick Berents, Copithorne & Bellows for Leading
Edge, 617-252-0606)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00007)

Turbo Browser Uses Sound & Sight To Find Files 05/10/94
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- Pacific Gold
Coast has released Turbo Browser, a file previewer that uses sound,
as well as sight, to help users find and identify video, animation,
audio, graphics and text files in 18 different Windows file formats.

Turbo Browser shows full-motion "thumbnails" of video and
animation clips, and plays back "sound bites" from audio files,
explained Richard Leeds, president of Computer Product
Introductions Corp., in a meeting with Newsbytes on a Boston
press tour.

Also during the meeting with Newsbytes, Leeds said that the
new release displays information on the sampling rate of sound
files, and the quality of sound recordings.

Through another capability, called Auto Play, users can watch Turbo
Browser scroll through thumbnails of multimedia, graphics, and text
files, he added.

Turbo Browser also lets users convert between bitmap file formats,
and compress files through LZW, RLE, PackBits, and CCITT Group 3
file compression, according to Leeds. Users can save files in
different file formats, as well as copy, delete, and print files.

The new package from Glen Cove, New York-based Pacific Gold Coast
supports the AVI video file format, the MID format for MIDI (musical
instrument digital interface) sound, and the WAV format for sampled
sound, in addition to the FLC and FLI animation formats.

Turbo Browser also works with the following image file formats:
BMP (bitmap), TIFF (tagged image file format), JPEG (Joint
Photographic Experts Group), TARGA, PCX, DIB, GIF, CLP, CUR, CWD,
ICO, and RLE.

Turbo Browser supports 2, 16, 256, and 16.8 million colors. The
multimedia, graphics, and text file previewer is available
immediately for a suggested list price of $69.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940510/Reader Contact: Pacific Gold Coast,
516-759-3011; Press Contact: Richard Leeds, Computer Product
Introductions Corp., 206-451-9788)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00008)

Lotus Intros Ami Pro 3.0 For HP-UX 05/10/94
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- Lotus
has announced shipment of Ami Pro 3.0 for HP-UX. The new Motif-
based version of Ami Pro for Hewlett-Packard HP 9000 Series
700/800 workstations is slated to be followed by editions for
IBM RS6000 and Sun Sparcstation in the third quarter.

In an interview with Newsbytes, Joyce Reynolds, Ami Pro for Unix
product manager, said that the RS6000 and Sparcstation versions of
Lotus' word processor will also be based on Motif, and that the
Sparcstation edition will add the Motif libraries for Sun users who
have not yet transitioned to Motif.

Although Lotus has modified the dialog box layout in Motif-based
versions slightly to take advantage of the larger workstation real
estate, the Unix editions are otherwise identical in appearance and
behavior to the Ami Pro offerings for Windows and OS/2, Reynolds
said.

Features, menus, and "verbiage" will all be the same across
platforms, according to Reynolds. All the Ami Pro packages, for
example, will provide the same time-saving "interactive dialog
boxes," "smart icons," and "style sheets."

The dialog boxes feature Apply Buttons that are designed to let
users look at a full-page document and a dialog box simultaneously,
trying out different page layouts, table layouts, frames and styles,
while at the same time seeing the changes that are created in the
document.

In addition, the "file open dialog box" in Ami Pro can be
"stretched" either horizontally or vertically to examine lists of
file names, or lengthy directory path information.

The smart icons are aimed at allowing single-click access to
features in Ami Pro. The style sheets are used for formatting
documents.

"The point is that companies will not have to re-train users to
work with the versions for Unix. Anybody who has used Ami Pro
for Windows or OS/2 will be able to use Ami Pro with the Motif
interface right away," Reynolds told Newsbytes.

The Unix-based editions will use the same file format as the
version for Windows, Reynolds noted. In addition, users will be
able to employ Ami Pro macros originally written on the PC in
the new Unix versions.

Ami Pro for HP-UX, like Lotus Notes, will also support LEL (Link,
Embedded and Launch-to-Edit), a specification developed by Lotus
to extend linking and embedding functionality between Unix and
Windows, Reynolds said.

LEL is aimed at allowing compound documents created in Unix and
Windows to be easily exchanged between the two platforms,
she explained. For example, if a Windows user embeds an Ami Pro
document into Lotus Notes with the use of OLE (object linking and
embedding), a Notes for Unix user will be able to launch Ami Pro
simply by double-clicking on the embedded object.

In addition, if a user of Notes for Unix links an Ami Pro document
to a Notes documents, any modifications to the linked document will
automatically appear in the Notes document.

Tony Parham, group product manager for Lotus Notes, told Newsbytes
that Lotus submitted LEL for consideration to Unix International,
a standards group that has since disbanded. "We believe that Unix
International forwarded LEL to XOpen/Ltd. as an RFP (request for
proposal), but we have not received notification of that from
Xopen/Ltd.," he reported.

In addition to being sold as a separate package, Ami Pro is offered
as part of Lotus' SmartSuite, a suite of productivity applications.
Reynolds told Newsbytes that Lotus is not planning to port all of
SmartSuite to Unix at this time. "Right now, we're focusing our
efforts on the communications products and Ami Pro," she said.

Lotus expects WordPerfect and Island Write to be Ami Pro's closest
competitors on the Unix side, according to the Ami Pro for Unix
product manager.

Ami Pro 3.0 for HP-UX is available now for a suggested retail price
of $495. Users of competing high-end word processors and other
Lotus word processors can upgrade for $129. Current users of Ami
Pro 3.0 for Windows or OS/2 who move to Ami Pro 3.0 for HP-UX will
also receive a $20 rebate coupon in their upgrade packages.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940509/Reader Contact: Lotus Development
Corporation, 617-577-8500; Press Contacts: Kim Commerato, Lotus,
404-391-0011; Diane Horak, McGlinchey & Paul for Lotus, 617-862-
4514)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00009)

Japan - Canon's FLCD Display To Debut This Fall 05/10/94
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- Canon plans to release a
desktop publishing word processor this fall, equipped with
a ferroelectric liquid crystal display (FLCD). Canon is also
planning to equip the FLCD on its workstations at a later date.

Canon developed the prototype version of the FLCD in 1991. Since
then, the firm has reportedly been improving the product. The FLCD
is 15-inches across -- much larger than conventional LCDs. The
screen resolution is 1,280 by 1,024 pixels. The monochrome version
has 5.24 million pixels, while the color version has 2.62 million
pixels.

The first product equipped with the FLCD will be Canon's Japanese
word processor, which will also support an English language feature.
Canon also plans to provide the FLCDs to other personal computer
and multimedia device makers.

Canon manufacturers Steven Job's Next workstations. As a result,
it is expected that the firm will release an FLCD version of the
Next workstation in the near future. Shipment of the FLCDs will
begin this fall. To start, Canon is planning to ship 5,000 units per
month.

Canon has also been working on the development of a thin FLCD.
According to Canon, a wall-hung thin FLCD will be developed in
the near future, and will reportedly be thinner than Matsushita's
Braun-type display, which is about 15 centimeters deep.

FLCD technology was originally developed by a French
researcher in 1975. Canon started developing the commercial
product in 1983.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19940504/Press Contact: Canon,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00010)

Japan - NTT Develops Advanced ATM Switch 05/10/94
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- Japan's NTT has developed a
high-speed asynchronous transmission mode (ATM) switching
system. It contains multiple ATM LSI chips, and is claimed
to be ideal for multimedia devices.

NTT's latest ATM switching system is equipped with 256
ATM switching LSI chips. Each chip can handle 20 gigabit signals
per second. NTT has applied a matrix-type cross-point switch,
which is made of silicon bipolar. The firm has also applied a
multi-chip module, pipeline processing, and a new algorithm
to process switching signals.

The ATM switching system's buffer LSI is equipped with a flexible
print circuit cable. The buffer LSI is a Bi-CMOS (bi-complementary
metal oxide semiconductor).

NTT's ATM switching device can be used for B-ISDN (integrated
services digital network) in the future. It can also reportedly
handle multimedia data.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19940502/Press Contact: NTT,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00011)

India - NAL Develops Flight "Black Box" Processing Sys 05/10/94
BANGALORE, INDIA, 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- India's National
Aeronautical Laboratory (NAL) has developed an integrated
flight data processing (IFDP) system which can read out data
acquired by flight data recording systems on aircraft.

The system, developed by NAL over a five-year period, is being
installed at Air India, Bombay. The IFDP system is compatible with
all the models of flight data recorders on Air India's aircraft.

According to NAL, the development will mean a saving of R4 crore
(in foreign currency) for Air India.

NAL also plans soon to release a similar system for private air
taxis. The development by NAL is critical, since all airlines and
air taxi operators now have to maintain a record of flight
parameters for three months for safety and preventive maintenance.

The IFDP system, based on Tata Unisys U 6000 mini-computer
running under Unix, involved a development cost of about R40 lakh.
The system could be used to acquire data from digital flight data
recorders (DFDRs) and quick access recorders (QARs) simultaneously
to speed up data acquisition.

IFDP processes raw data obtained from recorders, converts it to
engineering units and displays select parameters. It sets up a
database of all the detected events and its output could be used
to access which operating techniques were causing erosion of
safety margins. The system also contains a special event search
monitoring and analysis software.

NAL is understood to be studying export opportunities for the
system. It claims to have received queries from private airlines
for digital flight data recorder and performance monitor recorders.

(C. T. Mahabharat/19940509)


(NEWS)(IBM)(ATL)(00012)

Pantone Offers Windows Color Consistency 05/10/94
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- While most
people in the printing business know the name Pantone, the
company is now trying to bring that awareness to users of
personal computers (PCs).

Newsbytes discussed the company's new offerings -- the Pantone
Open Color Environment, and Color-Up -- with a company spokesman
in New York.

The company came out of the commercial printing industry, and is
best-known for its matching system, found in color books used by
designers. The system calibrates colors from colors to printers,
making sure there is consistent output, because on-screen colors
can lie. Among the targets are graphic designers, print houses,
service bureaus -- even ad agencies.

Major league baseball teams use the Pantone system to make sure
their logos look the same whether printed in a program or on a
t-shirt. "Bloomingdale's also has found that the number one reason
for returns is color," noted Edelman spokesperson Dee Anna
McPherson. "It can be slightly off on the page, and comes back. This
allows them to match colors in the catalog, and reduces the
number of returns."

Pantone is also coming out with Color-up, a system that not only
expands the palette of colors, but can recommend the most
effective colors for use in different media. "The graphic
packages are designed to look good on a screen, but that may be
painful to the eye on a slide." Consistency, or lack of it, may
be one reason why color printing and presentation tools have
not sold as well as predicted, she added.

Newsbytes asked what is next from the Pantone labs. The word,
she said, is Hexachrome. This is a six-color process -- most
systems use four colors to create their palettes -- which can
reduce the cost of high-quality printing, and create process and
metallic colors on lower-grade equipment. Patents are still
pending on the precise colors Hexachrome starts with to
accomplish this.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940510/Press Contact: Dee Anna McPherson,
for Panton, tel [phone], fax: [phone]; Lisa Herbert,
Pantone Inc., 201-935-5500)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(ATL)(00013)

Sony Denies Support For Avid's OMF Digital Video 05/10/94
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- Sony has decided
not to support Avid's Open Media Framework (OMF) standard for
digital video.

Stephen DiFranco, marketing manager for edit workstations with
Sony Electronics Inc., confirmed the decision at a new technology
forum sponsored by the New York Academy of Television Arts and
Sciences. "We don't consider OMF a standard," he said. "We'll see
if the industry supports it." Tom Ohanian, chief editor for Avid
Technology, was also on the panel, and later confirmed that
Quantel has come to the same conclusion.

Avid had previously won support for the OMF format from such
computer vendors as Apple and Silicon Graphics, but Sony's
decision is a setback, since that company dominates most
professional video markets.

One exception is in non-linear editing, a niche dominated by Avid's
Media Composer and Film Composer products. At a New York
forum, sponsored by "Electronic Media" magazine, Sony also
demonstrated its Destiny system, a Windows-based product which
will begin competing with the Avid systems later this year. Avid's
products were first developed on the Macintosh, and are now being
ported to Silicon Graphics workstations.

Kenneth Michel, general manager for technology and equipment
planning at ABC Broadcast Operations, and Donald DeCesare, vice
president-operations at CBS News, were also on the panel, and
emphasized the more practical aspects of the move from analog to
digital broadcast production tools.

"It's a paradoxical world," DeCesare said of the new tools. "We
have it and we don't need it." He explained, "We're going to air
without new technology. We already send a signal with more
quality than you can receive." Also, non-linear editors
reportedly do not save time -- they just let editors try more
types of cuts. So such equipment must be justified based on
perceived quality improvements, admittedly an aesthetic
judgement.

Michel also noted practical advantages of digital tools. They
are easier to maintain, there is no loss of quality as tapes are
copied and re-copied, distribution of the product is easier, and
networks can assure themselves of quality, he said.

But even combining aesthetic and practical advantages of digital
techniques, Michel and DeCesare concluded, the transition to
digital will take time. "Tape will be around" for many years,
said Michel. Perhaps as many as 50, said DiFranco. And so will TV
networks, added DeCesare. "Sixty-five percent of the audience
will still watch the right event."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940510/Press Contact: Debbie Feldstein,
New York Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts
and Sciences, 212-768-7050)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00014)

Novell Gets Antitrust OK in WP Deal, Sheds Databases 05/10/94
PROVO, UTAH, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- Novell Inc., has moved a
step closer to finalizing the acquisition of Wordperfect Corp.,
and Borland's Quattro Pro spreadsheet by getting Justice
Department approval for the deal.

Approval came automatically following expiration of the statutory
waiting period required by the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust
Improvement Act without Novell receiving a request for more
information about the deal from the US Department of Justice.

Novell now says it expects the transactions will be finalized in
June following completion of a review by the US Securities and
Exchange Commission.

Once finalized, the deal puts Novell in a strong position to
challenge software giant Microsoft. Microsoft publishes database,
word processing, spreadsheet, and network software. Novell has the
upper hand in the network operating system software business with
its Netware product.

Wordperfect is reportedly the best-selling word processing
software on the market, although Microsoft Word is a strong
competitor. With the acquisition of Borland's Quattro Pro
spreadsheet Novell now has a product to compete with Microsoft's
Excel.

Microsoft publishes two database programs, Foxpro and Access,
while Novell does not have a Windows-based database. Instead, it
has chosen to make Wordperfect compatible with most database
software, including Access and Foxpro.

In other Novell news, the company says it has sold its Btrieve
product line, including development, support and marketing rights,
to Austin, Texas-based Btrieve Technologies Inc. With that move the
Btrieve software comes full circle, since Btrieve Technologies was
formed by a group of former Novell employees, including the original
developers of the Btrieve database.

The acquisition includes Btrieve, Netware SQL (structured query
language), XQL, and Xtrieve Plus. Novell will retain an equity
interest in Btrieve Technologies Inc., and will have a seat on the
Btrieve Tech board of directors. It says it will bundle and ship the
Btrieve database software product line as part of its Netware and
future Novell products.

Btrieve is a data management system that allows programmers to
write business-critical applications using 3GL (third generation
language) and 4GL (fourth generation language) programming
methods. Netware SQL is a relational database designed for
workgroups in small- to medium-sized companies and departments
within an enterprise. It is also an SQL interface to Btrieve data.

(Jim Mallory/19940510/Press contact: Peter Troop, Novell Inc.,
408-577-8361 or Nelda Currah, Btrieve Technologies,
512-794-1409)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00015)

Voice-Activation Integrates PC/Phone/Fax Comms 05/10/94
HUMBOLDT, SOUTH DAKOTA, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 10 (NB)-- Interactive
Inc., has introduced a product that integrates many communications
needs, including telephone, fax, modem and multimedia capabilities
in a personal computer (PC). It also uses voice commands to
perform many of the functions.

interactive calls its Interactive Communicator (IC) product line,
"the world's first voice command activated business communications
system." The company also offers upgrade kits for customers who
want to add integrated communications to their existing PCs.

One of the most interesting features of IC is the voice command
function that lets you tell your computer to call a particular party
by name, e.g., "call Newsbytes." If the number is busy, the
Communicator will respond with "I'm sorry, the number is busy,
would you like to try again later?" You can respond with "Call
again in 10 minutes."

The turnkey voice command activated Interactive Communicator
system includes three separate processors. One is a general purpose
486 central processing unit (CPU) which runs standard DOS and
Windows programs. A second is used for processing the voice
commands, while the third handles the telephone, fax and
multimedia communications information.

The system also includes SoundXchange, a speakerphone style PC
audio device with a built in microphone and amplified speaker for
hands-free use and a telephone handset for privacy.

The Interactive Communicator PC uses "green" or energy-saving
technology and is designed to be left on around the clock. The
system automatically turns off the video monitor and disk drive and
reduces the CPU speed to minimize power usage and reduce hard disk
drive wear during periods of non-use. Events such as incoming faxes
or phone calls automatically awaken the system.

The basic Interactive Communicator system, which does not include
the voice recognition technology, has a suggested retail price of
$2,295. With voice recognition the base price is $2,695. The company
says it can provide just about any PC configuration the customer
requests for an additional charge.

If you want to upgrade your current PC the basic upgrade kit
includes SoundXchange, an ISA (Industry Standard Architecture)
expansion card with a 16-bit digital signal processor (DSP) and the
necessary software for $595. There is also an upgrade kit with an
ISA bus card with 32-bit DSP and voice recognition software for
$995.

Interactive says it will be offering its technology to original
equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

(Jim Mallory/19940510/Press contact: Michael Pulizzi, Interactive
Inc, 605-363-5117; Reader contact: Interactive Inc, 605-363-5117,
fax [phone]/PHONE940510/PHOTO)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00016)

QMS Joins Firms Abandoning Suggested Retail Prices 05/10/94
MOBILE, ALABAMA, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- QMS Inc., has joined a
growing list of companies that have abandoned publishing suggested
retail prices (SRPs).

Instead, the printer company will announce "reference prices," which
it says will give consumers "the best typical price" for a given QMS
product and will more closely represent the actual price. The
company says it expects the new pricing policy to immediately
reduce the purchase price for many of its popular printers, including
its Colorscript 210 and 230, the QMS 860 and the 850 Plus.

"List prices for mass market technology products have become all but
meaningless over the past few years. Very few purchasers actually
pay list price for a given product, choosing to shop around for the
best 'street price' available," said Raymond Rosewall, QMS executive
VP for worldwide sales and marketing.

The company provided Newsbytes with some typical SRP versus
reference price examples. The QMS Colorscript 210 previously had a
SRP of $4,995, but the company's new reference price is $3,499. The
Colorscript 230 SRP was $7,995 versus the new guideline of $7,355.
The QMS 860+, formerly listed at $5,999, now has a reference
guideline of $5,099.

QMS introduced the 860 print system in July 1992. It is a 600 by 600
resolution, eight page-per-minute unit powered by a 25 megahertz
RISC (reduced instruction-set computing) chip that comes with 39
fonts for Postscript printing and a standard set of Hewlett Packard
PCL fonts.

The Colorscript color printers were announced in September, 1992,
and are built around Mitsubishi color thermal transfer engines. They
can emulate Postscript Level 1 and 2 and HPGL printing languages
and have to ability to sense traffic, accept it and buffer it for later
processing. It offers a hard drive option that allows departmental
use of the printer.

QMS covers its products with a one-year warranty and offers a
variety of onsite, depot and factory service plans.

(Jim Mallory/19940510/Press contact: Ann Strople, QMS Inc,
205-639-4474; Reader contact: QMS Inc, 205-633-4300 or
800-523-2696)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00017)

CE Software Completes Powercore Acquisition 05/10/94
WEST DES MOINES, IOWA, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- CE Software has
announced the acquisition of the assets of Powercore Inc., for $3.8
million in cash and 294,000 shares of CE common stock.

The deal also calls for payment of an additional 137,500 shares
conditional upon performance. CE Software Chief Financial Officer
Curtis Lack told Newsbytes the additional shares are tied to
regional levels of Powercore product performance. Powercore
revenues for the past two years have averaged about $3 million
annually. The company was founded in 1988 and is based in Manteno,
Illinois.

Powercore publishes local area network (LAN) calendaring and
scheduling software. CE Software develops electronic mail software.
It says it will integrate Powercore's full product line, including
its flagship product Network Scheduler 3. NS 3 allows users to share
information from their individual calendars in order to coordinate
scheduling of multiple users.

NS 3 supports Novell Netware MHS, Microsoft mail, and cc: Mail. It
will also support CE's Quickmail.

Twelve-year old CE Software says it will retain Powercore's
development, technical support and sales staff. Lack told Newsbytes
a transition plan has been developed for administrative and support
staffers, with some of those Powercore employees eventually losing
their jobs. Lack said a location task force is evaluating keeping
the Manteno office open. "We're exploring the possibilities of
continuing in the future as a two-site business."

CE claims about half of the electronic mail market for the Macintosh
platform, while Powercore says it has a "significant" portion of the
Windows and DOS network scheduling and group calendaring market.

The potential market for group scheduling and calendaring appears
strong. International Data Corporation, an independent market
research firm, estimates that over 23 million people will use group
calendaring and scheduling within three years.

(Jim Mallory/19940510/Press contact: Curtis Lack, CE Software,
515-221-2114; Reader contact: CE Software, 515-224-1995, fax
515-224-4534)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00018)

AT&T Intros First EISA Boxes, Server Packages 05/10/94
DAYTON, OHIO, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- AT&T Global Information
Solutions -- formerly NCR Corp. -- has announced two servers that
are its first machines to use the Extended Industry Standard
Architecture (EISA) bus and that incorporate Intel Corp. Pentium
microprocessors.

The AT&T 3406 is a desktop server and the AT&T 3416 is a
desk-side unit. Both use the 60 megahertz (MHz) version of the
Pentium chip, and both include a 256 kilobyte (KB) write-back
cache and both parity and error checking and correcting (ECC)
memory, AT&T officials said.

The 3416 will be upgradable to a dual-processor configuration
using two 66 MHz Pentiums after August 1, the company said.

The desktop 3406 has five half-height drive bays, and the
desk-side 3416 has eight half-height bays along with a
10 megabyte (MB)-per-second SCSI-2 (small computer system
interface type 2) Fixed Disk Interface.

The company will continue offering systems that use IBM's Micro
Channel Architecture (MCA) system bus, but is adding EISA systems
in response to customer demand, AT&T spokeswoman Kathryn McKee
told Newsbytes.

The systems can run Microsoft Corp.'s Windows NT Advanced Server,
Novell Inc.'s NetWARe 3.12 and 4.01 and UnixWare Application
Server 1.1, and Santa Cruz Operation Inc.'s SCO Unix 3.0.

The 3406 and 3416 are available now, with list prices of $3,425
for the 3406 and $4,735 for the 3416. Both prices include 16MB
of memory and a one gigabyte (GB) hard disk drive. A three-year
warranty is standard.

AT&T also said it is promoting its servers for different uses, by
marketing them as database-ready, network-ready, and
application-ready. The hardware is no different, said Scott
Fogle, director of merchandising in worldwide server marketing at
AT&T.

Resellers will be able to bundle Novell NetWare with the units
designated as network ready, or a choice of operating systems,
including AT&T's, Novell's, or SCO's Unix, or Microsoft's NT, with
the application-ready units. Resellers will be able to license the
AT&T, Microsoft, or SCO products directly from AT&T, he added.

AT&T is discussing bundling arrangements with several major
database vendors for its database-ready packages, he said.

The announcement does not really involve new products, but is an
effort to draw attention to the existing hardware's suitability
for certain uses. "We want the market to be aware that in those
spaces we have industry-leading products," Fogle told Newsbytes.
McKee said the packaging strategy is meant mainly for the
benefit of resellers, to give them pre-packaged systems that meet
certain customer needs.

(Grant Buckler/19940510/Press Contact: Kathryn McKee, AT&T,
708-979-7706)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00019)

 ****IBM Sells Manhattan Office Tower 05/10/94
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- IBM has sold its
mid-town Manhattan office tower at 590 Madison Ave. as part of
ongoing cost-cutting measures.

The million-square-foot tower was sold to a partnership of New
York-based Odyssey Partners and Edward J. Minskoss for an
undisclosed amount, IBM spokesman Scott Brooks told Newsbytes.

IBM will continue to occupy about one third of the building, or
roughly 315,000 square feet, Brooks said. None of the operations
formerly based at 590 Madison will move out, he said.

The company has not been using all of the available space because
of sharp staff reductions over the past couple of years and because
a growing number of employees are working from their homes all
or part of the time.

In addition to reaping an immediate gain from the sale, IBM will
save on ongoing running costs of the building. "We think it's a
good business deal," Brooks said.

After several quarterly losses, IBM recently reported its second
quarterly profit, and at the company's annual shareholders'
meeting in Toronto in April, Chairman Louis Gerstner said he
expects an annual profit in the current fiscal year.

(Grant Buckler/19940510/Press Contact: Scott Brooks, IBM,
914-765-6242)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(TOR)(00020)

Gandalf Awarded Data Compression Patent 05/10/94
NEPEAN, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- Gandalf
Technologies Inc., has announced that the US Patent and Trademark
Office has awarded it a patent for a packet-based compression
algorithm that the data communications equipment maker claims
can compress data by as much as a 10:1 ratio.

Gandalf received patent number 5,293,379 for the data compression
technology, which is used in some of Gandalf's LANline products,
company spokesman Rodney Wilson told Newsbytes.

The technology is suited to wide area networks (WANs), Wilson said.
It differs from rivals in that it can compress header and address
packets as well as data, he added, which means that even if data has
already been compressed, the Gandalf products can squeeze it down
further.

According to Wilson, rival compression algorithms do not typically
reach a compression ratio of better than 6:1. Gandalf's officials
announcement said its technology is capable of 8:1 compression,
but Wilson said it can sometimes reach 10:1.

Gandalf is considering the possibility of licensing the data
compression technology to other vendors through its original
equipment manufacturer (OEM) sales group, Wilson added.

He said the company is not aware of any existing products from
other firms that might be infringing the newly granted patent.

The point of data compression in communications is to reduce the
amount of data to be transmitted, thus speeding transmission and
reducing the amount of communications capacity needed. Wilson
said improved compression technology could be helpful to people
working from home, making it easier for them to interact with
colleagues at a distant office.

(Grant Buckler/19940510/Press Contact: Rodney Wilson, Gandalf
Technologies, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(WAS)(00021)

MacWorld Expo - HSC's Krause Surfs Info Highway 05/10/94
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- Is highway the
wrong metaphor to apply to the telecommunications revolution? Kai
Krause, executive vice president of HSC Software of Santa Monica,
Calif., and a veteran surfer on the Internet, told the MacWorld
Expo and Summit that the problem with the metaphor, is that what
the new technologies in telecommunications do, is render distance
completely meaningless.

In a multimedia presentation blending live projection TV, video
tape, and running screen shots from a Power PC, Krause charted a
lively and somewhat eccentric course through many of the issues
now surrounding the information highway, from virtual reality to
global villages to the evolution of the Internet.

The information superhighway, Krause said, perpetuating the
metaphor, "is not about super, mega, virtual. It's very mundane,
very human, and very simple stuff, and it should change our
lives." Whatever else happens, Krause said, "it is still going to
be people" running and using the system, for good and for ill.

One fruitful outcome of the telecommunications revolution, Krause
said, "is that everybody on Earth should have a global telephone
number. On America Online, I'm simply 'Kai' and that works
beautifully. But when I want to make a telephone call, I have to
punch in all this long stream of numbers from my phone card.
That's going to change."

Going from where we are today to where we will be in just a few
years, Krause said, "is like going from a floppy to a CD-ROM."
And like that transformation in scale, at first people are not
going to understand how to use all the new capacity. "150
kilobytes per second," he said, "is 10,000 times faster than a
14,400 (bits-per-second) modem."

Virtual reality, Krause said, is another concept conceived mostly
as hype. "Virtual reality is here today, but it is very slow," he
said. "It is molasses reality."

One aspect of today's slow, but useful, virtual reality, is electronic
mail on the Internet. "The good side," he said, "is that I can
literally keep in touch with 100s of people. The bad side is I can
keep in touch with 100s of people. It's slow, it's lame, but its
here today."

Krause said he is very fond of online chats, bringing 50 people
together to hash out issues like a large dinner party. He said he
values not only the spontaneity and ideas from chats but their
egalitarian approach to merit. "You are reduced totally to the
content of your thought" when messaging online, he said, adding,
"I have hired half of my team from online sources."

Krause said that today is a crucial time for the Internet as
developers work on new approaches to graphic interfaces for the
often daunting, Unix-choked network of networks. The successful
interface, he said, "Will be completely different than anything
you have seen before. And in hindsight, once you have seen it, it
will seem totally obvious."

(Kennedy Maize/19940510)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00022)

UK - HP Intros A5 Printer Feeder Systems 05/10/94
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- Hewlett-
Packard has announced a new range of A5 paper feeders for use with
its HP LaserJet and HP DeskJet range of printers. According to HP, the
new feeders have been introduced as a result of increasing customer
demand for A5 products.

Developed in Europe, the paper feeders come in three models which slot
into the A4 paper trays of the HP DeskJet/DeskWriter 500 series of
printers, the HP LaserJet 4P/4MP printers and the HP LaserJet IIISi,
4Si and 4SiMX printers. These three feeders cost UKP59, UKP66 and
UKP78 respectively.

"We have experienced an increasing demand from customers for A5
products," explained Ian McRae, business development manager of
the company's Local Products Organization Europe.

According to HP, company research has shown that the A5 cut sheet
paper size is the most popular after A4 in many European countries.
Current applications of A5 paper include the printing of product
manuals, personal organizers and leaflets, as well as internal
company communications.

The A5 paper feeder is billed as reducing costs by using only half the
traditional paper size, thus saving time by eliminating the need to
cut down A4 paper, producing only half the waste and saving on
storage space.

The HP range of A5 paper feeders come with a free copy of HP
TwinPiece for Windows valued at US$50, the personal organizer
software as used with the HP OmniBook 425 and 430, the HP 100LX
and the HP 95LX series of computers.

(Steve Gold/19940510/Press & Public Contact: Hewlett-Packard,
tel [phone])


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

Nokia Secures Chinese Mobile Phone Contract 05/10/94
HELSINKI, FINLAND, 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- Nokia, one of the prime
movers behind the global system for mobile (GSM) digital phone
network technology over the last few years, has scored something
of a coup by signing a contract for the supply of GSM phones and
network infrastructure to the Peoples' Republic of China,
Newsbytes has learned.

Although terms of the deal have not been revealed, Newsbytes
understands that the contract is a major one, involving the
installation of a GSM phone network in Beijing to start with. If the
project takes off, the network will be expanded to other areas of
China.

China has had a number of analog cellular phone systems in operation
for the past few years. The problem with the network has been that, as
in many other countries, the analog phones only work on their home
network. GSM, in contrast, is designed with roaming in mind and is
currently "roamable" to around 40 countries of the world, subject to
roaming agreements between the various telecoms countries.

GSM was originally designed as pan-European digital phone network
with roaming built in as an integral feature. Because the networks
interconnect using super-fast digital circuits, as soon as a "foreign"
GSM phone powers up and registers on a country's network, it takes
around 20 seconds to authorize the phone and allow local service.

This interconnection is an integral feature of GSM, Newsbytes notes,
and it allows intelligent call forwarding between the home and foreign
networks. Outgoing calls are placed as if the user were a subscriber
to the foreign network.

According to Nokia, the Chinese deal has an option for future network
expansion. A company spokesman described it as a major feather in
Nokia's cap.

(Sylvia Dennis/19940510/Press & Public Contact: Nokia,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00024)

UK - BT Offers ISDN Dial Back-Up Service 05/10/94
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- British Telecom's (BT) Global
Network Services (GNS) has launched what it claims is the UK's first
automatic back-up service based on its integrated services digital
network (ISDN) service.

According to Richard Fryer, BT GNS' UK marketing manager, the
growing trend is for managed network services to be used for
business-critical applications "where even the most minimal
failure would be unacceptable. The introduction of ISDN Dial
Back-Up now provides the ultimate in network resilience, at a
competitive prices, and demonstrates our support of ISDN as a
complementary service to BT GNS."

BT GNS is a public data network offering a variety of data
communications services to customers. Services available range
from X.28 dial-up at speeds from 300 to 9,600 bits-per-second
(bps) to kilostream and megastream dedicated circuits.

The ISDN DBU service is initially being offered at 64,000 bps using
standard ISDN channels, although plans are place for a launch of a
higher-speed service to X.25 (kilostream and megastream) customers
over the next few months. By the end of the year, ISDN DBU service
should be available to BT's customers on a Europe-wide basis.

To use the ISDN DBU service, customers must install an ISDN-2 (twin
channel 64,000) connection into their premises. An ISDN terminal
adapter is installed and provided by BT and hooked up to the
customer's existing leased lines. If the leased line fails, an ISDN
switched call is initiated, as data routed over that link until the
leased line comes back up.

According to BT, all this happens automatically and, as far as the
customer is concerned, there is no need to get involved with the ISDN
side of the link. Furthermore, as part of the service, BT offers to
pick up the tab for the ISDN call charges as part of its managed
services operation.

A key advantage of the ISDN DBU service, BT claims, is that only one
of the two ISDN-2 channels is normally required for the backup
facility. This means that customers can make use of the spare
channel on a pay-as-you-go basis for extra file transfers, etc.

(Steve Gold/19940510/Press Contact: Jenny Bailey Associates,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00025)

UK - Twinhead Cuts Notebook PC Prices 05/10/94
BASINGSTOKE, HAMPSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- Twinhead
has cut up to 15 percent off the price of its entire Slimnote SE
range of notebook personal computers (PCs).

Newsbytes notes that this reduction follows hard on the heels of
a similar set of price cuts on Twinhead's Subnotebook PCs.

The main reason for the price cuts is to stay competitive, according
to the company. Bill Liu, Twinhead's managing director, said that the
company has seen a dramatic reduction in the enquiries for passive
and active color notebooks recently. "By reducing pricing on the
entire range the customer can afford to purchase a color model or
enjoy even better value for money on the monochrome range."

The price reductions mean that the company's entry-level 486SX
33 megahertz (MHz) passive color notebook with four megabytes
 (MB) of memory and a 120MB hard drive sells for UKP1,729. The
active color screen version, meanwhile, now sells for UKP2,699.
These prices are about average for the current market, Newsbytes
notes.

(Steve Gold/19940510/Press & Public Contact: Twinhead UK,
44-256-811366, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00026)

UK - IBM's Computerized Hotel Bedroom 05/10/94
PORTSMOUTH, HAMPSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- IBM has
announced that its UK operation has teamed up with Rob Payton, a
US hotelier to create an IBM-themed bedroom at Stapleford Park,
his luxury country hotel in Leicestershire.

The hotel, which was recently named as 1993 Grand Award Winner
for the "Best Country House Hotel in the World" by the Hideaway
Hotel Report in the US, has each of its bedrooms designed by
well-known English companies such as Crabtree & Evelyn,
Turnbull, and Asser & Burburry.

The IBM bedroom will be part of a new venture, open to guests from
August, involving the redesign of a 16th century cottage next to the
hotel and its 500 acres of parkland.

Guests in the IBM bedroom will be able to stay in what Big Blue
describes as "a stylish and cosmopolitan room which not only comes
complete with a fully-equipped home office and a 24 hour hotline to
IBM helpware, but also offers tutorials to those who want to learn
the basics of computing."

As well as including extensive technology, the bedroom also has
a softer touch -- it includes a pictorial interpretation of the IBM
logo in the decor that was created by Anne Charlton, the interior
designer.

According to Steve Rowley, IBM UK's PC director, "The themed
bedroom at Stapleford Park is an excellent opportunity to shape
the IBM PC company image as dynamic, innovative and stylish,
with a sense of humor. We believe that this venture will enable
us to reach a highly influential executive market."

So how much does a night in the IBM room cost? No-one's saying at
present. The price will reportedly be decided nearer to opening
day in August.

(Sylvia Dennis & Steve Gold/19940510/Press & Public Contact:
IBM UK, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00027)

Media Vision Faces Troubled Times 05/10/94
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- Media Vision,
one of the premiere companies in the multimedia hardware and
software business, is the subject of a number of detrimental
reports. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are both investigating
reports of wrong-doing at the high-profile multimedia company.

Media Vision previously held a press conference announcing it
would report substantially lower earnings in its fourth quarter,
and then asked for two extensions in reporting those earnings.

After the first delay was announced, Executive Vice President Min
Yee, the heralded multimedia software expert hired away from
Microsoft, secured a public relations agency to announce his
sudden departure from the company.

When the company announced last week it would continue to delay
its earnings, two more vice presidents resigned. They were Satish
Gupta, vice president of strategic marketing, and Shiraz Shivji,
vice president of set top engineering. The company has also given
fifty employees pink slips, leaving a work force of 300.

A leading multimedia company, Media Vision told of sterling
financial performance with skyrocketing earnings. Last year it
reported nearly triple revenues of 241.4 million and earnings
six-times higher than the previous year at $19.9 million. Now,
some reports have those earnings as being inaccurate.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported May 9 that former employees
and executives are talking about the altering of sales records,
hidden returned products, recording sales of products that had
not shipped, and the conduct of Paul Jain financed with company
funds.

In addition, Standard and Poors chronicled several class action
lawsuits were filed against the company in March in addition to
lawsuits alleging violation of Section 10(b), 20 of Securities
Exchange Act of 1934.

Media Vision has acknowledged to Newsbytes that it understands
both SEC and FBI investigations are being conducted concerning
securities issues. The company is preparing a statement for
release to address the business operations issues, according to
representative Elizabeth Fairchild.

However, some of the more personal allegations made against
specific individuals were "totally inappropriate" and probably
will simply be ignored, Fairchild added.

International Data Corporation Senior Staff Consultant Joan-Carol
Brigham told Newsbytes that, if the allegations are true, there
was not any real indication that these problems were coming. High
earnings increases are not unusual from relatively new companies
who are starting from zero, Brigham said.

Brigham also noted it appears the Media Vision case is an
isolated one, a "bad apple in the barrel," if the reports
concerning misconduct are true, and not reflective of the
multimedia hardware and software industry as a whole.

The industry as a whole is not booming, and there is some
slowness on the Macintosh side of the multimedia market, but
overall the compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) titles
market is doing well, Brigham observed.

In addition, Media Vision's largest competitor, Creative
Technologies, also reported triple revenue gains to a high of
291.6 million in 1993. Creative's earnings were even more
spectacular with growth to $44.7 million in 1993 from $0.5
million in 1992.

Media Vision's stock has taken a nose-dive. The stock has gone
from a December high of 46 1/2 to close in Monday's trading
at 2 7/8.

(Linda Rohrbough/19940510/Press Contact: Elizabeth Fairchild,
Media Vision, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Joan-Carol
Brigham, IDC, 303-668-3199)


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

 ***Apple Ships MAE To Run Mac Apps Under Unix 05/10/94
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- Apple Computer
is shipping the Macintosh Application Environment (MAE), a
software product that allows Sun SPARC stations and Hewlett-
Packard (HP) 9000 Series 700 workstations to run Macintosh
software. The company says the product offers several advantages
over competing products, such as Liken, including giving the user
access to the whole Macintosh environment and the ability to run
more Macintosh applications.

Those who know the Macintosh interface will find MAE provides the
environment they are accustomed to, including the Tool Bar and the
Finder, Apple officials said. In addition, MAE offers the ability
to cut and paste between Unix and Macintosh applications.

Not all Macintosh applications will run under MAE, however, and
the determining factor has to do with whether or not the
application attempts to bypass the operating system to talk
directly to the Macintosh hardware.

The Inside Macintosh specifications from Apple recommends
application developers not skip past the operating system, and if
the application does make calls directly to the hardware, chances
are it will not work with MAE, according to Apple representative
Sylvia France. Sixty-seven applications have been successfully
tested with MAE, France added.

MAE runs on Solaris 2.3 or HP-UX 9.0.1 or later, and requires an
X11 release 4 or later window display server. It is also
compatible with HP's Visual User Environment, as well as
Sunsoft's Openwindows and OSF Motif.

The US pricing has been set at $549, but prices outside the US
may be higher and will vary by country, Apple said. In addition,
European and Asian users will not have access to MAE until June.
A toll-free information and ordering line number has been set up
for US users

(Linda Rohrbough/19940510/Press Contact: Emilio Robles, Apple
Computer, tel [phone], fax [phone], Sylvia France,
Regis McKenna, 408-974-4129; Public Contact: Apple Computer,
MAE Information and Orders, 800-769-2775 ext 7675)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00029)

Canon Intros New PCs, Notebooks 05/10/94
COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994  MAY 10 (NB) -- Canon
Computer Systems Inc. (CCSI) has unveiled its first line of
subnotebooks, along with two new desktop multimedia personal
computers (PCs), and a new series of its notebook/Bubble Jet
all-in-one units.

Extending its Innova line, CCSI is shipping Innova Book 10
(monochrome) and 10C (color) subnotebooks with a 486 33
megahertz (MHz) processor, four megabytes (MB) of RAM, Type
II PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International
Association), a full-size keyboard, built-in trackball, hard drive,
DOS 6.2 and Windows 3.1.

CCSI is offering special value packs which include its Bubble
Jet printer, BJ-10sx. Estimated street prices start at $2,100
for the color unit and $1,600 for the monochrome version.
Customers should plan on an additional $200 for the value pack.

Ron Okamoto, director of marketing, told Newsbytes, "After taking
a hard look at the subnotebook and notebook markets, we felt that
the lack of price difference between the two was slowing the
sales of the subnotebook. So, we decided to offer our customers a
clear and defined choice between to the two."

The company's new multimedia PCs are the Innova Vision L50/340,
based on a 486DX2 running at 50 MHz, and the Innova Vision L33/210,
based on a 486SX running at 33 MHz. The desktop units offer
340MB and 210MB hard drives, respectively, and come equipped with
dual speed CD (compact disk) drives, a Sound Blaster 16-bit stereo
audio card, 4MB of RAM, a graphics accelerator, VESA (Video
Electronics Standards Association) local bus architecture, 1MB of
video RAM, fax/modem, speakers and a collection in installed
software.

Noting that multimedia kits are not always a matter of plug-and-
play, Okamoto said, "We have pre-installed the system so that users
do not have to become PC experts to be able to access the features."

The Innova Vision line, including monitor, is expected to have a
street price ranging from $1,700 to $2,050.

The new NoteJet 486 and color 486C feature a 486 33MHz processor,
9.5-inch screen, a hand held trackball, a Windows accelerator, 1MB
of video RAM, and various hard disk sizes.

The NoteJet II 486C product uses a 486SLC 50MHz processor
and features a 10.3-inch dual scan color display, as well as an
integrated "joystick" pointing device. All NoteJet 486 users can
create and print 360 dots-per-inch (dpi) documents, both legal
and letter-size at 116 characters-per-second (cps).

The suggested retail price for the NoteJet II 486C is $3,339 with
130MB hard disk and $3,699 for the 260MB hard disk. The NoteJet
486 monochrome models are available with a 120MB or 200MB
hard disk for a suggested price of $2,299 and $2,599 respectively.

The color model, NoteJet 486C, offering the same hard drive choice
is being shipped at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of
$2,999 and $3,299 respectively.

(Patrick McKenna/1994/Press Contact: Lynn Fireside, CCSI,
714-438-3075)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00030)

Indian Firm To Make Siemens Telecom Products 05/10/94
MADRAS, INDIA, 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- Hindustan Teleprinters Ltd.
(HTL) of Madras has tied up with Siemens Ltd. to manufacture and
market a range of Siemens telecom products, including digital
switching devices.

Both HTL and Siemens will manufacture parts, assemblies and also
finished products by obtaining supplies from each other. This
arrangement is expected to increase the volumes for parts and
assemblies for digital switching exchanges and transmission
products at Siemens Telematik Ltd. in Calcutta.

HTL has been associated with Siemens Ltd. from the time Siemens
won the first order from India's Department of Telecom for
110,000-line digital switching exchanges worth R51 crore.

HTL supplied the main distribution frames for a 40,000-line unit
at Hyderabad. Siemens has also placed orders with HTL for the
supply of main distribution frames for 60,000-line exchanges.

(C. T. Mahabharat/19940509)


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

Newsbytes Daily Summary 05/10/94
PENN VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 10 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

1 -> Communications '94 Joins Networld, Windows World 05/10/94 The
Networks Expo  (previously Networld) and Windows World show
combination will  now add a third show, Communications '94, during the
same third  week in September, according to show organizers The
Interface  Group and The Blenheim Group. The three shows are expected
to  draw 800 exhibiting companies and over 50,000 attendees.

2 -> VGA Controller For Notebooks Adds Video, Low Power 05/10/94 Chips
and Technologies (C&T) has announced it is offering a new family of
Video Graphics Array (VGA) display controllers that will bring desktop
video and graphics to portable notebook computers. C&T claims the
Mustang 65540 and 65545 VGA controllers are the world's first
flat-panel controllers to add video overlay capability.

3 -> Systems Support Expo Set For May 18 &19 05/10/94 How can
technical support professionals and corporate executives
establish more effective strategies for network support, hardware
maintenance, and help desk management? Systems Support Expo, a
conference to be held May 18 and 19 in Boston, will use a
"customizable" format to answer those questions.

4 -> Aldus Ships Paint & Publish Bundled Mac Software 05/10/94 Aldus
Corp., has announced it is bundling two of its most popular products
in a single package.

5 -> Electro '94 Expo Opens Today In Boston 05/10/94 Electro '94
International, this year's edition of an annual showcase and forum for
engineers and marketing specialists, opens today in Boston, with a new
emphasis on emerging technologies, education, global business, and
other needs that are gaining in significance as electronics heads
toward the 21st century.

6 -> Leading Edge Adds The Good Guys! To Retail Partners 05/10/94
Leading Edge, a PC maker based in Westborough, Massachusetts, has
added The Good Guys! Inc., a West Coast chain of 48 consumer
electronic stores, to its list of retail partners.

7 -> Turbo Browser Uses Sound & Sight To Find Files 05/10/94 Pacific
Gold Coast has released Turbo Browser, a file previewer that uses
sound, as well as sight, to help users find and identify video,
animation, audio, graphics and text files in 18 different Windows file
formats.

8 -> Lotus Intros Ami Pro 3.0 For HP-UX 05/10/94 Lotus  has announced
shipment of Ami Pro 3.0 for HP-UX. The new Motif- based version of Ami
Pro for Hewlett-Packard HP 9000 Series  700/800 workstations is slated
to be followed by editions for  IBM RS6000 and Sun Sparcstation in the
third quarter.

9 -> Japan - Canon's FLCD Display To Debut This Fall 05/10/94 Canon
plans to release a desktop publishing word processor this fall,
equipped with  a ferroelectric liquid crystal display (FLCD). Canon is
also  planning to equip the FLCD on its workstations at a later date.

10 -> Japan - NTT Develops Advanced ATM Switch 05/10/94 Japan's NTT
has developed a high-speed asynchronous transmission mode (ATM)
switching system. It contains multiple ATM LSI chips, and is claimed
to be ideal for multimedia devices.

11 -> India - NAL Develops Flight "Black Box" Processing Sys 05/10/94
India's National  Aeronautical Laboratory (NAL) has developed an
integrated flight data processing (IFDP) system which can read out
data acquired by flight data recording systems on aircraft.

12 -> Pantone Offers Windows Color Consistency 05/10/94 While most
people in the printing business know the name Pantone, the  company is
now trying to bring that awareness to users of personal computers
(PCs).

13 -> Sony Denies Support For Avid's OMF Digital Video 05/10/94 Sony
has decided  not to support Avid's Open Media Framework (OMF) standard
for  digital video.

14 -> Novell Gets Antitrust OK in WP Deal, Sheds Databases 05/10/94
Novell Inc., has moved a  step closer to finalizing the acquisition of
Wordperfect Corp., and Borland's Quattro Pro spreadsheet by getting
Justice  Department approval for the deal.

15 -> Voice-Activation Integrates PC/Phone/Fax Comms 05/10/94
Interactive Inc., has introduced a product that integrates many
communications needs, including telephone, fax, modem and multimedia
capabilities in a personal computer (PC). It also uses voice commands
to  perform many of the functions.

16 -> QMS Joins Firms Abandoning Suggested Retail Prices 05/10/94 QMS
Inc., has joined a growing list of companies that have abandoned
publishing suggested retail prices (SRPs).

17 -> CE Software Completes Powercore Acquisition 05/10/94 CE Software
has announced the acquisition of the assets of Powercore Inc., for
$3.8 million in cash and 294,000 shares of CE common stock.

18 -> AT&T Intros First EISA Boxes, Server Packages 05/10/94 AT&T
Global Information Solutions -- formerly NCR Corp. -- has announced
two servers that are its first machines to use the Extended Industry
Standard Architecture (EISA) bus and that incorporate Intel Corp.
Pentium microprocessors.

19 ->  ****IBM Sells Manhattan Office Tower 05/10/94 IBM has sold its
mid-town Manhattan office tower at 590 Madison Ave. as part of ongoing
cost-cutting measures.

20 -> Gandalf Awarded Data Compression Patent 05/10/94 Gandalf
Technologies Inc., has announced that the US Patent and Trademark
Office has awarded it a patent for a packet-based compression
algorithm that the data communications equipment maker claims  can
compress data by as much as a 10:1 ratio.

21 -> MacWorld Expo - HSC's Krause Surfs Info Highway 05/10/94 Is
highway the wrong metaphor to apply to the telecommunications
revolution? Kai Krause, executive vice president of HSC Software of
Santa Monica, Calif., and a veteran surfer on the Internet, told the
MacWorld Expo and Summit that the problem with the metaphor, is that
what the new technologies in telecommunications do, is render distance
completely meaningless.

22 -> UK - HP Intros A5 Printer Feeder Systems 05/10/94 Hewlett-
Packard has announced a new range of A5 paper feeders for use with its
HP LaserJet and HP DeskJet range of printers. According to HP, the
new feeders have been introduced as a result of increasing customer
demand for A5 products.

23 -> Nokia Secures Chinese Mobile Phone Contract 05/10/94 Nokia, one
of the prime  movers behind the global system for mobile (GSM) digital
phone  network technology over the last few years, has scored
something  of a coup by signing a contract for the supply of GSM
phones and  network infrastructure to the Peoples' Republic of China,
Newsbytes has learned.

24 -> UK - BT Offers ISDN Dial Back-Up Service 05/10/94 British
Telecom's (BT) Global Network Services (GNS) has launched what it
claims is the UK's first automatic back-up service based on its
integrated services digital network (ISDN) service.

25 -> UK - Twinhead Cuts Notebook PC Prices 05/10/94 Twinhead  has cut
up to 15 percent off the price of its entire Slimnote SE  range of
notebook personal computers (PCs).

26 -> UK - IBM's Computerized Hotel Bedroom 05/10/94 IBM has announced
that its UK operation has teamed up with Rob Payton, a US hotelier to
create an IBM-themed bedroom at Stapleford Park, his luxury country
hotel in Leicestershire.

27 -> Media Vision Faces Troubled Times 05/10/94 Media Vision, one of
the premiere companies in the multimedia hardware and software
business, is the subject of a number of detrimental  reports. The
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the  Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC) are both investigating  reports of wrong-doing at the
high-profile multimedia company.

28 ->  ***Apple Ships MAE To Run Mac Apps Under Unix 05/10/94 Apple
Computer is shipping the Macintosh Application Environment (MAE), a
software product that allows Sun SPARC stations and Hewlett- Packard
(HP) 9000 Series 700 workstations to run Macintosh software. The
company says the product offers several advantages over competing
products, such as Liken, including giving the user access to the whole
Macintosh environment and the ability to run more Macintosh
applications.

29 -> Canon Intros New PCs, Notebooks 05/10/94 Canon  Computer Systems
Inc. (CCSI) has unveiled its first line of  subnotebooks, along with
two new desktop multimedia personal computers (PCs), and a new series
of its notebook/Bubble Jet  all-in-one units.

30 -> Indian Firm To Make Siemens Telecom Products 05/10/94 Hindustan
Teleprinters Ltd.  (HTL) of Madras has tied up with Siemens Ltd. to
manufacture and  market a range of Siemens telecom products, including
digital  switching devices.

(Ian Stokell/19940510)