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/nb053194

Text File | 1994-05-31 | 80KB | 1,765 lines

(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00001)

UK - Borland Intros PowerPack For DOS 05/31/94
TWYFORD, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- Borland has
announced PowerPack for DOS, a suite of DOS development tools and
libraries that work with the company's C++ version 4.0 programming
language.

According to the company, the package includes both 16- and 32-bit DOS
extenders, Turbo Vision 2.0 and a new 32-bit version of the Borland
Graphics Interface (BGI). Borland officials claim that, unlike most of
the competition, the PowerPack for DOS includes runtime licenses for
resultant applications developed using the software libraries.

"Most of our customers still develop or maintain DOS applications.
This product provides the additional technology that many of our
customers have been requesting," explained Mike Hyman, Borland's
language business unit manager. "Our goal is to make the deployment of
powerful DOS and Windows applications cost-effective and easy."

Borland says that its PowerPack for DOS provides support for DOS
developers, as well as software developers, who are making the move
from DOS to Windows. The suite includes 16- and 32-bit DOS extenders
that the company claims seamlessly integrates into the C++ 4.0
integrated development environment (IDE).

The interesting feature of the PowerPack for DOS utilities is that
code created for the DOS environment can be run under Borland's C++
language to run under both DOS and Windows. Some DOS applications do
not run under Windows, except within a DOS Window, but Borland claims
that the resultant code from PowerPack for DOS-developed applications
can run under both environments.

The only caveat to this code portability, Newsbytes notes, is that 16-
bit applications cannot run under 32-bit DOS or Windows, while the
reverse is true, with 32-bit applications not running in a 16-bit
environment.

PowerPack for DOS is available immediately in the UK for a special
price of UKP 69.95 until the end of August. After that date, the price
rises to UKP 349.95.

(Steve Gold/19940531/Press & Reader Contact: Borland International,
44-734-321150)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00002)

UK - Psion-Dacom Intros Low-Cost 14,400bps Modem 05/31/94
MILTON KEYNES, ENGLAND, 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- Psion Dacom has announced
the Meteor desktop modem. The unit, which costs UKP249, works at
speeds of up to 14,400 bits-per-second (bps), and brings the company
into line with the rest of the modem market, Newsbytes notes.

Not unexpectedly, Psion-Dacom is making great play on the modem's
price, claiming that this price tag includes all the necessary cables
and software, allowing the unit to run from the box.

Wendy Thompson, PR spokesperson for Psion-Dacom, told Newsbytes
that the main aim of the new modem is to get the company back into
the mainstream as far as modem pricing is concerned.

"The last year has seen modem prices fall dramatically. We've watched
this happen and have developed our own offering that keeps the price
down, but offers all the facilities that you'd expect from higher-
priced unit," she told Newsbytes.

The 14,400 bps modem handles all modem speeds down to 300 bps, as well
as Class I and II fax modem transmissions from 4,800, through 9,600
and 14,400 bps. Unusually for a modem in this price bracket, the
Meteor 14.4 supports MNP (Microcom Network Protocol) Class 10 error
correction and data compression, making it suitable for cellular phone
links. V.42Bis and MNP Class 5 data compression and error correction
systems are also supported.

Bundled with the modem is a copy of Trans-send WinDOS Lite fax/data
communications software for both DOS and Windows users. A 9/25-way
serial cable, CompuServe starter kit, and mains PSU (packet switch unit)
are also included.

Hughes reckons that, at the price, the modem should appeal to the
retail, as well as the business sector. As a result, Psion-Dacom will
be offering the modem into the retail outlet channel, as well as
traditional dealer channel.

"We have no doubt that the Meteor will be affordable to the new breed
of modem user who wants to buy his modem in the high street. It has
been our intention from the start to produce a complete solution
encased in bright attractive packaging suitable for the retail sector
and we are actively seeking retail partners," he said.

The new modem is officially available from Psion-Dacom's dealers
from June 1 onwards, complete with a two-year warranty.

(Steve Gold/19940531/Press & Reader Contact: Psion-Dacom,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00003)

UK - Optech Handles BT Directory Enquiries CD-ROM 05/31/94
FARNHAM, SURREY, 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- After offering its Phonedisk/CD-
ROM directory enquiries (DQ) disc direct from its sales office for the
past few years, British Telecom (BT) is now offering the system through
dealers. As a result, BT has announced the signing of its first dealer to
handle Phonedisk -- Optech Limited, the multimedia specialists.

The updated Phonedisk system comprises a regularly updated CD-ROM disc
with special PC software that interfaces with the data on the disc and
allows special "fuzzy logic" searches to be completed on incomplete
data. This contrasts with the online version of Phonedisk, which is
available on a pay-as-you-go basis, and requires exact information to
get a match.

The disc holds 17 million entries of names, addresses, phone and fax
numbers from the BT yellow and white pages, but excludes ex-directory
numbers, Newsbytes notes. Optech claims that the package is suitable
for major companies making a lot of directory enquiry calls, which
cost 45 pence on a standard BT phone line.

"Phonedisk is ideal for those companies who make several hundred
directory calls a quarter and are looking for a flat rate priced
package," explained Emma Davies of Harvard public relations, for
Optech.

According to a spokesman for Phonedisk, the system software can print
out up to 200 queries at a time for every transaction entered into the
system. As supplied, the system software requires a minimum of a
386-based PC with at least 20 megabytes of hard disk pace. Free
online support via an 800 free-phone number is available as part of
the subscription for the package.

Phonedisk is available on two levels. The quarterly level costs
UKP2,200 a year with updated discs available every three months.
The annual package costs UKP950.

Unlike the existing BT sales outlet offerings, Optech is also offering
value-added subscriptions, which include combinations of the discs,
software, a CD-ROM drive and maintenance, with prices starting from
UKP1,160.

(Steve Gold/19940531/Press Contact: Emma Davies, Harvard,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Reader Contact: Optech,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00004)

UK PCMCIA Specialist Intros Network Cards 05/31/94
GUILDFORD, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- Portable Add-Ons
has announced a range of Personal Computer Memory Card International
Association (PCMCIA) network adapters that it claims covers all bases
as far as user requirements are concerned. Three cards are initially
available, one for Token Ring networks, and two for Ethernet users.

The Token Ring card comes with 16,000 byte buffer and operates at
either four or 16 megabits per second (Mbps). The company claims
that, since it plugs straight into the PC bus via the PCMCIA socket,
it offers performance equivalent to that of a conventional PC fitted
with a network card.

The UKP399 Token Ring adapter can be used with Novell NetWare, IBM PC
LAN (local area network) Manager for DOS and OS/2, Banyan Vines and
any other network operating system (NOS) that supports IBM LAN Support
Program (LSP) services. The card operates with DOS 5.0 or later.

The Ethernet adapter card, meanwhile, operates with 10BaseT (twisted
pair) and Thin + 10BaseT (coaxial cable), is fully NE2000 (NetWare)
compatible and recognizes PCIC 8236SL, ASCII J6841/2, Databook,
Sharp and the proprietary Toshiba standards.

The Ethernet 10BaseT card costs UKP199, while the 10Baset/Thin
version costs UKP239.

(Steve Gold/19940531/Press & Reader Contact: Chaz Brooks, marketing
manager, Portable Add-ons, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00005)

UK - Mercury Offers Free Mobile Phone Calls To Year 2000 05/31/93
BOREHAMWOOD, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- Following
hard on the heels of announcing that 62,500 subscribers had signed up
in the first six months of its operation, Mercury One-2-One, the digital
mobile phone network has announced what it claims is the ultimate
marketing come-on -- a golden SIM (subscriber identity module) card.

SIM is the credit card-sized device that contains the subscriber details.
When slotted into any compatible phone, the phone identifies itself to
the network as registered to the SIM's number.

The golden SIM will allow totally free inland UK calls, excluding
other mobile network and premium rate calls, until 11:59pm on the 31
December, 1999. The deal, Newsbytes notes, could be worth tens, if not
hundreds, of thousands of pounds.

The golden SIM has been sealed into one of the Mercury One-2-One
starter kits which are shipped to dealers. The starter kits contain a
phone and SIM card, and are sealed right up to the point they are
sold to the customer. When the customer buys the starter kit, they
phone Mercury's central HQ to energize the SIM. Mercury says that the
golden SIM should be sold within the next three weeks, based on
current sales statistics.

"What a fantastic surprise is in store for the lucky customer who buys
this special phone marking 100,000 Mercury One-2-One customers. It
matches the huge success that Mercury One-2-One has had in opening up
mobile phone competition in the UK," commented Lord Young, chairman of
Cable & Wireless, the parent company to One-2-One, which is jointly
owned by C&W along with US West.

According to Lord Young, everything is going well with One-2-One, with
"growth in customer numbers, phone usage and call revenues all ahead
of target as we start to expand the One-2-One service in key
population areas up and down the country."

Mercury claims that its One-2-One digital mobile phone system has been
achieving a 30 percent share of all mobile phone sales inside its
London and South East coverage area. This equates, the company claims,
to an approximate 12 percent share of the total market in London and
the South East.

(Steve Gold/19940531/Press & Reader Contact: Mercury One-2-One,
44-81-905-1001


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00006)

Greece Announces OTE Telecom Privatization Plans 05/31/94
ATHENS, GREECE, 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- The Greek Government has given
the go-ahead for plans to partially privatize the state-controlled
telecommunications company, OTE. The announcement has been critically
timed, Newsbytes notes, as the Greek stock exchange is in the midst of a
sharp downward trend, putting pressure on interest rates to rise.

Unlike many other European Community (EC) countries, Greece's OTE
operation is highly profitable, having enjoyed the benefit of
considerable government investment in recent years. The Greek telecoms
infrastructure is seen as vital to the country's future, owing to the
scattered nature of the population.

According to a statement issued by the Greek government, 25 percent of
OTE will be sold off through the National Bank of Greece, enjoined
with Shroeders and Credit Suisse Boston. Exact dates for the sell off
will be made later this summer, once a valuation has been placed on
the company.

OTE is currently in the first year of an 850,000 million drachma
($3,400 million) five-year investment plan. As part of the plan, the
government has promised that the company will generate profits of
between 150,000 and 200,000 million drachma a year.

According to Tannos Papanoniou, the Greek national treasury minister,
no formal agreements have been signed with the National Bank of Greece
or the two foreign financial institutions, but broad agreements are in
place, pending a formal valuation.

(Steve Gold/19940531)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00007)

 ****FAS Attacks Clinton Information, Secrecy Policy 05/31/94
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- "Judging by the
number of documents being withheld from the public on asserted
national security grounds," says the Federation of American
Scientists, "the Clinton administration is the most secretive
presidency in the history of the Republic."

FAS analyst Steven Aftergood cites the latest annual report of
the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO) to support his
views of the White House's information policy. According to that
report, classification activity increased by 1% in fiscal year
1993 to 6.4 million classification actions.

At the same time, notes Aftergood in his "Secrecy & Government
Bulletin" newsletter, declassification activity fell by 30%,
"For a substantial net growth in the universe of classified files."

ISOO Director Steven Garfinkle, in his transmittal letter to
the president, said, "The data that we report here continue to
support the need for reform." The trend will not change, Garfinkle
suggested, "unless we adopt entirely new methods of classifying
and declassifying information."

The administration has been circulating a draft executive order
reforming information policy and cutting back dramatically on
classification actions. At the Energy Department, one of the
agencies that has independent authority to classify materials,
Secretary Hazel O'Leary has been pushing the agency to
declassify most of the material it has assembled on the use of
humans as guinea pigs in DOE's atomic bomb programs.

But O'Leary has reported "cultural" problems with a bureaucracy
accustomed to automatically wielding the "secret" stamp. DOE's
authority to classify is so extensive that it can, and has,
declared material already published in the open to be
retroactively classified.

"The administration's latest draft executive order on
classification has much to recommend it," says Aftergood. "If
properly implemented, it would ameliorate the worst defects of
today's cold war classification system. But that draft is
reportedly encountering resistance from the intelligence
community and other opponents of reform. And by all accounts,
the deliberative process is taking longer than anyone had
predicted."

John Podesta, White House staff secretary and the leading
figure behind the draft executive order, told a National Press
Club symposium recently, "I had hoped the new executive order
on classification would be completed by now." He estimated it
might be issued in 45 days.

The Federation of American Scientists is an arms control
group based in Washington. It was founded after World War 2 by
scientists who had worked in the Manhattan Project and wanted
to be sure that the bomb would not be dropped again.

(Kennedy Maize/Contact: Steven Aftergood, 202-675-1012,
electronic-mail to [e-mail])


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00008)

Context Systems Intros D-Day CD For Windows 05/31/94
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- Timed
to coincide with memorials and celebrations in Europe and the US,
Context Systems and Simon & Schuster have released The D-Day
Encyclopedia. The CD features 50 period news-reel video clips, 24
full-colored maps, interviews, and a multimedia version of the
famous 287-foot Operation Overlord tapestry depicting the event.

Paul Kelly, vice president of marketing and sales, speaking to
Newsbytes, said, "The D-Day Encyclopedia represents the most
extensive focus on D-Day as possible. We have hyperlinked the
entire CD with highlighted keywords, so that one may easily
search through in their own personal way. We have designed the
CD to have easy to use chronological paths as well."

According to Context, some of the highlights are "pre and post"
D-Day conditions and a number of interviews, including one with the
son of Rommel. A user may click on Eisenhower and choose to study
his statements and strategy before, during, or after D-Day.

Context Systems plans to continue working with Simon and
Schuster for the production of more CD titles.

Continued Kelly to Newsbytes, "Here at Context we plan to develop
an entire line of CDs, which we call 'encyclopedia extensions.' When
a person goes to an encyclopedia  they find a summary of material
relating to their subject. What we offer are specific events which
greatly expand the topic with much grater detail that is not
available in an encyclopedia."

Context is also working with Compton's who will assist in marketing
the CD to major retail channels. Egghead Software will have a
promotion featuring The D-Day Encyclopedia during the week of
remembrances of the famous invasion (June 6).

Selling for a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $79.95, the
CD is available for Windows users whose computers have
CD-ROM capabilities and audio cards.

(Patrick McKenna/19940531/Press Contact: Pat Meier, Pat Meier
Associates, 415-957-5999; CONTEXT940531/PHOTO)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00009)

NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers 05/31/94
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- TO ALL OUR
US CUSTOMERS, WE HOPE YOUR MEMORIAL DAY WAS A PLEASANT ONE !
These are the photos that have been digitized and correspond to
stories Newsbytes has reported recently. The photos are online
on the Newsbytes menu on GEnie, eWorld, and the Newsbytes private
bulletin board system in Minneapolis. For information on how to
become a licensed Newsbytes publisher in any medium call
Newsbytes at 612-430-1100.

All photos are in JPEG format with PICT files for thumbnails.
The photo 'tag' numbers: title/year/month/day. The JPEG and PICT
indicators are 'jpg' and 'pct.' Slides are no longer enlarged.

APPLE PHOTO POLICY: An 'Apple Computers' courtesy along with the
photographer's name is to be printed when an Apple Computer photo
is used. The bulletin will indicate this. Unless otherwise noted,
all Apple product shots; courtesy Apple.

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

Week of May 30 - June 3,1994

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

NuPBook940516 - B&W from print / Apple PowerBook Duo 280.

NuPBook*940516 - B&W from print / Apple PowerBook 540.

PYRAMID940526 - Color from transparency / the Pyramid 'Nile' server.

MAXIS940523 - Color from slide / screen shot of PrintArtist work.

ECLIPSE940509 - B&W from photo / shot of Eclipse FAX package.

ADOBE940523 - Color from slide / shot of Dimensions program at work.

IDENTITY940523 - Color from slide / view of the liquid proof keyboard
with, OH NO!!, coffee being spilled onto the keyboard.

PHOENIX940426 - B&W from photo / view of the CD Essentials package.

PHONE940510 - Color from slide / view of man (frame right) on
phone set attached to PC, using the InterActive Communicator.

NOTEFLEX940518 - B&W from photo / view of the Zenith Data NoteFlex
notebook computer. For scale; a cell phone, pen & coins frame left.

FtrTel940511 - Color from photo / shot of 'PrimeView' card.

DECPC940517 - B&W from photo / shot of the DECpc LPx+ 400,
one of the new 'Green Line' pcs meeting EPA 'Energy Star' guidelines.

ALDUS940517 - Color from slide / screenshot of TypeTwister at work.

P'Tel940512 - B&W from photo / shot of presenter at the
PictureTel podium, where screen can be seen.

Prince940506 - Color from artwork / The 'glyph' which now serves
as Prince's nom de plum.

HuntHaft940425 - B&W from photo / portrait shot of Ms Hunt-Haft,
Managing Director, Claris Canada, Inc.

C&T940509 - Color from photo / The 'CHIPS' chips, Mustang family
of VGA flat panel controllers.  Background is a sky with a profile
of a horse.

Time940505 - B&W from photo / cover art of the Translate It
software box.

Orange940428 - Color from photo / a hand holds the Nokia cell
phone used in the Orange service from Hutchinson telecom.

IBM940513 - B&W from photo / cross section of a mock up of the
IBM multilayer compact disk.

IBMAS400940503- Color from slide /  view of the AS400 advanced
system. Done with some art direction flair.

(Newsbytes/19940530)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00010)

HP Intros Aptrex X Terminals To Vie With Sun 05/31/94
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- Hewlett-
Packard has announced the Aptrex family of X terminals, a product
line primed to compete against Sun's own X terminals plus third-
party contenders from companies like NCD and Tektronix.

"Sun has been a 'reluctant bridesmaid' in the X terminal market.
The result? Third-party vendors are having a field day. We're
looking to capture this market, much as we have done elsewhere,"
asserted K.C. Chavda, marketing manager for the X terminal business
in HP's Panacom Division, in a pre-announcement phone briefing with
Newsbytes in Boston.

HP's new Aptrex terminals provide a "richer" feature set, along
with better performance and maintenance, at lower prices than
either Sun's X terminals -- which were first introduced last
August -- or the third-party candidates, the marketing manager
told Newsbytes.

Targeted at Sun users who want to add more seats to their networks,
Aptrex offers a "Sun-like" keyboard, monitor and look-and-feel,
while at the same time "leveraging" the same inner components that
HP gives its own customers in the HP Entria and Envisex families of
X terminals, he maintained.

Pricing for the six new Aptrex models ranges from $1,595 for the
19M, the only monochrome X terminal in the group, to $3,350 for the
20Cs, the top-of-the-line color model with a 20-inch, 1,280-by-
1,024 monitor, eight megabytes (MB) of RAM, and 125,000 Xstones
performance.

The Aptrex model 17C, a color X terminal with a 1,024-by-768
monitor and 4MB of RAM, performs at 104,000 Xstones and is priced
at $2,200, according to Chavda. In comparison, the NCD Model ECX
supplies half the performance at 52,000 Xstones, for $2,595, he
said. The 16-inch color Sun SPARCclassic X terminal Model 4/10EC-8
delivers only 30,000 Xstones, or one-third the performance of the
Aptrex 17C, for $2,995.

HP is marketing its X terminals for Sun through a special "800"
telesales number dedicated to Aptrex (800-633-3670), instead of
through the direct sales force used for Entria and Envisex. HP
decided to institute the 800 number for Aptrex as a result of
market research findings, Chavda said.

"Sun customers said they were afraid the HP sales force was
going to tell them that the HP workstation was better than Sun's.
And that's not what (the customers) want to talk about," he
explained. The personnel who are working on the telesales
line "are experts on Aptrax and Sun."

Also, through market research, HP determined that "most customers
who buy X terminals in the Sun marketplace buy them not from
Sun, but from third-party vendors," Newsbytes was told. Over the
past year, Sun has sold only 3,000 X terminals, out of a market of
some 300,000 units, Chavda added.

In the $615 million worldwide X terminal market, HP ranked number
one in 1993, with 23.4 percent, according to the X Business Group,
a market research consulting company in Fremont, California.

"Sun has not embraced the X terminal market. Their high level
officials have called X terminals 'brain-dead,'" Chavda charged. The
HP marketing manager characterized the X terminals from Sun as
"stripped down workstations."

In contrast, he said, HP's new Aptrex terminals are equipped with
a RISC-based Intel i960 superscalar microprocessor, 4MB of RAM on
the motherboard and two single inline memory module (SIMM) slots,
expandable to 68MB; built-in ThinLAN and 10Base-T support for
local area network (LAN) connections; one parallel port; one serial
port; and two PS/2 connection ports. A Personal Computer Memory
Card International Association (PCMCIA) slot and flash read-only
memory (ROM) support are optionally available.

Chavda also told Newsbytes that HP has "customized" Aptrex for the
Sun environment. Aptrex terminals come with Sun Type 5 keyboards
as well as "Sun-style" monitors, he noted. The products also work
with many older Sun monitors.

The new X terminals support OpenLook Window Manager, rather than
the HP Vue supported by HP's Entria and Envisex models. Aptrex,
Entria, and Envisex all support Motif Window Manager, however.

In addition, HP has supplied "Sun install" scripts for connecting
Aptrex to a Sun workstation. Software is available for Sun
SPARCserver and SPARCstation hosts running either SunOS 4.1.3 or
Solaris 2.3.

"We've even gone so far as to have the Sun documentation and sales
materials look like Sun's," Chavda pointed out. The materials are
printed in "Sun purple" colors. Specifications are presented in a
way that "will be familiar to those who know how to read Sun
documentation," he said.

Also unlike Sun and other competitors, which offer return-to-depot
service, HP is providing one-year limited warranty (48-hour
delivery on any part) free of change through a program called
ExpressExchange. ExpressExchange also includes the new Aptrex
Help Desk, which will handle calls from the Aptrex support line
(800-442-7800). All Aptrex customers receive 30 days of
free software-installation support.

"Watch out, Sun!," observed Greg Blatnik, an analyst at the X
Business Group, in a separate interview with Newsbytes. "As
Satchel Paige used to say, 'Don't look back. Somebody might be
gaining on you.'"

Sun "does not appear to have a very strong commitment to X
terminals, or to be particularly rich in features in comparison to
HP and other vendors," according to Blatnik. Further, the
performance of Sun's X terminals is "fairly mundane," except for
Sun's top-of-the-line models, which include extra graphics
accelerator hardware but are "expensive," he told Newsbytes.

"Sun has just heard the starting gun go off, after denying for many
years that X terminals were of any value. It's kind of like being
in a race where everybody else has already run five miles," Blatnik
continued. As a result, Sun's sales figure of only 3,000 X
terminals so far is understandable, he added.

"But to be fair, our surveys show that Sun customers give good
ratings to Sun on the quality of (Sun's) X terminals, and even on
their performance," Blatnik noted. What conclusions should be drawn
from these findings? "Either (X terminal performance) isn't a big
deal to Sun customers, or they may have been using some of Sun's
higher-end X terminals," the analyst replied.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940530/Reader Contact: Aptrex Telesales,
800-633-3670; Press Contacts: Jim Barbagallo, Hewlett-Packard,
508-436-5049; Tim Hurley, Hewlett-Packard, 508-436-5042;
Roman Kichorowsky, Copithorne & Bellows, 617-252-0606)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(BOS)(00011)

Claris Intros Organizer PIM For Mac 05/31/94
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- Claris has
unveiled Claris Organizer, a Mac-based application for calendaring,
scheduling, note-taking and contact management envisioned by the
company as the "Claris Works of PIMs (personal information
managers)."

"What separates Claris Organizer from the competition is
integration, intelligence, and, most of all, ease of use," claimed
Larry Cohen, product manager, Personal Organization Products, in
an interview with Newsbytes.

Claris created Claris Organizer in response to requests from users
of the Claris Works productivity package for an integrated calendar
and contact manager, Cohen told Newsbytes.

The Santa Clara, California-based division of Apple Computer, which
focuses on business applications, now has an installed base of some
six million users worldwide, he explained. Nearly two million of
these customers use Claris Works.

"Intelligent" features of Claris Organizer include: drag-and-drop;
user-defined templates; an "auto completion" capability for data-
entry, based on previous entries; an "auto linking" function for
"automatically attaching related information as it is created;" and
"smart find," for searching the calendar, contact manager, and
other program components by keyword.

Claris is currently analyzing the Windows market to decide whether
a PC-based version of the new PIM is feasible, Newsbytes was told.
Claris Works, Claris FileMaker Pro, and the ClarisDraw and
ClarisImpact graphics packages are all available on a cross-
platform basis for Windows and the Mac.

"As a whole, Claris is committed to cross-platform solutions," the
product manager noted. But Claris perceives greater differences in
the Windows and Macintosh markets for PIMs than for many other
product categories, he added. "We're spending a lot of time analyzing
where the Windows market for PIMs is today, where it might be
going in the future, and where we might fit," said Cohen.

One factor in the Windows market that Claris considers significant
is the inclusion of Lotus Organizer in SmartSuite, he said. Another
concerns the kinds of PIM capabilities that Microsoft's upcoming
Chicago might provide.

Meanwhile, on the Macintosh side, Claris Organizer will offer
greater functionality than competing products, in a "compact"
package requiring only one megabyte (MB) of random access memory
(RAM) and 850 kilobytes (KB) of disk space, according to Cohen.

In contrast, alternative approaches for the Mac call for the use of
separate scheduler and contact management applications that eat up
more disk space, as well as up to 2MB of RAM each, the Claris
official said.

Claris Organizer's "auto completion" feature automatically fills in
the "missing letters" of a data entry, after the user types in an
initial text string, according to Cohen. "San F," for example, is
transformed into "San Francisco."

"Auto linking" lets the user link information between program
components by dragging-and-dropping. For instance, the user can
create the task "call Mike" by dragging Mike's record on to the
task icon, and schedule a time to place the call by dragging "call
Mike" from the task list to the agenda.

"Smart find" permits all program components to be searched in
"plain English," and searches to be refined, as well. After
searching for and presenting a list of all entries containing the
name "Mike," "smart find" might be further directed to find all
"Mikes" who are personal friends rather than professional
contacts.

Through another "intelligent" feature, called "custom views," users
can filter and view subsets of information, such as family and
friends, or tasks due this week, Cohen said.

Claris Organizer is also compatible with a variety of outside
schedulers and contact managers, such as Meeting Maker, Dynodex,
Now Contact, Up To Date, and Aldus DateBrook Pro and Touchbase
Pro.

Claris Organizer is able to "sense" the identity of the other
application and automatically align fields for accurate import
into Organizer, the product manager said.

In addition, users can print out calendars, appointments,
addresses, envelopes, fax cover sheets, and phone lists. Claris'
new PIM incorporates built-in daybook print formats such as
DayTimer, FiloFax, and Franklin.

Claris Organizer is slated for release this summer. Through
September 30, the product will be sold at a special introductory
price of $49. The regular suggested retail price will be $99.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940530/Reader Contact: Claris, 408-987-7000;
Press Contacts: Natalie Lingo, Claris, 408-987-7487; Steve Ruddock,
Claris, 408-987-7202)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00012)

Australia - Color Scanner/Fax/Copier For Under $800 05/31/94
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- You can buy a desktop
scanner for under $1,000, but how about throwing in faxing and
copying capabilities as well? ScanPlus is claimed to be the first
such product.

Creative Pacific, distributor of the SoundBlaster range in Australia,
is distributing this new machine with a suggested retail price of
AUS$1,199 or around US$800.

It consists of a 10-sheet feed scanner with "fax" and "copy" buttons
that work with your fax-modem and PC printer. In addition, it also
has a 14-number memory for frequently called fax numbers.

As a scanner, it offers 24-bit 1,200 dots-per-inch (dpi) resolution
in color or gray scale. It comes with Picture Publisher 4.0 SE and
Word Scan 2.0 software (a Windows based optical character
recognition package). There is even a one-button OCR mode. The
ScanFX is Twain-compliant, making it compatible with most current
graphics, OCR, and photo modifying software.

It is compatible with most fax modems, such as US Robotics, Intel,
and Zyxl, and with printers from such companies as HP, Canon, QMS.
Copy speed is four pages-per-minute in monochrome with a HP
LaserJet. Power is taken from the host PC as it draws just 1.5
watts when idle and 10 watts when active.

(Paul Zucker/19940527/Contact: Lou Schillaci at Creative Pacific,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00013)

CoSA Ships Mac Special Effects Products 05/31/94
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- CoSA, a division
of Aldus Corporation, says it is now shipping three new products
that enhance its special-effects program, After Effects.

The new products are After Effects for the Apple Power Macintosh;
the After Effects Rendering Engine; and Effects Pack, volume 2:
Keying Effects. The company says the entire After Effects product
line now ships with both Macintosh and Power Macintosh versions
of the software in the box. Most software written for Macintosh
computers before the Power Mac was introduced will run on the
newest Apple machine but do not take advantage of the PowerPC
chip's speed.

Effects Pack, volume 2: Keying Effects adds "professional quality"
bluescreen removal and color keying capabilities to the After
Effects software, claims the company. The program includes 11
keying effects used for detailed compositing projects.

The user can select from a range of difference matte, color
difference and linear keys best suited for the project at hand.
On-screen help, that CoSA calls "a goal-oriented interface," aids
the user in the setup of the keying process.  Effects Pack, volume 2:
Keying Effects has a suggested retail price (SRP) of $695, but the
company is selling it for $495 through June 30, 1994.

After Effects 2.0.1 for the Power Mac includes fixing some minor
bugs found in the standard Mac version and a performance increase of
two to four times over the standard Mac version, according to the
company. The software has an SRP of $1,995.

If you bought your standard Mac version of After Effects 2.0 before
March 15, 1994, you can upgrade for $99. The upgrade is only $25 for
software purchased on or after March 15. If you do not have a Power
Mac but want to get the bug fixes you can download a patching
application at no cost except connect charges from the CoSA area
on America Online or Applelink.

The After Effects Rendering Engine is a way for After Effects 2.x
users to put idle CPU (central processing unit) time on a Mac or
Power Mac to use. Once a composition has been completed using After
Effects and is ready to be rendered, final output frames can be put on a
different machine, or machines, running the rendering engine. That
frees up the primary After Effects workstation for continued editing.

The rendering engine comes in multi-pack units, with an SRP of $495
for a single unit, $995 for three and $1,995 for 10.

After Effects 2.01. and the rendering engine require a Macintosh
II or greater equipped with a floating point unit (FPU) math
co-processor, System 7.0 or later operating system software, the
Apple Quicktime 1.5 system extension or later, and at least eight
megabytes (MB) of memory. CoSA recommends at least 20MB of
memory.

On a Power Macintosh you need system 7.1.2 or later, Quicktime 1.6.2
or later, and a bare minimum of 16MB of memory. CoSA recommends
24MB. You also need at least an 80MB hard drive, although CoSA
recommends 500MB. The company recommends the use of two
monitors when using After Effects.

After Effects and the After Effects Rendering Engine are "copy
protected" by an Apple Desktop Bus hardware key device.

(Jim Mallory/19940527/Press contact: Tricia Horner, CoSA,
206-343-4208; Reader contact: CoSA, tel [phone],
fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00014)

Firms Team To Speed Remote PC Computing 05/31/94
BOULDER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- A Colorado
company and another in Florida have teamed up to produce compatible
software that reportedly speeds up Windows and DOS applications
running on remote personal computers.

Niwot Networks Inc., in Boulder, Colorado, and Ocean Isle Software
of Vero Beach, Florida have announced that Ocean Isle's ReachOut
Remote Control Modem version is now compatible with Niwot's
Remote Control Support Kit.

ReachOut Remote Control allows the user to control a remote PC,
getting rapid screen refresh, smooth mouse operation and good
integration with Windows, according to the company. The modem
version includes security features, background file transfer, printer
redirection, disk redirection, and the ability to reboot the host
when the remote connection is terminated.

Niwot's support kit includes an AT/SD synchronous adapter that
supports data exchange rates from 9.6 kilobits to four megabits over
V.35, RS-232 or RS-449 interfaces, an RCDRVR software driver for
INT14/6B support, a VDIAL software dialer for synchronous V.25bis
DSUs, TA, and IMUXs. You also get a cable to connect to DSU (data
service unit), TA (terminal adapter), or IMUX with a standard V.35
interface, and a ReachOut Remote Control Modem version single user
license.

"Up until now we have been limited by the COM (serial) port
performance," says Ocean Isle President Jim Kendall. "Using the
Niwot package we see great screen updates and file transfers
over a megabyte a minute for ISDN (integrated services digital
network) and faster connections."

Bill Gibson, president of Niwot Networks, says combining ReachOut
Remote Control with the faster digital lines which Niwot supports
gives users support and management of remote applications using
the same switched digital hardware that was previously dedicated to
file transfer or videoconferencing.

The Niwot support kit is available direct from Niwot Networks for
$995. ReachOut Remote Control Modem Host and Viewer sells for
$199 from Ocean Isle Software.

(Jim Mallory/19940527/Press contact: Sally Smith, Smith &
Associates, 513-897-0654; Reader contact: Jay Knutson, Niwot
Networks Inc, 303-444-7765 or Doug Fowler, Ocean Isle,
407-770-4777)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(ATL)(00015)

Comdex - Plantronics Pushes Mini-DIN Plug "Standard" 05/31/94
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- Plantronics, a
long-time leader in the telephone head-set business, offered a
new standard for computer connections to telephones at the recent
Comdex expo in Atlanta. The standard was based on a mini-DIN plug.

Vice President Marvin Tseu showed a prototype head-set at a
Comdex press conference, then defended the design under close
questioning from reporters. "It's a computer interface, not a
direct network interface," he explained. "You'll need more wires
than those found on an RJ-11," the standard, square plug used for
connecting to telephones.

Plantronics said it was defining an "open audio standard" and
announced working relationships with Intel, Digital Equipment, and
Hewlett-Packard to support it. The standard defines electrical as
well as physical interfaces, as well as appropriate signal
levels. Tseu said adoption of the standard would allow closer
connections between computer telephony and multimedia
applications, making the headset a key interface between the user
and the computer.

Tseu said Plantronics is a long-time supplier to companies like
Northern Telecom and AT&T, which make telephone equipment, and
their support is essential for the adoption of the interface. The
telephone equipment suppliers "recognize their interfaces have to
become more open," but he acknowledged to Newsbytes that neither
company has yet announced support for its standard from switch
makers.

The Plantronics press conference drew a big crowd of reporters
based on a promise of free headsets. As the press conference
proceeded, some reporters began wondering aloud if they were
going to get headsets with the mini-DIN plugs, which cannot be
plugged into anything. They were assured that the free headsets
would come in the mail, with RJ-11 plugs. But the whole display
illustrated the difficulty Plantronics faces in trying to get its
new "standard" adopted.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940527/Press Contact: Paul Wcislo,
Plantronics, 408/458-4468)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00016)

Diagsoft Diagnostic Prgm Adds Windows Remote Control 05/31/94
SCOTTS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- Diagsoft
has announced it will include the capability to troubleshoot personal
computer (PC) problems over the telephone by bundling the remote
communication software product Cosession with its QAPlus line of
PC diagnostic software. IBM has agreed to add the new bundle to its
Valuepoint PCs.

Diagsoft has offered the ability for remote control in a DOS
environment previously, but Cosession from Iselina, New Jersey-
based Triton Technologies will add the ability to perform remote
operation in both the Microsoft Windows and DOS environments.

David Saphier, Triton's president, said: "With QAPlus and
Cosession, if the user needs assistance, he or she can have a
support technician connect to the troubled PC via a modem and
remotely run diagnostic tests to get the system up and running in
the least possible amount of time!"

The companies are encouraging computer manufacturers to bundle
the Diasoft/Cosession products with new PCs. IBM is the first to
take them up on it, bundling the 6.0 version of QAPlus/Win with
the Cosession remote capability with the Performance Series of
Valuepoint PCs.

IBM customer support representatives will reportedly be able to help
customers pin-point a problem, and increase customer confidence in
the hardware when it can be shown the problem is not hardware-related.
Diagsoft says it believes PC vendors can count on higher customer
satisfaction at lower support costs and fewer hardware returns.

Scotts Valley, California headquartered Diagsoft claims it has
shipped 6 million copies of the original equipment manufacturer
(OEM) version of QAPlus to date. The company's other products
include QAPlus/Win, QAPlus/FE, QAPlus/Factory, Peace of Mind for
the Macintosh, and Power Meter.

(Linda Rohrbough/19940527/Press Contact: Rita lencioni, The
Terpin Group, 310-798-7875, fax [phone]; Sabrina Castaneda,
Diagsoft, 408-438-8247, fax [phone]; Public Contact:
Diagsoft, 800-342-4763; Compuserve, GO DIAGSOFT)


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

Delrina Intros Flintstones Screen Saver 05/31/94
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- Stone-age puns are
flying as Delrina Corp. announced The Flintstones Screen Saver, a
whimsical bit of software timed to capitalize on the release of a
movie based on the old animated cartoon series.

In a press release making liberal use of "Flintstone-speak" by
changing random syllables of words to "rock" or "stone" -- it
refers to Delrina President Mark Skapinker as Mark Skapinkstone,
for example -- Delrina said the screen-saver will be available in
June at major computer caves and mail order tablets.

The suggested retail price is US$34.95 or C$44.95. The software
is available for Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 3.1 and for Apple
Computer Inc.'s Macintosh computers using System 6.07 or higher.

The software comes with several modules, including a performance
of the Flintstones theme song, a "Dictabird" that records and
replays sound bites, a Bronto Crane that removes pieces of the
Windows or Apple Macintosh desktop, and a paper boy who drives
across the screen throwing copies of The Bedrock News.

The software requires five megabytes (MB) of disk space, 3MB
of memory, and a 256-color display and adapter. Delrina
recommends a sound board.

Though it is mostly just for fun, the screen saver does provide
password protection and other security features, Delrina said.

It uses the same Intermission screen saver engine as other
Delrina products such as The Far Side Screen Saver Collection and
Opus'n Bill. Those who already have one of these products can get
the Flintstones Screen Saver directly from Delrina for US$19.95
or C$24.95.

(Grant Buckler/19940531/Press Contact: Synthia Wong, Delrina, tel
416-443-4358, fax [phone], Internet [e-mail];
Public Contact: Delrina, tel [phone] or 416-441-3676)


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

Medio Intros New PC Multimedia Titles 05/31/94
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- Medio
Multimedia Inc., has announced several new interactive multimedia
titles on CD-ROM, including Medio Magazine, Jets!, and World Beat.

Medio Magazine is a monthly general interest magazine on CD-ROM
that includes sections called Entertainment, Sports, Business and
Finance, Scene, News, Reference, KidStuff, and Backtalk. The
Entertainment section includes full-motion video clips from
upcoming Hollywood movies and interviews with stars and directors.

The Scene section has video clips of recent fashion shows from the
fashion capitals of the world. The cover of the first Medio Magazine
issue features a cartoon character waiter holding aloft a world
globe on a CD-ROM disk.

Jets! is about jet-powered aircraft and their pilots and designers.
You get 30 minutes of video, including interviews with people like
Chuck Yeager and Scott Crossfield. There are also narratives on
topics such as test pilots and experimental planes that let users
further explore their areas of interest by clicking on a video clip,
animation or still photo during the narration.

The disk includes two complete books, three-dimensional (3-D)
animations, color photographs, and a morphing timeline that shows
the development of jet aircraft. Morphing is a technique that
gradually changes one image into a different image, and is becoming
popular in television commercials.

Jet! covers planes from the German Me 163, through Stealth aircraft,
and into renderings of future planes.

World Beat is a collection of music styles from around the world.
The program explains the origins and histories of more than 150
music styles. There are videos of performances and interviews with
musicians, and you can experiment with the tempo and volume of
songs in a section called the Music Studio.  There is also a source
listing for records and audio disks and overviews of Asian, Latin
American and African music styles.

World Beat includes two MIDI (musical instrument digital interface)
set-up features that walk the user through the installation process
and test the system.

Jets!, World Beat, and Medio Magazine each have a suggested retail
price of $59.95. You can also get Medio Magazine for $9.95 per
issue. The three disks are included in the Medio Explorer II
collection along with JFK Assassination: A Visual Investigation for
$119.95.

The software is distributed through Egghead Software, CompUSA,
Computer City, Electronic Boutique, Software Etc, and Incredible
Universe.

To run any of the Medio Multimedia programs you need a 486SX or
higher personal computer, four megabytes (MB) of hard disk space,
an MPC-compatible CD-ROM drive, VGA or better graphics, Microsoft
Windows 3.1 or later, a mouse or compatible pointing device, and
an audio board with speakers or headphones.

(Jim Mallory/19940531/Press contact: Pam Miller, Kaufer Miller
Communications Inc for Medio Multimedia Inc, 206-450-9965; Reader
contact: Medio Multimedia Inc, 206-867-5500 or 800-788-3866, fax
206-885-4142/MEDIO940531/PHOTO)


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

Ditek Launches PC Design Package 05/31/94
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 31 (NB) --  Ditek Software
Corp., of Markham, Ontario, announced at the recent Comdex Spring
and Windows World trade show a design software package for
personal computers (PCs) running Microsoft Windows.

DynaDesigner! is an all-purpose design, drawing, drafting, and
illustration program, the company said. According to Oren Asher,
president of Ditek, it is a somewhat stripped-down version of
DynaCADD, a Windows design package that Ditek plans to
release -- after some delays -- this summer.

DynaCADD, to be launched at the Comdex/Canada show in Toronto
in mid-July, will include rendering and more extensive three-
dimensional (3-D) design functions than DynaDesigner!, Asher told
Newsbytes. DynaCADD is in beta testing now, he said.

DynaDesigner! users will be able to upgrade to DynaCADD without
having to learn new commands, according to the vendor. The
company also said DynaDesigner! files are compatible with various
other Windows applications, including AutoCAD, CorelDraw!,
Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, PageMaker, and QuarkXPress.

The software uses a point-and-click icon interface that Ditek
calls InstaKlik, allowing access to more than 2,000 commands.
Experienced users can use a keyboard-based command-line
interpreter if they prefer.

Ditek estimates the street price of DynaDesigner! will be about
$250. Asher said the street price of DynaCADD will probably be
around $500.

Ditek has established distribution in Europe, with distributors
in Italy, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, Asher said.
The company has historically been stronger in the European market
than in North America. Ditek is building up its North American
marketing channels and is looking for distributors in the Asia
and Pacific region, Asher said.

(Grant Buckler/19940531/Press Contact: Oren Asher, Ditek
Software, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00020)

Canadian Product Launch Update 05/31/94
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1994 MAY 31 (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: IBM's
new PC Servers and RISC System/6000 models, and Lotus 1-2-3
Release 4 for DOS.

IBM Canada Ltd., of Markham, Ontario, announced new PC Server
models (Newsbytes, May 24). The new servers are due to ship
within three weeks. The base price for the 486DX2/66 server with
eight megabytes (MB) of memory, without a hard disk, is C$4,599.
The Pentium server, with 16MB of memory, is C$7,199 without hard
disk.

IBM Canada also introduced new models in its RISC System/6000
line of reduced instruction-set computing (RISC) workstations and
servers (Newsbytes, May 24).

IBM Canada said it is now shipping the RS/6000 C10 server at a
list price of C$16,450. The Model 380 lists at C$32,760, and the
Model 390 at C$38,480. The Model 59H server will start at
C$103,720. The rack-mount servers will range from C$55.080 to
C$136,620, with the R10 and R20 models shipping in June and the
R24 in mid-July. The RS/6000 41T workstation has a Canadian list
price of C$16,020. The 41W is C$14,300. The 3AT workstation lists
for C$32,900 and the 3BT for C$37,910. All these models are due
to ship in early June.

IBM Canada also followed its US parent's lead in introduced
graphics accelerators and updated software for the RS/6000
products. Database 2/2 Version 1.2 and Distributed Database
Connection Services/2 Version 2.2 will ship at the end of June,
the company said. New graphics accelerators are to be available
June 10.

Toronto-based Lotus Development Canada Ltd. announced 1-2-3
Release 4 for DOS (Newsbytes, May 17). 1-2-3 Release 4 for DOS
will ship in Canada in June at a suggested retail price of C$789,
the company said. Upgrades from all other releases of 1-2-3 and
from qualifying competitive spreadsheets have a suggested retail
price of C$175.

(Grant Buckler/19940531/Press Contact: Kate Dennis, IBM Canada
[PC Servers], tel [phone]; Susan Turnbull, IBM Canada
[RS/6000], tel [phone]; Jane Bargout, IBM Canada [database
software], tel [phone]; Marsha Connor, Lotus Canada, tel
416-364-8000, fax [phone]; Public Contact: IBM Canada,
905-946-9000; Lotus Canada, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00021)

Motorola Licenses Matsushita's Ferroelectric Technology 05/31/94
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- Osaka-based Matsushita
Electronics Corporation says it has signed an agreement with
Motorola concerning the licensing of ferroelectric technologies.

According to Matsushita, the technology can be applied to a
256 megabit and a one gigabit dynamic random access memory
(DRAM) chip.

According to Matsushita, the two technologies licensed to
Motorola are high dielectric BST (barium strontium titanate) and
non-volatile Y-1 (superlattice perovskites).

Matsushita claims that it is the first firm in the industry to
succeed in the commercialization of BST technology in the
fabrication of gallium arsenide integrated circuits. Such
chips are already used in digital portable telephones and
telecommunication terminals.

Motorola will reportedly use the technologies in its portable
phones. Also, it is expected that the firm will develop card-type
integrated circuits for portable phones.

Matsushita Electronics started basic research into ferroelectric
technologies jointly with the University of Colorado in 1991. The
concept itself was reportedly originally developed by Dr. Carlos
Paz de Araijo at the University of Colorado.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19940531/Press Contact: Matsushita
Electronics, tel [phone] ext 2005, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00022)

Japan - Pocket PC Debuts From Fujitsu 05/31/94
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- Fujitsu has reportedly
developed a powerful pocket personal computer (PC), called the
OASYS Pocket 3. The Pocket 3 can link with digital cellular
phones, and will be priced at 99,800 yen ($998) when it is
introduced on June 10.

Fujitsu's latest pocket computer is a revised version of an
existing model, and was originally based on technology
from its British subsidiary, ICL. Fujitsu has added additional
technologies including the digital cellular phone feature,
Kanji capabilities, and word processing.

The OASYS Pocket 3 weighs only 490 grams and is only about half
the size of a B5-size document. It has a full keyboard and a large
LCD (liquid crystal display). It can continuously be operated for
about 10 hours with two removable batteries.

The pocket PC also includes a "to-do" list and project feature, as
well as those associated with an electronics organizer, such as a
scheduler, a memo-pad, a calculator, and spreadsheet.

Fujitsu has already developed a small digital phone for the device,
which is based on NTT's "standard." Also, it can be linked with a
desktop PC and a printer.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19940531/Press Contact: Fujitsu,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00023)

PC Learning Companies Announce Merger 05/31/94
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- Two
training companies have announced they will merge to form, what
they claim is "the largest developer and publisher of computer
education products and services in the world."

Learn PC Inc., based in Minneapolis, says it will merge with
Burlington, Massachusetts-based Hands On Learning. Learn PC is a
privately held company, formed in 1986 to develop video-based
software training systems. Hands On Learning is a developer of
educational products for computer industry professionals. Its
flagship product is the Workshop Training Series which combines
various learning media to teach diverse skills.

The yet-unnamed company created by the merger will offer
educational products on operating systems, programming languages,
and software applications.  The organization will employee more
than 100 people in its Minneapolis corporate offices and field
offices in Boston, Toronto, Austin, Chicago, Fayetteville, Los
Angeles, New York, and Phoenix. Distribution centers are located
in the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Belgium, and the Middle
East.

Learn PC spokesperson Kara Ellinger told Newsbytes Hands On
Learning's corporate headquarters in Burlington will remain open
as a sales office.

Ellinger said no jobs will be lost as a result of the merger. The
two private companies say they may consider a public offering
at a later date. An announcement of the name of the new company
is expected within 60 days.

Chuck Gorman, president and CEO of Learn PC, will hold those same
positions with the new firm. Dan Frawley, Hands On Learning
president, has been named executive vice president. Jeff Traynor
will be chief financial officer, and John Barrow will also be an
executive vice president.

(Jim Mallory/19940531/Press contact: Karen Ellinger, Learn PC,
612-930-4543)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00024)

Motif & Asahi Promote Active Addressing LCDs 05/31/94
WILSONVILLE, OREGON, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- Motif Inc., says
it has signed a letter of intent to form a strategic alliance with
Asahi Glass Company.

Motif is the developer and manufacturer of active addressing
liquid crystal display (AALCD) technology and is a joint venture of
Motorola and In Focus Systems. Asahi Glass manufactures passive
matrix liquid crystal displays.

Through the alliance, Motif will sell active addressing integrated
circuits (AAICs) to Asahi, enabling that company to add AALCDs to
its product line.

The two companies say they will each benefit from the alliance.
Asahi gets the AAICs, while Motif gets raw liquid crystal cells
which it will integrate with its own AAICs.

Asahi has developed a "fast responding" LCD technology called
multiple line selection (MLS). The agreement calls for the two
companies to work together to expand the market for all such
next-generation passive matrix LCDs. It is expected it will take
six to nine months for products to become available.

Passive matrix display panels have traditionally used sequential
signaling of each pixel using circuitry placed off the display
panel. That makes the panel easy to manufacture, but limits refresh
rates because each pixel (picture element or the dots that make up
the image displayed) is updated sequentially. Active matrix
displays place a thin-film transistor (TFT) at each pixel. That
speeds up the refresh rate, but makes the panels more difficult and
expensive to manufacture.

Active addressing bridges the gap between the two methods by
signaling all pixels constantly and simultaneously using AAIC
circuitry located off the screen in silicon, maintain the companies.

The market for active addressing LCDs includes notebook and
sub-notebook computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs),
instrumentation, video games, and projection systems.

(Jim Mallory/19940531/Press contact: Kevin Cornelius, Motif Inc.,
503-682-7700; Reader contact: Motif, tel [phone],
fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00025)

3-D Backgrounds For Windows 05/31/94
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- Domain Virtual
Worlds has announced the release of Crystal Walls 1.0, a program
that puts three-dimensional (3-D) animation and sound behind
your Windows screen.

Crystal Walls offers 18 animated worlds, including: Serengeti
Savanna; Bert the Windows Washer; Superheroes: NightMask and
Twilite; and Fruit Punch Pool Party. There are also gargoyles,
chinese bulldogs, Zen sages, indian designs, chinese papercut
mobiles, planets, globs of good sliding down the screen, gnomes,
and other views to select.

The company claims that, what sets Crystal Walls apart from other
Windows "wallpaper" is that the characters and objects in the program
continue their interaction while you are working in an application. The
program detects how much activity is present on the computer and
varies the rate of animation dependent on how much processor time is
available. The characters interact with each other, and in some
instances respond to your actions.

Virtual Worlds President Joseph King says Crystal Walls is better
than a screen saver. "Screen savers are fun mostly when you're not
there. By keeping the (Crystal Walls) worlds active while you use
other applications, Crystal Walls provides instead, a playful,
personal space in which to work."

The company says you need at least a 386-based personal
computer running at 25 megahertz (MHz) or faster, Windows
3.1, four megabytes of RAM and a 16-color VGA monitor or better.

A "browse" feature lets you preview the 18 offerings, and any you
do not want can be removed. Features such as the rate of activity,
number of characters in a world, the number of colors to display,
and when you want the sound effects to play are user-selectable.
After Dark screen saver modules can be run as Crystal Walls worlds.

The five-disk program has an introductory price of $49.95 until
January 1, 1995, when the price will go up to $59.95.

(Jim Mallory/19940531/Press contact: Richard Leeds, Computer
Product Introductions Corporation for Domain Virtual Worlds Inc., 206-
451-9788; Reader contact: Domain Virtual Worlds, 206-328-
7200 or 800-896-7537, fax [phone]/DOMAIN950531/PHOTO)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00026)

UK - ICL To Bundle New NT With ErGoPRO Pentium PCs 05/31/94
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- ICL Computers has announced
plans to ship copies of Windows NT 3.5 with its ErGoPRO 90 megahertz
(MHz) Pentium-based PCs, as soon as the new version of Microsoft's NT
operating environment becomes available.

"Microsoft's Windows NT and ICL's ErgoPRO Pentium systems work
hand-in-glove to provide customers the performance and features
they need to optimize enterprise wide client-server computing," said
David Mills, managing director of ICL Client-Server Systems,
announcing the bundling deal.

According to Mills, ICL's ErGoPRO systems bundled with the new version
of Windows NT should boost sales of the company's Pentium-based
systems. "We intend to make the Pentium/Windows NT the affordable
platform of choice for customers who need a powerful platform to
implement new 32-bit applications and multimedia features," he said.

According to Microsoft, the new "Daytona" version of Windows NT
offers users true multitasking, long filenames, 32-bit file access and
enhanced networking capabilities.

"Windows NT is an obvious choice for high-performance Pentium PCs
targeted at anyone who needs additional power," commented Jim Allchin,
vice president of Microsoft's business systems division.

ICL's ErGoPRO systems are pitched as high-end workstations and servers
in the UK marketplace. The systems, which are sold through value-added
resellers on a software bundling basis, feature Pentium OverDrive
upgradability, PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) local bus
architecture, memory expandable to 128 megabytes (MB), hard disk
capacity up to 2,000MB, and graphics memory of up to 4MB.

(Steve Gold/19940527/Press Contact: Mark Casey, Leading Edge
Communications, 44-71-454-9360; Public Contact: ICL,
44-344-711711)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00027)

UK - Intuit Intros Quickbooks 2.0 For Windows 05/31/94
HARMONDSWORTH, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- Intuit
Ltd., the UK subsidiary of Intuit in the US, has announced Quickbooks
2.0 for Windows, its first small/medium business accounting
software application.

Selling for UKP149.95, the package aims to offer a choice for small
to medium-sized businesses considering Quicken, the budget
accounts software home and small business use.

Unlike competing packages, QuickBooks does not use professional
accounting terms, but substitutes everyday language instead.

As supplied, the package comes in three distinct sections: the
customer pack, including disks and sample stationery; an 88-page
getting started guide; and a 422 page user's guide.

Installation steps the user through the set-up functions in about 10
minutes. Once set up, the package makes a big play on its removal
of the need for accounting terms such as "debit," "credit" and
"general ledger," preferring instead to talk in laymans terms, such
as "receiving payments," "making deposits" and "paying bills."

If you use Quicken for DOS or Windows, or the recently-introduced
QuickTax package, you can convert your files over to QuickBooks,
as the format is broadly similar. Once installed, the package has a
slideshow tutorial that steps the user through the program's usage.

Despite its simple approach to bookkeeping, QuickBooks is billed as a
very powerful package, offering historical, current and projected
report, analytic and spreadsheet facilities, adding graphs and charts
as required, in an easily accessible format.

Ian Yarlott, managing director of Intuit, told Newsbytes that he sees
QuickBooks as appealing to the small and medium-sized businessman
who would otherwise pay several hundred pounds for an accounting
suite.

"With Quicken, we've found a number of users running their businesses
on the package, despite the fact that its really a home accounts
package. QuickBooks is a real business package except that, like
Quicken, it costs a fraction of the price of equivalent and competing
software," he said.

Intuit is offering users a 60-day money-back guarantee and free
technical support facility. "That makes us a lot cheaper than any of
the competition, most of which charge for their support," Yarlott
said.

There are no plans at the moment to offer a DOS version of QuickBooks
in the UK. "When I look at my DOS sales of Quicken, I see 15 percent
of total sales. The bulk of sales are in Windows, so we've decided not
to release a DOS version over here. Obviously, if our users ask for a
DOS version on a large scale, then we'll review that decision,"
Yarlott told Newsbytes.

Existing users of Quicken can upgrade to QuickBooks at the special
price of UKP84.95. Quicken 3.0 users even get UKP25 off the upgrade
price, Yarlott said,

Quickbooks 2.0 for Windows, UK edition, requires a 386-based PC or
better, Windows 3.1, a hard disk with nine megabytes of space, and a
VGA or higher resolution monitor. The package will be available in
the UK from June 1 onwards.

(Steve Gold/19940527/Press & Public Contact: Intuit,
44-81-990-5500)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00028)

Great Bear Intros Windows Family HealthTracker 05/31/94
MORAGA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- Great Bear has
announced Family HealthTracker, a Windows program designed to
track, record and locate personal and family health records and
health-related activities.

The $49 software has a notebook interface with seven sections:
Cover, Daily Activities, Medical Records, Women's Health, Graph,
Information, and Address Book. The product is part of the
HealthSoft brand name of products that Great Bear markets.

At the same time, Great Bear announced a price reduction on its
multimedia titles of The Complete Guide to Prescription and
Non-Prescription Drugs and its Medical Dictionary & Family Health
Guide, as well as its All Music Guide from $69 and $59 to $49.

Family HealthTracker's Information section includes phone numbers
and addresses for over 300 health resources, such as the American
Cancer Society and the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.

The Graphing section creates graphs for both exercise- and diet-
related activities as well as tracking calorie intake, cholesterol
levels, fat consumption and body weight. The Cover section presents
an opening screen that provides "tips of the day" and facts to reduce
stress and prevent disease. The Women's health section provides
recording areas for menstrual cycles, breast exams, birth control,
and related drug usage.

Speaking to Newsbytes, Doug Cole, president and chief executive
officer of Great Bear, said, "Our market research told us that there
was no way of tracking all or some of the health records issues
and related activities. Our company likes to develop programs that
can be used on daily basis and fits into family use."

Comparing it to Quicken, Cole said, "If people just kept track of
their body as they do with their checkbook we would have a lot
healthier world."

An IBM or compatible computer with four megabytes (MB) of RAM
and 7MB of hard disk space, using Windows 3.1 and a mouse pointing
device, is necessary for installing and using Family HealthTracker.
The company offers a 60-day money back guarantee and technical
support.

(Patrick McKenna/19940531/Press Contact: Maria Amundson, A&R
Partners, 415-363-0982)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DAL)(00029)

Terrazzo Pattern-Generation For Mac Adobe Photoshop 05/31/94
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- Xaos Tools
(pronounced "chaos") known for its software tools for creating visual
effects on Silicon Graphics workstations, says it is shipping
Terrazzo, a plug-in pattern generator for the Macintosh version of
Adobe Photoshop.

The software can reportedly be used for creating background patterns
for graphic design and multimedia, making texture maps or bump
maps for three-dimensional (3-D) modeling, or generating repeating
patterns for textiles, wallpaper, and floor coverings.

Terrazzo generates patterns by selecting one of 17 basic geometry
patterns, or symmetries, and applying it to a section of an image.
This creates a tile that can then be repeated to form a pattern or
texture. Once the pattern is made, it can be applied to existing digital
images or saved as an individual tile in the PICT file format. The PICT
file format allows the tile to be used later or in programs that do not
support the Adobe Photoshop plug-in standard.

Users can vary the capacity of a pattern, use a "feather" tool to
create soft transitions instead of visible boundaries between
tiles, and change characteristics such as lightness, hue,
saturation, color, and luminosity. Finished tiles and patterns
may be modified in Photoshop's built-in image manipulation tools
and other plug-in filters, including Xaos Tools' other Photoshop
plug-in, Paint Alchemy.

Terrazzo is aimed at graphic designers, multimedia artists, 3-D
animators, and textile designers. The Photoshop add-on requires a
color Apple Macintosh, with System 6.0.5 or later and retails for
$199.

(Linda Rohrbough/19940531/Press Contact: Kelly Burke, Xaos Tools,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Public Contact: Xaos Tools,
800-833-9287/COMPANY940527/PHOTO)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DAL)(00030)

Live From New York, It's The Saturday Night CD-ROM 05/31/94
MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- The original
cast of "Saturday Night Live" will be featured in the 20th
Anniversary CD-ROM set. The two-disc set from the longest running
and highest-rated comedy/variety show in television is being
produced by GameTek and Saturday Night Live's co-producer with
NBC, Broadway Video.

The CD-ROM set will feature an icon-based user interface based on
a digitized image of the Saturday Night Live Studio set. Script
passages, promotional video footage, sound clips, and a scrapbook
of rare photos from the original cast will all be included.

Musical parodies from the show will be available as well as
performances by "The Blues Brothers." A full-color companion
guide filled with Saturday Night Live photographs will accompany
the set.

GameTek said the Saturday Night Live CD-ROM, available for both
Macintosh and IBM-compatible computers, is part of 60 new
products it plans to release through June, 1995. The company is
also planning to release movie classics on CD-ROM such as "Night
of the Living Dead" and compilations of "Our Gang" episodes.

(Linda Rohrbough/19940531/Press Contact: Stephen Curran, GameTek,
tel [phone], fax [phone]/GAMETEK940531/PHOTO)


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

Newsbytes Daily Summary 05/31/94
PENN VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 MAY 31 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

1 -> UK - Borland Intros PowerPack For DOS 05/31/94 Borland has
announced PowerPack for DOS, a suite of DOS development tools and
libraries that work with the company's C++ version 4.0 programming
language.

2 -> UK - Psion-Dacom Intros Low-Cost 14,400bps Modem 05/31/94 Psion
Dacom has announced the Meteor desktop modem. The unit, which costs
UKP249, works at speeds of up to 14,400 bits-per-second (bps), and
brings the company into line with the rest of the modem market,
Newsbytes notes.

3 -> UK - Optech Handles BT Directory Enquiries CD-ROM 05/31/94
After offering its Phonedisk/CD- ROM directory enquiries (DQ) disc
direct from its sales office for the past few years, British Telecom
(BT) is now offering the system through dealers. As a result, BT has
announced the signing of its first dealer to  handle Phonedisk --
Optech Limited, the multimedia specialists.

4 -> UK PCMCIA Specialist Intros Network Cards 05/31/94 Portable
Add-Ons  has announced a range of Personal Computer Memory Card
International Association (PCMCIA) network adapters that it claims
covers all bases as far as user requirements are concerned. Three
cards are initially available, one for Token Ring networks, and two
for Ethernet users.

5 -> UK - Mercury Offers Free Mobile Phone Calls To Year 2000
05/31/93 Following  hard on the heels of announcing that 62,500
subscribers had signed up  in the first six months of its operation,
Mercury One-2-One, the digital mobile phone network has announced
what it claims is the ultimate marketing come-on -- a golden SIM
(subscriber identity module) card.

6 -> Greece Announces OTE Telecom Privatization Plans 05/31/94 The
Greek Government has given  the go-ahead for plans to partially
privatize the state-controlled telecommunications company, OTE. The
announcement has been critically  timed, Newsbytes notes, as the
Greek stock exchange is in the midst of a sharp downward trend,
putting pressure on interest rates to rise.

7 ->  ****FAS Attacks Clinton Information, Secrecy Policy 05/31/94
"Judging by the number of documents being withheld from the public
on asserted national security grounds," says the Federation of
American Scientists, "the Clinton administration is the most
secretive presidency in the history of the Republic."

8 -> Context Systems Intros D-Day CD For Windows 05/31/94 Timed  to
coincide with memorials and celebrations in Europe and the US,
Context Systems and Simon & Schuster have released The D-Day
Encyclopedia. The CD features 50 period news-reel video clips, 24
full-colored maps, interviews, and a multimedia version of the
famous 287-foot Operation Overlord tapestry depicting the event.

9 -> NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers 05/31/94 TO ALL OUR US
CUSTOMERS, WE HOPE YOUR MEMORIAL DAY WAS A PLEASANT ONE ! These are
the photos that have been digitized and correspond to  stories
Newsbytes has reported recently. The photos are online  on the
Newsbytes menu on GEnie, eWorld, and the Newsbytes private  bulletin
board system in Minneapolis. For information on how to  become a
licensed Newsbytes publisher in any medium call  Newsbytes at
612-430-1100.

10 -> HP Intros Aptrex X Terminals To Vie With Sun 05/31/94 Hewlett-
Packard has announced the Aptrex family of X terminals, a product
line primed to compete against Sun's own X terminals plus third-
party contenders from companies like NCD and Tektronix.

11 -> Claris Intros Organizer PIM For Mac 05/31/94 Claris has
unveiled Claris Organizer, a Mac-based application for calendaring,
scheduling, note-taking and contact management envisioned by the
company as the "Claris Works of PIMs (personal information
managers)."

12 -> Australia - Color Scanner/Fax/Copier For Under $800 05/31/94
You can buy a desktop  scanner for under $1,000, but how about
throwing in faxing and  copying capabilities as well? ScanPlus is
claimed to be the first  such product.

13 -> CoSA Ships Mac Special Effects Products 05/31/94 CoSA, a
division of Aldus Corporation, says it is now shipping three new
products that enhance its special-effects program, After Effects.

14 -> Firms Team To Speed Remote PC Computing 05/31/94 A Colorado
company and another in Florida have teamed up to produce compatible
software that reportedly speeds up Windows and DOS applications
running on remote personal computers.

15 -> Comdex - Plantronics Pushes Mini-DIN Plug "Standard" 05/31/94
Plantronics, a  long-time leader in the telephone head-set business,
offered a  new standard for computer connections to telephones at
the recent Comdex expo in Atlanta. The standard was based on a
mini-DIN plug.

16 -> Diagsoft Diagnostic Prgm Adds Windows Remote Control 05/31/94
Diagsoft has announced it will include the capability to
troubleshoot personal computer (PC) problems over the telephone by
bundling the remote communication software product Cosession with
its QAPlus line of PC diagnostic software. IBM has agreed to add the
new bundle to its  Valuepoint PCs.

17 -> Delrina Intros Flintstones Screen Saver 05/31/94 Stone-age
puns are flying as Delrina Corp. announced The Flintstones Screen
Saver, a whimsical bit of software timed to capitalize on the
release of a movie based on the old animated cartoon series.

18 -> Medio Intros New PC Multimedia Titles 05/31/94 Medio
Multimedia Inc., has announced several new interactive multimedia
titles on CD-ROM, including Medio Magazine, Jets!, and World Beat.

19 -> Ditek Launches PC Design Package 05/31/94
 Ditek Software Corp., of Markham, Ontario, announced at the recent
Comdex Spring  and Windows World trade show a design software
package for personal computers (PCs) running Microsoft Windows.

20 -> Canadian Product Launch Update 05/31/94 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: IBM's new PC Servers and
RISC System/6000 models, and Lotus 1-2-3 Release 4 for DOS.

21 -> Motorola Licenses Matsushita's Ferroelectric Technology
05/31/94 Osaka-based Matsushita Electronics Corporation says it has
signed an agreement with Motorola concerning the licensing of
ferroelectric technologies.

22 -> Japan - Pocket PC Debuts From Fujitsu 05/31/94 Fujitsu has
reportedly  developed a powerful pocket personal computer (PC),
called the  OASYS Pocket 3. The Pocket 3 can link with digital
cellular phones, and will be priced at 99,800 yen ($998) when it is
introduced on June 10.

23 -> PC Learning Companies Announce Merger 05/31/94 Two training
companies have announced they will merge to form, what they claim is
"the largest developer and publisher of computer  education products
and services in the world."

24 -> Motif & Asahi Promote Active Addressing LCDs 05/31/94 Motif
Inc., says  it has signed a letter of intent to form a strategic
alliance with Asahi Glass Company.

25 -> 3-D Backgrounds For Windows 05/31/94 Domain Virtual Worlds has
announced the release of Crystal Walls 1.0, a program that puts
three-dimensional (3-D) animation and sound behind  your Windows
screen.

26 -> UK - ICL To Bundle New NT With ErGoPRO Pentium PCs 05/31/94
ICL Computers has announced  plans to ship copies of Windows NT 3.5
with its ErGoPRO 90 megahertz  (MHz) Pentium-based PCs, as soon as
the new version of Microsoft's NT  operating environment becomes
available.

27 -> UK - Intuit Intros Quickbooks 2.0 For Windows 05/31/94 Intuit
Ltd., the UK subsidiary of Intuit in the US, has announced
Quickbooks  2.0 for Windows, its first small/medium business
accounting  software application.

28 -> Great Bear Intros Windows Family HealthTracker 05/31/94 Great
Bear has announced Family HealthTracker, a Windows program designed
to  track, record and locate personal and family health records and
health-related activities.

29 -> Terrazzo Pattern-Generation For Mac Adobe Photoshop 05/31/94
Xaos Tools (pronounced "chaos") known for its software tools for
creating visual  effects on Silicon Graphics workstations, says it
is shipping  Terrazzo, a plug-in pattern generator for the Macintosh
version of  Adobe Photoshop.

30 -> Live From New York, It's The Saturday Night CD-ROM 05/31/94
The original cast of "Saturday Night Live" will be featured in the
20th Anniversary CD-ROM set. The two-disc set from the longest
running and highest-rated comedy/variety show in television is being
produced by GameTek and Saturday Night Live's co-producer with NBC,
Broadway Video.

(Ian Stokell/19940531)